Video Blog: Abbotsbury
During half term, I drove west along the south coast, to meet my very good friend Corrie in Abbotsbury.
Corrie works at The Clock Workshop, just at the bottom of St Catherine's Hill. After meeting her for work, we walked up, past St Catherine's Chapel, and sat overlooking Chesil Beach.
We walked back down for dinner at the village pub — a halloumi, pepper and humous burger, followed by a chocolate brownie for me — before going to watch the sunset from Chesil Beach.
Autumn Pieces 03–06: Isle of Wight
Setting off at 8.30 a.m. last weekend, I took a day trip to the Isle of Wight. After some work in the morning, I set out around the Island to create more Autumn Pieces.
Autumn Pieces 03: Isle of Wight Ferry
8.30 a.m. on a Saturday morning is an ungodly time to be at a ferry terminal, but I made it — and on time. Once again with my GoPro, my Nikon and my iPhone, I was ready for a day trip to the Isle of Wight.
The weather was crisp, and the clouds were clearing, and as the ferry set out from Southampton on the journey to Cowes, I found spaces out on deck to sit, film and compose.
Through Southampton water, the ferry journey takes you past Calshot: it was a satisfying moment sailing past the place I was the week before, but this time, seeing it from the other side.
Approaching Cowes, the call comes to go back to the car, and I must go complete a morning's work before I can explore that afternoon.
Autumn Pieces 04: Newport
After working the morning at Medina College, I drove in to Newport to visit Quay Arts, a cafe and art centre on the bank of Medina River.
Quay Arts is an old industrial building, with a bridge over the river leading you from the gift shop through to the cafe and arts space. The out door area over looks the river, and it was the perfect location to grab lunch, and recharge.
Walking along Newport Harbour after lunch — I had the hand-made burger — it was great! — You see a mix of disused and renovated industrial buildings and along the edge of the industrial riverside, flowers grow through the cracks in the concrete over the water's edge.
With lunch finished, batteries charged, and a brief explore of Newport Harbour, it was time to head off to Alum Bay to see The Needles and explore the coastline.
Autumn Pieces 05: The Needles
Arriving at The Needles at 3 p.m. I spent some time walking and sitting along the cliff tops, capturing time-lapses, taking in the expansive views over the water and turning them in to music.
Grey clouds started to fill the sky, the light started to fade, and with only a few hours left before my ferry back, It was clear that I wouldn't have time to walk along the cliff tops as well as down to Alum Bay beach. And so, with the rain starting to fall, I decided to walk down the steep steps to the beach.
Autumn Pieces 06: Alum Bay
Film arriving Friday at 6pm
As the rain started to fall, I was determined to make it down to Alum Bay to see the needles from the beach. I knew my GoPro would be fine in the rain, but I was tempted to leave my DSLR behind. However, I decided to tuck my D5100 under my jacket and chance it.
The steps down to the bay are steep, but reward you with incredible views across the bay and out towards the Needles: the windy stairs providing perfect stoping points for photos and a quick time-lapse.
Once down on the beach, the soggy walk was repaid with beautiful clear views and an empty beach: I guess the rain had put everybody else off. The view across to the needles was uninterrupted, and I was glad for my (now worryingly rain covered) DSLR to capture the clouds over the bay.
With clouds continuing to gather, and the rain continuing to fall, it was soon time to make a run back up the steep steps, back to the car, and back to the ferry home. With the fan heaters set to full, I tried to dry myself (and my gear) out.
GEAR:
MUSIC:
FILM:
Autumn Pieces 02: Calshot Castle
Now that Autumn has arrived, I want to carry on what I loved about the Summer Shorts series: finding a place, composing piece of music and making an accompanying short film.
The past few weeks have been exceptionally busy for me. The start of a new school year is always busy, but in my new role as project manager for the M-Tech project I have had some of the busiest weeks I can remember. It's been rewarding but exhausting.
Making time to go out and create these Autumn Pieces (and the Summer shorts before that) has become almost a ritual for me now. The boost that I get from the creative release is infectious. There is something mindful about heading out in to an unknown space and creating my own space within in: through the camera lens and through channeling my focus from the world around me in to the music I compose.
I took my GoPro again, and whilst most of the time-lapse video footage didn't come out as well as I hoped, some of the pictures I really loved, particularly this one that I took as I sat over the castle moat, staring in to the glassy pool of water below.
The other thing I have noticed over the past two weekend is how much better my iPhone 7 camera is than my iPhone 6 camera, and, even the disposable Instagram story pictures I took became some more of my favourites from the afternoon.
The music for this piece took multiple restarts before finding an idea that I liked enough to develop in to a full piece. Bob Dylan famously said to write ten songs a day and throw nine away. In a world of digital iteration, finishing nine bad songs doesn't seem like the right approach, but the spirit of trying, and trying again, is one worth remembering when finding new ideas seems illusive.
GEAR:
MUSIC:
FILM:
Summer Shorts: Compilation
As the year turns to Autumn, it felt right to bring together the short Instagram films from the Summer Shorts series.
Over the summer I set myself a challenge: find a location, compose a piece of music and create an accompanying short film.
These 11 short films and their accompanying compositions represent a body of work created during the summer of 2016.
Music was all composed using the app Auxy (www.auxy.co) and films were shot on a Nikon D5100 with a Nikon 50mm f1.8 FX Lens.
Summer Shorts 10: Netley Abbey, Southampton
Continuing the summer shorts series, I set myself a challenge: find a location, compose a piece of music and create an accompanying short film.
Whilst making the summer shorts series in August, I got to Netley Abbey just as it was closing, but promised myself to come back and try again soon. Today, just as the rain started to break after a wet autumnal morning, I drove back over to Netley and to the Abbey.
As the weather started to clear, the Abbey was empty when I arrived. With the sun working hard to break through the fast moving cloud, I was joined by a newly married couple and their wedding photographers.
With the peaceful calm of the empty abbey and the stillness of the ancient structure, it was only the changing light across the old stone that brought movement to the film. The song started as old hymnal chords which, when changed to a major key, let the melodies reveal themselves over the top.