From the picture desk – January 2021

Day one of 2021 – I definitely don’t feel I know what this year has in store for us all, but I do know I start the year with a very exciting project! I am delighted and grateful to be doing a collaboration with the beautiful MaHa Magazine on their new feature “From the picture desk”.

Each Issue, I am here to give you hints, tips and inspiration to capture life in a unique and memorable way. We really hope you enjoy this new feature, and we want you to get involved! Use the hashtag #mahapicturedesk whenever you upload any images, we would LOVE to see them.

The first issue comes out today (online, in shops from the 5th), and has ideas for January, February and March. Here is a little extension of the January idea for “A picture a day” or “a day in the life off”…

What to capture

For the fourth year I am doing “A picture a day” in January, and would invite everyone to join in. January can feel dark and uninspiring, but this will give you a purpose and make you focus on things you love or feel grateful for. Here are some ideas for structuring the project, but ultimately take pictures of the things you want to remember. Capture something that will tell a story in the years to come.

Simply just take a picture every day of something.
Take a picture of your kids/family
Make them all black&white
Pictures of your home
Something that bring you joy (food, drinks, books, walks, the remote control…)
Pictures of nature
The weather (frost, raindrops, shadows etc)
Make them all vertical or all landscape
Use a specific lens (maybe do them all as close ups?)
Same spot every day

Variations:

A picture a week or a month is less pressure than one a day.
A picture every hour could be great too for a day.

Picture tips

These will repeat, and are listed under February, but they always apply!

Go high or go low, normal height tends to be boring
Make sure the lines in your picture are straight. There are lines everywhere, like door frames, fence, sofa, trees etc
When you take pictures indoor in the winter, you need to be very close to the window light. I try to turn the indoor light off to avoid that orange colour cast.
Do edit your images, they will look miles better

Insta perfect?

Stronger images makes for stronger memories, so do make an effort! It absolutely isn’t about creating images that will impress your friends on social media, but a slightly more considered images is more appealing to the eye and you will enjoy it more 😉

Find balance

There will be days when you forget to take a picture! If you remember late in the day, take a picture of bath time or bedtime with your kids and it might turn out great. Alternatively, just take two pictures tomorrow…

This should be enjoyable, the last thing any of us need is more pressure. However, you do need to find some level of commitment otherwise you won’t make it past day two, so find your balance and keep it light and fun.