Beyond the obvious

Katelijne Van de Velde in her deli, Pasta Huys, a word play in Flemish, on "pasta house". Katelijne came to our rescue when, starving after a long day photographing, we arrived in her shop just before closing time. Ahead of us that evening we had another shoot lined up, photographing a concert. There was nothing else open in the neighbourhood. We thought we were going to go hungry that evening but Magda chatted to Katelijne and by the time I got back from fetching our car a lovely shrimp risotto dish and a glass of wine was waiting for us at the table. After a delicious meal we asked if we could make a portrait. It’s lovely when you’re on the road and you meet people willing to go the extra mile, like the owner of the Pasta Huys who stayed open specially to accommodate two hungry photographers. Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk PS. If you're ever in Beernem, Belgium, drop in. You can visit her website here http://www.pastahuys.be/

Improving your photographic knowledge goes beyond knowing the technical stuff. Making images has never been enough for me. I always want to know more about the people and places I'm photographing. Driven by curiosity. I'm convinced that photographers who understand their subjects make better pictures. Having knowledge and understanding adds depth to your images. It gives you a point of view which you want to show and communicate. About this image: De Moeren  The polder was drained in the 17th century by the Flemish Renaissance architect, engineer, painter, antiquarian, numismatist and economist, Wenceslas Cobergher, using a network of channels and twenty windmills. The original wooden mills were later replaced by stone mills that used an Archimedes screw to draw water up and feed it into the drainage channels. The stone mills have now been replaced by modern pumping stations. I'll be uploading more images taken during this trip. Here is a picture of one of...