February update

Wow! February seems to have come round quickly, even though nothing is really happening!

Along with most other people, I have been mainly staying at home during ‘Round 3’ of lockdown. The weather has meant that there have been fewer opportunities to get out with the camera, and I am restricting myself to visiting places within walking distance from home. Realistically that means no more than about three to four miles from home, as I need to walk back again as well, and an eight mile round trip with all the camera gear is enough most of the time. Fortunately within those restrictions I can still get into the northern edge of the New Forest and along some of the Avon Valley.

Even though it may seem rather early to be thinking about it yet, I have been sorting through images that may make it into the 2022 Calendar which I intend to publish later in the year. I expect to follow the same sort of timings as last year and have the proofs sometime in mid or late July, when I will again offer pre-orders for despatch in early September. Keep an eye out for more news!

As in previous years, I have signed up for a number of fairs and markets, including the Sherborne Castle Country Fair at the end of May and the Romsey Show in September, but which of these events will actually be running is unclear at present. Again, keep your eyes open for more information as it becomes available.

As ever, if you have been, thanks for reading,

Alex

It's Christmas!

2020 - What a year it has been!

When I had a day job, there were always lots of changes going on; to procedures, to reporting, to how the office was laid out - you name it. If we complained that some of these changes seemed to have no practical purpose, there was the saying that ‘the only constant is change’. This year has certainly seen constant change and most of what was normal is now not so normal. There was much wrong with the previous normal, so we have an opportunity to make the ‘new normal’ better than the old. We have seen many acts of kindness between neighbours and in neighbourhoods, where once neighbours had never met or spoken. We have seen a rise in the use of technology to allow people to work from home and avoid the time consuming, energy sapping commute, although this model of working is not for everyone and it has meant some not going outside for weeks on end and not interacting with others in person. For some, the explosion of on-line activity; drawing classes, choirs, exercise groups, flower arranging courses etc, etc, has been a release from the restrictions imposed on them by health issues or caring duties, enabling them to be part of a group again.

For my part, there have been few changes to the way that I work, but I mainly work alone, actively avoiding other people when out taking photographs. The limited numbers in the hall and one-way system around the markets and fairs that I have done has been interesting at times, but overall not bad. The wonders of the natural world have still been there for all to see, and as people were confined to their local area they often had more time to explore and discover wonder and beauty in unexpected places. It seems that there has been an appreciation of the natural landscape that maybe wasn’t there before.

The launch of my very first calendar was a great success, although at one point I did begin to wonder just what I had done! The project was well received and sold well, so there will be more people with my images on their walls next year than ever before. I intend to repeat the process next year, so look out for news of the 2022 calendar around the end of July/beginning of August.

There will be more changes to come, but as we head into another year, let us all try to take the best of the ‘old normal’ and mould it with the best of the ‘new normal’ and make sure that change is as positive as we can make it.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and, as ever, if you have been, thanks for reading.

Alex

September update

September seems to have arrived quite suddenly and, having spent many weeks not going out, it still feels like it is only April or May! Even as I write this, there are more restrictions being made countrywide, with some areas facing even tighter measures so some of us will need to become more accustomed to our own homes again.

In this unusual and challenging year it has been amazing to see that nature has not locked down, but instead appears to have been more abundant in certain areas. The heather has been vibrant and bright, the birds have been in good voice and I have seen some amazing sunsets (some of the best from the outside lane of the motorway; but that is another story! ). Many of us have been able to appreciate the beauty that lies close to hand in our gardens and neighbourhoods as we restricted our travelling and had more time available without the daily commute. Since I was made redundant a few years ago one of the main advantages has been that I no longer spend 2 hours each day driving to work and back. I sometimes still drive many miles in a day in order to seek out those wonderful weather conditions to make beautiful images, but it feels much more like I am doing it on my terms.

I am back attending some craft and gift markets now after the cancellation of so many events earlier in the year, and some of the larger Christmas events have also been cancelled. It is all a little strange and slightly scary, but hopefully the visitors to these markets will appreciate the work that is on display and make our time there worthwhile. I know that we have all become much more accustomed to shopping on the internet over these last few months, but there is still nothing like being able to actually see the product for real before parting with our money. This is especially true of things like the prints that I sell - the true quality of the print cannot really be measured from a computer screen; the feel of the high quality art paper combined with the 12 colour printer giving a great depth and vibrancy to the finished product.

In October I will be in Salisbury Guildhall on the 17th and in Lymington, in the Masonic Hall, on 31st. November sees me in Winchester Guildhall on 21st, with my final dates of the year being December 5th in Lymington and 12th in Romsey Town Hall. Times for all markets are 10am until 4pm. Come and say Hi if you are able.

If you have got this far, well done, and thank you!

Alex

2021 Calendar

I am very excited to have received the proofs for my first calendar! I have been asked many times if I do calendars, and now the answer is a resounding ‘Yes!’

I have never done one before because I could never find a printer that would make a relatively small number without the unit costs being too high. Obviously one of the problems with making a calendar is that if they don’t sell, then they are just so much waste paper, and that has always put me off. So, here goes for the Alex’s Landscapes 2021 Calendar.

I have made a page on the website to encourage people to make a pre-order as this gives me a better idea of the numbers that I need to order from the printer, and these will be sent out week commencing 21st September. I should have them before that date, so if you desperately want one to send to a relative in a far flung corner of the universe, then let me know when you need it and I will do my best to accommodate.

I will, hopefully, be back at craft and gift markets very soon - I am expecting to be at Romsey Town Hall on 5th September and then Lymington Masonic Hall two weeks later on the 19th September. There are still a few gaps in my diary where events have been cancelled, such as the Romsey Show (12th September) and the Southampton University Christmas Market (29th November), so if you know of an event that needs me then please get in touch.

If you have got this far, then thanks for reading.

Alex

Cameras

Following on from my last blog post about making and using a crude, home-made extension tube, I have had a number of comments about cameras and which is good/the best etc. When I am at the various shows and markets selling my prints, I often get asked what camera I use and sometimes there is some banter about whether that is as good as something else. I always tell people that the camera, the light-tight box, is really not that important. It is a tool to do a job. In the same way that a tradesman will use a hammer, and may well have a favourite brand or one that has a balance that suits, they all do the same thing and ultimately how straight the nails are knocked in has little to do with the hammer and much to do with the operator and their skill. As I am sure most of you can testify, even a simple job like hammering a nail into a piece of wood can go badly!

So it is with cameras - they all do the same job and the quality of the result is largely down to the skills of the operator. Obviously it would be foolish to suggest that all cameras are the same, but once you get beyond the most basic of equipment it is more about how you use the camera. The current digital cameras are all very sophisticated and capable pieces of equipment even at the entry level versions. Buying a better camera will not instantly make your photography better - if you have no artistic vision, then you will not magically acquire any with a better camera! For some types of photography relatively specialist equipment is clearly very helpful e.g. long lenses if you want to photograph birds, but not always necessary given the right approach to the subject.

A few of the many cameras that I have used!

Out of curiosity as much as anything, I sat down and listed all the makes of camera that I have worked with over my 40+ years as a professional photographer. I was surprised to discover at least 25 different makes represented, some of which you have probably never heard of, but including some very prestigious names like Leica, Rollei and Hasselblad as well as lesser names like Pentax. There have been beautiful mahogany and brass plate cameras and battered 35mm cameras. They have shot images in what may seem like weird sizes of negative like 6.5 by 4.25 inches (half-plate), 5 by 4 inches, 6 by 12 cm, and some more common sizes like 6 by 6 cm, 6 by 7 cm, 6 by 9 cm, 35mm, 35mm half-frame. And then there are the digital cameras with crop sensors of 1.5x or 1.6x depending on the manufacturer, micro four thirds and full frame, as well as some compact cameras modified for specific purposes.

All of these cameras have essentially done exactly the same thing - they have made a photographic image of a subject and recorded it on the medium of film or a digital sensor. They were all tools which were being used to do a job. Some were more suited to the particular use than others, but in every case the image was being made in my head using my vision and skills and then being recorded by the camera and film/sensor so that it could be reproduced for others to see. It makes no difference whether the subject is a standard product shot or a great artistic vision, the image is made in the same way; firstly in the artist’s mind, and then recorded and reproduced on a piece of paper or canvas, or digitally on a screen.

Macro tech

During this lockdown period, I, like every other landscape photographer, have had to direct my attention to subjects close to hand around the home or garden. You have probably seen from my Facebook page that I have recently taken a few shots of the flowers in my garden, but these are a challenge as I don’t own a macro lens. This week I wanted to do some closer images than are possible normally, so I decided to make a rather crude and rudimentary extension tube for my camera. Extension tubes are used in macro photography to allow the lens to focus at a closer distance than normal. They are a good way to try out macro photography as they are relatively cheap, certainly much cheaper than buying a dedicated macro lens, but they do have some limitations. Compared with a macro lens, the image quality will probably not be as good because a ‘normal’ camera lens is not optimised for close focussing. The lens will also only focus at one point, with the entire camera/lens assembly needing to be moved backwards and forwards to achieve focus, although if used with a zoom lens, the zoom function may allow focussing. The extension tube is essentially just a light-tight spacer that fits between the lens and the camera body - there is no lens inside - but they do usually have the electrical contacts that allow the lens and camera body to communicate about aperture and focus settings, and, of course, the mount to fit the camera body on one end and the lens on the other. They are available in two or three depths to allow a variation in distance between the lens and camera body, thus giving a variation in the magnification factor of the image. If you fit extension tubes that are the same length as the focal length of the lens, then you should be able to achieve a life size (1:1) image on the sensor. This, however, results in the subject needing to be very close to the front of the lens in order to focus, perhaps even touching it, which is not very convenient.

Extension tubes come in various depths to enable different magnification factors

My home-made extension tube is a piece of cardboard tube similar to the centre of a kitchen roll, and has a depth of 10mm. I then taped this to the back of the lens and attached the whole to the front of the camera, again using sticky tape, to make a snug fit, whilst ensuring that the alignment was maintained between the lens and the camera body. Obviously, with no electrical connections between the lens and the camera body, I am unable to change the aperture, which remains wide open on this lens. To get the correct exposure, I am reliant on the selection of the appropriate shutter speed, which can be done manually, but I am letting the camera decide. This is how my camera looks with the home-made extension tube fitted - all a bit difficult to handle, but capable of some good results.

As you can see, this is all bit like a ‘Blue Peter’ project, but effective when used properly

Easter update

The sun has been out and it has been nice and warm, and yet we have all been staying in! What a strange time it is. As a landscape photographer I long to be able to get out and about again, to try and find those amazing scenes to share with you. It will happen, but not just yet.

However, I have not been completely idle; I have created a ‘Virtual Exhibition’ so that you can see the pictures that would have been on display at Moors Valley and other places, in their frames and ready to hang. Some have options of different sizes available and you can view these on the page. All the images have been shot in a standard format, so that you can get an idea of the relative sizes. Re-connect with the great outdoors via one of my stunning images, delivered to your door.

For a limited period I also have gift cards available to send to that family member or friend that you cannot visit at present. The gift cards never expire and can be used against any purchase from my website. They can even be used where the item purchased is for smaller value than the card, where the residual value is retained for future use. The cards will be available until the end of August 2020, but, don’t forget, the cards themselves never expire - only their availability is limited. Click on the ‘Gift Card’ picture on any of the gallery pages, and follow the instructions.

If you have been, thanks for reading, and don’t be tempted to go out: stay home, save lives.

Alex

March update

In the few weeks since I last posted on here the whole world has changed. We have seen supermarket shelves stripped bare in minutes as people panic buy - just where are they keeping all those toilet rolls? - and we are in lockdown, unable to leave our homes unless to get some food or medication; not very helpful for a landscape photographer!

Inevitably, some of the events that I had planned to be at are already cancelled, and others a little later in the year will almost certainly suffer the same fate. Obviously, event organisers want to wait as long as they reasonably can before cancelling after so much time and effort has already gone into the planning and preparation.

So far, the Sherborne Castle Country Fair is cancelled and my exhibition at Moors Valley Country Park is looking unlikely as the park is closed until at least 18th April under the current lockdown. Whilst it is possible that the exhibition may start a little late, I am not very hopeful. Other dates that I have booked up may or may not run, so I will post them as and when we know more.

In the meantime, if you have been, thanks for reading and keep safe.

Alex

February update

Just a quick update on things!

I have added some more images to my website galleries, both the coastal and the landscapes ones, so please go and have a look at those. There are more to come, and I am constantly out and about creating more. Check my Facebook page for a weekly image, which has usually been taken during the week before. I normally post at 7:30pm on a Monday.

I am getting some bookings made now for the coming year for exhibitions and markets, so these are the dates already booked:

Exhibition in Moors Valley Country Park Visitor Centre - 25th April to 31st May

Sherborne Castle Country Fair - 25th May (Bank Holiday Monday)

Mudeford Arts Festival - 25th and 26th July on the green at Mudeford Quay

Romsey Show - 12th September at Broadlands, Romsey

There will be many more opportunities to see my work throughout the year and I will keep you posted as I book events up. I look forward to seeing you at some of these events; please come and say Hi.

Happy Christmas!

Just a short post to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year!

If you have been looking at the galleries, you may have spotted that I am slowly adding images, as promised, that appeared on my old website. There is still a way to go, and they will not all re-appear as I am taking the opportunity to have a cull of some of the work that I feel is not as good as it could be. There are also new images to add, some of which you may have already seen if you follow my Facebook page ( www.Facebook.com/alexwrightlandscapes ), where I put up a new image every Monday evening.

I hope to post on here a little more frequently in 2020, but make no promises!