since I last posted a blog on this site. It's not because I don't check in on it and try to update it regularly, because I do. It is more that my current creativity is massively taken up with my music and writing output.
It is March 2023 and I've just published by latest poetry collection ('Messages to No One') whilst working on the 2023 collection (working title 'In Quiet Tones'), am working with Keith on a new EP ('Passing Moods') and also recording our Prog double CD extravaganza ('discoveryONE'). [My two other main sites have been updated accordingly.] I take photos every day, often just on my phone but I do go out on a 'Shoot' every once in a while, especially now we have relocated to the lovely countryside of Lincolnshire for our new post-retirement adventure! But I don't have the time to do everything I want to - I still have work to do on a collection of short stories ('Past Horrors') that I should have published nearly two years ago! And that novel won't write itself! Since moving up to Lincolnshire I've taken two courses at the Grimsby University Institute; one on Scriptwriting and one on Creative Writing. Both have given me new tools to use in my creative pursuits and both have been enjoyable and thoroughly interesting. But this has meant that my photography has, in some ways, perhaps 'suffered' in that this site has not been kept as current or interesting as it should or I could make it. I have another reason - I wasn't very well with COVID in 2020 and now have long COVID and quite a few issues as a result of it. My health has deteriorated in a number of areas and I can't work in the same way, or for the same length, as I used to be able too. Hence why there was a long gap between the end of 2019 and now really - I've been lucky and still feel grateful to be alive, but I'm less than I was in significant ways. But I keep going (not quite like a certain battery driven bunny, but you get the idea)! Just as well that no one really pops in to have a look I guess! But I'm going to sort out some more recent images and rationalise the photos on this site to provide a broader spectrum of what my photography is all about. Therefore, if you have just popped by on the 'off chance' there is something worthwhile to peruse; please do so again in a couple of weeks time and maybe I'll have had an hour or so to update everything for you! In the meantime, enjoy taking your photos but stay safe out there! Alan
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Well, it's finally completed. The last session was on Thursday and it was hand-in everything you had completed and then await the marking and feedback. But this session was particularly cruel and unusual - you had to put your six (or more) themed images up in class for everyone to look at critique!
Such fun! I was really blown away by some of the photos that had been produced. Images that displayed a lot of talent and natural ability across a wide variety of subject matter and styles. Some were 'better' than others for me, but everyone had a few finished pieces that just looked lovely. Now, I knew when I was completing the work on my own missive that it was very different to that being produced by others. But when I had to display my own work - and by happenstance I was last - I did feel a little sad that my idea was less involving, less impactful to my classmates than their had been to everyone. Why? Well, mine is about the idea as well as the shape and images produced. My group of 5 monochrome images taken in a panorama and then cropped into individual images that have a connection to those on either side, display the connected world inside an overarching 'Nature in Silhouette' title. Take any one image away and the group collapses - it is an ecosystem in and of itself and even though I'd used colour, different crops so that each were isolated and a variety of iterations; the one I finally chose had branches encroaching into the next image. But, to look at, its perhaps fairly bland - just 5 monochrome images of a landscape with some trees in it. It's not got a colour sketch effect, no deep colours or reflections, no wildlife or dogs, no poses on the beach or near the pool, no refraction of water or spoons in glasses and no people on a seafront or near the sea - it is simple yet (for me at least) very complex at the same time. I could have produced - indeed do have some lovely images I took with Ed on our day out - landscape and silhouette photos rich in colour and texture. Yet for me, this course has been about finding another avenue into 'my' style, my perspective on things. I wanted to have produced something that was me. I'm not decrying anyone else's work or talent; I just wanted to know that what I had produced could only have come from me. I did that and I'm pleased and proud of what I achieved. So, this will be the last blog post for a while on this page as I turn my attention elsewhere. I'll still be taking photos and hope that Ed and I might go out again soon somewhen. There's even talk of the course participants setting up a WhatsUp messaging group and perhaps going out once in a while en masse to terrify the local populace. And, of course, there's my 'harem' of fellow Level I friends aka 'The Maldon Camera Crew'. We try to meet regularly and Pip, Kerry and Anna are blossoming as photographers, and it is something that I cherish. But I've spent so much time on my photography that my writing and musical endeavours have been neglected. I still have to complete my second collection of short stories ('Past Horrors') and have not done any real singing or lyric writing for months! Keith has kindly sent me his latest piece of music and thus, next week, I'll settle down to have a listen and hope that an idea for a lyric will strike from out of the blue. I'll still work on this website as I do on my other one; just not as often perhaps. I will try to hone the pages a little, reduce sections and upload a few newer photos where relevant and bring the photos on the site up to date. But that won't require a blog post - maybe just a quick entry into the 'News' section. So, if you want to keep in touch and join the other 100 or so visitors this page generates a week; try popping over too arcmwriting.weebly.com/ and keep in touch there. In the meantime, take care, keep safe and keep taking the photos! Alan Here we are then. It is my [now Ten Years-old!] daughters first day back at school after the half-term and only a few short days before the final session of my NCFE Level II Course in 'Photography - Creative Craft'. We spent some of the half-term up in Lincolnshire looking at more villages and places to move too in a year or so once Laura has finished Primary School. And then I spent a day with Laura and a couple of her school buddies at Colchester Zoo, which was lovely. Sunny and warm and I'm sure that for that reason - it was very busy. But we had a good time overall and I took it very slow and steady with plenty of rests between animal enclosures - even if the kids didn't!
But all the time, in the back, dark recesses of my mind, I was thinking about the work still to do. I still have to edit and print the final 'Underpinning Knowledge Workbook', still have to edit and finalise the final 'Portfolio Essay' document -which will have a 1000 word essay in it and smaller prints of the final themed piece. I have to ensure that my proof-reading is spot-on. I also have to ensure that I have the correct papers to use when printing, and then bind the two finalised documents ready to be handed in on Thursday (28th). I am fairly pleased with how the prints have turned out from DS Colour Labs, and my mounting of them onto white board went better than I thought it might. I'm not saying that I wasn't pleased that I had two copies of each image, but the end result is the best I can do at this time and I know that in general, I could not do more on the course than I have done. So, more work to do but it is all - hopefully - under control. I've enjoyed the course more than I thought I might after the first couple of sessions. It's been great fun, and there's a couple of people on the course I'll be sad to no longer see, but that is how the world works. Richard (the Tutor) has been great - tolerant, professional and fun. His teaching style is engaging and I've enjoyed his sessions hugely. I'll probably only post twice more about this course - a final end-of-course Blog post after Thursday and then when (or if) I pass. The only issue is that we won't be told the final decision until sometime in August - this is far too long to wait for a course that ends in February! I know they have to mark internally and then await a visit from the outside Moderator to double-check that the initial marking was good; but to wait for 6 months for a final notification is a bit too long in my mind! So, if you'll excuse me, I have some proper work to be getting on with and can't waste my time in chatting to the 3 or 4 visitors I seem to be getting on here recently... (you know who you are, but I don't!). Stay safe and keep snapping... Alan Yes, half term has arrived fairly quickly and our penultimate classroom session is now over. Only half-term and a few days separates me from the final day which is both the end of February and the end of the course - and Hand In day!
It's been a blast, I've learnt a lot and enjoyed it immensely. But after 20 weeks I'm ready to put the academic photography away for a while and start on something I've been neglecting - music. Once this course is over, I'm hoping that Keith and I can continue with our UnderTow projects and get a few of them finalised. In the meantime, I have to sort out the final workbook, final essay and final portfolio of 6 themed images. If you remember (or read) my last Blog, you'll be aware that I had changed direction and no longer wanted to submit 6 themed images in the 'straight' and orthodox way outlined in the course notes. My idea had morphed, from 'Man & Nature in Silhouette' through 'Nature in Silhouette' with 6 independent photos all linked by subject matter (nature), treatment (monochrome) and style (my own) with each photo being different (day, shoot, conditions, etc.) into a single wide panorama image that would be processed in one specific way. Even there I did 'play' about with the image. Making it different across the image by dodge and burn, Gradient Tool, Healing Brush, Layer Masks and a range of editing that ruined the simplicity of the original image. Creating changes across the image somehow reduced it, removed any impact it may have had, and lost any fondness I had for it. Thus, I kept it fairly straightforward. I used Levels and Curves and removed the colour to create a stark landscape. I removed extraneous bushes and grasses, leaf and other detritus, to give the horizon a 'clean' look and did not turn the sky bright white as I had intended to do (it looked awful). Also, I did not make the image colour, not even a light tint, anywhere. I had thought about having a light tint (via a Layer Mask) to the earth but keeping the trees black and stark and the sky bland and white. But again, when I tried it, it just looked wrong. I am all for experimentation - it is a great learning tool after all. But I also recognise where you should stop using all these tools that you have at your disposal just because you can. The photo ends up looking over-worked and like a person who has had too many cosmetic procedures. Thus, I used a few select tools, reached a point where I was content with the monochrome result and then spoke to the printer - DS Colour Labs - to get their input into how best to send them in. I had to do this as my final craft piece is not in 6 sections, nor are they all 12" x 16" (A3) size. Only Two of the Five are printed at A3, the other Three are each different widths. Why? Well, after processing it to my satisfaction, the main image has been cropped into Five distinct and separate images. Each of the Five has a connection to the one before and the one after it. Thus they are all 'linked' or connected to each other. I did look at having all but one of the Five in colour as I thought that this might be an interesting look. On screen it looked fairly good, and it still keeps my interest and I may well look at placing the right one to be in colour within the set once the course is over. But I'll have to choose the correct one - yet might that be the central one, one of the bookends or another? I'm not sure, at least not yet. And for now, keeping them all in a stark monochrome fits in with my title of 'Nature in Silhouette', and I want that to be reviewed on its own merits, without any tricks or gimmicks at all. When they are put on a wall, there will be space around each of the Five. Yet in placing them in order side by side it will create a Sixth and final image. Each a slice of a space of a landscape and each with the same look and feel to it. The Five become the Sixth only when each are in place. If, for some reason, they were placed upon the wall out of sequence, this would create another 'Sixth' image - but a very different one of discord and disconnection. I found this process highly entertaining and interesting. My creative work is always about recording a 'slice of time'. Saving something that is fleeting to be reviewed and re-lived time after time, should the desire be there. In my poetry, I record the date and the time of the finished poem so that, on That date at That time, my experience was That. My photography follows the same method; to record and save the ever present now, which has always gone before you notice it or are even aware of it. So, my work is almost done, the images returned from DS Colour Labs and the white mounts I purchased from Hobby Craft (4 for £10!) ready and waiting to have the 'repositionable' adhesive I also purchased used with malice aforethought upon them. Not being certain of my prowess in cutting and trimming my images onto board, I have bought two copies of each image, thus if one goes wrong I'll have a spare. What happens if the backup also goes wrong I do not want to contemplate.... Wish me luck! Stay safe all, keep snapping! Alan The months are already starting to fly by. It's February 2019 already, and the course ends later this month. I'm well under way with my final images, and have a few ideas about the options and extra's that I'll have available to possibly put into them. I've been looking around and am almost ready to order the mounting boards and the adhesive that I'll need. I have a couple of photos almost completed and my Workbook (Underpinning Knowledge) for this Unit is almost completely up to date.
So there's not too much left to do... oh no, there is a LOT still to do! We have been granted a bit of relief from the schedule; due to issues with using the site, one of our Classroom sessions did not go ahead. Thus, the final day will be the 28th February and not the week before Half-Term (the 14th). I'm sure this suits everyone and it certainly does not hurt to have extra time in which to play about with the images, mount options and general post-production! Now I have changed direction for my final piece, just a little. Instead of six individual images linked by a theme, treatment or style of look, I'm thinking about one specific image I have taken in January when out with the Yeti. The idea needs refining and will obviously require running past Richard as if I am able too complete it in the way I 'see' it in my mind, it won't fit into the 6 images all at A3 (12" x 16"). So, I'll carry on working on it and will take a working version into Class next week to see what Richard has to say. Take Care all, keep snapping... Alan Have you ever thought you had a long time to do something in and then discover you had less time than you thought? Yep. Me too. I thought that the course still had several weeks to run, and from one perspective, it does. Our final session is after half-term, on the 28th February.
But submitting all of our work - Underpinning Knowledge Workbook and the minimum of 6 themed images printed and mounted at A3 size all have to be ready before then! Crikey! That's just a weeks, and I have to allow at least 5 days for sending them off to be printed and to be returned to me! So, my thoughts that I had a couple of weeks to take the rest of the images I have 'pictured' in my mind turns out to be only a few days... this is going to be fun! The rest of our sessions will be taken up reviewing where we are with our Workbooks and looking at our Portfolio's and what work needs to be done on them (in my case quite a lot!). Still, it's warm in the Classroom, there's a bit of banter and it is fun - so can't complain. This weeks session was a lot of fun for us - maybe less for Richard. It was raucous, fun, a little bit rebellious and yet, at the same time, quite productive. We had the continual torture of some of us having to present three of our photos for critiquing by the class, we spoke about printing and the varies of paper out there for both general and photographic needs, and we touched on a few - okay more than a few - irrelevancies at the same time. But we have to refine, hone and set our targets for the final main task, complete the various shoots we may need, edit and post-produce them, and then find somewhere to have them printed. Send them off, receive them back and look at them closely to ensure that each is as we would want them to be, then mount them onto boards of some description to take in for the final session. Not much then in only a few short weeks! I am looking forward to this final part of the course, even with the challenges that it might bring; but will be sad too. The group as a whole are fun to be around and I've had a good time with them. I've maybe not made the sort of friends I did on the Level I course; but it's been great meeting them and now it is coming to an end it's a bit sad. Also, the fact that this is Level II but, because of the way NCFE run a Level III course the Administrators at ACL won't run the Level III course (which I fully understand and support), it means that for now at least, there are no more photography courses that are available for me to do unless I want to repeat courses I have already completed. So, only a few more sessions and then the adventure will be over! Right, I'm off to look at what lens I'll need for these next set of photographs... Stay safe all, keep taking the photos! Alan So, after the 'Blood Moon' adventure that was (or wasn't) last Monday, our session on Thursday came around - and they are fast running out! Although one has been added due to the one lost as a result of ACL being full due to a Council Workers Meeting day, we still only have FOUR left, and as one of those is the final session after half-term; we have to have completed all of the work on our Workbooks and final Portfolio of 6 themed A3 images (our Project) by the 14th February! I'm lucky (I think) in that I've run my idea past Richard (our Tutor) and he seems on-board with it, so I'm busy refining and honing it and deciding upon the type and colour of mount I shall use as well as making sure that my 'shoot' days are feasible given my physical limitations. So, it's all systems go from here until sunset... Our session last Thursday was quite a lot of fun; we got to take photos using a Studio Light and Softbox, and one of our number - the lovely Claire - volunteered to be our model for the afternoon. Our task was to use the accessories in three ways (no it's okay, this is not Masterchef) and we had the following situations to photo: 1) Studio Light with a Softbox, Diffuser and 'Grid' 2) Studio Light with the Softbox and Diffuser 3) Studio light on its own You can see our lovely model and part of our setup below... Now, I had a slightly different challenge from others as my Full-frame Canon has a naturally wider 'arc' of field than APS-C cameras and as I only had my trusty 17-40mm lens to hand, I had to get in a lot closer to take the photos I wanted to take in order to show how the varying lighting configurations changed the results achieved. I should have used my EF 70-200mm F/2.8L USM lens, as that would have been 'easier' for this task.
It was fun and I came away with some nice images - to be honest all of them are much better than the one above. [Oh come on! I have to save the best for my workbook and documents to be submitted. I can't go wasting them on you lot!]. Overall, as we near the end of the course, I'm happy with my level of work, commitment and most of the results that I am achieving in my current crop of photographs. I know I have some work ahead of me as I only have a week or so to get my 'Themed' Images into some sort of state to be processed and then printed at the A3 size that is required. I think that I've found the place that I'll be using for the printing side of them - DS Colour Labs. They seem to be fairly priced, offer a good turnaround speed, and from my limited experience of using them (12 A4 copies I've had printed for an earlier part of the course) they were nicely packaged, had a good colour spread and overall as the saying used to go 'came out nicely again'. So, full steam ahead Cap'n and carry on 'til morning... Stay safe all, and keep snapping. Alan that really is a question.
Whilst Ed and I had a brilliant day shoot last week, my compadres did not fare so well. Apparently, it turned into a bit of a shambles as there was a person struck by a train on the line we all use to get into London and some did not make it past Shenfield. Some did make it but were delayed and all in all, it was a pretty bad day for everyone (but especially the person who was struck by the train and my thoughts are with all involved). Due to this, and the fact that there was a cohort of 200 Council people meeting at Bishops Hill on Thursday and that all parking would be used up by them; Richard suggested another field trip. Audley End, Thaxted or Mersea Island were mooted and I was fairly happy at any, as all would provide me with opportunities to take shots for my themed image portfolio (which I'm still not telling you about yet!). My only concern was, as usual, the physical toll it would take upon me as, in truth, I'm still 'paying' for the shoot with Ed. But, nevertheless, I resolved to face the choice head on and participate as much as I would be able too! In the end, the session was cancelled and thus - with a tiny amount of snow falling for 10 minutes on my windscreen on the school run - I remained at home and continued to work on my homework for the day. Although nothing was finished to any real extent, I was pleased with the amount of work I got completed and plan to do even more tomorrow (Friday). Work on my Project is obviously ongoing, but so is some other Homework we've been set. Richard, our Tutor, sent us a very interesting article on taking photos of the 'Blood Moon' which should make an appearance on Monday (21st January 2019). Now I have tried to take photos of this phenomena before, but on an ad-hoc and impromptu basis. This very useful article has given me some great ideas so that, if there is not too much cloud; I'll certainly give it a go - although I'll have to be up REALLY early as the best time will be from 2.30am! I'll use my Canon 6D full frame plus my 200mm lens and a tripod. Let's hope it stays clear! Take care all, keep snapping and keep warm. Alan As I outlined last time, Ed and I went out on his birthday to take some photos. He with his Lumix, me with my Canon 6D. I'm going to post one image from each of the section of our shoot - street, landscape, water and wildlife, here so that you get an idea of the sort of day we had. Overall, it was a brilliant day. cold, crisp but with good light - even though the sun was quite low in the sky all day. First was a trip into Chelmsford City for our 'street' shots. Now I have to admit that street work is not one of those shoots I've done any of. Sunsets, water, nature, landscapes abound in my albums. But taking photos on the street? Never. Until now (who says you can't teach an old mongrel new tricks?). We parked near Bond Street and though we were together, we both chose different things to photograph so we were not tied together. This one is one of my favourites from this section and I liked the colours and the shapes. After a rest and a coffee to warm ourselves up a little, we went out of the city and into the countryside. This was was to get the rural landscape in any form that we felt moved too. This is perhaps closer to my natural habitat; so I was looking forward to it quite a lot. The image below is again a favourite one of mine. I have enhanced the image somewhat but I liked the juxtaposition of the man-made in the natural rural setting. I have adjusted this in many ways but this one, with nature being monochrome and the building in colour, just seemed to fit. I didn't erase the pylons but did think about it, and I cogitated for quite a while as to whether to cut the top of the main pylon off (a la David Bailey) as I liked the way the top is out of shot. The texture of the foreground, being reduced to a state of no colour, I really like. You know it is probably green (it is), but everything natural is stripped of colour, only the man-made has that which dominates the scene in a completely different way. Our final trip was to Maldon. We had an expensive cup of hot chocolate (which was lovely nevertheless) and sat in the car for a while while I rested and enjoyed the boon to a bad back which heated seats brings. My love of the water, of seabirds and wildlife really settled upon me and I had a great time here. I took a lot of photos and my portfolio subject became clearer in my mind as the shoot went on. We actually weren't where I had thought to go - but that was no bad thing as we found spaces and places that were new and fresh and cold! This image is one that I like quite a bit. Except for the figure and the bench, I have removed everything else that is man-made. Light bollards, lamp post, anything that didn't fit in with my idea of the shot - with the small figure of the bird aloft in a cold steel sky almost (but not quite) directly above the figure of the woman walking - is very pleasing. I cropped it into an oblong shape to give it width and cropped the tops of the main tree off; something I would never have been 'brave' enough to do before my courses. I left a little colour in the sky and enhanced the green of the grass as well as altering the brightness of that area so it could come through, but I darkened the middle third of the image to create a more silhouette look for the trees and walking figure. I took better ones on the day, but they are being saved for another time! y So there you have it, three of my images of my day shoot with Ed. A great day, one I enjoyed hugely and have reminders to relive it when I might want too.
Next I need to start working in earnest upon my Workbook and Portfolio, so i'll bid you farewell. Take care and keep snapping, Alan To you and yours. Christmas at Mitchell Mansion was fine, quiet and understated but very enjoyable nevertheless. This week I handed in my Unit Two Unit documents, although we have another week. This week we were meant to be showing off our Field Trip photos but as we didn't go on it, this didn't happen. Instead, we spoke about Flashguns, Polarizers and other accessories when completing portrait shots - but we will be doing more over the next week or so as well as concentrating on our portfolio choices and work. We spent some time using Studio Flash and light equipment and we had a task to replicate the 'Paramount' portrait shot. This was used by the film company often when taking portraits of its stars and is a fairly unique shot - often using two seperate light sources in a 'clamshell' configuration. My groups effort is below; original image by Gillian, post-production by myself. Mine is coming along quite nicely - I've narrowed it down to a few options but, to heighten the tension just a little; I'm not going to tell you what they are! We did mention two photographers that I've not come across - Saul Liter, a street photographer and Julie-ann Kost, who is great at Adobe hints and tips. So i'll be looking at those two over the next few days in order to see what I can learn from them. Next week the class are all going to London on a shoot. Sadly, I can't go as I won't be able to cope physically with the travel and the equipment etc. BUT all is not lost - Ed (my soon to be 23 year old Yeti) wants a Bridge Camera for his birthday so we have bought him a Panasonic Lumix FZ82 which has some great reviews. Ed has taken the day of his birthday off, so we are going out on the 8th on a sedate day shoot. I aim to visit three places which will give him an idea of three different types of photography: Chelmsford (street), Woodham Ferrers (landscape) and Maldon (water and wildlife). I'm hoping it will a good day for us both and I've built in plenty of breaks and as we are driving it can all be at the right pace for my limitations. Below is the portrait of Dave - who kindly volunteered to have his rugged visage photographed for our classroom task of taking a 'Paramount' portrait shot. I think it's turned out quite well... That's all for now folks, stay safe and keep snapping.
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Alan MitchellI'm always trying to capture that fleeting 'moment' in time -whether by taking a photo or writing a poem. My attempts to capture that illusive feeling, sight, sensation or sound in some way is, to me, magical. Archives
March 2023
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