I’m about to start on another photography book release via blurb.com that should take me most of the winter to put together. This is going to be a big project and an important landmark book (at least for me!) that completes the first phase of the Norfolk project.

Ten years ago, i decided that i needed a long term photographic project. What began as a loose kind of photography exercise in Norfolk, ended up gathering pace and direction. After ten years, it’s time for a break and some contemplation of where to take it next. I have lots of options open, plenty left to photograph in the county, and after a year or two i’ll return.

Over the next few months I’ll be putting all of the photography  together, around 80 images or possibly more, to make a retrospective book that , I think, will be the perfect way to present the first ten years of work. The majority of the photographs that have been released online have focussed on the landscape side of the project, however, the book will stay true to the original idea with a broad mix of landscape and documentary photography. I aim to release the book on March 21st 2012.

Took this image last night of a boat at Morston Quay, Norfolk. Rather like the tones I’m getting with certain b&w setting on the iPhone’s Hipstamatic app.

So there we have it. The final Baldixette photograph taken from the roll of film shot in North Wales in 2004.  I love this remarkable little camera. It’s simple to use and importantly it  puts you firmly back into the driving seat as a photographer, delivering great results with a bit of effort. You have to think and work with the camera to get an image. That’s not a bad thing for a photographer to experience in this auto-everything world.

An anchored yacht at Beaumaris, Anglesey in North Wales.

I love the misty mountain of Snowdonia that feature in the background of this photo. To wake up on your yacht to that view must be fantastic. I would own a yacht if i could afford one. I adore the freedom you have to move around that a yacht offers. One day maybe…

At the time of writing, I’m packing to go down to Cornwall. When this post appears on the blog, i will be boarding the train for an eight hour journey down to the South West of England. So keep an eye on this blog, the main photoblog and the other websites over the next few days for tweets, photos, audioboos, podcasts, blogposts and more.

The hills near Conwy in North Wales

It has been very quiet on the blog this last month. One or two family dilemmas to deal with. There will be, however, a gradual return to a normal service this month starting with the other Agfapan 25 image posts i promised to post a few weeks ago. I’ll post them this week.

Hainford (or Haynford) (All Saints ) Churchyard – Norfolk

Returning to harbour, Burnham Overy Staithe, Norfolk, UK

Holme beach, Norfolk, UK  

It’s hard to believe but the Darker Skies blog has been online for a year. My initial idea for the blog’s role turned out to be a non-starter. Originally i had planned the blog to be more like my main photo blog. I just didn’t see the point of doubling up on websites though. Each must have its own distinct role and Darker Skies certainly has developed an important role for itself over the last year.

Really the blog acts as a satellite for my other online photographic endeavours and as my own photo blog. The podcast has its own page here and there are plans to expand the site even further. The page design changed again earlier this month and… finally i’m happy with the way the blog looks. It’s been quiet here so far this month, very little in the way of photo postings, but i ‘ll be adding an image everyday this week starting tomorrow.

Here’s to another year of Darker Skies.

Looking back towards Blakeney – Norfolk, UK

I’ve already started to formulate some plans for next year. After all, a year seems like a long time, but it soon goes, so I’m just thinking about where to take things next year. 2011, I think, will be a year in which I want to push my multimedia ideas to the next level - video, audio and photography. Heck yeah, that sounds like fun and a challenge too. I’ve started experimenting around with video recently, shooting and editing material I’ve done via my iPhone, however I really want to move to a much higher standard of work by this time next year. I think that the return to shooting in Norfolk next year will be a great place for developing a large-scale piece of multimedia work.

A couple of items needed to help me along. First is a compact digital HD camcorder, and second is software to produce professional photography slide shows with audio…. with the addition of video too.  The camcorder will also be used for video podcasting, something I want to commence doing later this year. My only worry is the potential pitfalls of shooting video and still images at the same time. It rarely works well – both need different mindsets. I always remember a Larry Burrows (one of my photo heroes) remark that he would shoot black & white OR colour…. but NEVER both at the same time. 

Ways of looking, ways of seeing  and the visual interpretation of a scene – it depend to some degree on the medium you use and sometimes it’s just better to focus on one, than try to do several at the same time.

 A ‘work in progress’ houseboat at Blakeney in Norfolk, UK

 Tracks in the sand - Sea Palling, Norfolk, UK

I’m currently going through a phase of wanting to get ready for my Norfolk trip, even though I’m not doing it this year. Last year I made the decision to give Norfolk a break, the project would have a creative interlude for 2010, and come back fresh and reinvigorated for 2011. I will miss it though, which is not surprising considering that I’ve been doing it for five years on the trot. Time for a break me thinks. Last year, I got the feeling that I was becoming… er… too familiar with the place. Although it was hugely tempting to return this year, I’m going to stick by my decision of 2009 and do something else this year…. something very different - I’ll be helping film a vampire movie  in Whitby.

My Norfolk  project came about in 2004, influenced mainly by a photographic book called Northumberland by John Tordai. The book was part of a series, although I only recall ever seeing two books, where a photographer would pick a county they knew and photograph it. Tordai had been raised on Tyneside, so naturally, he chose the beautiful county of Northumberland. Sadly I can’t remember the name of the other photographer, or the exact county that the book was shot in. I do remember though that it was a county located in the south of England. I thought it a fantastic idea to do a long-term photographic project and that made me decide to shoot a project of my own.

My Norfolk project differs in one major respect to the books. I have no links to the county. I like the idea of coming to a subject fresh, just once a year for (and at) a certain period of time. I could do a similar type of project here in my home county of North Yorkshire, but for the moment I’ll stick to photographing the delights of Norfolk. How long will this project last? Initially when I started I thought ten years but I’ve decided to remove any time restrictions. It’s ongoing and ends when it ends. I’ll miss visiting this year but the break is needed.

Pier entrance – Cromer, Norfolk, UK

Pebble beach -Sheringham, Norfolk, UK

So the UK has had it’s election and the winner is…. well no one really. All of the political parties suffered from a terminal case of mistrust, apathy and a longing for change from the public.

To say that no-one won might be wrong. This could be the start of a process of changing what’s wrong with the country’s political system which, quite frankly, is rather out of date. Maybe the UK public finally won.

The next few days will be interesting….

Wicker artwork on Salthouse beach, Norfolk, UK

As you may have noticed, I’ve altered the look of the Darker Skies blog. There are a few improvements in the works that will be added over the summer. More details about that coming up in the April podcast due for release in the next week.

Sadly, there is no visit to Norfolk this year, however, i do intend to visit again next year. I do have a trip planned for this year to a rather lovely part of Britain… it’s just when I’ll do it that needs to be sorted out.