TAOS Borrowdale and…

The Art Of Seeing, quite a big statement a big thing to say. On this occasion the right thing to say, why? We spend most of our lives busy, moving about our lives and sometimes don’t have the thought or time to look at a cloud, the sky, a tree lit by the midday sun. So it was only fitting to dedicate the term to my workshop with Wendy Bagnall. We teamed up to offer something unique. Photography techniques and learning to look, and see the why and the reason to lift the camera, an immersion of elements within nature filling your frame.

THE ART OF SEEING
This is a simple notion based upon what you are attracted to within the landscape, from the bigger scene to the more intimate moments of light on a blade of grass or the ripples in water. The way a tree may twist and turn and not always the full object and its grandeur but at a cross section of branches or over laying of leaves sparkling transparent in a moody sky. Wendy offered an approach of multiple exposure, ICM to fill the sensor and I offered, the wonder and excitement of being ready to embrace these scenes, F4, 1/250, ISO auto or ISO 500 for a moody day.

Why do I mention these settings?
It’s simply about being fully prepared, truly photo ready, and working from that confident point forward. You see, you like what you see, you frame your shot, and then you take it, this action is much like a muscle, one that you train initially with smaller weights until you are ready to lift the bus! Or to battle it out with a UFC wrestler, against the rain, the wind, the harsh light. Being ready is an enormous part of this art of seeing because it heightens your awareness, allowing you to make the camera an extension of your thoughts and your vision. This isn’t a rushed or hurried step… oh no, it’s just part one of the entire seeing process. Only after this does the real photography begin. You have created a representation taken at settings that enable you to be fully in the moment. This gives you a solid starting point; from here, you can begin to free yourself creatively and decide whether to make it with a shallow depth of field, slow the shutter down with a tripod, focus on composition or finesse the scene further. Twenty minutes later, you may be in a better position to take more photographs, but that initial spark, that illumination and excitement of the very first shot at F4, 1/250, ISO Auto — was the seed that propelled you to truly see, to start without judgment, without critique, and without hearing the voices of gatekeepers insisting on how you must proceed. Sometimes, that initial reactive shot turns out to be the very best one — the keeper, the photograph you love above all for its emotion, its connection, and it’s true conveyance of that moment, the moment when the art of seeing genuinely took place.

A week with wonderful people…
Spending time with like-minded individuals makes the photography experience so much richer and more enjoyable. It’s not about competition at all, but rather the shared healthy banter and the collective excitement we feel about what we discover together. Those moments of symbiotic connection, where minds furl and snap in unison, accompanied by the sounds of delight “oooh wow, look at that” transform the moment and the entire day into a true delight. I’ve got everyone locked in, completely in tune with nature, and the art of seeing begins to unfold naturally. This is real magic; when I witness this unfolding, my heart skips a beat, the light seems to shift subtly, and for a brief, perfect moment, it feels as though we’ve altered the very cosmos, allowing everything to flow and change in harmony with our shared excitement.

Huge thanks to everyone who came on the workshop retreat in Borrowdale
@jenspiersphotography @andrewcooper.photography @andysimpson.photography @jane_berrisford - big thanks to my partner in photography @wendybagnall_ and thanks to Borrowdale Hotel for providing great food, hospitality and a beautiful base for all our days of creativity.

Thank you for reading and having a look at my images, a video will be coming soon from our time in and around Borrowdale. We have moments of magic light, mist, atmosphere and beautiful scenery filling our sensors. A privilidge to witness and a gift to take out a group of photographers in some of the best conditions I’ve seen.

Do photography your way and I’ll SITHEE!