This week's podcast was built around the idea of the "happy accident".
It's a familiar enough scenario for any photographer – you go into a photo shoot with a clear idea in mind, only for something completely unforeseen to happen and yet you end up with an entirely different image that is at least as exciting or satisfying.
Sometimes it happens because of an extra, unplanned element – like an animal wandering into the scene – that enhances the photo in a way you could never have predicted.
Sometimes the lighting set up didn't go as planned – perhaps one of the light sources failed – and the mood of the image has a complete turnaround. It is still captivating, but in totally different way.
Some businesses, are built around precision. If you are wanting a hospital, for example, the planning of layout and resources needs to be meticulous. Lives depend on the distance between one vital part and another. It would be no good having the ambulance drop-off point at the furthest distance from the emergency department.
But creativity and innovation very often happen when things go wrong. It's when we are trying something that fails that either we find new solutions, or we find new value in the unexpected outcome.
Unfortunately, a lot of the messages we absorb as we grow up revolve around the idea that failure is wrong, is bad, and will have unpleasant consequences.
If we do not supply exactly the right answer we will fail, and be labelled as a failure, and will not be allowed to access the shiny future open only to those who are perfect.
We are told the reason for this kind of instruction is so we will up our game and do our best. But in reality it makes us so fearful of getting it wrong, we become scared of trying anything new, and end up staying within our comfort zone, with what is familiar.
Sometimes when I am teaching photography, I will talk about how it is the success for which we get praise, but we learn from getting it wrong.
If a photo works first time, we don't always know why. But if it doesn't work, we have to do something else, and something else and something else again, until we find what we want. And that is the process of learning.
Getting it wrong is how we learn.
It is not something we should fear, but something we should embrace.
At least, when the consequences are slight.
Obviously if you're a lawyer, mechanic, or dentist, I don't want you learning at my expense.
But creativity happens and develops when we are in an environment and mindset that does not beat us up if things don't go to plan.
In this week's podcast I look at a few of my favourite photos that came about because of the happy accident, and how some of them I didn't even realise had potential until after the event. But they were all learning experiences.
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
1:53 - Background to the photo called "The Wedding Dress"
13:44 - Making the most of the "Happy Accident" in photography
35:12 - Critiquing images
1:15:45 - Coming up next week
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Going off on a tangent - and Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres - Episode 11
Sticking to the point was never a strong trait of mine.
The destination of the conversation is never as interesting as the journey.
Of course this means there have been (too many) times when the meeting is over, and everyone has gone their merry ways, I've suddenly realised I didn't actually get the answer to the question I wanted, which had been the reason I'd engaged in the conversation in the first place.
I have to be in a real rush, or there has to be some kind of emergency, before I can get in touch with someone and just ask them the one thing I need to know, and then bring the communication to a close.
Somehow it feels a bit rude, or disrespectful, not to engage in pleasantries, which expand out into enquiries after the health or activities of the person, and their immediate family, which inevitably leads to recollections of other events that definitely feel relevant, as well as anecdotes, jokes, and a fair amount of putting the world to rights.
And if you're going to spend a while doing this, then surely it's more civilised if you go somewhere to have this exchange over a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate...
It can be a dangerous thing to stop me in the street and ask what I'm up to. Far better to cross the road and wave to me from a distance, while indicating with your body language - perhaps a shrug and an exaggerated pointing gesture to your watch - that implies while you would really love to chat, destiny, and perhaps the future of mankind itself, means you are in a rush and we'll do it next time.
Even my son has learned that when he asks me a question, he needs to quickly supplement it with the fact he wants the 30 second answer, not the 30 minute.
So when it came to doing the video podcasts, I was never going to be able to do short, 2 minute how-to videos.
The long-form format suits my talking style so much better.
Of course I absolutely get it that this is not for everyone; that even among those who do watch, there are many who will prefer the recorded version so they can frequently skip forward.
However, I also know there are some people who really enjoy the conversational quality of my approach. It feels more like you are sitting in the room with me rather than watching some academic tell you stuff in a way that you feel guilty if you don't have a pad open in front of you and aren't frantically taking notes.
And while there is no doubt Episode 11 did involve me going off on several tangents, I can assure you they are all relevant.
The fortunate bit is I wasn't in conversation with someone else, as that's when the tangents off the tangents off the tangents tends to happen, and the destination gets forgotten about entirely.
Meanwhile, for those who wait for the accompanying blog post before they watch it, here is Episode 11 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, in which I discuss:
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
2:13 - Background to the photo shoot I did with a retired ballet dancer
5:50 - How the size of a light source effects the quality of the shadow
7:06 - The studio set up for the shoot
17:51 - How I edited the photos
24:58 - Life Drawing and the importance of being outside your comfort zone for stimulating creativity
44:41 - Critiquing images
1:15:45 - Coming up next week
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/
The destination of the conversation is never as interesting as the journey.
Of course this means there have been (too many) times when the meeting is over, and everyone has gone their merry ways, I've suddenly realised I didn't actually get the answer to the question I wanted, which had been the reason I'd engaged in the conversation in the first place.
I have to be in a real rush, or there has to be some kind of emergency, before I can get in touch with someone and just ask them the one thing I need to know, and then bring the communication to a close.
Somehow it feels a bit rude, or disrespectful, not to engage in pleasantries, which expand out into enquiries after the health or activities of the person, and their immediate family, which inevitably leads to recollections of other events that definitely feel relevant, as well as anecdotes, jokes, and a fair amount of putting the world to rights.
And if you're going to spend a while doing this, then surely it's more civilised if you go somewhere to have this exchange over a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate...
It can be a dangerous thing to stop me in the street and ask what I'm up to. Far better to cross the road and wave to me from a distance, while indicating with your body language - perhaps a shrug and an exaggerated pointing gesture to your watch - that implies while you would really love to chat, destiny, and perhaps the future of mankind itself, means you are in a rush and we'll do it next time.
Even my son has learned that when he asks me a question, he needs to quickly supplement it with the fact he wants the 30 second answer, not the 30 minute.
So when it came to doing the video podcasts, I was never going to be able to do short, 2 minute how-to videos.
The long-form format suits my talking style so much better.
Of course I absolutely get it that this is not for everyone; that even among those who do watch, there are many who will prefer the recorded version so they can frequently skip forward.
However, I also know there are some people who really enjoy the conversational quality of my approach. It feels more like you are sitting in the room with me rather than watching some academic tell you stuff in a way that you feel guilty if you don't have a pad open in front of you and aren't frantically taking notes.
And while there is no doubt Episode 11 did involve me going off on several tangents, I can assure you they are all relevant.
The fortunate bit is I wasn't in conversation with someone else, as that's when the tangents off the tangents off the tangents tends to happen, and the destination gets forgotten about entirely.
Meanwhile, for those who wait for the accompanying blog post before they watch it, here is Episode 11 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, in which I discuss:
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
2:13 - Background to the photo shoot I did with a retired ballet dancer
5:50 - How the size of a light source effects the quality of the shadow
7:06 - The studio set up for the shoot
17:51 - How I edited the photos
24:58 - Life Drawing and the importance of being outside your comfort zone for stimulating creativity
44:41 - Critiquing images
1:15:45 - Coming up next week
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Ten Episodes! and Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres - Episode 10
Episode 10.
Episode Ten!
EPISODE TEN!!!
I've done 10 of these already!
Still here.
Still feel I have plenty to talk about with the photography.
Less to talk about with regard to how I feel about the live podcasts.
Or rather nothing really new.
My primary fears and concerns are now becoming rather settled and repetitive.
I'm definitely past the worst of being tripped up by the technology, and while the first minute or two I'm not relaxed, I think I'm settling into a stride more quickly with each episode.
However, the fact hardly anyone is submitting anything to the Critique section continues to be a real concern.
To me, this is the most powerful thing I offer. The first part is a just-for-interest chat about the story behind a photo shoot – a verbal version of one of my blog posts. The second part is a technique for composition, lighting or editing – although there are millions of YouTube videos out there doing that already. It's the last part – the feedback and critique on submitted images - which is the rarest, hardest thing to find on the internet, and the most valuable tool to be able to advance your photography.
So why is hardly anyone submitting?
This, then, overlaps with the other primary concern, which is numbers.
They are not rising.
Put out great content, they say. People will find you, they say. Soon you will have a large and loyal fanbase, they say.
Perhaps I'm listening to the wrong "they".
Perhaps I just haven't given it long enough. This might take a couple of years rather than a couple of months.
But at the moment, the viewing figures are getting lower and lower.
And it's very difficult not to get disheartened by that.
However, I do greatly appreciate the handful of hardcore followers that turn up each week, leave a comment and occasionally submit. Without them, it would just be me recording myself talking to myself about stuff I already know.
But where do I find more people like that?
Meanwhile, for those who wait for the accompanying blog post before they watch it, here is Episode 10 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, in which I discuss:
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
1:18 - Background to the photo "Fantastic Mr Fox"
9:53 - Understanding backlighting in photography
26:49 - Critiquing images
59:10 - Coming up next week
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/
Episode Ten!
EPISODE TEN!!!
I've done 10 of these already!
Still here.
Still feel I have plenty to talk about with the photography.
Less to talk about with regard to how I feel about the live podcasts.
Or rather nothing really new.
My primary fears and concerns are now becoming rather settled and repetitive.
I'm definitely past the worst of being tripped up by the technology, and while the first minute or two I'm not relaxed, I think I'm settling into a stride more quickly with each episode.
However, the fact hardly anyone is submitting anything to the Critique section continues to be a real concern.
To me, this is the most powerful thing I offer. The first part is a just-for-interest chat about the story behind a photo shoot – a verbal version of one of my blog posts. The second part is a technique for composition, lighting or editing – although there are millions of YouTube videos out there doing that already. It's the last part – the feedback and critique on submitted images - which is the rarest, hardest thing to find on the internet, and the most valuable tool to be able to advance your photography.
So why is hardly anyone submitting?
This, then, overlaps with the other primary concern, which is numbers.
They are not rising.
Put out great content, they say. People will find you, they say. Soon you will have a large and loyal fanbase, they say.
Perhaps I'm listening to the wrong "they".
Perhaps I just haven't given it long enough. This might take a couple of years rather than a couple of months.
But at the moment, the viewing figures are getting lower and lower.
And it's very difficult not to get disheartened by that.
However, I do greatly appreciate the handful of hardcore followers that turn up each week, leave a comment and occasionally submit. Without them, it would just be me recording myself talking to myself about stuff I already know.
But where do I find more people like that?
Meanwhile, for those who wait for the accompanying blog post before they watch it, here is Episode 10 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, in which I discuss:
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
1:18 - Background to the photo "Fantastic Mr Fox"
9:53 - Understanding backlighting in photography
26:49 - Critiquing images
59:10 - Coming up next week
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/
Tuesday, June 09, 2020
I am... Normal?
Starting Weight: 19st 9lb - 275lbs
Current Weight: 11st 3.6lb - 157.6lb
Total Weight Loss: 117.4lbs
About 7 weeks ago I hit the extraordinarily unlikely goal of actually losing a hundredweight – an old British measurement which is 8 stone, or 112 pounds – from my original starting point a little over 15 years ago (see Losing a Hundredweight)
Having lost another 4lbs since then I have actually crossed the BMI threshold from "overweight" to "normal"
There's no doubt this feels extremely odd – like I've been told I have entered some kind of fantasy land.
The world still looks the same (well it doesn't actually, but that's because of Covid-19 Lockdown), but now, according to the rough-guide-to-health BMI – Body Mass Index – I am no longer overweight.
I was a teenager when I was last this size.
And even then I didn't feel particularly normal because both my brother and sister have smaller bone structures than I do, so were more elfin by comparison to my outsize dwarf body shape.
"If only I was as fat as I was when I used to think I was fat" is a common cry among those of us whose weight only ever seemed to climb upwards.
And yet, here I stand (or sit because I'm typing at the computer), in a position where society can no longer sneer or judge me because of my weight.
But again, like the last milestone, it isn't elation I feel.
Perhaps incredulity.
However, I also know that BMI is only a rough guide, that doesn't take into consideration muscle mass or fitness.
And the reality is, I am definitely not fit. The ME/CFS limits the amount of exercise I can do before my body gives up and shuts down.
Nor have the psychological demons, that led to me self medicating with food, disappeared. They are still there, but I have a better control over them.
I can still hear them whispering in my ear, "you know, now that you're lighter than you've ever been, surely you can treat yourself to a thick chocolatey cake..."
Current Weight: 11st 3.6lb - 157.6lb
Total Weight Loss: 117.4lbs
About 7 weeks ago I hit the extraordinarily unlikely goal of actually losing a hundredweight – an old British measurement which is 8 stone, or 112 pounds – from my original starting point a little over 15 years ago (see Losing a Hundredweight)
Having lost another 4lbs since then I have actually crossed the BMI threshold from "overweight" to "normal"
There's no doubt this feels extremely odd – like I've been told I have entered some kind of fantasy land.
The world still looks the same (well it doesn't actually, but that's because of Covid-19 Lockdown), but now, according to the rough-guide-to-health BMI – Body Mass Index – I am no longer overweight.
I was a teenager when I was last this size.
And even then I didn't feel particularly normal because both my brother and sister have smaller bone structures than I do, so were more elfin by comparison to my outsize dwarf body shape.
"If only I was as fat as I was when I used to think I was fat" is a common cry among those of us whose weight only ever seemed to climb upwards.
And yet, here I stand (or sit because I'm typing at the computer), in a position where society can no longer sneer or judge me because of my weight.
But again, like the last milestone, it isn't elation I feel.
Perhaps incredulity.
However, I also know that BMI is only a rough guide, that doesn't take into consideration muscle mass or fitness.
And the reality is, I am definitely not fit. The ME/CFS limits the amount of exercise I can do before my body gives up and shuts down.
Nor have the psychological demons, that led to me self medicating with food, disappeared. They are still there, but I have a better control over them.
I can still hear them whispering in my ear, "you know, now that you're lighter than you've ever been, surely you can treat yourself to a thick chocolatey cake..."
Wednesday, June 03, 2020
Who's Watching? And Episode 9 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres
Last night's Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres was the longest yet – just shy of 1½ hours.
See what happens when there's no one to interrupt me?
I've always been a bit of a blether, but I'm a listener too. I want to know the thoughts and ideas of the person I'm in conversation with, so this usually means I'm not talking the entire time. But the podcasts, by their nature, are very much a one-sided affair.
I think I'm slowly moving past the awkwardness of talking into a little round webcam rather than having a real live face to interact with. Although not having anyone to nod or grunt and let me know they've understood what I've said means I'm quite probably over-explaining things.
The problem is I have no idea of the level of expertise and understanding the viewers/listeners have. And of course that will be mixed. There are bound to be some who wish I'd gone into a little more detail, and others who "got it" ages ago and wish I'd move on a bit quicker.
The unnaturalness of just talking to a webcam is certainly being helped now that I'm interacting a bit more with the Facebook Comments.
I don't think anyone realises just how lovely it is just for someone to say "Hi Kim" and let me know someone is out there.
And if they make a comment about something in the podcast, or ask a question, then it helps to make me feel validated in what I'm doing.
I definitely felt the flow of Episode 9 was pretty good. I'm no longer tripping over the technology like I was in the earlier episodes, and I found I had plenty to talk about with the photo I was discussing and the images that had been put in for Critique.
Mind you, whether anyone is actually listening to it all is still something of an unknown.
The Facebook Metrics seem to indicate I was averaging between 12 and 17 live viewers throughout, but then the stats also say I had 177 views and the average view time was just under 4 minutes.
Does this mean I had a hardcore of about a dozen people and a steady stream of people popping in and out for a minute or two, or was it a constant turn over of people with no one actually watching all of it?
And then there are the people who don't watch it at the time, but catch up on the recorded version I upload to YouTube.
Again, though, I have no idea if anyone is watching it all the way through, or doing a lot of fast-forwarding.
However, for now at least, I will carry on with them and hope they gain traction. I still feel pretty certain there must be a lot of people out there in the world who would find my podcasts a real help in taking their photography to the next level.
My problem now is how to find them...
Meanwhile, for those who wait for the accompanying blog post before they watch it, here is Episode 9 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, in which I discuss:
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
1:49 - Background to the photo "After The Show"
5:12 - Behind the scenes video for "After The Show"
11:53 - Sequence of photos that led to the final image of "After The Show"
32:57 - Using coloured gels with speedlites in photography
46:19 - Introduction to Critique of submitted photos
48:00 - Critiquing images
127:33 - Coming up next week
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/
See what happens when there's no one to interrupt me?
I've always been a bit of a blether, but I'm a listener too. I want to know the thoughts and ideas of the person I'm in conversation with, so this usually means I'm not talking the entire time. But the podcasts, by their nature, are very much a one-sided affair.
I think I'm slowly moving past the awkwardness of talking into a little round webcam rather than having a real live face to interact with. Although not having anyone to nod or grunt and let me know they've understood what I've said means I'm quite probably over-explaining things.
The problem is I have no idea of the level of expertise and understanding the viewers/listeners have. And of course that will be mixed. There are bound to be some who wish I'd gone into a little more detail, and others who "got it" ages ago and wish I'd move on a bit quicker.
The unnaturalness of just talking to a webcam is certainly being helped now that I'm interacting a bit more with the Facebook Comments.
I don't think anyone realises just how lovely it is just for someone to say "Hi Kim" and let me know someone is out there.
And if they make a comment about something in the podcast, or ask a question, then it helps to make me feel validated in what I'm doing.
I definitely felt the flow of Episode 9 was pretty good. I'm no longer tripping over the technology like I was in the earlier episodes, and I found I had plenty to talk about with the photo I was discussing and the images that had been put in for Critique.
Mind you, whether anyone is actually listening to it all is still something of an unknown.
The Facebook Metrics seem to indicate I was averaging between 12 and 17 live viewers throughout, but then the stats also say I had 177 views and the average view time was just under 4 minutes.
Does this mean I had a hardcore of about a dozen people and a steady stream of people popping in and out for a minute or two, or was it a constant turn over of people with no one actually watching all of it?
And then there are the people who don't watch it at the time, but catch up on the recorded version I upload to YouTube.
Again, though, I have no idea if anyone is watching it all the way through, or doing a lot of fast-forwarding.
However, for now at least, I will carry on with them and hope they gain traction. I still feel pretty certain there must be a lot of people out there in the world who would find my podcasts a real help in taking their photography to the next level.
My problem now is how to find them...
Meanwhile, for those who wait for the accompanying blog post before they watch it, here is Episode 9 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, in which I discuss:
0:00 - Introduction - what's coming up
1:49 - Background to the photo "After The Show"
5:12 - Behind the scenes video for "After The Show"
11:53 - Sequence of photos that led to the final image of "After The Show"
32:57 - Using coloured gels with speedlites in photography
46:19 - Introduction to Critique of submitted photos
48:00 - Critiquing images
127:33 - Coming up next week
If you've not done so already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to help me build the numbers.
And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/