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
fujix100f
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
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
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.
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
The Moment
My style of photography is all about the moment.
This image of my Mum and Niece captures the true essence of my approach to photography.
There is nothing staged. It is just a natural interaction between the two of them, and luckily, I was there with the camera. They will both age, but this image will always be locked into that moment, which becomes timeless.
Keep the Faith.
KV
Lockdown Reflection
As we slowly grind our way out of this never-ending lockdown, I have done a little bit of reflection on the past few months and tried to make sense of it all.
In the beginning, we witnessed the selfish and the self-centred of this world clear the supermarket shelves with no regard or thought for anyone except themselves. Greed was king as they believed this was the start of the apocalypse—shameful behaviour by people who should know better.
Early on, I decided to turn the news off and delete certain apps as my brain was melting with the constant bombardment of fear-driven information.
The Government failed to get a grip of the situation, which left many of us in limbo, and once the lockdown kicked in, it was too little too late. Granted, they have tried to keep business afloat with bucket loads of cash, but it will all need to pay back the taxpayer.
There have been some positives, especially our overdue appreciation towards the NHS and the overworked, underpaid key workers.
We have seen some beautiful acts of kindness from all walks of life, which have restored some of my faith in humanity.
Away from photography, my real job is Telecommunications, so I was classed as a key worker.
My colleagues and I had the task of “Keeping the UK Connected”,, and I am proud of what we achieved in these difficult times.
Its been a time for gratitude and being thankful for what I have.
There have been some tricky days, but we have come through this together and made our little unit a bit stronger as a family.
Photography wise I have used these strange days to start writing this blog which has given me some escape from the ongoing situation. I am fully aware that my writing skills are not that of Oscar Wilde or Shakespeare, but I have done this for me and my sanity, but if just one person gets something from what I have written, that will be a bonus.
Over these past months, I have delved deep into my back catalogue, and it has been pleasing to see some growth with my work. Progress, not perfection, is always key.
It will be a pleasure to see the streets of Manchester bustle with activity again as the one thing that I have missed is life itself.
Time to give 2020 a jump start.
Keep the Faith.
KV
CASTLEFIELDS MANCHESTER FUJIFILM X100F ACROS RED
Fujifilm Love Affair
I purchased the Fujifilm X100T about 5 years ago, and it was a game-changer for me.
The film simulation Classic Chrome opened a whole new way of seeing, and it was then that I decided to work more in colour.
My street settings for CC are quite simple.
Highlights -1 Shadows + 2 Colour +2
White Balance, DR, ISO all on Auto as I want the camera to do the donkey work.
Why the T? This is such a versatile little camera, and I have taken it to the limits, and it has never let me down. Even in trying conditions, the T keeps going.
I have shot a full wedding with it; my bare fist boxing was all done in jpeg, and probably 90% of my street work has been done with this camera. I have hardly ever used RAW, and that is because the jpegs give me everything I need.
But my love affair with the T is nearly over as I recently acquired the X100F, and this is a thing of beauty. It has renewed my interest in Black and White with the beautiful Acros film simulations.
It is just like the T but with steroids. ISO is better, the focus is sharp and quick, and it looks and feels good.
I also own the Xpro1 with the 35mm 1.4, again a superb camera that can be temperamental at times, but this camera can produce some beautiful images when it is on it.
Everyone is different, but I like to keep my set up nice and simple I do not chase after the next big thing in the hope it will make me better photographer as its practise that makes you better.
When things are not going right, always remember it is not the camera's fault. It is the idiot holding the camera.
Keep the Faith
KV
X100T Classic Chrome