End Of An Era...

It's no secret that the publishing industry has had its fair share of problems of late, and that the Internet has really eaten into the saleability of magazines, especially in niche markets. Unfortunately, these hardships often translate into money-saving so a few weeks ago it was my turn to be part of the austerity and lose my job.

I'd worked on magazines for the last 12 years, so it was with a heavy heart that I resigned myself to leaving a job I loved. That job had seen me visit loads of interesting places and meet and equally interesting number of people. Aside from the crappy hours and the mind-boggling mileage, the positives were easy to see; loads of fishing, photography, and getting lungfuls of fresh air. But those things don't create revenue and I was one of the few to be culled because I wasn't 'financially viable'.

I actually intended to go freelance, with jobs flying in, including the dream chance of working on a guitar magazine and producing a bookazine about British luthiers. But family always comes first and when I was approached by Leeda UK to become its Digital Media Manager, I knew it was security that I couldn't turn down. I can always do the freelance thing some other time in my life...

So, what's going to happen to me as a photographer? Thankfully, I'm being employed for my skills and it's not a case of there being a round hole and me being a square peg to fit it. There's going to be a lot of video work - something I've been doing more of lately and enjoying - but also a massive load of studio photography, plus location shooting for catalogues, websites and adverts. And I get to surround myself with creative people and loads of good fishing tackle. Oh yeah, and I finally get some kit provided that I've not had to scrimp and save for.

It's amazing how two weeks sees so many emotions emerge. One minute you can be as high as a kite on the thought of creative freedom, the next minute feeling tense and anxious about things that you feel are totally out of your hands. I've done the whole spectrum. Thankfully, due to great family, great friends and great acquaintances, I've not been left wanting when it came to advice and opportunities.

It's my first day tomorrow and after 12 years of working at the same place, it feels like the day I got my first job after school. And it feel great....

Strobist Goes Natural

Since I got into portable off-camera flash a few years ago, the Strobist blog has without doubt helped me more than anything or anyone else. David hobby's keenness and enthusiasm for lighting comes across in every post he makes and he corroborates everything he preaches with hard evidence that many photographers could only dream of producing.

His latest blog post is particularly insightful; keen to feed an interest in the birds that inhabit his garden an their food source, he ends up calling upon a raft of lighting knowledge to kmake one of the most awesome images of a bird I've seen for ages. It's the pose, the fact pretty sharp (considering it's shot remotely on a 70-200mm) and the fact that you can clearly see the bug in the bird's mouth.

It's this kind of photography that many of us crave to achieve yet never put into action. If anything, it's got me looking away from the TV and into the back garden to see what visitors I'm getting...

Read the full blog (and lose yourself in a world of lighting info) by clicking here

Lighting Guitars

Although not that technical, this is a really good insight into A) where a job can take you, and B) how these beautiful guitars are lovingly viewed by their creators - click here to see some awesome axes lit awesomely!