Caz Photo Blog

In these Limit Yourself posts, I’m going to take one element of picture making and suggest you pare it down to the minimum and see what happens.

We are all given thousands of choices every day, and even with photography there are so many ways to take a particular scene or image that sometimes it’s hard to decide what is best.

For the first topic, I suggest limiting yourself to one or two picture elements and try to take as may different set-ups and compositions as you can. See how each changes the mood or feeling of the picture.

Initally, I started off with rather too many elements:

There’s too much stuff, and the central composition was rather boring. So I cut it down.

Here’s what I did with just two pieces of paper and a couple of feathers:

[Feathers to the Left - they were different sizes, so I knew I wanted to accentuate the asymmetry]

[Feathers to the Right - a different balance with them this way round]

Two vertical format versions, each with its own merit. I quite like the diagonal which is now creeping in – it give the shot a bit more dynamism.

[Diagonal and slanted backwards - this limits depth of field whilst still retaining the diagonal]

In the end, I decided to go with this composition for Day #741. It’s just my personal preference, but it was worth experimenting to see which I liked best.

Why not have a go at limiting yourself too?

I’ve been having a look back at 2009’s Year In Pictures to see if there is anything I can add to last year’s summary. And my conclusion is – not really! The 12 things I have learned are still as relevent this time around as during 2008.

So, I’ll move straight on to…

A few Statistics

For those of you that like numbers, here are some stats:

Pictures made at home: 89/365 = 24.4%
Pictures made within 5 miles of home: 88/365 = 24.1%
Pictures made further away: 188/365 = 51.5%

Pictures made with Ixus 850 IS Compact: 0/365 = 0%
Pictures made with DSLR (Canon EOS 30D): 365/365 = 100%

As you will see, I haven’t used my Ixus compact once this year. Not just for 365 pictures, but at all. I don’t know why, but I’ve just been in the habit of taking my 30D everywhere with me. I think there were a few occasions last year when I really liked the composition of something taken with the Ixus but it was let down by the technical quality, so perhaps subconsciously I was thinking I’d rather lug a bigger camera around and get better quality images.

And compared to last year, I’ve also “got out more” – a greater number of pictures were taken further away than 5 miles and fewer at home – or perhaps that’s just a sign that I’m running out of things to photograph around the house!

Interestingly, between Monday 13th April (Day #469)and Friday 22nd May (Day #508), I didn’t make a single image at home. That’s 40 days straight, the longest period I’ve been without resorting to something close to hand.

And in case you care, here are my favourite and least favourite shots from each month:

* Pic of the Year: Day #501 – Tyneside Dusk

** Dud of the Year: Day #690 – Mono Textures

Final Thoughts

Has 2009 been harder than 2008? I’m not sure that’s true – although I seem to have been more pleased overall with the general standard (perhaps I took a few weeks to get “warmed up” in 2008?) – but I feel the duds this year were worse – so perhaps bigger peaks and troughs throughout the year would be the best way to describe it.

Oh, and in case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve decided to keep going during 2010. It’s addictive

I’ve already written up the photographic opportunities afforded by the December Freeze, but I also had a few other outings during the month.

Firstly, I went with the Great Notley Photography Club on their outing to Ely on 6th December, Day #706. The weather was terrible at home first thing, but I made the effort to get out anyway – and the four of us who did turn up were rewarded with some lovely winter light around the town and along the banks of the Great Ouse [right].

[Life, Jim - a lifebelt cover by the river, covered in lichen]

The thing for which Ely is most famous is the Cathedral, known as the Ship Of The Fens. Never having visited the city before, I was a little unprepared for the size of the building – which can be seen for miles around as you approach.

After a lovely walk by the river and a very pleasant lunch in a pub overlooking the water, our group returned to the Cathedral to take some more interior shots. High Altar View [left] was my favourite of the shots I took inside.

You can see all the images I took in Ely on Flickr.

Talking of Flickr, after missing the last couple due to other commitments, I have enjoyed two photowalks with the Chelmsford Flickr crowd. Three of us went out in the snow on 20th December and had a long hike through Central Park and along the canal to Barnes Mill Lock, then across Baddow Meads. We did punctuate it with a warming half hour in a local coffee shop at lunchtime!

[Icicle Fans Rodney and Bev taking shots of the icicles under the bridge on Baddow Meads]

See the rest of the walk’s pictures on Flickr.

We all needed another constitutional on 28th December to blow off the cobwebs and walk off some of the excesses of Christmas. This time, four of us went on a walk around Little Waltham Nature Reserve. I’ve visited before, exactly a year ago (Day #363) when I went on a geocaching trip with Alistair.

This time, although the walk and banter was fun, I didn’t feel ultra-inspired by the surroundings – much of which were very muddy. But I did like this image below, which was a strong contender for Day #728:

[Barbed Intent - a little detail found in Little Waltham Nature Reserve]

You can see the others I took on Flickr.

Well, that’s it for 2009! You can expect a full roundup of the year very soon. Keep watching…

I love a bit of snow and frost. Not so keen on ice when you need to get out and about, but it can be beautiful in its own way.

First, there was a severe frost on 15th December, and I had some time to walk in the Noak Hill Nature Reserve near Basildon. Here are some images which didn’t quite make it for Day #715:

[Frosted Twist - I loved the strand of creeper winding around this thorny branch]

[Frosted Rose Hip - this was in a shady corner and did not see any sun all day]

[Oak On A Bench - another lovely leaf]

Then I was pretty happy when we had a 5″ snowfall at home on 18th December. The first thing I did was run around Galleywood Common and take a load of shots, then hop in the car and tentativey drive to Ulting to visit the lovely little church by the canal there.

Over the next few days I also explored the local parks and other places. Here is a selection of some of the images which didn’t make the cut for Day #718, #719 and #720:

[A Light Flurry on Galleywood Common]

[Divine Light, Ulting Church - a magical location at any time of the year]

[Tracking in Chelmer Park]

[Dingle Dangle - more ice on the railings in Chelmer Park]

[A Go On The Swings - Central Park, Chelmsford]

[Icy Teasel - some delicate snow on the banks of the canal]

I know it can be an inconvenience, but I’m looking forward to the next lot of snow soon – it’s great for pictures with a difference and if you are wrapped up warm, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get some cracking images and have fun.

Looking back over November, I only had one really big photographic day out. That was to take some images for a client in Thorndon Country Park, a lady who walks dogs. I had to try and keep ahead of 4 lively hounds, run up and down hills and still get some decent pictures! All a bit of a challenge, but I also had a bit of time before the dogs arrrived to have a wander around the park and take some Autumnal shots of the foliage.

Copper & Grey was one such image [above] which very nearly made it on Day #674.

For most of the rest of the month, I only posted one image per day. And although this wasn’t much better than September, I somehow felt happier with the overall standard during November.