Beyond the obvious

In a previous post I discussed the benefits of workflow and promised to give a brief overview. The following describes the workflow that I use for my digital photography. I've been really surprised to learn that there are many professional photographers who do not have their workflow sorted out yet. All I can say is it is definitely part of being professional to have this aspect of your photography in order. Whether you're professional or not I think a good workflow is crucial. Check out some of the benefits here . Essentially workflow is about getting complete control of the process from taking the image through to the final print. Every link in the chain is critical if you want to consistently produce high quality images. OK, you can go into tremendous detail on this but I aim to just share a few pointers here. It's up to you to develop your own workflow, something that is right for you personally - that gives you total control from concept to final print. Concept Whethe...

I've been blogging for a while now, so it's time to put together an index of my most useful articles and strongest opinion pieces. I hope this will help you to find stuff more easily. Please feel free to link to any of the articles on my blog but remember all of my writing and photography is protected under international copyright. You may not copy or reproduce anything on my blog without my written consent. I will keep adding more links, the newest at the top. Full bloom The 3 elements affecting appreciation of a photogr... Creating atmosphere Portfolios updated Highly recommended - Magda's blog The myth of the detached photojournalist Designing an image Jill Coleman aka sugarbird Making ugliness attractive Mobiles on the street Journalists raise awareness Tips for your portfolio Portraits Recognition Award winning photo causes controversy The Saatchi Gallery Waiting room Refuelling Photogaphers and clients have different perception... Design in photography #2 New boo...

This newspaper salesman does not seem to be getting much attention despite the screaming banner he has placed his stand in front of. Not even the promise of a free tin of beans on his strategically placed poster is working. I am working on my workflow article and hope to have it done this weekend. Going through a very busy patch at the moment. Thanks for dropping by. Catch you soon. Paul Indigo

You see it mentioned often in magazines, books and online articles. Whether you're a seasoned professional or an amateur getting your workflow together will help you create better images more easily. The term workflow has become popular in the digital age but in reality the concept is as old as photography or any other production line process where a systematic approach needs to be adopted for a sequence of actions. It applies equally whether you shoot and develop film in the darkroom or you're a digital snapper using a computer and inkjet printer. Developing a workflow offers the following key benefits: Less risk of error through forgetting a setting or action Less hassle and worry - you know what you're doing and you know what to expect from each action you take Improved organisation of your time Standardising procedures ensures quality and most importantly results you can easily replicate By having a workflow and standard procedures you know what to do to ...

Old stately buildings reflect in the modern curved windows of the Bourse in Leeds. This is one of the images you from my latest exhibition entitled Urban guerrilla monochrome . I tried to capture a certain mood in the city environment. The images are grouped so that the sum is greater than each individual image. I'm sure everyone will have their favourites but it's the overall feel that I want to communicate, kind of like standing in the street and taking a deep breath to suck in the atmosphere. I tried to be objective so the subjects are not meant to be extraordinarily beautiful nor dark and a negative. My wife and fellow photographer, Magda, has put together a stunning exhibition of flowers taken in the studio. Dramatic lighting, strong colour and a black background add a sense of the theater and drama, giving the flowers personality, almost like actors on the stage. Hope you enjoy the exhibition. Please leave a comment in our guestbook. Cheers for now Paul Indigo

A decorative fire bucket forms part of the historic decor at Pickering railway station in Yorkshire . It's a lovely place to visit and evokes a bygone era.

A caption in its simplest form is the the title of an image but usually we mean a bit more. A full caption takes the form of descriptive text, usually a few sentences. A good caption informs us about the things we cannot see and encourages us to look at an image more closely. There is a relationship of mutual benefit and dependence between a well written caption and an image. The caption can bring an image to life by providing context and meaning. It is also the link between the article/story/text and the image. Magda Indigo has written a good description of a caption here . I agree with her dislike of "untitled". It does show a certain lack of imagination and is not particularly helpful to the viewer. Creating an image is all about trying to communicate something and the caption is vital to help the audience understand an image. It can hugely enhance the viewers experience. A good caption is a piece of writing that should be concise, accurate, informative and as carefully cr...

The Leeds Liverpool canal meanders across the landscape near Skipton in Yorkshire. Aerial shot from Bell LongRanger helicopter, which provides a wonderfully stable platform and has a doors-off facility. The LongRanger was developed for use as an air ambulance during the Vietnam war. It's tremendously powerful, steady and smooth. A good pilot can put you just where you need to be for the composition. The Bell LongRanger is a pretty expensive tripod but you got to do what you got to do. I've just updated my profile on the blog, if you're interested and you can find out more about me on my website's Bio page. Have a wonderful day!

Why do we take pictures? Let me explain where I'm coming from on this. I've seen a lot of knit picking comments on photo-upload sites and from photographic judges, and conversely I've seen a huge amount of praise heaped on images which are quite frankly apalling. I'm sure that if you've visited sites where you can upload pictures or been to 'certain' competitions you will know what I mean. So clearly there are a whole range of motives that play a role when people comment on an image. But objectively, if such a thing is possible, what really counts when you look at an image. Well I go back to the question I started with. Why do you take pictures? The intention of the photographer is integral to understanding and evaluating an image. Often, under the guise of being artistic, a pure a photograher will not say why they took an image... Well that leaves it open to all interpretations. Were they recording something for prosperity, perhaps a family moment, were the...