Clocks have gone back for the winter, so as it gets dark early projects need to adapt accordingly. This is a time when commitments threaten to block ambition. It has been too easy to get bogged down in aspects of life other than actually taking pictures.
Most photographers will tell you (if they are honest) that making images is only a small part of the business.Everything from admin to marketing and tax returns eat into the time available.
I would love nothing more than to spend all of my time out and about in Ayrshire taking pictures of interesting people in their natural / chosen environment. Sadly though, that is not quite how life works.
I have also been wrestling with putting my new book together. It is a distillation of what i learned during my recovery from work related burnout. The art of taking photographs helped me back from a really dark place. It worked for me so I’m sure it can help others in the same boat, better still if it can be a preventive measure.
In any case words alone are not enough for a book by a photographer about photography, so I need to get shooting specifically for this project. I found this bolt ages ago and knew it would make a great subject in the right context.
As nuts and bolts are familiar symbols for the fundamentals then I’d say this is the perfect place to start. I have made a few still life images over the years so the plan is to dig out the hard drives and rifle through them as well. The perfect solution to cold, wet, dark weather that is perhaps less aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
In the meantime, until our paths cross in the real world, stay awesome.
James.
8Nov2026
