After Repeated Failures
Paul Malley • 31 March 2023
Lancaster
Photo By: Paul Malley
Kingfisher
Photo By: Paul Malley
Perilous
Photo By: Paul Malley
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES
After repeated failures, Thomas Edison was purported to have stated that he "now knew of a thousand different ways not to make a light bulb work"; Following many trials and errors, he finally came across a process which successfully led to the development for the initial grounding for what we accept today, to be a common place and accepted item. Perhaps it is also the same in our journey through Photography? As I look back through some of my earlier personal work and images, they would be classed as nothing short of 'disastrous' compared to today's standards, but they were all part of my transition and development. In today's Club Competitions, I wouldn't expect to get an 11/12 (from a favourable Judge) based on the ideas, methods and simple 'Fads' in use at that time. Follow me through 3 of my earlier failures...
1. Lancaster. Many software programs nowadays include a simple 'Solarisation' slider. Used carefully and in moderation, I find they can enhance vibrancy in some colours. In the very early good(?), old days of Photoshop Elements, the way to get Solarised effects was to play drastically and erratically with the Curves feature, locking midpoint and dragging the sides up and down until you were happy with the wildly extreme gaudy effects, which often came close to burning your retinas out. No two images came out the same, there was no consistency and the awful garish results produced were not to everyone's taste. However, it was a new FAD, and I did sell multiple copies of Military aircraft using different extremes of this process. I learned it in 2008 and its been 15yrs since I've used it. Colour-popping anyone? - try it, get over it.
2. Perilous. One of the things I've come to learn in photography is that the image needs to 'look real'. In attempting to create dynamic, fast paced action shots, 'Dutch Tilt' is a favoured method, either on an upward or downward incline. Just bear in mind where there is a pronounced horizon or waterline, it's a dead give-away. In this image, the Rider is too tight in the frame, has no breathing space and looks like he's just about to fall off the edge of the Planet; another 12 maybe for this because at least we can see his face (more by luck than judgement). Moreover, reviewing my work, I've learned better about panning, shutter speed, focus lock, composition, angles and.... if Hornby ever produce a camera WITHOUT Back Button Focus option, that's the one for me!
3. Wholesome Meal. Oh dear, this is where the excitement of the event overtook me and, in selecting Canon's marvellous tracking AI Servo with High Speed Drive in machine-gun mode, I must have taken some 25 shots, almost identical. In the days of film this would not be cost effective; today in the almost infallible camera functionality, its more interpreted as a guaranteed way to get a shot. What a waste I tell myself; it's too small in the frame, composition is poor with the angle of the fish, the image is muted and dull in colour as I didn't wait for the right light and, because it's a cropped image its very much over-sharpened.
Sometimes it pays to be analytical, even self critical because it's a route to identifying areas which you can improve upon - and surely that something we all want to do in our hobby isn't it?
Louth Photographic Society
The Exhibition will be in place from 10th - 29th September 2026
I was scrolling through the archives yesterday, and found these "Still Life" images. Still Life is an interesting photographic genre that requires good lighting, and compositional skills, but the results can be amazing. Here are four images of the genre, "Breakfast" showing cereal falling into a bowl, "Four Candles" (no not the ones from the Two Ronnies sketch), the moody "Decaying Tulip", and the simple but effective monochrome "Opener". Perhaps these images might give you some inspiration.
I joined the NELPS outing at Chambers Farm Woods on Wednesday. The NELPS visit to Chamber Farm wood and butterfly garden was well attended, with several members from NELPS, Grimsby, Dunholme and Louth, kind thanks to all that came, although it was very hot the butterfly garden, being rather full and slightly unkept did not let us down with butterflies, two less common were seen, a Comma butterfly and a humming bird moth, with loads of very lively common blue butterflies. Most of the insects in the butterfly garden were highly active, and by the time an insect was spotted, it was off!! I managed to just about get an image of the Comma butterfly, and nobody stood a chance with the humming bird moth, it was too fast. The dragonfly was more accommodating remaining fairly still posing for us. The next NELPS outing will be to the Peoples Park in Grimsby on Wednesday 19th, I'm busy on that day, but I will be attending the meeting at the Sandtoft Trolleybus Museum on Wednesday 26th. Many thanks to NELPS for organising these outings, it was a thoroughly pleasurable morning.
A visit to Whitby for a sunset picture didn't quite go to plan. Unknown to me today is the last day of the Whitby Regatta. Whitby in the summer is usually busy, but today it rivaled Time Square in New York. My planned shoot of the East Pier was a non-starter because for tonight only there's a fun fair along West Pier where I planned to shoot from. I had to re-think and resort to plan b, which was also a non-starter because the East Pier was closed as it was packed with fireworks. Plan c was OK though and I got an image I'm pleased with.
I've been up to RSPB Bempton Cliffs this week, and have taken some excellent photographs, the weather was fine, and the lighting was less harsh than usual. This pair were on the cliff top, obviously well established, and saw off this interloper trying to muscle in on their space, those beaks look very vicious. I hope that everyone else is having a productive summer break.
For club interaction, we are invited to these NELPS photo shoots. So lets start this club interaction, NELPS are now on there summer break, but it does not stop there. The NELPS club president has put together some outdoor photo shoots:- Lincoln 5th Aug meet at the Cathedral 11am Not forgetting the photo exhibition by Lincoln Camera Club in the Usher Gallery! Chambers Farm Wood & Butterfly Farm 12th Aug meet at 10am. Peoples Park Grimsby 19th Aug meet at 10am. Trolley Bus Museum Sandtoft 26th Aug meet at 10am Cadwell Park 10th Aug motorbikes, 24th Aug cars and both are track days so free to get in.
Sutton & Trusthorpe Camera Club have their annual Exhibition at the Meridale Hall, Sutton on Sea, on 29th / 30th August. Drink and a Home-made cake only £3!
I’ve lost my photographic “mojo”, that desire to go out and take impactful photographs. That creative spark has gone, vanished, will it ever return? Writers talk of a “writers block”, when they just sit in front of a blank page, and can’t think of anything else to write, I’m the same, still out with my camera, but just not creating anything meaningful. Some of this I suppose is due to the fact that I’ve almost stopped my genre of model photography, we had the Studio evening, and other than that I’ve only had 2 model shoots this year. So what is my photography genre now? I know that I’m not a bird photographer, I haven’t got the patience to sit in a bird hide for hours with a long lens, waiting for the right bird shot to appear. Landscape, possibly, but I look at the work of some of our members, and YouTube videos, and don’t know whether I can achieve as good a standard in my work? I do enjoy macro photography, but again do my photos reach a good standard? One way forward is to look at our Societies annual project, this year it’s “water” one photo a month depicting water. Then of course there are the planned photo competitions for the rest of the year, those subjects could inspire me to go out and take some images. Anyway, that’s me, enjoy the rest of the summer, and if any of our members could share a photo, with a line or two of text I will be very happy to post on this blog.
Good Morning All Last week we had a very good evening at Kirkby Gravel Pits, it was a warm sunny evening and there was wildlife about to photograph. There were Dragonflies about, but all flying, but we did manage to photograph some Damselflies and grasshoppers etc. We then called at the local pub in Kirkby on Bain for refreshments. There were only 7 of us, if you have other ideas for outings please let me know and I will look into them for next year. Derek has also done a blog on the evening. Louth did make it through to the LPA Battle finals coming fifth overall, the final is on the 18 th October at Nettleham village hall. That was the last event before the summer break, so we now have a break before returning in September. I won't be doing any newsletters unless there is something to report. If you do anything interesting over the break you can always send Derek a blog for our website. There are things you can do over the break, the monthly project of water, preparing for the PDI competition in September, with the categories of "Objects in the Air" and "Open". In September our first meeting back will have members speaking on the topic "15 minutes on what you have done over the summer", you may want to prepare something for this. Have a good summer, Graham
Lincoln Camera Club are holding an exhibition at the Usher Gallery, Lincoln. Commencing July 30th to November 1st.
