Read more... Add New Dimensions to Your Photography with Interesting Angles
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Add New Dimensions to Your Photography with Interesting Angles
Read more... Add New Dimensions to Your Photography with Interesting Angles
Monday, July 8, 2013
Photographing Sport
While much of today's online media rely on video and moving images to tell their stories, there is still a huge demand for photography from certain news outlets. The art of telling a story is pivotal to sports photography. While viewers are able to watch an entire match, game or event over the course of several minutes or hours, not everyone has the time or interest to devote to following their hobbies. A photograph is the perfect partner for a news report on a website or in more traditional media such as newspapers or magazines, whereby photographs are used to complement the narrative and editorial content of the publication. A good photograph not only captures a precise moment in the game but also sums up the general feeling of the story. If the article relates the loss of a match it would be inappropriate to show players or managers looking happy. This allows the reader to guess the tone of the article in conjunction with the headline. This poses many problems for sports photographers. In football, a photographer has 90 minutes to capture as many quality pictures as possible never quite knowing what the story will be at the end of the match.
Film versus Digital - The great debate
As technology develops there are always going to be purists and nostalgia obsessed photographers who preach the pros of old fashioned techniques over modern developments. In photography, the rise of digital cameras means that very rarely will you find a photographer, unless they've been to university, who can use the skills of a light room to develop their images. 
While most people choose digital for speed and cost reasons, the jury is still out as to whether the images are the same quality. The grain in a film print is far greater than a pixellated digital image. As Batman director Christopher Nolan states about his choice to shoot on film, "We're not counting pixels here." Secondly, the unpredictable nature of physically developing an image leads to some accidental discoveries. Double exposures and light leaks may not be the desired effect but removing any element of danger you remove any chance of experimenting. In terms of storage, a thousand digital prints only take up the space of a hard drive but hard drives are prone to failures and once they are lost they are irretrievable. Whereas, a developed negative is filed in seconds and as long as they are stored properly, they can last for 50 years.
While most people choose digital for speed and cost reasons, the jury is still out as to whether the images are the same quality. The grain in a film print is far greater than a pixellated digital image. As Batman director Christopher Nolan states about his choice to shoot on film, "We're not counting pixels here." Secondly, the unpredictable nature of physically developing an image leads to some accidental discoveries. Double exposures and light leaks may not be the desired effect but removing any element of danger you remove any chance of experimenting. In terms of storage, a thousand digital prints only take up the space of a hard drive but hard drives are prone to failures and once they are lost they are irretrievable. Whereas, a developed negative is filed in seconds and as long as they are stored properly, they can last for 50 years.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Macro Photography
Read more... Macro Photography
Photographing the City
People often ask me, what my favourite subject to photograph is. For some, it may be sport which inspires them or maybe dance or travelling to different lands. While I appreciate the skill and determination required to capture such difficult subjects, the only thing which really inspires me is the city. Having grown up in the countryside, I am used to being surrounded by nature. I don't know whether this has numbed me to the beauty of nature but for some reason I find it hard to become truly inspired by the natural world. What many people find beautiful, I find average and uninteresting. Whereas, the random sprawl of the big city really makes me curious to explore through my camera. The way cities evolve overtime means that you have a patchwork of mismatched periods all within closely confined spaces. You could have a huge sky scraper next to a Victorian pub or a derelict warehouse next to a five star hotel. It's this diversity of textures and history which invite the artist to explore different areas their hidden histories. While nature in general doesn't interest me, the positioning and history of green spaces within inner cities fascinates me. Whether it Hyde Park, London with its boating lake or the old Horse racing track around Sefton Park, Liverpool. The scarcity of green spaces in cities means they are often utilised in interesting and creative ways.
Friday, June 21, 2013
What Does Your Profile Picture Really Mean?
For some, picking the perfect profile picture is as easy as clicking the first image in your computer's library, for others it is agony. Hours spent analysing their own face to scope out any potential insecurities and whether these are less visible in other images. Have you got a double chin, do you look tired or overweight? Probably not but certain angles and certain poses make some people feel better about their own image. The Myspace pose may have been the staple of the mid-noughties teen but now there are a whole range of different profile styles to choose from but what do they say about you? Classic portrait How to Spot It: The classic profile picture – showing the waist up, looking into the camera (or into the distance for artiness). What It Says About You: You are normal. The vast majority of profile pictures look like this. However, if it's professionally taken as a headshot or blatantly airbrushed you might come across as a show off. If it's a 'selfie' it screams insecurity as people now know you sit in your room taking pictures of yourself in your spare time. The landscape shot Why Photography Will Never Die
A picture is worth a thousand words. It's a cliché but is there still truth behind the phrase? In a world of instant communication, there is a constant demand for information and news. Whether this info comes from war torn countries, the UK riots or even the local village fete; news relies on visuals and imagery as much as it does words, statistics and information. What was more shocking during the riots which spread across the UK? Was it the news reports condemning the looting and violence? Or was it the videos and photographs of real people caught up in the melee? In scriptwriting and prose writing, there's a saying which says 'show not tell.' If you want your character to feel real to an audience you don't have them talking about their actions, you have them doing them. The ability to filter what an audience knows through story telling is a powerful tool in fiction and news features alike. Photography is one of the only mediums which can still shock its audience. A person in court on assault charges is less shocking than seeing someone beating another human being, especially if they appear weak or defenceless. Photography places the audiencRead more... Why Photography Will Never Die
Friday, June 14, 2013
Photography: Who Owns the Copyright?
While it only really affects those who have been professionally commissioned, copyright can be a confusing minefield for any photographer. Who has the rights to the image? Legally, the copyright of any idea belongs to the person whose skill, ability and work went into creating the copyrighted work. There is no copyright in an idea only in how it is presented, for example, a clown logo outside a fast-food restaurant isn't in breach of a copyright. But, if that clown bears an overdue resemblance to a certain Ronald Macdonald, you may have one of the world's largest corporations knocking on your door. While this may not affect photographers it is good to bear in mind whether you think someone has plagiarised your work. In photography copyright, the 1 August 1989 is a key date to remember. On this date, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 came into force. Before this date, who ever commissioned the photograph owned the full copyright to the image. After this date, the photographer or their employee owns the copyright to the image, unless otherwise stated in the contract. While the people in the photograph may not own the copyright, they do have legal moral rights for the redistribution of their image. So, for example, if you want to create a new portfolio of your work or a new advertising campaign, you would need permission from the people who commissioned you to take the picture, or you may be liable fo
Read more... Photography: Who Owns the Copyright?
Read more... Photography: Who Owns the Copyright?
The Power of Photography
Recent images of a newborn baby being cut precariously from a sewer pipe have caused shock and repulsion across the world. The ability of photography to shock and spark debate never fails to amaze me and it seems that even in a world of pre-watershed sex and violence, photography still holds the occasional ability to make the world stand up and pay attention.
The photograph in question was taken in China once the baby’s mother (who only admitted to having given birth to the child) rang authorities after the infant apparently fell into the toilet by accident. The image has caused outrage worldwide but for very different reasons.
In China, the woman is being ostracised for such an act of wanton cruelty and demonic negligence. Whereas, in the UK, the media and society has looked to the symptomatic way in which a young mother could feel so pressured during pregnancy that, not only does she keep her pregnancy secret and deliver a child in a toilet, she resorts to such an act of desperation in order to maintain the life she wants. Granted this assumes that the mother in fact intended to dispose of the infant rather than it being an unfortunate accident.
Either way, the image of a child literally flushed down the toilet is an enduring one. In the modern world we are used to seeing infants in sanitised, nurturing environments and the shot of a child trapped in a womb of defecation is appalling on so many levels. This type of imagery would feel at home in a David Lynch or Werner Herzog film but the fact that such a strong political and social criticism is real is even the more powerful.
What is for sure is that this image may fade over time but it will always be there in the psyche of the world. This child will forever be the person who started life inside a toilet, betrayed by a mother who was in turn betrayed by her society. Even if this is a tragic accident with a redemptive ending, why would the mother have a newborn near the unsanitary public toilet rather than a hospital? The very circumstances brought about by the woman’s selfishness and desperation is a damning criticism of Chinese society.
There’s
something gut wrenching about the site of a blue new-born covered in
excrement,
wedged inside a pipe and crying for help. While it is easy to criticise
the
mother, it should be remembered that through the power of photography,
exposure
has been shone on societies failings and hopefully this may lead to
change in
future – surely the greatest power that art can possess.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Getting it Right on Linkedin
The popularity of Linkedin
among professionals has risen significantly in past years, so much so that it
is now an essential part of the job application process. Competition for jobs
post economic crisis has meant that more and more people are turning to
Linkedin to give them an edge over the competition.
Given the nature of this
social network, it would stand to reason that it should display only the very
best and professional aspects of a user, in order to secure them the very best
employment. You might assume that the format is pretty straight forward for
most members of this job networking site, but you’d be wrong...
A common mistake of many
hopeful Linkedin users happens when they misinterpret the medium. Linkedin is a
networking site for professionals,
this means that employers and other users expect your page to look the part. Countless bikini clad photos, blatant ‘selfies’ and cleavages are all over
Linkedin, and not one of them is taken seriously. Employers are not interested
on how well an employee tanned over their summer break, nor are they interested
in hiring the biggest breasts in the office (we hope). Linkedin photos should be plain portraits
which illustrate a workplace persona, in professional dress and with an
appropriate expression.
Winking, leering, and
closed eyes have all featured on some of Linkedin’s finest profile photo
failures, without even considering the appalling choice of outfit and random
background location. The key is to get the right balance between ‘passport
photo’ and ‘career.’
Black and white, photoshopped,
pixelated photos or scanned in prints are not ideal choices for Linkedin
either. A clear digital image is all it
takes to impress an employer, while techniques which mask the true image of a
person are a hindrance at best. Employers must review thousands of applicants’
sites, which means they need their information clearly and readily available in
order to save time and ensure they hire the right person.
Photos with animals, babies
or a spouse are also an inappropriate addition to a Linkedin profile photo.
Unless you and the baby, animal or spouse come as a twinset in your application
(which I would strongly advise against) there is no reason for their image to
be there, as it is simply a distraction. Your Linkedin profile is about YOU, and
a chance for YOU to shine. Your loved ones will have their day too.
Finally, the worst crime a
Linkedin user could possibly commit? Not having a photo at all. This is tant
amount to self sabotage, which anyone who is looking for work could do without.
Monday, May 20, 2013
The phenomenon of the ‘selfie’
There’s a new craze sweeping social media called the
‘selfie’. For those who don’t know, a ‘selfie’ is a self portrait taken in a
mirror usually with the camera/phone visible. In the past these images were
overly popular in the Myspace generation of teenagers desperate for a
flattering picture of themselves.
Now, even celebrities like Rihanna are getting in on the
act. Posing in their new clothes, friends and even with their pets. What was
once the sign of the sad and lonely has become the latest trend for the social
media conscious.
What about the history of the portrait? Henry VIII, when he
was courting his future soon to ex-wives, would send famous painters such as
Hans Holbein the Younger to capture women’s likenesses to see if they suited
his tastes. Of course, like in all good portraits, a little tinkering and
selective editing was involved and rumours have it that upon meeting Anne of
Cleves (whom Henry had chosen over her sister Amalia) the king was distinctly
unimpressed with the likeness of the image.
Although famous for the self-portrait of himself wearing a
bandage, Vincent van Gogh painted hundreds of images of his own likeness
throughout his life, documenting the changes that time brought. Walking through
the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam is you see the worries and stresses of his
life taking effect as the sadness in his eyes, like the worry lines on his
face, deepen with age.
With my photography, I always aim to tell a story and self
portraits are a great way of telling a story over a protracted period of time.
Some people have upload pictures of themselves onto YouTube, where they have
taken a self portrait every single day for years and then made them into a
time-lapse vide of their own lives. Like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgxxxKwlra8
Whether the self portrait is a source of insecurity, as
people search for an image of themselves which they find attractive enough for
the rest of the world to see, or a form of defiance is debatable. If you see
images such as this Esquire cover, featuring film critic Roger Ebert after he
had his jaw removed due to cancer, http://www.esquire.com/features/roger-ebert-0310;
you can see that a self portrait can be used to be proud of your own image and
a source of strength to others.
In the opening chapter William Gibson’s novel, The Neuromancer, it describes a world
where beauty had lost its value. It says “His ugliness was the stuff of legend.
In an age of affordable beauty, there was something heraldic babout his lack of
it.” A self portrait is a chance to show the world who we really are. Are we
that superficial or insecure about our appearance that we would rather people
see a skewed image of ourselves or are we warts-and-all proud of how we look?
A portrait should be a true depiction of the person. Not a
person trying to conform to the way others are depicted in media and airbrushed
photography. The rise of the celebrity selfie could be positive in that it
shows their human side but this will no doubt inspire future generations of image
obsessed teenagers, who already have enough to worry about without the stress
of taking 1,000 pictures, to find the perfect Facebook profile picture.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The sun is finally here: how to photograph sunny conditions.
Dust of the ray-bans, break out the flip-flops, it looks
like sunny weather is finally coming to the UK (although probably not for
long). So, just as you’ve finally gotten the hang of silhouettes and blue
lighting, now you need to readjust your white balances in preparation for the
golden hues or spring/summer.
While pointing and clicking is the best way to get some
holiday snaps, those wanting a more professional look should remember that
camera settings need to be as unique as the conditions surrounding the camera.
For one, if you photograph someone with a light source
behind them, like the sun for example, you will more than likely silhouette
their figure. This is fine if that’s the look you want but not so great if it
isn’t. It is notoriously difficult to judge an image through the tiny view
finder on a camera. To improve your chances of a great shot take a lot of
images but also know the light quality you are working within.
The golden hour of outdoor photography is often said to be
early more or sun setting in summertime as the light quality is softer and
easier for the camera to process, this isn’t always true. A new style of
cinematography, popularised by directors like JJ Abrams, is starting to be
utilised more and more in still life photography in order to literally capture
sunlight.
In the past, lens flare was a huge no-no in photograph but
increasingly we are seeing it being used for a more natural feel. To achieve
lens flare, vary the angle of your shot to try and refract the sunlight through
the lens from above or the side of your subject. Depending on the number of
lenses in your camera, you should be able to create different shapes of light
in your image similar to a bokeh.
Of course, for an instant summer feel you could use an app
like Instagram but with the number of people being impressed by the sepia
filter depleting, it seems like the search is on for the next big craze in
image processing.
To capture the true feeling of summer, it best to think of physical
objects that are synonymous with sunny weather. Dandelions, deck chairs or even
clothing like flip-flops or straw boater hats can capture that same sense of
nostalgia found in Instagram but with more space for creativity and
originality.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Modelling Portfolio Tips
Many would-be models make
the mistake of cramming as many photos as they possibly can into a portfolio or
album to impress an agency with quantity. Most agencies are looking for
something specific which they want to portray, and do not want to trawl through
one hundred jumbled photos of a model without any clear direction. There are a
number of tips to help carve out the best possible portfolio to demonstrate a
model’s quality without overwhelming an agency with unnecessary quality, and
ultimately reducing their chances.
A new model to the industry
will ideally have between six to twelve photos which represent several
personalities, angles and styles of the model at her very best. Browsing
through a portfolio, an agency will typically only take notice of around 5
photos in the album, so make sure all your photos count. Choosing just six to
twelve photos means being completely ruthless and only picking photos which are
absolutely stunning. Less than stunning is unlikely to get the job.
Experts recommend having at
least two head shots with different expressions, most probably with at least
one where the model is smiling. These photos can have differing backgrounds
such as indoors and outdoors, but the important thing to remember is to include
at least two shots simply of the model’s head. Next, experts suggest including
at least two fashion shots in a portfolio, again with two differing styles.
Brightly coloured clothing with busy patterns is not widely recommended as
agencies must be drawn to, and wowed by, a face and figure. A contrast between
casual and formal dress is often recommended, although models are also advised
to adapt their portfolio if the agency has a certain look in mind.
Again, the model’s personal
modelling preferences must be reflected in the clothing shot. If a model is more
suited to swimsuit modelling and finds this choice preferable then it stands to
reason that at least one of the shots should be in a swimsuit. Showing
preference and passion for a certain area of modelling is never discouraged.
An action shot might also
be a consideration if a model moves particularly well. This can add impact to a
portfolio and demonstrate vivacity. It is important to remember that diversity
of location could be an advantage to a portfolio. While there should be a loose
theme throughout the portfolio, shooting in a variety of environments with
different lighting and colours will display a model’s versatility without
distracting from facial and body features.
A full length body shot is
an absolute must for any portfolio. Agencies need a clear idea of the body type
of the model they will be using, which means this body shot must be entirely in
proportion. Try to avoid funny angles which detract from the proportions of a
model’s body, but make sure that the shot is not unflattering in any way.
Black and white shots are
also a useful staple for any modelling portfolio. Many female models use this
medium to their advantage and opt for a minimal make-up shot, which is
important for agencies, while producing the most flattering picture possible in
black and white.
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