Another couple of drives around Argyll in the last few days. On Tuesday we drove to Oban to see William sing in the Mod. This is the annual festival of Gaelic language, music and culture. Will was entered in a solo unaccompanied singing competition, and did himself (and me of course) proud, finishing just three points behind the eventual winner.

Yesterday was a bad day for photography- the weather was poor, and I was too nervous to photograph William. Sometimes, it is best just to be in the moment, without the enforced detachment of a lens between you and the action.

But today, I drove to Lochgilphead on a day of Autumn mists and still reflections. I left for an early meeting, and had no time to stop, but on the way home I slowed down.

And took some photographs.

Which set me thinking about why I do it, what the practice of photography brings into my life and how it interacts with the spiritual side of who I am.

I mentally made a list-

• It allows me to be creative, and in creating, we encounter the Creator
• It allows me to be appreciative- of the wide vistas, but also of the tiny small things- like the catch of dew on a leaf, or the light falling on yellow sea weed at low tide
• It makes me look deeper, and that the more I look, the more I see
• It slows me down and forces me to be more aware of the interplay between sun and scene and settings- the where I am, and the moment I am in
• It teaches me patience- good photographs rarely happen in a hurry
• It teaches me discipline- the need to understand how to do something
• But it also teaches me that despite the acquisition of skill, there is still so much room for spontaneity and the seizure of opportunity
• And that out of 500 attempts to capture something beautiful, then you might have just one photograph that captures the essence of something…
• The rules of composition are useful, but are always meant to be played with
• The capturing of images is a futile pursuit unless shared

Any more suggestions? Sit down a while and think…