Apart from the hassle factor, my neck would always come up in a rash, which
would still be there the next time I needed to shave, so running a razor
over a the top of it would lead to quite a bit of pain and discomfort.
By the time I was leaving my teens I'd had enough and decided a beard was the
way to go.
I was in my mid 20s when I met Maggie, so she has never actually seen my chin.
For the last decade or so my beard has primarily been in a goatee mode. Every
few weeks cheeks and jowls have been trimmed right back as close as the
clippers will allow, while the hair on the upper lip and chin has been longer.
Perhaps seeing my face on the podcasts every week made me more aware of the
scrappy nature of my face fuzz, and I started thinking about getting an
electric razor. Overwhelmed with the vast array of options it took a few more
months before I finally took the plunge and bought some kind of mid-range
thing that was on offer and had OK reviews.
There was never any intention to lose the chin hair, but the sides were to be
tidied up properly.
If you look back at episodes 30, 32, and 34 you can see my cheeks looking
remarkably smooth, but that's as far as it lasted.
3 shaves, and it's not been back out of the box.
There was a loose plan to get back to it into the new year, especially as this
is now by far the longest I've gone without trimming the jowls for over a
decade, but I've found at least 3 reasons for not getting round to it.
One, of course, is I can't be bothered. Motivation in January is always a
struggle at the best of times, and when we add the pandemic effect to the
mental health then I just can't find the energy to feel guilty enough to do
something about it.
Another is I'm kind of fascinated by how my face is changing. The last time I
had a beard of even this short length, my face was an entirely different
shape. I'm over 20 pounds lighter now than I was at the beginning of Lockdown
last March, and the beard is changing the shape of it again.
And then, my wife loves a beard, especially on me – she always has. And while
she has never insisted my facial hair be any way other than how I want it, it
does make a bit of difference to know I can be slightly more fanciable to the
love of my life.
Meanwhile, on Monday I did the still life shoot I was talking about, with huge
amounts of help from Maggie. There are times when it is extraordinarily useful
being married to someone who is both an artist, and someone who eats lots of
fresh fruit and veg (thereby ensuring we have such stuff in our house).
Editing still has to be done, but the images will be ready for next week's
podcast, so do tune in!
Below is last night's...
---
0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
3:14 - Story behind the "Coast to Home" photo shoot for Castle Douglas High School Young Enterprise Group.
29:30 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
40:30 - Balancing reflected light
59:10 - suggestion to reduce the size of your images for Facebook to 2048 pixels wide to minimise over-compression
1:06:07 - Coming up next week
1:18:00 - End
If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider
supporting these podcasts and blog posts viabuymeacoffee.com/kimayres
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/
Considering most of the UK, indeed large parts of the world, are in
Lockdown due to the Corona Virus Pandemic, it should be no surprise that when I
asked if anyone had any suggestions for the podcast, Sandra posted in the
Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group,
"...indoor still life and close up photography. I have suggested this as I
can’t really go anywhere due to the Lockdown. The knowledge and the skills
discussed in the podcast could be practiced more or less straight away."
What apparently sounds like a very reasonable request, is actually a far bigger
subject than you would initially think. Still Life is an entire genre of
photography, like portraiture or landscape, and similarly has developed from an entire genre of
art that stretches back for centuries.
As such you could spend years, or even decades, learning and perfecting the
approaches and techniques.
And therefore not something that can be easily covered in a 15 minute section
in the podcasts.
However, I didn't just want to say no, or ignore it, as understanding at least
some of the basic concepts could be useful for anyone stuck indoors with a
bit of time and imagination on their side.
Although Still Life subjects could consist of anything from screwdrivers to
lipstick, I've decided to have a go at creating a photo along the lines of the
more traditional approach of the painters through history.
Probably
something like a fruit and bread kind of thing.
What I learn in the process I will feed back directly to the podcast
followers.
I've set this for 2 weeks time.
It all seemed like a great idea last night, but in the cold light of morning
I'm beginning to have serious doubts about what I've let myself in for...
---
0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
4:42 - Story behind the Mrs Green's Tea Room photo shoot at Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum
23:14 - Question about how much control you keep in a photo shoot
31:16 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
1:43:37 - Coming up next week
1:46:02 - End
If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider
supporting these podcasts and blog posts viabuymeacoffee.com/kimayres
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/
I'd already been talking into the webcam for over 4 minutes when Maggie
came into the room to say nothing was happening – the "Live Now" display was
still showing and there was no sign of me.
I glanced over at the OBS software I use to help me switch screens during the
podcast and realised I must have hit the wrong key without realising.
41 episodes in, and I still manage to get tripped up by the technology.
It's not that I'm completely incompetent, it's just competency levels for all
of us are directly related to how awake or tired we are. Peak levels of
concentration are not available to anyone feeling exhausted.
Unfortunately I feel exhausted much of the time – it's the primary symptom of
CFS/ME.
In order to manage my energy levels so I have enough for the Tuesday evening
live event every week, I have to take extra care about what I do, or don't do,
throughout both Monday and Tuesday.
Too often I think I feel fine and take on just a bit too much and then
suddenly I realise I've overdone it. And the knock on effect of that is even a
day later I don't have as much left in reserve as I need.
Despite "borrowing" extra in the form of adrenaline (for which I will pay heavily,
with interest, over the next couple of days), nothing runs quite as smoothly.
I'm 10 times more likely to screw up the beginning of the podcast, and
throughout the episode I will ramble more as I talk around an idea or concept
because I cannot find the right word – taking much longer to get to the point.
I have no idea how noticeable this is to the viewers. I suspect most probably
don't realise, because they're not looking out for it. However, my wife and
one or two people who are more aware of my condition can see me struggling more
behind the self-deprecating laughs as I swap the wrong screen, use the wrong
words, or mispronounce someone's name... again.
But I have no intention of stopping any time soon.
I love doing these podcasts. I love the interaction. I love helping people
with their photography. I love the feeling I'm making some difference in the
world, however minor.
I just have to find ways to make sure the fatigue doesn't get in the way too
much.
---
0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
5:30 - Introduction to the "New Beginnings" photo challenge
8:50 - Reviewing images on the theme "New Beginnings" submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
1:10:00 - Creating wallpaper patterns out of images
1:22:44 - Coming up next week
1:26:05 - End
If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider
supporting these podcasts and blog posts viabuymeacoffee.com/kimayres
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/
Every January, I put up a post of my favourite photos from the
past 12 months, along with any behind-the-scenes videos that might have been
created. Last year was an exception when I did my most meaningful images from
the previous decade, but back to normal this year (and don't most of us
desperately hope for that!?).
Of course this past year has been anything but normal for my photography. For
the last 9 months the majority of my photographic experience has been
expressed through the weekly, live video podcasts, Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, which began shortly after Covid 19 hit our shores and Lockdown
was initiated.
However, that hasn't meant the camera has stayed in its case. There have still
been a handful of commissioned shoots, as well as experiments, and
oooh-that-looks-interesting-wheres-my-camera moments.
There's a varied selection, so hopefully something for everyone. I'm always
interested in feedback, so if you'd care to leave a comment about which one(s)
are your favourite, or any personal observations, it would be warmly
appreciated.
Purple Sky Looking down the high street in Castle Douglas at 5pm in mid-January. I had to
rush in and grab the camera – the sky really was this colour.
Abbie One of the last photo shoots I did before Lockdown was a "vintage" shoot,
working with a team from B20 Hair Salon in Dumfries. The final photos have yet
to do the rounds on social media, but while Abbie was getting prepared for the
shoot I was taking a few behind-the-scenes shots.
I love the first image where she was momentarily distracted and her face lit
up with a wonderful smile. And in the 2nd image, I was trying out some
lighting, and one of them didn't fire. Editing afterwards I dropped everything
that was in shadow right down into the blacks.
Megalicious Dumfries and Galloway Life magazine wanted to do a feature on Meg's fledgling
baking business, Megalicious, that was on hold because of the Corona Virus pandemic. In
addition to shots of her mixing and stirring ingredients, I decided to create
a photo that might work as a cover image, out by the shed in the garden. It
worked out well enough for D&G Life to use it for the cover of the June
edition.
Maggie shot some behind-the-scenes video footage for me, which I then edited
up into a wee video
Doorstep Portraits As portrait photographers across the country, indeed the world, were unable to
get jobs, but still had a desire to photograph people, a trend for
socially-distanced doorstep portraits became a brief fad. I did a small
handful myself. It was quite strange, yet liberating, not worrying about
setting up lights, studios or fancy locations. Using only the doorway and
natural light I was surprised how easy it was to get some lovely photos of
families and couples.
It was also a wonderful opportunity to safely socialise and I don't think I ever spent less than an hour or two with anyone.
Maggie in a makeshift studio
About 2 days before the country went into Lockdown, we made a quick visit to
Maggie's studio (about 10 miles from here) to grab some of her tools and
materials so she could continue to make and explore her art even though we
would be housebound. She set up a makeshift studio at the back of the living
room for a few months.
Podcasting
When Covid-19 threw the whole of my business future into doubt, I began a
weekly live video podcast on photography – Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres - which has now been running for 9 months. To set up this triple-selfie,
I had my camera sitting on the mantelpiece behind my shoulder, and operated it
via my tablet, which you can see my left hand touching.
Pip and Ell Friends of my daughter, Meg, and daughters of my friend, Adam, Piper and Ella
Booth set up a jewellery business - Pip and Ell - while stuck at home - primarily making
earrings made of polymer clay. Desperate to take some interesting photos, but
needing to be outdoors and socially distanced, I asked them if they fancied
doing a shoot. They ended up creating giant cardboard copies of the bold
and colourful shapes they used in their jewellery, and we did the shoot in their garden.
Our friend Holly Houston came over and shot some behind-the-scenes video
footage for me, which I then edited up into a wee video
Wee Messy Crafters Wee Messy Crafters is a children’s activities provider based in Dumfries and
Galloway. Set up by Amey Turner, it provides crafts and messy play for
children age 6 months upwards. I was asked to create a batch of photos, and
was fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of a long spell of dry sunny
days in the summer. Amey's 2 kids, along with 2 children of a close friend,
had huge fun for a couple of hours, while I took the photos in the garden,
making sure I was at least 2m away from everyone at all times.
Moody Black and White Plants With a lack of faces to photograph, I had a go at trying out some of my
moody-black-and-white techniques on some grasses and nettles in a wild patch
in the garden.
Silver Wedding Anniversary at The Shed Café
A few weeks into Lockdown, a certain degree of cabin fever was starting to
make itself felt. Every Friday morning, Maggie and I had been going out for a
coffee, which would inevitably merge into lunch. It was a
time to properly catch up, discuss ideas, plan futures and have time purely
focused on each other in a way that doesn't happen so much in the house for
some reason. Desperately missing this part of our lives I suggested we take
our coffee out to the shed at the end of the garden as a way of being in a
different space. The original idea was it would be once a week, but it was so
lovely it very quickly became a part of our daily routine.
When our 25th Wedding Anniversary arrived in September, I thought a photo of
the 2 of us would be a nice thing to have, and with the level of importance
our "Shed Cafe" had acquired over the previous months, it became the obvious
place to stage the shoot.
View From The Fridge I did a short series of photography workshops for Spring Fling Online in the
autumn, one of which was about self portraits. Needing an image to inspire
ideas for participants I created a version of a shot I've seen variations of
over the years. 10 second timer on the camera, with a flash in the fridge.
Mentoring Izzy Izzy Leach is a young photographer who had applied to the “Emerge” mentoring
programme run by Upland – the arts organisation also in charge of Spring
Fling. When Upland put out a call for mentors I responded, and as well as
offering advice and tuition, I helped and supported her to create her own
narrative photography shoot. She had some brilliant ideas, and for the day
enlisted her friend, Danna, who has been modelling for online life drawing
classes since the pandemic began.
The shoot took part in a remote woodland on a misty day, with all the social
distancing and Covid precautions in place. This was one of the
behind-the-scenes photos I took of Izzy and Danna (before you get concerned,
the camera angle makes them look closer than they actually were).
Izzy's photos have been in an exhibition at The Catstrand, but because of the
circumstances, hardly anyone has had the chance to visit or see them, which is
a real shame. However, she plans on putting them online soon, so do follow her
on Instagram;
Misty Road This was purely an opportunist shot when I was out on the shoot with Izzy. The
sun started to break through the mist and I looked back down the winding road
and loved the lines and light.
Sail Down River Songwriter and community choir creator and director, Ali Burns, put together a song, Sail Down River, during the
pandemic and wanted a video to go with it. I filmed some footage of her and
some friends down at the beach (again, everyone was properly socially
distanced), and took a few photos too.
Misty Silhouette The sun was attempting to break through on a misty day. I wanted to try out
photographing something silhouetted against the soft, creamy light, and was
pleased with how this one turned out.
The Shed Café at Christmas With The Shed Café playing such a prominent part in our sanity saving over
most of the year, it only seemed right to decorate it with a few lights.
Mince Pies During one of the Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres podcasts, Maya
posted an image for feedback which had icing sugar coating latka. As we were
entering Mince Pie season, I thought it would be interesting to try a couple
of variations of mince-pies versions, which I was then able to feedback to the
viewers on how it was done and the difficulties to watch out for.
I hope you've enjoyed my selection - please leave a comment below with any
thoughts or observations, and let me know your favourite!
Wishing each and every one of you all the very best for 2021.
New Beginnings seemed like an obvious idea for the January photo
challenge for the podcast. New Year Resolutions are always popular at this
point – as we mark the turning of the year we look to how we might set about
changing and improving our lives.
In some ways it feels even more so for this year, given 2020 felt so much like
'a life on hold' for many people – something we just had to get through, while
plans were abandoned or at least postponed. But with the vaccine now starting
to roll out, the hope is it might not be too long now until we can do the
things we've been unable to because of Covid-19.
But it's not just as simple as picking up from where we left off last March
(UK time). The world is a different place. We are different. We cannot go
through an experience such as this and remain the same. Our hopes, dreams, and
priorities have shifted - some subtly, while others far more dramatically.
Of course, this happens all the time anyway, regardless of pandemics. Life
gives us experiences – good and bad – and these change our outlooks, and
therefore what we look forward to.
However, while we might sometimes be aware of this on an individual level, the
global impact of the Corona Virus has led to more of a shared, communal
understanding for many, that some things we thought were so important, really
aren't, and other things that were barely a concern are now much more at the
forefront of our thoughts.
New beginnings can, and do, happen at any time. But with seasonal and global
reminders more prominent just now, why not make it a theme for our monthly
photo challenge?
Ideas could include: Babies - human or animal
Plants - new shoots Cooking ingredients
Laying out tools before starting a job
Creating sketches and plans
Getting a tattoo to mark your 50th birthday
New beginnings is wide open to interpretation, but what I would also like from
you is the story behind your photo – why did you choose to submit that
particular one, and what does it mean to you?
But if you find you're struggling, then submit a photo you're having
difficulty with and explain the problem and I can include suggestions and
ideas in the podcast too.
If you think you'd like to give it a go, then do submit your image to the FB
group or event page, or if you're not on FB, then email me your image and you
can watch my response the following day on the YouTube recording, which will
also be posted here on this blog.
Meanwhile, here is last night's episode, where I talk about one of my most
popular shoots ever, the "Peaky Blinders" inspired shoot at a derelict
warehouse, with 10 people in 1920s outfits, smoke bombs, and a horse...
---
0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
6:55 - Story behind the "Peaky Blinders" inspired photo shoot at Rosefield Mills in Dumfries
30:05 - Quick tip about photographing horses
33:08 - Photos used in Dumfries & Galloway Life Magazine
35:40 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
1:34:35 - Coming up next week - the "New Beginnings" Challenge
1:39:00 - End
If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider
supporting these podcasts and blog posts viabuymeacoffee.com/kimayres
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/
