Cold and windy, a typical July day.

I had this shoot planned for months. I thought floaty, summer dresses under the pier and along the shore line.

And the the wettest June was followed by a very unimpressive start to July. But the weather reports suggested things were going to improve. And they did; in the morning. By the time 4 pm rolled around it was overcast and windy. It even rained as I got out of the car.

I had a jacket on and the wind was going straight through it. How would Coco, my model for the next two hours cope?

Well; she did cope very well. I guess she is use to it. But the splashing around in the sea in floaty dresses was out. We looked for more sheltered places to shoot.

The first set was around some rocks. It meant I could minimize the amount of sky in the shot. Some blown out background is okay, but not massive areas of it.

For the next set I wanted to include the sea. Standing a little higher, and further from Coco meant again I could minimise the sky and still get the background I wanted. But the largely blown out background does mean Coco stands out.

Then under the pier. A lot more windswept. So colder for Coco so we didn't stay long. But these are my favourites of the shoot.

We then moved to a sheltered garden. It meant some architecture and flowers in the background. To add some interest. And it was a bit warmer.

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Unacceptable behavior. How do we react?

A model I very much enjoyed working with in the past, and have kept in touch with since, posted a piece about a well known photographer.  She didn't say who it was but most reading the post, including myself, guessed who it was.

He had belittled, criticised and humiliated her. And she wasn't the only one. But because of his success, and influence he gave the impression that he could damage her reputation and cause her to lose work if she said anything. Other people must have seen his happening. Or had it happen to them. Some are now beginning to talk about him. He is sponsored by some big names, so he has a lot to lose. I can't say if they know about the reports. I hope if they now do, they will investigate.

There have been reports of racial abuse recently. With bystanders seeming to not always act.

And there have been news stories about famous photographers, and one in particular. Who abuse models. Taking advantage of them because they are new to modeling. The people who employ him, or now work with him seem to turn a blind eye. Or refuse to talk about it. Saying that they will not work again if they say anything.

And celebrities have been convicted many years after the offences. With it now becoming clear people knew about what they were doing, or at least heard the rumours, and didn't investigate.

So what's clear is if we see something wrong happening, we need to act.

We shouldn't give power to others, just because they appear to have influence.

If we employ, endorse or support people it is our responsibility to investigate allegations. Not publicly at first. The recent poor treatment of Cliff Richard is a good example of how not to investigate allegations.

If this is not taken seriously, it tarnishes everyone in that line of work. I don't want to be judged based on someone's experience of another photographer.

I haven't had to react to racist incidents. Or had to investigate allocations about people I employ.

But I have been present when a person was perhaps not given the respect they were due. And I didn't say anything. I think maybe because I thought someone else would, or the victim would speak up.

I now hope I would speak.

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How do I keep my photography fresh?

I see a consistency to my pictures, but I want to have as much experience of different situations and environments as possible. So I try different styles and locations. Each bring their own challenges. My other posts have documented my progress. Look for the links on the right hand side of this blog. I don't often have people to photograph, but as you may have read before. I do cycle nearly every weekend and try to produce a pictorial log.

I typically ride to one of half a dozen destinations. The struggle for me is taking an interesting, new picture of a place I may have been to many many times before.

I find the differing amount and quality of light available throughout the year and the changeable weather adds some much needed variety.

I ride early in the morning. So I get a lot of sunrises. It can make for some dramatic sky's.

A church I cycle to regularly was being refurbished. It presented a great opportunity for something different. A bit of an urban feel, to a country church location. And a rare selfie.

The early morning light can be very beautiful.

My favourite image. A subway in black and white.

And then there is the weather.

And finally the famous people I visit.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

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Here's to cycling.

As spring passes into Summer my weekend rides get more pleasant. There's slightly less chance of getting caught in the rain. And the landscape changes. The fields are green and trees are once again fully clothed.

I see more cyclists as well. They have moved away for the turbo trainers. I know it's not so inviting, leaving the house when there is frost on the ground, or the wind is howling. But I really think riding all year round makes you appreciate the good weather when it does make an appearance.

Here are pictures of some of the colder rides. Around Christmas time there is always home made cake. A great reward for year round cycling.

And the spring arrives. Still plenty of rain. But at least it isn't quite so cold.

Then Summer arrives. 

And the best bit - chilling out with mates. At a pub. A cold beer and good laughs. It doesn't get better than that.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

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Hever Castle

When I first visited Hever Castle I saw what an interesting place it was. And what a great place for photography. I just needed to arrange it.

I asked Cheryl if she would like to pay a visit. It was quite a long time before our schedules allowed. But I'm glad we persevered. The weather in the week up to the shoot was very unpredictable. Everything was crossed that the one day of the week I needed to be good, would be.

And it was. A little too good to be honest. More cloud cover would have been ideal. It just meant that I had to look for interesting shaded areas or choose the right angle. Cheryl was brilliant. We had discussed the style I wanted, she had looked at the location online. We just seemed to click straight away. And we knew what the other was thinking. So the time flew by with great shot after great shot.

As I have said the direct sun was a little harsh. But with the right aperture and shutter speed and some fill in flash. The non shaded areas produced some great shots.

But when we found some shaded areas, especially with some back light. Wow, those are the ones that really stand out. Right at the end there was a tunnel made from, roses and other plants. I'm not good at recognising plants. The dappled light was beautiful.

Here is the full set of my favourites.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

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