Beyond the obvious

He was sitting in a wheelchair next to the yacht basin in Oostende. With his peaked cap, pipe in hand and white beard he looked quite nautical.  After a brief chat I asked if he would mind me making a portrait. A nod of agreement.  I shot a few frames and he stared out from behind his glasses with a look that tells his story.  It's such a gift when people open up to us photographers and give their time and their faces to share with the world. Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

We walked into the cafe at Salts Mill and immediately I spotted this gentleman reading his paper. It felt like an electric current had been switched on in my blood. Light, colour and gesture, the three key elements of a good image, all resonated together. When these elements come together they are a serendipitous gift to the alert photographer. Man reading paper With a tingling feeling running from the back of my neck to the tips of my fingers I carefully chose a seat at an adjoining table, hoping that he would continue to read his paper and not change his body position. I quickly composed the shot and pressed the shutter. If I had approached him before taking the shot I am sure this unselfconscious moment would have been lost. See how the colours of his pocket handkerchief, his shirt, t-shirt and hat are echoed in the environment around him. The light is lovely, etching him out of the background.  His relaxed natural pose fills the frame with dynamic angles. A man reading h...

Browsing social photography websites like Flickr and 500px is a frustrating experience. Overall the quality of photography is horrible. Home truths. Straight from the horse's mouth Nobody dares say anything negative. Often votes and comments are motivated by a desire for reciprocation rather than because the viewer actually likes the image. Many people spend less than a second viewing an image. It's so easy to click the fave icon on a page of thumbnails. People that receive a lot of votes/likes/favs are either good photographers or just good at playing the social game. This has all been said before and I really am not bothered by the social side. The thing that bothers me is the lack of interest, effort and passion for their images among so many photographers. Do they not see that when they push the saturation slider out near the maximum that the colours look awful, unnatural and garish? Do they not see that when they over-sharpen or over-use the clarity tool that...

Technique can be learnt but there are two other vital ingredients in an artist's makeup that you're born with, one of which is easily lost along long hard road of life. Flemish artist Willem Vermandere Creativity is something we all have in us. Some people are born more creative than others. There's a range but how creative we actually are depends on the third ingredient and that's passion. Without passion there is no drive, no new work, we become stale, copying our past successes with nothing fresh to show. I'm fortunate enough to know two living artists with real passion; Willem Vermandere and Magda Indigo . Both are absolutely driven to create new work every minute of every day. Naturally they do the things we all do, going to a restaurant, shopping and so on but all the time you know that what they really want to be doing is creating new work. They have a grand obsession in their lives. On the other side of coin you have artists who get off to flyin...

A classic view of Brugge at night. Millions of photos have been taken from where I stood, but I still think this image has something special. During the day Bruges is filled with tourists and nearly every one of them has a camera of some description. The trick is to find a different way to photograph a place. I'm not saying nobody has shot this scene at night but it is certainly a more rare and special view. The dramatic lighting makes it stand out and a good image is all about special light. I'm happy with the result and it will always bring back a fond memory of standing there with my wife in one of my favourite cities in the world. Sometimes we photograph to sell to clients, other times for our own artistic endevours and always to preserve those precious memories. Our photographs have become our diaries. Till soon, Paul www.paulindigo.co.uk

A tourist poses for a self portrait using his selfie-stick.  His selfie will probably be posted straight to a social media site; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any number of others with a caption along the lines, "Look how much fun I'm having in Bruges." In 2015 we noticed lots of people doing the selfie-on-a-stick thing  in Brugge. When people pose for these selfies their smiles often look forced. Or they pull weird expressions. They appear oblivious to the world around them, all attention focused on the small smartphone screen. Getting creative with a high viewpoint. And some people do it the old fashioned way, holding their smartphones. Three young ladies get ready to pose for a group selfie in Brugge. Are people becoming selfie-obsessed? Is it a good or a bad thing, or doesn't it matter? I remember when most of us would stop a friendly looking passer-by and ask them if they would mind taking a picture of us. Usually there was a bit of banter...

What does it take to make the gold standard images we see in National Geographic magazine and what type of photographer does it take to get the job done? Since I was a kid, curled up on the sofa, with a copy of National Geographic, I've admired the beautiful, informative images on the pages of my favourite magazine. The photographers follow strict ethical guidelines forbidding any overt manipulation. This means that you can trust what you see in the magazine. The images accurately represent what the photographer saw. The photographer is our witness on the spot transporting us to exotic locations, adding a visual story to the well researched articles by National Geographic's writers. The video below offers a fascinating and inspirational insight. The video features the following photographers: Lynsey Addario William Albert Allard James Balog Marcus Bleasdale Jodi Cobb David Doubilet David Guttenfelder David Alan Harvey Aaron Huey Lynn Johnson Ed Kashi Ti...

Launched in September 2014, still in beta, Immersive is an online platform designed to help individual storytellers create and publish beautiful, visually rich stories. I published my first story on the platform and I must say I think it looks good. It's optimised for mobile and tablet too and supports stills and video. Spanish fishing nets. Image from my photo story, Catch of the Day. Overall Immersive is easy to use. Some buttons are hidden, revealing themselves when you hover over an area on the screen. But I got to grips with the system quite quickly. Check out my photo story Catch of the day , about the local fishing industry in Spain. Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

January 2015 is well under way.  It seems like a good time to look back at one of my favourite photography genres, portraits. I love photographing people. A good portrait is usually the result of collaboration between photographer and subject. It may result from a few minutes of conversation. Or happen after hours spent together, chatting, planning and travelling. I try to make authentic portraits. They happen when the person I'm photographing engages with me. A good portrait is a gift, 'given' to the photographer's lens. Those moments are awesome to experience. I am extremely grateful to everyone in my 176 portraits collection for allowing me to photograph them. Visit the full gallery to browse the portraits at your leisure here : http://goo.gl/HUhdem If you would like a quick two and half minute overview then take a look at my YouTube video below. What makes a good portrait for you? Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

In 2014 one of my highlights was photographing a glass blowing session, together with my wife and fellow photographer Magda, at Marcel Vlamynck's Art in Glass studio in Brugge, Belgium. During the session I concentrated mainly on shooting still images but also took a moment to film Anneleen who was working together with her father, master glass artist, Marcel Vlamynck. She is a talented glass artist too. The famous Flemish actor and photogenic artist, Luk D'Heu, a keen glassblower himself, was also there adding his good humoured comments to the ambiance. Master glass artist Marcel Vlamynck and daughter Anneleen put the finishing touches to a vase while Flemish artist and actor Luk D'Heu looks on. Master glass artist Marcel Vlamynck uses a wad of wet newspaper in his hand to shape a piece of molten glass. Marcel and Anneleen examine a glass vase, glowing hot at around 1,000 °C, as he rolls his blowpipe on the rails of his work station. Gravity is use...

The video below shows a series of photographs I made in 2014 to tell the story of the centenary of the First World War. The images in the video plus more from this story, with full details about each image can be viewed on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulindigo/sets/72157648631424367 I recorded the Last Post live during the remembrance ceremony. The music accompanies the images I made at the Menin Gate, Ieper, Belgium. Lest we forget... Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

Steve McCurry was interviewed at his large new Retrospective exhibition in Monza, Italy. The exhibition features many of his iconic images but also new work, which he is proud to show for the first time. The exhibition was designed by Peter Bottazzi to showcase McCurry's work in a way that compliments and establishes an interesting visual dialogue with the neoclassical Royal Villa. As always Steve McCurry offers an interesting insight into his work and what it takes to be a photojournalist travelling the world. Enjoy. Steve McCurry Retrospective Exhibition Villa Reale di Monza Viale Brianza, 1, 20052 Monza, Italy 199151140 http://www.mostrastevemccurry.it October 30 - April 6, 2015 Thanks for watching. Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

The answer is yes! Marketing departments, agencies, editors, art buyers, art directors and designers can all benefit from working directly with the artist. The traditional route for an image buyer to find an image has been to go to a stock library or commission a photographer. My top tip is to source and buy images direct from the artist. You will be able to negotiate a better deal than with a stock library and the artist will also be better off because they will not be giving up 50, 60 or even 80% of the selling price as commission to the stock library. The artist can afford to sell their work more cheaply than a stock library and still end up with more money in their pocket. By dealing directly with the artist image buyers can licence an image under favourable terms, ensure competitors will not have the same image and perhaps even negotiate exclusivity. You will have direct access to authentic and original work. There really are no barriers anymore for art buyers wanting t...

Photojournalist and National Geographic photographer Lynn Johnson shares her views on her work and what motivates her. She is the recipient of awards including four World Press Photography Awards, seven Golden Quills for Photojournalism, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and Picture of the Year Award from the National Press Photographer Association. For me her work really stands out because of the way she connects the viewer, in a direct and visceral way with the people that she photographs. Her images are elegant and beautiful but more importantly they give a voice to the people she photographs, helping them to tell their story. Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

Being a photojournalist is challenging and difficult at times. Emotionally it can also be a roller coaster. One day you're in harms way and the next you're sitting back at home in your normal environment. How do you reconcile the two worlds and what drives photojournalists to produce their best work. Ed Kashi puts it better than I could in the video below. Hope you enjoyed that as much as did. Ed hits the nail on the head. Back again soon. Till then... Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk

Well I've embarked on a new venture to sell prints of my work. Below is an embedded slide show generated from the content of my new website. There's plenty more to see and new work is added daily. Fine  art prints are available on paper, canvas, metal and acrylic, and greeting cards, you can even get a custom iPhone case. So feel free to go crazy. I'd very much value your feedback on the images, the website and experience of buying work. Naturally I hope you see something you'd like in your living room or as present for a special someone. Thanks for taking a look. Paul http://paul-indigo.artistwebsites.com/

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...

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I certainly hope that is the case with my blog which I've not updated for a while. It's been a busy time. What can I say? The focus for a creative should always be on producing new work. It's so easy these days to become absorbed in social media, responding and sharing. Social media interaction definitely has its place in our lives but the priority must be on creating and shipping work. If we're all about socialising then nothing new is going to be made, or the quality of the work we produce will suffer. It's a good thing to take oneself out of the loop for a period of time. New content is planned and you'll see more stuff from me regularly again. Here are three images from recent stories that I've been working on. Willemsson Willem Vermandere The Vanlancker brothers in their factory Till soon, Paul www.indigo2photography.co.uk