The Art of the personal project: 1

Commuters at Queen St, Station Glasgow

Work or Play

Photography isn’t just my business it’s a passion although it’s not my past time I rarely take a camera with me or take photos with my phone my escape is cooking, and in that point I don’t photograph my food so my food and my photography are my passions but don’t cross.

So what do I do with my photography that isn’t work?

Personal projects let me explore, experiment, try out ideas, think differently as most elements would never see use in my commercial work but like training it’s more about keeping my creativity fit.

I don’t approach a project randomly, I’m usually thinking of the idea putting a project together in my head. Planning a project is a good task it keeps everything ticking along, yes it will change direction even transform into something completely different but each part is in my tool set be it long exposure, filters, lighting or concepts it’s there for me call upon when I see a project that would benefit from the techniques.

Project background

I will kick off this first project with a long exposure technique one I use to remove people from busy areas I need people free, the twist is I want to keep the people all the people so its long exposure and time-lapse without making a time-lapse moving image it becomes a single image showing the passing of time.

Project 1

I did a project of motion, it involved techniques I would use in real life work but for a different purpose. The concept was multiple exposures, but with long exposures allowing motion blur.

Canon 5D, Lee Filters, wireless trigger, tethered tablet
Setting up, it’s to save time and containing everything in a rigged tripod
BTS working light and mobile