August newsletter: adventures in a cemetery and in Lightroom

It’s been a month of new ideas

I have really enjoyed coming up with new ways of using Lightroom as well as coming up with new workshop ideas.

What I’ve been up to this month

I had a great day out in London with Andy Holliman, who introduced me to Brompton Cemetery. We had a good time exploring and I found it a very inspirational. However, my real discoveries were in the editing. I tried new ideas in Lightroom and combined this with my newly-found interest in ICM has resulted in some very different images for me. You can see one of them above.

I also ran my first photography photo walk in Bradford-upon-Avon. I really enjoyed opening peoples’ eyes to the potential of smartphone photography. It was humbling to receive such nice feedback as well. I am re-running this workshop in September, as well as running new workshops and photo walks in Bath. Scroll down for more details.

What I learned this month

I learned that I need to tame my exuberance for new styles. I think that some of my new ideas have potential. But I need to remember not to become too carried away when I try new ideas and push new styles to 11.

I also learned that playing Snap can be absolutely hilarious when I spent some time away with my teenage daughter!

What are my plans for next month?

I will be spending a lot of time planning my new photo walks in Bath. Each one takes time as it is important to research routes, potential images, find a nice but affordable venue and consider all health and safety implications.

But I have some photography time planned for me in Bath as well. I am also spending some time with creative writing and drawing and seeing how this fits into my practice. More on this soon.

What I’ve been writing about this month

I wrote my latest piece as I was working on an online workshop called Editing With Vision. It is called Why vision is more important than software when editing. Read the article here .

What I visited this month

Whilst in London I took a trip round the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Honestly, it was not for me. For a start there are so many pieces exhibited that it is almost impossible to take much of it in. I also felt that many of the pieces (by no means all) were crowd pleasers without much depth.

What have I listened to this month

I was introduced an excellent modern classical album by John Adams call “Must The Devil Have All The Good Tunes”. It is technically very difficult to play (have a listen to the time signatures!) and a very worthwhile listen.

Upcoming workshops and events

If you want to find out more about any of my workshops to decide if they are right for you or have any questions, please hit reply to this email.

Exhibitions and events: This Sun 11th August I will be exhibiting at the Bath Contemporary Arts Fair. Do come and say hello. I will have a range of prints, both framed and unframed, as well as a couple of zines and a range of greetings cards.

Smartphone photography walks and workshops Bradford-upon-Avon

NEW Industrial Bath with a smartphone day – come and meet me in beautiful Bradford-upon-Avon on 7thSeptember or in Bath on 28th September and learn how to take impressive pictures with your smartphone. These full day workshops concentrate on getting the most out of your smartphone, visiting some interesting locations and receiving personal feedback. They cover editing and include cake! The Bath day is designed to focus on areas of Bath that most people do not visit. You also receive art prints of your work. See here for more information and booking.

Coming soon – Georgian Bath and craft beer photo walk – all types of camera welcome! I’ll show you the best of traditional Bath and then we will have a tutored craft beer tasting (wine or soft drinks also available) and there is feedback on images for those who want it. Contact me for more details.

Editing and advanced editing with your smartphone online – we meet on Zoom for a half day of learning how to edit with your smartphone. I sometimes take images from my traditional camera and choose to edit them on my smartphone. Find out why. What makes these sessions different is that I cover editing vision as well as how to edit. You also receive two art prints of your edits. See here for introductory editing and here for advanced editing.

Individual creative mentoring online – I help you develop your creative vision. I have trained in brain friendly training and these sessions are designed to hep you develop a practical path forward and an action plan. Each session is completely unique and tailored to your needs. I am running introductory pricing until 28th June. See here for details.

The Vision: A five-week online workshop – I am running this with Rob Knight and it is aimed at those who wish to expand their creative vision and be inspired to try new ideas. I am really excited at how this is shaping up. Starts 6th October. See here for more information and booking.

Make sure you keep in touch

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Mastodon as well as Bluesky. Please also e-mail directly: I really appreciate receiving personal e-mails from you. Please share images and projects send me recommendations for reading, listening, exhibitions, blog articles and more!

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