Author: gerardashtonphotography

A photographer might search for days, months or years for a moment that may only ever present itself once, before being lost in time to an ever changing world. It may be purely by chance that a scene is happened upon, where the light, shadow and colour perfectly harmonise with one another for only a few short minutes. If a photographer is lucky enough to capture a moment like this, he can say - This is what I saw. In that brief moment, when the world was perfect.

KEEPING THE MAGIC ALIVE

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Confusius

Life is so busy these days, that it’s difficult to have a quiet mind. My photography is my escape from reality, even though reality (or my view of it) is exactly what I’m trying to recreate. I’m always looking for the big shots to add to my portfolio. And I think this could be an issue. The very thing that brings me joy, also brings me so much anxiety in a sense of not having regular access to the best locations, the best light, or the best weather conditions. Maybe my recent mindset has been obscuring my view of the world around me. I’ve been struggling to focus on the simple colours, patterns and shapes that fill the day. So for this blog post, I thought I’d concentrate on the times I’ve taken a simplistic approach to photography. While writing this, I’m giving myself a bit of a pep talk as well. I know how to find great compositions and finding beauty in shapes and colour does come fairly naturally to me. So I need to put it into practice and enjoy myself more. There is always something interesting to look at if you know how to look…

“The creative adult is the child who survived” – Julian F. Fleron

Today, many photographers seem to be obsessed about their entire composition being in perfect focus. Every pixel needs to be pin sharp so that all the pixel peepers are completely satisfied and not being critical of the hard work that went into it. Can you see where I’m going with this?…

It’s ok if you don’t have all your shit together. You don’t need to be a complete success story. Yes, it’s great to succeed and to be recognised for your efforts, but what is important is to be truly content with what you have, regardless of how successful you are. So far, I love writing this blog, even though it’s only been visited 8 times since I started it a month ago. It may gain traction, or not, and I’m not really bothered. I get to write down my thoughts and talk about photography so I find it relaxing. I also made a commitment to myself that I wouldn’t let it become another thing that stresses me out. That’s why I didn’t post last week. If I have to force myself to write something, my heart won’t be in it and it will lose relevance.

autumn-colours-in-a-sunny-mess — Autumn Colours In A Sunny Mess

Insistence in appearing to be good at everything and completely happy all of the time is an unhealthy way to live your life. and it’s definitely not sustainable. Learn from the failures and disappointments of life, and as they say, you need to know darkness to truly appreciate the light.

walking-through-a-dream — Walking Through A Dream

So live life pleasantly out of focus, run straight through the middle of it’s uncertainties, be cautious and considerate, and most importantly, enjoy the child-like fascination of all the things you learn along the way…

Should You Travel Alone?

he-paddles-up-the-vltava — Prague – Czech Republic

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world” – Gustave Flaubert

So I traveled through Europe in 2008/09. A lot of it, I did with my brother or friends I met during my time living in the UK. And some of it, I did by myself. I enjoyed it all regardless of the company (or lack thereof). But my memories of the places I saw by myself are much more vivid and easier for me to recall now, 10 years on. I’m not sure why. But thinking about it, I guess that when you travel solo, your experiences are your own and not influenced by those of anyone else. It’s not necessarily better to travel alone, and it’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea. But I think that if the opportunity is there, solo travel is something everyone should try. There are some experiences that are a little more special by experiencing alone.

Feel small and insignificant under the green glow of the northern lights in Iceland; watch mountains float across fjords in Norway; Lose yourself in the history of medieval towns in Tuscany; Fall asleep and miss your station on the London tube.

escape — Medieval village – Tuscany, Italy

I guess as an introvert, solo travel is more appealing to me. But as I said before it’s not for everyone. And I still love to travel with my family or friends.

“Not all those who wander are lost” – J.R.R. Tolkien

I guess the point is, travel alone, or travel with others – but travel. Be mindful of your surroundings and as they say – Take only memories and photographs, and leave only footprints. I promise, it will change you and your view of the world.

a-seat-by-the-sea — Waterfront in Sheerness – Isle of Sheppey, UK

“I myself am best when least in company” – William Shakespeare

What Photography Means To Me…

So for those of you who don’t know me, (that’s assuming someone other than those who follow me on Facebook will read this), I’m a bit of a daydreamer. I find romance in watching early morning light dance across a landscape. I get goosebumps when listening to beautifully written music. I get lost in thought when I read an inspirational quote that resonates with me: a dreamy afternoon

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”
— Dorothea Lange

…Sorry, I drifted off for a bit, there. But what that quote is all about for me, is that I often feel like I see the world differently to others. I don’t just see highlights and shadows, I see shapes. I don’t just see clouds in the sky, I see compositions. Not just for a photograph, but for the camera in my mind. The exposures I create in my mind are ethereal, and every time I recall them, they’re a little more fragile and more difficult to see. Being a photographer, I get to recreate the scene with my camera, and post process the photograph so that it resembles the exposure I took in my head. This way, I can go back to it as often as I want. It’s in front of my eyes, it’s full of the emotion I felt when I first took the photo, and it doesn’t fade like the imagined photograph…

A Warm Summer Morning In The Country

So why do I love photography?

It’s a creative outlet. I see compositions that under normal circumstances, I would have just walked by. While I do tend to be a bit of a dreamer, it’s made me more aware of my surroundings.

It’s an art that I know I’m good at and I know I will continue to improve. It’s been a great teacher; it encourages me to always seek to better myself.

There is one reason though, that I hold above the rest… I have a very noisy mind. There are a lot of things in life that I stress about. Some are important and effect my day to day life, others are more indirect. I get frustrated when I feel like I don’t get enough time to just chill out. I stay up way too late most nights because I don’t want to miss out on that time. I often struggle to get to sleep when my mind is constantly mulling over the tasks I have for the next day at work, and what I didn’t get done the previous day. I worry about the bigger picture too. Like climate change, how it will effect my son’s life, and how I feel powerless to do anything about it other than move to New Zealand and pretend it’s someone else’s problem.

Photography is like a drug for me. When I’m behind my camera, all that clatter and noise in my mind falls silent. I’m present, I’m patient, and I’m at peace. I can hear myself breathe, and I can focus on what’s in front of me.

pink clouds on a blue morning

So that’s my first blog post. If you’ve read this far then it didn’t put you to sleep. I think my goal for this blog is to write at least once a week. My photography page on Facebook has made me feel pressured to post an image every day. It’s a silly thing to feel pressured by but I feel like I’m falling short. I still intend on posting there often, but this blog might offer something with a little more substance and thought.

I hope you like reading it…