Training day
With my head now fully recovered from the unfortunate incident of slamming the boot of the car shut on it, I realized it was high time to book a photography workshop in London and seek some additional guidance and education to enhance my skills.
Armed again with my Sony a7iii, I rendezvous with Sam (known as Snaps by Samosh) at Tower Hill for our customary hot chocolate, which has become a delightful prelude to our photographic adventures.
As we sipped our warm drinks, I shared with Sam some specific objectives I had for gaining a deeper understanding of composition and texture.
He dove right in with enthusiasm, offering key pointers on how to effectively frame my shots, emphasizing the importance of using contrasting objects within the viewfinder to lead viewers to the ultimate destination in the picture.
Dropping off at the iconic Tower Bridge to have a dedicated scout of the surrounding areas, we made our way to the south side of the river and ultimately onto the picturesque beach area as it was low tide.
Both of us thoroughly fascinated by the intriguing objects that people often throw into the river, which would be revealed as hidden treasures the moment the water receded.
With a steady low light illuminating our surroundings and no sign of any sunshine to offer contrast or cast shadows, we were particularly keen to discover subjects that might lend themselves to a different aesthetic than what we would normally find appealing.
For me personally, I consider this task to be a tad easier than it would be for a seasoned snapper like Sam. I love everything about photography and being outdoors, finding a myriad of interesting subjects as you can likely tell by the variety showcased on my gallery page and also my Instagram profile.
At this stage, it might be a little easier for me to appreciate all sorts of photography rather than pinpointing a specific genre.
However, I will undoubtedly find my unique style eventually. Perhaps you, the readers, will have some thoughts or opinions on that, and if so, please feel free to share your comments so that I can take them into consideration as I continue my photographic journey.
Walking further along the serene river towards the iconic landmarks of St Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge, we decided to take a slight detour toward the viewpoint.
Upon our arrival, however, our luck was not on our side as we discovered that the viewpoint was closed for maintenance. To make matters worse, access to the area was further hindered by the rumbling of my stomach, which reminded me that I hadn’t eaten in quite some time. With the rain beginning to fall and steadily becoming heavier, we chose to seek refuge in a quaint café for our customary coffee and sandwich stop.
Now, I must mention that there exists a noticeable age difference between myself and Sam, and for the life of me, I still can’t comprehend why the younger generation consistently opts for a cold sandwich straight from the fridge over a warm, comforting snack or meal to satisfy their hunger, especially in windchill minus temperatures.
That being said, it was indeed a pleasure to take a moment to review some of my pictures with Sam and gain his insights and thoughts on what I was aiming to capture when taking each image.
Offering constructive appraisal and information that I found very useful. I will say at this point that I feel disclosing it all wont be of value to anyone looking to gain insight as the feedback was based on a personal approach to my own objectives, you as the reader may have different ones and as such any snippet would likely be fruitless.
I would say with conviction that if you are seeking someone for a workshop tour of London with some good sights thrown in and valuable input to help you develop then contact Sam and ask him if he can tailor a package to you.
The service is not free, but it is very reasonably priced and I would not recommend it, if I felt it would not benefit a beginner or intermediate level photographer.
It was another great day and sadly cut short by the weather.
You will be able to watch my video on it on Friday when it releases on my YouTube channel.