Southwark Location Reports

As I may have mentioned once or twice I am the Photo Locations Editor for Ephotozine. The idea of the Locations Section is for people to share their favourite photographic location with other photographers, whether it is ideal for Landscapes, Architecture, Wildlife or anything else.

I have just uploaded a couple of reports from Southwark on the edge of The Thames in Central London. The first report covers Soutwark Cathedral and the second Borough Market.

Curves and Shadows - Southwark Cathedral

(Click to view large)

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Related Posts

• Widemouth Bay
  
• Leigh-on-Sea
  
• Southwold
• Durdle Door
• Elterwater
• Shoeburyness
• Roding Valley Meadows
• Epping Forest

Despondency and Depression

One of my favourite things is just chatting to other photographers about life and image making. it's always interesting to share views and news from the world behind the lens.

One thing that seems to come up from time to time, is a crisis of self confidence. It's often surprising to hear photographers ,who's work you really admire, to tear their latest creations apart or listen to them despair that nothing they have taken lately is any good. This is often followed by talking about giving up completely or deleting their websites and portfolios.

I think this is an inevitable side effect of striving for perfection. If you are lucky enough to create an image you are completely happy with then your own personal standards go up in accordance with it. This new standard becomes your new target for every image. Landscape and outdoor photography can be particularly harsh in this respect as one day you can have fantastic lighting and every shot is a winner.Then a whole week of drab grey skies can appear to completely destroy your mojo.

Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer - and often the supreme disappointment.

Ansel Adams

Sunset at Strawberry Hill Ponds, Epping Forest
(Click to view large)

Unfortunately real life intervenes and most of us don't have the luxury of waiting a whole week at a location till it all comes right like David Noton or Joe Cornish seem to. As an aside I visited David Notons stunning exhibition a while back with a friend and decided that he must be one of the most unlucky photographers in the world. Every image seemed to have a description of how he had waited days for the light to be right or trekked for miles to get to the location - by the end of it you willed him to say "I opened my hotel window…to be greeted by this scene". Still his dedication has been duly rewarded by some amazing images.

So if you are despairing of your images at the moment it is important to recognise the reasons for this:

• Your standards are high
  
• Your previous images were good
• You are striving for perfection

I think these are all good things so there is really no need to be so down in the mouth - just get out there and take some more pictures.

Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera

I came across this posting today: Camera Hacks: Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera. If you are feed up with the limitations of you point and shoot, it might just be the thing your looking for.

I might give it a go with my G9 - though I think it might be best if I read the manual to find out what it can do first!

Summer in the City
(What I can do without reading the manual)

Mari Sterling is Photographer of the Month for May

These days I keep spotting work by Mari Sterling in UK photography magazines. A quick visit to her website and it's not hard to see how she gets so much coverage.

Pebble Pool 4
by Mari Sterling

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Previous Photographers of the Month