When the virus came on the world, no one knew what a drastic effect Covid would have on everyone. I know some people that passed not because they had Covid, but they had no access to medical facilities they needed to treat themselves.
Covid Outing Photography - July 2020
I often play a DJ deck when I am not taking pictures, and here is my DJ equipment the Paly Differently Model One deck a beautiful piece of musical equipment. Music is as much about the ‘doing’ as the ‘listening’; as photography is a much about the 'doing' as the 'seeing'. They are both literally hands on – it’s physical, tactile and all-consuming. It’s a very active and engaging process. It’s called ‘Practice’. But it’s something which I always enjoy.
I’ll quite happily sit for hours at my DJ deck, working on and mixing impressive tracks. I gain great pleasure and satisfaction from overcoming the initial challenges and technical difficulties contained within a good mix; doing post-production sound through complex software, and ultimately reaching a state of excellence where I know I’ve achieved the best I possibly can.
I feel the same way about my outdoor photography. I enjoy the process and experience of making a photograph. It is also hands-on. The feel of the camera in my hand, its weight, the strap around my neck, the connection I make when I bring the camera up to my eye, the physicality of moving around an object, exploring its potential and discovering the best means of photographing it. Voila!
I can easily spend hours at a time in this pursuit too. In a way it’s a very personal and intimate exercise – much like practising on the Play Differently deck – and one which also contains that great sense of pleasure and satisfaction when I achieve the shot you want.
In both my music and photography, I enjoy the process as much as the final product. My musical background has taught me the importance of patience, persistence and determination – qualities which photographers also need, it’s taught me the value of experimentation, the flexibility of approach and to value the learning process itself. To achieve a satisfactory musical performance requires hours of work behind the scenes; hours of trial and error, of learning what works successfully and what doesn’t, and hours of refinement.
I think one of the beauties of music and photography is that your craft can completely humble you. You’re fully aware that you never stop learning – there’s potential in everything and always something new – whether it’s a newly mixed track or new subject matter to photograph.