Chiaroscuro, is an Italian term that refers to the intense contrast of light (chiar) and dark (oscuro) in art, famously used in the paintings of Rembrandt or Caravaggio to create a strong and dramatic mood. It is also referred to as 'clair obscur' or...
If you're like me, you have a love/hate relationship with photography. You love it but, sometimes, photography can be so frustrating! Sometimes you feel so dependent on light and weather, your ability, and even your gear. You can see that shot in your...
I was part of a recent exhibition of travel photography at the Epson Print Gallery in East Perth, Western Australia. As I was unable to attend the launch due to travel commitments (ironic, I know :-) ), I made a short video (ie. not so...
With the Fremantle International Portrait Prize closing date just around the corner (11 August 2017) and with the numbers of entries ramping up, it's worth while looking at what makes a strong and stand out portrait. Portraiture is a creative genre about as old as the...
The Internet loves quotes and memes -- they're the motivational posters for those who live and thrive in the digital era. It's no wonder that so many of us latch onto wise words that make their way through the news feeds of our social media...
There's a joke that makes its way around photographic circles. It goes something like this: Q: What's the difference between a professional photographer and an amateur? A: The professional only shows off their best work. Once the chuckling subsides, you realise that it's actually a bit of a...
Once in a while, I come across someone who is creating very interesting work with simple cameras -- whether it might be a toy film camera, a basic point digital camera and shoot or, in the case of Colin Woolsey, his smartphone and a handful...
"I haven't got a creative bone in my body." That's something I hear time and again from photographers I've met in my journey in photography. "Why do you say that?" I'd ask. "My images are boring," they tell me. "I just can't seem to see the way...
The best works of art are created when we no longer consciously think about the tools we use; instead, we use the tools intuitively, to realise our vision. Photography is no different. One of the challenges photographers face in becoming better at image taking and...
A wide-angle lens or ultra-wide angle (UWA) lens is an important part of a photographer’s kit of lenses – particularly landscape photographers. A wide-angle lens lets us view and photograph a wide scene and fit it all into a single rectangular frame. This all sounds very...