Finding my photographic style

Finding Photographic Style Life hits hard my friends and let me tell you, nothing hits harder as a photographer than finding your groove when it comes to your photographic style. Here, I present three images hot off the press that I wanted to meditate on a little, and one just below purely for funsies. Join me on a brief meditation into photographic style, and hopefully some of these ideas will help you on the road to finding yours too! What is style? I’m not going to try and bore you with a dictionary definition and to be honest, I’m also too lazy to search up the dictionary or grab my trusty, dusty old friend off the shelf either.  By my reckoning though, style is all about choice and expression – from the clothes we choose to wear every day, to the music we listen to, the TV shows we watch and the art we consume. If that’s true (and let’s assume it is), then finding your own photographic style is all about making choices that express whatever it is you’re thinking or feeling from both a technical and emotional perspective. This is why for me even during those tough times, photography is such a fantastic outlet for feelings. By the way this picture of the moon is purely for fun! How did I find my photographic style? I’ve been a photographer for a good few years now. In this world where everyone has a phone in their pockets, and those phones have baked-in image presets whenever you take a photo, we’ve become conditioned to how images should look. You know the ones I mean – super saturated colours, high contrast, razor sharp. The truth is when it comes to photographic style, that’s a choice made by the developer of the phone or app you’re using. When you port over to a “real” camera the learning curve is tough because you’re suddenly working with the RAW data you capture, so not only does your composition neetd to be hot, but your thinking around “what do I want this photo to look like?” also needs to be on point. So how did I find my own photographic style? Well, it was mostly just going out and shooting lots of different subjects and scenes, trying different weather conditions, getting up early to go take shots like the ones below during sunrise. That’s before we even mention Lightroom and Photoshop adjustments, which are a whole different kettle of fish. If we had to boil this all down to a forumla, it would go a little something like this: Photographic style = subject preference/composition x feeling +/- colour. The Specifics of my Photographic Style Ok so what’s my secret sauce when it comes to the Lightroom edit? Well I’ll tell ya because I like you I guess… Step 1: Crop. Boom! Step 2: Bring up the shadows to reveal hidden details. Step 3: Isolate the sky and lower highlights a touch to bring back detail. Step 4: Reduce clarity and texture to soften the image. Step 5: Desaturate greens and make highlight colours pop. Step 6: Use colour harmony to set the mood of the image and to run those colours through the shadows, highlights and mid-tones as needed. Any other tips? So you’ve learnt about my photographic style, and hopefully it’s making you think more about your own and how you want to (or already) achieve it! That’s perfect! Any other tips I hear you ask? Well I suppose I can spare a few more. – Don’t forget local masking, as it can help make certain areas of your image pop. Look at the image below – I used the brush mask to add some shadow back into the mole hills and at the base of the hedgerow. – Use your tone curve to add in some contrast (not forgetting to remove the colour cast if that’s your thing). – Introduce some extra “glow” by using a radial gradient mask to dehaze from a light source, add a little warmth if you like, and generally give a bit of glow up. – Try to be ok with some parts of your image being dark or out of focus. We get drawn into YouTubers and other photographers telling us what our photos should look like, that we forget they are ours – not every bit of an image needs to be tack-sharp, and it’s ok to blow your highlights or crush your blacks if that’s the photographic style you’re going for! Thanks for reading guys, I seriously appreciate you choosing to spend time here with me. If you like any of the images you see here, shoot me a message on my contact page, or  head over to my shop page to browse the prints on offer. I also have lightroom presets available for FREE which you can get from my shop page too – they’ll help you create images just like the ones above in record time! Peace and love, The Bipolar Photographer x

Presets, Presets, Presets!

Presets, Presets, Presets! Finding Your Personal Style: Why Bipolar Management Is Like a Lightroom Preset We talk a lot about “finding our style,” whether it’s in the clothes we wear, the way we edit our photos, or how we navigate the world. But when you’re living with bipolar disorder, “style” takes on a different meaning. It isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about finding a sustainable way to exist. I’ve realized there’s a massive parallel between the way we use digital presets to find an artistic voice and the way we use clinical frameworks to find personal stability. The Baseline: The “One-Click” Starting Point When you first start editing photos, you usually reach for a preset. It’s a shortcut to a “good” result. You apply it because the raw image feels unrefined—maybe even overwhelming. In the world of bipolar disorder, this is your clinical foundation. It’s the medication, the basic routine, and the advice from doctors. It’s a “clinical preset” designed to keep the colors from becoming too garish (mania) or the exposure from dropping into total darkness (depression). Let me be super candid, the medication changed my life for the better, but it’s not the be-all-and-end-all, you’ve still got to dial in other areas of your life, just like editing your images.  It’s necessary, but it’s just the beginning. BeforeAfter The Trap of the Default Setting If you apply the same preset to every photo without looking, you get a mess. Some images come out overblown; others have the shadows “crushed” until all detail is lost. The danger is the same in life. If we rely only on the default settings provided by others, we lose our nuance. The “Clinical” Trap: Expecting a single strategy to work for every mood. The “Style” Trap: Letting a filter do the work instead of your own eye. Take this image of the woodland scene (left) – my Golden Hour woodland preset is great for pulling colour through, but in this image it still needs some desaturation to give it that natural look. To truly find your style, you have to move past the one-click solution. Fine-Tuning: Moving the Sliders The magic happens when you stop clicking and start sliding. Finding your personal style is the art of deliberate adjustment. Saturation vs. Vibrance: In photo editing, I might drop the saturation but boost the vibrance. It keeps the “image” of my life lively without letting it get “loud” or manic. Texture and Shadows: We’re often told to eliminate the “lows.” But in editing, shadows provide depth. The goal isn’t to erase the dark parts of our experience, but to make sure those shadows have texture and detail rather than being a black void of depression. How to Reverse-Engineer Your “Why” Eventually, you stop asking what preset to use and start asking why you like a certain look. That’s when your photos (and life) can really take off in my opinion. Do you like high contrast because you crave intensity? Do you like soft tones because you need calm? By understanding the “why” behind your sliders—whether it’s your social rhythm, your work-life balance, or your creative output—you learn to recreate your “style” even when the environment changes. The Bottom Line: You Are the Editor A preset is a map, not the territory. Whether you’re tweaking a photo or managing a mood disorder, the goal is the same: use the tools to bring out the most honest version of yourself. You aren’t forcing your life to fit a “clinical preset”; you are using those tools to find the settings that make you feel most like you. Shop the Print Collection Back to Blog Posts Subscribe for new posts and exclusive prints! * indicates required First Name Last Name Email Address * /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Mastering Lightroom Organization: Lessons from a “Photography Marie Kondo”

Mastering Lightroom Organization: Lessons from a “Photography Marie Kondo” In most areas of life, I’m the organized one. I’m the person friends call when they need to declutter or find a system that actually works. It’s a blessing and a curse. However, when it comes to photography, my “excitable brain” takes over. I used to rush to my computer the second I walked through the door, diving into edits without giving the images time to breathe. The result? I often settled for boring shots and missed the hidden potential in others. I realized I was being an “excitable twerp” and neglecting the powerful Lightroom organizational features at my disposal. If you’ve been glossing over the basics, here are a few ways I’ve revamped my Lightroom workflow to improve my editing process, featuring some recent shots from a trip to Winchester, Hampshire. 1. Why Importing is the Foundation of Your Workflow The secret to a clean library starts at the very beginning. Getting your import settings right saves hours of manual labor later. While everyone has their own “correct” way to do this, here is the setup that works for me: Custom File Naming: I include the date, shoot name, and original filename. This makes searching your hard drive a breeze. Automatic Develop Settings: I apply basic corrections to every photo upon import. Metadata & Keywords: Tagging images immediately ensures you can actually find them three years from now. Storage Strategy: I use a NAS (Network Attached Storage) drive to keep my folders structured and my PC’s internal drive clutter-free. 2. Rating vs. Hating: The Simple Traffic Light System I used to find the rating and color-coding features in Lightroom a bit overwhelming. Now, I use a simplified “traffic light” system to track my progress: The Flagging Phase: First, I quickly flag the “keepers” and reject the “duds.” Yellow (Work in Progress): If I start an edit but get stuck, want to try a different direction, or just need a break, I tag it Yellow. Green (Finished): Once I’m happy with the final look, it turns Green. The 5-Star Export: All my “Green” images get a 5-star rating, making them easy to filter and export in one batch. 3. Using Smart Collections to “Collect ‘Em All” My favorite “Marie Kondo” tip for Lightroom is using Smart Collections. When your library grows into the thousands, you need a way to find specific images fast without scrolling forever. Smart Collections allow you to automatically group photos based on specific criteria. I have collections set up for: 5-Star TIFFs: For those deep-dive edits from Photoshop. Frequent Tags: I have automated folders for “Cats,” “Family,” and “Woodland.” In-Progress Edits: Anything tagged yellow that needs a second look. How to set it up: Click the [+] button in the Collections tab, select “Create Smart Collection,” and set your rules. It is incredibly flexible and does the filing for you. Slow Down for Better Edits The biggest benefit of getting organized isn’t just a tidy folder—it’s the mental space it gives you. By following a structured post-processing workflow, I’m forced to take a breath before I start moving sliders. I hope these tips help you tame your own digital library! If you have a different way of organizing your catalog, I’d love to hear it (even if I did threaten to turn the comments off!). Happy snapping! The Bipolar Photographer Subscribe for new posts and exclusive prints! * indicates required First Name Last Name Email Address * /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Re-Woodworking: Revisiting My Practice

Re-Woodworking: Revisiting Fundamental Practice Re-Woodworking: A Terrible Pun for a Great Practice Growing up, I had some key sporting hobbies and was actually quite good at them. As part of those sports, practicing and refining the fundamentals was a vital part of improving. Interestingly, photography is no different, and neither is mental health and wellbeing. Fundamental Practice is key to survival! So, last week I revisited some older woodland photographs that I took earlier in the year. It was a bit of “Re-Woodworking,” if you will excuse my terrible attempt at a pun! These are all shots of ordinary, local places that have grown in meaning for me over the past few years. From Snapshots to Intentional Art When I originally processed these images, they were well and truly “taken.” However, I now consider them “made.” My goal is to invite the viewer to travel into the frame rather than bouncing around trying to find what to look at. These are no longer just snapshots; instead, they have a clear intention. As I’ve mentioned before, art is subjective and our creative paths are unique. Even so, I take this intentionality as a sign that my technical skills have improved compared to even six months ago. An example might be this shot of a woodland path winding gently through dense pine trees. I walk this path almost every day, and especially when it’s nice weather! It has become unremarkable to me because of my near-daily visits, but objectively it is a beautiful spot. I tried here, to use the path as a sort of leading line into the photograph, through the bridge and off to the horizon line. I intentionally framed the picture so the end of the path can’t be seen to inject a little bit of mystery!   Technical Specs: Shot on Canon EOS R8 14-35mm F4 USM L 1/400 sec at f9.0 and ISO 1600 The Parallel of Wellbeing In the context of mental health, revisiting and sharpening your fundamentals can be life-changing. For instance, getting your grounding practices well-drilled or having a routine to stimulate the senses provides a necessary safety net. I feel a deep parallel between my mental wellbeing and these images. The glass-pooled reflections of Waggoners Wells remind me of times when my mood slips away, and I can’t tell which way is up. My original edit (which I am too embarrassed to show here…) was HIGHLY saturated and the colours looked unnatural – far too orange and the green – yuck. Looked like alien vomit. Now we can hopefully agree that the colours are far more natural, and actually compared to a reference image taken on my phone at the time, the colours are closely representative of what I actually saw on the day.  Other processes were simplified in the edit too – far less local masking to achieve subtle but impactful points of interest in the image. For example, the dehazing of the bottom edge foreground so you can see into the well, and the hazing at the top edge to remove distracting sky elements. Overall, pretty pleased with this one as I felt I really went back to my fundamental practice of keeping things simple!    Technical Specs: Shot on Canon EOS R8 28-70mm F2.8 IS STM 1/160 sec at F5.0 and ISO 2500  Similarly, the ominous tree feels like a point of no return, directing me to go back the way I came. Thankfully, the pathways bathed in light represent the way through the trees to normality. This is sometimes what it feels like living with Bipolar 2 – an abrupt stopping when you hit the low (and high) point and start to bounce back!   Technical Specs: Shot on Canon EOS R8 14-35mm F4 USM L 1/320 sec at f8.0 and ISO 1250 Final Thoughts Much like the waters of the well, photography can be deeply reflective if you give it a chance – especially when you revisit and don’t stray too far from your fundamental practice. Unfortunately, this is a skill many are losing thanks to smartphones and instant media. My brain, my self-esteem, and I are so grateful for this craft. It has been truly transformative for my wellbeing, and I hope it is for you too. Much love, The Bipolar Photographer x P.S. if you like any of the photos in this post, why don’t you check out my Fine Art Print Shop. You can even browse other blog posts for more inspiration! Subscribe for new posts and exclusive prints! * indicates required First Name Last Name Email Address * /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Les Arcs (French Alps)

Les Arcs – the French Alps What a few days – my first time in the Alps and first experience of skiing “out in the wild”. Climbing the mountain by car under cover of night didn’t wake my senses up to the vast beauty and the stark terror of being on the side of a mountain so high. Opening the curtains on the first full day and it hit me hard – it was a different world up there; the snow, the minus 8 degrees centigrade, the thin air and the expert ski-ers racing around us. Standing at the window and staring out, I realised that this trip would be different – beautiful but challenging even. I hit the first day hard – picking up my equipment for skiing and racing up to where we could practice, despite only having had a single lesson before travelling out. My first ten runs or so were great and the instructor on the practice slope was impressed, so my confidence rocketed and I felt that tiny itch of hypomania pushing back against my medicated mind. That was until we ended up on the first proper run… We took to the Piste De Minis – a beginner run aimed at children. I believed it would be easy, as I’d become too confident for my own good. I started to follow the instructor but quickly lost control, and the confidence was shattered – I realised I had (as often used to happen before my diagnosis), bitten off more than I could chew, and was then hurtling downhill with very little control over speed and direction! Suddenly the fluffy and welcoming snow became hard and jagged walls of ice; the only thing ready to stop me being the need to slam into one of these cold barriers, or to throw myself down onto the floor… After losing my cool and throwing myself onto the cold, hard snow barrier on the edge of the piste, I realised that I was struggling to feel my feet – boots were too tight and honestly it felt like a relief to know it wasn’t just my head – there was a real, physical reason for my lack of control. I just didn’t have the skiing experience to recognise this sooner and to save myself the worry – cut myself some slack. I think that’s the main message for me from a mental health perspective – you can’t always be perfect, especially if you rush into something without taking the time to really give it a go. It takes time to learn a new skill, to get used to a new medication, to make lifestyle changes, to learn which photos are made vs those that are taken. Give yourself time and for goodness sake, cut yourself some slack! Luckily for me, at the end of the day on this trip, there was always a nice cold beer and some tasty snacks waiting at the restaurant-come-pub-come-club! I used photography on this trip to escape some of the intensity of being out on the slopes – especially as there were a multitutde of new sensory experiences my body needed to get used to, from the snow and ice to the stiff and uncomfortable boots. Because photography can be slow and deliberate, it gives us a platform to move and enjoy the world around us, to really see it, whilst doing so at our own pace. That is one of the biggest gifts of photography in my eyes. Until next time guys, keep it real!   The Bipolar Photographer x Subscribe for new posts and exclusive prints! * indicates required First Name Last Name Email Address * /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

Ashford Hangers National Nature Reserve

Ashford Hangers National Nature Reserve Join me on a short ramble across the sunrise-drenched Ashford Hangers NNR! A Sunrise Waterfall Walk for Wellbeing I don’t know about you, but sometimes I like to wake up early on a sunny weekend morning. Something about getting up early on the weekend feels naughty – like you shouldn’t be rising and instead should be lounging in bed. After all, you can’t do that during the week when you’re working right? Well what about if your body just wakes up even earlier than early?  I had planned on this particular weekend to wake up early and go to the Ashford Hangers National Nature Reserve to take some photographs of a the largest local “waterfall” (which turned out to be a chute of water coming out of a wall on private property), but sadly that wasn’t meant to be. Despite my suspicions as I tucked myself into bed the night before, knowing that the “waterfall” look like a disappointment, I snuggled on down with my cat Gary and went to bed filled with thoughts of the epic photos I could make in the morning… Roll on 5am and my body wakes me up – more specifically my brain. I heard a bang coming from somewhere in my house, only to feel too much guilt for not checking it out, so I got up and hazily walked around my house, figuring that if I was being robbed, I may as well get murdered too because I was asleep and nothing was going to wake me up at this time! That said, I was greeted by the pitter-patter of Gary’s feet and he guided me back to the bed for an early morning snuggle. By this point though, I was well and truly awake, so after a quick bit of companionship, I rose and got ready (EXTRA EARLY) to head off to Ashford Hangers National Nature Reserve near Petersfield, Hampshire – not too far from where I live. Climbing Down Into The Valley… That naughty feeling hit me again as I pulled into a layby at the top of the reserve, peering over the edge of a sheer drop on the other edge of some catkin-laden shrubs. The sun was blazing through the valley below, illuminating everything in its path all the way up the banks of gnarled trees barely touched by people in places. As I scrambled across the road and up an embankment to get a better view, I turned around and once again got that naughty feeling – I felt like the only person in the world seeing this view right now, and it felt exhilarating! I spent some time faffing, some time making the pictures you see above, and then some more faffing. I gradually made my way down from the top of the nature reserve until I came upon this old church – no idea of the name of the village; there didn’t seem to be anything here but the church, a farm out-building, and a small brick cottage farmhouse. The light felt drinkable it was that smooth! Photographing churches seems to be an accident that keeps happening to me – funny for a man who isn’t the slightest bit Christian! In fact, I often feel like I’d more likely be struck down if I entered a church on account of my tendency to believe more in nature than the supernatural. In a way, I suppose that’s the contrast I didn’t know I needed from this little ramble out. Often when my mental health is struggling, it’s next to impossible to get out and about to do things like exercise, or anything goal-related really. Since getting my diagnosis though, I’ve been imbued with that little bit of motivation to get started, and really that’s exactly what I needed to get up and make the most of the opportunities that Ashford Hangers afforded me that day. And since then, doing this trip has motivated me to do all sorts, including learning how to build this site! So i think that’s the message – take a couple of steps at a time; baby steps if you need it, then just aim to go a little further next time… Until next time, The Bipolar Photographer! P.S. I may have a few prints in my Fine Art Print Shop, if you’ve spotted any images that you like here! https://youtu.be/E34R8bvG4CU Scroll To Top Subscribe for new posts and exclusive prints! * indicates required First Name Last Name Email Address * /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things – do not remove this or risk form bot signups */