Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. For the record, I shot a total of 32 rolls of Ilford HP5 and AGFA APX 400 on this trip – approximately 1000 shots for a total of 13 final images for the exhibition. A hit rate of 1.3% if my math is correct? Hmmm, if you are going […]
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Tag Archives: composition techniques
Urbanity Image Review #3
November 7, 2014 
4 Comments
Taken in Melbourne, August 2014. Location is Degraves Street, I think? The Flinders Street end. The only image in the collection leveraging the use of a model. Sometimes ya gotta try new things. There were a few ideas I had that were going to be much easier to realise with a more predictable set of […]
Continue reading Urbanity Image Review #2
November 5, 2014 1 Comment
Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. Some careful preparation rewarded with an opportunity. The Hong Kong Cultural Centre is regarded by many as one of the worst eyesores in the city. It looks just like a massive block of concrete, without windows, without hope, like a jail. The concrete provides some great texture and […]
Continue reading Urbanity Image Review #1
November 3, 2014 6 Comments
Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. A somewhat “lucky” shot. There are three distinct planes in the image defined by the location of each of the subjects. I am starting to love finding different, clearly defined planes in images. The suggested lines of diminishing perspective (the long arrows!) are accentuated by the lateral lines of the […]
Continue reading AAMI Park Stadium
October 18, 2014 1 Comment
Melbourne is sports crazy. AFL, Rugby League & Union, Soccer, Cricket, and the list goes on. The stadiums for these sports all offer fantastic urban landscape opportunities, and an opportunity to shoot the fans. AAMI Park Stadium has a unique triangle filled roof. There is also plenty of concrete to inspire your photography. The Holga image above […]
Continue reading Featured Image – Matthew Joseph – Panoramarama
October 17, 2014 2 Comments
From the Photographer – Matthew Joseph “This shot is a particular favourite of mine, I took it in March 2005 in Brisbane. I was wandering around the Queen Street Mall and walked into the Myers Centre, I used to come here when I was younger. I wanted to take some above view photos of people […]
Continue reading Crossing Paths with Vivian Maier
October 12, 2014 0 Comments
The Centre for Contemporary Photography has an exhibition of Vivian Maier’s images on at the moment. Going to pop over to have a look today. The details are : http://www.ccp.org.au/exhibitions.php?f=Gallery_1 03.10.2014—26.10.2014 Centre for Contemporary Photography 404 George St, Fitzroy Victoria 3065, Australia E info@ccp.org.au T + 61 3 9417 1549 OPENING HOURS Gallery Hours Wednesday—Friday […]
Continue reading Book Review – The Street Photographer’s Manual
October 10, 2014 0 Comments
A great little book to drive inspiration on those days where you are a bit ho-hum about it all. The author, David Gibson has written a whole book full of tasty little bits and pieces to get any street photographer fiesty and firing the shutter! The book focuses on short profiles of street photography masters, […]
Continue reading Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Six – Summary
October 8, 2014 4 Comments
1. Contrast between experiences – a bored subject contrasting with an excited subject. Accentuate the contrast by placing the two subjects on different planes. 2. Look for hopeful “Hail Mary” passes! Subjects that are overly hopeful or optimistic. 3. Spot reflections, frames & windows to include in compositions. 4. You won’t […]
Continue reading Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Five
October 5, 2014 1 Comment
Maier’s Typical Street Portrait. Maier has a signature crop to her street portraits. In the image above, you can see the rough size relationship of the subject to the 6×6 frame of her Rolleiflex marked out. Below, you can see the rough dimensions / proportional relationship running consistently throughout the compositions. Even her self-portrait almost conforms […]
Continue reading Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Four
October 4, 2014 1 Comment
Find an interesting perspective to shoot from. Maier consistently captured her images from unusual perspectives. From above, below, or even breaking the fourth wall and getting behind the subject. The single easiest thing you can do immediately to improve your street photography is to change your perspective. You can read more on this specifically here. […]
Continue reading Featured Melbourne Image “Five Ways” – Dee Smith
October 3, 2014 2 Comments
Dee’s print “Five Ways” is an excellent example of toy camera photography. It was taken on a Holga using Kodak Ektar iso 100 negative film. I picked up Dee’s print at the recent Melbourne Silvermine analogue exhibition “Unsensored 2014”. The exhibition is annual event aimed at demonstrating the art of film photography lives on! You […]
Continue reading Free Open Source Street Photography Course
October 2, 2014 1 Comment
Eric Kim is a great source of inspiration for street photographers. He sets a great example by bringing a disciplined approach to learning and the creative process. He has brought together a whole bunch of his great content into a structured Street Photography course. You can find the course here : Free Open-Source Online Street […]
Continue reading Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Three
September 27, 2014 0 Comments
Wow, so much from one single image! It is not in Maier’s typical grittier style. The image gains a dreamy quality from the lack of importance placed on image sharpness. Focus is not always necessary to create an aesthetically pleasing image. Think Robert Capa on D-day… Find Portals to Another Time Whilst it was probably […]
Continue reading Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Two
September 26, 2014 0 Comments
I have spent some more time now with Vivian Maier through the book “Street Photography”. As you tell by all the tabs, I love a lot of her photos! Maier is a fascinating person in her own right, but I am sure you can googlify her to read more. There are plenty of things you can […]
Continue reading Vivian Maier – Composition Ideas – Intro
September 14, 2014 9 Comments
Vivian Maier was a Chicago based street photographer who was only recently discovered after her death in 2009. I have been reading the book “Vivian Maier – Street Photographer” which features some of her best work. Maier’s work includes some travel photography, self portraits, and street photography. You can read more about her here. I […]
Continue readingPosition and Timing
September 7, 2014 3 Comments
“There are the two basic controls at the photographer’s command – position and timing – all others are extensions, peripheral ones, compared to them.” David Hurn Allan Jeans once said Aussie Rules footy is simple. Either they have the ball, we have the ball, or the ball is in dispute. Both Hurn and Jeans have a […]
Continue reading Stop Taking the Same Images Over and Over
August 30, 2014 5 Comments
Ever found that you have started taking the same image over and over? A particular type of composition that you find particularly pleasing – so you start to see it everywhere. And photograph it over and over. I found late in 2013 that I was losing my photography spirit. I had reduced the number of […]
Continue reading Value of a Notebook
August 2, 2014 5 Comments
Ever felt a bit flat about your photography? Like you are taking the same groundhog day shots every time you go out? Last November, I made a commitment to take another step forward with my pursuit of creative growth. I had slipped into a groove which had rapidly developed into a rut. As photography is […]
Continue reading Changing Perspective
August 1, 2014 7 Comments
One of the hardest things to avoid in street photography is “same same” perspective. The nature of the activity – walking around and instant opportunities – results in the photographer mostly bringing the camera up to to the eye at head height. We see the world around us, every day, at head height. We are used […]
Continue reading Life Magazine Photographers – Lesson 2
July 27, 2014 2 Comments
Lane’s image of a plain office style building encouraged me to reassess my view on urban landscapes. I avoided scenes without clear human subjects for a long time. The image offers a view into the world of others. Each window gives a small part of a wider story. Cropping the image removes the visual references […]
Continue reading Life Magazine Photographers – Lessons 1
July 26, 2014 3 Comments
Looking at other photographers’ work is a great way to find your own style. Whilst I am in the midst of reading quite a few specialised street photography books, they can be fairly demanding of my attention. I have to make some “quiet time” to really get into them. I recently managed to watch […]
Continue reading The Art of Bar Photography – Part Two
July 25, 2014 1 Comment
In the last article, I outlined some basic guidelines to getting subjects to pose in bars. This time, I am going to share the story behind some of my personal favourites to help illustrate the lessons. The Punk Kid Taken at The Corner Hotel in Richmond. Delta 3200 film – hence the extreme grain I […]
Continue reading Trent Parke – 3 Lessons from “Summer Rain”
July 19, 2014 1 Comment
A copy of “Magnum Contact Sheets” was in my Santa Sack last Christmas. Who would have thought Santa was that clued up on photography? The book presents some of the most famous Magnum images and pairs them with the contact sheet it was selected from. The photographer also gives some commentary around the photo and selection rationale. […]
Continue reading Holga “Toy” Camera
July 12, 2014 3 Comments
Analogue is good. Overlay that with plastic and you get something great! Holga cameras were designed and started manufacture in China during the heady days of the early ’80’s. I suppose they were manufactured as a super economical camera suitable for a radiant socialist future. The are a medium format camera – ie. they take film like […]
Continue reading Cropping an Image to Explore New Formats
June 29, 2014 0 Comments
Getting composition right when under pressure to “take the shot” can be challenging for a lot of photographers, both experienced and not so experienced. Making sure the focus point is where it needs to be, for example, can lead to a bit of “centre” heavy composing – where the subject is smack, bang in the […]
Continue reading Fan Ho – 9 Composition Techniques. Part Four.
May 17, 2014 5 Comments
8. Light Funnels Urban landscapes create many Light Funnels that Fan Ho took advantage of to either add drama to an image, or backlight a subject to some degree. The narrow confines of Hong Kong’s streets offer many opportunities to narrow the flow of natural light into a funnel. In all of the images, […]
Continue reading Fan Ho – 9 Composition Techniques. Part Three.
May 12, 2014 5 Comments
5. Look for Angles that are Not Ninety Degrees. The Beauty of 120 Degrees. Ninety degree angles naturally appear everywhere. Fan Ho often created images using angles other than ninety degrees, often approximating 120 degrees. Angles other than ninety are unexpected and more interesting. The angles of the shadows in this image are much wider than […]
Continue reading Fan Ho – 9 Composition Techniques. Part Two.
May 10, 2014 6 Comments
2. Light Edges Light Edges are very clear, defined strips of light contrasting with a shadow. These feature regularly in Ho’s images to highlight what is usually a small human subject. The size of the subject removes the “human” face and enables the viewer to project themselves into being the subject (IMHO). These Light Edges […]
Continue reading Fan Ho – 9 Composition Techniques. Part One.
May 6, 2014 6 Comments
Fan Ho has captured Hong Kong over the years using a Rolleiflex. Born in 1937, Ho has an important body of work that borrows from his experience as a Hong Kong based film director. You can find out more about him at his website here, and an interview with him here. I have one of his […]
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