If you can't stand the heat...

I was covering a formal function the other night and between some of the other relatively mundane requirements of the night I thought I would also try and put a short piece together on what goes on behind the scenes...

The Photographic Cycle

Speaking with fellow photographer Matt Kirwan the other day(http://www.mattkirwan.co.uk/index.php?page=home ) he spoke about how he had finally, after a long delay, taken delivery of his copy of the Press Photographers Year Book, (http://www.theppy.com/). This book is sent out to all the entrants into the competition and contains all the winning photographs from each category. As we discussed the book and the quality of the entries it became apparent to me that looking at books like this causes a bit of a dilemma to the photographer.

Having looked at the copy I received and also at the World Press Photo Competition (http://www.worldpressphoto.org/) book that I received for submitting photos to their competition, (and whilst I would love to say how I had won a category in this famous competition - But I didn't!) but there is a definite 'cycle' that as a photographer I find, having read these books, that I go through when looking at the high quality entries.

I find it is a four part cycle...

Part 1: AWE
The cycle starts with a feeling of amazement at the standard of the pictures that you see.

Part 2: INSPIRATION
A wave of inspiration as you look at how you can begin new projects or look for new ideas.

Part 3: PANIC
Blind panic kicks in as you realise that if your honest with yourself your probably never going to be anywhere near as good as some of the photographers whose work you looking at!

Part 4: MOTIVATION
Despite the reality you feel motivation to continue regardless, hoping to improve and learn as you go along.

And you know what, you will, faster than you realise, because there is no better way to develop your ideas than look at other pictures and build your ideas from there.

And as for the future competitions, well you never know, one day, maybe.

Will We Remember Them All?

Whilst the Remembrance Day Services are still fresh in your mind I have posted four pictures below. Taken in a cemetery in Saltburn in Cleveland, England they belong to four servicemen. I have no idea who they are beyond the names on the stone or what they did or how they died or indeed anything else about them. There were no services at their grave, no parades in their memory, no poppy wreaths laid on the cold, wet ground, no religious words or prayers - if you believe in religious words and prayers. I don't. Nothing to tell of their history, their lives or their endeavours.

These white headstones standing anonymously amongst all the others in the graveyard, untended, unkempt, forgotten, with the dead Autumn leaves gathered at the base, fallen from the skeletons of trees surrounding them are the only visible reminder of them having lived and died at all.

So next time, as the parades take place around the country and our political leaders are seen in all the right places and the religious leaders say their piece and our royals do their thing spare a thought, brief or otherwise for these forgotten reminders, scattered around the country of what it's all really about, of what is really important.

2nd Lieutenant GA McNeal - Royal Signals - Died 26th June 1940

CSM J Sloane - East Lancashire Regiment - Died 19th May 1920

2nd Lieutenant Wilhelm Jacobus K Knoll - Royal Air Force - Died 20th May 1916

Sapper CP Aitken - Royal Engineers - Died 23rd August 1918