Planned vs Spontaneous Photography – Which Is Best?

One of the great debates in photography (right up there with “JPEG vs RAW” and “Do I really need another lens?”) is this:

Do you go out and take photographs as they happen… or do you plan every shot in advance?

Having spent many hours with a camera—on boats, in fields, at events, and occasionally wondering why I brought three lenses and used only one—I can safely say…

Both approaches are right. And both can go very wrong.

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The Planned Photographer

This is the photographer who:

• Knows where they’re going
• Knows what they want
• Checks the weather, sun position, and tide tables (very important on the Thames!)
• Turns up at exactly the right time

Typical examples:

• Landscape photography at sunrise/sunset
• Milky Way or astrophotography
• Time-lapse work
• Carefully staged portraits

Advantages

• You get technically better images
• Lighting is controlled (or at least predicted!)
• Less luck required

Disadvantages

• You can miss unexpected moments
• Weather has a habit of ignoring your plans
• Can become a bit… clinical

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The “See What Happens” Photographer

This is much more my style when out sailing or wandering about with a camera.

You:

• Take the camera everywhere
• React to what’s in front of you
• Capture moments as they unfold

Typical examples:

• Street photography
• Action shots on a boat
• Wildlife (when it suddenly appears and disappears again!)
• Family and travel photography

Advantages

• You capture genuine, unrepeatable moments
• More creative and spontaneous
• Often more interesting images

Disadvantages

• You miss shots because you weren’t ready
• Lighting can be terrible
• Results can be inconsistent

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A Real Example (From the River Thames)

When I go sailing, I never quite know what I’ll get:

• A perfect gybe with spray flying everywhere
• Someone falling in (always entertaining… from a safe distance!)
• Beautiful reflections at sunset

If I tried to plan those shots, I’d miss them.

But equally…

If I don’t think ahead about:

• Camera placement
• Waterproofing
• Battery life

Then I miss everything anyway!

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So Which Is Best?

The honest answer: The best photographers do both.

A good approach is:

1. Have a Plan

• Know your location
• Think about light and timing
• Have an idea of the shots you’d like

2. Be Ready to Ignore It

• If something better happens—take it!
• Don’t be so focused on the plan that you miss the moment

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A Simple Rule I Use

“Plan enough to be ready… but not so much that you stop seeing.”

 

Learning – Ways to Actually Remember Things (Not Just Read Them!)

We’ve all been there…

You read a page.
You nod wisely.
You turn the page…
…and instantly forget everything you just “learnt”.

That’s not learning. That’s polite page turning.

Real learning means getting information into your brain so that it actually stays there long enough to use in an exam—or better still, in real life.

So here are some methods that genuinely work.

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1. Spaced Repetition – The “Don’t Cram Like a Maniac” Method

Your brain forgets things on a curve (thanks, science).

Instead of cramming:

• Learn it today
• Review tomorrow
• Review in 3 days
• Then a week later

Each time you revisit it, the memory gets stronger.

This is why flashcards work so well—especially when used properly.

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2. Active Recall – The “Test Yourself First” Trick

Don’t just read notes.

Close the book and ask:

• “What do I remember?”
• “Can I explain this out loud?”

If you can’t recall it, you don’t know it.

This is uncomfortable… but incredibly effective.

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3. The Leitner Flashcard System

This is a clever upgrade on flashcards:

• Get it right → card moves to a less frequent box
• Get it wrong → back to the start

You spend more time on what you don’t know.

👉 Efficient and slightly ruthless—just like a good teacher.

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4. Mnemonics – Silly Works

Your brain loves nonsense.

Examples:

• “OIL RIG” → Oxidation Is Loss, Reduction Is Gain
• “Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain” → colours of the rainbow

The sillier, the better.

If it makes you laugh, you’ll remember it.

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5. Mind Maps – See the Big Picture

Instead of pages of notes:

• Put the topic in the centre
• Branch out ideas
• Link concepts together

Great for:

• Essays
• Big topics (Biology, Psychology, Sociology)

Helps students like Nia who understand ideas but need structure.

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6. Write It Out (Yes, Really)

Typing is fast.
Writing is powerful.

When you write:

• Your brain processes information more deeply
• You remember more Old-fashioned… but it works.

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7. Teach Someone Else

The ultimate test:

“Explain it to someone who knows nothing.”

If you can:

• You understand it
  If you can’t:
• You’ve found your weak spot

Even teaching the dog works (they’re excellent listeners). I know they are waiting for the word walkies but ...

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8. Mix It Up (Interleaving)

Don’t do:

• 20 identical maths questions in a row

Instead:

• Mix topics together

This forces your brain to choose the right method, not just repeat a pattern.

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9. Short Bursts Beat Long Slogs

Try:

• 20 minutes learning
• 5 minutes break

(You’ve even tested this with juggling!)

 Your brain needs rest to store information.

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Final Thought

Learning isn’t about time spent…

It’s about what your brain actually keeps.

If you:

• Test yourself
• Space it out
• Use active methods

You’ll remember far more—and feel far less stressed.

 

Why 1:1 Tuition Works – Because Every Student Is Different

If teaching a class is like steering a ferry, then 1:1 tuition is more like handling a sailing dinghy on a tricky stretch of the Thames—every small adjustment matters, and no two journeys are ever the same.

One of the biggest misconceptions I come across is this:

👉 “If a student is good overall, they’ll be fine.”
👉 “If they’re struggling, they just need to try harder.”

If only it were that simple.

🎯 Every Student Has a Different “Block”

Take Mary (not her real name).

She is excellent at A-level Maths. Algebra? No problem. Calculus? Smooth sailing.

But give her a Mechanics question…

…and suddenly it’s like watching someone try to rig a sail without knowing where the ropes go.

She doesn’t lack ability.
She lacks a starting strategy.

Instead of:

• Drawing a diagram
• Identifying forces
• Applying known equations

She jumps straight into the numbers—often in a completely illogical way.

👉 The issue isn’t maths.
👉 It’s how to think about a mechanics problem.

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Now meet Tammy (Not her real name either).

Tammy is studying Psychology and—on the surface—knows everything.

Ask her about a theory and she’ll say:
✔ “Yes, I know that”

But in an exam?

❌ No key study
❌ No named researcher
❌ No detailed explanation
❌ No evaluation

It’s all:
👉 “A vague sense that something happened somewhere.”

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🔍 The Real Difference: Teaching vs Coaching

In a classroom, you teach the topic.

In 1:1 tuition, you diagnose:

• Where thinking breaks down
• What habits are missing
• Which misconceptions are hiding underneath

It’s much closer to coaching than teaching.

For Mary:
✔ We slow things down
✔ Build a method for every mechanics problem
✔ Practise starting correctly (not just finishing)

For Tammy:
✔ We drill into specific studies
✔ Use flashcards and recall techniques
✔ Practise turning vague ideas into exam-ready answers

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⚡ The Breakthrough Moment

And here’s the best part.

There’s always a moment when it clicks.

• Mary starts every mechanics question with a diagram without being told
• Tammy begins dropping names, dates, and evaluations naturally

That’s when you know:

👉 It’s no longer guesswork
👉 It’s understanding

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🚀 Why It Matters

Exams don’t reward:

• “Sort of knowing”
• “Having seen it before”

They reward:
✔ Precision
✔ Method
✔ Confidence under pressure

And those are different for every student.

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🎓 Final Thought

1:1 tuition isn’t about doing more work.

It’s about doing the right work, in the right way, for that student.

Because no two learners are the same…

…and that’s exactly why this approach works.

 

Pedal Power – Why an Organ Is NOT Just a Big Keyboard

If you’ve ever sat at an organ and thought, “Ah yes, just a keyboard with delusions of grandeur”… you’re in for a surprise.

Because an organ doesn’t just play music — it demands a full-body workout.

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The Pedalboard – Where the Magic (and Confusion) Happens

The defining feature of an organ is the pedalboard — a full set of keys played with your feet.

• Typically 25–32 pedals
• Played with heel and toe
• Controls bass lines independently

This means you are effectively:

• Playing bass with your feet
• Playing melody and harmony with your hands
• Managing multiple keyboards (manuals) at the same time

In short: it’s like being a one-person band… with coordination requirements that rival patting your head while rubbing your stomach — whilst cycling.

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Stops vs Sounds – Real vs Synthetic

On an organ, you don’t just pick a “piano” or “strings” preset.

You build your sound using stops:

• Each stop represents a rank of pipes (or digital equivalent)
• You combine them to create tone colour
• It’s more like mixing a recipe than choosing a preset

Compare that to a synthesiser:

• Press a button → instant sound
• Often heavily processed and programmable
• Designed for flexibility and experimentation

Organ = layered realism and tradition
Synth = infinite possibilities and sound design playground

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Manuals vs Single Keyboard

An organ often has two, three, or even four keyboards (called manuals).

Each manual can:

• Control a different set of sounds
• Be linked together (coupled)
• Be played independently

Meanwhile, most keyboards and synths:

• Have one keyboard
• Switch sounds electronically
• Rarely require simultaneous multi-layer playing in the same way

On an organ, your brain is effectively running three keyboards and a pedalboard at once.

No pressure then.

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Touch Sensitivity – The Big Surprise

Here’s the twist that catches most pianists out:

• Organ keys are NOT touch sensitive
• Press softly or hard… same volume

So how do you add expression?

• Use stops
• Use swell pedals
• Use timing and phrasing

Whereas on a keyboard or synth:

• Velocity sensitivity controls volume
• Aftertouch can add expression

Organ playing is less about how hard you press…
 and more about when and how long you press.

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Air vs Electricity

• Traditional organs use air moving through pipes
• Even digital organs mimic this behaviour

Synths and keyboards:

• Purely electronic sound generation
• Often model or sample real instruments

The organ is rooted in physics and airflow
The synth is rooted in electronics and code

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Final Thought – It’s Not Just an Instrument… It’s a Workout

Playing an organ is like:

• Driving a car
• Playing the piano
• And dancing tap

…all at the same time.

Whereas a keyboard or synth?

Still brilliant — but slightly less likely to require new coordination pathways in your brain.

 

The New Home Workshop – From Hobby to Micro-Factory

There was a time when a “home workshop” meant a hammer, a drill, and a slightly wobbly Workmate bench.

Not anymore.

Welcome to the modern home workshop, where you can design, print, cut, stitch, and produce professional-quality products—like custom T-shirts—without leaving the house.

And yes… I may have just opened the door to yet another rabbit hole.

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Step 1: Designing the Logo (The Easy Bit… allegedly)

Everything starts on the computer.

Whether you’re using Canva, Photoshop, or something more engineering-focused, the idea is simple:

• Create your logo
• Size it correctly
• Export it in the right format

Simple… until you realise:

• Colours matter (a lot)
• Resolution matters (even more)
• And what looks good on screen doesn’t always work on fabric

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Step 2: Dye Sublimation Printing – Magic on Fabric

Dye sublimation feels like cheating.

You print onto special paper, press it with heat, and suddenly the ink becomes part of the fabric.

Advantages:

• No cracking or peeling
• Vibrant colours
• Professional finish

But there’s a catch (there’s always a catch):

• Works best on light polyester fabrics
• Not great for your classic cotton T-shirt

So… brilliant, but slightly fussy.

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Step 3: Screen Printing with a Laser Cutter

Now this is where things get interesting.

Using something like the xTool laser cutter, you can:

• Create precision stencils
• Burn designs into screens
• Produce repeatable prints

It’s a bit more hands-on:

• Ink, screens, squeegees
• The occasional “how did that end up there?” moment

But:
Works beautifully on cotton
Ideal for batch production
Proper “workshop feel”

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Step 4: Computer-Controlled Embroidery – Next Level

If printing is good… embroidery is classy.

Modern embroidery machines:

• Take your digital design
• Convert it into stitch patterns
• Reproduce it perfectly every time

The results?

• Durable
• Professional
• Slightly addictive

Downside:

• Setup takes time
• Digitising designs is a skill in itself

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The Big Picture – Your Home Becomes a Production Studio

Put it all together and suddenly you have:

• A design studio
• A print shop
• A fabrication lab
• A mini clothing brand HQ

All from home.

This isn’t just a hobby anymore—it’s:
A business opportunity
A teaching tool
A creative outlet

And in my case… probably another excuse to buy more kit.

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Final Thought

What fascinates me most is this:

We now have the tools at home that, not long ago, required an entire factory.

From science equipment to sailing gear… and now clothing.

The line between learning, making, and business is disappearing.

And I suspect this is just the beginning.