05/12/2009

Walking

Well since Cardiff I have hardly gone anywhere, certainly no where specifically for photographic purposes. A number of factors have caused this:

1. Winter. It is just not that great weather all the time. When it is sunny, it is beautiful but as I have said before, the light quality isn't the same as summer, people are not out as much, or wearing giant coats and many places are closed.

2. After such an early start and a long and intensive day in Cardiff, I realised after a variety of unpleasant reactions to that days exertions that I just didn't have the fitness for it. Frankly I think my stubbornness and unwillingness to stop and take a decent length break when I am tired was my downfall. It is a testament to my passion that I manage to completely ignore (in fact I would go as far as to say not even notice) that I am pushing myself to far. Well I figured that if I cannot change my mind set then I must bring myself to the point where I can better cope with it.


Most days in most weeks I do no exercise at all. This is not healthy but I've not found many ways to exercise which I am not either scared stiff (ice skating, swimming) or completely bored by (the gym). I am also someone that is naturally skinny and struggles to put weight on.


While I was at University I did Taekwon-do
, that was fun and very intensive, a great cardio workout and there was a pride aspect to it. You would be mercilessly mocked if you missed a class without a very very good reason and you were aiming for that next elusive belt. Additionally you would see your class mates all around campus, there was no escape. Also while at University I started Archery, great for arm and back strength, posture and a nice gentle repetitive stroll to locate your arrows. Unfortunately I have never planned to be where I am for any length of time, so as I am in flux I cannot afford to take up either of these, subscription fees being pricey and for a full year. Which knowing my luck I'll get a job in London just as I subscribe.


However as you can guess I am an ardent explorer (at least certainly of the British Isles). I like the certainty of home but I also like to get off the beaten track, poke through woods and hedges and see what's over that next rise. So why not do a little something to improve my fitness levels and do a little exploration. So I started going for walks.

Now at the same time as this was filtering through my head I had been filling in applications for residencies. Now all of these had involved to a certain degree the idea of not only (or not at all) creating work subverting the postcard image. They had at least some relation to the local area of the residency and I was more interested, with the information I had, in thinking about producing a body of work to in fact reflect accurately the local area. The importance of local tourist sites (if they even had any) was not as important and I was becoming more interested in not playing the traditional tourist roles , rather seeing what really is there and reproducing that. After filling in two of these with similar ideas well, it just all kinda fell into place without me even realising at first.


By the time I had realised I had already gone on a few walks and started taking my camera out with me. I am now going on walks everyday (apart from Saturdays). Generally lasting between 30 mins to and hour and a half depending on where I decide to go and how much time is spent taking photos . I am often not in motion for the entire time since if I find an interesting shot I may just be playing with it for a while, trying to perfect focus or light qualities. As to where I walk I don't really follow a strict plan, there is some wonderful national trust woodland within a stones throw from my house and other than a walk up or down the main road it's the only direction to go. It certainly proves to be the more interesting. I also usually end up near or at the local pond, the round trip of the pond is a pleasant 30 min walk, it is beautiful and the pond itself is at my end of the woodland anyway so its kinda hard to avoid. It has ducks and I know in the spring the geese will return to make a violent racket and sit on the island in the middle.


From these trips I have been amassing quite a collection of photographs, some good, some mediocre and some down right fluky. Everyday I post a single photograph to Twitter that I think fits the walk or the atmosphere of where I went. I try to make it a photo that is at least interesting, if not the best photograph I have taken that day. The fact that sometimes the photos I come back with are a little mediocre or dull I am zen with. Sometimes the weather just isn't in my favour. The point of the walks were firstly a way to gain some exercise, secondly to explore and thirdly to create a personal and truthful perspective on the area.


How it will all turn out is yet to be seen as is what, if anything, I will do with it. Either way I am exploring those woods better than I ever did as a child and finding out all sorts of things I never knew.

I imagine I will blog more about this as I see fit. Every trip need not be written about and certainly the walks that have already occurred cannot be since I have only got round to this first draft over a month into it. Plus I don't want an in depth analysis of every walk, the photographs should go a long way towards that. But as important things pop into my head I will endeavour to write them down.

As you will notice my blogging now includes pictures. Just a note to say the photos here are a selection from the walk photos. You can see the whole lot at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/noblueskies/sets/72157622935946910/