April 2023

This journal records the daily details of my mastering fine art photography through ten thousand hours of deliberate practice.

Hours 7,485 to 7,610.

(May 2023)

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30^th April

Hour 7,610

(½h) updating this journal

(½h) planning tomorrow’s shoot in Norfolk with Mark Collins.

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29^th April

Hours 7,606 to 7,609

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28^th April

Hours 7,603 to 7,605

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27^th April

Hours 7,600 to 7,602

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26^th April

Hours 7,596 to 7,599

(1h) shooting at Stoke Common

(½h) updating this journal

(1h) editing and processing this morning’s images

(½h) YouTube: Sean Tucker “The Story-telling Power of Self Portraits (feat. Iness Rychlik)” – website

(1h) Amersham Colour Group – very select gathering of only 5 of us.

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25^th April

Hours 7,592 to 7,595

(2h) working on Lottie & Darwin’s Wedding photo book

(2h) Stoke Poges Photographic Club – zoom lecture by Lee Sutton

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24^th April

Hours 7,586 to 7,591

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23^rd April

Hours 7,582 to 7,585

(3h) finishing editing and processing images from Lottie and Darwin’s wedding

(1h) first attempt at putting together the structure for a wedding photo book.

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22^nd April

Hours 7,578 to 7,581

(3h) CPAGB assessment – failed

(1h) editing and processing images from Lottie and Darwin’s wedding.

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21^st April

Hours 7,571 to 7,577

(7h) editing and processing images from Lottie and Darwin’s wedding.

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20^th April

Hours 7,568 to 7,570

(3h) editing and processing images from Lottie and Darwin’s wedding.

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19^th April

Hours 7,560 to 7,567

(1h) updating this journal for the last couple of days including the notes from yesterday’s competition.

(7h) editing and processing images from Lottie and Darwin’s wedding.

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18^th April

Hours 7,555 to 7,559

(3h) Editing images from Lottie and Darwin’s wedding

(2h) Stoke Poges Photographic Club – set-subject competition: “One Colour”

Image	…..	Comment
		“Red MG” 20 and first place Praised for the simplicity of the image [photoshop deletion] and camera angle adding drame
		“The Azure Over Hastings Meadow” 16 Did not need so much of the silhouetted
		“Lone Tree” 15 Tree not very interesting and too much sky. [I like the meditative early morning feel. However, I agree that it would have been better to see the base of the tree, rather than having the wall cut through the bottom of the image.]

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17^th April

Hours 7,547 to 7,554

(6½h) Editing images from Lottie and Darwin’s Wedding c. 1,900 exposures made, reduced to 365 imported to Capture One Pro.

Imported and started reviewing the 285 images from Mark, the second shooter on the day.

Delivered an initial set of 43 “unedited formals” so that the couple and their parents have something to see immediately.

(1½h) Amersham Photographic Society – Lecture “Outside the Lines” by Lucinda Grange the urban explorer and extreme climber.

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16^th April

Hours 7,540 to 7,546

Lottie and Darwin’s Wedding

(½h) preparing the lighting for the “secret” second kiss photo (2 Godox AD600 + further 2 Godox AD200)

(2h) shooting the bride and bridesmaids’ preparation; hair, make-up

(1h) shooting the ceremony

(2h) formal shots outside

(1h) dinner speeches, table shots, etc

(½h) dancing.

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15^th April

Hours 7,538 to 7,539

(2h) Preparation for Lottie and Darwin’s Wedding

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14^th April

Hour 7,537

(½h) updating this journal

(½h) improvements to the A panel images.

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13^th April

Hours 7,534 to 7,536

(1h) looking at potential improvements to my failed A panel by reprocessing some of the images all the way from the RAW files.

(2h) Amersham Mono Group.

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12^th April

Hours 7,530 to 7,533

(3h) at the RPS Landscape Associateship Assessment – which did not go well

Positives:

• Images supported the Statement of Intent
• The sense of meditation and zen came across in the images
• Colour pallete good with good simplification

Negatives:

• Images 10, 11 & 15 are too dark and don’t fit with the panel
• Images 12 & 14 are “muddy” from a colour pallet perspective
• Questionable compositional range
• Image 5 over-sharpened & “crunchy”
• Presentation could be better with slightly larger images and different paper attached to the back panel – currently looked as though it was crinkled

Actual words from Paul Mitchell (panel chair):

“Reading the Statement of Intent, it is clear that you have a genuine affinity for this area, which is reflected in this very personal project, something we applaud in the Landscape Genre.

The submission was certainly seen as being calm and meditative and illustrates an individual vision and personal style. Submitting these as a sequence of square images also introduces a discipline that possibly an alternative format might not have offered. The balance and cohesion of the images was viewed positively; placing the darkest images in the bottom corners increases that sense of mystery.

However, from a technical standpoint, some of the assessors’ concerns were:

• Colours notably lacked separation and looked ‘muddy’ in some images.
• Some images were perceived as being over sharpened and too contrasty
• Repetition of perspective and composition
• Some of the prints in the presentation were not flat and distractingly glossy. Perhaps the choice of a matt paper would have been preferable?
• In this instance the prints could have benefitted from being slightly larger I personally think there is a lot to build on with this body of work. Knowing the area as I do, I would classify it as predominantly heathland, surrounded by trees and woodland. I also know that it is a location that looks interesting throughout the whole year as opposed to just autumn and winter. I believe you have two choices if you decide to progress this project. Either concentrate and expand on images that have a strong sense of design i.e., images 1 and 3. Or look at adding more variety by including more of the heathland habitat throughout the seasons. You also need to hone your processing skills by avoiding over sharpening and reducing the perceived harsh contrast.”

(1h) reflecting and writing up notes in this journal.

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11^th April

Hours 7,538

(½h) updating this journal

(½h) preparing prints for the London Salon

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10^th April

Hours 7,527 to 7,528

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9^th April

Hours 7,525 to 7,526

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8^th April

Hours 7,520 to 7,524

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7^th April

Hours 7,517 to 7,519

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6^th April

Hours 7,513 to 7,516

(½h) updating this journal

(1½h) updating my “Surrealism” presentations and notes

(2h) at the Amersham Beyond Group meeting.

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5^th April

Hours 7,511 to 7,512

(1h) processing the wedding accessories images from yesterday

(1h) researching key figures in the surrealist movement:

• Man Ray
  • like Peggy Guggenheim, was an American who spent most of their active life in Paris
  • painter and photographer, preferred photography as it allowed him to “avoid the stick stuff and work directly with light”
  • Dadaist turned Surrealist – experimental or “accidental photography” to “challenging subject juxtapositions”
  • YouTube: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: “Crimes against Photography”: Man Ray and the Rayograph“
• Peggy Guggenheim
  • cousin of Solomon Guggenheim of the Guggenheim museum, in the Frank Lloyd Wright designed building, in New York
  • ardent art collector and gallery owner, self described “art-addict”, specialising in Dada, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism
  • father died aboard the Titanic (1912)
  • she inherited the equivalent of $40m in todays money
  • slept with over 1,000 men.

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4^th April

Hours 7,505 to 7,510

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3^rd April

Hours 7,498 to 7,504

(4h) practicing the “Surrealism” presentation for this evening

(1h) YouTube discovery of Yves Tanguy and Kay Sage who were, married, French and American surrealist painters that I have up until now paid little attention to:

• ArtsWestchester: “The Surreal Worlds of Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy“
• LearnFromMasters: “Yves Tanguy: A collection of 60 works“
• Kolimprint Art: “Yves Tanguy Paintings Documentary“

(2h) member’s evening at the Amersham Photographic Society where I was presenting “Surrealism” and Martin Warner presented his work on Telephone Boxes in the form a pop-up exhibition.

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2^nd April

Hours 7,492 to 7,497

(½h) woodland engagement shoot for Lottie & Darwin.

(1h) updating this journal with all the new month admin, etc.

(4½h) preparing my “Surrealism” presentation for tomorrow.

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1^st April

Hours 7,485 to 7,491

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(March 2023)