Controversial photography
Controversial photography
Ever wonder how controversial it is to just write and maintain a photography blog?! You'd think that mainly writing about photography techie stuff should be a fairly non-controversial thing. And yet, in the by now 11 years this blog has been going, there've been some articles that unexpectedly created hefty reaction and discussion. Often over the most innocuous things. Sometimes because the topic is seen as a challenging one. That's me being controversial ... without even being political. Just photography! Here are the articles on the Tangents blog that Read more inside...Pixel peeping
Pixel peeping
Pixel peeping is that derogatory phrase used to describe photographers who scrutinize photos at 100% resolution to see any flaws there might be. The idea is that if you do that, you lose sight of the artistic nature of photography. You might become stuck on what is in many ways, an irrelevant part of photography - technical perfection. I do love sharp images. Being capable of consistently delivering crisp images, are important to me as a photographer. The skills matter. At some point these skills should become second nature. Yet, the impact a photograph has, Read more inside...guest post: Attitude – a life legacy
One of the side-benefits of maintaining a site such as Tangents, is that I get to meet a wide spectrum of people from across the world, whether in person or via phone or email. One of the most interesting emails I received recently was from a photographer in South Africa - Johannes van Graan. From 1994 to date he has been practising internationally in the fields of nuclear and mining project management in which photography in all its forms plays a pivotal role. For the past five years he specialized in very specific areas of engineering forensics and is currently the CEO of an organisation Read more inside...
More spontaneous portrait photography
More spontaneous portrait photography
A friend of my daughter sent me an email with a few observations and a question, which in turn, set of a much longer train of thought about portrait photography, and making it more spontaneous. My portrait photography tends to be controlled on some levels. I don't strictly pose, but I do control the pose and the lighting and composition - while still trying to retain some spontaneous reaction from my subject. Here's Terry's email (which was titled: Intrinsic Splendor) I was thumbing through one of your books to brush up on something Read more inside...One thing you can do to improve your portrait photography
One thing you can do to improve your portrait photography
Possibly the most clichéd photographer's phrase next to "say cheese", is something about being more comfortable behind the camera than in front of the camera. We've all been there - that moment of discomfort when you have to be photographed. But I say it is time to confront this. You need to own it and become used to being photographed. Seriously. I would even go as far as saying that you have an obligation to your subjects and clients to be comfortable about being photographed. You need to know how to handle yourself in Read more inside...Your camera doesn’t matter – except when it does
Your camera doesn't matter - except when it does
There's this specific narrative that gets pushed that your camera and photo gear don't matter all that much. That it is your imagination and your eye that counts for the most. Perhaps, perhaps ... but without the necessary gear to enable what you're trying to capture, you're lost. It seems so self-evident. I would even insist that you need photo gear that are better than your abilities - this way you're not constrained by your equipment. With this performance by Team Circus which they asked me to photograph for them, I had to Read more inside...Photographers – inspiration, and overcoming fears
Photographers - inspiration; overcoming fears & maintaining momentum
It was high time that I updated my bio photo on my websites and profile photos. I wanted something casual, yet with a certain gravity. While at WPPI last week in Las Vegas, I was surrounded by photographers. I asked ... well, prodded and pushed my friend Annie Sullivan to take a series of photos in various locations inside the MGM. This is the photo I settled on. We have other photos that are equally good, and less serious, but this one really says "I'm the one who knocks..." So this is now going across my Read more inside...Photographers, you don’t know anything
I am probably the only person who will ever give you the following comments, but then again, I am probably one of the only photographers capable of looking at your work and who knows how little you know. You have no idea about posing whatsoever. Not to worry, most photographers don't know anything either so you are safe. Read more inside...
