Photography month: review

In order to get a little better at blogging overall, I’ve spent the last few years focussing on specific areas of the craft to improve it – typing, shorthand, screenwriting etc. have all been the subject of a monthly project. Photography has been something that I’ve wanted to particularly focus on in order to develop a little more skill and give the blog a more aesthetically pleasing edge. I looked around for photography groups, but a lot of them cost a fortune and seemed to be shunning smartphone photography, which is the only hardware I have. I watched a tonne of YouTube tutorials advising on smartphone photography techniques, and practised a few different angles etc. I frequently found that a lot of the advice married up with the media training I did at college / university, so it must be right.

The main problem that I faced was that I really wanted something interesting to shoot, something actually happening. I couldn’t really find much. I didn’t see any fights despite hovering around the Peter St area at closing time, I didn’t see any celebs despite hanging around Spinningfields / Club LIV, I listened out for sirens but didn’t see any arrests, I tried to go to the Police Museum but you practically need an invitation, I couldn’t find any launches of any venues or products to attend, and I didn’t see any protests because the Tories banned them. So, what else was there?

You’ve seen it all, basically. Everything worth showing is already on the blog. It was a difficult project to do. Nothing was really happening anywhere – people behaved themselves, There weren’t many arrests or fights, and I can’t quite run fast enough to keep up with emergency services vehicles on the odd times I saw them. But it is done. I said I’d do a photography month in my ‘Before 42’ post, and I did. I found it a tough challenge to complete: not necessarily just the framing and the being in the right place at the right time, but taking on the role of the observer, the guy not involved, dissociating in order to spot good shots. It’s quite an isolating experience.

Plus, in order to get into the nicer places (where you might spot the odd celeb, although I didn’t) you need smart shoes, and when you wear them, you notice when you’re walking around Manchester for hours. Trainers you can get away with during the day. Kneepads are helpful for getting low-down shots, although I’d frequently forget to wear them. I tried to wear black to be less conspicuous, but it didn’t stop one guy asking me if I was MI5, and another asking if I was a narc. I told them both I’d be shit at my job if I was.

In the meantime, I tried to focus my gym work on the things that would help me while shooting: walking, running, chinups dips, gym classes. I’ve not beaten any PBs but I have focussed on endurance rather than lifting heavy. I’m about the same weight.

Not the most enjoyable of projects, and glad it’s over.