The idea of photographers "making" a photograph instead of just "taking" a photograph raises its head every once in a while. I remember back when digital photography was viewed as suspect because it made the "taking" of a photograph too easy, as opposed to using a...
Being able to stay curious about the world is important for photographers. Curiosity fuels creativity and keeps us wanting to connect more, learn more and understand more about what we see around us. So, how can we refresh our sense of curiosity? Here are some ideas: Embrace...
This title comes from a quote from photographer W Eugene Smith: "What uses having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling?" I see the idea of "feeling" here as having two instances: the first is with the photographer, the...
Real or AI? This image was created using Stable Diffusion (AI image generator) by Aurel Manea (http://aurelm.com/). There’s been a recent explosion in the creation of AI imagery. It’s flooded the Internet and it’s almost impossible to pop into social media platforms without coming across pictures...
Light. It's what photographers obsess about. Whether you're a landscape photographer or a portrait photographer (or any kind of photographer), you can deploy light to evoke mood in your images. We all have our go-to lighting...
2021 has been a particularly challenging year for many. A raft of pandemic-induced restrictions meant that travel was very limited. On top of this, there was the ever present spectre of a snap lockdown here in Western Australia (our State has opted to try and...
"What settings did you use...
My last article about the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, was all about the beautiful lagoons, reef and off-shore islands. This month, I'd like to share with you something a little bit different: the culture and community of Cocos Malays who call the islands home. Home Island is...
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands look like a tropical island paradise. It is; and it is also a paradise for landscape and seascape photographers! The islands are an atoll, forming a ring around a central lagoon where gaps between the islands connect the lagoon to the...
Let me tell you a story. Some years ago, while running a photography tour with a great group of photography enthusiasts, the topic of photographic perfection popped up. "I'm still chasing the perfect sunset photo," one of our group bewailed. "I see so many of them out...