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"...
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...
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...
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...
"What settings did you use...
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...
The holy grail for many photographers is to be able to develop a distinctive Style. But the idea of a "style" seems elusive and perhaps a little too abstract for most people to comprehend. What does it mean to have a style? Let's look at this word...
Here is a tip for those who shoot in RAW image format and who would like Lightroom to retain the picture's profile (also called Picture Style or Image Style, depending on camera you use) when it imports the picture into Lightroom Classic (note: this features...