There's a Jacques Henri Lartigue exhibition on at the milton keynes gallery until october. I find it so encouraging when photography features locally. The exhibition is a really interesting mix of candid snaps and personal craft. There's a few beautiful highlights demonstrating the simplicity in which the creative eye when personal is always nice to view and easy to admire. - Below is my holiday in 2019 in menorca, by brother and his fiance and my dad in a complex spoof, both are inspired after experiencing the exhibitions realism and surrealism.
Gamer to Racer - A few years ago I joined a local english improvement class while trying to write in my photo books. I was given a book of short stories, and I've continued to pick the book up as I question how the narratives were formed. Fortune Favours the Brave - High performance cameras have lots precision and potential. The image below was among a few hundred that I was really pleased with. It needed a few little adjustments to expose it, but the profile is all a mixture of hopeful zeal and ambition that anticipates the joy of the days creativity when they load onto the computer.
Luton Carnival 2025 Gallery - Link
Optimal Lighting - In 2019 I photographed a 40's weekend at the milton keynes museum. It had recently had a new exhibition space developed on site and a local 50's dance group performed in the hall. The room had the most fantastic black contrasted walls and the light was perfect for the scene it created. In the other halls were further displays of interesting creativity which a few of, have more recently taken on the potential to fill an empty frame on the wall.
This is a local cross country event 'Chilternz Cross Country League' that takes place once every year in the park near the City Centre. I was an athlete in my schools cross country team. The veteran race is extra special at Campbell Park and the Tearsdrops lakes.
I can barely hold my camera in January and the runners don't look a lot warmer. The portraits are really good and there's a few familiar scenes to master! Another website full of interesting work. - https://fineartphotoawards.com/winners-gallery/fapa-2014/professional/wildlife-animals/hm/804 There's gallery's from the last 12 years with every genre you can think of.
My passion for photography! - If it looks right on the back of the camera keep it!
Photography has always been very exciting. It's far from easy! I've enjoyed a clear idea of what a craft photograph is. This was a London sunrise photo walk. A gentleman from the camera club arranged a sunrise shoot for fellow club members at London Bridge. We stopped for breakfast then photo walked between Borough Market, Aldergate and on to Brick Lane as it is known to photo communities. My Avatar! and a print made from the activity, one of the rare occasions when I actually collected a print I'm very fond of. All my inspiration comes from classic wall art! The Mans Man Image of the model Holding the Baby was always on sale in the city centres local market, or whales tale to mind is probably the most popular of all photo wall art examples. I wonder if it is fair to say that the style has evolved in my own Titled 'London Bridge Photographer'!
I recently cleaned a collection of safari favorites. Websites that I've collected from award winning photographers. The RPS have just posted more exhibitants from 167th International Photography Exhibition. I love to browse the participants websites. I'm always quite grateful for a list to search through without having to look for them, its quite refreshing. Another enlightening activity is the https://www.sienawards.com/en/sipawhich is presenting lots of ever improving quality!
My inspiration the '2021, 23' palestine protests from Milton Keynes. On both occasions I had my D810 to hand whilst on a random and challenged photowalk that turned out to be critical coincidence.
I was notified about the 2026 Hasselblad Awards whilst watching a Carl Taylor Youtube video back in 2025. At first I started to search through my archives. I imagined what my entry would look like for the categories that were most relevant to my photography. I thought I could perhaps enter for either the art or street competitions. The great thing was the stimulation!, the competitions from previous years looked tricky to get right, I thought the entrants would be ever more competitive, after the high end premium equipment was publicised and purchased by a curious youtube community. I remained open minded believing I could yet stand out, I like to compete as though I've almost won, much like buying a scratch card ('the more you put in the more you get out!') You have to enter then with the feeling that a judge is still waiting to favour your own judgement and will choose the winner because of the appeal of the entrants emphatic bond with the activity, plus the authenticity, individuality and visual appeal. Above is some art entry's I never completed in time. Staff Sgt. Rickley below is the final street entry. Followed by more art considerations and the final b+w art entry.
It really is the participating that counts. Once I started to reflect on my entry and what it would look like to be presented and if I was chosen, the presentation of the images started get the creative juices flowing and so was an exciting and fruitful start to 2026. I entered both street and art categories with the street selection being easy and the art offering a few attempts before tumbling into a black and white trio.
There were a few book titles that I remember as a child, the 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' was one that stands out in my mind, there were 2 others amongst 'Paddington Bear' and the 'Mr Men' titles. One about a lady who lived in boot and the other was vegetables from the allotment? I grew up desperate to race a go-kart as a child and couldn't wait to go racing as soon as I could afford to. I was very competitive and thought I could be the fastest racing driver in the world (I do love motorcars)! It is amazing to find all my exhilaration and joy changing pace dramatically. I feel truly blessed for such tranquil innocence to possess me and fulfill me, in amongst nature with my camera.
This was taken at the Tear Drops Lakes alternatively known as Knowlhill or South Valley Loughton Park. It has come straight from my camera unedited.
'The Genius of Photography' By Gerry Badger
I've been buying books from Abe and World of Books used, This morning a really fascinating book, 'The Genius of Photography' By Gerry Badger arrived. I love the opening photograph in the book! I've only ever seen it presented once before. (I'm really fond of photography that you can take seriously, yet never leaves the relative skill or depth of photogenic understanding of its amateur audience behind!). When reading the intro to the book, I thought of these two photograph that I snapped on my way to the beach in Weymouth 2024 with a Nikon D810 - 24mm Art lens. The colours are difficult although familiar and the development of the subject matter feel too sensitive to produce. Is the photograph best left as a right time right place capture? or should the author finish the potential violence of the scene and create an the anti social question mark that the details suggest?
Olney Pancake Race 2020
One month before the lockdown started, I prepared to photograph another local event that I've read all about in the local newspaper, but have never been free on the Tuesday morning to attend. It's an interesting, historical activity that promised all sorts of bizarre recreation.
Luton Carnival 2025
It was my first time at the carnival I'd been looking forward to going for a few years, Luton's a truly great town, a subdued and soulful community that has lots of positive diversity. It supports its ambition and opportunities with all sorts of motivating community arts initiatives. I live 40 minutes away in Milton Keynes and on a previous occasion I was really lucky to notice a celebration day while browsing the web for local activities. It was one of the best photo opportunities! the entertainment went from day into the late summer evening with an incredible a variety of evocative arts performance.
Celebrate Luton Street Fest 2019
Neural PS Filters
I briefly used the neural filters in photoshop cc, something clicked when I was looking at an archive from a classic car weekend at Silverstone. I pleasantly surprised at how effective it was with certain light, Colour, forms and tones.
Intuitive Exposure
I have a rugby field about 150 yards away from my house, I love to get some fresh air and enjoy the local men at their best muddy souls, talented characters! its also convenient in the instance that I've not used my camera for a while. It's winter and you tend to get a full array of lighting conditions. The curious light was one extreme to the other. After a good 40 mins shooting on Sat Jan 10th 2026 I was pleased with the dramatic exposures, I'm far from methodical yet and so experimenting is the reward. The unnatural natural exposure is by far the most rewarding and yet so difficult to find lighting and intuition for the result. I dug out a few from more exposures from the previous years. I've been enjoying the creation of my websites responding to content from Youtube photographers. - '(Hunter Creates Things)'
A rare coincidence!
I had a terrifying external drive failure late last year and lost some archives that had been organise, I opened the 2022 catalogue to reorganise a copy and out popped these photographs. A visit to the Milton Keynes gallery and 20 minutes in the market on sunny day. I have been trying respond on my web page to what I find on Youtube, the image below has jogged my memory of a video encouraging lens choice to emphasise narratives.
The author ('Tattiana Hopper') ('Why the best photographers use bad lenses') shares a flawless photograph which was a real joy to see, back in 2022 I had a curious learning curve and was trying to capture my affections; all that appeared to be at one with my own ideal environments. The images below were captured with an 85mm, it reminds a little of the magnum archives, I was made whole as a photographer when I realised that there were organisations collecting photography that I had been longing to create!
I visited my Mum who lived in Murcia, Spain in 2012, It was very exciting, I took with me a Canon 60D and a Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 EX DC HSM, looking back I'm extremely fond of this lense and body combination, its seems there are ways to go about photography that will remain legendary! Below are images that I didn't know I had, I have real fondness of professional products that explore photography much like the way we all do as beginners.
2011 Autosport International at the Birmingham NEC. My first love, Motorcars and Racing. I love the Dakar I've grown ever fond of it as I've got older! There's hope for its production yet! I was so lucky when I realised that I couldn't wait to photograph cars!
Isn't it shame when you take a picture from a double decker bus and a get a reflection spoiling the scene! My next craft tool for the camera bag! The following photographs are adorable but compromised by dirty bus window : ( !
Weymouth 2024
When my Dad said he was moving to the seaside at the beginning of 2024, I couldn't wait to visit for a photography trip. We never visited the south coast of England as a child, I had family in the north of the country and on occasions we visited Scarborough or Bridlington, so Dorset was still very new. As a club photographer you see all sorts of photo spots from around the U.K. and now my second home would have one on its doorstep, the most photographed club landscape ever! Still, I was really looking forward to visiting the Durdle Door! Sadly just like Photography Day 2023 I spent 2 thirds of the walk looking through a 24mm lense that I was sure was a 50mm until noticed, which I think lead to some challenging decision making!
St Frideswide's Church Fete 2013, Bletchley - The community Church at the bottom of my nan's road.
What does photography mean to me?
Craft, Capture, Composition. I love the practical creative convenience of photography. Although, I can't stand the word creative in photography, as is with the word 'preset'. (Photography is not that easy)! The most important thing photography has given me is the potential to make personal items of craft. The second blessing that I receive from photography, is the technical inputs that make an exposure offset fit a scene or subject. Composition was the last real revelation that became a part of my photography learning curve. Composition can mean many things, to many people and always does at any given point that the term is brought up in conversations about photography? I find that the dynamic qualities of digital details are amazing, offering endless avenues of research to explore surrounding the creation of photographic product.
Bletchley Carnival 2016. I had so much ambition and so little technical potential in producing my own visions, asking yourself what you know and then trying to apply it is by far and away the most fruitful way of exploring the craft. Research with a mindful purpose and a soulful joy, (I Like to collect websites of those mentioned in the RPS journal through out the year). it's the relationship that you need to nurture. Shoot freely exploring any intuition or experience that you can apply to the cameras controls!
CRAFTY
By far and away the most exciting thing about getting old (42) and being a photographer is the privilege of getting a photo book from Mum on Christmas Day! This year instead of Underwear, Socks, and Jumpers I lied and said that I had money to get these and that I would be better off choosing myself as Mum departs into retirement with changing tastes not for wheat she wears but for what I would wear? So I was treated this year to what I had asked for, a copy of "On The Sixth Day' By Alessandra Sanguinetti Which I am thrilled with.
All the photography that we expect our cameras to make for us but takes a little more commitment to make; a truly gifted piece of visual entertainment! I do hope those that read the text parts of my websites will spontaneously purchase a copy to support the underlying value of photography at its best! I have however become excited by my archives at this time! The one above suddenly had to be presented while feeling overwhelmed watching Top Gun. There was one scene that seemed to insist upon the presentation of an archival creation from a History festival at the Milton Keynes Museum in 2023, it's almost 2026 now! So Some sheep below from 2021 and a day the Local athletics Club after becoming the recipient of an Aspire Award, in which I learnt one the most valuable lessons an ambitious amateur can learn. God Bless You. The sheep are moved into Campbell Park in January they act as the City's biggest cultural detox, which is fantastic. I used my Canon 5D III and a Sigma 50-500mm lens which was sublime.
