Beyond the obvious

This image shows a porter helping his colleague as they carry their heavy burdens up from the harbour into Istanbul. It always symbolised something of the human condition to me and for a many years it resided in my photojournalism portfolio. I'm fond of it. This was a real grab shot taken literally on the run as I saw the action unfolding in front of me. It was an icy day with low light and I was shooting with Ilford HP5 up rated to squeeze an extra stop out of it. Taken with my 70-210mm zoom at full extension. But should it be in my portfolio? The feet of the one guy are are cut-off. Sometimes I like this because it looks as if he is anchored to the side of the frame making the task of moving even harder. Other times I wish I had it all in. What do you think? Should it be in my portfolio or finally out? These are the questions I posed on a photographic site. The response was unanimous. The image is just too special to leave out. So it shows that sometimes the subject matter and ot...

Wishing everyone a season filled with joy, peace, replinishment and that next year brings you a step closer to realising your dreams. Happy photographing! Paul Indigo

I've often heard photographers complaining that they just cannot find a subject to photograph, sometimes after going to extraordinary lengths to get to a location. In all honesty I've said it myself. But I've been thinking... It's not what you photograph but how you photograph it that reveals the difference between a good photographer and an ordinary one. The key to being a good photographer is being able to make anything look interesting as an image. As a photographer you have to evoke emotion, communicate ideas and produce a visually exciting image no matter what the subject is. Unlike 'art' photographers or amateurs, professional photographers have to produce saleable pictures that communicate, whether they're in the mood, able to 'see' it', inspired in front of a subject they like or once again photographing a cardboard box or a bottle (most advertising photographers tend to do an awful lot of shots of these subjects). The point I...

If you are interested in photojournalism and documentary photography then here are some sites well worth a visit. Check out how Pulitzer prise winning photojournalist John Kaplan 's students tackled the art of telling important stories with images. There's lots of terrific stuff to read and impactful images on the www.internationaljournalism.com site. Here are some more photographers highly worthwhile checking out . They are all quite recent alumni from the University of Florida photojournalism department. UF churns out award winning photographers, proof that top quality teachers like Kaplan and Freeman make a huge difference. Meggan Booker: www.megganbooker.com Dave Cone: www.davecone.com Bob Croslin: www.bobcroslin.com Melissa Lyttle: www.melissalyttle.com May May: www.mattmayphotography.com Stephanie Sincliar: www.stephaniesinclair.com Brian Tietz: www.briantietz.com Eric Larson : www.ericlarson.com Enjoy! Paul Indigo

I've been incredibly busy over the last few weeks. Thank you to everyone that emailed and contacted me. As you know I will always do my best to answer your questions. Sometimes it's a bit of a challenge, especially when a comment is left without the slightest clue as to who made it or how to get in touch. So please do leave your email address (you can encode it as follows if you're afraidit may be picked up by an automated system trawling the web for email addresses to send spam to; here's how I do mine paul dot indigo at gmail dot com). Chris if you're out there reading this, thanks for you comment and please do send me an email so I can answer you. Usually I sign-off with my name as a clickable email link. Paul Indigo Model having fun during a shoot in our studio.

Today I went on journey through my archives. It's scary how many images a photographer accumulates. I was trying to find a few images in particular and must confess my collection has grown organically and without very good management over time. Yes, I have gone through periods of frantically deleting rubbish, but then the next urgent thing comes up and it's back to square one. I've yet to find a really good and easy way to organise my digital archives. I used to back everything up on DVD so it's a job trawling through them even with labels and descriptions. From now on I've vowed to delete all the crap straight-away. Heard that one before, have you. I mean it. If anyone out there has got a good system that doesn't break the bank I'd love to hear from you. All the best, Paul

It's been a while since I uploaded a picture. So here's one that I hope you like. As always if you have a question or a comment please do not hesitate to email me. Electricity, domestic and natural together in a single composition. Lightning can discharge at 200,000 Volts while domestic supplies in Europe typically provide 240 volts. Nature's power is awsome.

I used to call myself a fine art photographer because the non-commercial pictures that I take are a personal expression of the way that I see the world. I want to communicate emotion, beauty, the importance of certain things - my vision. Using every bit of knowledge, technique, light, form, shape, understanding of aesthetics, I strive to craft an image that has power and integrity. So why do I say I used to call myself a fine art photographer? Because I think that the label fine art photographer has become devalued by the rubbish that it is now used to describe. Images with no aesthetic value, poorly composed, technically pathetic and worst of all singularly lacking any semblance of communicating anything other than the complete lack of skill by the 'artist' in anything photographic are now published in books, hung on gallery walls and bowed down to by the same public that praised the emperor's new clothes . In the days of Man Ray fine art photography meant something. It...

Traditionally the difference between an amateur and a professional photographer is defined as one earns a living from their photography while the other does not. I think this definition is fine in as far as it goes but to me the word professional means more than just working in a trade. The other connotations of the word professional include, learned, expert and skilled. I suppose what I'm really seeking to differentiate between is someone who works as a photographer and someone that has a wholly professional attitude to their photography. A truly professional photographer cares about every detail and strives for perfection in everything they do, from dealing with customers, to models, to the quality of their work, to presentation, to doing business with suppliers and leading their team. Every aspect is handled professionally, with skill, expertise and the utmost care. Because the final image is the product of a long chain of decisions and actions. For example, the photographer wh...

I just wanted to say how much I hate on-screen frames that are totally over-the-top. So many people upload their photographs and then put elaborate frames around them as if this will improve a thoroughly mediocre image. If the picture is poor, or even if it is good, here's plea from the heart. Please don't put elaborate frames and effects around it. They invariably detract from rather than enhance an image. You don't believe me. Well take a look at just about any top professional photographer's website. What do you see? Maybe a discreet border, perhaps an edge that looks photographic like the negative of a film but not three deep layers of drop shadowed, semi transparent, selectively coloured, embossed mounts! As always my message is... concetrate on producing good images and then enhancing what's there through Photoshop. All the best, Paul Indigo

I'm working on a portfolio for an exhibition at the moment, so that and the rest of my work seems to be swallowing all of my time. But I've found a few other photographers you may want to take a look at. Nick Brandt is making quite a name for himself in the fine art photography world. He'll be exhibiting in the UK shortly, details on his site. I love his stuff. Tom Stoddart is a really gifted photogjournalist. Well worth a visit. Mika produces stunning colour photography and has started a whole trend in Japan and internationally. Take care, Paul Indigo

Recently I've read about more and more photographers turning from digital to film cameras. Many of them never took photographs seriously before the digital age and now that they've discovered the joys of capturing an image, well it's natural that they want to find ways of improving their photography. I've written before about the fascination photographers have with the technology involved in making an image. Judging by the latest trend of photographers turning to film, and praising it, I think that the ever present marketing spin has lodged firmly in their minds. What's the spin you may ask? Well the heart of it is that using a different camera or medium like film or digital is going to improve your photography. Of course that's nonsense. I see many photographers not quite getting the results they want with their digital SLRs. So what do they do? Switch to film. If you are such a photographer my advice is stick to the minimum equipment you can. Travel light. Pic...

Yep, that's me. Self portrait.

There are no excuses. Either a picture is interesting or it isn't, and it does not matter what the photographer had to endure to get it, what skills they've got, how many hours they had to wait, how cold they got, why something happened or didn't happen - it's all irrelevant. The only thing that counts is the final image. Many of us have been there. We go to great pains to get an image and the final result is OK, but just not a hundred percent. The image goes into the portfolio and we keep it there because we know just how hard it was to get it. All the time it should actually have been binned. Just not good enough. You've got to be ruthlessly honest, your own hardest critic and then you've got to go out and find tough experienced photographers, curators and picture editors, and subject yourself to their harshest critques. Not all of them will be right but you'll soon learn which are your weaker images. Cut them out of your portfolio. No excuses. You've ...

How much should I charge? It's question I've seen numerous times on forums. Photographers facing the prospect of their first professional commission wanting help to figure out how much they should charge for a piece of work. You could write a book to cover all of the aspects involved and of course each type of photography brings its own set of criteria. Instead I'll mention a few things here that should be considered. It's up to you do detailed research about pricing in your own field. Don't even think of taking on a professional commission without finding out more and it's vital that you should agree prices up front with your customer. Research your market. The short answer to the question of how much to charge is that you should ask for what you can get without over charging or under selling your services. Most keen amateurs charge far to little for their work because they don't need to live from selling their photography, they're flattered that someon...

I published an article on copyright recently. You can read it here . There's something that I should add. Beware of imitating the work of other image makers. If your image plagiarism someone else's work you are infringing on copyright you could be sued. There's a fine line between doing a parody, using an idea and copying someone else's image. Each case is judged individually. If you'd like to take a more cynical line then something Franklin Jones said may appeal. He said, "Originality is the art of concealing your source." It made me smile. Still though, I do I try desperately hard to ensure everything I do is unique. There's nothing more devastating than discovering someone else has had a very similar idea. Paul Indigo

What is fine art photography? A friend recently gave an interesting answer to this question. Photography becomes fine art when critics and curators decide that it is. Once they've decided then your work is endorsed and promoted. I see 'fine art photography' which is technically, emotionally, conceptually and basically on every level absolutely terrible. Perhaps that's why some curators support it. Oh, it's a fickle world alright. I've had moderate success especially among private collectors who just like what I do. Perhaps one day the mainstream will take to my work. We'll see. All I can do in the meantime is remain true to my artistic vision. The picture below is part of a series. I think it is thought provoking. It's about bringing the outside world, particularly nature, into ourselves. Or it's about whatever you choose to see and discover. I think art is 50% what's on the wall and 50% what the viewer brings to the experience. Paul Indigo Artwo...

I'll probably sound like a voice from the wilderness with this one. Yesterday I read a detailed review about the new Canon EOS 5D, full frame digital SLR. It sounds great and slots in nicely just below the top professional Canon digital SLRs. Hooray! Now here's the thought that once again struck me. Why are so many photographers continually chasing after the best and latest equipment? Do people really fall for the myth that they will make better images with more advanced equipment? Are the pictures that Ansel Adams, Cartier Bresson, Brassai, Matthew Brady, Francis Frith, or any of the other greats any less interesting, emotive, powerful or less brilliant because they used the technology available during their time? What's the difference between a beautiful image made on a glass plate, a 35mm piece of film or the latest CMOS chip? Yet so many photographers spend so much time, effort and money pursuing technology. As far as I can see all that technology does is increase conv...

In the previous article I talked about the Lomo phenomenon and mentioned Dave Waters. Today he won the lomographic site of the day award. Pretty good going out of 13 000 sites. Well done Dave. Paul Indigo

Ever heard of the Lomo LCA camera? It's a world-wide phenomenon and there's a very proactive organisation the Lomographic Society promoting the use of this 'cheap' little camera developed in the old Soviet Union. There are websites which eloquently describe the history and attitude associated with being a lomographer but fundamentally what it comes down to is that this little camera, because of its lens and design produces saturated colours and it's own particular quirky visual style. The camera has been used to produce work for major advertising campaigns by top professionals but fundamentally it is, as was the original designer's intention, a camera for everyone to snap away with. A friend, Dave Waters happens to be a great lover of this art form and his site on the Lomographic Society website is well worth a visit: an excellent introduction to lomography. Have fun. That's the spirit of Lomo. Paul Indigo

I can't believe the number of people who still don't understand the fundamentals of copyright. Daily I see copyright being abused. Mostly it's due to ignorance. So here's the short and sweet of it. If you write something that comes out of your own head or if you take a picture of something then you own the copyright. That means nobody can reproduce or copy what you've done without your permission. Simple right? Apparently not. I see the things people have written, for example the lyrics to a song, copied and placed in someone else's text without the slightest attempt to attribute where the original came from. Why do so many people try to pass other authors work off as their own? To get back to the crux of the matter. You make something of your own, then it's yours. But beware. There are the exceptions. If your picture features someone else's image and it forms the major part of your image then you've probably infringed their copyright. For example if...

The world is a stage upon which all of us perform as we go about our daily routines, often oblivious to the moments of pure chance that occur so randomly, like passing a stranger and exactly matching their stride, attitude and way of holding something. As a photographer I enjoy observing and in a sense ordering these events by choosing to push the shutter at the decisive moment. When it comes to street photography you can broadly speaking adopt two strategies. Chase after a subject by keeping on the move and hunting for the right coincidence to occur in front of your lens. Or you can 'set the stage' by looking for an interesting background or scene, and then just wait for life to unfold in front of your lens. I like doing both but I think that you stand the most chance of getting something valuable if you adopt the latter strategy. It allows you to consider the elements of composition and light carefully. You can even prefocus. Wait patiently and something will happen. The pict...

Aerial photography is not easy. So much depends on the right atmospheric conditions, the quality of the light and especially the visibility. I love flying and would really like to do more from up there. The camera's shutterspeed was so fast it froze the propeller, which you can't see normally with the naked eye. It was reasuring to know we still had one. Paul Indigo Flying up the Humber estuary toward the Humber Bridge.

Another urban guerilla image. See the article below. This one is unmanipulated, just as I found it.

There's something tremendously liberating about prowling the urban 'scape looking for subjects that show our environment in a fresh way. It's a voyage of discovery. Everything has meaning. The city environment is determined almost totally by its function, in contrast to the raw natural landscape which is shaped by the elements. Everything has a purpose in the city. Some of it we discard and other parts we treasure and protect. There are images everywhere based on strange juxtapositions, vibrant colour, interesting shapes and so much more. I'm overwhelmed by the wealth of material. All it takes is an eye for such things and the technical ability to capture the image. Most of my stuff is pretty straight but the image below was manipulated. Some people like it. Others are less keen. From a photographic point of view I think manipulation can work if it helps to free up something from within an image and evoke an emotion. What do you think? Paul Indigo Urban guerilla photog...

Having uploaded to numerous websites which allow photographers to share their images with a world-wide audience I've come to some interesting conclusions. Each website has it's own audience and character, although I have noticed that like me there are other promiscuous photographers who upload to more than one site. I may upload the same picture to different sites and the reaction will be completely different. Some sites, like altphoto are open about their preferences. They want to see 'alternative' photography and warn photographers not to upload sunsets and flowers - two subjects that are very popular on ephotozine . In many ways these websites for photographers to showcase their work and get feedback play the role of amateur photography clubs, albeit on a much bigger scale. Conforming to any of them, in the sense of pandering to the predominant taste on the site, can be detrimental to your photography. This is especially true if you take photographs to please a speci...

Today I discovered a site which allows you to print on demand and publish books and calendars. Printing is done digitally, mostly with Xerox printers. Ag magazine tested the product and seemed happy with it. I'd advise anyone considering using the service to read everything carefully, including the forums. It seems to work for many people, but not everyone is a happy customer. I may give it a try, after doing some more research. The advantage of using the site is that they will help you market your book on the net. You only pay for the copies that get printed plus a commission on the copies that get sold, but you can set your own price. Check it out at www.lulu.com If any of my readers has tried the service I'd love to hear from you. Paul Indigo

A lot gets written about colour profiling your printer and indeed you can get inkjet printers perfectly and professionally profiled. But there is a cost involved. Most amateurs will not go to these lengths. So here's a quick easy and cheap method of doing it. Buy a colour card. Photograph it. Print it out using the same settings you would for your photographs. Choose the paper you like and stick to it. What you are trying to do is limit the variables so that you can predict results in the future. Now instead of adjusting the printer settings to get the colours right, use Photoshop and tweak it until the colours in your test prints match your target (the colour card) as closely as possible. Your monitor is probably not calibrated so don't worry that it doesn't look right on screen. You're aiming for the best print possible. Once you've worked out how you need to change the colours in Photoshop to produce a good print on the particular paper of your choice you can tak...

I'm really busy at the moment so please forgive the long delay in posting new info to the blog. In the meantime, this site is worth a visit. It provides a lens calculator which displays the angle of view of all the lenses in the Nikon Nikkor AF Lens range. It is compatible with all the 35mm film SLRs and all the digital SLRs from Nikkon (like the Nikon D100), as well as the camera bodies that take a Nikon-fit lens (such as the Kodak DCS 14n or the Fujifilm FinePix S2 Pro). Hope you find it helpful too: www.sweeting.org/mark/lenses/nikon.php Paul Indigo

UPDATE 28 March 2008: Although I wrote this article almost three years ago I have notice that is visited almost every day. So a quick update. I now shoot with Canon cameras although my wife and fellow pro still uses Nikon. Both manufacturers make great cameras. I use Lightroom to develop my RAW images and shoot using the most neutral setting. I'm happy with the results and I don't use custom curves when shooting anymore. Still the information below may be useful and the principals of science apply as they always will. ORIGINAL START OF ARTICLE I often use tone, or as they are also known, custom curves on my digital slr. Other photographers have asked me to explain what they are. So here's my brief overview. I do most of my digital photography nowadays with a Nikon D70 digital slr. It's light, doesn't cost the earth and does all I need it to. The quality, if you know how to extract it is superb and can happily be used for everything from magazine covers to superb lar...

I've already posted a list of the sites for sharing your images. Two more have come to my attention. Both look good. www.altphotos.com This site features mainly people. They don't want boring photographs. Lots of good art stuff. www.photopoints.com/main/ Loads of features and stuff on this site. Well worth a look. Paul Indigo

Here are some of my tips for photographing people at evening events like balls, parties and gatherings. Top tips are: Make sure all your equipment is in perfect order Take a backup camera if you can Test your flash beforehand and do a few shots in similar lighting conditions to check that all the settings are right. Remember if you're shooting digitally and relying on flash to set the white balance for flash/daylight not auto When photographing get people's attention and get them to look at the lense. Be assertive. Don't be afraid to ask them to pose for more than one shot but remember you also can't keep them hanging on waiting for you. Get everything set, then go in and take the shot as quickly as you can, 30 seconds per shot. Try some innovative angles. Stand on a chair or shoot down from a stage or whatever is available It is really important to watch your backgrounds. Keep them clean. Avoid light sources in the background that can be distracting Have fun. If you...

Traditional portraiture is about revealing the truth, uncovering something about the person you're photographing. It's all about communicating the character of your subject. However a lot of what we see nowadays is image manipulated portraiture where software plays a great role in producing the look of the end product. The point of departure for these image makers is to use the subject as the start for their own 'artistic' interpretation. The traditional portrait photographer works the other way round. They use their photographic skill to uncover a 'truth' about the subject. To put it another way. The traditional portrait photographer focused on revealing more about the person in the portrait. The digital artist is focused on revealing more about themselves through the way they portray their subject. Both are legitimate approaches, so long as every step has a purpose and contributes to the meaning of the image, ie not just manipulation for it's own sake. The...

Recently took the picture below. I previsualised this image several years before eventually taking it. By the way. If you're interested in all things Nikon you may find this site of interest. Here's a link to the digital section which traces the full development of digital SLRs based on Nikon bodies (so it includes Fuji S pros and Kodak [now discontinued]). Paul Indigo Contemplation.

There's nothing quite like being out on the road photographing and discovering new things. Just heading out I get excited. The world is full of possibilities. Beauty and interest are all around us. And then when you get home, if you shoot digital, seeing what you've captured that day. Waiting for film results back from the lab adds a tremendous feeling of anticipation and excitement. Both film and digital have their own unique appeal. For me though the absolute high point is actually making the image, when you're in that zone, almost zen and you realise as you press the shutter that it's going to be good. For the most part this only happens when I've previsualised an image, although as a photojournalist when you spot something and know it's going to make a fantastic picture you also get a tremendous kick. For my more artistic photography though, I'll often have thought about making a picture for months, sometimes years before all the circumstances are right ...

This is a theme that I've come back to time and again in my life, and I'll probably return to it regularly on this blog as well. What makes a photograph appealing to an audience? It's a huge question. But there's one aspect I'd like to quickly cover here: photographic websites where people post pictures and other enthusiasts and photographers comment on them. I've noticed something. They seem to be in danger of repeating the blinkered view that many amateur camera clubs suffer from. Too many pictures that are just about creating an overwhelming visual impact - highly saturated, oversharpened, simplified compositions, unrealistic colours and images that don't communicate with the soul of the viewer. You open them and go WOW, blink your eyes twice, click onto the next one and forget what you've seen 40 seconds later. I like images that make you think. That raise questions. That go beyond the obvious and the visual cliche or a characture of a landscape, or ...

The problem all digital slr owners face is how to keep that darn dust off your sensor. Unless you have an obsession with using Photoshop's healing brush you'll want to minimise the phenomenon of dust bunnies on your pictures. Here are a few worthwhile websites which provide information on cleaning your camera's sensor. And in the great tradition of covering one's backside, I'll have to add the usual clause: I do not officially endorse any of these methods. The links in this blog are purely for your information. What you do with that information is up to you and I certainly can't take responsibility for your sensor cleaning practises. Backside covered - read on... Rob Galbraith - Sensor Brush CameraHobby.com - Visible Dust's Sensor Brush and Chamber Clean Petteri's Pontification - The Pixel Sweeper Pbase.com - CCD / CMOS Cleaning (Copperhill Method) The Luminous Landscape - Visible Dust Review The Luminous Landscape - Understanding Digital SLR Sensor Clea...

Yes the day finally arrived and it was extremely hectic for me. I had loads to do and was seriously concerned about getting time to come up with a shot. Anyway on a bus through Leeds I spotted this couple. Naturally her hair caught my eye. I explained about World Photo Day and they were more than happy to have their photograph taken. Now I know it's nothing arty or spectacular, just daily life with ordinary people doing their thing. After all, that's what the whole thing was about. Hope you enjoy it and if you want to see all of the pictures from 1 June 2005 from across the whole world click here . Paul Indigo Couple on bus in Leeds this evening.

Camera poised for tomorrow. I'll be out there with my Nikon D70 hunting the shot. Looking forward to this. If you don't know about World Photo Day then scroll down to my previous post. Really busy time at the moment but there is loads of new stuff in the pipeline. I'm writing a piece on bokeh. What is good bokeh? Find out next week. Paul Indigo

I've received quite a few emails about how useful the websites I have mentioned on my blog have been to people. So without repeating the all of the ones already mentioned here's a few more you may like to peruse. If you want to upload and share your pictures try: www.ephotozine.com www.trekearth.com www.treklens.com www.photo.net - this one is a bit hard to navigate but does feature some excellent photography and has loads of useful information There are lots of other sites to share your pictures but these are my favourites. Are you interested in portraiture? Then a visit to the National Portrait Gallery is a must www.npg.org.uk This site contains some interesting intervews with leading portrait photographers and of course you could enter the 2005 Schweppes Photographic Portrait Prize. And if you've got some deep technical questions you could do a lot worse than visiting http://photonotes.org - This outstanding site has tons of well organised information to a...

Drew Rossman the man who put the World Photo Day project together describes it as, "An exploration into the everyday lives of people on a global scale." People from all over the world are invited to send photographs taken 1 June 2005. Any type of camera can be used. But Drew says, "Keep in mind that if you are not using digital, you need to make time for development, scanning, and submitting of images within the 24-hour period allotted after the project's time frame of: June 1, 2005 00:01 - 23:59 GMT." To take part in this wonderful initiative visit www.worldphotoday.com . To my knowledge nothing quite like this has been attempted before. We look forward to seeing life in every corner of the globe. I've already signed up! But you'll need to be quick. Paul Indigo

Well as promised here's another installment about street photography. When you're out wandering the streets with your camera there are basically two ways you can relate to your subjects. Either you try to capture them unaware or you make them aware you want to take a their picture. Both approaches have their own challenges of course. In my previous article I dealt with trying to seize the moment, usually with the subject being unaware of you. Now I'll talk about making the subject aware that you want to take their picture. Working in foreign countries and relating to people when you don't speak their language can be a challenge. On the other hand people will often cut a visitor more slack than they would someone from their own country, so you can 'get away' with more. The key to approaching people is those first few seconds. You have to appear non threatening, friendly, willing to explain why you want to photograph them, have a sense of humour and above all find...

Saltwick Bay on the Yorkshire Coast. An ethereal place at dawn with Black Nab rising from the waves. Location: Saltwick Bay, near Whitby Photographer: Keith Henson (This picture is copyright of Keith Henson. Any form of reproduction is illegal without the prior written permission of the author) Celebrating the beauty of the Northern England landscape I can highly recommend a visit to this brand new website featuring the work of talented photographers Keith Henson and Andy Dippie. Both photographers have produced phenomenal imagery capturing the unique beauty of the landscape of the Northern British Isles. Keith and Andy have their individual styles. As with all great photographers they show us the landscape filtered through their own unique artistic vision. I can highly recommend a visit to their userfriendly web site. You can buy images online at very affordable prices. Now's the time to buy before these guys get too famous and galleries push their prices through the roof...

I think that helping aspiring photographers is important. If you have a picture that you would like a detailed critique on then please email it to me. Depending on the number of requests I get I may not be able to critique everyone' s image in detail but I will certainly reply with at least a paragraph. This offer is open for the next two weeks. After that I'll evaluate it again. Looking forward to hearing from you. I may want to publish some of the critiques and your picture of course but will naturally ask your permission first. Please don't email high res images (500 pixels at 60k is fine) Paul Indigo

Firstly I'd like to welcome visitors from other sites, who may have just discovered my blog. I've been highlighting the joys of street photography and in my previous post you'll find some links to other sites that I've found valuable. Street photography is about being alert to the potential for making an interesting image and then seizing the moment. A fraction of a second hesitation and the composition won't work. I love that challenge and hope that the virtue of timing and anticipation is illustrated below. I saw this scene then waited until the worker was in exactly the right place.

Street photography is one of my favourite forms. I dare say that many of my best images, the most satisfying, were grabbed in a split second while out and about with my camera. If this is a form of photography that interests you, then you should take a look at www.in-public.com . This site also has a host of links to other interesting resources and websites to do with street photography. Check out www.ak47.tv , an online magazine for documentary and art photographers, which has some excellent street stuff. Many of the greatest photographers of our times were street photographers; notably Henri Cartier-Bresson and Brassai. Sometime in the future I'll do a small article with handy hints and tips for getting that special image when you're out there hunting with your camera. As always I'd love to hear your feedback. So please email me. May exhibition On another matter my wife Magda and I have just launched our May exhibition on our website . Please take a look. Magda has an ex...

Beauty is all around.

Been really busy dealing with computer problems, so please excuse the length of time since the last update. Sometimes we seem to have such a long way to travel to reach a solution... Paul Indigo

Just a quick thank you to the people coming to this from ephotozine , where I mentioned my blog. I appreciate your feedback, and boosted by your positive comments, I will continue updating this blog with the nuggets of useful information as I come across them. For those of you interested in learning, Betterphoto.com with Jim Miotke, provides some good articles. The site's got a selection covering the basics as well as more advanced elements. Hope you find it useful. Paul Indigo

My wife Magda in our garden today.

Today was a wonderful spring day full of fresh promise. I spent quite a bit of time in the garden with my lovely wife Magda. Just signed up to post images to my blog and thought this would be an ideal opportunity to give it a go.

Excuse the terrible pun in the title. Seriously though for photographers interested in wildlife Moose Peterson's site has a wealth of information. He loves his Nikon and his site is jam packed with lots of useful stuff about cameras and lenses from the legendary manufacturer. If at this point you're a Canon owner sitting there shaking your head then scroll down to my Sunday, March 20, 2005 entry, where I've listed a site for you. If you've any questions please don't hesitate to click on my name below to send me an email. Paul Indigo

If you'd like to know more about photographic processes and types of prints then the V&A have an excellent website. The site gives a series of great explanations of processes used to make the photographs. Click here to visit . Hope to add more soon to my blog, but got so much on at the moment I don't which way is up.

An acquaintance asked me today how I approach photographing interiors. I emailed him with a view tips and thought that you may also be interested. So here goes. Obviously it's vital the room looks presentable and there's nothing distracting lying in view. A bouquet of flowers, a colourful cushion etc, can lift the room and provide a good focal point. Think of leading the audience's eye through the image from one point of interest to another. Unless you're using it deliberately to create an effect make sure walls are perpendicular and the horizon straight. A door frame or wall at an angle can be quite disoreintating. Putting all the electric lights on enhances the atmosphere and creates a warm image. Table lights etc, usually look better even in daylight when they're lit. Candles should also be lit if they are present. Lighting I use a variety of techniques. Here are some: Studio or off camera flash for fill light balanced with daylight. I generally always try to pho...

I've been on holiday. Still am. Decided to check in and see if there are any response to the blog, to gauge interest. I've had a number of emails. Thanks to those people who've given feedback. But there's not really been enough interest to warrant me carrying on. So here's the deal. If you'd like to read more then please email me. In a week's time I'll let you know if I'm going to continue. Hope to hear from you. Paul Indigo

Since starting this blog a week ago I've learnt so much it's mind boggling or should that be bloggling. There are loads of interesting websites out there. The site photoblog.org has over 9,300 member sites from 84 countries, featuring some amazing photography. If you're into outdoor photography then take a look at the digital outback photography website. It's jam packed with useful information for professionals and amateurs. I'm off to learn some more but will be back with lots more later in the week. Have fun. As always your feedback is important to me. Paul Indigo

I've asked fellow ephotoziners to send me some of their favourite websites and have ended up with quite a few that I'm going to review. The sites that I review will tend to feature other photographers creative efforts rather than being about equipment. However, if you're interested in all things to do with Canon then you may find Christian Rollinger's website of interest. (Thanks Barry ) Prompted by a forum thread I've had a thought about the way photographers are often forced by the apparent inability of different audiences (public, curators, art directors) to accept that a creative image maker can be expert in more than one type of photograhy. I hate the idea of being forced into a particular box as a portrait, landscape, reportage or some other classification photographer. The key questions are how can you express yourself best, how do you see the world, what do you want to show others? I've also found that when you do have a favourite area and you go away an...

Just like to welcome any fellow ephotoziners who're visiting for the first time. For those who don't know, ephotozine is a website where photographers can upload and share their images. People rate pictures and leave comments. There are a wealth of other features too. If anyone has any comments about my blog please email me . Thanks. I've also asked fellow ephotziners to send me urls for any photography sites they find worthwhile. I'm always interested in new sites and plan to review the best so that this blog becomes a really useful resource like one of my favourites, concientious . Joerg Colberg offers an amazing resource on his blog. Off to bed now. See you soon.

Well that's pretty much the motto of my photography. Before discussing and introducing you to some of the great photography that 's out there, I thought you may want to see my stuff. So why not pop along to my website and check out some of my work? Every month I will have a brand new online exhibition. Here is the link to the online exibition for March to April. My wife, Magda also has an online exhibition every month. She's showcasing an amazing series of sky images, well worth a visit. I've also just introduced a guest book. It would be wonderful if you visited and dropped us a note. I'm introducing other new features on our website too such as the ability to create and send greeting cards online using our photographs - all for free. I hope to get the free ecards system set up by next week. Comments always welcome.

I've decided to join the ranks of the bloggers. My main interest is photography. I hope that you will join me on my journey as I share new discoveries, start some interesting discussions and bring you a wealth of ideas and information. In this blog I will discuss photographic techniques, both traditional and digital. And I plan to provide links to sites that I think will be of interest. Drawing from years of experience, both in life and photography, I will try to provide something for anyone who is inquisitive about what makes an interesting image - both from a technical and an aesthetic point of view. Please visit regularly. This blog will be updated a few times a week. Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave a comment.