Finally! At long last I am working on the With Pen and Camera Newsletter. It’s due out by the end of this month. If you would like to see a copy, just go to the Newsletter tab above and complete the form.
Category: Photography
Shhhh!
A Magical Morning in the Bush
The day I made this photo was a magical one as only a walk in the bush can be. Apart from the occasional rustle of leaves as the gentle breeze stirred them and the calls of the many birds all was silence. My worldly worries were far, far away. All that mattered at that moment was f stop and shutter speed.
https://davidbigwoodpublishing.blog/shop/photographic-prints/snowy-mountains-australia/
Snowy Mountains Creative
Another tree from the Snowy Mountains
Gum tree, Snowy Mountains, Australia. The light has helped make this one of my favourites. To see details of the prints available, go to https://davidbigwoodpublishing.blog/shop/photographic-prints/snowy-mountains-australia/
A Split Toned Print
A bit of a different image this time. Made on black and white film it has been processed as a split tone print using Photoshop. To see details of the image available in my shop go to https://davidbigwoodpublishing.blog/shop/photographic-prints/snowy-mountains-australia/
If you want to know how I processed it I describe the steps in my pdf book Black and White Photography in the Digital Age (https://davidbigwoodpublishing.blog/shop/books/landscape-format-pdf-e-books/black-and-white-photography-in-the-digital-age-a-pdf-book/)
How to Really see Potential Photographs
I admit to being a fan of Charlie Waite. This English landscape photographer has figured extensively in my photographic education. I was lucky enough to attend one of his weekend workshops while in the UK, have interviewed him for several magazines, enjoyed visiting his exhibitions both in London and Sydney and have a collection of his books which I dip into regularly when I need inspiration or reassurance.
He is called the doyen of British landscape photographers, an accolade that is not given lightly but which, in my opinion, is well deserved. And, why all this preamble? I have just been reading Charlie’s latest addition to my library, Behind the Photograph — Charlie Waite’s favourite photographs and the story behind them and this prompted me to dig out one of his DVDs. In it he had forsaken his usual state of the art cameras for a selection of compact digitals. I hasten to add that this was a temporary exercise as he showed that with thought these small cameras can produce quality results. It was a reminder that it is not the equipment that makes great photographs, it is the photographer and the way in which he or she uses the equipment they have.
I bought the DVD for a friend who had just started making pictures of the landscape but I found it most instructive listening to Charlie’s thought processes as he began making pictures. In particular, I was taken by one sequence when he was searching for images in a West Country harbour and finding no big picture that satisfied him. However, in no time he was happily shooting a number of images that many of us would have passed by. It was a vivid reminder that in the big picture there are dozens of small pictures ready for the photographer with the eyes to see them.
I don’t think the DVD is available now but Behind the Photograph is. You can find the details on Charlie’s website (https://www.charliewaite.com/) from where you can download the ebook. If you are serious about landscape photography do get hold of this book and learn how an expert’s mind works as he surveys the scene he is about to photograph.
Freelancing — do you have a target?
Freelancing — Targets and How to Set Them
Whether you make your sales directly or through an agent or photo library, do you have a target to keep your mind focused on your output? And, if you do, is it measurable? It needs to be otherwise you cannot assess just how you are performing against your target. It can be as simple as the number of submissions/pitches sent out each month or the number of sales made, or the monetary amount of sales made, all of which are measurable. My targets began as the number of submissions made each month but I felt that that didn’t stretch me enough. Regular submissions are, of course, essential in this freelancing business but results are more important.
So, I amended my goals by setting myself an income-based goal for each month which encourages me to continue to send submissions out but will not let me feel satisfied just by the making of a submission. Now I won’t feel satisfied unless I can eat! Hopefully this approach will improve my selections and lead to more sales.
Don’t forget, that setting a target is not the end of it. There is no point in having a target that there is no chance of achieving just as there is no point in having a target that is too easily achieved. Setting targets that challenge is a fine balancing act so review your goals regularly. And don’t feel that you are cheating if you downgrade your targets if you find that you are not achieving them even though you have put a 100 per cent effort in. Of course, if the non-achievement is brought about by lack of application on your part, you know what to do.
Equally, if you are achieving your targets fairly easily, do consider upgrading them.
Digital did not Kill the need for Filters
Another of my e-books that is popular.
In the days of film BD (before digital) no self-respecting landscape photographer would leave home without an armoury of filters. Then came digital and Photoshop and it seemed that the days of filters for every occasion were numbered. My expensive collection of Lee filters was consigned to my spare camera bag.
But, keen reader of photography books as I am, I noted that filters were getting mentioned again and again and again. The final straw was when I was browsing through a book by one of my favourite photographers, David Noton, who mentioned time and time again the use of his polariser, neutral density (ND) graduated and neutral density full filters. (David Noton: Full Frame (David and Charles) 978-0-7153-3614-4) If they were good enough for a brilliant photographer like him, who was I to forego them. So a scrabble through my spare bag ensued and I went forth suitably filtered.
Not, I hasten to add, with the full arsenal that I used to carry in film days but with those that are proving useful in digital days to improve the results out of the camera so that less time has to be spent in processing in front of the computer.
To buy, go to my ‘Home’ page tab above and click on ‘To see my e-books on photography available for tablet readers, including Kindle, and for reading on your computer’. Then click on ‘Introduction to Filters for Digital Photography’.