Recent captures using different editing styles. Expressions of nature and my journey with photography.
It's been a while since I wrote a blog post. Where does time go? I have been flexing my creativity in the background learning different camera styles and editing techniques.
I wanted to share a few of recent images to brighten up your day and also attempt to explain how I achieved each image for those of you that are interested in the workflow behind them. First, a little update and what I have been up to....
When I started this website in April last year, my intention was to create a space which would detail my travel explorations. Somewhere I could share my adventures with you. Having started this during lockdown #01, I never thought that a year on I would still be grounded in the UK and unable to work in my usual job of Travel Hospitality (hoping this will change soon).
I miss travelling immensely and a winter not living in the alps for the first time in 5 years has been rather odd to say the least.
The rhythm of life presents us with opportunities to adapt through challenging times so that's what I did. I adapted.
In recent months, I have settled into a weird little routine which involves working from home, online marketing and also some part-time chef work. My day is very different to a year ago and now filled with purpose and challenges to keep me occupied. I like to be busy!
It isn't what I would LOVE to be doing and it isn't WHERE I want to be but one thing this past year has taught me is to be grateful for what we have and appreciate simple things that life offers us.
A New Direction for What She Seeks
Consequently, this blog will take a new direction as it is important to me that it is a space for honest reflection and documenting my journey through an ever changing /challenging world.
I have decided (for now) to focus on presenting my photography rather than creating long, drawn out (and very time consuming) blog posts. With everything else going on in my life I just don't have the time to market a blog like the full-time bloggers do. It is however important to me to keep it going and share my creative journey with you all.
I love to write but I only feel compelled to write extensive pieces if I have been somewhere exciting I want to share with you (Cough cough....I have been to Glastonbury and the Jurassic Coast, Dorset in recent months so I will be writing blogs for these in the next couple of weeks!).
So, without further ado here are my favourite collection of images of spring in bloom, UK.
Announcement! New Camera Equipment
I have recently purchased a 50mm lense aka, 'The Nifty 50', for my Sony Alpha 6400 camera. As I am on a budget, I wanted a lense that would enable me to develop my photographic skills but didn't break the bank.
Sony lenses are not the cheapest on the market and I did have the option of purchasing a SIGMA lense who have a range for my camera. None the less, I chose the Sony for its quality. This retailed at £160 which is a fantastic price for the quality and scope of the lense.
I wanted my photography to explore the textures, colours and depth found in nature that brings me so much joy when immersed in it. The seasons give us a plethora of opportunities to shoot the beauty of our planet.
ICM Technique
The above slideshow is a technique I have fallen in love with. ICM - Intentional camera movement is simply just that. Intentionally moving your camera around (often sporadically looking a little odd when people catch you doing it!).
Dependant on how much you move your camera and the setting you dial in (shutter speed is important to grasp in this technique), you can achieve some fantastic, abstract shots. You can also use a Neutral Density filter (ND for short), to help achieve the desired result. I have used an ND 4 on a few coastal ICM images. See my Flickr account for one of these images
Out of the four ICM images, I particularly like the tree image as it looks as though it has been painted. I hope to get some more like this soon.
One of my favourite photographers;'Photography Playground', did a great blog post about embracing blur and ICM in photography. 4 WAYS TO CREATIVELY EMBRACE THE BLUR IN PHOTOGRAPHY 
Ethereal Bluebells
This image is a combination of several processes. A friend an I found a wonderful small forest covered in a bed of bluebells. It really was a sight to behold. The bluebells were entwined in the trees which covered the flowers in partial sunlight from the trees omitting shimmers of light.
The tree coverage and movement of the sun allowed the rays of sunlight to become a dance of light around the forest floor. I wanted to achieve an ethereal, dreamy feel using the light as the focus of the shot. I took lots of shots angling my camera pointing up from the forest floor onto the bluebells to capture the light above and behind the flower.
I also made sure I singled out one particular bluebell with a wide aperture for shallow depth of field and a lovely 'Bokeh' effect. I then combined 4 images together in my AFFINITY photo editing suite as a photostack to create the abstract impression you see here. I really love it, do you?
What is shallow depth of field?
Shallow depth of field in photography is achieved by shooting photographs with a low f-number, or f-stop — from 1.4 to about 5.6 — to let in more light. — to let in more light. This puts your plane of focus between a few inches and a few feet.
Another great photographer I am learning so much from through her blogs is Jo Stephen. She has a fantastic collection of images and blog posts. Her photography is incredible. This post is dedicated to photographing Bluebells and using a simular effect to mine: Photographing Bluebells
Wild Garlic Leaves
This image hasn't been edited, i didn't think it required it. I simply focused my camera upwards into the leaves where the sunlight illuminated the them the most. I let as much light flood in without over-exposing the shot (I use the 'Zebra Lines' setting on my camera to do this).
I focused the lense quite close to the leaves as my main objective wasn't to capture the whole scene (which was a lot of wild garlic!), rather to demonstrate the vibrant green colour of the leaves and the sun reflecting on them.
Check out my latest photography. I regularly update my website with new captures. Click here
What is Bokeh?
Bokeh is created by using a wide aperture to render a busy background into a soft expanse of color, turning small points of light into soft circles. This establishes a shallow depth of field which causes the background to blur.
Chicory Flower
This last image is one of my favourites as I adore the delicate purple tones of chicory flowers. I took several captures with different exposures then added two images together in my editing suite (the ones that complimented each other best). I didn't want to stack too many images together as I wanted to keep the main flower in focus in the shot.
This created a blurred and layered effect but thankfully the central flower and subject stayed pretty pin sharp with some lovely detail in the pollen.
I've found that my best images in this type of photography are when I have managed to focus on one central aspect of the scene / flower /leaf so it is pin sharp.
The rest of the image then blends into the background with either a prominant bokeh effect or higher F stop to get more of the background in focus. Dependant on what type of image you are aiming to create.
I hope you have enjoyed my spring collection. I will be taking some photos of the pink blossom trees and further bluebell shots before they leave us for another year so watch this space.
I will share some of these on my social media and also in a newsletter so be sure to like my Facebook page and Instagram.
Lisa.x
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