Art at a time of Upheaval

If you are a creative person, there comes a time when your creative pursuit takes a back seat. That doesn’t mean you give up but it isn’t your top priority. Life has a habit of carrying on whilst you are moving house/getting married/have building work/preparing for Christmas and so on. You see those you admire creatively, continue to produce work while you are going in all directions to keep whatever life event on track.

You realise that you can’t devote as much of this precious time to your primary creative love. You keep your hand in by going out and in my case, taking photographs, some more successful than others; but you don’t necessarily have the life space to embark on a new project. Well if any of that sounds familiar, I share your frustration/situation. My wife and I have had quite a three months. We’ve moved house, embarked on building work and renovation, managed to get married (finally!) and all this leading up to the usual seasonal mayhem that is Christmas. Most days for me have been a process of keeping up with changing events and taking photographs has been the thing I've done in between.

I don’t always handle stress very well. It gets its claws in me and I can’t struggle free. Kate is very good at encouraging me to step away from the stress as she is a professional artist and designer with a long successful career, so knows how stress can disrupt the creative flow. Now this doesn’t only apply to creative professions, it affects all of us. Some people are so single minded, they can block out external stress, compartmentalise their lives to such an extent that all aspects carry on simultaneously. I have never met someone who can manage to do this without others around them suffering but if you are that person, please get in touch and tell me your secret.

I tell myself that we don’t have to rush with the house. This is our house and will be for the foreseeable future so we can make it the one we really want. Christmas happens every year and I have experienced a lot of every years on account of being not young. It feels a bit like winding up a jack in the box or playing Buckaroo. You know at some point it’s all going to explode, burst out, or simply happen. we will be also welcoming two new additions to the Linney household in the shape of two young cats. Our two 16 year old cats have died since we moved house and it seems a strangely empty place without our little fur balls wandering around. The two new girls are between 6 and 12 months old, far more lively, playful and I suspect curious. Their arrival is very much anticipated and it will be lovely to have them but it’s bit like sprinkling a bit of chilli on an otherwise mellow pasta dish. My metaphors are getting worse so maybe I should just sign off? I wish you all a very enjoyable,peaceful happy Christmas and keep in touch as hopefully, exciting creative things will be happening in 2026.

A photography hero passed away this week and I couldn’t sign off without mentioning probably my greatest photographic inspirations, Martin Parr. He was a fabulous photographer with an eye for the human in humanity. He shone a light at our culture, brought joy to photography and encouraged so many other photographers to go out and pursue their dreams.

Rest in peace Martin 1952-2025.

Consistency & Reliability

As some of you who have kept up with my posts know, I have a habit of switching camera systems with the frequency that we change socks. It probably bores the proverbial off most of you and leaves you wondering why/tearing your hair out/shaking your head in disbelief. I go back to systems that I left, to discover it isn’t about the camera or lens but the creative process and the desire to take better photos. I do however like a level of camera system consistency. I like my camera bodies to share the same menu systems, the same sensor size and even a little thing like batteries. It makes using a camera easier because you can use different lenses on the same system.

I went with Panasonic Lumix two years ago and stuck with them for quite a while. I can’t honestly remember why I moved to another system and what I gained from that move. I know that some of my best images and successful experiences were using Panasonic full frame cameras. They don’t have massive megapixel sensors, they don’t have the same prestige as some of the big players but; they are reliable, tough, feature packed and really easy to use. I like the raw images that come out of them and they have very good dynamic range and low noise levels.

Our house move went relatively smoothly and I have finished a commission for an artists studio cooperative. That project took a few months, partly because we were in the process of moving . I’m now keen to resume my professional development and would love to do some more photo shoots with local artists. All of my original shoots were in fact done using a Panasonic S5. I was really happy with the output, the workflow and the overall quality of the images I managed to get. I guess I should have realized then that there was no point changing again.

Recently, I was running Fujifilm APSC and medium format in tandem. I found myself constantly having to do maths as to what focal length I was actually shooting at (full frame equivalent) . This became a pain as did lugging round a medium format camera and a selection of lenses. I was less happy with the medium format camera output on a work job and missed the consistency of a simple full frame mirrorless camera. I subsequently traded all my Fujifilm gear and have gone back to Panasonic.

I want to use this blog to talk about what inspires me to take photos and move away from gear. It doesn’t define me as a photographer and my work and style still need to improve. Like many other creatives, I see others at a similar level producing beautiful pieces of work and getting some recognition for their work. The house move and subsequent building work is at times all consuming.

Next year will see a more focused approach to my work and I hope photo shoots will come my way. I also intend to create either a photo book or zine/zines. I still have prints for sale and greetings cards which I intend to sell through shops. I want to work hard on my techniques, take dedicated photography mini breaks and create better photos. I love photography, it’s what I do and who I am. Yes, I have a family, a partner and friends but I don’t plan on sitting back as there are many locations, potential clients and projects to pursue. I also am determined to get into videography as I have the perfect tools for it.

Vintage

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 28mm f2.8

You know you’re old, when the word ‘vintage’ describes items that were made 20 years after you were born. technology moves at a pace these days hitherto not seen in the last 100 years. Camera technology and new models of camera body and lens are being brought out every year and with increasing levels of tweaking what is already there. Sigma for example, have released an update version of their 24-70 f2.8 dg dn art lens in the last couple of weeks. This replaces a lens created only a few years ago which was itself, considered excellent. Every camera manufacturer is forever updating their bodies and lenses to improve on what came before. I have the Panasonic S5II which replaced the S5. There was gap of a few years between models and the camera is a big improvement on what was a great camera.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 28mm f2.8

‘Invest in good glass’ is a phrase photographers advise newbies into the world of photography. It is sensible advice and a good lens will make a good composition into potentially, a great one. What if the lens you are using is 50 years old though ? Did the camera companies know a thing or two about producing high end quality lenses back then? I have been user of old manual focus lenses for nearly 10 years now. To be fair, I used some of them when they were new releases back in the late 70’s and 80’s but that’s beside the point. The advent of mirrorless cameras and adapters have enabled photographers to experiment with film era camera lenses. I have tried a few mounts and different manufacturers in recent times. I am a fan of Olympus Zuiko lenses (beautifully made, generally very contrasty and sharp), Canon FD lenses good too but the manufacturer I always return are Asahi Pentax. Their SMC (super multi coated) lenses produced from the mid 1970’s to the late 1980’s are always my go to choice.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax A 50mm f1.7

There is something about the process of taking a photo that is enhanced by using a manual focus lens. They make you feel more at one with your camera and the advent of focusing tools such as focus peaking, make capturing photos relatively easy. They can be quicker than autofocusing lenses as they don’t hunt for focus. You set the focal distance and everything will be in focus. Pentax made some lovely prime lenses back in the day. To be fair, they still make lovely lenses now but their film era glass have a certain quality about them. The colours are punchy but not lurid. They are slightly cooler than say Olympus Zuiko but attractive. The out of focus areas are very well controlled and you can get some beautiful bokeh with them. The biggest plus for a photographer however is the price of these lenses. The three focal lengths I use are 28mm, 50mm and 135mm. You can get a really good Pentax M lens in all these focal ranges for well under £40.

Panasonic S5II + SMC Pentax M 135mm f3.5

If you were to only use manual vintage lenses, you could have a complete lens kit (including maybe a 70-210) for under £150. That is half the price of a modern secondhand standard Panasonic kit lens. What you get for that money are high quality metal lenses with beautiful glass. Yes, in tests they don’t perform to modern standards but you learn to work around that. The double advantage for someone who also happens to own a modern Pentax DSLR is that these 50 year old lenses will fit your modern camera without the need for an adapter, That is a huge plus and I continue to take my hat off to Ricoh Pentax for that.

I still use my modern autofocus lenses on both my S5II and Pentax K70. Sometimes, I need their autofocus, their sharpness, their weather sealing. I love the modern lenses but I have more fun with my older ones. They can be unpredictable but that can also be a bonus. You get effects that you would otherwise not with a modern one. If you have never used vintage lenses, I urge you to do so. They are an affordable way of creating interesting photographs. Many filmmakers are now using vintage lenses to get a different, more creative look. I would recommend Pentax or Olympus Zuiko but classics like the Helios 44m. It is an amazing focal length lens, that produces wild swirly bokeh and pretty sharp detail. Get yourself an adapter to fit your camera body and choose according to what lens mount your vintage lens has. Remember to make sure your camera is switched on to shooting without lens. This allows you take a photo. You won’t get exif data but you’ll just have to remember that! Go and have fun and you might get hooked like me!

Start of Summer

It’s beginning to feel like Summer. I was never really a big fan of the season but in recent years, I’ve grown to love it. I embrace warmth, long days, sheltering from the hot sun in cool shade. My photography seems to be reflecting that which is around me. Fields and meadows bursting with delicate flowers.Long grass dancing in the summer breeze.

All the images on this post are made with the Pentax K70 and various lenses. It is a joy to use, reliable and with great image reproduction. My main gear is as ever, evolving. I won’t be updating on any changes in gear as I would prefer my work to be judged on its creative merits rather than any fancy camera or lens. You see the world through the eyes of a photographer as you do with a painter, illustrator and in general, all artists. It is an interpretation of that world which the recipient is able to make a connection. Photography is as much of a valid art-form as any other. We as photographers, try to capture moments and produce our interpretation of that moment.

These images aren’t all the sharpest I could provide. The camera, lenses and photographer are all capable of producing pin sharp photos but I chose to not go for that. Summer isn’t always the sharpest season, in that light and nature are sometimes more of a feeling than an observation. A field of wildflowers with a hazy background can be as evocative as a clinically in focus photo of a flower, tree or landscape. Cloudless skies, strong shadows will make sharp images and I’m a fan of those ; but just because of that admiration, it doesn't exclude more subtle images. Maybe this is part of my creative evolution? I know I can do sharp, I choose not to do so.

The other thing I’ve noticed in the last week or so is how much green there is. All shades of green, some subtle, some vivid but there’s a lot of it. We endure winters where trees and shrubs are stripped of foliage, preserving their energy for surviving in cold, dark inhospitable conditions. These couple of months when trees come into full bloom are the greenest they will be. Later on in summer, the trees show signs of having too much of a good thing.

I like summer. I really like summer, it’s probably my favourite season partly because autumn follows on from summer. Autumn, with its oranges, yellows, browns is often thought of as the top landscape/nature photography season. So many Lightroom presets are created to help you find the perfect edit for your autumnal images. I get that, I understand the allure of those photos. I love capturing them, eating them, printing them. Summer however, is a great time to be out in nature. You wear less, you have longer days to work with. I am fair skinned and the sun likes me. I burn easily but these days, I learn to live with it and compensate for it. I really love observing hot sun from a shady spot. I get all the visual benefits of summer without the downsides of being out in full sun. Ultimately as creatives, we have to work with what’s available and within the confines of our environment and season. The start of summer is a good time for me and let’s hope it continues for the next few months!