Field notes

The notebook

Window light changes through the day

A north-facing window gives a quiet, diffuse light. It is a useful starting point for photographing small objects: keep the subject close to the window, turn off the ceiling light and watch what happens to its shadow. A sheet of white paper opposite the window makes a simple reflector. The first image is rarely the most interesting one; move the subject a little and make another.

A blue hour walk

The moment after sunset offers a different balance of colour. The sky is still bright enough to hold detail while warm indoor lights appear in windows. Look for a place with a clear foreground and wait for the street to become quieter. These notes are about looking carefully before deciding whether to take a photograph.

Keeping a colour notebook

A notebook can be as simple as a few swatches and a sentence about where they came from. The green of a painted door, the red of a brick wall and the pale grey of a winter sky look different when they share a page. There is no need to turn every observation into a finished project. A useful notebook leaves space to return to an idea.