Grays Life

My photography & marketing blog

James

Back to Penarth Pier

Photography

I’ve photographed it many times before, but wanted to get one last go at taking some digital pictures, as the only ones I have up till now are on film and scanned. So this was a planned shoot that I made this morning. Step 1, was knowing what the tide was doing. I looked it up on the BBC Tide Tables, and found the next tide that would be low around the same time as the start of ‘Blue Hour’. Low tide this morning was about 3:25am, and that was enough to know that I’d be able to get a shot of the stones on the beach, like the one above. Then, using the Photopills App, I knew that the Blue Hour would be starting around 4:15am. So I arrived at the beach about 3:50am and used my head torch to guide me across the rocks and into position…

Penarth Pier
Penarth Pier, South Wales

Then, the next hour or so flew by, as I took one picture after another. The exposures were around f16-22 for up to 30 seconds. I was using my Sony A7iii together with a new Zeiss Loxia 21mm manual lens, which I am really pleased with. It is the easiest lens to focus and has a satisfying weight to it, as it is all glass/metal construction. It also makes amazing star lights on the lamp posts and lights.

Penarth Pier in black and white
Dawn colours at Penarth Pier

The views out to sea were just as spectacular, and the light was a mix of reds and light greys. I was happy to see some clouds as there is just the hint of movement in the 30 seconds or so that the shutter was open.

Sunrise over the Bristol Channel at Penarth Pier

All the images were post-processed using CaptureOne.

Penarth Pier is about 20 minutes drive from Cardiff city centre in South Wales. Using ‘What-Three-Words’ the location of these images were around this point – https://what3words.com/deals.wide.author

Customising Your WordPress Website: How to Choose the Right Theme

WordPress

Introduction

One of the most important decisions you’ll make when setting up your WordPress website is selecting the right theme. With thousands of themes available, both free and premium, it can be daunting to find the perfect one for your site. However, choosing the right theme is vital to ensure your website’s design, functionality, and compatibility align with your goals. In this article, we’ll discuss the various factors you should consider when selecting a WordPress theme for your website. Before you start, make sure that you’ve read the WordPress Beginners Guide for tips and tricks on starting on your blogging adventure!

1. Define Your Website’s Purpose and Goals

The first step in choosing the right theme is to define the purpose and goals of your website. You’ll need to know what type of site you’re planning on, and work out the type of messages and images that you want to publish. Consider whether your site will be a blog, a portfolio, an e-commerce store, or a combination of these. By understanding your website’s purpose, you can narrow down your theme options to those that best align with your goals. The theme that we’re using on this site is Essence by StudioPress. We liked it because of the fast response, great customisations including the main images that helped us post articles on photography as well as marketing.

2. Focus on Design and Aesthetics

A visually appealing design is essential for any successful website. Look for a theme that matches your brand identity and target audience’s preferences. Consider factors such as colour schemes, typography, and layout when evaluating design options. Make sure the theme you choose is responsive and mobile-friendly, as an increasing number of users access websites through mobile devices.

3. Evaluate Functionality and Features

Different themes offer varying degrees of functionality and features. When selecting a theme, consider the features and tools you’ll need for your website. For example, if you’re running an e-commerce store, look for themes that include a built-in shopping cart, or that make use of the WooCommerce plugin. On the other hand, if you’re a photographer, consider themes with gallery and portfolio options. Some themes also offer pre-built page templates and drag-and-drop builders, making it easier for users with limited coding knowledge to customise their websites. Look at the themes from StudioPress.com for a wide range of portfolio sites and e-commerce sites that both offer numerous customisations.

4. Prioritise Performance and Speed

Website performance and speed play a significant role in user experience and search engine rankings. Ensure that your chosen theme is optimised for speed and performance by checking for features such as lazy loading, clean code, and browser caching support. Avoid themes with excessive plugins or bloated code, as these can slow down your website and negatively impact user experience.

5. Assess Compatibility and Updates

Choose a theme that is compatible with the latest version of WordPress and the most popular plugins. Additionally, ensure that the theme developer offers regular updates and support, as outdated themes can lead to security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues. Check user reviews and ratings to get a sense of the developer’s responsiveness and support quality.

6. Test the Theme Before Committing

Before finalising your decision, test the theme on a local development environment or staging site. This allows you to explore the theme’s features and functionality, ensuring that it meets your requirements and expectations. It’s also an opportunity to identify any compatibility issues or bugs before deploying the theme on your live website.

7. Don’t Forget About SEO

Ensure your chosen theme is optimised for search engine optimization (SEO). Look for themes with clean and well-structured code, proper use of heading tags, and schema markup support. A well-optimised theme will help improve your website’s visibility in search engine results and drive more organic traffic to your site.

8. Consider Your Budget

While there are many free themes available, premium themes often offer more advanced features, better support, and regular updates. Set a budget for your theme and weigh the pros and cons of free and premium options. Remember that investing in a quality theme can save you time and effort in the long run, while also providing a better user experience for your visitors. Speed is one of the most important SEO factors and having a lean design that is hosted on a fast server is something you should budget for.

9. Read User Reviews and Testimonials

Before settling on a theme, read user reviews and testimonials to gain insight into the experiences of others who have used the theme. Look for feedback on design, functionality, performance, and support quality. Keep in mind that no theme is perfect, but a theme with a high number of positive reviews and satisfied users is a good indication of its quality and reliability.

10. Explore Theme Customisation Options

Customisation is an essential aspect of creating a unique and personalised website. When choosing a theme, evaluate the customisation options it offers, such as colour schemes, typography, layout options, and widget areas. Some themes provide advanced customisation options through their built-in theme options panel, while others rely on the WordPress Customiser or third-party plugins. Make sure the theme you choose offers sufficient customisation options to help you achieve your desired website design.

11. Check for Accessibility and Inclusivity

An inclusive and accessible website ensures that all users, including those with disabilities, can easily navigate and interact with your content. Look for themes that follow accessibility best practices, such as proper use of heading tags, sufficient colour contrast, keyboard navigation support, and semantic markup. Selecting an accessible theme not only benefits your users but also helps improve your website’s SEO and overall user experience.

12. Be Mindful of the Learning Curve

Lastly, consider the learning curve associated with customising and managing your chosen theme. Some themes come with a steeper learning curve due to their advanced features and customisation options. If you’re new to WordPress or have limited technical knowledge, opt for a theme that is user-friendly and easy to customise. On the other hand, if you’re experienced with WordPress or have coding skills, you may prefer a theme that offers more advanced features and customisation options.

Conclusion

Choosing the right WordPress theme for your website is a crucial decision that requires careful consideration of various factors. By defining your website’s purpose and goals, focusing on design and aesthetics, evaluating functionality and features, and considering other essential aspects such as performance, compatibility, and SEO, you can select the perfect theme for your needs. Don’t forget that you can switch themes easily, so don’t get too hung up about having to stick with a particular theme if it isn’t working for you. With the right theme in place, you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful and engaging online presence that resonates with your target audience.

Good luck in putting together your WordPress site, and come back with questions or queries if you have any or get stuck. Let us know how you get on!

25 Years On – Secret Station by Eilis O’Connell

Photography

Secret Station in Black and White
Secret Station in black and white soon after it was constructed in 1997

Updated: February 14th, 2022.

Secret Station, a Cardiff landmark from 1992 when Cardiff Bay Arts Trust commissioned artist Eilis O’Connell to design a monument for the gateway into the Cardiff Bay redevelopment project. The project transformed the bay area from an industrial wasteland into a permanent lake fronted by bars, clubs and restaurants and hotels and put Cardiff on the map at the turn of the Millennium as one of the UK’s up and coming cities.

Made using bronze, fibre optic light, and steam, which stopped working a long time ago, the landmark boosted the entrance to one of the main routes into Cardiff Bay and was an imposing sight.

For more than a few years now, though, Secret Station has stood derelict and gradually stripped of its bronze/copper skin, leaving it now standing naked and fully exposed to the elements. The inner workings were visible, which, when initially built, would puff out smoke/steam to passing traffic. Those days are gone, the smoke machine having long given up the ghost, but the structure still stands, although for how long, who knows?

Initially, I photographed Secret Station as part of a City and Guilds project for a Ffotogallery photography project on Cardiff Bay, a couple of years following construction. I wanted it to be in black and white and a long exposure of a couple of seconds to capture light trails from passing traffic. This was taken around the same time as my photographs of the Norwegian Church and St David’s Hotel.

In 1992 this was shot on a Hasselblad 501 with an 80mm Zeiss lens on Ilford Delta 100ASA black and white film. I developed this in the Ffotogallery darkrooms and printed it on Ilford fibre-based paper.

Lately, I’ve been using the PhotoPills app to better plan my photography. It has a fantastic amount of data on times of sun, moon, milky-way rises, and settings, plus you can plan ahead of time to see what time you need to be there to catch the perfect photograph.

Secret Station by Eilis O'Connell

Photographing this a second time, I used a Sony A7 iii with Voigtlander Nokton 40mm lens @ f16 for about 8 seconds.

Since posting this update, I reached out to Eilis O’Connell through my Instagram, and she graciously replied. With her permission, I’ve posted the replies here on my blog. It is such a shame that Cardiff Council have let this treasure fall into disrepair. See the comments below.

Link to artist’s page: Eilis O’Connell

Getting Started with WordPress: A Beginner’s Guide

WordPress

Since its inception in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg, WordPress has grown into a secure, stable and user-friendly content management system (CMS), revolutionising the way users create and manage websites without needing highly specialised skills. Keeping its signature simplicity and intuitive admin dashboard, WordPress now powers an incredible 40% of all websites on the internet. This versatile platform caters to more than just blogs; major corporations and media giants, such as CNN and The New York Times, also rely on WordPress to power their online presence.

I remember first coming across WordPress right at the start and downloading version 1 and using it to power my first blog. Now that blog has come and gone and I’ve tried and failed many more, but I have always been drawn to using WordPress. The admin interface never changed, and in a way it still hasn’t. New features have been added, but the basic layout is still the same. This made it easier to learn and understand, as new versions would come along, but basically stay the same. In the world of IT not everything does this, and often you’d have a completely new format to understand or get your head around.

Also, the huge range of themes that are now available help make your site unique and there is a large community of developers building new themes and plugins to make WordPress even more feature filled and improved. Lastly, WordPress is Open Source, which means that you can see the source code, and if you’ve the skills, you can contribute and write new features that get included in updates.

On my blog, https://Grays.Life, I’m using WordPress and a theme from StudioPress.com. I’ve used many themes over the last 20 years, but for the last 10 years, I’ve stuck with StudioPress. Apart from having a wide range of themes, which are easy to configure (they even have placeholder copy and images that help you visualise your new website), I’ve found their themes to be very stable. StudioPress themes come in 2 x parts, a Genesis theme, which functions as a parent theme, providing a secure, SEO-friendly, and high-performance base for building child themes. StudioPress offers a collection of Genesis-compatible child themes, which are essentially the design layer that sits on top of the Genesis framework. Think of it like this, it’s a bit like a car chassis, separating you from the internal workings of the car. The child theme that you choose from StudioPress is like the colour scheme and seat fabrics, etc…But with this set up, you get a rock-solid site.

Now, today, I’m going to lead you through setting up a WordPress site.

I work in marketing, and we’ve used WordPress for nearly 15 years to host our main website, as well as using it for a host of others, including an internal Intranet. This beginner’s guide outlines the essential steps to launch your very own WordPress website, ensuring you make the most of this influential platform.

Step 1: Establish Your Online Identity with a Domain Name and Hosting Provider

Your domain name is the unique web address that represents your brand online (e.g., www.yourbrand.com). Pair this with a hosting provider that offers reliable uptime, speed, security, and customer support, and you’ve got a winning combination. Top contenders include GoDaddy, Namecheap, Bluehost, HostGator, and SiteGround, but my preference is Digital Ocean Hosting, which offers low prices and great flexibility.

Step 2: Effortlessly Install WordPress

Once you’ve secured your domain name and hosting provider, it’s time to install WordPress. Many hosting providers offer one-click installations, streamlining the process. If needed, you can always manually download the software from the official website and follow their comprehensive guide.

Step 3: Stand Out with a Striking Theme

Now that WordPress is installed, choose a theme that fits your brand identity and captivates your target audience. With thousands of free and premium themes available, you’re guaranteed to find the perfect match. Explore your options by navigating to Appearance > Themes in the WordPress dashboard. To explore more themes, I suggest StudioPress.com and picking a theme out from there.

Step 4: Customize Your Website to Perfection

Once you’ve chosen a theme, tailor your website to suit your unique vision with WordPress’s robust customization system. Modify colors, fonts, layouts, and functionalities with ease. Access these settings by going to Appearance > Customize, where you can adjust headers, footers, sidebars, and more.

Step 5: Engage Your Audience with Compelling Content

With your personalized website ready, start creating captivating content to engage your audience. WordPress streamlines the process of crafting posts and pages, as well as managing multimedia. To create new content, navigate to Posts > Add New or Pages > Add New in the WordPress dashboard. To get the most out of your site, you’ll need to write on a regular schedule, something that takes practice, but is possible.

Conclusion

Though it may seem overwhelming initially, launching a WordPress website is straight forward with the right guidance. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a customized, engaging website in no time. With endless possibilities for customisation and content management, your online success with WordPress is just a few clicks away.

Kodak High-Speed Infrared Film Landscapes

Photography

In the 1990s & 2000s, black and white was my preferred film, which I photographed regularly on. I had a book that i referenced a lot in those early days on landscapes, and in it there were a couple of images taken on infrared high speed film. I had bought a room of this film from Kodak – Kodak HIE Infrared Film, which was at the time fairly easy to get hold of.

Kodak High-Speed Infrared Film Landscapes

Another time I used Ilford SFX, which was more forgiving than the Kodak film. The Kodak wasn’t very easy to use, you have to load it in complete darkness and not leave your camera any place warm otherwise you’d fog the negatives. So it was definitely a case of loading on the day that you’d want to shoot with it, then get it out of the camera and into the dark room. At the time, I was using a shared darkroom so I knew that I would be developing this myself, rather than sending it away. Up until then, I kept the film in the fridge.

Once it was in the camera I headed out to a place not far from Cardiff, Nash Point, as the weather was looking stormy and I thought I might get lucky with some angry looking clouds with the lighthouse in the background. I was in for a bit of a treat as the sky was perfect for infrared pictures. The summer sky was deep blue with the whitest clouds, and behind a was storm coming in.

Focusing IR film is different to regular film, and in those days my camera had a small orange mark on the lens barrel, which wass the point that you’d focus at. I.e., find the right focus for the picture, then twist it back slightly to the marker. This is all because IR travels on different wavelengths that are shorter/longer than regular light/film. Also, there is no ISO on this film, so exposures are guess work. From memory, the trick was to set the camera up at f16 to ensure that everything was in focus, set the shutter speed between 1/60 and 1/125 second and hope for the best..!

I took more or less the whole reel of film here, and these were some of the best pictures I got out of the camera that day.