Blog

Valencia

Hhhmnn – it’s a tad embarrassing to be posting a blog a mere 18 months after a trip….but here we are! Back in May 2024, I had a great trip over to Valencia, Spain with Jo B and Jo H from Sidmouth Photographic Club, to photograph the delights of the city.

Teignmouth – the gift that keeps on giving

Teignmouth is only about 40 minutes away from Sidmouth and couldn’t have a more different feel. It’s great for street photography as it has Back Beach – with colourful, peeling boats and beach huts, where the locals hang out; the main Prom – which runs for miles; a Pier; skate park and a train line next to the sea. Rosemary and I often go there for a few hours of photography and invariably come back with something (after sampling the local cake offerings of course!).

Just One Point In It (Part 2)

Sooooo, back in May 2023 I won the Digital Projected Image (DPI) league at Sidmouth Photographic Club (details here) by ONE point. Fast forward to May 2025 and I just missed out on winning the league by ONE point!! And although I was suitably miffed at just missing out on the top spot, I was surprised to have been in the running at all, as I hadn’t been getting top placings throughout the season.

My Favourite Photos from 2024

It must be a sign of age, ‘cos I can’t believe that yet another year has flown by and we’re already in 2025! Normally my Foraging friends have always posted our favourite 10 pics from each year, once we reach December/January time and I thought this would be a good practice for my blog, as it gives me time to review what I’ve taken over the year, relive some of the memories behind the shots and then try and work out why I am drawn to certain images. I was lucky to travel an awful lot for photography in 2024…

My ARPS Journey

All cities have their own atmosphere, personality and flavour, and Napoli is no exception. Paul Hollywood felt that it “certainly has a lived-in look…a little bit dirty, but I love it”. And so do I. I got a real feel for the city as I wandered around its narrow cobbled streets and engaged with the locals.

Alicante

Back in June I had a lovely few days in Alicante with my friend Hilary and although it wasn’t a photography trip per se, any photographer knows that you just can’t help yourself once that camera’s slung round your neck!

Fun in Brum

Back in February, 12 of us from Sidmouth Photography Club (SPC) set out from Devon for 3 days of photography and fun in Birmingham.

Venezia – una città magica

As I landed at Marco Polo airport, looking out over Venice with the sun setting, I knew it was going to be a special city.

Burano

I spent a wonderful few days at the beginning of January with my friend Debbie in and around Venice, and on one of the days we took a boat out to the island of Burano, famed for its coloured houses. Despite the bitterly cold wind, we thoroughly enjoyed wandering the little streets looking for photo opportunities.

Uomini di Napoli

Sometimes you don’t know you want to do something until to have to! I belong to a ’52 Black & White Challenges’ Facebook group and the latest challenge was to create an eZine.

Gwell hwyr na byth…

Back in June, 5 of us from the Sidmouth Photo Club trekked off to Cardiff (about a 2 hour drive each way) to help Andy do a recce for his upcoming SPC Summer Trip. And what a fascinating city it is to photograph.

London Calling…

The last time I was in London was 6 months ago, when Sidmouth Photographic Club ran a 2 day trip around Greenwich, O2 and Canary Wharf. And thankfully Mike (our club Secretary, who arranged that event), was keen to run another one during the summer – this time, a day trip to Battersea, with a walk along the river back to Waterloo.

Hankies at the ready…

Jangly bells – check. Ribbons – check. Coloured hankies – check. Accordion – check. Yes, it’s that time of year again when Sidmouth comes alive with the sights and sounds of the Folk Festival, now in its 68th year. It’s a week filled with traditional morris dancing, music performances, artisan stalls and workshops all over the town.

See Naples and….

well, in my case, put on about 3kg of weight!! I was lucky enough to have to travel to Naples in April for work and decided to take an extra couple of days to explore the city and indulge in some street photography.

A Right Royal Celebration

To celebrate the Coronation of King Charles, Sidmouth held a street party in the centre of town on the afternoon of Sunday 7th May.

Just one point in it!

I used to think that because I wasn’t very sporty, I couldn’t be competitive – ha…how wrong can you be?! I certainly showed my true colours in this season’s Digital Image competitions at the Sidmouth Photographic Club, once it looked like I may have a chance of winning the league!

My LRPS Journey

On 5th October 2022, I tuned in to the Zoom showing of the Royal Photographic Society’s Licentiate Assessment day to nervously watch my submission be discussed by a panel of RPS Assessors, to discover if I would be successful in gaining my “L” qualification. It was a moment that took nearly 2 years to prepare for!