My Photography Story
I thought I’d write a post about photography today, as I receive lots of comments and emails about my pictures (all of them complimentary, so thank you for that!) but I also get questions about which camera I use.
So rather than the usual ‘what we’ve been up to’ kind of post, I’m going to think about when I started taking pictures, why, and how things have changed over the past twelve or so years since I started. I’ve included some old pictures - many of which aren’t exactly great examples - but they show you my evolving style and illustrate what I like to photograph, too.
It all started in 2008 or thereabouts. I was having a bit of a rough time of it to be honest - stuck living with my ex because we couldn’t sell our house. We weren’t on the best of terms and it was a pretty grim situation. I was working in Manchester and had a very full-on social life through that, but I lived 20 miles away and when I was at home I’d escape by going out for long walks. I had a little point-and-shoot digital camera which I liked using, but the picture quality was poor. I’d save my photos onto CDs (and recently unearthed some, which was great - even seeing the drunk-at-parties ones).
Anyway, my ex and I eventually agreed that I’d move out, he’d keep the house and I’d get half of it’s value. So I moved into an apartment in the village and treated myself to two things: a Magimix food processor and a DSLR camera. The camera was a big purchase and I was quite nervous about buying it, but after lots of research and procrastination I opted for a Nikon D3000.
I’d go out for my walks and take lots of pictures, mostly close-ups of plants and trees and little details I’d spot along the footpaths and up on the moors. I always used the ‘auto’ setting as I had no idea about the technicalities of photography, but I knew that you should avoid using the flash if at all possible. I used the kit lens (the one which was included with the camera when I bought it) and still use the same 18-55mm lens exclusively. To be honest, this is because of cost; these days, money is usually spent on necessities.
When Jay and I met in 2010, we’d visit each other and stay over (by then I’d moved to another local village and absolutely loved the little terraced house I was renting). We did a road trip to Scotland and took lots of pictures again - Jay tried my DSLR and promptly decided he wanted one too. When we moved in together (I went to him in Cheshire) I’d go out into this new landscape which was so unfamiliar to me, having grown up in the Lancashire Pennines. It was much flatter, and there were lots of fields of crops rather than sheep.
When Joe came along we started a blog where we’d post a photo a day of him, mainly for friends and family to see. I was also blogging at Mitenska - it was pretty rudimentary, with Blogger as the platform and the photos sometimes disappearing or jumbling themselves up. But I enjoyed creating this online journal, a scrapbook of pictures of what we did, where we went, things we cooked and ate and things we made. Mitenska was a good introduction to blogging and to finding my own little space online, and I was doing that for a good few years before moving here.
I used edits on my pictures - at one time, I was very much into the ‘lomo’ effect: super saturated, vintage-looking photos. I used free software like Picmonkey and Pixlr if I wanted to add textures and frames. Editing isn’t just for ‘fixing’ pictures; I really enjoyed the creative process and still do.
It wasn’t long until I decided I wanted to use my camera properly. I paid (a lot) for an online photography course and got started.
I hated it. It was incredibly technical, the course manual was longer than War and Peace and my assignments came back with disheartening comments each time. I couldn’t understand white balance and metering. I’m not a technically-minded person at all. It was overwhelming and it was putting me off using my camera. So I gave up, left my camera alone for a few weeks and took a break.
When Joe was around 18 months old we moved back to Lancashire. I was glad to be back home, and I decided I was going to make the move to manual for once and for all. By this time Jay had bought a Nikon D3300 (which is now mine, as his dad later bought him a very expensive Canon which I’m petrified of) and I was using that. I took myself off on one of my favourite walks for an afternoon and experimented relentlessly, and - excuse the pun - it all finally clicked.
Now I know instinctively where to set the ISO and shutter speed; I like a darker, moodier look so know what works for me. I don’t like taking pictures on bright, sunny days as I find the harsh contrast between light and shade unappealing.
When I was confident in manual mode, I bought Photoshop and then a plug-in called Radlab where you could adjust lots of settings and make your own ‘recipes’ to apply straight to your photos. It was good for establishing my own style of photography but again, I wanted to stretch myself a bit more so I tried Adobe Lightroom.
And failed.
It was just too tricky; I tried online tutorials but I couldn’t grasp it. So I went back to Radlab. Until Joe broke my computer and I couldn’t access Radlab any more (and they’d since switched to a newer version). This meant I had to buy a new computer and, being a typical stubborn Taurean, I decided I was going to master Lightroom.
I use it all the time now. As with my camera, I’ve taught myself the basics and will keep (excuse the pun again) developing my skills. I currently use presets, some of my own, others I’ve downloaded and tweaked.
Landscapes were never really my thing. I’ve always enjoyed photographing botanical subjects and little vignettes inside the house, lifestyle type stuff, but living on Skye is basically residing in one big photo opportunity. Since we moved here I’ve taken a lot more ‘big’ pictures, although my instinct is always to document the minutiae of nature and the changing seasons. I love evocative images which tell a story.
But to put this post together I trawled through so many photographs, and felt so glad I’d documented our lives too. Forgotten holidays to the Lake District, rides on the steam train, birthdays, things we’d grown in past gardens. Family gatherings. Yes, it made me feel nostalgic and homesick but that’s OK. Pictures should make you feel something.
If there’s anyone wanting to start taking pictures, or to build on their skills, or to start a blog, there are a few things which have helped me along the way. Here’s a list - I hope it’s useful in some small way:
Think about why you want to become a photographer (you don’t need to be a paid professional to be a photographer, so no imposter syndrome if you can help it! I describe myself as a photographer, an artist and a writer because I do all of those things). Do you want to capture memories, document something, or just have a creative outlet?
Get inspired by looking online. I love Pinterest for beautiful photography, and Instagram too. Follow some accounts whose aesthetic you admire. Warning: If you’re anything like me, this can take you down some very deep rabbit holes.
Don’t worry about buying an expensive camera. Phone cameras produce some great images and you can edit them too and add creative effects. Admittedly, my phone is a dud when it comes to photo quality and being Instagram friendly so I tend to rely on my camera more. I’d love a high end phone to play with though.
If you do decide to buy a DSLR, they’re not as expensive as they used to be. Mine is probably nine years old, a fairly basic model, and I’m more than happy with it (although I’d love a few more lenses and a set of filters too). My original D3000 is around 12 years old and now belongs to Joe, so it was a good investment!
Experiment until you feel confident. You can take many, many pictures and bad ones can quickly consigned to the bin. Trial and error.
Don’t delete your original pictures and just keep their edited version. Your style and preferences will change over time - that’s just you evolving. But it’s good to revisit old pictures and try new edits.
Find useful tips and tutorials via Pinterest and Instagram to help you with settings and editing.
If you’re considering starting a blog, go for it. I was so nervous about doing it at first but remember, you only need to share what you want to. Blogger is a good place to start as it’s free (ditto Wordpress) and is easy to navigate. As your confidence grows you might want to move onto a different platform; I use Squarespace and am in no way tech savvy (I failed miserably at setting up a newsletter) but I did put my website together by myself and I’m proud of that.
Blogging is great. Time consuming, but great. Lots of people have abandoned blogging in favour of Instagram, and that’s fine, but I like to type properly on my PC and see images on a big screen and keep this journal of sorts for myself and for Jay and Joe. The fact that strangers read (and enjoy) it is always surprising to me, but in a really good way!
Blogging also introduced me to some amazing people and led to my being part of Creative Countryside. I never would have thought I’d be asked to become an editor on a magazine. It opens doors, even if you’re not into promoting yourself (that’s me - raises hand).
I know I’ve said it before, but Pinterest is your friend. Just lots of lovely images - what’s not to like? I never fail to come away from there feeling both inspired and a bit zen at the same time.
Some of my favourite Instagram accounts: kind soul of aesthetics, oh_hedwig, twiggstudios, anniespratt, isleofspring, folk.and.kin, hildemork78, eveythinglooksrosie, foodstories, inkysquare, sigridsminde, wanderlandjournal… to name a very tiny few. There are so many more.
So, a long post. No doubt next time I’ll be returning to my usual photographs of life here on the island, accompanied by some prose detailing what we’ve been up to lately. Namely home schooling, walking, rewatching Gilmore Girls (again), weather-watching and hoping that this pandemic goes away soon.
Finally, thank you for posting comments (and for contacting me directly). Apologies for not always replying - you know I do read and appreciate every single message, and it means a lot to know the blog provides a small escape for people all over the world. That’s something that still amazes me!
