I've missed writing my blog over the last few months. I've often thought about my previous blog post and that evening when I sat with the windows open watching the light fade from the sky. There is no chance of that happening tonight. We are currently in the middle of a northern hemisphere winter. Snow has fallen across much of Europe and temperatures are plunging. Unfortunately, we have had no snow in Jersey and the opportunity to shoot a lone tree against a white blanketed backdrop has not happened (yet). Snow is my idea of minimalist heaven. I may need to travel to find some.
So why have I been away? Life has been busy over the last few months. I continued the theme of 2016 in that I was constantly out in the landscape taking photographs. I had a number of articles to write and publish in various places, a lot of travel with work, two calendars to produce, an exhibition in China and a family to look after. Add to that Christmas, my beautiful wife's 40th birthday and my adorable son's 2nd birthday and it is no surprise that getting my thoughts straight was difficult, never mind getting them down on (metaphorical) paper. However, I love writing and I intend to do so much more in 2017 and beyond.
Winter brings with it wonderful conditions for me to photograph in. Shorter days and the low latitude of the sun brings softer light. Weather conditions can be a challenge or an excuse. The opportunity to shoot spectral trees in fog does occur every now and then and it is often too good to miss. Stormy skies and seas are paradoxically very calming for my state of mind. We have had some high pressure weather systems with whispers of clouds and breathless evenings where the light just seems to seep out of the day. I think it is a wonderful time of the year.
With all of the activity of the year I have begun to think about how I get my photographs out into the world. A website is great and social media is a very useful tool but there is nothing quite like the printed version. I have been encouraged to publish a book. It will be a very small print run and an intimate reflection of my work. I need to think about how I want it to look and feel but I have some ideas. The challenge for me will be marketing. I'm not great talking about myself and that will be something I may just need to overcome. Watch this space.
Thank you for reading.
Best wishes - Darren
The road home