Beyond the obvious

What tags would apply to you as a photographer? It's a fascinating question. In a sense the tags are your photographic DNA, or in marketing speak your brand. People who know how diverse my work is may wonder what tags would apply to me as a photographer. I wonder too. Different editors and art directors will no doubt have their individual set of tags depending on what they use my work for and how they perceive it. I don't think that I can be easily pigeon holed. But maybe I'm missing something. There's a very interesting article on one of my favourite blogs which you should read if you're interested in how photographers are perceived by photo editors. I've had a go at picking my own tags: color black & white digital available light location portrait photojournalist fine art captured moment quirky real people I'm curious to know how you would tag my photographic work. Please leave a comment or send me an email . Many thanks, Paul

She suddenly realised. Carefree. Out on the streets with my camera I find that I am often hunting for something which I call "the expressive moment". The expressive moment is not the same as HCB's decisive moment. I also do not use it in the context of the writings about the expressionists. To me it is simply the moment captured through the lens when there is a clear expression of mood, emotion and feeling which can be easily read by the viewer looking at the image. In contrast the decisive moment can be an image which captures something which is simply visually in perfect balance and harmony but does not have a powerful inherent emotion. I see a lot of street photography which to me looks haphazard and I can't help wondering why the shot was taken as there's nothing special about it. The two images above capture the expressive moment for me. The emotion, feeling and mood are clear. To use another phrase: the images speak to the viewer. And that is ...