Life

Retirement gave me control of my time. I’m gradually learning that I also need to respect how much energy I actually have.

A Monthly round up of content from my Blog

I’m simplifying my photographic life by stepping away from fixed commitments and making more room for flexible communities, informal meet-ups and the freedom to simply enjoy taking photographs. Over the past few days, I have been thinking quite a lot about simplifying my life. That includes my relationship with Photography. Not simplifying the photography itself, but simplifying everything that has gradually built up around it. Groups, talks, competitions, challenges, ideas,

One of the things I've discovered about retirement is that having more control over your time doesn't necessarily mean you get to spend that time doing what you planned. Over the past few weeks, I've had a fairly simple list of things I wanted to get done. Finish sorting out my photography studio. Get back to taking photographs. Do some writing. Spend time in the garden. Generally get back to some of the things retirement was supposed to give me more time for. It hasn't quite

A couple of weeks ago, I gave this blog a fairly substantial redesign. It had previously sat alongside my business website, Keith Burton Photography, but over time it had stopped feeling useful in that form. The blog was still there, but it no longer really reflected everything I wanted to write about. Redesigned blog that works better on all platforms, from large monitors to mobile screens. So I decided to broaden it. What started as a simple tidy-up turned into a much bigge

Some photography days are memorable because of the pictures you take. Others stay with you because of the people you meet, the conversations you have and the ideas you bring home. This day managed to give me a little of everything. I had gone along to a photography roadshow, partly to listen, partly to learn and partly because it felt good to be doing something photography-related away from home. Two of the speakers were people I know, Glynn Dewis and Stephanie Thornton, so t

I usually wake up between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. I start my day with some stretches and light exercises to help my body get moving. Once I’ve done this, I may take the dog for a short walk outside. I then eat breakfast and usually get stuck into some reading or another activity on the computer in my office. I then attend to my caring responsibilities, preparing breakfast and looking after the person I care for. Around mid-morning, I usually get around to doing some photography, w

Today marks a bit of a fresh start for my blog. For the past three years, I’ve mainly used this space to write about photography. At first, that meant sharing my thoughts on building a small studio, improving my portrait work, and hopefully moving towards a few more commercial shoots. That was the plan. But life has a habit of moving things around a bit, doesn’t it? Over time, I’ve realised that I need this blog to become something a little wider. Still about photography, yes

I have been thinking recently about how easy it is to make photography more complicated than it needs to be. Not the technical side, although there is plenty of opportunity to make that complicated too. I mean the whole business of planning photography. Planning projects. Planning shoots. Planning themes. Planning locations. Planning lighting setups. Planning what the final image might look like before I have even picked the camera up. Now, don’t get me wrong. Planning has it

I recently read Logging Off by Nick Spalding, and I really enjoyed it. It is a funny, easy-going book, but underneath the humour there is a message that feels very familiar. The story follows Andy Bellows, a man whose life has become completely tangled up with technology, social media, apps, notifications and all the little online habits that slowly creep into everyday life. Eventually, he is pushed into trying a digital detox, and that is where the comedy, chaos and reflecti

It's been a year since my last blog post, as I've been fully engaged in our whole-house renovation project throughout 2024. This shift in focus has prompted me to reevaluate my previous plans for last year. Spending so much time online while working with the builders has highlighted my need to adopt healthier online habits. I now want to make positive changes to support my personal growth and my photo creative journey ahead. It didn't seem significant at the time since I only