Making the Point: The Photography News Podcast #1

Lockdown doesn’t have to mean a complete shutdown. Quite the opposite, in fact; you can use it as a time to revisit old images and give them a new lease of life.

In the latest Photography News Podcast, PN editor Will, editorial director Roger and I talk about stuff we’re getting up to while in lockdown. It’s a tough time for all of us in lots of ways – and frustrating if you’re used to getting out and shooting, whatever the subject. But there are loads of good things you can do while movement is limited.

For me, the last week has been an opportunity to revisit old landscape images and give them a new lease of life.

With digital, there’s always been a tendency to prioritise capture over actually doing anything with pictures. It’s simply easier to shoot – and shoot more – than it used to be. So, like me, I’m sure you’ve got hundreds of folders of pictures that you’ve rarely looked at, never mind processed.

What’s more, skills and tastes change over time. I don’t shoot in the same way I did ten years ago, and I don’t process photos the same way either. So reviewing your image catalogue is also a chance to revisit pictures you may have thought you’d completed.

My attention this week centred on pictures I’ve taken on or around Spurn Point on the Yorkshire Coast and at its closest villages Kilnsea and Easington. I realised I’ve been there about once a year for well over ten years, so there was plenty to choose from. And it’s a brilliant spot for landscapes and seascapes.

I looked at making sense of the different visits; for instance, finding some new ways to use lots of long exposures I’d take of the crumbling Godwin Battery back in 2009. Not only did I reprocess those in a way I now prefer, I also opted to crop them square so they could work better in a series.

There were lots of regular shots too, including the brilliant derelict lighthouses at the end of the point. For those it was more about using the Raws in ways I now prefer. For instance, I now often go for a less contrasty look to my landscapes.

In terms of sharing the pictures, I’m going to continue doing this on my Instagram page, and there’s no shortage of pictures to play with.

You can hear more about our lockdown projects on The Photography News Podcast episode one. If you like it, make sure you subscribe on YouTube or Spotify.