All about inspiration, kit and techniques that helped with the creation of my images
Photography is fun:
I am often asked how or why I made a particular image, the location of the subject and what equipment I used. I am always willing to share this information and do so again on this page. But none of this detail is the key to creating successful images. I am convinced that the best photographers, whether amateur or professional, have in-depth knowledge of and are sympathetic to their subjects. Most importantly, they ENJOY creating their images. Please use the information below if it is useful to you. However, if you enjoy your photography as much as I do, that is all that really matters.
Inspirations and influences:
The photographers who have inspired me are:
- the late Joan Wakelin, a photographer who pursued her dreams and vision and never allowed her gender or potentially dangerous situations to inhbit her creativity
- the late Nobby Fry who taught me that it is the photographers' vision rather than the equipment that he uses that creates fabulous images
- Freeman Patterson whose images are stunning - check out his books or listen to him lecture
Photographic style:
My work is often described as 'pastel' or 'pale and interesting'. I am not sure that I agree with either of these analyses. I think that I create images that are mainly monochromatic (not necessarily black and white). Globalisation means that many modern cities resemble each other and everyone aspires to affluent and similar lifestyles, no matter where they live. Areas of natural beauty are being taken over the needs of people. The result is increasing uniformity and loss of individuality. I look for pictures that show an alternative and individual view of our environment - sometimes a building, sometimes an interior, alternatively a moment in time at a familiar location and occasionally a landscape. My most successful pictures either tell a story or contain detail that requires the viewer to look and seek images within images. Consequently not all my pictures have immediate impact but most have ongoing appeal. All techniques applied to my photographs are subtle with the intention that the viewer will focus on the image's pictorial content rather than wondering how it was created.
Equipment:
My earliest images were taken using Minolta film cameras. I scanned slides and manipulated and printed them digitally. I am now entirely digital using Canon cameras, Aperture and Photoshop, an Epson printer and Fotospeed paper.
Image classification:
I photograph a huge variety of subjects and locations. I do not to specialise in respect of content or location but create images that show every day subjects in a way that reflects not what the camera recorded but the key elements that I, as an individual, saw. None of my images record reality precisely but equally very few are manipulated to such an extent that reality is compromised to the point where the image is no longer real. With the exception of After Gaudi, none of my images have added content. But I do sometimes remove distractions such as litter or fellow photographers!
After Gaudi
Digital manipulation to simplify an image:
My techniques are basic. Almost all my images are simplified using a variety of techniques in camera and in post production which include:
- Limited colour content achieved in camera
- Contrast reduction to the
background areas of the image
Long after the party
- Gaussian blur
- Grain
- Airbrushing colour into a monochrome image
- Telling a story: Several images tell a story but the story I see may not be the same as the one that you do.
- Capturing a moment in time: Lighting, decay, plant growth, altered access or modernisation can change an image in the space of minutes or days. Because a subject is static does not mean that it will remain constant. We all capture moments in time.
Take off
You can see these and many more images in my gallery.
I am often asked how or why I made a particular image, the location of the subject and what equipment I used. I am always willing to share this information and do so again on this page. But none of this detail is the key to creating successful images. I am convinced that the best photographers, whether amateur or professional, have in-depth knowledge of and are sympathetic to their subjects. Most importantly, they ENJOY creating their images. Please use the information below if it is useful to you. However, if you enjoy your photography as much as I do, that is all that really matters.
Inspirations and influences:
The photographers who have inspired me are:
- the late Joan Wakelin, a photographer who pursued her dreams and vision and never allowed her gender or potentially dangerous situations to inhbit her creativity
- the late Nobby Fry who taught me that it is the photographers' vision rather than the equipment that he uses that creates fabulous images
- Freeman Patterson whose images are stunning - check out his books or listen to him lecture
Photographic style:
My work is often described as 'pastel' or 'pale and interesting'. I am not sure that I agree with either of these analyses. I think that I create images that are mainly monochromatic (not necessarily black and white). Globalisation means that many modern cities resemble each other and everyone aspires to affluent and similar lifestyles, no matter where they live. Areas of natural beauty are being taken over the needs of people. The result is increasing uniformity and loss of individuality. I look for pictures that show an alternative and individual view of our environment - sometimes a building, sometimes an interior, alternatively a moment in time at a familiar location and occasionally a landscape. My most successful pictures either tell a story or contain detail that requires the viewer to look and seek images within images. Consequently not all my pictures have immediate impact but most have ongoing appeal. All techniques applied to my photographs are subtle with the intention that the viewer will focus on the image's pictorial content rather than wondering how it was created.
Equipment:
My earliest images were taken using Minolta film cameras. I scanned slides and manipulated and printed them digitally. I am now entirely digital using Canon cameras, Aperture and Photoshop, an Epson printer and Fotospeed paper.
Image classification:
I photograph a huge variety of subjects and locations. I do not to specialise in respect of content or location but create images that show every day subjects in a way that reflects not what the camera recorded but the key elements that I, as an individual, saw. None of my images record reality precisely but equally very few are manipulated to such an extent that reality is compromised to the point where the image is no longer real. With the exception of After Gaudi, none of my images have added content. But I do sometimes remove distractions such as litter or fellow photographers!
Digital manipulation to simplify an image:
My techniques are basic. Almost all my images are simplified using a variety of techniques in camera and in post production which include:
- Limited colour content achieved in camera
Dune dusk
- Desaturation using Photoshop's
Hue/Saturation adjustment to produce selective reductions in colour
content - almost every image
- Gaussian blur
Shootout
- Grain
Recycled
- Airbrushing colour into a monochrome image
Porcelain throne
- Telling a story: Several images tell a story but the story I see may not be the same as the one that you do.
Dog in the window
- Capturing a moment in time: Lighting, decay, plant growth, altered access or modernisation can change an image in the space of minutes or days. Because a subject is static does not mean that it will remain constant. We all capture moments in time.
You can see these and many more images in my gallery.