The rainy forecast the previous evening had put me off packing too much camera gear. I opted instead to give my newly updated i-phone 4S a chance to shine, on the basis that if it poured down all day I probably wouldn’t take many photographs anyway, and if it cleared up it would be a good discipline to work within the limited options of a cameraphone. I wasn’t disappointed with my decision.

The misty, drizzly day was ‘atmospheric’ and bitterly cold, so taking the point and shoot option while keeping on the move (my friends are not photographers and don’t like to hang around too long ‘waiting for the light’) proved a wise choice.

Back home in the warm I processed some of the images in Camerabag 2, a much improved version of the original cameraphone app and now available as a desktop version for PC and Mac too. The vintage processes available in Camerabag were well suited to these images and I’ll be reviewing this versatile photo-app in more detail in a future blog post.

Grand vistas don’t tend to work in mid-winter unless there’s snow on the ground or a hard frost,  but focus on the details and you’ll find a wealth of winter flowers, a variety of dried petals and leaves from the previous season and brave, early Spring blooms. Here are some of my images from last week’s shoot, starting with two varieties of witch hazel, a bank of winter heathers (a few days too early for the crocuses in the foreground), hydrangea petals and, finally, a newly emerged crocus in a warm, open spot.

Look out for more garden photography blog posts as the seasons unfold, as well as announcements of our garden photography workshops for 2012. It’s going to be a colourful year!

Winter sun can often be dramatic, giving warm, orange light and long shadows even in the middle of the day. No need to get up at silly o’clock to catch the sunrise or to stay out late into the evening. On winter walks I usually find the best light around mid to late afternoon, meaning  I get my shots and still have time to retreat to the warmth of the log fire in the pub afterwards.

Winter is also a good time to concentrate on details – looking at the landscape in miniature can reveal colours and textures that are often get overlooked at other times of year.

This image of an old ivy-clad farmyard door features in this week’s Photo Friday e-newsletter. To receive future issues of Photo Friday and Turner Photo Training photography workshop updates please click here.

The images that follow were captured on a couple of different winter walks, one in the Ribble Valley and one, just last week, in the north-east corner of Cheshire between Woodley and Whaley Bridge in the High Peak.  I’ve purposefully not included any snowy images, concentrating instead on the architectural qualities of trees and shrubs in winter and on ethereal winter light…

With my current fine art and garden photography projects I’ve been noticeably slowing my camera technique down, reverting back to old-style manual focus and taking a more considered approach. This shot, however, is a pure grab shot – auto everything, including reflexes! I spotted the man through the corner of my eye as he scurried along and turned instinctively to fire off just one shot on my D300s/50-150 zoom/aperture priority combination before he disappeared into the crowd. A good case for the old adage ‘Be Prepared’.

If you’re keen to learn more about digital photography in Cheshire I’ve got good news…the first dates for Get Started, our subject-based photography courses for beginners, are now on-line.

Ideal for digital novices or camera enthusiasts looking to broaden their knowledge, Get Started courses are part theory, part practical, and will introduce you to popular photographic subjects such as landscapes, people and holiday photography. Don’t worry, I’ll be keeping the technical jargon to a minimum- photography is meant to be fun!

You can find out more at http://www.turnerphototraining.com/get-started/ or feel free to call Karrie at the studio if you have any questions.

Before we embark on our new series, here is a tiny selection from the Autumn 2011 series where we covered diverse subjects ranging from The Colour Red to Sky, Autumn, Sense of Place, Weather and, my favourite, Humour and Observation.

First up is this beautiful frosty Lake District scene captured by Stewart ‘Stewpot’ Brown…

A wonderfully atmospheric forest landscape, well seen and well exposed.

Next, another Lake District landscape by Mike Ratcliffe, showing interesting use of reflections…

Janet (Mrs T) made some valuable contributions to the discussions. Here are a couple of Janet’s images from the Autumn and Humour & Observation evenings…

Paul Sherwood, a newcomer to digital SLR photography made some great contributions and asked all the right questions…exactly what Talking Pictures evenings are all about. This colour landscape captured at Lyme Park was straight from the camera; I was able to demonstrate on our ‘Sky’ evening how it could be improved with a little cropping and post-processing in Photoshop:

Every Talking Pictures starts off with a few of my images to set the ball rolling and get the conversation going. Here are a couple of my images from The Colour Red and Humour and Observation evenings….

Last but certainly not least is this evocative image from our very own creative Karrie, captured in one of her favourite places, the Lake District. When I saw this misty Windermere image for the first time it gave me goose bumps, truly capturing ‘A Sense of Place’.

Talking Pictures open evenings are open to all photographers from complete novices to enthusiasts and pros – the only qualification you need is a love of pictures. A token £5.00 donation to our nominated charities is much appreciated. Tea, coffee and biscuits are on us.

Places are limited so book early by contacting Karrie on 0161 428 6749 or email karrie@turnerphototraining.co.uk

Join in the conversation. We look forward to meeting you.

I like this image for it’s sheer simplicity – it’s all about the single pool of light shining on this frosty stile on the Longridge fells near Preston. The cool colours of the dark, shady background serve to highlight the warm tones of the wooden stile and the diagonal lines of the fence add interest and lead the eye. By the number of comments I received after this issue of Photo Friday I can tell that the readers appreciated it too.

My second choice of image is also simple – this time it’s simply a case of right place, right time (and having the presence of mind to take the photograph after a long day’s sail) . The ‘flying swan’ appeared as if by magic while we were sailing down the Corinth Canal in Greece. I couldn’t believe my luck! A few minutes later the swan had flown. And the moral of this tale? Be prepared!

If you’re not already on our weekly Photo Friday e-mailing list then we’d love you to sign up for our regular updates. You can sign up here or contact us and we’ll add you to our list. Happy New Year.

Last week I was lucky when this youngster jumped on to the window sill right in front of me and I managed to snatch a couple of quick portraits through the glass before he scampered away again. My 1988 magazine assignment was a different story altogether when, together with my friend and writer colleague Phil Crowther, we had the opportunity to meet the orangs face to face inside their enclosure….

Now there are some large adult orangutans I wouldn’t want to meet at such close quarters, but when two year old Douglas spontaneously strolled over to me and used his powerful arms to effortlessly climb up and give me a cuddle I was quite taken aback.  Luckily Phil was on hand with a spare camera to capture the happy couple.

There are moments in your life that stay with you forever and, for me, this was one of them. Being an assignment photographer can open doors into other worlds that most people don’t have access to. In this case I was privileged to be allowed a brief glimpse into the world of a young animal, not-so distantly related, wild at heart and yet, just like a human baby, craving attention and affection.

Phil and I had many great experiences that day, including a close encounter with a tiger, but it’s the touching moment with Douglas the baby orangutan that has lasted longest in my memory.

Shropshire-based Phil Barrett @PBArtworks in action….

And here’s my own favourite shot of the extremely co-operative Chester Zoo robin…..

Tomorrow (Tuesday 20th) we’re making a return trip to the zoo. I can’t promise that the robin will put in an appearance but if any photographers would like to meet up for a social day of fun photography and a pub Christmas meal just let me know. You’ll be very welcome.