Wow, I really can't believe that it's been a whole year since I released this website to the public! That has really flown by, and I'm proud of my progress with photography within this time too! I honestly cannot thank you guys enough for your support and encouragement across all social media over the last year, and a super special thank you to all of you who have taken the time to explore this website!
I'm taking this 'anniversary' as an opportunity to share two next features to the website! I've been working on these over the last month or two, and one has been public on the site for a while although not officially announced per se! As many of you may know or have noticed, I am primarily a nature photographer as that is where I am most comfortable with a camera! I have now created a gallery of my 'miscellaneous' photography on the website, which includes my attempts at street photography, animal portraiture and those photos which aren't quite nature or ruins despite the scenery or history of the building - for example lighthouses or manor houses. There aren't many photographs on this link as when I have been out shooting, I haven't had this in my mind but it is something I'm going to also consider when I'm now out and about with my camera! It has been great to go through my old photos to find some examples for the misc gallery, and I've ended up with several other old images to edit for the old galleries also which will be added to the site soon!
I'm also super excited to announce that I am now officially running a shop on here, and now taking orders for prints, canvases, mugs and blank greeting cards! I have set up a link to the shop on the main header bar (which some of you may have noticed over the last month!), so please go and check it out! I've spent a lot of time tweaking the page, working out prices and making sure everything will run smoothly for any orders! I decided to set up a shop after having fantastic feedback on the handmade cards I've given to friends and family and their requests for prints or canvases. It is honestly an amazing feeling to see your work in physical form, so thank you to all of you who have already ordered any prints or mugs already!
The prices do not currently include postage and packaging but please just message me if you are interested and I will let you know these prices as they differ per size or design of order! All images which have a product code in their description (eg N0145 or R045) are available to purchase as any print! Unfortunately I do not have some of the original images for my photographs due to my own idiocy when it's come to deleting the wrong files whilst backing them up, but majority of my images are available. There are a variety of sizes and designs available across all products, so you are guaranteed to find the perfect product for yourself!
For more details please visit the 'shop' section of the website, thank you!
I haven't been out to many places this month as I've been busy with the website and had a couple of nights out where lets just say I've needed the next day to recover! I did however visit Wray Castle at the beginning of the month, which made for a fantastic photography day as there was the perfect mixture of landscapes - from lakesides, woodland trails and snowy mountainscapes! I also managed to get some images for my miscellaneous album this day, especially as a Robin kept on hopping around us as we ate lunch in the castle grounds! The castle wasn't open that day but we were perfectly content just walking that day and finding some geocaches along the way! We will be visiting the castle itself when it is open in February, it would be interesting to get some comparison photographs of the hills (most likely!) without snow upon them! There's also so much more for us to explore in the area that I imagine it we will be back more than once!
I was also able to practise my street photography when we went on a family day out to Edinburgh, in which we spent most of our time at an all you can eat chinese buffet! After food we went on a small walk up Calton Hill where there is the Nelson's Monument and the National Monument of Scotland just to name a few of the interesting things up there! You can also see Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano, Edinburgh Castle and the coast from Calton Hill, which really allows you to appreciate the whole of Edinburgh and Scotland in general! It was getting quite dark once we were up there, so I took the opportunity to practise different ISO and aperture settings and I'm pretty happy with my results from that afternoon - they're available in the misc album if you are interested! Unfortunately our wonderful day out was soured slightly by the fact our train was suddenly delayed moments after it was meant to arrive, and long story short we experienced a 4 hour 45 minute delay, which involved a coach, replacement train and an hour long minibus journey... don't you just love public transport!
I am feeling very positive about my photography in 2018, this year I will be primarily Lake District based, with a list of places I wish to visit getting longer and longer by the day! I do want to explore the bordering counties more this year, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire, and hope to travel further afield to places like Scotland or the Peak District. I am also aiming to expand my photography capabilities, particularly those in regards to portrait and/or event photography as I have already had enquiries in regards to newborn photoshoots and wedding photography! I would also love to practise my street photography, shoot more photos in black and white as to create dramatic images with varied tones, and also I want to practise more astrophotography in the evenings as I haven't had a proper session on my Canon yet! I also want to take advantage of rainy days in Cumbria (...so everyday in Cumbria!) when I can't go out with my camera to practise indoor photography - whether its macro, practising composition techniques or creating interesting abstract/texture shots. These shots may not be shared on here, but it will do no harm to improve my camera technique and eye for a good photograph!
Thank you all again for your support in 2017, I hope you stick along for the ride for many years to come!
