I was invited to the Jubilee Celerbrations at St Marys Community Centre in Leyland.
All images shot with the Fuji Film X100F using Classic Chrome
Courage to Change
There comes a time in our lives when we need to concentrate on the things that matter. And for me, these past six months have been that time.
Photography has been pushed further and further down the pecking order of the things that matter.
My photography opportunities have become less and less, and I was becoming more frustrated with the lack of time with the camera. I knew something needed to change, so I had to decide. Concentrate on one thing at a time, and the photography will return.
I have made some changes to my life. I decided I needed a career change. With any decision, there needs to be action.
In November, I decided to go back to college to train as a counsellor. I knew there would be sacrifices and one of them being my photography.
Juggling photography with work, home life, and college was always going to be tricky. Something needed to change, and photography had to be sacrificed to put all of my free time into pursuing a change of direction.
Making the little changes have paid off as I already have a new job. It will be a significant change, but it is one that I am relishing.
Photography will always be that little piece of escapism that I need to keep the dark clouds away, but there comes a time when we need to step back a look at the bigger picture.
It is about changing the things I can and not worrying about the things I have no control over. Staying mentally and physically well will always be paramount, and if I'm to stay well, there must be the courage to change.
Keep the Faith
KV
Barcelona Airport - Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport
A few shots with the Fujifilm X100F in Barcelona Airport whilst waiting for the flight back home to Manchester.
The Darwell Wedding.
31st October 2021 was the day we finally got to celebrate the wedding of Abbie and Matt.
And what a day! I do not think I have ever been to a wedding that was such an emotional rollercoaster as this one. There were tears of joy and tears of relief that we finally got here to see the new Mr and Mrs Darwell tie knot.
Over the last 12 – 15 months, there have been ups and downs and questions of whether will it happen or will it be cancelled. But just over 12 months on from the original date, it was all systems go. And what a celebration it was.
Admittedly I have a connection with Abbie and Matt as they are both good friends of mine who I love dearly but to be caught up in this flowing tide of emotion was something I have never experienced before.
Seeing Abbies Mum and Dad in tears when they finally got to see their daughter in the wedding dress was something I will never forget.
The one that got everyone was the wonderful poem read out by Harriet, the eldest daughter of Abbie & Matt. In the end, there was not a dry eye in the house. As a photographer, you try to detach yourself from the day's emotions, but even I had a lump in my throat.
Hopefully, I did them proud with the photography as I tried my best to capture the day's emotion.
It is a wedding that stay with me for a long time, and I have no doubt it will stay with everyone who was there to finally see the new Mr and Mrs Darwell.
Good luck for the future, you beautiful people.
Keep the Faith
KV
Wedding Photography.
I have never sold myself as a wedding photographer, but from time to time I do get asked if I can photograph someone’s wedding and 9 times out of 10, I always say yes.
The one thing that I always say is that I’m not a professional wedding photographer, but I will shoot it in my style.
And the question then is, what is your style?
For me, and this is just my own opinion I think photographing a wedding should be about telling the story of your day. From the Bridal preparation to the late-night dancing.
I always try and blend in and act as a guest and the perfect camera for that is my Fujifilm X100F my other camera of choice is the Xpro2 with the 35mm 1.4. I like to keep it simple.
The one thing I’m not a big fan of is spending hours doing group shot after group shot zzzzzz.
I like to look for the emotion of the day and let’s not forgot the little moments of magic that are gone in the blink of an eye.
My shooting style is not for everyone, but I see it as it is, and that is honest, candid photography.
Street Photography has taught me a lot over the years but the one thing I always do is go in there with a blank canvas and see what I come back with. There is no point in thinking I might get this or that because the eye will not see the real story.
Head over to my wedding portfolio and see if my style suits your style and if it does, then feel free to get in touch.
Keep the Faith
KV
Walking Meditation.
Open Space.
Something about the open space on a deserted beach brings a sense of calm to my mind and body. I get this connection to not only nature but also to something more spiritual.
Don’t worry; I’m not about to go all fire and brimstone.
Whilst walking about in this vast open space, I started listening to my surroundings and tuned in to the sound of the sea and the wind. I would like to call it walking meditation.
We all have busy lives but for me, I need some time away from that constant battle with the reality of life. And what can be more peaceful than walking on an empty beach or even an empty field with just a camera for company?
Practising a little bit of mindfulness now and again can improve our mental well-being and allow our heads to connect to our surroundings, and bring some temporary peace of mind.
Keep the Faith.
KV.
St Anne’s Beach.
Xpro2 35mm
It has been a while.
Over these past few months, I have put my photography on the back burner.
This was not really through choice but more of a need as I navigated my way through a very stressful house move.
I did manage to get out with the camera but my mind and enthusiasm were not there and this was having an even more negative effect on my photography. So I decided to step back and wait till I was fully settled in my house.
Over time I could sense that I was losing interest in photography and I must admit I thought of packing it in. Thankfully that never happened.
What have I learnt from this hiatus from photography?
I do feel more invigorated and in some ways, this little break has given me time to press the restart button. But It has also shown me that I can spend too much time chasing the perfect shot and not enough time enjoying the process of photography.
I can sense a shift in my photography and I feel I’m on the cusp of a change.
My latest work “Wanderings” is something that I’m excited about as it is different from my street work and at this moment in time this is what I want to do. And who knows there may be a book to follow.
At the end of the day, it is about doing things that make you happy because we only have today as tomorrow is not here.
Keep the Faith
KV
Do not press delete.
Over the years, I have learned many photography lessons, but the best piece of advice that I took on board was never delete your pictures.
I'm talking about the ones you took, and at the time, you didn't understand why you lifted the camera to your eye and composed that shot. There was a reason you pressed the shutter at that moment; you probably did not understand why, but in a few years, you will look at that image and understand the reason.
Things change, we change, and our photographic eye changes all the time.
In my previous blog, I mentioned that I would be taking a break from street photography. My gut instinct is telling me that this is the time to look for a new path. I must admit I'm enjoying the process, and I feel my photography is starting to take a new direction.
If you see something that is interesting, then take the picture, but most of all, do not press delete.
Keep the Faith
KV
Time for Change.
If anything, these past 12 months have taught me to appreciate the small things. And that would include my photography.
Instead of looking for the things that I do not have, I have been grateful for the things I have now.
I have continued to look for photographic opportunities and used this time as a growth phase. It has slowed me down and made me look for new perspectives and try and see things in a different light.
Street Photography will always have its place, but I now understand it is not the be-all and end-all of my photographic journey.
Very soon I will be moving house. The area we are moving to will be closer to the countryside than the streets of Manchester. Plus, it will be a 30-minute journey to the coast. So as you can see, my progression is already there, and all I have to do is embrace the change. Change is good. It is the thinking that is overrated.
Keep the Faith
KV
Father in Law
Happy retirement to my Father in Law.
It was a good opportunity to get the camera out and take a couple of portraits.
I think he will miss the working day, but I have no doubt he will soon get into the swing of having a seven day weekend.
Enjoy your retirement.
Images were taken with the FujiFilm XPRO2.
Perfect Strangers.
It's a strange time for the creative, especially the street photographer who thrives off the busy streets. The lunchtime rush is no longer there, and the race to get home has all but disappeared.
We have a city in slow motion, and it can be difficult to find that creative thread.
For me, photo books are a great source of inspiration, and my latest addition is.
Melissa O'Shaughnessy – Perfect Strangers.
This book has been like a breath of fresh air, especially in these uncertain times.
Melissa is our modern-day Helen Levitt, as both are beautiful humanists. I know that is high praise, but I would like to think if Levitt were alive today, she would be taking these kinds of images.
The framing of the subjects on a moving street is a testament to the hard work and dedication needed to produce good quality work on the street. And I, for one, admire that dedication.
Look closely enough, and you start to feel the sensation of the hustle and bustle of the city street.
We are there in the crowds, being pushed along and seeing what she is seeing. We witness kindness and, at times, tenderness, but there is also this movement that only adds to the narrative.
With each turn of the page, you can feel the rhythm of New York.
I have never had the privilege of watching Melissa work the street. I imagine she is so stealth-like that the subject only sees her for a fleeting second, and then she is gone looking for the next stranger.
Joel Meyerowitz wrote that this book would become a historical document in 20 -30 years. These images show us what the world looked like before Covid.
If you are looking for inspiration, I suggest adding this to your collection.
Thank you, Melissa, for giving us your Perfect Strangers.
Keep the Faith.
KV
Keeping the eye trained.
These past few months, my photography has taken a backseat, and my street walks have become few and far between. This has not been through choice but a requirement due to the ongoing Covid situation.
Photography is still my one form of escape from the drudgery of life as we go round and round in this never-ending situation.
But to keep my creative muscle in shape, I always have my camera with me, especially when I go on a long walk through the local country parks.
No matter how many times I walk the same routes, there is always something different that makes me stop and lift the camera to my eye.
I don’t think it matters what you photograph as long as you keep your eye trained and that creative muscle in good shape.
Keep the Faith
KV
Rivington Country Park
Winter Walk
The first snowfall of the winter provided me with an opportunity to get out with the X100F.
All images shot using the B&W + R JPEG Setting with the added grain effect.
Goodbye 2020
Goodbye, 2020.
Here are my photographic highlights from the past 12 months.
Keep the Faith people as nothing lasts forever.
Like for Progress
Like for Progress.
We can get bogged down with the constant barrage of images that we see online.
Instagram is a prime candidate for this. The more we look, the more we can become caught in the snowstorm of images.
We can look at the number of likes and see this as a success factor that has a knock-on effect on our progress. Our progress should not be graded on the number of likes we receive because that will always negatively affect us.
It was a conversation with a fellow photographer and a good friend who got me thinking about how we look at progress.
He was telling me about an image that he had taken and the thinking behind it. He explained the process and the way the composition came together. And to be fair, it is a decent enough image. The colour is spot on, the depth of the image is good, the technical aspects are all correct.
All in all, this is a successful image and one that he should and was proud of, but he based the success of that image on the number of likes he received. Reread it. He based the image's success not on the technical aspects of the fact that he had taken a decent photograph but also on the wider audience's engagement.
Social media is a game, and we are all being played off each other. Thankfully, I stepped out from that arena a long time ago.
Keep the Faith
KV
Northen Quarter , Manchester FujiFilm X100F
Big Sky
Taken from Southport Pier using my FujiFilm X100T
Woodland Walks.
A few images from my recent walks around the local country parks.
All images were taken with my FujiFilm X100F using the Classic Chrome film simulation.
Somethings never change.
With the lockdown restrictions beginning to ease, the homeless and the unfortunate are steadily returning to the city streets.
As a rule, I never photograph the homeless as they do not choose to be on the streets.
There was something about this scene that made me press the shutter button.
I could see some emotional upset and comforted each other; they are lost in that moment so much, so they do not even see me with the camera.
We will never know what was going on. It could be one of a hundred things.
Maybe it is the prospect of a night on the street or the realisation that they have no money for the simple things we take for granted like food and a warm bed. We will never know the truth.
This pandemic has changed the way we live our lives, but some things it seems will never change.
Under the Influence #5
Luigi Ghirri
When I visit the coast, I like to look for these big sky compositions with the clouds on the horizon.
My settings on the Fuji Film X100F are inspired by the Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri and the book Kodachrome.
Film Simulation Classic Chrome Colour -4 Shadows + 2 Highlights – 1 Grain Effect - Weak
Kodachrome was Ghirri’s first book. The photographs present Italian landscapes in tightly cropped images through its adverts, postcards, walls, windows, and people. His work is abstracted compositions with highly textured frames within frames. Ghirri’s work reminds me of Willaim Eggleston as it takes time to understand the photograph's narrative fully. With each viewing of the book, his work starts to click into place, and that’s when you can really appreciate the photographer’s vision.
Keep the Faith
KV
