It goes without saying that cities and towns are built by and for people. Yet so often when we photograph buildings we wait until the scene is clear before pressing the shutter. But what is a city without its people? Including them in your shots brings the city to life, showing how these buildings create the backdrop for daily life.
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When I spotted the Light Art Museum on the map, a short walk from the apartment we were renting, it quickly rose to one of our must-see sights. The museum is 'one of the first exhibition spaces in the world to specialise specifically in the collection ... and display of works of this character.'
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Why, when we see the world in colour, do we often find black and white portraits so engaging? With the distraction of colours stripped away we are driven to focus on elements such as the direction of a gaze, skin texture and the interplay of light and shadow on the face. Elements such as clothing and jewellery fade into the background and the expression on the face takes centre stage.
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It has been hard to find ‘perfect’ days this past June. It started too cool and too dull, then in the space of a few days transformed itself to an extreme heatwave. Temperatures hit 35 Celsius and the high humidity made life in London pretty tough. Such is a our changing climate, unfortunately, and England wasn’t built for heat.
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The letter B, the second letter of our alphabet, is one of the first a child learns to recognise. ‘A is for Apple, B is for …’ Yes, what objects do begin with a B? I had great fun trawling my archives for these 'B' images!
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As photographers we are trying to convey three-dimensional scenes and objects on a flat two-dimensional surface, whether paper or screen, and we can use similar tricks to those of the Renaissance artists. Lines that converge on a point close to the horizon (‘leading lines’) create a sense of distance, as do receding objects.
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From the well-known (think Grand Canyon or Great Pyramid of Giza) to the less lauded (an ancient artefact, a beautiful stained-glass window, a snow-capped mountain, a colourful bird, a surprise encounter with wildlife) … the world is full of wonders. I am fortunate to be able to travel and to appreciate the wonders I am able to discover far from home.
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It's important not to get so hung up on technique that we forget to concentrate on what really matters in our photography: creating an emotional connection with our subject. Yet technique is important, and good technique can help bring out that feeling.
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Is there anyone who isn’t awed by a waterfall? Whether it’s the sheer power of the water tumbling over the edge a one of the world’s great falls such as Victoria or Iguazu, or whether it’s the delicate lace and spray of a stream tumbling over rocks, the movement and sound seem always to hold us in their grip.
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As a general rule, a group of three in a picture is particularly pleasing to the eye and can hold the attention of the viewer for longer than a group of even numbers. This is true of any odd number but especially so of three.
