January 25

Happy New Year !

Christmas has been and gone ! The weather is still miserable and grey! Im getting older ! On a positive note ! Sunset is getting later and bulbs are springing up ! Spring can’t come soon enough! However i don’t want to wish my life away ! I’ll make do with the doom and gloom !

As long as we have some blue sky, mist and frost ! Less rain!

I have been out a fair bit with my camera. Mainly the New Forest and the beach! The forest being extremely muddy !

Yesterday morning 21 January. I went to Linford in the New Forest. There had been some mist and the sun was low but looking good. I am thinking of sunbeams through the trees, golden colours ! I had been to my local woods first and thought another trip out would be worth it ! The mist had started to fade but still some nice light ! The ground was sodden though. Streams i didn’t know existed had resumed their path across the forest and mud i didn’t know or see almost sucking my wellies from my feet ! What us photographers will do for this one photo ! Wondering around i took a few images. I also deleted a lot ! The man thing was is that i was doing what i love !

At certain times of the year. The sun rise at Durdle Door can be especially stunning! The sunrise can be seen through the arch of the Door. This only happens towards the end and beginning of the year! My friend Martin (Bunker Photography) and i set out to try and get this shot! Many local and non local photographers try and get this as well. Some travelling a long way! Sometimes the beach can be really busy as we tussle for the best space! Heard stories of 20 plus photographers on the beach ! We are in my experience all very accommodating with each other. We all want the shot ! The part of the beach you need to be is very specific! It can be that you think you are in the right place but in the 2 or 3 minutes you have to get the shot as the sun rises ,you realise you need to move what may only be a few inches !

Tripod legs sticking out and the sea lapping at your feet and it all becomes a bit tense ! Then if the sun decides to appear we all snap away and that is it ! We all pack up and climb the hill back to where we have parked!

It is sad to see this stunning location being spoilt by all the visitors. The caves are littered with discarded coffee cups, general rubbish , clothing and things like shoes and coat hangers ! The caves are also being used as toilets ! It is so sad to see this iconic beauty being spoilt!

I am already in the process of putting together my 2026 calendars. I try and keep the images seasonal to make it more relevant to the month! We are only in January and i already have some good contenders! I may do some cards this year to complement the calendar.

My website had over 4000 views in December ! My best month by far! I have also had contact emails making enquiries for prints and photo sessions!

I want expand in the outdoor portrait photography genre in 2025. If you are reading this and would like to take me up then please use the contact me button and i will get back to you very soon. Thank you if you do this.

I have been successful in the local newspapers and on the BBC with my images being used ! It is aways good to see you images in print. I have had an enquiry from a local hospital that are interested in having my prints displayed to cheer up wards and waiting areas. Fingers crossed this can progress.

I find in troubling times my photography really helps me relax and find peace. If you are a regular reader of my website you may know how much of a struggle life can be after a long service in the Police. I can feel really low and fed up. Especially with the grey gloom of January! When the camera is in my hand and i am outdoors it brings such peace. My grandad would often say

“I don’t need to go to church. I am closer to God outdoors than in a church!”

This is so true. The beauty of a sunrise or a sunset. The crashing of waves on the shore. The sound of the dawn chorus and the sound of nothing!

I look foreward to the next month in my photography and continuing to learn

Andy