Portal

Portal, originally uploaded by Andy Brown (mrbuk1).

(Explore #22, Front Page)

It's been an odd few weeks for me. Typically, as we enter the autumnal months my camera starts to go into overdrive - having comparatively little use during the summer when contrasts glare and windows of opportunity for balanced exposures are cut perilously short. That's not been the case so far, and I can count the number of times I've been out in the last month on the fingers of one hand. It's not exactly that I've been reluctant to - I often refer to having withdrawal symptoms when deprived of 'camera-time', it's just that things haven't been quite right somehow. Be they a combination of poor conditions for long exposure work when I've had the time (or vice versa), or a lack of inspiration, or some other indefinable cause - my gear has sat rather forlornly in situ at home. Every so often I've happened to walk past my backpack and tripod, feeling almost guilty while consciously restricting them solely to my peripheral vision. I did feel temporarily vindicated having to rummage through the contents while packing away a couple of new filters I'd invested in - and if it's possible to anthropomorphise a bag, I could have sworn the thing developed a smile and looked rather more perky for a day or two! That soon passed however, and it seemingly slumped visibly (not that I looked at it directly of course), when it became clear neither of us were yet destined for the great outdoors.

I've been here before of course (as I know have many of you), and for me at least I think it's very much a part of the creative process. I discussed with a good friend recently how on the odd few instances I've been out of late I've struggled to bring everything together - even when faced with apparently strong compositions and fortuitous weather. I think you have two choices when facing this sort of block. The first is to keep plugging away and hopefully battle out the other side, and the second is to know when to take a hint and kick back for a period.

I haven't been completely remiss though, and have spent time seeking out a few fresh locations I'm keen to visit between now and spring. Some of these are completely new to me, at least in terms of having trained my lens on them before, while others I've not been satisfied with results captured previously and have vowed to return. I do have a number of images that occasionally nudge me from my archive pile, but my hope is the majority of these will stay where they are for now in favour of new, forthcoming material. Today I made the effort to get up early, seize that bag off it's perch (it leapt into my arms and wept with joy...), and set off out in search of the very same. I felt sure I'd nailed it too, yet on viewing my RAW files I'm now not so sure. It doesn't really matter - more positively I believe I felt those initial stirrings of drive - that want(?), that need(?) to produce something worthy pricking me again.

I'm not quite sure I'm there yet, but for the time being I'll leave you with this image which possibly culminates those I shot in Pembrokeshire recently. I have some exciting news coming up very soon (nothing to do with LPOTY by the way - I didn't progress any further than the shortlist this year), but something I'm equally as thrilled about. Hopefully it will prove to be the final piece of my creativity jigsaw reassembled... We shall see.