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
photographer
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
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
Street Photography is Weird.
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
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
Shooting the Bride and Groom.
One of our friends asked me if I could photograph their wedding, and they got a swift thanks but no thanks. When I was focused on my street work, and to be honest, I thought wedding photography was beneath me. Talk about being narrow-minded.
It was a decision that I soon regretted, and I would like to say sorry to my friends for that swift and final no. The wedding went ahead. We all had a great time but looking back, that was probably the push my photography needed. But hey, we live and learn.
Since turning down my friend’s offer, I have gone on to photograph numerous weddings either independently or as a 2nd photographer. So why the change of heart? It became noticeably clear that if I were to progress, I needed to challenge myself and see what I could do.
Once I broke through my own ignorance barriers, I started to open my mind to other photography work offers. All have had there own learning curves, and I have gained some valuable experience on the way.
There is something about the energy of the wedding day that gives me this buzz of excitement. Everything from the bridal prep to the first dance is pure energy, and we all get swept along on this wave of emotion, and I am there in the middle of it, trying my best to stay sharp and keep focused.
My coping mechanism for all this nervous energy is to stay tuned in to my environment, practice some mindfulness, and treat the day as one long street photography walk.
Like I have said before in my previous blogs, why be something I am not when its easier to be me.
In October, I will be shooting the wedding of Abbie and Matt. They are a wonderful couple, and I have known Matt for many years and regard him as a good friend. It will be an absolute pleasure to photograph their wedding, especially after everything that has gone on this year.
The wedding photography industry is a tough nut to crack, and there are thousands of photographers out there all chasing the same clients, breaking into the industry takes time and balls of steel.
Is Wedding Photography something I want to pursue as a full-time business? Maybe in the future, but I am simply happy being the street photographer who enjoys shooting the bride and groom.
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
Progressing the Process.
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