Beyond the obvious

This doorway on a cross channel ferry caught my eye because of it's graphic qualities. I think it's quite appropriate to show a doorway as I hope to open one for you to thousands of wonderful images and hundreds of talented photographers. When you've been around as long as I have (well it's not all that long I suppose, being in my early 40s), anyway, you get to know things, like which are the best photographic agencies around the world. I thought tonight, why not share these links with everyone? So without further ado here are my list of top photography agencies. www.afp.com www.agencevu.com www.agentur-focus.de www.altitude-photo.com www.ap.org www.ashleywoods.com www.bapla.org www.baubaunet.com www.bilderberg.com www.contactpressimages.com www.contrasto.it www.corbis.com www.cosmosphoto.com ...

It may be time to dust off your old medium format gear and give it a new lease of life with a digital back. The results are stunning, better than the latest Canon Pro DSLRs and cheaper! Prices of digital backs have come down and you can now get one for around £5,000 in the UK, even cheaper second hand. Comparing the results between a 16mp digital back on an old 1980's Hasselblad C/M and a new pro full frame Canon DSLR is an eye opener. The quality from the Hasselblad is better. Images are super sharp, files stand up to interpolation better, there's more shadow and highlight detail, colours are spot on and the files are true 16bit from RAW. DSLRs don't actually generate true 16 bit RAW images. One way to try a digital back on your medium format or for that matter large format camera is to hire the appropriate back. It's not cheap but if you incorporate it in your costs for the shoot on the day then the extra quality could well benefit your work and give you an edge...

This images symbolises the way our childhood seems to pass so quickly. Childhood now seems to be a little like a dream, like someone else lived it, although inside I am still that small kid sometimes. The telephone wires and the road perhaps signify the journey we travel and how we are linked through our ability to communicate. Then again perhaps it is just an out of focus picture of a little girl running along a road. The joy of photography is that I can present you with an image. You have to also do some of the work in interpreting it. All I can say is the photograph was meant to be and I chose it. I think photographs should get people to think and to ask questions. Cheers, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

The four images above were taken within a few minutes of each other. The subject is the side of a railcar. The aim was a series of images which explore a single subject with the emphasis on strong graphic compositions. Cheers, Paul

This bit of industrial design/architecture resides in the far corner of a supermarket parking lot in Belgium. At first it looks like and incredibly straightforward image but the more you look the more you discover. Click on the image to see the larger version. It never ceases to amaze me how diverse audiences respond to different images. Some images have broad appeal while others have a much smaller appeal but are liked with a passion. A word of caution to my colleagues out there. Popularity is not a measure of artistic value. If it were then most of the modern art museums would have to throw their exhibits in a skip. So what is an appropriate measure of artistic value. That's a tough question. I don't know the answer but what I do know is that if a few people respond passionately to an image I've made, it makes me happy. Cheers, Paul

Descriptions about what it takes to be a professional photographer are often quite fluffy and insubstantial. So with my best analytical cap on I've decided look at what it takes to be successful professional photographer. Let's first clear a few things up. You don't need to own a camera, any camera at all, you don't need lights, you don't a studio and you don't need official qualifications. You can hire everything you need from cameras to studio managers and digital artists. You certainly need knowledge and skill but not necessarily a diploma to hang on the wall. To be a successful professional photographer you will have to develop four key foundations besides being able to make brilliant photographs and the traditional business skills which apply to everyone running their own company. The foundations are creativity, professionalism, knowledge and skill sets . Although this article is written for advertising and editorial photographers I am sure you will see ho...

Many photographers upload pictures of people for comment on photo sharing websites. I think it is important to point out that comments made on a picture are often read by the person in the picture. On the whole I think that most people commenting on a picture do show respect and awareness of the subject's feelings and emotions. However sometimes a comment is made that reveals a lack of regard for the person in the image. Classic examples are comments which turn an attractive woman or man into a sexual object, or mock, trivialise or patronise the subject. Even if the person in the photograph will almost certainly never see the comments made on their image, I believe it is of fundamental importance that comments are respectful and that you only say what you would be prepared to say looking that person straight in the eye. The internet is vast and people on your screen can appear somewhat abstract and removed from the real human being, but each person you see in a photogr...

Flemish sculptor, painter, artist and folk musician, Willem Vermandere sings from the heart during a visit to his house in West Flanders. Magda Indigo arranged a visit for us the last time we were in Belgium. Willem only performs in Flemish so his work is not well known outside Belgium and Holland although he has performed in the UK. Recently South African academics have also shown an interest in his poetic texts and his work is being translated into and performed in Afrikaans. Willem is a kind, warm, generous man who has tremendous humility. He is a legend in Belgium. It was a priviledge to meet him. I wanted to capture something of his spirit here. Cheers, Paul

A surprising number of photography enthusiasts do not have a clue about the absolute basics. Some of them are taking on commercial work and thinking of becoming professional. It's frightening. These days it seems like just about everyone wants to become a professional photographer. Thanks to outstanding modern Digital SLR technology, the ability to delete poor images and 'fix' others in Photoshop many enthusiasts believe they can produce professional results without having to learn and understand basic concepts. What's more the Internet provides a ready made audience of their peers and upload and share community websites ensure they receive a steady stream of praise for their efforts. All of this helps give them a false sense of confidence in their ability to be a professional photographer. I'm not saying the enthusiast without basic knowledge can't take a good picture but there's a world of difference between going out and capturing something on yo...

A horse mane makes an interesting subject for a minimalist composition. I like textures so this was a great subject. Working flat out at the moment on several major projects. Just not enough hours in the day to get it all done. So hold your horses, I've got loads of ideas for blog articles, but in the meantime just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still about. Thanks for your visit to my blog. There's plenty of stuff to read on here, check out the archives or do a search for something of interest. I'll try to add a new article this weekend. Cheers, Paul

I spotted her in the crowd and she saw me. We looked at each other, communicated with a few gestures and as a final shot in the sequence she treated me to this one. Classic attitude. I wanted a bright colourful image, celebrating an individual's right to self expression. Cheers, Paul

If you're looking for more than tips on how to take pictures and what equipment to use and you'd like to find out about the soul of truly creative photographer then take a look at Magda Indigo's blog. She's known almost as well for her well researched and informative writing as she is for her photography. And yes she is my wife, I love her very much and I consider it a privilege to share my life with someone as talented as she is, so if you've not discovered her work yet what are you waiting for? Cheers, Paul

These two little bridesmaids decided they'd had enough of being photographed. The family watched, highly amused as I battled to get these two little devils to pose. I got the shot later after giving it a few minutes break. I don't do weddings anymore, mostly corporate and advertising work now, but this wedding could not be refused. The reportage went brilliantly, the couple are thrilled, and they want this shot too. I find that people often like the off-beat moments. The days of the stiff formal, traditional wedding shoot seem far away, certainly in my neck of the woods. People want photography that reflects real life and has emotion. So although at the time it may seem a challenge that the child bridesmaids don't want to be photographed it is in fact a great opportunity to make a shot that's a bit different. The picture sums up my attitude to photography and life. Every hurdle and challenge is in fact a great opportunity to make something special. The best stuff in lif...

Best selling American author Laura Lippman. Here's an extract from her official bio: Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about “accidental PI” Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor’s Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association. NOVELS Baltimore Blues* (1997, nominated for the Shamus Award for best first PI novel.) Charm City* (1997, winner of the Eddgar ® and Shamus awards for best paperback original, nominated for the Anthony Award.) Butchers Hill* (1998, winner of the Agatha Award ...

Antwerp successfully preserves a sense of tradition and history, here with the horse drawn carriage and the famous Cathedral in the background, making it attractive to tourists, while at the same time boasting some beautiful modern architecture. The picture above was a split second grab shot. As usual my Canon EOS 5D was set to AV (aperture priority) and I trusted my light meter to give me the correct exposure. As it happened the background sky was extremely bright and the foreground in deep shadow, so the background was a bit overexposed. Using the RAW file's information I was able to retrieve detail everywhere important. Read any guide to improving your photography, listen to photographers advice and you'll be told to set your camera to manual. Using program mode is strictly for amateurs we're told. Well I beg to differ and respected photography tutor John Wade shares my viewpoint. Camera design these days has advanced tremendously and automatic metering has become relia...

Three holiday makers on a bench in Ostend in Belgium. The couple on the right didn't know the gentleman on the left. I love taking spontaneous portraits of people on the street. The couple didn't know this other chap on the left but by asking to take a portrait of them I brought this little group together for a few minutes. It was great fun. Several hours later I passed the couple in the street and we waved a cheery greeting to each other like old friends. One of the wonderful things about being a photographer is that it enables you to meet all sorts of people, not only the famous but also folk like you and me and the people in this picture. Cheers, Paul

Peace. Scarborough, Yorkshire, UK. I'm back from my visit to the continent and I've got thousands of images to process with hopefully a few real gems. It's been an incredibly busy time but wonderfully refreshing. I've also got ideas for quite a few new blogs. Watch this space. Cheers, Paul

I recently had the great priviledge of spending time with a few of the world's best selling authors, including Lee Child and Harlan Coben . Many of the things they said struck a cord, an affirmation of the ideas that I've held for a long time. You'll probably recognise these ideas too but just like me I'm sure you won't mind hearing them again. There are many things which apply across all creative endeavours. Integrity to your art and vision is everything. You write a book, or in our case take a photograph, because it expresses something essential in yourself. It is your vision, your voice. If you're not true to your vision, your inner voice, you will never achieve your full potential. Do not copy others. It's got to come from inside you. This is true even when we're working for clients, to a brief. The client has chosen you because of who you are, your vision, the injection of that special something which is uniquely yours. If you see a band wagon the...

Best selling crime writer, Harlan Coben, is a gentle, witty, charming, intelligent guy. Chatting to him you can't help wondering how he can come up with such brutal and murderous characters. He says, maybe it's therapy. Gets it out of the system, which is why crime writers are such gentle folk. If you've not read any of his books then you're really missing something. Check out his website ( www.harlancoben.com ) I'm working on a portrait project. Will keep you posted. Cheers, Paul

Paul Blezard and Lee Child field a question from the audience during an interview with the best selling author at the Crime Writing festival in Harrogate, 20 July 2007. Lee told many entertaining stories and spoke about his writing and the creation of his famous character, Jack Reacher. It was great meeting them and chatting to them after the show. If you get a chance to go along to one of Lee Child's talks I can highly recommend it. More pictures here . His books are fantastic. Check out ( www.leechild.com ). Cheers, Paul