The Chris Kendrick Photography Blog

Welcome to the Chris Kendrick Photography Blog, where I share the stories, challenges and inspirations behind shooting Lake District landscapes and working as a Cumbria-based photographer. Alongside behind-the-scenes reflections from the fells and lakes, you'll also find honest photography gear reviews, covering the cameras, lenses and accessories that genuinely perform in real Lake District conditions. Whether you’re passionate about landscape photography, exploring Cumbria’s scenery, building your kit, or simply curious about the craft, there’s something here for you.

Some posts include affiliate links; thank you if you choose to support the blog through a qualifying purchase. If there’s a topic or piece of gear you’d like me to cover, let me know. Enjoy exploring!

Enjoy!

I Made a Landscape Photography Zine and You Should Too.

Making a photography zine is a simple and affordable way to turn your photographs into something physical. In this guide, I’ll take you through how I designed, printed, folded and packaged my own mini-zines, including the equipment I used, what they cost and a free InDesign template to help you make your own.

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What to Wear for Landscape Photography

The right clothing can make a huge difference when you're standing outside waiting for the perfect light. This guide covers the jackets, layers, trousers, footwear, gloves and other clothing I recommend for landscape photography in changing weather.

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The Bookshelf #22 - Find Your Focus - Mike Chudley

Find Your Focus by Mike Chudley is an approachable, engaging guide to street photography, packed with excellent images and practical advice. In this review, I explore what makes the book so enjoyable, highlight my favourite chapters and explain why I'd recommend it to both beginners and experienced photographers.

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But What’s it a Photograph Of?

What’s your photograph actually of? It sounds like a simple question, but the answer isn’t always the object sitting in front of your camera. In this blog, I look at how subject, light, composition and visual hierarchy can help us make more deliberate photographs — and why working out what caught your attention in the first place can make every decision that follows a little easier.

I’d make the excerpt more conversational than the meta description. It's primarily there for humans browsing your blog, so this preserves the voice of the article while still naturally mentioning subject, light and composition.

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Chasing the Perfect Image is Ruining Your Landscape Photography.

Perfection is a moving target in photography. You can nail exposure, sharpness and detail, yet still feel like the image falls short, because “perfect” shifts with taste, mood, and the opinions of everyone who sees it. In this post, I explore why photographers chase perfection, how it can trap us in frustration and repeat visits to the same shot, and why done is often the better goal. I’ll also look at the one place perfection makes more sense: the studio, where control over light and consistency makes refinement genuinely useful. If you shoot landscapes, where weather and light refuse to cooperate, learning when to stop tweaking and start moving forward might be the most important creative skill you build.

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How Important is Sharpness in Photography?

Sharpness is often treated as the holy grail of photography – but is it really what makes an image great? In this article, I explore the difference between being in focus and being truly sharp, when technical perfection matters, and why softer images can sometimes feel more powerful, emotional, and authentic.

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Photography Magazines - Should You Bother With Them?

Are photography magazines still worth buying in 2026? In a world of endless scrolling, I take an honest look at what print still offers—and whether titles like Outdoor Photography Magazine and British Journal of Photography are still worth your time and money.

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Don’t Discount your Kit Lens. It’s better than you think.

Your kit lens is often underestimated, but it’s one of the best tools for improving your photography. In this guide, you’ll learn why mastering the lens you already own can transform your skills, help you understand composition and light, and save you money before upgrading your gear.

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The Bookshelf #18 - A History of Photography - Taschen

Taschen’s A History of Photography from 1839 to the Present packs nearly two centuries of photographic history into one remarkably affordable book. I take a look at what it does well, some surprising omissions and whether I’d still recommend buying it.

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Lowepro Pro Runner 450 AW II Review: Is It Still Worth Buying?

The Lowepro Pro Runner 450 AW II might be discontinued, but that doesn't mean it's obsolete. I picked up a barely used example for £90 and have been putting it to work carrying everything from multiple lenses and camera bodies to a drone and accessories. Here's how it performs, what fits inside and whether this older Lowepro camera bag is still worth buying second hand.

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Improve Your Landscape Photography - For FREE!

Want to improve your landscape photography without buying new gear? In this guide, I share practical, no-cost tips that will help you take better photos straight away. From slowing down and refining your composition to learning your camera properly and revisiting familiar locations, these techniques focus on what really matters. If you’re ready to improve your photography using skill rather than equipment, this is the place to start.

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The Bookshelf #16 - Photographers on Location with Charlie Waite

Photographers on Location with Charlie Waite takes landscape photography out of the textbook and into the field. In this mini review, I look at what the book offers photographers today and why it remains an interesting addition to a landscape photography bookshelf.

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Wide Angle Landscape Photography: Getting the Most Out of Your Wide Angle Lenses

Wide-angle lenses are a popular choice for landscape photography, but using them well takes more than simply fitting more into the frame. Wide-angle landscape photography is about understanding perspective, foreground, and composition, and knowing when a wide lens enhances a scene — and when it doesn’t.

In this article, I explore how wide-angle lenses behave in landscape photography, why they’re so effective for creating a sense of depth and place, and the common mistakes that can lead to empty or unbalanced images. Whether you’re new to landscape photography or refining your approach, this guide focuses on making deliberate, thoughtful choices rather than relying on focal length alone.

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