Photo Tips

02/08/2025 In Photo Tips, Venture Blog By sengmah

Unscripted Brilliance: Candid Photography and the Pursuit of Freshness

This is going to sound controversial but I think there is so much mimicry in photography nowadays that the medium is at risk of crumbling into stale banality. While we may blame images-based social media (such as Instagram), the fact is that photographers have long sought...

12/07/2025 In Photo Tips, Venture Blog By sengmah

Great Photos Aren’t Made with Settings Alone

I don't know where it's come from, but many photographers have become so consumed with “getting it right in camera” that sometimes we forget the most important part of photography: seeing. And I don’t mean glancing at the LCD screen to see what aperture, shutter speed...

02/06/2025 In Photo Tips, Venture Blog By sengmah

What AI Image Generation has Taught me as a Photographer

Note: All the images featured in this article are generated by Chat GPT based on original photographs, which I have taken. I've been playing with AI text-to-image generation a lot recently; whether it's seeing how AI tools can translate my photographs into illustrative or painterly renditions,...

08/05/2025 In Photo Tips, Venture Blog By sengmah

Finding Creativity

Many of us labour under the belief that something isn't worth creating unless it's grand, iconic, spectacular, and, especially, if it will be award-winning or, at least, garner a lot of likes and faves on social media. But creativity is never about the output, or...

29/04/2025 In Photo Tips, Venture Blog By sengmah

When you grow bored of your own work

Is this a sign of creative growth? Photographers are creative people. We thrive on fresh visual stimuli, making pictures that excite us, that feed our desire to create new work. It's no surprise that every so often, we'll hit a wall and find our own work dissatisfying....

20/04/2025 In Photo Tips, Venture Blog By sengmah

Camera Features That Really Matter in 2025

Digital cameras have come a long way since they entered the market decades ago, upsetting many analogue photography apple carts and changing the way we take and make images forever. If you're looking at getting a new camera, then you'll need to consider the kinds...

22/02/2025 In Photo Tips, Venture Blog By sengmah

Why Photography Isn’t About Cameras

This article was first published in the February 2025 edition of Venture Horizons, our email newsletter. I know; I know. It's a bold statement to make: that photography isn't about cameras. But I'm going to make it. Why? Because recent conversations with people who enjoy photography but who...

02/02/2025 In Photo Tips By sengmah

“f/8 and Be There” – A Philosophy for Preparedness in Photography

Photography quotes are a dime a dozen, coined by past and present master practitioners, but one phrase has stood the test of time as both a practical tip and a philosophy: “f/8 and be there.” Attributed to photojournalist Arthur Fellig—better known as Weegee— who worked in...

04/10/2024 In Photo Tips, Travel, Venture Blog By sengmah

Composition Tips for Travel Photography

In recent years, I've come to realise that composition is less about understanding the "rules" (or "guidelines") of composition, and more about seeing the scene and working out how you want to present it in a picture. As photographers, we need to "compose with intent"...

27/01/2024 In Photo Tips, Venture Blog By sengmah

Impression vs Immersion in Photography

We take photographs for many reasons. For most, there’s a drive to photograph to record or document. Or to create an impression. Something that says: Look at where I am. Look at this interesting thing. Look at the fabulous life I’m leading (if you’re a...