Still by the Water | alan frost photography

Another year over – a time to reflect and consider.

My first post of 2019.

Another year over and a time to reflect on the past 12 months and consider what the next 12 months might bring.

2018 was not my most productive year from a photographic point of view. I had plenty of ideas but simply couldn’t settle on what it was I wanted to achieve. Projects came and went, although none have been discarded altogether. Perhaps other distractions in my life simply prevented me from being able to devote the time or concentrate my mind on any one particular line of thought.

I can’t be certain but I hope this year will be different. By the time December comes round again I would like to be able to look back and say that 2019 has been a good year and that 2018 was simply a quieter and less creative period. A passage of time when my internal batteries needed recharging, so filling me with fresh enthusiasm to make new photographs in the year which lies ahead.

The image which accompanies this post was taken in the past few days and is I believe, one which somehow metaphorically reflects the past year. A vacant plastic garden chair, out of place, overlooking a deserted creek at low tide. An empty space, ready to accept the incoming tide of fresh ideas coupled with renewed enthusiasm. A still, quiet place ideally suited to the mind being contemplative and receptive to whatever the future may hold.

Wherever you are in the world may I wish you a peaceful, healthy and happy New Year. With my thanks as always for reading my blog.

The Image Circle Exhibition opens today

A5 Flyer General Invitation (2 sides)

I am very proud to be a member of The Image Circle, a group of six like minded photographers who got together 18 months ago and today our inaugural exhibition opens to the public at The Oxmarket Centre of Arts in Chichester, West Sussex. The exhibition is on until Sunday 19th November.

All the photographers share an interest in the art and craft of outdoor photography and the exhibition will be an opportunity to view a broad cross section of their combined work. Many of the images on show will represent local wildlife and landscapes as well as other areas of Britain.

The photographers themselves have a wealth of experience spanning several decades and including clients such as the RSPB, South Downs National Park Authority as well commissioned articles for the likes of Outdoor Photography magazine. The have also achieved prestigious awards and accreditations.

Many of the images are the result of personal project work, in particular my own body of work – ‘Still by the Water’ – evocative monochrome prints of Chichester Harbour; Sean Lewis’s wildwood and Dorset coastal imagery and John Dominick’s continuing fascination with the heathlands of West Sussex. Gerry Gavigan is widely travelled and this is reflected in his broad vistas of UK landscapes. The wildlife lover is sure to be enthralled by the images from Matthew Gould as well as the creative imagery of Tony Stevens.

If you live nearby I do hope you will be able to come along.

A bespoke portfolio for ‘Still by the Water’

The Image Circle inaugural exhibition is just four weeks away and my preparations are well in hand; well they were until I decided to have a bespoke portfolio made. Let me explain. Some time ago I knew that the photographs I would be displaying at the exhibition would be a selection of images from a body of work on Chichester Harbour now titled ‘Still by the Water’. This has been an ongoing project of mine for the past 18 months or so. In that period I have taken many hundreds of frames and of these I am very happy with about 50 images. Consequently they formed the short list for exhibition. I selected 24 photographs to frame and hang at The Oxmarket in Chichester, but then I asked myself the question -‘What happens to those pictures that didn’t make the final cut?’