This journal records my actual 10,000 hours studying fine art photography.
Hours 5,075 to 5,165
(May 2021)
30th April
Hour 5,165
(1h) implementing feedback from Fran on the “5,000 Hours – Half Way” post.
29th April
Hours 5,161 to 5,164
(1h) “5,000 Hours – Half Way” post.
(1½h) shooting the following self-portrait for the above post.
(½h) processing the self-portrait.
(1h) creating the following potential A Panel.
28th April
Hours 5,157 to 5,160
(½h) shooting bluebells at Rowley Wood (now my fourth season of doing this).
(1h) processing the following above images including the following.
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(½h) Entering the Maitland FIAP Salon in Australia.
(2h) Amersham Photographic Society – Colour Group.
27th April
Hours 5,154 to 5,156
(1h) working on a new version of my A Panel, initially using the same layout, just to get started. New image processed below.
(2h) Stoke Poges Photographic Club – zoom lecture by the astonishing David Keep on underwater photography.
26th April
Hours 5,149 to 5,153
(1h) sorting through images for my A Panel submission, including reprocessing the following old pictures that I now quite like like.
(1h) working on the “5,000 Hours – Half Way” post.
(1h) watching the BBC 1995 Omnibus programme: “The Greatest Living Painter?: De Kooning” which concentrates on his late work produced when he was in the last stages of Alzheimer’s disease. He couldn’t remember anything, he didn’t know he was an artist, or presumably what that even meant, but he could still paint remarkable abstract works. Raises many questions about the nature of art in relation to intellect.
(2h) Amersham Photographic Society – Lecture by Roger Reynolds.
25th April
Hours 5,144 to 5,148
(1h) analysing the time data collected from the first 5,000 hours of this project to create the following graph.
[Note to self: create the above chart, first filtering out all the blank entries in the summary columns.]
(1h) updating this journal with some of the images created in the last week.
(2h) processing, categorising and selecting new images for a revised A Panel.
(1h) entering the Georgian Drag FIAP salon.
24th April
Hours 5,142 to 5,143
(1½h) FIAP Salon Entry – Queensland Circuit.
(½h) updating this journal.
23rd April
Hours 5,138 to 5,141
(1h) finish processing yesterday’s photos.
(2h) processing some of last Monday’s snow picture with a view to selecting new versions for a new Associateship panel
(1h) reading the excellent “Techniques of the 100 top Photographers” book that I was given for my birthday.
22nd April
Hours 5,134 to 5,137
(1h) shooting first thing Stoke Common – frosty morning.
(1h) processing the morning’s images.
(2h) YouTube:
- Fotografiska: “How I make Photographs: Joel Meyerowitz“
- Nigel Danson:
21st April
Hours 5,130 to 5,133
(2h) working on the “5,000 hours – Half Way” post; mainly collecting time spent data.
(1h) updating the following after further reflection and Yin Wong’s input.
(1h) entry into the Swiss International FIAP salon, including the above image.
20th April
Hours 5,126 to 5,129
(2h) entering the JADRAN FIAP circuit including two new images below:
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| “Orange Morning Swanage” | “April Snow” |
(2h) Stoke Poges Photographic Club – “Water Droplets” and open competition.
| Image | ….. | Comments |
 | “Water Feature in the Wind” 17 Distribution of the image across the frame very good and tells a story. Unfortunately the blue gables of the house in the background have a tendency to draw the eye away from the main subject and out of the image. | |
 | “Impressions of Clavell’s Pier” 18 Well done as an impressionistic image. Might have been slightly better with a tad less light in the sky and less detail in the waves. | |
 | “Orange Morning Swanage” Held back: 19 Love the single wisp of cloud. | |
 | “April Snow” 15 Initial impact good but loses a lot of quality due to compression. Photographic interpretation doesn’t bring out the promise. |
19th April
Hours 5,124 to 5,125
(1h) working on the “5,000 Hours – Half Way” post.
(1h) processing a couple of images from last week.
18th April
Hours 5,120 to 5,123
(1h) processing a couple more images from Monday; particularly pleased with the following:
(2h) CACC Rosebowl final by Zoom.
(1h) Karl Taylor Education “Beer bottle” shoot webinar.
17th April
Hours 5,118 to 5,119
(1h) working on the “5,000 Hours – Half Way” post.
(1h) processing further images from Monday.
16th April
Hours 5,115 to 5,117
(2h) YouTube:
- “6 Ways to Journal like Marcus Aurelius” – the last of the good Greek emperors – “When I die, will I have lived my best life?”
- Express yourself freely
- Write about your sage (good and virtuous person, role model):
- Who are my role models?
- What are the qualities that make them ideal?
- Quotes and principles espoused?
- Anticipate the worst possible outcomes for the day:
- Negative visualisation: understand the worst-case scenario
- Dichotomy of Control – draw a distinction between what you can control and what you cannot, understand and be happy about this
- Face fears (done only occasionally):
- write down what you’re afraid of
- what is the worst that could happen
- write down the worst-case scenario
- write down the best-case scenario
- Evaluate the risk!
- Reflect on your day – be aware of faults, how can I improve
- Be grateful:
- Write down 3-5 things you are grateful for
- Be consistent:
- “Routine is a prerequisite for excellence”
- 10 minutes in the morning + 10 minutes in the evening
- Keep going, especially after having faltered, get back on track immediately.
- Ted Forbes: “Perfection in Photography“
- “Water Drop Photography using the Pluto Trigger“
- Perspective: “Xu Beihong: The Father of Modern Chinese Painting“.
(1h) working on a “top 10” spreadsheet for an update to my “About Me” page that I intend to reference from my “5,000 Hours – Half Way” post.
15th April
Hours 5,113 to 5,114
(½h) giving up on the Pluto Trigger droplet rig and instead entering alternative image into next week’s competition at the Stoke Poges Photographic Club.
(½h) updating this journal.
(1h) working on a further version of my Impressions of Clavell’s Pier image following comments from Yin.
14th April
Hours 5,110 to 5,112
(1h) further frustrating attempts to shoot some droplets with my Pluto Trigger – no success.
(1h) processing the following, unintentional camera movement image from Dorset last week. Quite pleased with the result, sent to Yin Wong, my mentor, for a more realistic assessment.
(1h) producing mono version of a couple of the images shot at Stoke Common on Monday. Again quite pleased with the results.
13th April
Hours 5,107 to 5,109
(1h) preparing my prints for my CPAGB submission.
(1h) trying to create some water droplet shots. Best shot was droplet in mid air.
(1h) Stoke Poges Photographic Club – lighting workshop.
12th April
Hours 5,098 to 5,106
(3h) first light shooting, in the snow, Stoke Common. Really good, in the zone.
(1½h) updating this journal with the notes from yesterday and the images from the 8th.
Style has no formula, but it has a secret key. It is the extension of your personality”
Ernst Haas – quoted by Sean Tucker
(1½h) culling and processing images from Dorset in Capture One then exporting to Lightroom Classic.
(1h) culling and processing the morning’s images.
(2h) Amersham Photographic Society – PDI finals.
11th April
Hours 5,096 to 5,097
Lots of time spent implementing a backup strategy on my new NAS drive. [Time doesn’t count towards my goal of 10,00 hours deliberate practice learning the art of photography.]
(1½h) YouTube:
- Nigel Danson: “Tips for winning Landscape Competitions“
- Basics:
- Is focus where it should be?
- Blown highlights, anywhere apart from the sun?
- Distractions – removal by crop, clone, dodge and burn, all OK.
- Impact required to pass the initial cut
- Look at thumbnails to see which images jump out
- Ask other people
- Longevity to make the final few (or win an award):
- Must be different from images seen before
- Tell a story that hasn’t been told before
- Often from outside the author’s comfort zone.
- Basics:
- Nigel Danson: “Minimalist Seascapes“
- “S” Curve
- Check details – avoid distractions in reflections
- Aim for “graphical” compositions – a few strong elements and no distractions.
- Ted Forbes: “How to read a photo” – how to create impact
- What does a photo say:
- Visual communication
- Composition
- Visual aesthetic – consistent style
- What moves you?
- What does a photo say:
- Jamie Windsor: “8 colour tips for better photographs“
- Make colour a major aspect of the photo – tap into the language of colour, or use it to create a style, colour can become the subject
- Be abstract – invert, flip and recolour – analyse a scene in terms of shapes and areas of colour
- Be surreal – play on, and subvert, our expectations – radical manipulation – shoot through gels, etc.
- Be selective
- colours you leave out
- colour theory; how colours work together:
- analogous colours create harmony and set a mood
- complementary colours stand out and make an image balanced
- Use coloured lighting
- Understand that our perception of colour is relative – we can push colours beyond what we would expect
- Know your software
- start with a vision and use the tools to achieve it
- push the white balance
- holding down <alt> slows adjustments
- “colour balance can look weird very quickly”
- Edit in the right conditions
- use a good screen
- work in a comfortable environment
- take regular breaks.
(½h) writing up this journal.
10th April
Hour 5,095
(1h) culling and processing some of the images from Kimmeridge Bay (shot on the 8th).
9th April
Hour 5,094
Failed attempt to get to Lulworth Cove due to a combination of road closures and data issues with my mobile phone.
(1h) updating this journal and the “5,000 Hours – Half Way” post.
8th April
Hours 5,090 to 5,093
(1h) planning some shooting in Dorset.
(1h) shooting Kimmeridge Bay.
(2h) Amersham Mono group – “Best images” presented by members including the mono version of my “Flower Girl” image which was much admired, and thought would do well in a Wedding Category competition.
Tip on key lines: make them 50% grey rather than white, as this is less distracting.
7th April
Hours 5,088 to 5,089
(1h) shooting a frosty Stoke Common.
(1h) processing this morning’s images
6th April
Hour 5,087
(½h) shooting some wide-angle images at Stoke Common.
(½h) culling and processing the morning’s shots in Capture one, then exporting to Lightroom.
5th April
Hours 5,085 to 5,086
(1h) creating the following version of this image shot yesterday. Then updating the Statement of Intent for the potential A panel.
(1h) updating, mainly the images in, this journal.
4th April
Hours 5,083 to 5,084
(1h) shooting Stoke Common, sunrise.
(1h) creating the following focus-stacked image, plus first stage selection and processing of the others shot this morning.
3rd April
Hours 5,080 to 5,082
(1½h) rebalancing potential images for a woodland A panel, then sending to Simlab for printing.
(½h) first half of Sky Arts “Master of Photography” episode 2.
(1h) Webinar “RPS Digital Imaging – Creative Flower Photography Masterclass with Colin Harrison”.
Tip for using spray water: first spray subject with RainX water repellant to make the droplets stand up more clearly.
2nd April
Hours 5,078 to 5,079
(1h) rebalancing the images on the top tier of my potential woodland A panel.
(1h) Sky Arts “Master of Photography”.
1st April
Hours 5,075 to 5,077
(1h) updating this journal including start of month admin.
(2h) Amersham Beyond – Challenge #23 “Texture” (#21 “Movement”).
Key tip: textures work best on an otherwise over simple image.