Ten Thousand Hours Photography

10,000 Hours Deliberate Practice Learning the Art of Photography

October 2022

Studying the art of photography through 10,000 hours deliberate practice

This journal records the minute detail of my studying the art of photography through 10,000 hours deliberate practice

Hours 6,899 to 7,010

(November 2022)

31st October

Hours 7,006 to 7,010

(1½h) shooting items of rubbish thrown from passing cars onto our drive, for the Amersham Beyond Challenge #33 “Fine Art Found Object” which needs to be submitted today.

…..…..
“McRubbish”“Both sides of Red Bull”“Toxic Litter”
Items recovered from my drive after having been discarded by car drivers over the weekend

(1½h) processing the above images and submitting for discussion on Thursday.

(2h) Amersham Photographic Society – Round 1 of the CACC Rosebowl which APS comfortably won my a margin of 20 points. (Stoke Poges also won their first round, on the 25th, but only by 1 point, there being but 2 between first and last places.)

30th October

Hours 7,003 to 7,005

(½h) updating this journal

(½h) finishing my “Two Thirds of an Expert Photographer” post

(2h) loading the 350 exposures made in Kefalonia to Capture One Pro n my main computer and initially editing.

29th October

Hours 7,001 to 7,002

(1h) early morning shooting images for a potential reinterpretation of René Magritte’s 1959 “The Castle of the Pyrenees”.

(½h) Late afternoon shooting a castle for the above & then some astro photography in the night

(½h) YouTube: Jamie Windsor: “Eighty-Sixed“, a project that explores images of homes and businesses in various stages of decay at night.

28th October

Hour 7,000

(½h) YouTube:

  • Mark Mcgee Photos: “NEW Black & White Editing HACK” in Lightroom [will also work in Capture One, although I think there are better tools] – in colour:
    • lower both the temperature and the tint in the colour balance sliders to the minimum
    • increase the luminance of the green channel
    • convert to B&W by merely reducing the saturation of all colour channels
  • Art Basel: “Michael Peppiatt, How Francis Bacon Changed my Life“

(½h) updating this journal and my Art Timeline spreadsheet.

27th October

Hours 6,998 to 6,999

(1h) shooting on the beach at dawn.

(½h) shooting during the day, in particular contra-jour bokah shots.

(½h) updating this journal, mainly with notes from yesterday’s colour group meeting.

26th October

Hours 6,994 to 6,997

(½h) early morning shooting.

(½h) YouTube, Louisiana Channel, Interview:

(½h) shooting at dusk

(½h) updating this journal

(2h) Amersham Colour Group – my images discussed below:

Image…..Comments
“Self Portrait with White Bird”

Generally agreed that my surrealist images are getting better
“Cloud Bird on Misty Morning”

Initially some confusion. The concept of a parallel world or time was inferred.

Perhaps put a bird within the bird.
“Four Paramedic Shifts”

Liked most by the group. This is quite unusual for a camera club.
Suggestions:
– try just 3 images (will echo ponytail and 3 is good)
– add some text
– make background more obviously paramedic

25th October

Hours 6,991 to 6,993

(1h) shooting seascapes, “end of season” scenes, and large rocks to potentially form part of a surrealist composition.

(2h) representing Stoke Poges at round 1 of the Chiltern Camera Club’s Rosebowl competition which, quite remarkably, we won. Stoke Poges was up against some much larger clubs.

24th October

Hours 6,989 to 6,990

(1h) shooting, a mixture of seascapes and textures to be used in compositions

(1h) YouTube:

23rd October

Hours 6,987 to 6,988

(1h) Pretty much finishing the “Two Thirds of an Expert Photographer” post; needs better flow.

(1h) YouTube on two discoveries:

  • Sotheby’s: “A Masterclass in Portraiture by Francis Bacon, Jenny Saville and Albert Oehlen” – I love Bacon and Saville, but Albert Oehlen is new
    • Oehlen was influenced by/ is a contemporary of other german artists including:  Georg Baselitz, Sigmar Polke and Gerhard Richter who are included in my Artistic Timelines spreadsheet
    • most notorious painting: portrait of Adolf Hitler in yellow, pink and blue “Untitled (A. Hitler), 1986”
    • His 2007 painting, Loa, is now part of the TATE collection
  • Pursuit of Wonder: “How the Way You Respond to Anxiety Changes Your Life – Søren Kierkegaard on Angst”
    • seen as the father of existentialism
    • defines anxiety as the fundamental uncertainty of existence
    • also has a positive role for anxiety as a source of energy towards a specific goal – the converse is avoiding anxiety through drink or drugs.

22nd October

Hour 6,986

(½h) updating this journal.

(½h) preparing images for next week’s Amersham Colour Group meeting.

21st October

Hours 6,983 to 6,985

(½h) updating this journal.

(1h) finishing the Clavell Tower presentation for the Stoke Poges Photographic Club’s Charles Harding competition.

(½h) Zoom with Laurie Turner discussing my latest Magritte style images

(½h) creating a further version of the Tottenham Court Tube image

(½h) YouTibes:

20th October

Hours 6,980 to 6,982

(2h) finishing the “Decapitation of René Magritte” presentation and collating slides for a potential second: “Staying in Clavell Tower”.

(1h) YouTube:

19th October

Hours 6,977 to 6,979

(½h) updating this journal, mainly with notes from last night’s competition and adding links to my Flickr site.

(½h) updating my “Four Shifts” picture with a better way to maintain a pink background to the individual portraits using the BlendIf blend mode in photoshop to put the pink only in areas that are completely white.

(½h) shooting the 4th Paramedic Shift image.

(½h) creating a new higher definition version of the composite right:

“Four Paramedic Shifts”

(1h) First draft of a presentation for the Stoke Poges Photographic Club’s Charles Harding competition: “The Decapitation of René Magritte”

18th October

Hours 6,970 to 6,9756

(2h) creating the following images which I am quite pleased with

“Tottenham Court Road”
“Cloud Bird Oxford University”“Cloud Bird Misty Morning”

(1h) YouTube:

(½h) shooting further images of Fran for the Four Shifts image

(½h) updating the four shifts image.

(1h) Webinar: “Beyond Vivian Maier” – the story behind the recent exhibition.

(2h) Stoke Poges Photographic Club – Competition: “Trees” by entries below:

Image…..Comments
“Impressionistic Acer”

19

Colours work very well together.

A strong impressionistic image.
“Langley Park”

16

Good: composition, tonality, shapes, …

but, obviously, not that good.
“Chimps are Family” – Open

17

Good bit of street photography but could easiliy have been set up

Didn’t comment on it being a composite.

17th October

Hours 6,967 to 6,969

(½h) updating this journal

(½h) updating my Artistic Timelines spreadsheet with the new artists discovered yesterday

(½h) shooting further images of Fran for the Four Shifts image

(½h) updating the four shifts image.

(1h) Karl Taylor Webinar: “Prost Processing Critic”

16th October

Hours 6,963 to 6,966

(1½h) editing and processing images shot in Oxford with Yin Wong.

(1½h) YouTube:

  • Contemporary Art Issue: “20 Most Famous Abstract Artists” people I was not previously familiar with:
    • 02:55 — Lucio Fontana
    • 07:56 — François Morellet
    • 10:25 — Frank Stella
  • BBC Art Documentary (2016): “Robert Rauschenberg – Pop Art Pioneer”
    • Love triangle with Jasper Johns & Cy Twombly

(½h) shooting and then,

(½h) processing the image to the right which is a draft.

I want to make this more of a conceptual work with the 4 “identical” images being taken on consecutive days as Fran starts a shift as a volunteer paramedic. The green and yellow in the background are the colours of the Ambulance service.

The subtle differences between the images draws the viewer in and maintains their attention. The stark yellow, bottom right, reminds us of the harsh reality of life.

It’s a picture about bravery.

15th October

Hours 6,959 to 6,962

(2½h) editing and processing yesterday’s images

(½h) updating this journal

(1h) updating this journal and associated Flickr site.

14th October

Hours 6,956 to 6,958

(2h) shooting in Oxford with my friend and mentor, Yin Wong, including the Ashmolean and other Museums.

(½h) discussing the art in the museums including visiting an exhibition

(½h) YouTubes including:

13th October

Hours 6,949 to 6,955

(½h) updating this journal mainly with links to the associated Flickr feed.

(½h) shooting the spider eating a house fly through my kitchen window – 100mm Macro lens 1:1 magnification.

(½h) processing the image below

“Nobel False Widow Spider & House Fly”

(1h) zoom with Laurie Turner, discussing my Magritte style self portraits and surrealist images.

  • List of surrealist attributes/ symbolism
  • Images where the subject is off centre would be improved by centralising to add symmetry and simplicity to make them more powerful
  • In a set of images I need to be consistent with my policy, i.e., the inclusion of shadows (Magritte didn’t add shadows and the image left looks better without them. However, by Self-Portraits with birds or apples, do need them.)

(½h) creating the revised image left which perhaps needs to reference surrealism in the title, e.g., “Dreaming Tall”.

(½h) writing up the above.

(1½h) Karl Taylor Education “Drop-Tank Fruit Beverage – Post-Production”

(2h) Amersham Mono Group.

12th October

Hours 6,947 to 6,948

(½h) updating this journal

(½h) processing yesterday evening’s still life image.

(½h) processing images for next week’s PDI competition at the Stoke Poges photographic Club – Subject: “Trees”

(½h) finishing the revised version of the “Standing Tall” image, with better shadow (still failing to use Tilt-Shift Blur), getting a different shadow on top of the clouds which is shaped using a displacement mask and implementing the suggestions of the judge.

11th October

Hours 6,942 to 6,946

(1h) shooting at Stoke Common lovely cold misty morning produced a couple of interesting images.

“Fleeing the Mist”

(1h) editing this morning’s images.

“Very Silver Birch”

(1h) updating this journal and producing the following revised versions for the images criticised by the judge yesterday.

Revised VersionOriginal
…..
The judge did have a point …

Stoke Poges Photographic Club – Workshop on Still Life:

  • (½h) Listening to the Still Life Presentation – key message: keep it simple and to a single theme
  • (1½h) creating the following image:
“Game Over”

10th October

Hours 6,936 to 6,941

(½h) updating this journal.

(1½h) processing recent images including finishing the Bird Self Portraits below:

“Self Portrait with White Bird”

(1h) watching and writing up the following YouTubes:

  • Contemporary Art Issue: “What is Abstract Art – Part 1”
    • “Mimeisis” – basic theoretical principle of art up to the start of the 20th century, Greek word meaning “imitation”
    • abstract paintings, like music without words, require a little more work to understand and appreciate – listen more carefully
  • The Photographic Eye: “What I Learnt Listening To The Photos Of Robert Adams”
    • Part of the “New Topographic” movement which concentrates on man’s impact on the environment
    • Quiet work – printed quite small
    • “The real power of his work comes from the extent of body of his works as a whole. Each images is supported by the rest of the work.”

(1h) shooting some more Cut Rose Triptych images – little success

(2h) Amersham Photographic Society – PDI competition judge by Dave Hibertson who roundly slatted my entries as below:

Image…..Comments
“Standing Tall”
16
Technically very good.
Artistically, didn’t need the cloud in front of the man, the hint in front of his ankles would have subtle and more effective.
I was “showing off my technical prowess at the expense of artistic sensitivity.”
Might also have been better had the man have been looking down rather than up.
[There should also have been shadows on the clouds – although this wasn’t pick up on.]
https://www.flickr.com/photos/photo10kh/52424418076/in/album-72157689529525554/“Shadows of Tallinn”
15
Left of the image is too dark and doesn’t contain anything of interest. Could easily have been cropped off.
A bit more rim lighting around the left of the subjects would help.

9th October

Hours 6,932 to 6,935

(1h) shooting at Langley Park. The objective was to shoot a backlit tree over the lake at dawn for the Stoke Poges Photographic Club’s “Tree” competition (entries required this Tuesday). However, the weather was fantastic with a cold mist over the lake, so there were opportunities everywhere; although not so much for trees.

Also shot a couple of birds for a Magritte style self-portrait, where the bird is in front of the face.

(3h) processing the images shot this morning including starting the Bird Self Portraits:

“Self Portrait with Black Bird”

8th October

Hour 6,931

(½h) shooting the images below

“Acer Impressions III”“Acer Impressions IV”

(½h) processing the images above

7th October

Hours 6,928 to 6,930

(½h) preparing and sending images for next Monday’s Amersham PDI competition.

(1h) preparing an alternative multiple exposure Acer tree image. Thjis uses by technique of alternating blend modes between the layers.

(½h) shooting the image below as a part of an attempt t recreate the Magritte “Golconda” painting photographically.

(1h) editing to remove the bright blue gazebo and golfing paraphernalia.

6th October

Hours 6,921 to 6,927

(1h) creating the following new versions of the “Behind Monsieur Magritte’s Apple” image produced yesterday. In particular making the lighting on the apple match the man and background.

“Behind Monsieur Magritte’s Apple II”“Behind Monsieur Magritte’s Apple III”

In all cases Magritte’s contention was that the viewer is more intrigued by what is hidden than that which is immediately presented.

(½h) updating this journal.

(½h) updating the settings on my camera; adjusting the Portrait (Mem 1) setting and population the “Fn” menu with all the things I’m likely to use regularly including interval timer and pixel shift.

(1h) creating the following:

“Cut Rose Triptych I”

(½h) creating an alternative to the above, but needs some better underwater shots

(½h) shooting the image to the right in the Memorial Gardens, Stoke Poges

(1h) an hour processing the images right. To give it balance I decided to make it symmetrical and the add some elements that make it look less obvious what I’ve done.

(2h) at the Amersham Beyond Group.

5th October

Hours 6,914 to 6,920

(2h) updating the “Shadows of Tallinn” image and creating a new version of “Standing Tall” for next week’s Amersham PDI competition.

(1h) YouTube about Georg Baselitz the German Neo-Expressionist who, amongst other things, paints figures upside-down:

(4h) producing the following Magritte image – this took a long time because it involved focus stacking the apple from the shots taken yesterday. Used Zerene Stacker but needed to colour harmonise the RAW images that were shot somewhat casually with a hand held flash

“Behind Monsieur Magritte’s Apple”

4th October

Hours 6,910 to 6,913

(1h) processing the glass biennale images including a new version of “Capture Souls” below:

“Captured Souls II”

(1h) shooting apples for another Magritte Style image.

(2h) Stoke Poges Photographic Club – External Competition: North West Federation against Croxley Camera and Field End. We had 208 points beating Croxley’s 207 but not matching Field End’s 213.

It was suggested that my PDI of Melancholy Equine below would have faired better as a print, as it’s a high key image and perhaps the right side should be toned down or cropped entirely.

“Sad Horse”

3rd October

Hours 6,905 to 6,909

(1h) updating this journal

(1h) shooting in Eton and Stoke Common

Shot over Stoke Common

(1h) processing images from the last week and preparing print for the Amersham Coffee morning

“Abstract men and women”

(2h) Amersham Photographic Society – Lecture from Andre du Plessis FRPS “Portraiture in South Africa”

2nd October

Hours 6,902 to 6,904

(1h) updating this journal, including all the new month admin that should have been done yesterday.

(1h) processing “Chimps are Family” images including making the following composite

“We All Have Worries”

(1h) YouTube rewatching some of the Capitalist Realism videos:

1st October

Hours 6,899 to 6,901

(1½h) processing images from the “Chimps are Family” walk with the Amersham Photographic Society

“Male Gaze”

(1½h) YouTube – some art photography – some heavy philosophy:

  • The Photographic Eye: “2 words that will change your photography”
    • “Why” am I taking this photography/ do I think this is interesting
    • “What If” I changed my shooting angle/ got closer
    • 3rd from Yin Wong: “How” can I make this better!
  • Tracy Emin – Christies: “Studio Visit” her new studio project for aspiring artists
  • Teo Crawford: “Exciting announcement” – going full time on this channel
  • Epoch Philosophy:
    • “Ghosts of Mark Fisher: Hauntology, Lost Futures, and Depression” – worth rewatching; capitalism drives art to repeat old tropes to enable the artist to survive, this actively discouraging genuine creativity. Not sure I agree with the last statement as creativity is often the result of combining ideas from different fields
    • “Happiness in Postmodern, Late Capitalism” – starts with the assertion that society is less happy now than at any point previously in history. Fisher explains why this is due to capitalism. The enigma of happiness is not material possessions but a sense of purpose. [Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.]
  • Overthink Podcast: “Derrida on Husserl’s Phenomenology of Intersubjectivity SPEP conference presentation” – very difficult – I didn’t understand it and I don’t think it’s critical to this project. So, for me, it’s not worth investing the considerable time that would be required to get to grips with this.

“The pandemic of mental anguish that afflicts our time cannot be properly understood, or healed, if viewed as a private problem suffered by damaged individuals.”

Mark Fisher

(Sep 2022)