‘Moving’ & This Friday (July 17th) at AppFrod – Slowing Down and Exploring Texture

Yesterday, as we moved our equipment from The Pavilion to Connect Church, our current 2026 Photographer of the Year leaders had the chance to hold their trophies for a few moments. Julie quickly reminded us that, with our new scoring system, everyone still has a chance to catch her! It really is all to play for, and I think that will make the competition even more exciting over the coming months.

This month’s theme is ‘TEXTURE’ – Entries need to be in by Midnight July 31st for August 7th judging – you can read more information by clicking here (page opens in new tab)

This Week’s Practical Session – Texture at Connect Church

Bring your cameras (and flashes and tripods if you have any). Tomorrow, Connect Church becomes our photographic playground.

There are opportunities everywhere you look at Connect: the main church, the mezzanine floor, the corridors, the hall, the kitchen, the garden, the exterior of the building—even the toilets! Every space has its own character, its own atmosphere and its own textures waiting to be discovered.

But tomorrow isn’t about rushing from one subject to another trying to make as many photographs as possible.

Instead, I’d like us to slow down.

Before you lift the camera, spend a little time simply looking. Notice how the light falls across a surface. Watch how shadows reveal shape and texture. Think about how one object relates to another. Ask yourself why something has caught your eye.

Over the past few weeks we’ve been exploring how light changes a photograph. We’ve experimented with using both available light and flash to reveal texture, and we’ve looked at creating layered images where foreground interest works together with the background to provide context. Those techniques aren’t the destination—they’re simply tools to help us tell better stories.

Ultimately, photography is about more than recording what something looks like. It is about communicating what it feels like to be there. Photography becomes even more powerful when you use it to tell stories.

Recently, in a Scunthorpe Camera Club competition, judge Sally Sallet awarded my photograph “This Is My Life” 20 (out of 20) points because she connected with the story of the gypsy man and his horse. She wasn’t simply judging the technical quality of the image; she was responding to the story it told. She mentioned the way the image revealed the ‘texture’ of his skin, suggesting that each line on his face revealed the story of a hard working life spent outdoors!

Tomorrow I’d like you to photograph your experience of Connect Church, to create your own story fuelled images.

As you walk through the building, ask yourself:

• What do I notice first?
• What catches my attention?
• Why has that detail stood out?
• How can light reveal textures that others might overlook?
• How can I create a photograph that tells a story rather than simply records a place?

I often say that photography helps us understand what we see. When we slow down, we begin to notice things that we would otherwise walk straight past. We stop taking photographs and start making them.

My challenge for tomorrow is simple.

Create five storytelling photographs that use light to reveal texture and communicate your own experience of Connect Church. Every one of us will see the building differently, and that’s exactly what makes photography so fascinating.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the stories you bring back.

Monthly Competition

For this month’s competition, please send one image to stewartwall01@gmail.com. It can be an image you create during tomorrow’s session, or it can be from a completely different occasion—the choice is yours.

Please size your image to 1920 pixels on the longest edge and email it by midnight on July 31st

Looking Ahead

Next week (July 24th) we’ll be looking at different approaches to post-production. We’ll explore how thoughtful editing can help strengthen your photographs while remaining true to your original vision. Whether you prefer to make subtle adjustments or enjoy a more creative approach, there will be something for everyone.

On Friday 31 July, we will meet at Silica Lodge Garden Centre at 10.00am for a photographic walk around the landscape and lakes, before heading back to the garden centre for lunch.

This will be our first session exploring August’s theme:

August Competition Theme: Landscape or Natural History

There should be plenty of opportunities to photograph the wider landscape, reflections, plants, birds, insects and other details from the natural world.

More information will follow nearer the time.

July 31st Wet-weather alternative: If the weather is particularly miserable and wet, we will meet at Connect Church as usual, but in Room 1 at the back of the church (time to be confirmed).

Moving The Gear

I think we set a new record yesterday for just how much photography equipment you can fit into a Mini!

Many thanks to Mick, Andrew, David and Julie for helping to move everything. The equipment is now safely stored next to the stage in the main church at Connect.

We are also talking to Tom at the church about the possibility of installing our monitor on the wall opposite the existing screen. This should give us a much better view without the light from the windows spoiling the display.

And finally, no artificial intelligence was harmed in the making of yesterday’s two images—although it may have been slightly overworked!