creative

Walking Meditation.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Perfect Strangers.

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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

https://melissaoshaughnessy.com/

Perfect Strangers on Amazon

Published by Aperture

Goodbye 2020

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Goodbye, 2020.

Here are my photographic highlights from the past 12 months.

Keep the Faith people as nothing lasts forever.

Big Sky

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Taken from Southport Pier using my FujiFilm X100T

Under the Influence #5

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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

Street Photography is Weird.

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I wouldn’t say I like street photography – Not my words but the words from a friend.

At first, I was a little bit confused by this statement because I am a street photographer, and this is my thing, but then I realised it is not the like, but maybe its the understanding of street photography that he doesn’t understand.

Street photography from an outsider looking in can seem a little bit strange. We walk around open spaces and take pictures of strangers. Sounds weird.

Some use street photography for documentary purposes, and some use it to express their creative mind. 

To get a real understanding of street photography, we need to delve into the back catalogue of those that have gone before us. I have made it my business to study Gary Winogrand, Joel Meyerowitz, Cartier-Bresson, Saul Leiter, Harry Gruyaert, Alex Webb, and Tony Ray-Jones, Ernst Haas and many more. It is not about emulating them. It is about seeing the possibilities.

What I love about street photography is not knowing what you will see. You cannot go out there and think I will get this or that because it does not work like that. You must go with the flow, and if it happens, then it happens.

I go out there with a blank canvas, and sometimes I will return with what I think is a masterpiece and then there are the days that I can come back with a bag of shit.

Slow down, take your time and get some decent footwear.

Keep the Faith

KV

FUJIFILM X100T CLASSIC CHROME -MANCHESTER

Lockdown Reflection

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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

Progressing the Process.

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My life before photography was pretty chaotic. I was on a downward slope with no exit plan. So, when I eventually sorted my shit out, and the clouds of doom began to lift, I decided to fuel my interest in photography.

In the early days, it was all about nailing the image and shooting anything that moved. My approach was very sporadic, and I was blinkered because there was no real direction for my work. I was too busy looking for my next hit as I wanted photography to make me feel better about myself.

I could see myself burning out with the days of failure and frustration because photography was not providing me with the constant highs.

So, what changed? Me, I had to change because I was the problem.

It took me a good few years to find a style and an approach that I enjoyed doing. Nowadays, I work mostly in colour, and yes, I enjoy working with light and shadow, but I try and keep progressing bit by bit.

I still have them days when nothing is going my way, and I can find myself in the right place at the wrong time, but I no longer get frustrated and start questioning why am I doing this.

The difference between then and now is that I enjoy the process instead of expecting the process to make me feel better. There is no progress without failure.

Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, we all get there in the end.

Keep the Faith

KV

FUJIFILM X100T CLASSIC CHROME - JULY 2017

Print your Work.

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It amazes me how many photographers do not print their work.

We spend hours perfecting our images for it to be uploaded on social media to be viewed for 5 seconds on a little screen!! The connection between us and the image is still not complete as we only see the digital copy. It is like downloading music. Yes, you have it, but you do not own it unless you are holding the CD or Vinyl in your hand.

Once we print our work, it then becomes a physical thing which in turn becomes more personal. We are then connected to our own work.

Now, I am not talking about printing huge gallery prints in gold frames, but small A4 prints or 6x4 ones; it does not really matter; at least we have that image in our hands.

This is a documentation of YOUR work which will be around a lot longer than storing them on a phone or a laptop. Basically, we are hiding them away in our little flies or uploading them into this imaginary cloud, and who knows what will happen to all that in the future.

We take the image, then edit the image we then present it to our audience, and the final stage of that image should be the printing of your work.

An online portfolio is good, but a portfolio than you can actually hold and see is priceless.

Keep the Faith

KV

Some of my recent prints.

Marinade Your Work.

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First thing first, I am not talking about smearing your camera or laptop with BBQ sauce.

How many times have you been out on a street walk, and you think you have a couple of keepers in the bank and then rush home, get the SD card out, turn on the laptop find your keepers, give them a quick edit and upload them on to social media? From the street to social media in a matter of hours!

In my early days, I thought this behaviour was normal until I started to see the work that I was posting was not that good, or my image choice was not the correct one. At first, I put this down to experience, but then I realised that I was still emotionally attached to the image.

Over time, I have learned to step back from that day’s work and put it on the back burner and let them “marinate” doing this has helped me critique my own work without the emotion and excitement of that day.

Having this system has allowed me to build up a steady back catalogue of work.

Ask yourself, why are you uploading your work that quick? It could be one of a hundred things, but I have a sneaky feeling that you want that added gratification of not only taking a fine picture but the rewards of likes on social media.

Slow down, and the true rewards will come.

Keep the Faith

KV

MANCHESTER - 20TH JANUARY 2017 - X100T

Under the Influence #3

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Kevin Cummins.

Kevin Cummins has documented British music culture for the last 40 years. From the Punk scene in the ’70s to the Madchester era of the late ’80s to the Cool Britannia days of the mid-1990s and everything in between.

As NME’s chief photographer for much of the ’80s and ’90s, he provided us with some of the most iconic images of that time, and I was an avid reader of the NME in them halcyon days.

 The images of Shaun Ryder hanging off the E on the Hotel sign and the paint-splattered Stone Roses, which both graced the cover, are now defining moments from that era. And let us not forget his work with Joy Division that will seal their legacy forever.

Kevin Cummins's contribution to British culture's historical documentation is something that we will probably never see again. That is why is he regarded as an icon of documentary photography.

For further reading and prints, go to his website - http://www.kevincummins.co.uk/

Recommended Book – Looking for the light through the pouring rain.

Cummins has raised the status of his work to the level of art. - John Peel

Keep the Faith

KV

Comfort Fear.

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We all feel safe in our little photography comfort zones, but if we occasionally break out of it, then that’s when things can happen. We can get that lightbulb moment that pushes us on to the next level.

But what stops us from stepping out of this imaginary zone? And the simple answer is Fear.

Fear of being ignored, fear of negativity, fear of only getting a few likes on Instagram!!, fear that they will see your weak side or is it the fear of failure that keeps us in our little box.

Photography is about pushing our own creativity, and let us not forget why we picked up the camera in the first place. We did it for us, and we did not do it for likes and followers; we did it because we wanted to be creative.

I have always believed that if people enjoy my work, then that is a bonus, but if I start playing to my audience, who do I please them or me.?

This brings me on to my attempt at still life photography.

It was quite different from my usual work style, but I enjoyed the therapeutic process, and it got me out of this mental comfort zone.

Keep the Faith

KV

Fujifilm Love Affair

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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

Mental Mental Mental

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Keeping your mind fit is just as important as keeping your body fit.

Being creative is a great way of turning off the noise that rumbles around in your head.

Photography saved me from me. Street Photography is like meditation as it allows my mind to switch off from the mundane bullshit that we all have in our lives. Every now again, I can become lost in the moment. It is as though I am connected to something else, and that is me getting out of me.

Practising mindfulness is also a great way to get that connection. Tune in to your surroundings by listening to the sounds, and slowly you will get that connection. Try it for yourself.

The art of photography is not for everyone, but I honestly believe that we all have some form of creativity waiting to be discovered.

It is the little things that start big things.

Being creative will not cure mental health, but it will help you find some purpose in your life, and who knows, it may be the calling you have been searching for.

Keep the Faith.

KV

FUJI FILM X100F - MANCHESTER

First Words

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So here goes on my first post.

I will be mainly writing about photography, especially street photography, but I will also chuck in a few life experiences.

If it’s gear reviews you want or a how-to-do guide, then you are in the wrong place.

I will be mentioning what cameras I use and probably why I do use them. Still, this section of the website will about me sharing my photography experience, what inspires me, who inspires me, and the things that motivate me to do photography.

I won’t win any prizes for my writing skills, but you might enjoy what I have to say if you can look beyond that. It is not perfection; I am looking for just a little bit of progress.

Feel free to leave a comment but don’t bother leaving anything negative, and if anyone starts being a dick, they will be blocked, and I will probably name and shame you on social media.

Keep the Faith

KV