Capture A Wintery Day - Photo Biker 8

Cold, blue sky winter days are awesome for photographers. They bring what is usually a dull, grey time of year to life and make it sparkle and make colours which are usually muted vibrant and exciting. They are a great opportunity to get out into the world, explore and capture it with the camera. So when that little yellow sun icon appeared on the forecast app, I set the alarm clock for early, layered up, hopped on the Red Legend and headed for Dorset.

Despite being completely in love with this wonderful world we live in and being lucky to have photographed some wonderful places like Iceland, Cambodia, Africa and more, I've never considered myself to be a hardcore Landscape Photographer. Still don't to be honest! But in the making of these Photo biker videos I'm having to re-evaluate.

I love capturing life. How humans interact with their surroundings - as well as each other. I love having people in my photos whenever possible, which isn't something easily available, especially not during an English winter. In warmer countries this is less of a problem, especially in places where life is less mechanised like Cambodia and Vietnam for example.

I was once met an Aussie guy in what was then a small sleepy town in Turkey called Goreme. It's now got hotels and an airport! Peter and I were riding a couple of horses through the surrounding fields and countryside when we cam across a guy ploughing a field - with a horse drawn plough. The light was beautiful, trees framed either side of the shot, mountains behind. As he wrestled his plough in our direction and I composed my shot, he noticed us, waved, laughed and shouted across the distance. "My horse - he's fucking crazy!"

If you were looking at it now, you might think it's a nice photo of a man ploughing his field with a horse instead of a tractor. But to me (and possibly Peter the Aussie) it's a tiny fragment of a story that made us both smile. Why am I not sharing 'Crazy Horse And The Ploughman' with you here? It's a 35mm slide currently tucked away safe with many 1000s of other captured moments of my life, awaiting the day of revisiting and scanning. 

Moments, stories and memories. That's what photography is all about really. I haven't seen that image in over twenty years, but it's there alive in my mind's eye as I type. I'll dig it out and show you some day.

sister sophiaOooo! I just found another memory. And I can show you this one!

Africa 1990, backpacking through Africa with another Aussie called Sharen. We were staying in a hostel run by nuns in Tanzania at the time and arguing where to go next and how to get there. I caught Sister Sofia's eye as she was tending the garden nearby.

"What is it with you women Sister? All the time you have to argue!"

Sister Sofia gazed into my soul, shook her sagely head and with a twinkle in her eye said. "What you need is a big stick. Beat the lady!"

How could you not want to capture a moment of your life with this funny nun?

I wish the photo was of Sharen's reaction and not a 'pose'. I wish it was a breathtaking image too, but it's not. I was a hobby photographer in those days and not a very good one. Today I'd have found better light, shown Sharen where to stand, how to compose and choose the best focal length for the shot. This one is pure memory, but I still love it.

So, what's this got to do with motorbiking Dorset back roads and taking photos along the way?

It's about making memories and stories. Sometimes they just happen and that's great. But the more you do, the more you participate in the world, the more memories (read that as photos you love) you'll make and capture along the way. Exploring back roads on the Red Legend is my thing. I hope it inspires you to explore more of yours.

I want your memories to be more than snaps like this one. I want the people around you to be eager to see the photos that back up your stories because they're awesome in their own right. I loved showing folks my pics and telling tales of Africa. Why did so many of them need to wash their hair, clean the car or comb the cat when I reached for my albums?

I love exploring the world and its peoples, preferably on a motorbike. You might hate bikes and that's OK. But I hope the tips I share with you along the way make you long to do more of what you love, explore more and capture your world beautifully. I want your friends to forget about the cat and beg to see your photos.

"If only I had more time / more money / less responsibilities... Yes I say these things too. Having more money and less responsibilities are regular excuses to put ourselves "On Hold". But time? That's a killer because time is the most precious commodity we have. It's scarce and finite and one day for both of us, it'll be gone so please don't waste a moment of it. 

I would love to but... I so want to do that but... One day I'll... When is "one day" by the way? 

So have a closer look at some of my memories of that wintery cold blue sky day. There are a couple of extra ones from 'scenes deleted' that didn't make the final cut too.

 

 

You know that phrase 'I'm just killing time'? No - you're killing yourself and all the possibilities life has to offer. So please promise me you won't waste another moment doing things you know deep down amount to killing time.

We all need a bit of inspiration in our lives (especially me) and I hope photo Biker videos help you make more memories. If you want to fast track your ability to capture those memories and make your friends stop combing their cats, Masterclass In Photography will do that or I'll give you your money back. But if you want a real life adventure with real life memories to capture then let's hang out together on a location workshop because I'd love to meet you in real life.

Until then, be well and happy...

mike signature clear

 

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