the joy of photography
living the creative life
My Muse Manifesto
The most important call that we can heed as we build our creative life is the call of our Muse. It has always been so. Yet in our busy life it’s easy to become deaf to the quiet, subtle messages of our inner creative.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can choose to embrace our path, master photography and catch those visual stories without losing the joy and drive that spurred us on in those exciting early days.
reclaim the fun
as you learn photography
find fulfilment
and reach your creative goals
taste the freedom
of crafting your creative life
Who is The Call of the Muse for?
Drawing on my fifty years as a photographer I've created The Call of the Muse as a way to help photographers and creatives who use a camera stay inspired, enjoy their craft and build the creative life they desire.
"I don’t know about you but when I think about it, these are the three results I want from following a creative photographic life and I aim to help you and a whole clan of other photographers maintain your drive, your inspiration and your joy as you deepen into your photography."
Is The Call of the Muse a good fit for you? If you’re keen to find fulfilment through your photography it certainly is.
As I mention in my video below I’ve been a photographer all of my life and have mastered the many aspects necessary to support my 3 decades working for the most exacting publishing clients in the world.
The Call of the Muse offers supportive, inspirational, educational articles and resources to help fire your imagination and trigger your inspiration. After all, this is where the real work is at. Yes, I do cover the finer details of exposure, camera settings, technique and processing for those who want to wander those particular avenues but it is by no means as essential in this digital day and age.
Maybe you use a phone camera, perhaps you simply want to ‘run and gun’ with your camera set on one of the ‘do it for you’ modes and that’s ok. Perhaps you've spent years learning the mechanics of the craft and now want to explore the more conceptual aspects of your art, finding your own particular voice and sharing your stories in a visually eloquent and powerful way. Or maybe you want to build a good foundation without losing the joy.
My lifetime experience of working with the Muse, creating bodies of work, sharing beauty and truth and discovering ways to stay creative will enable me to help you find your way, wherever you're at now on your creative journey. Watch the video below to find out more.
My Story...
From Inspiration to Final Creation
I find it disheartening to see so much weight put on the shoulders of post processing these days. It’s as if many tutors think the work is mainly done on the computer when nothing can be further from the truth. Of course I too enjoy working with my images in Lightroom and Photoshop but this is only one aspect of modern creative photography.
For me it all begins with that spark of an idea that teases me into reaching for my camera in the first place. And then there’s the shoot. Actually working with the seasons, the weather, light and shadow to craft something of meaning that will be the body and soul of my final piece. I simply breathe the spirit back into the work with post processing.
I call this Deep Photography, where the real work is, the fun, the freedom and the fulfilment.
I wrote a little about it here.
If you’d like to see my work I have a gallery site however I must tell you it’s not crammed with polished chocolate box images of the usual honeypot locations and nature. I take a much more ‘closer to home’ approach and try to find my photographic thrills in the everyday. I play, experiment, get it wrong, then get it right, reshoot, rethink and redo my work and it’s all reflected in my no frills online journal with little in the way of polishing.
To get to know me more have a wander around this site, and the gallery site linked above. Check out the 6 articles mentioned below and maybe sign up for my free e-book 'Guide to Crafting Your Creative Life.' I believe I have lots to offer you.
How to Master Creative Photography
To learn more about my approach to photographic mastery check out this series of articles which outline the six steps that I believe lead the way.