The Framework

asportinglife.com is a sports media/photography website that hosts contributed articles from professional sports photographers and industry insiders. I was recently asked to contribute and after looking through some of the really excellent posts on the site I was happy to do so. You can read my modest contribution at
http://www.asportinglife.com/the-framework-dave-willis/

Whilst you're there, have a browse through the other sports photographers articles too, because there's some real gold dust in there.

One of the most common themes to emerge, in my opinion is how often pro photographers take on their own personal projects or do self-initiated work in order to challenge themselves,. Doing their own thing is a great way to learn new ways of working and techniques and to showcase what they can really do when there's no commercial imperatives holding them back. I believe in this wholeheartedly.

Actually, I was amused to see that, after the previous RLA post on shooting contemporary dance, something that I'd not done before, the very next contributor on "asportinglife" talks about taking on a personal photo project on a subject he'd never photographed before - you guessed it - contemporary dance. Must be a sports photographer thing!

http://www.asportinglife.com/

Let's dance!

Finally, I get round to posting something after two months. Anyone would think I've been busy. In the last eight weeks I've photographed kayaking, car mechanics, engineers, nursery kids, chefs, a theatre, a CEO, food and the Queen!
So I thought it was about time I shot some action again, but in this case it would not be sports action. No, in this case it would be something completely new to me; contemporary dance.

Food for thought

Mmmmm...This looks a bit different! I mean different from my usual fare of outdoor sports subjects. I accept that it's pretty normal fare for food photography.
Anyway, this month's post is about tackling a subject that is a bit outside of your comfort zone and the main theme here is that photographers are generally well served by having a broad range of skills and experience even (especially?) when they are pretty niche like me.

Don't push me, 'cos I'm close to the edge...

...Striding Edge to be exact. You maybe spotted that already.

Yesterday I took fate by the short and curlies and headed up Helvellyn with my good pal and long-suffering, yet curiously ever-willing "model" Paddy Cave, in spite of an iffy forecast that could go either way.

Work in progress

In this months post, I'm going to talk about a personal project I just finished. Alongside my professional photography work, I also lecturer in photography at  Kendal College, here in the Lake District. Recently my colleagues in art and design staged an exhibition to highlight the professional art work they do outside of teaching, which inspired me to get involved and shoot some artist portraits.

Run out of time

This weekend, the weekend of January 26th/27th 2013, has been remarkable for weather. On Friday evening it started snowing, so much so that people were stranded in their cars, unable to get home, with roads closed and all the rest of it. This should be a great opportunity to grab some winter sports images but there's a problem.

Bothered at the bothy.

It's another TGO assignment this week and the question is, can I be bothered to haul all my flash kit up the side of a mountain, in the snow, at this time of the morning? Of course I can.