What makes the photography world go around; is it creativity or technology? Overall, I would say it is the latter for most amateurs. One only has to look at the impact of the annual Photokina pilgrimage on blog and forum traffic, caused by the pursuit of ‘hot kit’. I only have to look to see […]
Pentti Sammallahti: An Old School Master
There aren’t many Finnish photographers in the world’s eye and Sammallahti (Lens Culture Link) is not a big name, but his work is no less brilliant because of it. I’m posting a link here precisely because many photographers have not heard of him, although I suspect many would recognise some of his better-known images. I’ve […]
Why the Fuss about Vivian Maier?
Vivian Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) There are few photographers, who don’t know her name today, but only a few years ago she was known to none of them. Her story is remarkable for reasons that I personally feel extend well beyond her physical photographic legacy. The images themselves are just a […]
Robin Hammond – Pictures of the Year International (Award)
Robin Hammond of Panos Pictures has won the 2014 POYi ‘World Understanding’ award for his series ‘Condemned’ which looks at mental health issues in African crisis countries. His work is great and this particular body of work can be seen here. To get a more general feel for his work, see his website, which is […]
Behind every ….. is a Master Printer
The blank is ‘great photographer’. Now, the printer may in fact also be the same person squinting through the viewfinder, but the end result is still the same. There are also many great women behind quite a few great male photographers, but that’s a different story! The closest I’ve come to my own Charis was […]
All The Gear and No Idea?
All The Gear and No Idea? Am I a photographer or gearhead (suffering from Gear Acquisition Syndrome AKA ‘GAS’)? At some point, this is probably the most fundamental question anyone with a love of photography will ask himself or herself. The answer can be ‘both’, but just as Goldilocks had to choose a bed to […]
A Style of Styles: A Personal Photographic Style
As a photographer it is essential that you develop a personal style if your work is to have value beyond the arty and handicrafts price range. This is not to denigrate the work lovingly produced by many wonderful amateur photographers, but a hard commercial fact one learns very quickly if one aspires to sell work […]
A New Photographic Mantra
Further to this post, I wonder if the following shouldn’t be applied to our photographic endeavours: If it feels like work, it probably won’t. That’s all.
Inspiration: A Fickle Mistress
Recently, I posted a small body of work, ‘West to East’, which I shot at the end of last week. Up to that point, I had been mulling over various project ideas, which I am yet to begin shooting. The ideas are good, but the feeling behind the images were taking time to crystalise into […]
West to East, Afghanistan
I haven’t been feeling very inspired lately and this is something that always worries me, because I wonder if the visceral intensity that underpins all my work will return. I’m definitely going through a fallow period, but these things can change very quickly… Yesterday, I was on a small plane flying from Herat, in the West […]
Photographing Strangers – Part 2
Continued from Part 1 To Ask or Not to Ask This seems to be a really troubling question for those new to street photography, but unfortunately the answer is ‘both’! Clearly if you are looking for spontaneous street shots unaffected by your presence, you cannot ask; it’s that simple. However, if you are hoping to […]
Photographing Strangers – Part 1
Introduction Please bear with me in this article, because I am going to start somewhere before the beginning 😉 Some of you may ask why this preamble is necessary and I can only respond by saying that I know it is for some people, from personal experience. While photographing strangers comes naturally to some photographers, […]
Developing a Personal Style – Part 3
This article is in three parts. Please see Part 1 and Part 2 first. By this point, some of you are probably wondering where I am going with this and, to be frank, I am not sure myself. Instead, I will let the words take their course. Hopefully. The first thought that comes to mind […]
Developing a Personal Style – Part 2
Continued from Part 1….. I mentioned earlier about the young woman who helped me understand the relationship between the photographer and the photographs. I have also mentioned that some people will delight in pulling you down or simply not be ‘into’ what you do. So, who should you listen to? Well, here’s a short list:
Developing a Personal Style – Part 1
Another perspective on this is ‘finding the photographer in the photograph’…. Perhaps one of the most important milestones for any photographer is establishing a particular style; however, I think there can be more to it than just producing work that has an attributable fingerprint. There is a process we can choose to indulge, a journey […]
Return to the Russian Centre, Afghanistan: A Personal Reflection
Return to the Russian Cultural Centre, Afghanistan – A Personal Reflection. This is piece I wrote in August or September 2012, after returning to the Russian Cultural Centre for what I thought would be the last time. Rumours of its demolition had circulated for years, then suddenly intensified. I had to go back to say […]
A Charitable Encounter – Part 2
This follows on from ‘Part 1’ and won’t make sense if you have not read that first! Hi H, I understand your position and it is unfortunate, because without the use of logos and branding I am not going to be able to create what I need to create (namely [insert ideas that you will see […]
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