I write this on a dull December day, during one of the wettest periods of the year and I am looking back fondly on those warm, summer days that seemed to know no bounds. They stretched way beyond our ‘normal’ seasons.

As a landscape photographer, I am well aware that many photographers do NOT enjoy the warmer days as they feel that the light is too contrasty and the green pervades. Personally, I don’t have a problem with it and find that you can work easily enough and capture some excellent images both as natural landscapes and my other favoured genre ‘intimates.’ As I run workshops, I feel it offers people another way to look at the landscape and in many cases, work harder to achieve and that’s not a bad thing. More verdant days create really good black and whites!

When I am approached for workshops, especially those that are going to take place in the autumn, a question that naturally pops up is, ‘so in your opinion, when is the best time for me to book so that we can get the colour?’

I am not a climate or meteorologist but ten years ago I would have said early October onwards.

Now though….its being pushed further back and in recent years I have seen it stretch way into the latter parts of November. Don’t get me wrong, that’s not every year but it does seem to be verdant for longer and then a flourish of colour arrives and appears to last further into the year.

Vicki and I were travelling back from Snowdonia a couple of weeks back, (early December) and commented on the colour that was still in the trees. Granted, leaves had already begun to shed and the branches were becoming more evident but those colours were still there. Without doubt, a couple of cool days, allied with those fierce winds and they would quickly go.

This year has been seasonally confusing, especially with the ‘false’ autumn that was brought on by the conditions but nature has a way of sorting itself out, so let’s see what is going to happen as we move forward. Is it natural or are we ‘pushing’ it into something that ‘it’ feels is not natural.?

Only time will tell.

In stark contrast, today sees flooding across the country and lets hope that the damage is minimal and no one loses their life as a result.

I really enjoy the balance of workshops and my own projects, as well as having a family life of course and this past year has been no different. To me, the balance of work, rest and play is vital and I have my wife Irene to thank for that. 2026 will see us achieve fifty years of marriage but its nigh on fifty three in reality because we met at school. She has seen me through the highs and lows, created a lovely family, along with several homes we have enjoyed and I hope that continues for many, many years to come.

As someone who has actually been a professional teacher of photography and video in both the field and classroom, it is no surprise that teaching on workshops makes up a substantial part of my working month. It is a pleasure to be asked by people to entrust them with their progression but in recent years, Vicki and I have also been asked by photography clubs to undertake dedicated days just for them.

Vicki and I with members of the Newport Photography Club after they had enjoyed a day in the quarries at Dinorwig

It has been great and has forged a better working relationship with their club as a result.

This coming year will see us taking a number of clubs and societies out into the Lake District and Eryri (Snowdonia) and we are looking forward to doing so.

Apart from my own work and the workshops, this year also saw me venture back into professional film making.

Trust me, it was a big decision because after doing that as my living for nigh on thirty five years alongside my landscape workshops, I know what goes into making broadcast quality TV.

I used to work with a full crew of camera and ‘sound,’ actors, presenters etc and it was a great way to earn my keep BUT very hard work and then came the most creative part…..the edit suite and all that entailed.

In film making, you ‘imagine’ and create the concept along with the people who come to you with the idea, break it down, cast, schedule etc and finally record. Then re assemble in a way that conveys the message. The edit suite is the vehicle where it all comes together. Fortunately, I had great training at the BBC and Sony and was used to making many programmes with just me and the camera man. It is called ‘single camera’ (naturally ha ha) and it has now become the norm as more compact equipment has arrived on the market that makes it more accessible.

Like riding a bike, the ‘muscle’ memory was still there and it was good to get back in the saddle.

I had watched a few videos posted on Youtube and was aware that the market had changed and so I dived back in. My previous news on here outlines that so please refer back to it here.

What has been gratifying are the comments and the emails I have received from people I didn’t know and for lovely comments and encouragement by industry companies. They have offered their support as I move forward with the project. I am grateful for that.

One thing I have decided, is that I will NOT be prolific and pump programmes out regularly. I will do them when I want to produce one and feel it will be beneficial. As I said, it is a work/life balance and I ain’t getting any younger ha ha!

To that end, there are a few ideas and situations I will look towards developing during 2026.

They will be available via the ‘MovingStills’ page on Youtube.

My talks season is well under way now and whilst we have the temporary pause for the festive season, they resume fully in the early new year and will see me through till the end of next May. I really enjoy travelling around the country and meeting people. Great to exchange views!

As I always say at the talks, if there is anything you would like to discuss about your photography, then please do not hesitate to contact me. I am always happy to help.

On that note, I would like to take this opportunity to thank friends, old and new for working alongside Vicki and myself throughout 2025 as it has been a real pleasure and I hope that you all have a great Christmas and a very happy, healthy new year.

Kindest Regards

Mark