Nineteen things to do as a photographer with time on your hands

Nineteen things to do as a photographer with time on your hands

An article by Castle Cameras' Ambassador Paul Williams.

 

Paul Willliams photographer

  1. Get things into perspective; the vast majority of us are going to come through this okay – hopefully wiser about how our behaviour is impacting on our planet and all its inhabitants, and more proactive and vociferous about how best we can ameliorate some of the damage we’ve done to date. Pointless being a photographer if we can’t get meaningful visual messages out about the fragility of our home.

  2. Go through our photography files – yeah, I know, sulky face and all of that, but you know you have well over 500 images of that lovely kestrel when you only really need three or four. Try to take a cold, hard look at what you have in the vaults, how you file it i.e. can you find an image easily, and start filling up the trash bin – you will feel good, and your 21 external hard drives will love you for it.

  3. Clean your kit. Us photographers love our equipment, but I’m not sure how often we given everything a good clean. From the smeary lens you were going to rub a microfibre cloth over weeks ago to the bits of sand in your camera bag it will all eventually end up biting you if you don’t get on top of it. Plenty of articles on the web (if it survives) giving good advice on the what, where and how to make everything sparkly again.

  4. If ever there was a time to read about what your camera does it’s surely now? Yep, that’s what that button really does, who’d have thought it…

  5. Enter a competition or two. If you’re new to competitions then take a good look at the images that have done well in previous iterations as they’re often the best indicator of the format, style and quality required to do well. There are many one-stop shop sites online detailing all of the photography competitions available.

  6. Read more. Articles, books, blogs and magazines full to the brim with tips, hints, tricks and wise advice from some of the best photographers out there now. 

  7. Time to visit Photoshop and/or Lightroom a bit more maybe? Post-production is a necessary skillset if you’re shooting .raw but more than that it can open up another world for your images and stimulate your creativity in a number of different directions. Want to know how to make your landscapes truly pop? There’s a Youtube video for that. I personally use the nice guys over at FStoppers.

  8. Got an attic (or two) full of kit you’ve not used since Ansel Adams was a teenager – okay, I’m exaggerating a bit - but if it’s highly likely you’re not going to use it again why not put it out there and see if you can raise some funds with it. I’ve used Castle Cameras over at Winton to very good effect for selling some of my unused gear. If you can’t sell it why not try donating it to a camera club – or a museum if it’s that old ????

  1. Fancy being a blogger? Now is a good time to write that article, post your thoughts on all things photographic (along with some images obvs) or join a like-minded group on t’internet.

  2. Haven’t got a website, but like the idea of showcasing your images? I use WIX which is a totally flexible site where you can choose to use their templates, or you can create your own. Look at mine on www.paulwilliams.photography 

  3. We’re a community of photographers, right? Take some time out to make sure everyone in your photographic community is doing okay. COVID-19 is taking its toll as much on people’s mental wellbeing as it is on their physical health. Be supportive, share images of hope, inspiration and humour. Maybe even start up a photography support group on Facebook or similar. Don’t feel up to that then come and join me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/paulwilliamsphotography/ where I’ll guarantee you a warm welcome from all of our highly supportive members.

  4. I suppose now is the time for a blatant plug for my book ‘Wildlife Photography: Saving my life one frame at a time’. Described by Chris Packham as a ‘brutally honest visual journey through breakdown and recovery – it’s uplifting and beautiful in its simplicity’. Born from my own experiences with PTSD following a violent incident as a police officer, and probably not helped by my life as a career soldier prior to joining the police, my book describes how photography literally saved my life following three serious suicide attempts. Seen as the first of its kind my book details my journey through despair and on to recovery using photography as my therapy to improve my physical and mental wellbeing – I’ve even put pictures in it ????

    My publisher, in recognition of the times we’re currently all living in, has very kindly agreed to discount the book and make it more available for people struggling financially. Simply follow the link below and use the code WILDFREE to bring the price down to £21.99 and no p&p charges:
    https://www.hubbleandhattie.com/shop/HH5416/

  1. Sooo. We’ve cleaned our kit, caught up with the filing, done Photoshop to death, and read every article on star-trail photography known to the internet. Let’s go and do some photography seeing as we’re photographers. I’ve arbitrarily divided the following six projects into two camps; those who, for whatever reason, have to stay at home, and those of us able to get out and about into our gardens or wide-open wild spaces which, at the time of writing this, were still fair game subject to following the government’s guidelines:

  1. Indoor project one – Try a still life or two. Take a group of objects like fruit or flowers and arrange them until you find a composition you like. Now look at the lighting available to you. Do you prefer natural light, have access to studio or on-camera flash, or do you have movable house lights you can use to light your creation? Try using a reflector, or even plain white card to bounce light into spaces or cover your light source with a partially diffused material to soften the light if that’s the style you’re after. You can even add your own light spirals, shapes and patterns by using a torch, the light on your mobile or a lighter. Here I’ve gone for a high-key effect using a Gerbera, plain glass vase and a simple background lit by natural light from a northerly window. 

    A vase with yellow flowers

  1. Indoor project two – Mind blowing bubbles. All you’ll need is some liquid soap like Fairy, oil, water, a clear dish, a light source and a tripod. You can mix the oil and soap, or you can just use one ingredient. Add a few drops of whatever takes your fancy to some fresh water in your clear bowl (make sure you’ve really cleaned it before using it) and you should see a variety of bubbles appearing. Set up your tripod to look down on the dish and zoom in as far your lens will let you. Because you’re on a tripod you can keep the ISO low and the shutter speed slow – use the timer or a remote release to minimise shake. Pass your light source over and around the bubbles to find the best lighting for your bubbles. Better still add some coloured paper below your glass container or cover your light with a coloured gel. To get this image I mixed Fairy liquid with water and stood the glass on a pair of orange boxer shorts whilst shining a torch across the bubbles – it’s art, we do odd stuff for our art…

    A group picture

 

  1. Indoor project three – Think big and go small. Pacing around the house looking for some photographic inspiration? It’s all around, but it’s very wee. Yessir, indoor macro photography is the way forward to beat the cabin fever blues. A tiny, mostly overlooked world awaits your exploration. I’ll guarantee you macro will take your mind off most things as you look close-up at the normal, everyday objects that surround us all. Yes, a macro lens might help, but there are plenty of cameras with lenses and/or settings that let us get up close and personal without costing a fortune. Key to good macro photography is keeping the camera still – no, really. For indoor work with objects that aren’t going anywhere soon I’d use a tripod and a shutter release of some kind. Extra lighting can be critical here allowing you to reach the depth of field macro often requires if you are to capture as much detail as you can. In my image I’ve photographed the last remains of some flowers from a bouquet and chosen to limit the depth of field for this effect. Experiment away I say. If you can keep the ISO down a bit you should be able to go to bigger crops in post-production, plus your noise levels will be that little bit lower.

         A close up of a blur

 

  1. Outdoor project one – If you have a garden and you’re not going to be meeting too many  people in it then why not go outside and get the benefit of the fresh air, a different perspective than four walls, and maybe even the sun on your face (we can hope). There’s nothing quite like listening to bird song and seeing the garden start to come alive once more after what seems like an interminable wet winter. Your body and mind will thank you, and you should get a healthy dose of vitamin D and some endorphins whilst you’re out there. Project one is simply to make your garden as attractive to wildlife as you can. Our pollinating insects are under pressure like at no other time in our history. They need all the help we can give them so let the occasional dandelion grow, plant some flowers bees and and butterflies love like lavender, buddleia or borage, and provide piles of twigs or a custom made insect home for them to shelter in. Whilst we’re outside lets get a few feeders and nest boxes up and encourage the bird life to visit us. If you’ve already got established feeders consider setting up some natural looking perches nearby so you can sit somewhere quietly and photograph them in a more naturalistic setting than perched on feeders. Have you always wondered who might be visiting your garden at night? Trail cams are a relatively cheap way of seeing your nocturnal visitors - you might even have hedge-pigs coming and going. They love to have water nearby, but milk and bread will make them very unwell. Early in the season it’s okay to put a few mealworms out but don’t overdo them. Dried catfood works well, but expect to see the occasional moggie from down the road on your new trail cam! Please don’t use slug pellets. They’re deadly to much of our wildlife, especially Brer Hedgehog.

    hedge hogs

 

  1. Outdoor project two – This is simply an extension of the project above. Rewilding part of your garden will bring in a host of insects, mammals and amphibians. I can’t think of a better way to spend a few hours than wandering around my garden with the Spring sun on my back as I photograph the critters out and about doing their thing. If you have feeders look out for short-tailed voles and field mice as the scattered seed will often bring them in. Insects look great in close-up so if you have a dedicated macro function on your camera or own a macro lens and it’s a nice bright day then why not get up close and personal with a ladybird or butterfly. When I was really unwell and not capable of going amongst people, I got immeasurable pleasure from photographing the wildlife in my garden. My symptoms, just for a wee while, seemed to become less intrusive and I found myself in a calmer, happier place than I had been indoors. I’m lucky to get Hummingbird Hawk moths in my garden and this image represents a real milestone for me as I set myself a goal to get the best shot I could of this fast moving, erratic yet fascinating diurnal moth – and it only took how many shots?

    moth feeding on nectar

  1. Outdoor project three – Despite our best efforts at ruining her it’s still a beautiful world out there. At the time of writing this open spaces were still okay to visit, and I would argue they should be the last to be shut down. If you are feeling well, have no symptoms, or have been in quarantine for the prescribed time then surely getting out has to be better for you than staying indoors? Clearly this could all change, but for now I have every intention of getting outdoors – if only for the sake of anyone who knows how I get when I’m cooped up inside…
    Project three therefore is to get out and really become mindful of our surroundings. Put the phone down and drink in the smells and sights in front of us. How often have we not really listened to bird song, relegating it to a backdrop noise as we talk over it? The same mindset will also help you become a better photographer. By being in the moment, fully focused on what’s around us our attention to the smaller details becomes more honed. We see and hear more and a consequence of this is we get into the natural rhythm that’s all around us. I can’t remember how many times I’ve noticed the birdsong stop as a raptor goes by giving me enough time to photograph it, or just how much more subtle colour you get when you take the time to wait for the sunset to finish as we enter the purple hour. Mindfulness is all about connecting with our surroundings and as photographers I would suggest it’s something we should be doing every time we step outside with our cameras – you do take a camera with you every time you go out don’t you? ????

    This image is one I took off Portland and was in the 50 top weather images in the world 2018. Only about 40 minutes from my cottage, but I’m now light years away from where I was back in the dark days when my PTSD was omnipresent. It’s an image of hope for me, and a salutary reminder we all need hope in these equally dark times. We will prevail, but my hope is we come out the other side of this with new wisdom, more kindness and a greater understanding of just how fragile this veneer of civilisation really is.

    A close up of a rock near the ocean

    Stay well. Have hope. Keep taking photographs.

Paul signature black 2.png

w: www.paulwilliams.photography

t: +447810862599

e: paul@paulwilliams.photography

f: https://www.facebook.com/groups/paulwilliamsphotography/

If you are struggling with your mental health please get some support. It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help, it’s a sign of strength. Trust me on that one.

https://www.sane.org.uk/

https://www.samaritans.org/

Posted by Graham Fry
21st March 2020

Back to blog