Hello and thank you for calling in...

My name is Helen and I am a Photographer living in England. I started this Blog on the day that my Grandma died, three months after my Father died and several weeks before a third funeral. Initially it was a very personal way to stay connected to the people I'd lost and it helped, it really did. But writing and taking pictures everyday has opened back up a creative side that I had lost during the everyday. A big thank you to my followers, to those who take the time to comment and to new visitors, I hope we will become Blog friends too...

Monday 10 October 2011

single or not?

A year has gone by since I took my first photography course and it feels like a great achievement to have spent so much time perfecting my photography, visiting locations and staying in touch with some of the lovely people I met on the course, who have now become good friends.







'To The End and Back'
Its not often you meet people who you just click with and I was lucky enough to meet three. Photography was initially our common ground. We've had photography days out together, where we've taken hours to walk a path that normally takes half an hour, nights out where we've laughed and laughed like we've known each other for years and we've also formed a club, with new members who are enjoying the challenges set.

Its lovely to share, too see how each person interprets the same scene, to share techniques and laugh at mistakes - especially to laugh, you should have seen us trying to capture wine 'sploshing' into a glass last week, what a mess!




What strikes me is how solitary being a photographer can be and I absolutely love that too. You can spend hours in your own company, wandering along looking for shots and its heaven!


One of my favourite quotes is from Billy Connely
"solitude is not the absence of others, it is the presence of me"

I LOVE that! I don't know if its his own words or if he snaffled it from someone else but I can relate it so much to the self indulgence that is spending hours photographing on your own - bliss!
I went back to the location of our first 'field trip' on that initial course, an anniversary trip if you like but I went on my own and I regretted not inviting the others along with me too. It got me thinking about which I enjoyed the most, trips on my own or days out with others, I still don't have an answer, how about you?

3 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful post...lovely thoughts and beautiful photos.

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  2. Mmmm....I envy you having friends to go and photograph with. I love going out on my own, and I think I take my best shots that way, but every so often it's lovely to have some company. I do have photography friends, but I have to go into London to meet up with them and it's a long-ish and expensive journey from here so I can't do it too often. Unfortunately none of my local friends are interested.

    I don't think I prefer one or the other - I love being alone a lot of the time, but I also love the company of good friends. They have to be the 'right' sort of friends, though - if they're not, then I'd rather be by myself. So - a bit of both for me!

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  3. thank you for your lovely comment 'got my camera'
    Gilly i will definately come and do a photowalk with you, thank you for the invitation (on your blog) I'll have a look at Train costs and get back to you. i may need to wait until after Christmas if its lots of pennies but i will let you know :o)

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