It’s funny how things change. How life changes.
Having got back into the habit or writing here, I suddenly stop. Why? I recently had some bad news that absolutely knocked me sideways; The passing of someone who I used to be very close with. Grief affects us all differently and to be honest I was never expecting it to affect me like it has. It caused me (like many others) to reassess how I was living, where I was putting my time & effort.
If you follow my instagram ( edwards_photo ), you will know I put an awful lot of time (mornings) into the gym, it helped my mental health as well as my physical health, but did it help it enough? I was happy with myself but always at a price; must do better, can be better, push harder! (Is keep telling ourselves to push harder, to be better just a different way of telling ourselves we are not good enough?)
Anyway, this is not a self help blog, it is a photography blog and how is the above related to my photography?
Well part of the reassessment was deciding not to push myself so hard, I can be healthy in other ways (I wanted to get back into long distance running and I think the gym was getting in the way of that). Before the gym I spent the start of most days on the beach. Being close to the sea and nature is hugely calming, so this is where I am heading again. Starting with this morning.
Although there are many aspects to my job as a photographer to the entertainment industry that are very stressful, creating landscape / seascape images is the total opposite. Taking a camera down to the beach, with a couple of lenses pre-sunrise, gently strolling along, snapping the changing light & sky is one of the most peaceful, pleasing pastimes I know (the other is painting them – if you did not know I paint, check out my other insta julie_edwards_artist )
The gallery that follows was shot this morning on an X-T3 with either the 35/1.4 or 150-400 and processed in lightroom with PureRAW 3 and DXO Viveza (I have just upgraded my DXO Nik Suite to 6 – expect a post on this soon).
Lens (mm): 100 ISO: 1600 Apert: 4.5
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 1000 Aperture: 2.5
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 1000 Aperture: 2.5
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 1600 Aperture: 2.8
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 1600 Aperture: 2.8
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 1600 Aperture: 5.6
These were all taken within 15 minutes either side of sunrise.
If you have seen my paintings you will know that I am probably more obsessed with how the sky is continually changing over the sea than the sea itself, with my work being more like “skyscapes with sea” rather than “seascapes”; so I was quite excited as the sky changed….
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 1600 Aperture: 5.6
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 1600 Aperture: 5.6
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 80 Aperture: 5.6
Lens (mm): 35 ISO: 80 Aperture: 5.6
Lens (mm): 100 ISO: 80 Aperture: 5.6
Lens (mm): 100 ISO: 80 Aperture: 5.6
On these I exposed for the bright hi-lights allowing everything else to darken, bringing the contrast back in Viveza.
So the bottom line? I’m back writing again and you can expect more landscape type stuff on here as well as images from my work in the entertainment world (which will include the BASE awards next).
Any comments or questions, “I’m listening” (oh yeah, I’m enjoying the new Frasier)…
J x
Julie Edwards-X 
Beautiful
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Well as you know, i love landscape and look forward to more from you x
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With that amount of openness and honesty you’ll never make a politician! – Beautiful pictures as ever.
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I am sorry for your loss. A time of reflection, spend time in nature and go easy on yourself…. beautiful pictures Julie.
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Thank you xx
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Much sympathy Julie, I’m still in disbelief that I lost a best friend last November, when he was just 64 and fit. Business is going through a catastrophic change for me at present and I’m under increasingly dark clouds especially when I hear the horrors accelerating around the world.
My sea swimming has been my relief, but not for the swimming as such,more for the bobbing about in the water studying the hugeness of the sky above, and even better when it’s reflected in the water around me. Cold water sea swimming has been my salvation, and that’s because of it’s connection to nature and literally the bigger picture – it offers perspective and focus, and I think I’d collapse at present without it.
There is nothing humans can say, do or create that is more incredible than nature and the universe. It’s important that a few of us really understand that, whilst so many don’t see the connection any more.
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