There is quite a bit in the press in the UK right now about the new copyright law passed by Parliament. The government say that the bill will streamline and clarify the use of imagery where the photographer cannot be identified or contacted. Photographers are worried that the bill will leave them up protected by large corporations who are prepared to use images without paying for them.

Firstly, I think it is important to say that these issues of improper use of copyrighted images has been going on for some time and the internet and digital capture has only made things harder. S is it right to look at ways to simplify or clarify the law? Well I would agree, that yes something needs to be done. Is this bill the way ahead? Well I am sure there will be many photographers with a great many opinions, but there is a real consensus that over all these changes may be damaging.

One of the issues is the rights pertaining to ‘unpublished’ works. This will technically mean that any image or document made before 1989 can be used by anyone wishing to use it, with or without permission. Further to that if a company does publish the document they will then effectively get the copyright (or publishing rights) for 25 years. This could mean they can sell these documents without the consent of the originator. Pretty scary stuff. It seems that a lot of the lobbying for this change has come from places like ‘Google’, who stand to potentially raise a lot of revenue from this.

Another is termed as ‘Orphan works’ and is related to the use of documents (including photographs) where the reasonable steps made to identify the originator fail. The document can then be used without any recompense to the originator. Most professional photographers apply what is called meta data to their images and in basic terms is hidden in the image, the details of the image including who, what, where, when and how the image was made. Who took the image and the contact details of the photographer. This sounds great but most images on facebook simply do not have this info. In some cases the uploading of imagery to certain sites can remove this metadata too so that all the important information is lost.

What is reasonable? Who decides? The work ‘diligent search’ is present but what does that mean in legal terms? It is what I refer to as a cuddly word, it lacks real definition. It will probably take court action from a number of cases to make this clear.

So where does that leave us? The image used in the blog entry is obviously OTT, but will we see more of this kind of approach in an attempt to protect our property, because in simple terms this is the fact. These images represent income for some people, bread and butter, income and as such it would seem that there is just too much opportunity for abusing this bill.

What do you think? I would love to hear from you.

All the fun of the fair and getting your balance

April 22, 2013

Portraits, Uncategorized

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Being a professional photographer comes with pressure. Probably mostly from within. Not always though. Do I want to see any bad images out there to reflect my skill or lack of it?

There are always times when photography should come second. Family time is precious and there are few times as our children grow up that we can spend that quality time together…….. but I must take my camera…… I must…… you never know when that killer shot will show you an opportunity.

True.

Fairgrounds are so much fun, especially as a child (we had three kids with us), the colour is amazing, the speed, the screams, the laughter, the food. They are great fun to shoot too, but quite challenging. I wanted to take a few images but still keep the balance with spending some of that quality time together.

One model, three looks.

April 3, 2013

Development, Portraits

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Lighting in the studio is simply never ending, there are so many possibilities. Different intensity, direction, modifiers, sources and on and on. The opportunity to play with the D800 for the first time in the studio was a big motivator too.

I enjoy working in the studio for its control-ability. The only way to learn is to practice and play with the light. Some of the things you can do with light is simply amazing.

Most of my lighting set-ups are either one or two lights and getting the simple lighting to work is the most difficult. As you begin to understand how the light will work, you learn to manipulate it the way you want to.

So with a couple of hours, a willing model and having some ideas before hand, you can come out with some decent results. Now how can I get it better?

The cheek of the job!

March 7, 2013

Military work, Portraits, Sport / Action

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Just a quick one today. As I wait once again for the computer to keep up with me, it is an ideal opportunity to post some images from a recent Skiing competition I was covering.

These images are only a few, please enjoy, some of them highlight the great humour of the British soldier….

Others are those type of skiing shots you may be used to seeing.

A scatter approach and the continuous search

March 5, 2013

From the Archive, Military work, Opinion, Portraits

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This week I had been asked to put a few words together for a biography on our work Facebook page. Actually not the easiest thing I have done if I am honest! Harder still was the effort (and time) required to go through my back archive to find some images to include. With ten years as a working professional, you inevitably gather a fair collection and even when you concede that half of that time was working with the more secret aspect of the military (and therefore have no imagery to show for it), I was surprised just how difficult this was.

This was one of those situations that is surreal, I captured this shot before understanding what had happened. At the time there had been a couple of shootings by Iraqi troops and this was taken on a training day. This guy was keen to point his AK-47 at me for the photo and there is a magazine fitted, I never knew if he had live or blank ammunition in it. I was lucky I guess.

I think at times it is good to look behind you, to see and consider what you have done in the past because the reality is the past is what has shaped who you are today. I am a believer in the acceptance we are really only the sum of our experiences, they shape us, they mold our character and personality.

One of the things we like to try and do is get the story in one picture. This was the Hajj pilgrimage, and the first time since the conflict that Basrah international airport had been open for the pilgrims.

As I have stated before, Buddhists believe that life is suffering, and we all endure hardships in life, some more than others granted but it is there. The real test is how we come to deal with these tests, and in this case I mean the emotional response rather than the physical one. How we look at a situation will inevitably affect how we deal with it, but any response will also involve a measured adjustment too. What I mean by this can be illustrated by nature. Two male lions fight to take control. A fight ensues that could easily mean the death of one of them. Both probably begin the fight with the same kind of emotional response and aggression, however pretty soon one will realise they are probably going to lose. How do they respond? Well they have a choice. They can continue or flee, if they continue they could get lucky (if they are thinking rationally) and if they flee they may survive. Is either response wrong? Probably not but they are worlds apart. You could even consider that the weaker one may have entered the fight without really expecting to win but understanding that to fight is expected.

Sometimes it is simply about an aesthetic, during a military music show, this one soldier was lit by a spotlight as he shouted his commands, I just liked the shot for its controlled lighting,

Life in the military has a reputation of being tough and much of the time it is, however humour is also so important. The bi-annual ‘Red nose day” provides opportunity.

The longer you consider the situation you can start to see different motivations or responses. These days as human beings we are not exposed to these kind of choices, but the reality remains.

It’s all about the lighting and finding a way to tell a story. This shot, taken at sunset is a simple story of water being dropped in the middle of a desert for an operation. A tiny bit of flash was needed to bring out the boxes of water, otherwise they would just have been silhouettes.

There are times when you are just in the right place at the right time. This shot was taken as the sun set on New Years Eve 2007. The Lynx was coming in to land fast and I had the time to capture this shot.

Anyway I kind of digressed there. To have the opportunity to look at my past work was good and bad. I remembered some of the experiences and cringed at some of the images. Any creative process is simply that, a process. I see images today vastly differently to what I did ten years ago. But I do that because of the experiences I have been through. My experiences are my own and each of us have had completely different ones. I feel now that the past has improved me and I only hope that it continues to for many years to come because this is the future and it excites me that the best is yet to come…

This is one of those shots that is technically dull but it is the details in observation that make it work.

This shot was taken on a routine patrol outside Basrah, looking for rocket rails. This shot was just a part of a selection used for a bio slideshow of trooper Whittfield that can be seen here; http://vimeo.com/26632974 This shot did also end up used by the Guardian to illustrate a story they did on budgets in the MOD. You can never control the use of your images I suppose.

Bring on that warm fuzzy feeling.

I loved this shot for what it stood for rather than the breathtaking quality (ha ha), this was a common sentiment from the Iraqi troops, they were generally proud of their involvements.

This shot does need some explaining. This is a drill (not real), the injured soldier is made up to give soldiers the realistic chance of dealing with an horrific injury, one they may expect to come to deal with. All I really remember now is the sickening smell of the fake blood, it smelled of overpowering make up.

Thank you for listening.

So then, why the title? Having just read it back it seems a bit of a tangent and perhaps it is. I was actually referring to this blog. I have been struggling with how to follow my last entry. What on earth do you follow an article on Belsen? Then I looked further back. This blog is personal, that is a fact, I am sharing my experiences and as an Army photographer I can deal with the full range of things. The horror of Belsen one minute, to soldiers skiing the next. They are not connected but as I experience them they are all important to me. I want to approach each situation with professionalism. I only hope this comes across.

The worst of human nature

February 24, 2013

Opinion

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Life is not all smiles, in fact if you believe Buddhists, life is suffering. I think we all have periods of our lives when we can relate to that.

We experience bad things, this is only natural, although who can say that they experience pain (physical or psychological). This week I decided to go back to a place I went to as a child and never really understood, Belsen, one of the Nazi concentration camps of WWII.

Now to put this in context, I used to live near to Belsen as a child growing up in a forces environment, but as a child you should not understand these things (sadly this is not the case for all children). Going back to the new museum (since I was a child), I was initially shocked by the museum, it felt cold, impersonal, forbidding. As I spent time in there, the more I understood it.

My wife’s Grandfather served in the Royal Engineers during the Second World War and was one of the first to enter Belsen. As a keen amateur photographer who had his own kit, he was requested to take some photographs of what he saw, such was the dis belief of what they did see, there must have been a real fear that the outside world would simply not believe it. Sadly he suffered the effects of what he witnessed for the rest of his life. Many of the photographs and negatives were destroyed on the advice of a psychiatrist in the 60’s or 70’s. A few did survive and were given to the Imperial War Museum together with the camera they were taken on.

On reflection as you see the exhibits, the photos, the artifacts later discovered, it becomes clear. How can you soften this place, no matter how uncomfortable you make the museum, it CAN never be as dreadful as it was for these inmates.

I will always remember the story told to me by my Grandfather in law, on entering the camp there was a young girl, sat near the abandoned gates, malnourished and to weak to even stand. By the time he walked past her again a couple of hours later, she was dead.

Part of the exhibition (that does not feel like the right way to describe it), the memorial, is a video exhibit filmed by the AFPU (Army Film & Photography Unit), the fore runners of our existing trade of RLC photographers. The video is harrowing to see, as it shows the reality that made me a little uneasy, watching the dead being dragged around in ceremoniously by a limb only to be dumped in huge ditches. I am realistic enough to understand that due to the sheer scale of the problem, it had to be dealt with so quickly as the stench of death must have been almost too much to bear.

Sadly it would be at least a little bit comforting to know that as a result of these atrocities, similar events would be avoided, but alas, this has been proven not to be the case.
Even more disturbing I think is the groups that deny that these events have been fabricated, they never happened. I don’t understand that even with the weight of evidence in still and video imagery, there can be any doubt, but it makes me wonder what motivates this denial, or the continued refusal to accept the worst in human behavior. Whist that continues, should we continue to accept these situations? How do we, as a species stop it?

What’s it all about? and what IS the magic of photography?

February 20, 2013

Opinion, Portraits, Wedding

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Wow, heavy, or is it?

Today we were informed by WordPress that we have now reached our second anniversary, where does the time go?

How do you begin to approach questions like ‘What’s it all about’? Well I suppose every single one of us would give a different answer and more than that, your answer would differ almost daily…

The question always reminds me of a Michael Caine line used in a song by Carter USM and it always makes me smile, not for any other reason than the acceptance that we all pose the question to ourselves at one time or another. It’s only natural.

So what is this blog all about? Well I am under no illusion that this gets seen by millions of people, tens of people is something…. This is a tool of my trade, a business tool an opportunity to shout about what we are doing, what our plans and ambitions are, so show some examples of our work, to interest you (well you can’t have it all I suppose), but ultimately a way of connecting. There is no malice, just what is intended to be an honest approach. The trouble with the written word is context. The skill in writing is just that, but often over looked is the skill in reading. Most of us don’t really understand punctuation, me included. Where should that colon come in, why does the apostrophe go there and how does the comma in a certain place change the meaning of the sentence? Yes it is fair to say, I am not the best at writing, but I try. We all communicate with each other, and talking is the best way because quite simply, the voice naturally has the natural inflexions that enhance the words themselves and make the meaning come to life. to give it context, to make it easier to understand. I think it is far easier to misunderstand the written word than not and possibly the other way around for the spoken word. That is not to say, the spoken word is never misunderstood because we all know it is.

I guess it makes sense then that unless you are certain the writer of some text is excellent and you have confidence that you read well, you should never take what you read too literally. Easier said than done! I know…. The more I write the more I understand just how artistic writing can be.

This leads me onto the next question, what IS the magic of photography? Well apart from being a tag line for this blog, photography for many has always had that allure of magic. If you go back to thee old film days (many of us view with a nostalgic tear), the actual process of creating an image onto a piece of glass or gelatin is nothing short of ingenious. Using the right chemicals at the correct temperature for the exact amount of time to develop the latent image is nothing less than astonishing. To see an image form on a blank piece of paper in the darkroom will always amaze me, it feels like magic. Of course I know it is not, it is chemistry but I will never fully understand the process so no matter how much I research it, I like the feeling I get that I am witnessing a little miracle.

Photography has changed in many ways in recent years and like any development, change is never all good, but usually it is also never all bad either. It is true the chemistry has gone, but the technological change is as dramatic and breath taking as the original process. How modern digital cameras capture what they do, well there simply has to be an element of magic in there somewhere.

Again though, this is not all there is, the magic goes beyond that. Surely the magic is in the emotion that a still image can portray? The capture of a genuine smile, the love displayed in a wedding photograph, the drained exhaustion of a brand new mother holding their baby, the satisfaction of having received your scroll from University, the list goes on and on. The capture of these things remind us of those moments and allow us to relive them, to remember. This is the real magic of photography, a simple two dimensional print or image can be so much more than that. In fact in cases where families have lost all their belongings in a fire often say that the hardest to come to terms with is the loss of their photos. Makes you think….

Showing potential and laying down in the job

February 4, 2013

Military work, Sport / Action

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The newspapers show regularly images of our Armed Forces in Afghanistan and that is great. The young men and women really do a fantastic job out there on a daily basis, but the Armed Forces are not just about Afghanistan, there is so much more to the organisation that being defined by a single operation.

Life in the Armed Forces goes on in the mean time. There are always requirements that need to be met, training must continue and the search for the next generation of commanders goes on.

If you are in the Royal Signals in Germany, promotion to Lance Corporal (the first step as a commander), comes after passing the Potential Junior Non-Commissioned Officer cadre. The course is intended to train and to push your limits both physically and mentally and is similar to the courses most units will undertake.

Keeping up with myself and losing the battle

February 3, 2013

Development, Portraits

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For those few of you that keep up to date with me, good luck. I can not even keep up with myself at times. I have many projects on the go, some of which are all about using my lucky and very fortunate situation as an Army photographer. The British Army is a diverse place, there are opportunities everywhere but many will inevitably fall outside of the job description. So for these I operate in my own time. I know (or I have a better idea) where I want my photography to go, I can kind of see the future (and for a ginger, it may just be Orange after all). When I embarked on this career, I was honest with myself and admitted it was a resettlement course, only I began with 14 years left to do.

As any kind of photographer, you are always looking around at the world around you, the influences you can draw on and the ideas others have, constantly wondering if you can improve something.

Going back to projects, I enjoy working in the studio, with people. I was also incredibly proud of the country during and after the huge success of the London Olympics. Those that don’t know, the first gold medal of the games for Team GB came on the water with a member of the British Armed Forces.

I do wonder if the Armed forces themselves have started to be taken for granted a little. As we ride a wave of public support, the like of which I have never known, we seem to be in the media all the time, thankfully most of the time in a positive light. This is largely down to our enduring involvement in Afghanistan, but as an organisation we seem so integrated into the public field of vision that it is hard to see it ending soon. On the other hand, with Afghanistan coming ever closer to a draw down, I wonder if the limelight is about to fade. Over all I have to say, as biased as I so obviously am, we have done ourselves proud. We have once again shown ourselves to be professional, resilient and the definition of reliability. Sure there have been failures, but these do happen. We are only human after all (this is not meant to demonstrate any kind of apathy over these failures as some have been very disturbing).

As part of the Army PR machine, our role is to do what we can to assist the organisation in showing off its good points.

So as I continue to ramble on, I have embarked on a personal project to photograph Army representative sports people to help show that as an organisation, the competitive nature of the job we do does have civilian applications too. The British Military is a huge investor in sports which will inevitably keep our exploits in the public eye.

This image is a very quick edit on this project and is far from a final image. The sport is Biathlon, one of the most physically demanding sports I think there is. Not so much from the exertion the athlete must endure but the fact that during this exertion they then have to hit a tiny target with a rifle at 50 meters while their lungs are trying to escape them through their mouths.

Before I depart I must add that any views in this blog are my own views and should not be seen as any kind of representation of the Ministry of Defence or the British Army.

Teaser in the snow

January 31, 2013

Military work, Sport / Action

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While I wait for my computer to catch up with my obviously speedy working habits, I thought I would take the time to give you a teaser of an ongoing job.

These guys move quickly and they hit the gates really hard.

Keep watching there will be more to follow soon.

A change of perspective and the cold light of day.

January 29, 2013

Development, Landscapes

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At times the life of a photographer can send you to some stunning locations. I recently found myself working (yes, you heard me, working) in the French Alps to cover a skiing competition.

So rather than show you images of skiers, I thought I would share something else.

I don’t really do many landscapes, although I enjoy them, I find them frustrating most of the time because I am either there in the wrong time or I am simply unable to stop and take the photo. Comes with rushing around doing other things I suppose.

Not typical landscapes and not the same as I have done in the past (I do have some examples on my website http://www.LIMEfotographic.com). This time I was interested in the fast flowing water, the fresh snow and ice sitting on the rocks and the at times abstract nature.

Specifically looking for long exposures, a good tripod was a must and the help of a local (well kind of a local, an American, or Texan, if he had his way), we went exploring a small stream looking for interesting shots.

I have experimented with some different post production ideas and was inspired to be bold by this same ‘local’ who showed me some of his own work.

Like always, like it or loathe it, the work should speak for itself. You decide.

Red rag to the Bull

January 6, 2013

Afghanistan

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It can be hard work at times working in a small english speaking enclave in foreign lands. My german is not all that great, I can order beer and bratwurst without too many problems but the thought of directing a german speaking model to slightly move their right hand a little to the left or twist as the wrist is quite frankly beyond me.

Working with models is a skill I have been sadly missing for a couple of years and skill fade has started to hit.

So when the opportunity came along to work on some things with an english student back home for the holidays, it was an opportunity I did not want to miss.

If nothing more it was a great opportunity to work on some different lighting techniques I have not used before as well as some new angles. This is the stuff that keeps a photographer happy. No real remit, a willing model lighting kit and time.

Sadly not too long as we had to fit the shoot around other paid shoots.

For a relatively quick test shoot we came away with a few shots that we both liked. The session was looking at head shots as an introduction. Head shots can be very difficult to get right and far from being perfect, they did at least inspire me.

I have to do more…

Canvassing favour

January 4, 2013

Portraits

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As a photographer you can go periods of time struggling, this is by nature a creative industry and at times, like writers I guess, you can get a creative block. For some time I have been looking for some more creative ideas that are fun to do in the studio. Photographing a family is never run of the mill, nor should it be.

Then there comes a time when the magic happens, you get a bunch of characters who make it all so easy. When you photograph a person, the difficult part can be capturing the personality and character. Sounds easy but then when you think, you may not have seen the subject before, you need to create a rapport and fast.

You may only have a short amount of time to get the shots.

For this kind of session, preparation is paramount. The ideas need to be planned, set up and executed with military precision and yet really need to be relaxed and natural.

These ideas have been in the pipeline for some time and like most new things, they take a little time to get just right. I think we are getting there, almost…

Always room to improve but what is most important is that the client loves their images. Get that and you will not go far wrong.

Putting a face to the name

January 3, 2013

Afghanistan, Portraits

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Well, here it is, the project for 2013 and beyond…

An idea that I have been mulling over for almost 12 months now, I can finally get the ball rolling.

“Putting a face to the name”

What is it?

Well quite simply it is an idea to remember those members of the British Forces that have been killed whilst on operations in Afghanistan. A non-political remembrance. This project is not meant to be a support for the conflict (as that is political), but simply support for our troops.

How many of us can name any of the 438 British forces that have died in Afghanistan?

Now try to name as many famous people that have died in the last 12 months?

This is the premise of this project, to find a personality that is well know to represent each and every member of the Armed forces that have been killed in Afghanistan by means of a portrait. Once complete (no mean feat), the resulting exhibition may well be coinciding with 11Nov as part of the national remembrance.

Did I say just how ambitious this project is? I am under no illusions here. This is going to take a massive amount of support and help. I have already begun recruiting.

I am not planning the end state yet as this will have to remain organic and hopefully pick up some high profile supporters to put some wind in the sails. That said if anyone thinks they can help or has any contacts of people who you think may be what we are looking for I am asking them to email me privately on LIMEfotographic@Hotmail.com

I have also created a new blog solely for the new project.

http://facetothename.org/

This is where most of the updates will be placed, so follow that blog if you want to keep in touch.

Well that is that, a project that I have been so excited about is finally on the move. I only hope that it turns out to be even a fraction of what I hope for.

The long journey has to start with the first step and sometimes this first step is the hardest…

Here is to the journey, I hope you can stay with me on it…

Getting known and trying to break the norm.

November 28, 2012

Development, Portraits, Promotion

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Any photographer will tell you that one of the biggest journeys for them to take is the attempt to do something new, so find their own USP (Unique Selling Point). More often and not these days it is a certain look done in post production (after the photo has been taken). An example of this is the Dragan effect (google it). The thing is with PP is that it is quite easily replicated. Once someone comes out with a catchy look, its just a matter of time before everyone is doing it. That USP then becomes dull, it loses its impact.

I have decided to undertake a couple of projects over this Christmas period working at charity events and a Christmas fayre.

Why?

Well simple, I decided I needed to do two things. Firstly be seen for what I do (taking portraits) and secondly to capture something that makes people go wow, which is not that easy. I also wanted to make people go, “I like that, can I book a family shoot or a portrait session from you?”

A standard set up for this kind of event is probably a two light set up, maybe three. A main light, fill and either a background light or hair light. The idea being that this set up is versatile as the sweet spot can be organised to be quite large.

Well I decided I didn’t want to do that as although you can get reasonable light it will not suit everyone. There is not really any set up that will suit everyone, so decisions have to be made. I chose to use a ‘clam shell’ set up which has the main light as a 1.2m Octobox directly above the subject, and very close. The fill light is under my feet and I shoot through the gap in between. The problem is that to get this really amazing soft light the subject is close to the light and the sweet spot is quite small. I can only fit (carefully) two subjects.

Ultimately here lays the problem. I do not directly make any money from this shoot which as a business I have to make money to survive. There will always be people that want a certain shot and it is difficult to almost alienate yourself from anyone, but I have to look at the bigger picture. I want you to see that I can get some amazing pictures of you guys and in a studio with all my kit at my disposal and a couple of hours to spare, we can come up with same really memorable shots that you will love.

Looking at it that way, its a bit of a no brainer really…. What I particularly love about this is the options that remain in PP, like in any lighting situation I suppose.

In the thick of it and always experimenting

November 19, 2012

Development, Portraits

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As a photographer one of the best parts of the job is the sheer volume of options. I love the fact that I can always learn new techniques, be it composition, lighting, style or… well the options some times feel pretty limitless. #

The only limit to a photographer is their imagination.

I love playing with lighting, the studio is a great place when things are going well and the most frustrating place when they are not.

Lighting is, in essence quite simple, even the most complex of lighting set ups should look simple, but simple is great to look at and natural.

After setting up a stand at a recent charity fashion show, I thought it would make a great opportunity to try a simple clamshell setup. I have to say I have never used this one before and I really have no idea why. It is an amazing light and with post pro can suit men, women and children.

For this one I had a 1.2m Octabox as the key light, with a simple shoot through brolly as the fill from the floor. The lights were no more than 1m from the subject so I used a wide lens for most of them.

Another set up in the bank.

Personal ambition vs the photographers ego.

November 14, 2012

Development, Portraits

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Us photographers are a strange breed we? The very nature of our work usually means we work closely with members of the public. Yet sometimes we get very protective of our skills and way of working. At least this was how it was in the old days.

Digital has changed the whole industry and now there is so much more onus on the post production much of the time, the focus has changed.

A saturated market has meant that many established photographers who have regular clients may have seen the competitiveness of the industry affecting the amount of work they are getting.

What this has done is created a culture, aided by YouTube of photographers that see value in their skills and knowledge that perhaps ten years ago was better served hidden in the depths of their heads.

Photographers used to keep their USP (unique selling point) guarded as they knew this was what made them what they were. This was perhaps wise. Now there is such a creative element to photography that makes the whole thing so much more exciting, that for every USP there are another dozen that are almost identical and as soon as a new look in created others will try to replicate it.

This all ensures an exciting process of continual development.

As a result photographers who may have been quite guarded with their skills are now selling their knowledge, it is another part of their income and can make quite a bit of revenue. Examples of these (and there are many) are Kevin Kubota and Joel Grimes. These guys are well worth a visit but beware, it could get expensive.

There is of course no harm in learning new skills, in fact it is encouraged, but the ultimate goal must be to place your own spin or angle on it. To do that though you first need to learn the skills.

I made a photograph……… Snap, snap, snapping away.

October 22, 2012

Development, Opinion

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Snap, snap, snap, this photography lark is easy….. Isn’t it?

Any of you who have read some of my older posts will no doubt at times have noticed that I am a little critical of Photography as a form of art. As a photographer myself this is not meant in a detrimental way, more a quizzical way.

To describe an image as arty usually means it has a below a quality threshold but illustrates an effort to provoke some kind of thought process.

Now I am quite opinionated about art where it seems a skill of verbal diarrhea makes certain arty types go weak at the knees. I am however coming around to certain aspects of art in photography. Why?

Well I do think that far too many photographers are overly critical about their abilities, I know I am far too harsh at times. Does photography come naturally, we’ll for some it does and others it most certainly does not. Because it comes naturally to some does that mean it is any less impressive.

Where there is a problem, I think, is when photographers concentrate on an aesthetic composite over a narrative. After ten years, this is something I only now think I am getting to grips with, although some of that is my acceptance that each year that passes, my photography changes, the focus, my understanding of what I want to capture and how, seems to change constantly.

So what does this mean?

Well it means that as a photographer I am always adapting, moving, processing, getting better? Well, that will always be a matter of opinion. One thing I do know is that the more experienced I get, the clearer I see a photographic opportunity, the more I am able to preempt a situation and try to posting myself accordingly to get as many of the relevant elements I can into the frame.

The ultimate mission is to capture everything relevant to the narrative in a single shot. Not an easy thing to do, but always an objective.

You always want a picture editor to choose your image to support the article, and more often than not, one image is key (although with the Internet, there is an unlimited space). In print, one photograph is best, although not always possible.

So, as a conclusion, the images I take now are not simply a case of the fraction of a second it actually takes to capture the scene, but it becomes a culmination of a whole pile of ingredients. Like a chef, two people can make the same dish with the same ingredients and come up with completely different end products. This is the same with photography, two photographers at the same event with full freedom of movement will still come away with different images. The images I take now have taken far in excess of ten years to produce, which brings me to my final point, and one that for some time I never really understood. When I say I made a photograph, I now know I mean it. I construct an image from the surroundings, my position, my composition, my use of the photographic elements of shutter speed, aperture, ISO, the use of the lighting, or adding my own light. A photograph can really be so much more than just a snap, a brief moment captured as a still.

Building books and the tangible truth

October 22, 2012

Afghanistan, Military work, Opinion, Portraits

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If there is one aspect of digital photography and the internet that I don’t like it is simply the lack of necessity to print your images.

There is nothing quite like a decent print, and trust me it is never simply a case of hitting the print button. So in the last six months or so I have been responsible for producing 4 photographic books, and all I can say is wow. Although the books have been limited run or one offs, the sense of achievement you get after all the work of putting them together and handling it is second to none.

I now have the printed book bug.

A reflective image is so different from a back lit image, that seeing your images feels like seeing it again for the first time.

There are some amazing companies out there that can produce these books and some of the software you can use to complete the books are very straight forward. All I would say is don’t feel the need to over complicate the layout.

Photo books should ideally, in my humble opinion, be about an image at a time, although that is not always possible. There is certainly a skill in putting a book together and I feel myself getting better each time. There is a lot of work, in particular when you are trying to include other contributors.

Another important effort is to do your best to create a narrative, to make the images inter connect and flow from one to the other and at times, even if you have a cracking image that misses the narrative, do not shoehorn it into the book just out of hand. If you need to add another section to the book to fit it in, then try but be your own worst critic.

The end result is worth it though.

Finding the time, a photographers lot

October 19, 2012

Development, Portraits

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Well many of you may be aware the last few weeks have been a blur, but a happy one. Now I am starting to move on and as a photographer, there is always a difficulty balancing the work with real life. Any working photographer lives and breathes photography, and I find it gets worse the longer I go on. Understanding light is probably the hardest thing with photography and it takes time. There are no shortcuts here and learning to identify and use light is something every photographer constantly works with.

As I understand light more and more, I see opportunity and inspiration. I suppose it feels a little bit like staring at the screen on ‘The Matrix’, you just start to see photographs everywhere. That said seeing images and capturing images are two completely different things though the more I see light and its subtleties I base it on images I have taken.

Now I like working in the studio with controlled light. There is a sense that anything is possible, if you can just control it as you need. I really love photographing people but the most difficult part is ‘the people’, getting them to do what you want, no, need them to do. A sitter does not have any idea what is going on in my head (probably a good thing), and I am working towards an end product that nestles in the outer reaches of my muddled head.

There is no substitute for working with people, it really is the only way you get to know the craft of lighting. I can play with new ideas on an inanimate object but translating that to people is something that can only be done with people……

….and no two people are the same.

So there we have it, this post is no more than a plug, I need you to improve and you need me to take your portrait, so there you go, no excuses any more…

And here is to the weekend, all good in moderation.

—The mastery of life, work and Photography

The eye sees what it sees, the camera sees what you ask it to and the rest needs to be discovered.

Photographic paranoia or the necessary steps?

All the fun of the fair and getting your balance

One model, three looks.

The cheek of the job!

A scatter approach and the continuous search

The worst of human nature

What’s it all about? and what IS the magic of photography?

Showing potential and laying down in the job

Keeping up with myself and losing the battle

Teaser in the snow

A change of perspective and the cold light of day.

Red rag to the Bull

Canvassing favour

Putting a face to the name

Getting known and trying to break the norm.

In the thick of it and always experimenting

Personal ambition vs the photographers ego.

I made a photograph……… Snap, snap, snapping away.

Building books and the tangible truth

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