Many years ago, when the only things that were digital were your fingers or your watch, I won a photographic magazine’s cover girl competition. Not me personally you understand – one of my photographs.
A couple of weeks later an excited young photographer and his girlfriend, who just happened to be the scantily clad subject of the winning photograph, arrived at a posh Park Lane hotel for the prize giving. Continue reading
Taking better photographs depends on a lot of factors. I recently took part in a critique where a photographer put up a technically perfect but aesthetically boring picture of a nude. He commented that he had no concept or message when taking the picture but would like to do more ‘artistic’ work. I suggested that if he worked on having the former then the latter might naturally flow. Continue reading
Weighing nearly 140 tons this clanking, steaming, smoking heavy goods locomotive spent its short working life hauling 1500 ton iron ore trains on Merseyside. Continue reading
Kazan is the capital of the semi autonomous republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation.The Qolsarif Mosque is a relatively new addition to the Kremlin in the city. The mosque, one of the largest in Russia was completed in 2005 on the site of the original which was destroyed when Ivan the terrible conquered Kazan in the 16th century. It is named after Qol Sharif a religious leader, diplomat and poet who died defending Kazan from the Russian forces in 1552.
Sources. The Opening of Kazan Mosque in 2005
If you ask the average English speaking person to name a city where Asia meets Europe they will probably say Istanbul – if you mention Kazan the response is often, where?
Standing on the banks of the Volga and astride the Kazanka rivers the thousand year old city of Kazan in Tatarstan was founded on the a junction of the northern silk road. Kazan is still a vibrant example of eastern and western cultures meeting and mixing in harmony; even the name means cooking pot or cauldron in the native Tatar language. Continue reading
Street photography isn’t always about accosting strangers or sticking a camera in an unsuspecting subjects face. The most useful talent a photographer can possess is the ability to observe and predict the subjects actions. To wait for Cartier-Bresson’s decisive moment.
The most important piece of kit a street photographer needs is – a camera. Always carry one.
Having finally taken the plunge and given up my studio, there seemed no other way to get me out of its cozy confines I booked Meg for a location shoot. The weather forecast the previous day had promised a bright and sunny day with odd local shower and the blue sky looked promising as I pulled up outside her flat. Continue reading
Longing For a Full Colour Life
She stands alone before sink and bowl
And feels the ache within her soul
The hand that once caressed her there
Rests on the arm of favourite chair
Oh Joy Oh Bliss, I wonder where the model is? (First published in 2014)
I recently decided that I needed to shoot some pictures for a website with some new models: as if I hadn’t already lost enough hair. Now the internet is a wonderful place as long as you remember that 90% of it is made up by people who have no idea what they are talking about whilst only about 10% is actually useful. (Oh and since you wondered only 4% is porn *). At this point you should be saying ‘How does he know this? Actually I don’t; I just made up the first two statistics based on my personal experience and bias. The third statistic actually comes from a reasonably creditable source and if you follow the * to the bottom of the page you will find a link to where this came from. Continue reading