Photography has been a passion of mine for many years now. Deciding to improve my skills, I embarked on my first year of Project 365 in 2011. I became hooked on the challenge of taking a photograph a day, and continued this daily photography project for another four years! I took a year off from the daily photo, and instead turned to Project 52 – a photo a week; before returning to Project 365 in 2017.
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Photography: Project 365 & Beyond
I’ve seen my photos improve and change over the years, and I’m proud of how far I have come. But it never stops – I am always seeking to improve my photography skills!
I like to share things along the way too, and over the years I’ve written several posts about photography, as well as two years’ worth of ideas & tips for Project 365. This page will take you to the various photography posts on The Purple Pumpkin Blog.
They will of course include my annual photography project, and also include all of the other photos in between. Photography from when we’ve been on days out, on holidays overseas, to Walt Disney World, to Europe; photos of nature, of wildlife, of food… Essentially it’s Project 365 and beyond!
The word “photography” is a combination of the Greek root words “photo-,” meaning “light,” and “-graphia,” meaning “writing” or “drawing.” Thus, “photography” literally means “writing or drawing with light.”
Project 365 (& Project 366)
- Project 365: 2017
- Project 52: 2016
- Project 365: 2015
- Project 365: 2014
- Project 365: 2013
- Project 366: 2012
- Project 365: 2011 (opens in Flickr)
Ideas & Tips for Project 365
- 365 ideas and tips for Project 365 : 2015
- 365 ideas and tips for Project 365 : 2014
- Project 365/Project 366 Printable Calendar Day Tracker
Photography Tips
- Unboxing the Canon EOS 70D
- Tips For Improving Your Smartphone Photography
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 Review + 5 Tips For Taking Photographs At A Water Park
- How to “paint” with light
- Tips For Taking Great Family Photos You’ll Treasure
My Photography Gear
I started my photography journey in 2011 with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, which I upgraded to a DMC-FZ200 in 2013; both are bridge cameras. I loved the FZ200 – it fared me very well over the years, but I wanted to have more control, so I bought my first DSLR in 2016.
- Current camera: Canon EOS 70D
- Lenses:
- Smartphone: iPhone6
- Waterproof camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5
- Video camera: Panasonic HC-V720. The newer model is the Panasonic HC-V770
- Bridge Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 The newer model is the DMC-FZ300
- Any photo editing is done with Paint Shop Pro X8, Photoshop CS5 or the Camera+ iPhone app
Travel Photography
I take a lot of photographs whenever we go on holiday, away for the weekend, or just for a day out. The links in this section will take you to trip reports which are photo heavy, so I’ve included them on this page. You’ll also find lots of information about the various places that we’ve been to on those posts.
Holidays & Weekends Away
- Christmas at Disneyland Paris 2015
- Halloween in the Wilderness – Walt Disney World 2015
- Festival Food at Camp Bestival
- Igor Rasputin’s Caravan of Lost Souls at Camp Bestival
- Dine Around Disney – Walt Disney World 2014
- Weekend at Romney Sands – Part 2
- Weekend at Romney Sands – Part 1
- Back To The Magic – Walt Disney World 2013
- Weekend in Bruges – Day 3
- Weekend in Bruges – Day 2
- Weekend in Bruges – Day 1
- The First Time – Walt Disney World 2011
- Disneyland Paris 2010
Days Out
- Norpar Barns, Navestock, Essex
- Churches in Essex: St. Margaret of Antioch, Margaretting
- Churches in Essex: St. Edmund & St. Mary Church, Ingatestone
- Old MacDonald’s Farm, Essex
- Regents Park, London
- Secret Nuclear Bunker – Kelvedon Hatch, Essex
- I Love London Town
- The Coca-Cola Truck Tour, Essex
- Borough Market, London
- Chinatown, London
Disney Photography
I’ve included most of my Disney photographs in the Travel section above. These links are for specific Disney photo posts, and for taking part in a blog hop called Disney Wordless Wednesday.
- Disney Christmas Wallpapers for iPhone
- Disney Halloween Wallpapers for iPhone
- Turn Your Disney Photos into Artwork
- Disney Characters Wallpapers for iPhone
- Disney Alphabet: N-Z
- Disney Alphabet: A-M
- Disney Parks Wallpapers for iPhone
- My Favourite Disney Photos
- The Animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Disney Quotes Wallpaper for iPhone
- Nature & Wildlife Around Walt Disney World
- Make A Disney Photobook
- Photo Flashback – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Disney Royalty – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- #DisneySide – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- January Calendar Shot – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Retrospective – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- This Is Really Good – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Make Mine Music – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Food Love – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Festival of Fantasy Parade
- November Calendar Shot – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Transportation – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Country – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Four Things – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- October Calendar Shot – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- My Favorite View – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- September Calendar Shot – Disney Wordless Wednesday
- Disney Photography Tips
- August Calendar Shot – Disney Wordless Wednesdays
- Disney Quotes Wallpapers for iPhone
- Asia in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Dream Along with Mickey
Wildlife & Nature Photography
I love taking photographs of wildlife and nature. A lot of these are for our local country park, during the four seasons of the year, because we go there a lot! Other nature reserves and parks are also included here instead of in the Days Out section. I’ve also included my random photo series – Fungi Friday, as I love discovering wild mushrooms and toadstools and taking photographs of them of course.
- Bedfords Park in Springtime
- Danbury Country Park, Essex
- My Winter Photography – Is Spring On It’s Way Yet?
- Floral iPhone Wallpapers
- Reasons To Love Autumn
- Thorney Bay, Canvey Island
- Chafford Gorges Nature Park
- Bedfords Park Nature Reserve
- Hornchurch Country Park
- Rainham Marshes RSPB Nature Reserve
- The Manor Nature Reserve, Essex
- Bedfords Park, Essex
- Fungi Friday 9
- Fungi Friday 8
- Fungi Friday 7 – Hanningfield Reservoir, Essex
- Fungi Friday 6
- Fungi Friday 5
- Autumn in Bedfords Park, Essex
- Fungi Friday 4
- Wildlife at Walt Disney World Resort
- The Chase Nature Reserve, Essex
- Summer in Bedfords Park, Essex
- A Springtime Walk in the Park
- Fungi Friday 4
- A February Walk in Bedfords Park
- Fungi Friday 3
- Fungi Friday 2
- Fungi Friday 1
- January in Bedfords Park, Essex
- Winter in Bedfords Park, Essex
- I Was In My Local Paper!
- My Ever Changing Tree
- Autumn in Bedfords Park, Essex
- Summer in Bedfords Park, Essex
- Wildflowers
- Springtime Flowers
- Springtime Around Me
- Earth Day 2013
- Winter in Bedfords Park, Essex
- Autumn in the Park
- Thorndon Country Park, Essex
- Spring in Bedfords Park, Essex
Event Photography
These are photos from concerts and other events that we have been to over the years.
- Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Celebration
- Taste of Christmas 2013
- BBC Good Food Show, London
- Military & Flying Machines Show, Essex
- Featured in Darren Hayes Fanzine
- Darren Hayes Concert – Brighton Dome
- Darren Hayes Concert – IndigO2, London
- London 2012 Paralympics – Athletics
- London 2012 Olympics – Handball
- London 2012 Olympics – Hockey
- London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay, East London & Essex
Family, Home, Lifestyle
More personal photographs on my blog of my family, home, and other lifestyle photography.
- World Photography Day – 20 Of My Favourite Photographs
- Easter Egg Hunt
- Mum & Dad’s Wedding – Step Back In Time
- Christmas iPhone Wallpapers
- Growing Up In A Pub – A Tour Of My Old Hometown
- My Childhood Home
- Snow Day