Wild Willow Ways
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Wild Willow Ways is a blog following my journey as a beginner photographer - from deciding which camera to buy to learning new skills and techniques, my blog takes me from beginner lessons to experimenting with motion and depth of field. Join me in my personal blog as I explore all kinds of photography.
Wild Willow Ways
2d ago
Becoming more observant is an essential skill in photography.
Regardless of the type of photography you do, it is important to notice things around you, to notice things that others miss. By doing so you can add an extra dimension to your photographs. Improving your observational skills could make the difference between having mediocre photographs and being able to take your photography to the next level.
So, what is involved in becoming more observant?
What will help you to pay more attention to your surroundings and to what is unfolding around you?
Becoming observant is not something that ha ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
1w ago
When I write posts for this website my aim is to give value to my readers in some way. It might be a shared resource that gives inspiration, a tip that I have found useful or ideas in my posts that might hopefully be motivational to someone who reads them.
My approach in trying to give value is to write purely from my own experience, which is that of someone who is passionate about photography as a hobby but who does not make a living from photography. As such, while I want to make the best images I can make, I don’t have an unlimited budget or a justification for buying expensive photography ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
2w ago
Finding inspiration for new photos can be one of the most difficult aspects of photography, especially if you have been doing photography for some time and feel that you have exhausted all options in your usual locations.
You might think that no matter how often you go out you are not finding anything new to photograph, and unfortunately this can lead to lack of interest and is often the cause of the camera being left at home too frequently.
You might also find that inspiration comes in bursts, possibly when you watch a photography video or discover a photographer whose work excites you, but s ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
3w ago
It is a widely held belief that spending time in nature has multiple benefits for our health and wellbeing.
While I may not have concrete scientific evidence to back up this belief I do know that when I am out in nature I am at my calmest and I always return home feeling reinvigorated and less stressed that I did before I went out.
What does spending time in nature give us that is so beneficial to our physical and mental wellbeing?
When I am walking in my local woodland or along a river bank or strolling down a country lane I am in the midst of beauty. My senses are awakened by what is around ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
1M ago
From time to time we may all feel that we have lost interest in going out with our camera or become ‘stuck in a rut’ with our photography. This can happen at certain times of year – perhaps in winter when weather conditions seem to be unrelentingly dull – or it can be caused by an over familiarity with our location or choice of subject.
Regardless of the reason for our temporary lack of enthusiasm for photography there are some things we can do to get our mojo back and reinvigorate our photography process.
Here are 7 tips for adding more interest to your photography that might just fuel your ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
1M ago
ICM Colour Waves
I have recently tried to become more creative with my photography because I believe that if we are involved in any kind of creative pursuit, it is important that we take steps to continually develop our creativity. This is what keeps us interested and motivated, helps us to express ourselves in new ways and challenges us to constantly learn and grow.
So how do you develop creativity in photography?
There are many ways in which you can become more creative, you just have be open to new opportunities and possibilities.
Here are some of the ways that have helped me to bec ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
1M ago
Water is a great subject for creative photography. It lends itself to long exposure, intentional camera movement (ICM), water reflections, water droplets, and rain photography, without even mentioning sea water and all the possibilities that brings. For this gallery I have concentrated on creative use of long exposure and intentional camera movement. I have experimented with these techniques using both camera and phone, and although my results were hit and miss, I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Here are some of the resulting images: Image Gallery - Use of Water in Creative Photography
Why no ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
1M ago
Intention Camera Movement (ICM), while not a new concept in photography, has grown in popularity over the last few years.
Most photographers who are dedicated to standard photography have at least given ICM a try, many finding it to be a path to expressing their creativity in a more unique way.
Photography doesn’t have to be about representing reality. The term photography means ‘drawing with light’, and this definition is particularly relevant to ICM photography.
ICM photography throws out the rule book, sets creativity centre stage and gives us new and intriguing ways to produce unique impre ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
1M ago
Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) as a technique in photography is not new but it does seem to have gained in popularity in recent years. No doubt digital technology is partly responsible for this popularity as it is relatively easy and inexpensive to take lots of shots, and this is a big part of doing ICM photography. ICM is about experimentation, trial and error, finding out what works through discovery and practise.
When I first tried ICM photography I gave up easily as I felt that my failure rate was too high. Yet I kept going back to ICM, taking a few ICM images each time I went out on a ..read more
Wild Willow Ways
2M ago
Since I started back to photography five years ago, I have basically followed the same approach.
I go out often with my camera. I walk around my location, observing what is around me. I immerse myself in my surroundings, try to connect with the environment in which I am photographing, and capture whatever it is I am drawn to.
I take account of the light that’s available and set up the best composition that I can, but for the most part my photography is spontaneous, spur of the moment type photography.
Recently, while watching YouTube videos from professional photographers, I have remarked on ..read more