Beyond the obvious

Daily I see so many images that have been ruined by heavy handed manipulation. The thing that really makes me sad is when I see a great image, lots of emotion, good light and a powerful composition that has been destroyed by poor editing. I prefer to subtly enhance an image but keep it real. The example above shows a RAW file out of my camera (Before) and the (After) image following a few minutes of work. It's about gentle touches. Great images are just like calamari. If you overcook them, they become very tough to get through and unpalatable. My plea: respect your pixels. Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

Great video. There's really not much I can add. Excellent advice. Watch, enjoy and learn. "What are the key tips to shooting great news photography? This video by award-winning Reuters photographer Damir Sagolj, compiled by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, share his seven ideas on how to shoot news photos that engage audiences and tell a great story. More on www.trust.org " Creative director: Claudine Boeglin Producer: Amelia Wong Designer: by Ye Li Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

Ed Kashi stands out as a photojournalist who has an extraordinary ability to empathise with the people in his stories. He eloquently explains, in the video below, how modern digital cameras have enabled him to work with natural light, removing many of the technical constraints that stood in the way of capturing meaningful images. The more photographers fiddle with gear the less able they are to build a rapport with their subjects and discover the visual possibilities in a scene. The interview is crammed with good advice. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The key for a photographer is knowing when to use extra lighting like flash and when to grab the moment. There is no formula. The guiding principle has to be to continually ask the question, "how do I capture the visual essence of the story?" Don't just look. Really see. Strip away everything that is not essential, everything that gets in the way and be concise and clear. Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photogr...