November newsletter: printing and planning

Last month has been a month of colour

I have been enjoying the colours of autumn, the colours of graffiti and even the colours of the rain-soaked sand and rock in some of the lanes around where I live. I have also enjoyed playing with colour in my edits and making changes to reality.

What I’ve been up to this month

My big news is that 1Point4 Miles – Heat and Intensity is now at the printers. I have been very pleased with the A3 fold-out poster that I made of the book first, just to check the colour. Remember that you can pre-order your copy here and receive a free copy of the poster whilst stocks last.

As soon as I had pressed the order button on the book, heavy fogs finally came to my walk. So I have started making images for volume three, where I will return to black and white. However, my next published body of work will also be in black and white but concentrated on another local walk. The style of photography is in complete contrast to 1Point4 Miles and there is a lot less minimalism. I also plan to release this in a different way. Watch this space and I will reveal more in January!

What I learned this month

My first big learning is that I need to tame my enthusiasm for so many projects. I have a lot of ideas on the go and there is a danger that I work on too many things at once and do not finish anything. I am gradually becoming more focussed. I am also learning how to draw a line under projects and realise when it is time to move on.

I have also learned the value of curiosity. Reaching out to people you do not know and asking questions can be extremely helpful. And it is amazing how many good relationships one can form along the way as well.

What are my plans for next month?

Over the coming weeks I plan to finish off my next project. I will tell you more about this in my next newsletter. For now, the image at the top of this newsletter tells you a little bit more about the direction of this project.

I also plan to write down all my projects and try and create some order from all the outputs I am creating. It would be nice to set some priorities and have an idea of what I will be working towards over the coming months. Naturally, plans may change when I start working on something else. However, I will have some structure and direction.

What I’ve been writing about this month

My latest blog is all about the value of play in photography. Read my thoughts about this here. I have benefitted greatly from just messing around sometimes and I think we can all improve our image making from letting go of the boundaries we set ourselves.

What have I been reading and watching this month?

I really enjoyed Guy Dickinson’s A Norfolk Notebook. It shows how just a few images can create a truly powerful body of work. I would absolutely recommend you purchase this (as well as 1Point4 Miles, of course!)

We have also been enjoying the BBC drama The English. It is inspiring from the way it is plotted, the minimalist dialogue from the characters and the way it has been shot.

What have I seen this month

At the Holburne Museum in Bath I saw the extraordinarily powerful “My Reality Is Different” by Nalini Malani. She uses a mixture of paintings from the museum and the National Gallery and iPad art in a huge animation chamber to challenge the stereotypes we often see in European art. The theme is a retelling of the fall of Troy and it definitely made me question the way that art is traditionally seen and interpreted. Again, I would urge you to see this (it moves to the National Gallery in January).

Make sure you keep in touch!

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Vero. But please also e-mail directly: I really enjoy the conversations I have with those of you who have contacted me. And I love to see image and projects that you are proud of. And do send me recommendations for reading, listening, exhibitions, blog articles and more!