I look at many people’s photographs and I’ve noticed that how people take photos is in direct correlation to how they live their day to day lives. This may not sound like a startlingly profound fact but, put simply: your personality can create the biggest barrier to achieving interesting and […]
As I am always looking to improve my photography by learning, part of the process is seeking inspiration from others who create. I don’t, though, confine myself to just learning from other photographers. I cast my net for ideas wide, and look to artists, writers, musicians – whoever it is […]
I wrote recently about how to shoot on manual and received some very interesting responses. Thank you all for your commenting and support. I am still amazed at how difficult I found it trying to explain and encourage people to shoot with manual. I think I’ve distilled it most by […]
I like who I am when I’m being creative, that’s the basic fact. I love taking photos, just like I love having a long walk through the hills near me in Spain. I have to remember that these things bring me joy. And who doesn’t want a life of maximum […]
Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a good weekend and you are doing interesting things with your photography. Today we are heading off to Fes in Morocco. We’ll be in the country for several weeks travelling around, exploring, meeting people, taking photos and writing. We would love to […]
I am really fired up at the moment. I had an amazing trip to the Amalfi Coast earlier this month; that place is out of this world beautiful. On Tuesday I went out for a very fun photo walk with my Light Monkeys group – plus I am pitching for […]
This is a photo from my workshop last week. The busyness of a city like Hong Kong gives you so many opportunities to play with long exposures. Good day to you, I hope life is really super good, and that you are happy, nourished, enjoying life in all the many […]
Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a great week. Today I got an email from someone that started in the same way that many many emails to me start. “I have been so rubbish, I haven’t picked up my camera in months!” And it really struck me because […]
Hello, Today I wanted to have a little fun and make this suggestion – your camera is nothing without you. It’s an inert machine that requires your vision, your inspiration, your excitement and energy to create interesting photos. So to illustrate this today I want to send you some photos […]
It’s a beautiful summers day here in Arles. The rich warm light is amazing in this city of pale stone, flowers cascading down buildings and narrow pretty streets. I woke early this morning with a restless mind. There is always a lot to do when you run a business, and […]
“Creativity is a wild mind with a disciplined eye.” Dorothy Parker Greetings from hot, sunny and super-windy Arles. It’s a beautiful day here in the south of France. I am very grateful for the arrival of some strong winds to calm the intense heat and freshen up the air. When […]
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” Oliver Wendell Holmes Thank you to everyone who replied to my last post on our plans to be location independent. We’ll be travelling now for at least the next year – in part […]
“The ratio of successful shots is one in God-knows-how-many. Sometimes you’ll get several in one contact sheet, and sometimes it’s none for days. But as long as you go on taking pictures, you’re likely to get a good one at some point.” – Elliott Erwitt I love Elliott Erwitt. His […]
Today I want to give you a super-simple idea that, if you can grasp it, and then put it into practise, I guarantee will really help your photography. What we are basically doing as photographers is looking at the world, identifying interesting subjects and organising them accordingly. The way I […]
I was up very early this morning. In the streets of East London I watched the pre-dawn sky change colour, from the magnificent midnight blue to ever lighter shades of blue. Colourful ribbons of pinks and yellows burst across the sky, and little wisps of purple and blue clouds appeared […]
When I think about why I take photos, and what it does for me, this is what I come up with. It’s about not living on the surface, skating over the rich and beautiful experiences that life has to offer. It’s about diving in and connecting with the mesmerising qualities […]
I’m sitting at my computer and having a one-sided argument. The computer is not doing what I want it to do and all I feel is despair. I am organising my files that will eventually become prints, that will eventually be the exhibition that will be on show to thousands […]
This week I have two things for you: an idea (a possibility) and some of my photos from the past few days. It’s hopefully a little light mind-and-eye refreshment, with a tinge of inspiration for you on this weekday-day. “Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I […]
As some one who spends a lot of time photographing dawn, unsurprisingly my mind snaps awake very early. This morning I think it was about 5am. I slipped out of bed and sat in my living room by the window that faces the ocean. Outside it is still dark, a vast […]
A few years back, one late afternoon I was with a friend at the Notting Hill Carnival. It had been a beautiful sunny day, but now the sunset was approaching and we faced it walking west, basking in the last light of the day. Arriving at an intersection, I looked […]