Back when my photography was almost entirely landscapes, I was always conscious of trying to compose in a way which provided the viewer with a sense of depth and scale by using layers. More recently I’ve been much less concerned with them, looking instead for that elusive ‘decisive moment’. Where there are layers lending depth, it’s by chance rather than planning. This exercise has therefore … Continue reading 2.3 Depth: Foreground, mid-Ground, Background

This one has been a challenge. I’ve looked through the work of Roman Signer, and that of Andy Goldsworthy, and there is so much to love about their art. Signer’s slow burning fuse is fascinating, and Goldsworthy’s land art is truly wonderful. But. I’m looking at records. These are photographs ‘of’ not ‘about’. Yes, the art they depict is ‘about’, but you have to be … Continue reading Picture Analysis – Zelt, Roman Signer

Let’s start by getting something out in the open up front: I don’t like flash. I know it is useful in all sorts of situations, it’s an essential tool of studio and wedding photographers. Used properly and creatively it can transform muddy and mundane to glorious. Maybe it is my lack of learning practice that makes me shy away from using flash, but I genuinely … Continue reading 2.8 Fill Flash

This exercise encourages us to just take a wander and photograph freely, then review and consider what caught our eye. This particular wander is through the French port city of La Rochelle, on a particularly hot and sunny day, though the town to a bay on the other side and back again. Below are 3 contact sheets showing the 40-odd photographs that caught my eye … Continue reading 3.1 Searching

In this exercise we are asked to produce a series of photographs focused on a specific subject. My chosen subject for this is based on two related on-going projects: plants that are growing on man-made structures and man-made structures and other artifacts being overwhelmed by nature. It’s also a test of something I constantly repeat to myself: Enjoy making the photographs you like and have … Continue reading 3.2 Series

In this exercise we are asked to photograph subjects against a plain, white background to remove the sense of place. Not being in the habit of shooting portraits of either people or flowers I found this to be a bit of a challenge – not in terms of the set up and technicalities of obtaining the images, but in creating something that might have some … Continue reading 2.1 Subject vs Background

During my recent week of working in Geneva I was able to indulge my newly discovered passion for street photography, and in doing so got a shot I felt I could use for this split contrast exercise. One evening sat on a bench at the Promenade Du Lac, a stereotypical example of a Genevois private banker came striding by (I don’t really know he’s a … Continue reading 2.11 Split Contrast – Geneva Man