Paris to Dublin

I've been watching the weather forecast for a week now, and I know a week is a long time in both Irish weather and politics. So lets not talk about politics. Same sex marriage, austerity measures and financial crisis are headlines I'm long tired of.  Lighter here : http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr
I've been weather watching lately because it's been so damn cold and miserable in Paris and Ireland and I have a landscape photography workshop to teach from April 1st to the 7th in Co. Donegal, and as the Aer Lingus aircraft made it's final approach to runway 10/28 the amount of white covering the land was  quite shocking. I didn't bring skis, and the last time I skied I almost broke my ass bone so that's a non runner.
http://www.aerlingus.com http://www.aerlingus.com/en-US/home/index.jsp
With some of my clients coming from sunny California my first though was shit, how am I going to do this? They'll freeze to death!
Well as I lay on my king size bed in the very comfortable Radisson Blu watching the RTE news http://www.rte.ie wishing to hell the weather was the first item up, but no it never is. Anyway contrary to the news the weather was a more heartening subject. It's going to get warmer...+1°
The thought of driving from Dublin to the northern part of Co. Donegal in a blizzard is not my idea of fun.
http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr
I must say before I forget, and I know I repeat myself but Co. Donegal has to be the most spiritually enriching place after Burma I know of. It's the mountains I guess?
http://www.siskiyous.edu/shasta/fol/nat/henn.htm Native Americans found the mountains to be of great religious symbolism, and they had a special relationship with mountains.
So perhaps there's a breed of native American Indian in me?
Bottom line is, it's all good. I made it from Paris with 30kg of gear without breaking my back. Only waited one hour for my dinner to be served, but it was worth the wait. I didn't say that at the time. Time does heal. It's 08.20 Irish time and my favourite meal of the day awaits me...full Irish breakfast.
I'll continue this when I get on the road, typing and driving is not yet outlawed.


http://www.siskiyous.edu/shasta/fol/nat/henn.htm

I've heard it said that, "we don't know what we don't know". It seems I know more than I think I know about photography, or at least that's what some folks tell me. I guess after 34 years I've picked up a bit about the subject, the trouble is the camera manufacturers, influential photographers and the industry in general keep moving the goal posts. More pixels, new styles and fashions and now we have to be videographers since they've gone and planted such high quality recording capabilities in our DSLRs.


I know self improvement and learning is great, but I'd rather be in a field, on a mountain, next to the sea, even being on a plane to my next destination is preferable to sitting here in the darkroom imprisoned by four walls.
So if anyone out there knows an easier softer way of learning how to edit video and then match it with photos in a slideshow please please email me. kevinhayden62@hotmail.com
To view what I do http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr

Now I've had my rant and made my plea for help I'll get back to the subject of teaching and learning.
I've been in Paris for nine years now, and since I arrived and got dumped (another story), I've devoted myself to my preferred pastime which has now become my full time profession...photography.
It has not changed for me, I still love it as a pastime, a therapy and a profession. When I am behind a camera I am both bullet proof and invisible, cocooned in my zone and searching for the zones of interest around me is where I feel best.
It's these feelings of connection with my environment that I now believe make it essential to make a great photograph. When I teach I often say the photographer must be in communion with his subject, he must have a connection with it...even love it. Be mindful and present.

 http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr

I am lucky to still have these feelings, even more than ever in fact I feel close to nature and people. And it's the great outdoors and the people in it that I enjoy most to photograph. It's these emotions that I share in my teaching and in my photography, and the students always respond positively. The evidence is almost instant in the images they produce. My next workshop is in Ireland from April 1st to the 7th. Later in the year I'm planning a workshop in Burma. After almost 3 months in Burma I've made good friends and interesting contacts who will guide us into the enchanted land of the Burmese. You may find this link useful http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/how-to-help-burma

Paris, Vermeer & Atlanta

Those of you who follow my all too infrequent blogs know I'm a gypsy at heart and I travel on a whim, and often on a wing and a prayer. BTW prayers are good and often work! So I recommend trying it. So I don't like long stories so I'll cut to the chase eventually. I'm Irish and talking to myself in my self-imposed digital darkroom in the wee small hours is par for the course. Funny, Ballybunion golf course comes to mind. It's in Co Kerry : http://www.ballybuniongolfclub.ie and well worth a visit. In fact the entire West coast of Ireland is worth a visit!
Anyway forget I wrote that, this blog is about photography. Not any old photography! My photography! I'm still in Paris (just for today), next week I'm back to Ireland for my photo workshop in Co Donegal. If you don't know Co Donegal you're really missing out. It's a well kept secret, and one I'm trying to change cos everyone deserves to see it at least once in a lifetime.

Now back to me goodself. I'm working on a personal project, a rather simple one, but one I'm really enjoying. It started with my admiration of Vermeer's "Girl with the pearl earring", it's a painting that has enchanted (ie charmed, delighted, captivated) me for years and one day near Place St Michel here in Paris I spotted "the" young girl. I turned on my heels, stopped the girl and explained my new idea, she agreed to pose for me and the rest is soon to be history.

Since that fateful day I've photographed about thirty ladies ranging in age from 10 to 80 years of age. I love them all!

They have all been willing volunteers, and it is this generosity of time, privacy and openness that has made this project so dear to my heart. It really has helped to restore my faith in humanity, and has inspired me to carry on when sometimes I think I'm just mad. You do have to be mad, and yes it certainly does help!
So now this year I have to have it all done in preparation for the arrival of Vermeer's masterpiece in Atlanta, GA. If all things are equal and the Gods agree I will exhibit my "girls" at the same time as Vermeer's "girl" next September in a gallery near the High museum. http://www.high.org




So if you're looking for a theme/project just head to your local art museum and get some inspiration. Or visit me here in Paris and I'll teach/guide you.

Looking for Inspiration

Well Christmas came and didn't leave my intestines intact. That's what happens when you go back to a country that eats a side of pork for breakfast! The black & white pudding, the beans, sausages and rashers are still with me it feels like, and alka seltzer doesn't work. Well not in this case. I didn't sit down to write about my stomach problems, I sat down to write about the lack of inspiration I'm feeling on this grey Paris day. But maybe it's connected...gas, bloating and lack of inspiration may well be connected? Well it has gotten me this far which is no all bad. I'm just going to write cos it's better than farting and procrastination!
I've got several projects to start, or restart and to finish and to edit. But I end up of that great thief of time and energy Facebook. So I'm trying to focus and finish! I must mention a book that someone popped in the post and sent to me out of the blue, but it's like a bolt of lightening to my lazy procrastinating side. It's called "theWar of Art" by Steven Pressfield and I take the quote from the cover made by Esquire "A vital gem...a kick in the ass." And it's true! That's also why I'm sitting writing rubbish...he says just do it, write! So it's just the kick in the ass I needed today!
http://www.kevinhayden.book.fr
So now I'm almost finished this small introspective rant that I hope will continue to motivate me to write something coherent, and to focus and finish all these projects and ideas flying around my spahgetti  junction head. Now I'm already tempted to see what rubbish has been posted on Facebook. I'm sick I need help!
Maybe you too need help? Go and buy the book!
Kevin Hayden is a photographer, tour guide, great cook, (great father hmm?) Don't tell my kids I said that!

Ok I've done a blog of rubbish today, but it's a blog! Don't complain! It's better than nothing!

Burmese Refugees Mae La Thailand by Photos and text by Kevin Hayden | Make Your Own Book

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Burmese Refugees Mae La Thailand by Photos and text by Kevin Hayden | Make Your Own Book

Whatever the weather

Well my second day on the beach at le Houget was much more testing, the rain was as always wet and cold and being blown from the east brought with it a lazy wind that went through you rather than around you. Fortunately I had remembered to bring my camera "coat", a light waterproof material that wraps around the lens and did a great job of keeping my gear dry, and allowing me to continue to work in really bad conditions. Unlike yesterday the tide was only on it's way in so I was safe enough. I've also been reminded that wearing wellies, and carrying a camera on a tripod with a rucksack full of gear on your back is a recipe for disaster! If you try and walk over rocks with all the aforementioned you are looking for trouble. Insure your gear!

The sun did make an appearance, and then left once more.

The weather definitely helped to get me thinking outside the proverbial "box", and had me looking at more abstract images. I really didn't want to leave empty handed, though sometimes I do. I don't take images for the sake of it! If there's nothing inspiring or outstanding then I pack up, albeit reluctantly and head home.


That said I seldom leave any beach empty handed. If you are passionate about something, or feel very connected to something the image will find you or vice a versa. Having a tripod and a shutter release cable are essentials in this light and weather.

I didn't use graduated filters because the rain was really too heavy, so I stuck with a circular polarising filter. In order to get some movement in the photos I used the lowest possible ISO of 50 an aperture of F22 and shutter speeds between 1/30 to 1/5 of a second. I like to experiment with the speeds and apertures to get varying amounts of blur and movement in the images. Sunrises are not my preferred subjects but here in Normandy the light and colours can be irresistible so I have to remember to look around sometimes. It can be amazing! So now I have a stock of sunrise images to choose from, and they have sold well for me.

So what's the point of this short dissertation? I guess it's to say there's always something to photograph if you are well equipped and connected to your subject, whatever the weather.    

Canon Histograms

Well it's cold December day here in Normandy, I am here for the week-end to continue my "water series" project.
It's one of those projects that never ends, just like skies, walls and all sorts that I start and sometimes never finish!
This time I'm determined to make something of these images as I really enjoyed making them, cold an all as it was.
It was a good reminder that I can never rely on the lcd screen on the back of my 5D! It really does brighten up the image, and the resulting image is not what comes out eventually as a print. This has been an expensive lesson in the past for me, and one I don't want to repeat!