On Saturday, I was in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to film my first YouTube video for over a year. While doing so, I took the opportunity to share the reason why I stopped creating videos and some of the things that have changed in the last 15 months. 

I'd been planning a return to YouTube for some time, with visions of photographing my local landscape as it was bathed in warm golden light. However, the weather gods had other ideas!

If you've ever watched the videos I posted before I became a full-time photography, you may be familiar with the term 'Saturday conditions'. These are the sort of flat, dull conditions you typically get at the weekend, most usually after a week of glorious weather while you've been stuck in the office.

In these conditions, photographing the wider landscape is difficult. The lack of highlights and shadows means the scene lacks impact. Often, the only option is to return when conditions are more favourable. 

Before I return, I first need to understand from which direction I want the light to come. My initial thoughts are to return at sunset when the light will be coming from the right-hand side. 

My Rating System

Earlier in the year, I made a subtle but significant change to the way I rate my photos. Where as before I rated them on what I thought of them, now I rate them on how they make me feel. The ratings are as follows:

• ★☆☆☆☆ Embarrassed (delete almost immediately)
• ★★☆☆☆ Unhappy (unlikely to share)
• ★★★☆☆ Indifferent (meh!)
• ★★★★☆ Happy (publish on social media)
• ★★★★★ Proud (add to my portfolio)

Rating my photos in this way helps me to connect with my photos at a more emotional level.