Lucy And The Lens

Tag: #lucyandthelens

  • When Is Not Okay To Take A Photograph?

    I’ve heard this question so many times and I think its mostly to do with your own moral code.

    There are a few things you shouldn’t take photographs of. Here are some of them:

    • People in private property without permission is illegal so don’t do this unless you have that permission.
    • If you are in a public place no one can stop, you from taking photos just don’t take anything thats vulgar or degrading as in that case you should be stopped.
    • You are allowed to take photos of people in a public place especially if they are unidentifiable. If someone asks you to delete an image you have taken you do not have to do it. But taking your own safety into regard if the person asking you is in the photo and only them, I would delete it as chances are you will find a better image just around the corner.
    • Morally unless I’m photographing an event, I would not take photos of children without parental consent. I just feel that you shouldn’t do that because it comes across as creepy.
    • Homeless people are up for massive debate when you see this question some photographers will and some won’t. Just think about how would you feel if you were homeless and someone took a picture of you.
    • I also think you shouldn’t take photos of someone who has some deteriorating condition without permission as its not really fair or ethical on the person.
    • Also, if I see someone in an emotionally unstable state, I won’t take a picture. How would you feel if you were crying on the street and you later saw a picture of yourself in that state? Photographing someone who’s emotional is okay in a play, at a wedding or a christening but in a public place you really shouldn’t photograph them.

    What are your thoughts on this?

  • Photo Challenge Friday: Week 21: Do Your Lines

    Happy Friday Readers, It’s time to share this week’s challenge.

    Week 21’s challenge is another of my current back to basics series and is called, Do Your Lines. This is about using lines to lead the viewer into the image. These can be horizontal, vertical, radial and diagonal. These Leading Lines are everywhere you look so this challenge is rather simple to do even with a phone on your daily walks.

    Here are a few of mine:

    For Week 22 I will be doing another challenge from photocrafty by Sue Veneables.Week 22’s challenge is another of my current back to basics series and is called, Framing. This is all about using natural frames. You can create a frame like this using your hands, a fence, trees or a window. You may even think of other ways of creating a natural frame. Don’t use picture frames and things like that for this challenge it must be natural.

    If you enjoyed this weeks challenge join in with next weeks Framing challenge and tweet or Instagram to @lucyandthelens and don’t forget to #framing.

  • Photo Challenge Friday: Week 20: Rule Of Thirds

    It’s Friday gotta Photo Challenge On Friday.

    Week 20’s challenge is Rule Of Thirds. I thought I’d Start the challenges in this book from the beggining which is the fundamentals. So The Rule Of Thirds is basic composition. Think of your camera or phone like a grid and divide it into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. The Focus of the image should be placed on the intersecting points usually on the right or left hand side but don’t be afraid to break the rules.

    Here are a few of my images that show the rule of thirds:

    For Week 21 I will be doing another challenge from photocrafty by Sue Veneables. Week 21’s challenge is another of my current back to basics series and is called, Do Your Lines. This is about using lines to lead the viewer into the image. These can be horizontal, vertical, radial and diagonal.

    If you enjoyed this weeks challenge join in with next weeks Do Your Lines challenge and tweet or Instagram to @lucyandthelens and don’t forget to #doyourlines.

  • Moor Park: 6 Days 6 Lenses

    You may have seen my 8 photography techniques to try in isolation post.

    Well as well as trying new things using photoshop techniques on the portraits in my back catalogue I’ve been going out with my camera during lockdown and photographing the places I go on my daily walks. The main place I’ve been to frequently is moor parl.

    You have to really think about what we should and shouldn’t be doing on our daily walks. Should we be staying at a safe distance and asking people if they want to be photographed without going near to us. Is it ethical or unethical in this crazy time? How will people respond? Should we try contacting people to be photographed on there porches while we stay on the path? Is this okay or not? Its up to you as a photographer to decide.

    So Then I started to think about what else I can do without taking portraits  I decided to take my camera with me on some of my daily walks going to moor park 7 days in a row with a different lens every day to see what perspectives I could get with the different lenses.

    There is the Petzval 85mm lomography lens which is great for portraits but without the luxury of asking someone for a portrait like I normally what can I do with this lens?

    I also used a Nikon 35mm Prime Lens which is a very versatile lens for both landscapes and portraits.

    a Nikon 18-55mm kit lens, a Sigma 10-20mm,

    A Lensbaby circular fisheye lens which I love to create distorted images with. It seems to create a warped world view in my eyes.

    A Nikon 55-200mm Zoom Lens

  • Photo Challenge Friday: Week 19: Get Closer

    It’s Photo Challenge Friday. Week 19’s challenge is to Get Closer. This challenge is about taking close up pictures of ordinary things and seeing if you can make them look stange and unfamiliar. Using objects and subjects you can find in your own house and garden and experimenting with Black and White.

    Here are the results of the challenge:

    For week 20 i have chosen a challenge from Photocrafty by Sue Veneables: Week 20’s challenge is Rule Of Thirds. I thought I’d Start the challenges in this book from the beggining which is the fundamentals. So The Rule Of Thirds is basic composition. Think of your camera or phone like a grid and divide it into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. The Focus of the image should be placed on the intersecting points usually on the right or left hand side but don’t be afraid to break the rules.

    If you enjoyed this weeks challenge join in with next weeks Rule Of Thirds challenge and tweet or Instagram to @lucyandthelens and don’t forget to #ruleofthirds.

  • Facing My Fears: Part 1: Dogs

    I feel as a photographer you should not just photograph subjects you like or things you enjoy. You should also be photographing things you fear.

    I was terrified of dogs since I was about 7 years old when I went to worden park and I was chased by one until I climbed up a tree which seemed to deter it.

    So, a few years ago as whenever I saw a dog, I would cross the road and the owner would follow me across and tell me their dog was okay but when you’re afraid of something that’s the last thing you want. You have to confront your fear yourself.

    I eventually decided to choose to photograph dogs for a domestic animal’s competition. Also, when I went on a trip to Ireland I was around dogs for a weekend and managed to get photos of them. So, here’s a selection of Dog portraits:

    Although I still flinch if a dog jumps on me, I think photographing them has pretty much conquered my fear.

    Is anyone else afraid or has previously been afraid of something they could tap into and photograph. Does photographing the thing you’re afraid of help you to ease that fear?

  • Photo Challenge Friday: Week 18: Blur The Boundaries

    Happy Friday readers.

    Week 18’s challenge is Blur The Boundaries. This challenge is about getting super close to your subject such as flowers so they partially obscurre the lens and create blurry blobs. Play with your focus and see what happens in a familiar location.

    Here are the images I took for this Challenge:

    For week 19 i have chosen another challenge from Be A Super Awesome Photographer by Henry Carroll. Week 19’s challenge is to Get Closer. This challenge is about taking close up pictures of ordinary things and seeing if you can make them look stange and unfamiliar. Using objects and subjects you can find in your own house and garden and experimenting with Black and White.

    If you enjoyed this weeks challenge join in with next weeks Get Closer challenge and tweet or Instagram to @lucyandthelens and don’t forget to #getcloser.

  • Competition Prep

    Every season at Preston Photographic Society we have themed competitions. So, in the summer I take my special Lucy and the Lens notebook with the seven competitions written down so I can think about what I want to take and whether I can take a couple on holiday.

    Sometimes this is easy because the themes fit perfectly with my holiday however other times, I can only manage one during my trip.

    Sometimes I’ve been working so much I find it hard to find time to take images for a competition at that moment. So, to prepare I look through photos I’ve collected over several years and see if anything fits if I know I won’t have time to take new ones or as a backup plan in case I don’t have chance to get out.

    I will do the same for any external competitions. I also have to prepare for print competitions which I send off to be printed so I have to give myself enough time to send them and get them back in time to enter.

    But whatever the theme I make sure I take the photos for me and not just for the competition. What I mean by that is that I make sure my personality is reflected in the photos as well as the theme as I won’t take a photo if it doesn’t stay true to me as a photographer.

    When you are looking for a theme or any competition entry you need to evaluate your portfolio or back catalogue and choose your best image. Try to pick original images and there you have it your first entry.

    Don’t expect your first entry to win the competition right off the bat it will take many attempts to achieve that. Also remember that photography is subjective one judge could love your image and the next could hate it. I wouldn’t worry as long as you are happy with it that’s what matters.

    Once you have decided on your image if you haven’t previously edited it go into lightroom and photoshop and make adjustments until you are happy that its competition ready. I’m predominantly a portrait photographer and I like to adjust highlights, exposure, contrast and shadows slightly. But in editing remember to always make the image reflect your own style.

    Finally, always make sure your images are resized to the correct competition standards and that you have read the competition rules beforehand. There’s nothing worse than entering it to be bounced back having not been judged.

    Here are three images that have done well for me in competitions:

    This Image Scored 20/20 in the Novice Competition at Preston Photographic Society in 2016
    This Image Scored 20/20 In The Mono Print Catergory at Preston Photographic Society Earlier This Year
    This Image Scored 19/20 in a Movement Themed Competition in 2018

    And three that have done badly:

    This One Scored 12/20
    Another 12/20
    A 12/20

    There should be a distinct difference between my top scoring sets of images and the low scoring set of images and hopefully this will help give you some ideas what to expect.

    I hope you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for more.

  • Photo Challenge Friday: Week 17: Play Detective

    It’s challenge time of the week again.

    This weeks challenge from Be a Super Awesome Photographer was Play Detective. This one is about taking portraits of the things people leave behind after they have left a room. You can do this by observing things that people have left on the street or by observing the things people in your household leave lying around when they leave a room. Or even getting people to guess who you are based on the objects you leave around yourself.

    The challenge for week 18 will also be from Be A Super Awesome Photographer by Henry Carroll. Week 18’s challenge is Blur The Boundaries. This challenge is about getting super close to your subject such as flowers so they partially obscurre the lens and create blurry blobs. Play with your focus and see what happens in a familiar location.

    If you enjoyed this weeks challenge join in with next weeks Blur The Boundaries challenge and tweet or Instagram to @lucyandthelens and don’t forget to #blurtheboundaries.

  • Goal Setting

    Most people will have set goals at the beginning of the year of what they plan to do through the year. A lot of these goals might now be unattainable due to Covid19.

    But your year doesn’t have to stop with Covid19 you can refocus your goals changing them up for the current climate. As Dani Barker Media (Social Media Strategist) says “we can then treat post covid as a 2020 take two setting yourself brand new goals when the time comes”.

    But first think about what you can do during this pandemic to improve your business. You might be thinking you can’t do anything, but there’s always something you can do.

    I think that goal setting is important because:

    • It focuses your attention on something.
    • It raises your self-confidence when you achieve them.
    • It motivates you to do more.
    • It gives you a sense of purpose.
    • It gives you more control of your future.

    In terms of goal setting I like to set my goals on the last day of every month.

    Each month provides me with new goals. Some months I have a week or two set out for a course I’m taking part in. Other months I use a structure I created when I did probloggers 31 days to build a better blog course and sometimes I do both.

    If we weren’t currently in lockdown, the first thing I would do in a typical month would be to check what I have booked in and right that down in both my calendar and my bullet journal which I use to create the schedule.

    As currently lockdown is the only thing that is happening , I’ve been thinking about what I can do with my social media content and web content as a change of focus because I can’t do photoshoots right now.

    In the month of March there was a 7 day content sprint with problogger. But this month looks a little different.

    I have a main goal set for the month of may which is to finish the podcasting course I’m doing which is a course on the future learn website called the power of podcasting for audio storytelling. I am also hoping to launch the podcast later this month. So this is what the month looks like for podcasting:

    • Week 1: Complete the podcasting course.
    • Week 2: Podcast Wednesday: plan the next month of podcasting.
    • Week 3: Get podcast platform ready.
    • Week 4: Launch podcast

    The podcast isn’t my only plan for this month though. In March I did a design sprint day which helps you work towards your long term and short term goals. So on the 11th of every month I will be doing a design sprint task day implementing some of the techniques I learnt. I will also be doing an idea generation day on the 15th of every month to help me think of ideas in all aspects of business. I have also scheduled in my zoom meetings in order to work around them.

    In the month I usually have one or two rest days per week which I call a do something different day where I do something completely unrelated to photography.

    When I’m planning my website content for the next month I have days set to do certain types of post for example a lust or review post. I may also have days to get someone who hasn’t looked at my blog before to analyse it and days to ask readers questions.

    I also have goals for everyday some are due to lockdown and others I want to implement even after. These are:

    • Spending some time on social media to post, comment, share, like and engage.
    • To do daily walks and workouts most days.
    • Listen to podcasts most days.
    • Read for at least an hour.

    Finally on the last day of the month I do two things:

    • Goal setting by planning a schedule for the next month.
    • Checking google analytics to see how my website has performed for the month.

    If you enjoyed this post why not set goals of your own and share them in the comments.