The inside story on this shot

Mowing down everything

If you look back over the last month or two I've been sharing the stories behind some of my portfolio images. I will continue this series of articles, dipping into my work every now and again. I hope you find them interesting and if you want to know more just leave a comment or send an email.

This guy was mowing the grass with tremendous determination. The shot was taken on a Cambo 4x5" technical camera with a super wide lens. A large technical camera on a tripod is not exactly made for capturing fast action, and believe me this guy was moving at quite a speed across the lawn. Although it looks like he is in full action, I had to pose this shot. The film was Ilford's beautiful FP4 100 ISO.

I printed and developed the negative in the darkroom. The image won praise at exhibitions and I have sold a number of prints. I've kept a print in my general portfolio ever since and it has always had a good response.

A few years ago I scanned the full large format negative and worked on the image in Photoshop. The detail is incredible.

I took this image when I was studying photography under the wing of the legendary Obie Oberholzer at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. If you're curious about Obie you can see a video of him talking about his work here and a great interview here. You can also see his work through his agency Bilderberg (look for his name under Fotgrafen).

Cheers,
Paul
www.indigo2photography.co.uk

Comments

Anonymous said…

Paul the superwide lens creates a distortion that adds to the intense action of the shot and gives it a surreal quality that draws me in. Nice photo.

Bill Gatesman
www.wmgphoto.com
www.wmgphotoblog.com

18:36

Macro photography said…

This is a great photo. I love that you choose black and white because I believe that color would have taken something away from what the picture is saying.

03:42

The Story Behind the Stories in My Photography

Thank you for taking the time to explore my work. Photography, to me, is a meditative act—an opportunity to be fully present and notice the smallest details. The interplay of colour and light, the textures and shapes, the shift of an expression, a gesture — these subtle moments bring me pure joy. They are why I love storytelling and creating visual poetry. Every image in my portfolio is born from a moment of connection or curiosity. Whether I’m in a bustling city street, a quiet room, or a remote location, I aim to create photographs that resonate with empathy. Take "The Cyclists," for example—what appears to be a simple scene of people pedalling along the pier transforms into a visual symphony of movement and stillness, the hurried energy balanced by the serene focus of the riders. This interplay between action and calm often draws me in. I’m drawn to capturing the essence of a person—their inner world, not just their outward appearance. My approach often dances between the...

Overcoming creative block and self doubt

Every photographer, for that matter every creative, I've ever met comes to a point when they're not happy with the work they're producing. The pendulum between creative highs and dry spells swings continuously. For some the cycle is long and the bouts are quite mild for others the feeling of doubt about their work can be a crushing experience which returns all to frequently. It's actually quite healthy to have these periods of doubt because it can often be the beginning of something new and interesting which takes you further than you thought possible. Creatives in the commercial world have to always perform and although they may agree looking back that they've had a few patches where their work was less good, they always seem to bounce back. A very few creative geniuses deliver such high quality work that their poorest attempts still surpass the rest of us. But I have never heard of anyone, from tortured soul of Van Gogh to the supreme showman and genius, Salvador ...

What You Photograph Reveals How You Think

Photography is often described as a way of seeing. Less often do we talk about it as a way of thinking. What you choose to photograph, and just as importantly what you ignore, quietly mirrors how your mind works. Some photographers are drawn to faces, micro-expressions, emotional spikes. Others chase atmosphere, light, mood. Then there are those who gravitate towards structure, systems, order, the invisible logic holding a scene together. None of this is accidental. The camera becomes a sorting tool. It reveals what your brain prioritises. Where others see chaos, you might see alignment. Where some look for drama, you look for balance. Geometry, repetition, flow, layers, these aren’t just visual preferences, they’re cognitive ones. Strong graphic images tend to come from people who think spatially. Who notice how things relate before they notice what they mean. Lines before labels. Structure before story. And yet, the best images rarely stop there. They gain depth when human pres...

Beyond the obvious

Search This Blog