There must be something about this time in January as it’s almost a year to the day that I updated things with a 2022 Blog Update. After an initial flurry of blog posts things went slightly off the boil although I was still active with the camera. One reason for the lack of updates stemmed from the anger and annoyance generated by my experience with So Cameras. Back in April I tried to purchase a camera from them which should have been a straightforward experience. But it wasn’t and the full story is online. What has been interesting with respect to the blog post is that it has generated contact from other customers who ended up in the same boat. The steady stream of 1 star reviews on Trustpilot also suggest that the company hasn’t learnt any lessons on customer service or product delivery.
Football Photography
Anyway on to better things. Although the blog has been left with limited updates I have been busy with football photography. Evans and Williams remain the main side I cover and I’m still enjoying shooting the teams. That’s despite the varying weather conditions of recent times. Light is a huge issue during the winter months but the Sony A1 copes pretty well and I’ve got a lot more comfortable shooting at high ISO. However a recent downpour at Clydach was too much for the photographer and the camera returned to the bag for a fair chunk of the first half. I don’t mind shooting in wet weather but this was like a sheet of grey water coming down. Fair play to the players who stuck it out out on the pitch.
Media
As well as photographing Evans & Williams I’m now helping them out with their media images. This means creating graphics to highlight match days and fixtures online. What’s great about this is that they also include my images so they’re getting good use. My photos are also being used in their programme and have also been picked up by other sides. This is one thing I do like about sports versus wildlife. I get to enjoy taking photos and those images then get used in some way. Another small development is that I’ve started joining various social media groups for sports photographers who also shoot Grassroots games, often as volunteers. Everyone would love to shoot sides further up the football pyramid and get paid for the pleasure, but it’s good to know that there are plenty of volunteer photographers around The UK.
Lego Photography Style
2022 was one of my most productive years for Lego Photography. This was down to joining the Stuck In Plastic Discord group and getting involved with their weekly challenges. I managed to complete a number of the challenges and should really try and compile them together as there were some decent shots, even if I say so myself. This year’s challenge is already underway and it’s a 52 week playing card one. Each week we have to create a playing card based on a certain theme. At the end of the year we’ll have a set of playing cards. It’s so far so good but there’s scope to catch up if we miss a week or two. One thing I think 2022 brought was a style of my own. I’ve been inspired by a number of lego and toy photographers and initially set out to emulate their styles, but it was never quite right for me. Now I think I have my own style where I tend to go for strong close-ups that can tell a story.
Aims For 2023
Lego has become a lot more acceptable as an adult hobby and it’s widely agreed it’s a good thing for mental health. Lego Photography even features in an exhibition in the Lego House, Denmark and there’s a book out too. Many of the images included feature members of the Stuck In Plastic community. People still ask me “why Lego” and the answer is still the same. It’s a good way to challenge yourself with a camera, learn techniques, play with Photoshop and be creative. When you see work by the likes of Brickpanda, Fourbrickstall and ToyingWithLight then you can see why Lego Photography inspires me too. My aim for 2023 is to get a better following with respect to my own work. With football I’m more than happy covering Albies and will continue to do so as long as they’re happy with me to do so. I will try and cover other sports and teams if the opportunity arises.
