Firstly let me wish you all a happy new year but more importantly a healthy one.

Treasure your health.

Whilst we all naturally look back and reflect at this time, its good to be moving forward and planning the year. For some it may be a holiday (I will do that soon), a new job or simply making more time for yourself. I will come to that one later. Planning never hurts as long as it doesn’t become an over bearing obsession and too regimented. We do it in our day to day jobs and our leisure time.

I know I am fortunate in that my leisure pursuit is also my work and I never forget that. However, it doesn’t simply occur and I still have to plan and create projects to develop myself. I find that is one of the most important features of my life. Constantly learning and developing. Whilst I do enjoy the aspect of serendipity, I find it more beneficial to work to structure. Obviously there is a little ‘loose time’ chucked into the mix but most of my working life has been set and structured.

The discipline of creating TV programmes and running national courses taught me that but rather than letting it become onerous, I have always approached the work in a way that I found pleasing. After all, if it becomes a bore it becomes a drudge and that’s not good. I realise you can’t apply that to everything and that is why I feel it is important to have the ‘me time.’ I recommend that to everyone. Surprisingly enough (or maybe not…) my ‘me time’ revolves around taking photographs. Whilst I also take snaps that please me for commissions etc, I don’t always get the opportunity to do so exclusively for me such as shooting to a specific, detailed brief.

Yours truly enjoying some ‘Me Time’ exploring as I gather images for my latest project. Photograph courtesy of Vicki Procter

I know I may be out on the landscape more than most but I am usually teaching and that means NOT with my kit. I very rarely ever get my camera out on a workshop. It only makes an appearance if something spectacular begins to occur and only ever with the clients approval.

I do that in respect of the people that entrust me to teach them. I am there for them. NOT the other way around.

So, I try and make a bit of time and shoot on structured projects otherwise to me it could become a rudderless ship.

Whether new or an old hand with a camera, create a project. A twelve month plan to shoot a topic that appeals to you in an area you find interesting.

Mine has been on the go for nearly a year now and will form the basis of another talk in the future as well as providing my portfolio with a few nice images, a book or two and illustrate magazines.

2020 has begun well for me and I see that social media has already been awash with lots of images that have been taken in the opening days of the year.

As yet I haven’t had the opportunity but will start this week when I venture out to Snowdonia with my assistant Vicki Procter.

Last night I spoke at the Lancaster Photographic Society and received a fantastic response to ‘A BIT OF A JOURNEY.’ They were a great crowd and it is nice to be asked to return and I look forward to going back there in the future.

We are slap bang in the middle of the talks season and I find my diary crammed with journeys that take me all over the UK to the end of May before the break that reconvenes in September. They are great fun and a pleasure to do.

My workshops have now swung into winter and I look forward to making new friends as well as renewing old acquaintances as people have rebooked me.

Should you consider booking me then full details can be found here.

Enjoy the year and enjoy your photography. You never know just what you might see and capture with that magic box….