New year, new reflections

It's now 2014 and I have until May to get 'Art of Photography' finished. I am midway through part 4 on Light. My time is ever in short supply with my work at Skyhook Studios in Stroud demanding a huge amount of focus, my 4 boys and life in general. I am loving my studies and think back to my late teens and early twenties when time wasn't an issue and I would have had the freedom to do nothing but study, before family and commitments came along.
In conjunction with doing the exercises on Light I am reading around the subject more and trying to spend time looking at the work and art of other photographers. These were recommendations by my tutor after my last assignment and I have taken this on board.

My current reading is

The Photographer's Eye - Michael Freeman 2007 ILEX
Light Science and Magic - Hunter, Biver and Fuqua 2007 Focal Press
The photograph as Contemporary art - Charlotte Cotton 2009 Thames and Hudson

and I'm looking at the work of;

Alan Villiers;

I saw an exhibition of Alan Villiers work at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth last year and felt inspired to find out more about his stunning photographs and the historical documentary that his work is.

Jay Maisel

I saw  prints of his photos 'boy and inner tube' and 'Trees in Fog' and found them both inspiring particularly in relation to the light topic I'm studying at the moment so decided to research his work a little further.

I'm also including my favourite recent photo of my son Chris aged 9 taken in the Forest of Dean. I love the colour contrasts of the orange rusty winter colours of the background he is set against with the blues of his clothing and the lovely happy expression. He reminds me of Robert Redford