It was a cold and frosty December night, as I headed to the Arundel By Candlelight Christmas event to take some photographs. Arundel is a small market town famous for it's medieval castle, antique shops and historic buildings (Find out more about the historic town here). The River Arun runs through the town which is very popular with tourists and day trippers. Each year the Arundel Chamber of Commerce organises the Christmas event and supported by local traders the town centre is filled with Christmas lights, market stalls and  thousands of visitors enjoying the festivities. This years event was no exception, and as I worked my way through the crowds of people who were enjoying mulled wine and listening to carol singers, I decided that I wanted to create a photo that captured this atmosphere. True enough a celebrity would be officially turning on the Christmas tree lights, however I wanted to show the town and historic buildings all lit up for Christmas. I really wanted to capture the atmosphere and so with the help of my son Max (who earlier had unknowingly volunteered to carry my tripod) I set up my camera amongst the people, shops and Christmas trees. Using a slow shutter speed and an ungloved hand I fired the shutter, not minding that the people walking by would become blurred in the photo. The blurring in fact added to the 'feel' of the photos, as it made them look like ghosts walking along the old cobbled streets. 

To me a photograph whether a portrait or a landscape must have a feel about it. The photo has to capture not only the moment in time, but also the atmosphere. A good photo will make you feel an emotion and transport you to the place the photo was taken. If someone looks at one of my photos and feels something, then I have done my job as a photographer. So hopefully looking at these photos you will feel nice and warm and Christmassy inside. 

Till next time and don't forget its not a good idea to volunteer to help a photographer! As you might end up carrying a heavy tripod around all night in the freezing cold. ;) Happy New Year. Scott the photographer.