Day 12

12th January

Mesmerising moments of honesty

The harder I look the more I see or is it the more I learn to de tune relax and just be there the more open I become.

it’s amazing what i start to see when I drop my preconceptions my judge mental thoughts and turn off my internal critic. Easily said but not always easily done.

After I get over the bitterly cold morning and the fact I can hardly feel my fingers I start to watch the light playing on the surface. Since beginning this somewhat obsessive behaviour of shooting in the water every morning I’m always mesmerised by how unique every ripple is no matter how much or how little wind these ripples are always there. Hopefully I can give you some ripples of positive energy from these along with today’s music from @j_b_seal Joseph is one of the lads that lives close to me in Portobello and slowly and surely over this time we’ve been getting to know each other he too was someone that spent the predominant part of his life on the road working . I’ve enjoyed some long talks with Joe recently about how we’ve coped with stopping slowing down and what new directions we are taking with what we’ve learnt from slowing down. This whole Dawn Days for me it’s so many different elements but one of the most beautiful parts is the conversations I can have With blokes about how are feeling how are coping and how we’re going to carry on thank you so much for your honesty Joseph it means a lot. #dawndays #dawndaysofwinter #bluemind @aquatech_imagingsolutions

Day 11

11th January

Can’t think

Today I tried to write words I spoke so much on the phone I’ve got no words for you because I’ve given all my words away today for lots of pals that need it. Night night xx

Music from the wonderful @iglomatman of @decca.tree #dawndays #dawndaysofwinter

Day 10

10th January

Time Slows Down

A lazy lucid Sunday. Once again woke unfathomably early. I definitely don’t know what’s going on why is it that I wake between 2:30 am and 3:30 am no new worries no new stresses no morning anxiety just an overly excited mind itching to get out into the dawn. Instead of fighting it and tossing and turning I take myself downstairs make a cup of tea roll around on my spiky Matt putting this track on repeat from @barry__jackson Maybe Barry is like a musical tooth fairy leaving me these beautiful lucid nugs under my pillow.

I don’t know if this sounds a bit corny but the more I think about it I feel like i’m trying to hug you with these videos maybe I know you maybe I don’t. 😋 #dawndays #dawndaysofwinter #bluemind @aquatech_imagingsolutions

Day 9

9th January

Assist

How does water assist you? What does it do for you? Why do you like it? Tell me.

I could just float endlessly staring at skin of the surface watching the ripples and the textures and the light dance around. Just leave me here I’ll be fine 💙🥶🙃

Beautiful piano today from Dave aka @iglomatman from @decca.tree conversations was just this Beauty just arriving in my mail box. Thanks Dave.

Day 8

8th January

Speechless

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A beautiful morning followed bye lots of hilarious phone calls with some of my favourite humans. My cheeks hurt from all the laughs @rachelsermanni @jofaustin @beingconscious1 @outsidestheupside @_nicklaw_ & Dr P.

Piano for you today from an incredibly talented human @jofaustin oh and go check out her art on @jen_and_pen Thank you Jen your nae bad at that piano stuff you 🥳✌🏽

Day 7

7th January

Under the skin

I’ve got this obsession with the skin underneath the surface, and I was beginning to believed it wasn’t possible to get in the dark, murky soup that is the east coast at the moment. Once again, I was wrong. Have faith freckles have faith. It’s only slight bits from today but it all I need to keep chasing it.

it’s so fun to experiment on days where the light is a perceived challenge.

I've had lots of fun message about things that people see in the abstract photos that I have been putting up, so I investigated this thing they call Pareidolia.

"The word is derived from the Greek words para, meaning something faulty, wrong, instead of, and the noun eidōlon, meaning image, form or shape. Pareidolia is a type of apophenia, which is a more generalized term for seeing patterns in random data."

Leave a comment on any of the last post or this one with what you see or how it makes you feel I find it so interesting to hear your thoughts. Go on go for i

These are the days the @barry__jackson makes my day I saw notification on dropbox excitedly collect lay on the floor cup of tea in hand smile ear to ear.


@aquatech_imagingsolutions @lumin.8 #bluemind #dawndays #dawndaysofwinter #mentalhealthmatters

Day 6

6th January

I thought I'd share a face and a story for you today. Meet John Duncan @johnduncanfilmmaker

As restrictions eased last May during the first lockdown, I'd asked John to come down and get a couple of drone shots for my last day. In his first text he refused I felt a bit put out and then he replied with "we need to do more than that we need to tell the story".

After a week of filming, John had grabbed himself a wet suit and started to come in with me.

I did not realise that John had never really done any swimming had never really spent any time in the sea. Fast forward 10 months John has been getting in regularly doing well with the swimming and has now even dropped the wetsuit at the end of the summer and still going strong.

I love capturing these moments of people swimming one frame can be complete terror and the next total euphoric elation.

I've known John for possibly 15 years. The depth of our friendship has grown hugely through the process of this film that will release. I think John would agree with me getting involved with Dawn Days wee team of lads @barry__jackson @beingconscious1 This experience has allowed him to open up and chat more freely to it's been a total honour to work with him and call him a close friend. He also has one of the most infectious laughs as you can see here.

One last thing please please please don't just go jump in the water at this time a year if you've never done it you really do you have to work yourself up to it. Find a little crew closes to you doing it. Join them learn from them and go easy one step at a time.

#bluemind #mentalhealthmatters #Ocean #dawndays #dawndaysofwinter @aquatech_imagingsolutions

Day 5

5th January

Dark glimmers

Today I wasn’t chasing ripples on my own, fellow ocean photographer @jotennantphotographs swam out into the soup as well.

I had a pretty sleepless night I didn’t feel like I was worried about the fact we’re going into another lockdown but it’s probably foolish to imagine that wasn’t in the background playing on my mind.

The temptation to just scroll on the phone is so strong at that time. I managed to do five minutes and then go downstairs make a cup of tea at 2:40am, lie on the floor and listen to a podcast.

Earlier this week I’ve been given a recommendation of a man called @Rich roll.

I had a little scroll to find one with Photographer @chrisburkard. It was incredibly insightful. Chris goes into some really great depth about his passion for his personal projects and what drives him.

During the podcast it also reminded me of a lot of the things that I learnt at the end of the year while working with @christina.force on her eight week Boot Camp.

The ego is a fascinating thing and what I’ve learnt so far is the more I learn to control mine and understand when it’s talking, the clearer and cleaner life seems to be for me. If I was to pick something I’m going to work on in 2021 it would be to be let’s judgemental. Less reading of books by the cover.


Music by the ever present talented brother from another motherBarry Jackson #bluemind #mentalhealthmatters #ocean
@aquatech_imagingsolutions

Day 4

4th January

Light at the end of the tunnel

I love when i see an email from one of the musical humans in my life.

Will Brawn @modernnativebushcraft sent me this tune about a week ago. Use it when feels right was the message.

Today was extra murky in the brown soup that’s my local beach. Most of the snow in town had melted and washed out the drains who’s knows what we where bobbing about in.

After a while I started to throw about my light, which sort of felt like a symbol of hope the light at the end of the tunnel.

This music came from @modernnativebushcraft my pal Will Brawn . There is a back story I’d like to tell but each time I try to type it I can’t do it justice.

So for now I’ll just leave you to enjoy the music and to know it was created by someone who has been separated from the Ocean having spent a life always by the sea. At first daunting and a massive challenge but landlocked life has taught him so much that he’ll be able to bring back to the ocean when he and is family finally return. #bluemind #mentalhealthmatters @aquatech_imagingsolutions

Day 3

3rd January

I found myself walking around in the water up to my waist uninspired with flat light and three days of onshore creating a somewhat uninviting brown soup to photograph around me.

When I turned back to land, I started to see the reflections of the street lights that were still on. So I made my own Artificial sun.

There seems to be something more challenging about shooting at dawn this year . The Sun rises over the land unlike last May when it rose over the sea.

As always when I take my time and forget about trying to create anything, things pop-up. Being flexible and opening your eyes to different possibilities and potential is something worth remembering and taking into everything that I do. #dawndays

Day 2

2nd January

A handful of stills from this morning. Silver and blue seem to be the theme today. #dawndays

Day 1

1st January

Dawn Days Jan 1st. Be kind to your self and all you encounter this year. You never know what some one is or has gone through.

My pal Will @modernnativebushcraft sent me this thought I’d share it with you.

The Four Agreements

  1. Always do your best

  2. Don’t take anything personal

  3. Be impeccable with your word

  4. Don’t make assumptions