February a month of many surprises.

Despite being in lockdown 3.0 the month of February has proven itself incredibly “articulate” compared to last month (January) and despite lockdown 3.0 somehow February has been a welcome bliss - gone is the depressing slowness of January, for here is a month of many contrasts that have bought a delight to my eyes, least not for my camera.

What ended in January continued into the first week or so of February and that of course was the “cold snap” which meant for some truly delightful scenes to capture. Staying local though has meant that I have not been able to travel that far, so a trip to County Durham was definitely not allowed - still I suppose that will have to wait until it is safe again. Still though I have enjoyed staying local, and despite the cold weather. Something magical was in the air, the ability for the snow to change a landscape is something that I had never really noticed before, but with life progressing at a slower pace, the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 has enabled me to notice just how the snow and ice have the ability to change a landscape.

"Crisp of the snow" - (Colour).

"Sanctuary in the snow"

"Crisp of the snow" - (Black and White).

"Winter ghosts"

"Hidden winter voices" - (Colour).

"In a winter spin"

"Winter contrasts"

"Hidden winter voices" - (Black and White).

"The lines of winter"

"Wide winter skies"

"The glow of winter"

"Magical dreaming tree"

"Crisp lines"

"The art of ice"

Glorious; for it really is, just how many occasions do we actually take the time to slow down and appreciate the smaller and finer things in life, if there is one thing that this pandemic has taught me, it is the following,

“Slow down and appreciate what is really going on, instead of being caught up in the rush of modern life”.

Something that as we exit lockdown and things do go back to normal again (define normal), is something that I shall be doing a lot more. Still though that ice and the snow that we had at the beginning of February really did change what is otherwise a green and lush landscape into something different and slightly more interesting.

I say “slightly more interesting” but there is something truly magical about photographing the snow as you have to put thought into what you are capturing. But stick to the rules of simplicity and you are bound to get something interesting, yes the snow does lend itself to simple photographic compositions.

But then, as February progressed, I realized the following, 

“February, a month that could be described as a perfect artist's easel that is full of inspiration, change and colour. Goodbye winter and hello spring, for the month of February is a month which before us we can see the seasonal change happening right before our eyes. That in itself is pure magic”.

And it is a month that is pure magic, it is a month of contrasts and to go from the harsh and bitter coldness of winter to spring, within the space of a week, well that says a lot of things about what the month subsequently surprised me with. After the snow came grey and drab elements to February, which remained rather brief. But on the “government allowed exercise” program a walk around Shipley Park, was on the cards, it is something of a sanctuary is Shipley Park, and throughout lockdown I have been fortunate enough to see a lot of changes within the landscape happening throughout the seasons, something which has been noticeable - however on this particular occasion; the grey and drab weather meant that I had to capture some scenes in black and white. Somehow though black and white photographs have an element of “something else” about them. Drama perhaps? Or is it the ability within a black and white photograph to capture more detail - who knows?

"The lookout"

"The approach"

"On approach to the mystical trees"

"The approach"

"Simplicity of the open"

"The lone tree"

But as I was towards the end of the walk, I started to notice something else, an abundance of snowdrops, and they signal the start of spring.

"First sign of spring" - (Black and White).

"First sign of spring" - (Colour).

Fortunately though I have actually managed to get out and about (local of course) and there is something magical about the snowdrops, a visit to a local church highlighted the beauty of the snowdrops but also the magical carpet of crocuses along with the snowdrops just about topped the month of February for me, and that in itself is something I shall never forget. Still though throughout lockdown I have managed to get some interesting photographs that I would not have got if it was not for lockdown. Strange or what?

"What is over the wall?"

"A path of snowdrops" - (Colour).

"A path of snowdrops" - (Black and White).

"Hidden Spring" - (Black and White).

"Hidden Spring" - (Colour).

"The church and the house"

"A carpet of purple"

"A carpet of snowdrops"

Okay so what with “staying at home” does mean that I like many people have not had the ability to travel very far, but the other day I did manage to have a truly glorious walk through some glorious woodland that I had previously visited last autumn, back then of course it was like a quagmire the ground was, but the colours on the leaves - well they were something else to behold.

Now after a deep sleep, nature is beginning to awake itself yet again and the woodland is coming alive again, the bluebell and wild garlic shoots are just beginning to come through the ground and reach for the sky. A truly magical scene to see and before long, leaves will be back on the trees and the woods will feel different again.

"Which way?"

"Mystery in the woods" - (Colour).

"Mystery in the woods" - (Black and White).

"That long path"

"Powerlines above us"

"The big open skies"

"Woodland lines" - (Black and White).

"Woodland lines" - (Colour).

"A place to hide" - (Black and White).

"A place to hide" - Colour).

"Voices from above" - (Colour).

"Voices from above" - (Black and White).

"Avenue of trees" - (Black and White).

"A path through here"

"Sun and power"

"Avenue of trees" - (Colour).

"A bend in the woods"

Could it be that spring is just around the corner? Well I for one think so, as this past week has been rather warm and that warm weather has been down to an event a few hundred miles south of The UK in The Canary Islands, and that is simply known as “The Calima” which is a result of the Saharan sandstorms, which when the wind blows, turns the skies on The Canary Islands, a strange yellow colour. However with warm air coming up from the southern Atlantic ocean, The Calima has done some travelling and has managed to cover Europe, that Saharan dust has also reached the shores of The UK, meaning that we have had some pretty amazing skies which have truly transformed both sunrise and sunset.

It was only yesterday evening that I managed to capture the raw beauty of this strange sky, purple it was with a solitary United Airlines 777-300ER en-route from London Heathrow to Los Angeles airport, a sight to behold, but against the backdrop of a purple sky it just summed something up, and that is what an amazing world we live on - despite its many fractures the earth always wants to please us and make us better when times are tough, just a shame that we have to spoil things as humans.

"Flight of the dreams"

But there is one thing, and that is February has been a month of many surprises, I just wonder what March will be like and how that will subsequently surprise us? Either way though, spring is around the corner and with that improvement as we look forward to a change in our lives with the easing of lockdown and the ability to travel more. Yet is there one thing that we are about to lose with the easing of lockdown? And that is an appreciation of what the months can give us, as life starts to speed up again.

Either way I think going forwards as a photographer I shall be taking things slower now, and appreciating the smaller and finer things within life. Perhaps that is the lockdown effect who knows?

And if anyone is wanting to purchase any of these photographs as prints - then good news, you can do from the 28swphotography website or from RedBubble.

Goodbye January 2021. A month that has been surprisingly interesting.

The month of January is one that if it was designed on paper, would have more than likely been drawn on the back of a cigarette packet. Now why do I use that way to describe this month? Well perhaps it is because January has to be one of the strangest months within a year. Gloomy and rather dull, drab even and come on - who actually likes the month of January? I certainly do not for sure - but like everyone else, biting the bullet that is this incredibly dull and drab month has bought us ever closer to February and one in which changes happen. Some major changes as the spring-time starts to flex or stretch its muscles and nature once again awakens after the big sleep of the winter.

Yet despite things being strange with yet another lockdown, January has been really quite surprising, almost a mixed bag really in terms of photography and whilst because of lockdown restrictions and measures what I have taken have remained slightly more unique, in some ways I have had to challenge myself more and experiment with various compositions. One of the first photographs of 2021 that I captured was of a family that was sitting on a bench at Shipley Park, and it is this photograph that I think sums up what January actually means - they were clearly pondering and thinking about things, but what exactly were they thinking about?

For what were they pondering upon?

A mixed bag though weather wise is what January has been, yes it has so far been quite dull, drab and boring, but in between that we have actually been blessed with some nice weather, not a lot but enough that somehow tricks the brain into thinking that it really will not be long before the first signs of spring start to appear.

The magic of January.

The simple lines.

The talking tree.

Everstanding.

Crisp patterns of the ground - (Black and White).

The clear January air - (Colour).

The clear January air - (Black and White).

A lone tree.

Crisp patterns of the ground - (Colour).

January has been one of those strange months and as you can see the weather has been kind. Perhaps too kind and has blessed us with some extra daylight, of course the extra daylight has meant that we get a little bit more in the way of sunshine - something which is a true blessing. Of course that also means that the winter skies of low sun, creating a stunning crisp sunset, that is something to behold, needless to say there is something about the winter that lends itself to landscape photography unlike any other season.

But of course January is the winter time and with that - cold weather has meant for snow. Gone are the days of having lots of snow during the winter but any that does fall is exciting to say the least and with the snowfall, I had to get out and capture the snowfall that had occurred. Crisp, bitter but pleasing in a strange way.

“Snow, oh the glorious snow. Somehow it transforms a photograph, could it be that snowfall brings out more beauty within a landscape?”

 for one think so, snow does have a magical quality that can add something else to a photograph or a landscape scene. And of course with lockdown and staying local I was fortunate enough to capture the following wintery scenes.

Down the lane - (Landscape).

Down the lane - (Portrait).

A Winter Contrast.

Winter by the Canal.

Contrasts of the canal.

The Winter Waterfall.

But even after the snow had melted, the month of January just kept on “giving” in a strange way, with its mystery and with that came a final surprise, a truly glorious evening sunset that just summed up the month of January and the season that is winter.

The January Calm - (Landscape).

The January Calm - (Portrait).

January Reflections.

Contrasting is perhaps the best way to describe January and it is a month that a lot of people understandably do not like, but it goes without saying that the month of January is one that can be full of surprises, for it is a month that prepares us for the year ahead, still though for what will the month of February hold? Signs of spring perhaps? I certainly hope so. But perhaps lockdown during the month of January has made me appreciate just what an interesting month it can be if you think outside of the box and explore the landscapes, the ones in which all seasons can be experienced within just one month. Unique yes and to me that is what January is.

Puzzled. A review of myphotopuzzle.

Figuring out what to get someone for Christmas or any other occasion such as a birthday can be quite difficult and very often we find ourselves purchasing the tried and tested kinds of presents such as chocolates, gift vouchers or occasionally presents that end up being re-gifted. But what happens when you think,

“Something unique is what that person would want for a present?”

Well at first it seems as if everything you try to find online or within shops are fairly standard items and unique and bespoke presents are all too often quite difficult to come by - however a simple bit of research eventually lead me to a rather minimal and simple website entitled “myphotopuzzle” Of course I had wanted a Christmas present for someone that was going to be both bespoke and unique, one of a kind that is the only one in existence.

Now the interesting thing about myphotopuzzle is just how easy it is to use and upon visiting the website with it’s .co.uk domain name you could be forgiven for thinking that it is based within England or somewhere within The UK, but looks can be deceiving and the .co.uk domain on there website is purely there because it is for the UK website. Although at the bottom of the website it does say “choose your country”. Regardless though myphotopuzzle are actually based in Germany and quite a lot of other photo printing labs are based in Germany. SAAL Digital are another print lab who are also based in Germany, a trend perhaps that high quality print labs are based in Germany? Who knows. 

Either way myphotopuzzle are a print service with a unique and bespoke difference that offers the chance for people to upload any photograph they want and have that photograph turned into a jigsaw puzzle, and on this occasion I decided to upload the following photograph that I had taken. The photograph itself is entitled “An autumn passage” and is perhaps one of the best photographs that I had taken in 2020.

"An autumn passage"

The website that you are greeted with when you visit myphotopuzzle is one that is minimal, clean and easy to navigate which is crucial to someone who is visiting for the first time, another bonus with myphotopuzzle is they do not get you to download any other software either meaning that it is simply a case of uploading the photograph that you want to get printed onto a jigsaw puzzle directly to the clever systems at myphotopuzzle.

Perhaps the most fantastic POS website. The "myphotopuzzle" website. Easy to navigate with a clean interface.

As a website goes it is one of the best POS or (Point of Sales) website that I have ever come across, all too often websites which feature e-commerce are too in depth or remain tricky to navigate, so another bonus to myphotopuzzle for creating a website that really is easy to use, that easy that someone who has never used a website for shopping can easily use this one. 

Digression over on the praising of the myphotopuzzle website.

With the photo in mind I had a look at what I wanted to order, a jigsaw puzzle that would be a Christmas present for someone and navigating around the website gave me some options of things that I could select, thus meaning that I could make this Jigsaw something perhaps a little bit more bespoke.

In the end I chose a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle, which for the box - I decided to select a slightly dark red; almost maroon colour, the default and first option that I had come across and one that I thought reflected the photograph that I had selected, entitled simply “An autumnal passage”. After all the red packaging matched perfectly with the colours within the photograph.

I had also uploaded the photograph, and selected the design of the box along with the jigsaw, all that was then left to do, was wait until it got delivered. Thankfully the length in which the clever behind the scenes stuff at myphotopuzzle, does not take long and within a week a package arrived from Germany. All secured in some rather fantastic quality packaging, then again German precision means efficiency and efficient delivery plus protective packaging is another bonus for this fantastic company.

Something that is truly unique. A photographic puzzle, bespoke from myphotopuzzle.

Upon the opening of the packaging I was greeted with the puzzle itself, albeit in the box that contained the pieces, and I was blown away with just how good the quality was.

Of course it goes without saying that the recipient of this jigsaw puzzle was equally impressed with how good it was, and for a Christmas present, that is a wonderful feeling, to actually know the person in question appreciates it.

So the recipient not so long ago managed to challenge themselves, they like a challenge and this Jigsaw puzzle provided the perfect challenge, best of all the photograph that I had chosen also meant a lot to the recipient of the jigsaw puzzle.

The completed puzzle. Unique and truly stunning.

When something is completed and looks truly amazing. The finished Jigsaw puzzle from myphotopuzzle.

What really is fantastic is that myphotopuzzle, really does provide something well and truly unique for someone who is wanting to get a Christmas present or a present for any other occasion that is truly unique and bespoke. So is this perhaps one of the most unique companies around? I think so - and it is also bespoke, meaning that each puzzle that is ordered, not many others exist. All in all myphotopuzzle make searching for that unique present and creating a unique present that little bit easier, and that is something that a lot more retail should be offering, for present hunting and searching, something more bespoke, different that when someone opens it, they will love and cherish.

So if you are looking to get someone something unique, then why not get them a photographic puzzle from myphotopuzzle, a truly fantastic company who specialize in creating unique and bespoke jigsaw puzzles for any occasions in which a present or gift is required.

Time to sit and take a minute. For what were they pondering upon?

Perhaps a strange but accurate description for photography is the following,

“It is much like birdwatching. You have to have the patience of a saint as sometimes nothing is inspiring or worthy of photographing, yet the next moment something comes along that you just have to capture”.

Yes photography is very much like birdwatching and sometimes you can leave an area or location with no photographs or you can leave with a lot of photographs. That being said though - the month of January is about the most unphotogenic month of the year and why January even exists is beyond me, as it really is a (dull, drab and boring) month that serves no purpose other than to act as a bridge between December and February when things begin to turn more interesting and the first signs of spring appear.

Still though at the time of writing this, England is in yet another lockdown (of sorts) which is looking as if it will more than likely become more draconian. Basically if you are a landscape photographer and was planning on capturing some of the glorious January weather and landscapes, you can not as the government have prevented that from happening, all with their fantastic science that they have been following, still though the evidence behind these restrictions surrounding exercise etc, seems to be missing.

So therefore January is not looking like the best month to capture anything at all, not that it matters as staying local can provide some equally interesting scenes to capture thus also discovering - for exploring a local area can reveal clues and tell stories about the area that we live in.

Thankfully though the government has allowed us to exercise which is incredibly generous of them and only the other week did I have a delightful walk, at a local country park. Shipley Park is one of those places that throughout lockdown I have managed to capture and have seen so many changes especially with the seasons and that is something that as a photographer I shall cherish, the taking things slowly and seeing along with appreciating the smaller and finer details within life.

However though the other week - a short walk at Shipley Park, was one which I had planned on doing. But even that came with a photographic surprise when I noticed a bench, upon the top of a rather small hill, none the less the drama of the skies in the background was incredibly dramatic and I just had to take the following shot,

For what were they pondering upon?

A family sitting on a bench, thankfully I was at a distance from them and I just had to capture them sitting on this lonely and incredibly isolated bench with the dramatic dark clouds behind them. For those dark clouds had snow in them which eventually began to fall. But the question remains,

“What were they pondering upon?”

What was that family thinking about? Life perhaps being different at the moment or something else? Either way it was a scene that was incredibly thought provoking that remains possibly one of the best images that I have ever captured. A family sitting down pondering upon something and the simplicity of the photograph is something else that I like, all too often within photography simplicity is thrown out of the window for more complex photographs, yet simplicity is what you need at the best of times, and it is this simplicity that often results in the best photographs you can capture.

The other thing to mention is that within photography planning ahead really is not advisable, but no matter what, carry a camera with you and you will be rewarded no matter what.