February Photofest 2022 - Day 12 Messy Aftermath

 I had planned to take a new pic today along with some for the next two weeks. However as always things didn't quite go the way I'd planned. My life has been a roller coaster ride so far this year and this weekend has proven to be a continuation of that and distracting me. I have a challenging time ahead of me and I will embrace that challenge with the new confidence I have. I want my life to be simple but I know that's not possible, but I do not want it to become as messy as me in my offering for February Photofest.

February Photofest 2022 - Day 11 No Fear or Filter Friday

So Friday comes around again and it's time for another pic without filters. This was taken back in July when I was working on trying a variety of different perspectives. Initially I chose one of the other versions of this shot in black and white.

Since the pic was taken I've learnt to appreciate all my pics as people see them differently to me. My initial idea still hasn't been used because I need an additional pair of hands to help me but maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to see my vision come true.

February Photofest 2022 - Day 10 The Thighs The Limit

 So far this year has been a roller coaster ride for me  and I’m still trying to get the balance right. This past week I’ve learnt to keep myself in check and not put undue pressure on myself or my relationship, but also I can ask when I can see her next without feeling guilty for asking now the busy chaotic period is over. Still not at the boyfriend/lover stage yet but I’m working on it. There’s  something about this lady that is keeping me hooked, other than the fact she has not run away screaming from my openness. 

I also realised that I’ve become more confident when in a conversation with my future boss I actually said how much of a pay increase I expected in my new role. Turns out that I was not far off what they were trying to negotiate.

Next week starts the return of a yearly emotional roller coaster ride that started in 1999. This year I have new and old friends in my life to help me through and a whole new outlook on life.

February Photofest 2022 - Day 9 Cheeky

Midweek is normally a struggle. For a start it’s bin day which means ensuring the rubbish is put out early, I could put it out the night before but the foxes make a real mess given a chance. The chaos of the start of the week is tempered by the impending rush of requests and queries the latter half of the week brings.

However today is different. I changed my routine and did the washing up before I went to bed. After putting the bins out I prepared the slow cooker meal which is based on a sausage casserole but using pork loin chops instead. This subtle change made me feel good. It allowed me the time I needed to get in a quick pic instead of using an older previously unused one.

February Photofest 2022 - Day 8

So back in the summer I took some shots for a post titled Vulnerable - Still. It was a revisit of a post I originally did back in 2019. I'm happy with the pic I used at the time but I felt that February Photofest is an ideal opportunity to show the one I discarded as I was experimenting at the time with remote control of the camera via a phone app. The result although not perfect successfully conveys how I felt at the time despite my face looking at the phone.

Photography and my on/off love of it

I have an on/off love affair with my photography. Over the years I've worked hard to improve my skills from my humble offerings with a standard point and click camera to my present day DSLR. Sometimes I've wanted to take pictures and other times not. I have grand ideas but struggle to get some of them done due to circumstance, normally me being single and having nobody to participate in the idea for me means I tend to put them to one side and never revisit them. My favourite things to photograph over the years have been wildlife (predominantly dragonflies and damselflies) or people (general portrait type pics through to more risqué adult pics). The subject I find hardest to photograph is myself which will seem strange to anyone reading my blog.

I share them where I feel most appropriate. The wildlife and general normal pics end up on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr or Fetlife and Purpleport (when I remember) and occasionally my blog. The more adult pics have invariably ended up on Twitter, Flickr and here on the blog. On here I can experiment and express myself in ways that are outside the mainstream and not be judged for it.

Some of the key things I've learnt over the years are the following:

1) Never be afraid to ask for advice or an opinion. Both of these make you a better photographer.

2) Never delete pics unless you really feel they cannot be edit in anyway to improve them. Initial thoughts on a rejected pic change over time and what you thought was a poor pic could be something special with the right adjustments and filters applied.

3) If you do courses to improve your skills either do a one day course or one with no time restraint. The one day courses are good for introductory skills and basics. I'm currently taking an online course which I started back in 2015 but haven't ventured onto much in the past 3 years despite having had plenty of opportunity.

Over the years when I've photographed models there has always been consent forms completed by all parties involved. As the majority of my photos now are of me I tend to not worry so much. I'm old enough to know my stuff will inevitably end up elsewhere and quite frankly if they are that desperate for a male over 50 then I'm actually quite flattered.

There are a few pics dotted around my blog that I'm really proud of because of the general reaction to them, especially when I wasn't sure they were good pics. There is a couple of pics from model photoshoots on separate page which I'm proud of and hunting around for a pic to tie in with both Five Things and February Photofest I had to go back to my first studio photoshoot. It was hard to pick as I realise now I wasn't that bad at the time. This one stands out the most though as it's a simple crop and I'd happily have it placed on a canvas to adorn a wall in my house.

MMM Come Get Messy With Me

When the prompt for this Sinful Sunday appeared I chuckled to myself as I could just post any pic of me and I'd be ok as my real first name begins with M. As I'd already done a motion blur pic for a previous prompt I could have tried that combined with masturbation, I considered doing a milking pic but had no one to help with that. Eventually I made my choice and after a bit of shopping I sat in a cold empty bath tub (old enamelled iron baths do not warm up easily) and proceeded to get messy 😁