Olivia was glad she wore her wellies! Phil Mynott Photography.

Looking to improve her skill behind the camera, Olivia Abbott joined local photographer extraordinaire Phil Mynott for a day workshop at Milton Country Park

Best picture of the day!

At 9.30am, with persistent drizzle coming down out of a leaden grey sky, it didn’t look like a particularly good day to be doing an outdoor photography workshop. But as photographer Phil Mynott bounced enthusiastically around the room welcoming his five delegates and cheerily providing tea and biscuits, he made the above pronouncment and assured us that we would find plenty to take pictures of, no matter what the weather.

‘There’ll be raindrops, puddles, reflections,’ he said. And though we may have begun the day thinking there’s a limit to this looking on the bright side, by the end of it we were convinced.

We began the day with some indoor instruction, learning how to handle our cameras, what they can do, and how to make them do what you want them to do. How many times have you seen what you think is a picture, but not been able to make your camera capture it the way you want to? Then, armed with our new knowledge we set out into the park.

Seeing things differently

It’s not just about knowing how your camera works, though, it’s about seeing – and creating – a good picture. Before we’d even got into the park proper, we found a dead frog on the path. While us amateurs simply snapped from where we were, Phil went around the other side, got down low and took a picture of the frog with a big pair of green wellies behind it. Immediately, he had a picture that told a story, while we just had rather gruesome-looking photos of a dead frog.

‘It’s about what you want to do with your pictures,’ said Phil. ‘Think about the purpose. Do you want something you might want to frame and hang on your wall, something you hope might sell to a picture library, or something for your holiday album?’

Inspired, we took pictures of ripples on the water, raindrops hanging from leaves, of reeds and bullrushes, snowdrops, cute dogs being walked, reflections in puddles and even mud. And Phil was there all the way, explaining, advising and demonstrating. We stopped noticing the weather and started enjoying the challenge, and when, at the end of the day, the sun broke through and began to cast a lovely, late afternoon light, it was the icing on the cake. I’ll never look at a grey, rainy day in the same way again.

About Phil

Phil Mynott has been a photographer for more than 30 years. He has always been Cambridge based and after many years working for the local press, he set up his own business in 1994. He is highly experienced in all kinds of photography, including studio, commercial, press and social.

‘Photography is not just a job for me,’ says Phil, ‘it has shaped the person I am. I take my camera with me wherever I go, even when I’m not working.’

Phil is now keen to pass on his enthusiasm, and stresses that there’s always something new to find out. ‘Even after 30 years, there’s still more to learn,’ he says, ‘and the great thing about photography is it’s such an insightful pastime and hobby.’

Phil runs Photography in the Park workshops on the last Saturday of every month. To find out more visit philmynottphoto.co.uk