A 2027 photographic desk diary with a difference Unlike a conventional January-to-December diary, A Year of Inspiration runs for 58 weeks, from Christmas 2026 through to the end of January 2028. It gives you a little extra breathing space at both ends of the year. Each week has a photograph on the left-hand page, together with a short piece explaining what the image taught me or what made it work. Opposite is a practical week-to-view diary page, with space for appointmen

When you're searching a scene for something interesting, the instinct is often to keep moving your eyes. Instead, choose one area and let your gaze settle. You may notice things that constant scanning was hiding from you.Common dolphin breaking the surface of the Bay of Biscay, illustrating how movement can be noticed through peripheral vision.

There are complicated ways of trying to make the world a better place, and there are very simple ones. Sharing is one of them. Just share - it doesn't need to be much. .

About a year ago, I had the idea of creating a diary. I got in touch with a few people who enjoy my style of photography. The response was an overwhelming yes, accompanied by more than one, “I’ll buy one for each member of the family as a stocking present.” So, here we are. The design is almost complete, and I am now sorting out the printing.

The shadow cast by the gate post was much more dramatic than it would have been on green grass. And while the gate and fence form a barrier across the image, the length and angle of the shadow do the opposite: they lead the eye towards the main subject, the cathedral spire. It is a useful reminder that the conditions around a subject can sometimes be as important as the subject itself.

Love is light, love is air to breathe, love is all things good. Pure love is one of the great God-given forces for good, and in a world that can feel increasingly harsh, we need more of it. Perhaps the challenge is to notice it, recognise it, and pass it on when we can.

I started by photographing the landscape, but gradually the sky took over. It is sometimes worth asking yourself what the photograph is really about. Is it the sky or the land? The sky or the sea? Once you have decided, you can then decide how much of the frame each should occupy.

Not a simple photography tip as such, an announcement that I'm off blogging for a month while I head for the hills of northern Spain - taking a photography break in both senses of the word. Taking some images for some commercial friends like Cicerone Press, Aku and Leki

The way is not always clear from where we stand. But The Way Becomes Clear as We Walk It . Unable to see the path? There are moments on a walk when the route ahead seems to disappear. From where we stand, the path is unclear. It bends behind rocks, appears to be swallowed by the landscape. We can see enough to know that there is a way forward, but not enough to understand the whole route. To me that expresses much about life. We often want the whole map before we move. We wan

I love beetles, so quirky, so different, and a lesson on How to Photograph Beetles is long overdue. "Here are five images and vive things they can teach about photographing beetles" Most of us walk past them every day. A ladybird on a stem. A beetle making its way across a gravel path. A flash of iridescent green on a purple flower. We notice them in passing; and then we move on. This week I want to talk about phone macro photography — not as a niche pursuit, but as one of th

There are moments on a walk when the route ahead seems to disappear. From where we stand, the path is unclear. It bends behind rocks, appears to be swallowed by the landscape. We can see enough to know that there is a way forward, but not enough to understand the whole route. To me that expresses much about life.

The light and the angles and the clarity to the hills of Martin Down in Wiltshire, UK, called for some time spent looking and sharing some thoughts about the composition tips and the effects of foreground on the background.

So this week’s Friday Image with Words is a simple encouragement: do not underestimate the power of letting someone know you care. Because when someone is struggling, knowing you care can change everything. It might even save their life. And maybe one day someone may do the same for you. We all have bad-times.

Most beginners think they need to find a better subject. Very often, they simply need to stay longer with the subject they already have. These photographs of one rock on the shoreline show how light, angle, distance and timing can turn one ordinary subject into many different photographs.

This thought echoes Romans 12:2, which says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It is not a call to withdraw from the world, but to move through it with a different spirit: steadier, kinder, clearer and less easily shaped by the noise around us.

The other aspect is that the insect is at such an angle that its details are not particularly clear. The photograph feels slightly hurried, as though I was trying to capture it before it took off.

There is a growing body of research suggesting that singing can have real benefits for mental wellbeing. Singing uses the breath, the body, attention and emotion all at once. It can steady breathing, lift mood, reduce stress and help people feel more connected, particularly when singing with others.

With Image One, I was down low, with my phone camera upside down to get the lens at a 'snail-height. I checked the image, everything was in focus, mind, body, and shell, but not the eye stalk with the little beady at the tip.

This image, taken on a photo-journal trip in the Ionian Sea, can be read many ways. For me, the suggestion is that time at anchor is not wasted. Planning the route ahead when you're not having the demands of life interfering with every thought, is a place of wisdom.

There was a moment in the cooking where quite a lot of moisture was rising from the mix. It provides a good illustration of one of the hazards of photographing food, but also the same thing can be a benefit.

Here's the challenge - it's time to look afresh, eyes and heart combined. Don't make excuses, it takes two to make relationship, and you can start by making your heart pay attention, and be generous in the doing.

Image One, is the original image I took before I noticed the flower poking out from the cliff. In itself made quite dramatic by the sharp vertical shadow pointing up towards the setting sun, with quite good visual balance overall - the lighter but larger rocks to the left, countering the smaller but darker ones on the right.

We often believe we are seeing clearly, when in truth we are seeing by the light we have chosen, inherited, or failed to question. That is true in photography. It is also true in how we see people.

Image One is taken looking directly down, but with the shop lighting coming in from the top of image. What I'd point out is, that with translucent items like this worn glass, the light passes through them, so each 'pebble' contains 'inherent' light of it's own which is what gives them the beautiful nature combined with texture.