Ask the Photographer... and Episode 60 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres

This coming weekend is Spring Fling – traditionally an open studio event where anything from 60 to 100 artists fling open their doors for visitors. From potters to weavers, painters to jewellers, photographers to printers, there are all kinds of creatives to visit.

Obviously Covid has had an impact and for the 2nd Spring Fling in a row, it has had to move online.

From 29th May to 6th June this year, there will be workshops, demonstrations and talks, and each of the participating artists and makers will have a page full of info you can peruse at your leisure.

Make sure you head over to https://www.spring-fling.co.uk/ for the full experience!

To tie in with this, next week's podcast – Tuesday 1st June at 7.30pm UK time on Facebook Live at @kimayresphotography - will be an "Ask The Photographer" session.

Had the pandemic not happened, I would have had a studio space you could visit, with examples of my work hanging on the walls, a photography set-up to do demonstrations, and of course you would be able to chat to me and ask whatever you wanted.

I love these interactions! But while this year it can't go ahead physically, there's nothing to stop us taking over the podcast to do a virtual version, where you can ask me anything you would have asked, had you had the opportunity to visit.

I've set up an Event page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/494281278656560
where you can post your questions, or if you prefer you can post them here or email me.

At the moment I have no idea whether anyone will be interested enough to want to ask me anything, so I'm not putting restrictions on the number of questions. However, if several people ask the same thing, I will bunch them together, and if I get too many to answer, then I will have to pick and choose.

So do please have a think what you would want to ask me if you had the chance to visit me in the open studio event, and let me know via whatever communication system you find easiest.

Then tune in live next Tuesday (if you want to be able to comment live), or return here next Wednesday for the recorded version to see if I answered your question.

Meanwhile, enjoy episode 60 below where I got creative with a macro lens and dandelions and give advice on how to create similar results with a mobile phone and a magnifying glass!

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0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
6:42 - Dandelions and a Macro Lens
21:50 - If you don't have a macro lens, using a magnifying glass
27:35 - Introduction to the Critique section of the podcast
31:09 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
1:24:03 - Coming up next week
1:28:45 - End

If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider supporting these podcasts and blog posts via buymeacoffee.com/kimayres

Also consider subscribing 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/

Aaaaand Welcome... - and Episode 59 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres

One of the trickiest things about doing a live podcast is being ready at exactly the time you go live.

When we see someone appear live on our screen (or even in person), unless there are some serious giveaway signs, we have no idea what they have been up to in the past days, hours, or even minutes or seconds just before they came into view.

It seems no matter how well prepared I think I'm going to be, something nearly always trips me up in the last moments, and I'm still flustered and panicking at the point I look into the camera and say, "And welcome to Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, Episode..."

Very occasionally I've managed to start with "Welcome...", but the "AND welcome..." is a sign that I'm feeling this is not exactly the start of the podcast – I've just been through yet another unexpected something and now I have to transition all my attention to the fact there are people staring at their screens expecting me to start talking to them.

I will have been frantically dealing with whatever it was this week causing me to stumble, while the countdown timer was getting closer to zero, AND now I need to welcome people to the podcast and let them know what's coming up!

So why don't I just give myself more time and be ready much earlier?

Part of the problem is if I have everything set up, double checked and ready to go half an hour before, then the next 30 minutes is like sitting in a dentist's waiting room in nervous anticipation.

Once I'm a few minutes into the podcast, usually the nerves have settled and I'm fine for the rest of it, but the longer I'm sitting around waiting for it to be begin, the worse my fears become. So I'm always trying to find that balance between being prepared in advance, and leaving it as late as I can before that intense shot of performance anxiety kicks in.

However, this week I did leave more space than usual – honest! I was determined not to have one of those last minute panics and was convinced I'd have plenty of time.

But when I opened OBS – the programme that allows me to talk to the camera, feed in my microphone, interact with Facebook Live, and swap screens - it decided it wasn't recognising my webcam.

I went into the settings, scrambled around to find the bit relating to the webcam but couldn't find anything out of place. I closed the programme and relaunched it, but still nothing. Eventually I went round to the back of the computer, unplugged the webcam, counted to 10 and plugged it back in.

Success! Woo-Hoo!

Oh crap - why isn't the microphone working?

So back into the OBS settings to make sure it recognised the mic

And then I remembered Microsoft had recently done another major update. The last 2 times it's done that, I've only discovered after Maggie has had to interrupt the live podcast, that my voice is coming across all high pitched and squeaky.

So now I had to go into the computer settings to change the microphone defaults.

The countdown timer changes to "LIVE NOW" and about 8 seconds later, I swap the screen to my webcam and begin, "AND welcome to..."

Even though I know they have a team of people operating the equipment and have someone to count them in, since these podcasts began I've gained an entirely new appreciation of news readers, daytime TV magazine hosts, and live presenters everywhere.

Meanwhile, enjoy episode 59 below!

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0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
6:35 - Creating a photo shoot for Mr Pook's Kitchen
30:02 - Introduction to the Critique section of the podcast
31:09 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
1:08:26 - Creating a side light and shadows from an on-camera flash
1:20:35 - Coming up next week
1:23:45 - End

If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider supporting these podcasts and blog posts via buymeacoffee.com/kimayres

Also consider subscribing 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/

As the cage door opens...

At some point, the cage became more of a security blanket than a prison. What had been seen primarily as a restriction has become a protection, not to be discarded lightly.

Yesterday Maggie and I both had our second vaccine.

I've been putting off thinking about it, and the implications, as much as I can. But soon decisions will have to be made and strategies created.

The future has been vague for the past 14 months. Periodic conversations have been had about what we would like to do once the restrictions have eased, but it's always been said in a kind of “one day” sort of way.

Unlike some people, who have been moving in the world throughout, or others who have been able to take advantage of the lower tier levels, we've been in one continuous Lockdown since March 2020.

We've not wanted to take any chances as Meg is in a super-high risk group, and Maggie and I both have lower, but not insignificant, health risks,

I've done a number of socially-distanced outdoor photo shoots, but have been far more focused on developing my podcast and online presence. Meanwhile, Maggie set up a workplace at home so she wouldn't have to choose between travelling the 9 miles to her studio, or abandoning her art entirely.

I've had a handful of socially-distanced garden meetings with people, where I've taken my own chair and flask of coffee, and once or twice we've had someone meet up in our garden under similar circumstances.

But that's been it for more than year.

We haven't even “bubbled” with other family members.

There have been no hugs outwith the three of us, no cafes, and no indoor visits.

In two weeks, however, we will be as fully protected as the vaccines allow. Other than a bit of common sense and following guidelines, there's nothing more we can do to "stay safe". Either we decide to live the rest of our lives as hermits, or we start to move back out into the world.

Despite all the dreams of when this might be over, it's also become scary.

For what feels like forever, we have existed in a state where we've felt if we got it wrong, the consequences could be dire. People with Down Syndrome are 10 times more likely to die if they get Covid than the rest of the population – so of course we have become fearful and risk-averse.

It's going to take time to adjust again.

There is no returning to a pre-Covid world – instead we are going to have to learn, and create, new strategies and new normals.  

But at the moment it feels like the door we have waited so long to be unlocked is finally opening, and instead of leaping out we find ourselves wanting to huddle at the back of the cage, terrified someone might stick their head in to say hello.

This photo of an old tangle of rosebay willowherb has nothing to do with the post. It just felt that after something emotionally intense a pretty picture was a nice idea...

Tripped up again - and Episode 58 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres

One of the problems of doing the podcast in the evening, is there are too many opportunities during the day for draining what precious energy I have, and thereby not leaving me enough for optimum performance in front of the webcam.

Living with ME/CFS means the amount of alert-brain time I have is much more limited, and if I use it up too early then that's it gone until I have had sufficient time to recover enough for the next task.

Imagine, for a moment, that instead of being able to turn on a tap to fill a glass with water, all that comes out is a slow drip. If you want a satisfying drink, your only option is to place your glass under the drips and leave it long enough to fill up. Across the course of the day, if you remain relatively inactive, you will have just about enough water to function, but still be short of an amount to do all the things you used to be able to do.

And if you over exert yourself, get too thirsty, and drink before the cup is full, it might take the edge off for the moment, but probably not, and it will be that much longer before you will be able to be sated.

After a while, you would end up being very careful of your activities, and avoid getting involved in anything that was likely to make you more thirsty. 

So if you knew something important was coming up, you would be especially careful for the period of time before, to ensure you had just enough.

OK, this is just an analogy, but it's not a bad one when it comes to trying to explain what it's like having a limited amount of energy, the length of time it takes to recover when it's used up, and how you have to start managing your day.

While physical exertion will certainly wear me out, the other big one is stress. If my fight-or-flight mechanism is triggered, or I get angry, frustrated, or outraged, then the energy drains out of me at an alarming rate, leaving me in a state of exhaustion.

Knowing, then, that the podcast is typically going to be an hour and a half of high-energy, focused talking, teaching, and problem solving, I try and keep my Tuesdays as calm and stress-free as possible.

But there are still times when I get tripped up – hijacked by something I saw on social media that got my blood boiling, or a telephone call/email/call at the door that demanded my attention and action. Precious energy is used up too quickly, too early.

Or sometimes I just fail to hold back a tide of overwhelm.

And then I go into the podcast without enough to deliver the performance at the level I want, expect, and need if I'm to keep people coming back week after week.

I fear that last night it felt more like I was telling people off for what they had or hadn't done with their photos, rather than acknowledging their starting point and encouraging them to move forward.

I caught myself a few times and then tried to shift that emphasis, but it's harder to recognise when you're tired.

I have no idea how much anyone notices from the outside these internal battles I have while presenting the podcast each week. 

But I apologise to anyone who felt I was finger-wagging at them last night...

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0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
6:30 - Creating a lightsaber effect in Photoshop
28:36 - Introduction to the Critique section of the podcast
30:20 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
48:30 - The problem of images degrading, the more we edit them
1:06:10 - Whenever you edit a photo, always save a copy of the original
1:12:30 - How to create a sense of depth and distance in photos
1:26:25 - Coming up next week
1:27:30 - End

If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider supporting these podcasts and blog posts via buymeacoffee.com/kimayres

Also consider subscribing 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/

Saturation point? - and Episode 57 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres

Last night's Red Photo Challenge received 29 submissions – the most of any of the challenges to date.

It took about 2 hours to go through them during the podcast, including viewing, reading comments, and going off on tangents which, as I wrote about in my blog post Accumulation and Episode 45, is too long for me, especially as it means it takes longer to edit the video ready for YouTube - and getting to bed at 2am isn't a bundle of laughs when you live with ME/CFS.

It's great that more people are wanting to take part, and I'm really wanting to grow the podcast audience. However, I'm starting to realise that if I'm successful in my ambitions then there is clearly going to come a point where I will have more submissions than I can deal with.

I'm going to have to work out some kind of selection procedure.

Do I prioritise the most active and regular viewers, submitters or commenters?

Do I prioritise newer people to encourage more engagement?

Do I set up some kind of random selection programme?

Do I just do a simple first-come-first-served system?

It might be that I never get more than I currently am but I need to start planning, just in case.

The non-challenge weeks tend to be quieter by comparison, but the same problem will eventually occur if the podcast engagement grows. With Critique submissions, I've already realised I can't do more than about 6 in an episode.

It's crossed my mind before that this could eventually be something I would need to work out.

And truth be told, I wasn't expecting it to take this long - surely I was going to have achieved global domination within 6 months of starting the podcasts, and not still have less than 30 regulars over a year later?

Maybe I should do more planning rather than making it all up as I go along...

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A quick heads up for anyone reading this the same day I've published it - 

Tomorrow (6th May), I'm doing an Instagram Takeover of the Stories on the @upland_cic page ahead of Spring Fling. Do come over and see what's happening.

Meanwhile, enjoy episode 57 below!

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0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
07:25 - Reviewing images on the theme "Red" submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
23:33 - How much explanation should a photo need?
1:10:48 - Getting into a habit of creating behind-the-scenes shots
1:13:24 - Using the best camera for the job, even if it's a phone
2:01:50 - Coming up next week
2:04:45 - End

If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider supporting these podcasts and blog posts via buymeacoffee.com/kimayres

Also consider subscribing 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/