Looking and seeing

“To look is to view, to see is to understand”. Objective – to think about and decide what you want to say photographically. There are many different definitions of looking & seeing available if you hunt around photographic books. There are as many definitions it would appear as there are photographers each one takes a view and sometimes the definitions can be completely reversed so you may have seen several different definitions. Looking and seeing is linked to Attraction inRead more

Farewells

In this post I want to talk about something that confuses many photographers, that of subject and subject matter. This picture is called “Farewells”. The subject of the picture is farewells, this is indicated by a) the person on the end of the platform, b) the raised waving hand from inside the carriage and c) the Guard looking out of the carriage window as the train departs the station platform. The subject matter was a train pulling out the station,Read more

Learn by Commenting

Please look at the picture “Pool Showers” full size against a grey background. Become a better photographer by constructively commenting on other people’s work. If we are to progress as photographers we need to understand the structure of visual design (the building blocks of a picture as Freeman Patterson would describe it) and have a suitable vocabulary to enable us to communicate what we think and feel about the photograph being discussed. I have a friend Dr David Cooke ARPSRead more

A fool and…

Please look at the picture full size against a grey background. Please Like my Facebook page. I have been thinking about what we photographers spend our hard-earned money on photographically. I was trying think through the most and least beneficial uses of money to progress our photographic journey. Is it just me and my perception that the majority of photographers will spend huge amounts on hardware and software in the vain belief that newer more advanced technology will be theRead more

The best place to take pictures is – where you are

The best place to take pictures is where you are, the best camera to use is the one you have with you. That might sound a little fatuous but the grass or the light won’t necessarily be greener 1000 miles away, you get my drift? It’s so easy to think great pictures are only made with ultra-expensive equipment on the other side of the world. I am just as guilty of familiarity breeding contempt as anyone. A few wise wordsRead more

Ten Photo truths – The truth revealed

This is my take on the ten truths of photography posted last week. Have a read through and see if you agree with me. 1 More pixels and expensive technology equals the best image This is marketing spin to entice us to give money to equipment manufactures. The latest most expensive equipment won’t help in the hands and mind of someone with no ability to observe, decide what is significant and express that significance in a satisfying visual design. AsRead more