Skip to main content

Making remarkable photographs

Vincent shows a scale model of Leonardo Da Vinci's flying machine which he is working on. The model is as Da Vinci described with intricate joints, pulleys and wires designed to help the 'pilot' move the wings and tail to mimic  a bird's movements in flight. Click on the image for a larger view.

Every photographer that has made remarkable work has used exactly the same three basic tools: light, a camera and their brain.

Remarkable photography has been produced by people using everything from shoebox pinhole cameras to toy cameras, to technical view cameras, through to the latest sophisticated digital cameras. Not having the latest lens or camera is no barrier to producing remarkable work.

Remarkable photography has been produced by photographers with very little time to spend on their photography, on weekends, evenings, during holidays or while engaged in other work. Being busy with lots of things is no barrier.

Remarkable photography has been produced by amateurs, enthusiasts and professionals. Labels don't mean anything.

Remarkable photography has been produced by photographers with very little money in all sorts of circumstances, in slums, living under oppressive regimes, anywhere and everywhere. Where you are and how much you earn is no barrier.

Given that light is everywhere and you can use any form of camera to produce remarkable work then the only barrier between you and making better images is what happens in your brain, your creativity and your drive to make meaningful images.

So there are no real barriers, no obstacles, no excuses. Scary right?

Till soon,

Paul
Check out my latest photo story...

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Why do you take photographs?

Have you ever asked yourself why you photograph? It's a question that can be answered with a simple one-sentence answer until you start delving deeper. The answer then becomes increasingly complex and challenging to unravel. I've again undertaken this journey recently, and my answer is below. Portrait of Paul Indigo by Magda Indigo. Thanks Magda! I also reviewed my images over the last ten-plus years, selected 30 of my favourite photos, and compiled them into a slide show. This was a challenging task. My favourites change by the day, probably by the minute. Still, eventually, I got to a selection I titled "That's Life." Please click through to YouTube to view the full screen. My approach to people and landscape photography is characterised by a distinctive blend of documentary and fine art techniques. I aim to create images that are both deeply personal and universally relatable. Through portraiture, I strive to showcase the broad spectrum of human experience. I a...