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Welcome to the Thorn Valley Journal
Welcome to our creative corner of the internet. Thorn Valley Studios is dedicated to capturing life’s most authentic stories, and this blog is a reflection of our deep passion for the craft and the breathtaking landscapes that surround us.
Whether we are chasing the golden hour light across Dartmoor, documenting an emotional wedding day, or restoring a piece of family history, we believe every image tells a story. Here, you’ll find a behind-the-scenes look at our latest projects, practical photography tips to help you master your own camera, and inspiration to help you see the world a little differently.
We hope these stories and frames inspire you to explore the beauty around you and capture your own fleeting moments in time.
(Grab a coffee and start exploring our latest stories)
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Essential Tips for Photographers Entering the Festival and Concert Scene
Capturing the energy and excitement of festivals and concerts is a thrilling challenge for photographers. These events offer unique opportunities to create dynamic images that tell stories through music, light, and crowd interaction. However, working in these fast-paced environments requires specific skills and preparation. If you are new to festival and concert photography, this guide will help you navigate the scene with confidence and produce compelling photos.
Will Tudor
Apr 43 min read
Master the Basics: A Beginners Guide to Photo Editing
Photo editing can seem like a daunting task for beginners, but mastering the basics is essential for creating visually appealing images.
Will Tudor
May 17, 20247 min read
Photographing on Dartmoor: Tips from a local Pro Photographer
As one of the most captivating areas in the UK, Dartmoor offers a wide range of photographic opportunities for both amateur and seasoned pho
Will Tudor
May 1, 20246 min read
Learning to Photograph the Heavens: A Basic Guide to Shooting the Milky Way
Are you fascinated by the vastness and beauty of the night sky?
Do you find yourself gazing up at the stars in awe and wonder?
Will Tudor
Jan 16, 20248 min read
Rainy day photography ideas to inspire your inner artist
Rainy days are the perfect opportunity to curl up with a cup of tea and get lost in a good book. But if you’re the type of person who prefers to make the most of every opportunity, then a rainy day can also be the perfect time to get out your camera and explore some creative photography ideas. N.B. Before you set out or set-up, make sure you've got the right equipment to protect yourself and your equipment from the elements. From photographing raindrops on leaves to experimen
Will Tudor
Apr 14, 202316 min read
Flash Photography for Beginners: How to Use In Camera Flash and Off Camera Flash
If you’re new to photography, you’ve probably heard of “flash” but might not be entirely sure what it is or how to use it. Flash is simply a burst of light that can be used to illuminate a subject in low light situations or to add a bit of extra light to a scene. 1. Introduction There are two main types of flash In-camera flash and off camera flash. In camera flash is built into your camera and is the more convenience option. Off-camera flash requires an extra piece of equipm
Will Tudor
Apr 14, 20234 min read
Monopod Vs. Tripod: A beginner's guide
Monopod Vs Tripod: What Every Photographer Needs To Know Tripod or Monopod? It may seem simple enough to some, but it's one of the most common things we get asked about. 1. Introduction Before we delve into the world of monopods vs tripods, let’s take a look at what each one is and what they are used for: A monopod is a single pole that is used to support a camera, camcorder, or other optical equipment. A tripod, on the other hand, is a three-legged support system that is use
Will Tudor
Apr 13, 20236 min read
What the Bokeh? It's all in the Aperture...
What Does Bokeh Mean? Bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke (ボケ), which means "blur" or "haze", or boke-aji, the "blur quality." Bokeh is pronounced BOH-Kə or BOH-kay. Visit any photography website or forum and you’ll find plenty of folks debating the pleasing bokeh that their favourite fast lenses allow. Adjectives that describe bokeh include: smooth, incredible, superb, good, beautiful, sweet, silky, and excellent… but what exactly is it? What is Bokeh? Bokeh is defined a
Will Tudor
Mar 7, 20233 min read
Light
The Importance of Light Light is so basic and important to photography that the word itself - “photography” - comes from the Greek word for light, which is “phos.” Light is essential to most types of life on earth, and does many other things for us such as enabling us to see colours and shapes – and without it, photography couldn’t exist! Colour Temperature The term colour temperature is a way to describe the colour of a light source, by relating it to a reference source heat
Will Tudor
Mar 7, 20236 min read
The Three Scapes
Introduction of the Three “Scapes” A few popular locations, or “scapes” you may wish to shoot when you encounter them are: Landscape Seascape Cloudscape Setting the Scene How much of the scene is needed to convey your vision? What key elements should you include? What is distracting from your vision? What colours add to the story you're telling and which detract from it? Conveying Emotion and Intimacy Through Pictures Your focus needs to be on what's most important in the sce
Will Tudor
Mar 7, 202313 min read
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Now that we've covered the basics, it’s a good time to look at some of the more common mistakes and pitfalls that are made in the field of photography. Once a new photographer knows what these are, they can much more easily determine how to correct or avoid them. At this point, you might have already become aware of some of these problem areas, in which case this lesson will give you the chance to refresh your memory. By observing and considering the causes and results of eac
Will Tudor
Mar 6, 20239 min read
Understanding ISO in photography, a beginners guide...
ISO is one of the three legs of the exposure triangle used to make sense of what goes into determining an exposure. The other two legs are aperture and shutter speed. To understand the origins of ISO, we have to take a short journey back through the mists of time to the days of film photography and go from there... ISO - The International Organization for Standardisation The acronym ISO itself is a reference to the International Organisation for Standardisation. In relation t
Will Tudor
Feb 9, 20236 min read
Understanding Shutter Speed - A beginner's guide...
Before we get into the details on shutter speed, first let's have a quick look at Exposure. Exposure is the amount of light that is needed to reach the camera's sensor in order for it to record a well-lit image that displays the details of the subject, as well as providing a full range of contrast and tone. In a properly exposed photograph there are no areas left in deep shadow that obscures details (underexposure) and no areas receiving so much light that details are washed
Will Tudor
Feb 9, 20235 min read
Is there a difference between Monochrome and Black & White Photography? A beginners guide...
The simplest way I can explain this is: All Black and White images are Monochrome. However, not all Monochrome images are Black and White. What is Monochrome Photography? The dictionary lists Monochrome as follows: monochrome /ˈmɒnə(ʊ)krəʊm,ˌmɒnə(ʊ)ˈkrəʊm/ noun a photograph or picture developed or executed in black and white or in varying tones of only one colour. With this in mind, Monochrome photography is photography in which the entire image is recorded and represented by
Will Tudor
Feb 7, 20232 min read
Understanding Basic Composition
Composition is the one thing that I can't teach. You can either see it, or you can't. With that in mind, understanding the basic structure of an image can help you along the way. We've broken down some of the basic "rules" of composition. However; rules, like art, are subjective. We've broken this down into sections if you want to skip through any parts: Understanding Composition > Rule of Thirds > Horizontal Split Thirds > Off Centre Subjects > Points of Intersection > Balan
Will Tudor
Feb 6, 20237 min read
What the f/stop? An introduction to Aperture and Depth of Field (DoF)...
Let's start at the beginning. Everyone in the photography world talks about the "Exposure Triangle". But what is aperture and how does it effect an image? A camera’s aperture setting controls the size of the opening in the lens, which then regulates the amount of light reaching the film or digital sensor. It works like the pupil in your eye - when the light level is low, it can expand to let in more light, and when there is a lot of light it can close up tight to prevent too
Will Tudor
Feb 4, 20234 min read
A beginner's guide to the equipment and language of photography...
Welcome to our basic guide to the equipment photographers carry and the language we speak. In order to help as many people as possible, we'll start at the very beginning and break down camera types, equipment, terminology and some do's and don'ts. There is a lot of information contained here, so if you want to skip bits, you can jump straight to the following sections: Camera Types > Lenses > Tripods & Monopods > Camera Cleaning & Care > Basic Photography Terminology > Witho
Will Tudor
Feb 4, 202312 min read
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