Journal

Projects, inspiration ideas and helpful advice

The following posts include news about recent projects and assignments, inspirational ideas, technical advice and information about forthcoming activities and events.

If you want to keep in touch and track the challenges, rewards and inevitable frustrations of a landscape and urban photographer, please use the links below to follow me on social media.

Restoring 35mm slides using AI image processing tools

Over the last few years, we have witnessed the emergence of a new generation of image processing tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) components.

AI has been incorporated in the most recent versions of Photoshop and the editors and plugins available from other software providers.  Topaz Labs, for example, have released a suite of AI-enabled tools to perform specialist image processing tasks, including noise reduction, sharpening, local contrast adjustments and the creation of masks.Read More

Cheltenham in Lockdown

Promenade & Ormond Place | Cheltenham | April 2020

The first few weeks of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown coincided with the start of Spring and a period of exceptionally fine weather.  Shops, bars and cafes closed, and streets and car parks became deserted as people followed government advice to Stay at Home, Protect the NHS and Save Lives.Read More

Cheltenham – the week before 2019 General Election

Canaries (or pigeon) this winter?

All these images were taken in Cheltenham town centre in the week before the 2019 General Election.

Alex Chalk was re-elected as Conservative MP for this marginal constituency with a reduced majority of just 981 votes.Read More

Developing an effective image processing workflow

I’m frequently asked about the sequence of steps required to process landscape images and the software I have chosen to manage and optimise my own digital workflow.

This article attempts to answer these questions.  Using the above image as an example, I have provided a high-level overview of the workflow process that I have adopted to handle most of my landscape shots.  Starting with the RAW files transferred from my camera, I have mapped out the steps and described the tools and adjustments needed to prepare images for printing, publication and sharing.Read More

Street Art and Graffiti in Bristol BS3

Sunday mornings are perhaps the best time to appreciate the street art in South Bristol.  Starting at the Tobacco Factory in Southville, I walked the length of North Street up to The Steam Crane pub in Bedminster – frequently turning into the side streets where many of these impressive murals can be found.

Most of these artworks were created for UPFEST – Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival.Read More

Ride for Ryder – Cheltenham 2019

Earlier this year the fund-raising team at the Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice invited me to capture the fun and excitement of their annual cycling challenge – Ride for Ryder 2019.

This is one of the longest running and best-loved charity cycling events in the UK. It starts in the centre of Cheltenham and offers riders a choice of 40km, 90km or 130km routes around the Cotswolds.  Last year’s event raised over £50,000 for the hospice.

Read More

Black and White Photos of Blackburn in the 1970s

A few months ago, I found a set of black and white negatives while sorting through my filing system.  The pictures of children playing in the streets in Blackburn were taken in the mid-1970s for a school photo competition – which I won with a picture of a young girl in a chequered coat.

Anticipating the potential value of the photos, I contacted the community history librarian at Blackburn Central Library.  Mary Painter described the negatives as ‘gold dust’ and introduced me to Bill Jacobs – a journalist at the Lancashire Telegraph.Read More

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