Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. There are weddings happening all over Hong Kong during the week. They appear quite random. Just the bride, groom, maybe one or two others and photographers with magnificent kits of gear. Probably not much different to Melbourne, it is just unusual to see them all week on the streets […]
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Urbanity Image Review #8
Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. Temple Street Night Market. Well, there is a theme here – a few shots from the Temple Street Night Market made the cut, and there were a few more that got very close to be included in the Urbanity Exhibition. The more you practice a skill, the more you […]
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Urbanity Image Review #7
Taken in Hong Kong March 2014. Another ripper from the International Finance Centre. Make sure you give it a good look if you are in town. The simplicity of this image is what I love. Simple tones and colours, clearly framed in three key blocks, let the composition elements stand out. Things in threes continue […]
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Creating Impact – Free Ebook Online – Review
Photographers who take the time to think about their technique, dissect it, and share it are my favourites! After doing some more web research recently, I came across Marie Laigneau’s wonderful little ebook called “Creating Impact”. You can tell how much I liked it by my copious notes captured in the image above… Laigneau is […]
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The Easiest Way to Develop B&W Film. Ever.
You no longer have an excuse. Stand Developing is virtually impossible to muff. Have a crack at it, and be surprised at how easy it can be! Developing your own Black and White film is part of the whole analogue experience. Messing about with chemicals, reels etc can be a little daunting at first. Most people […]
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Urbanity Image Review #5
Beware, I get a bit more technical liney on this one… Taken in Hong Kong, March 2014. I am pretty sure this was at the International Finance Center. A perfect set of circumstances for black and white film… The IFC is surrounded by some awesome overhead covered walkways and connects through to the Hong Kong […]
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Urbanity Image Review #4
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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Urbanity Image Review #3
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 […]
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Urbanity Image Review #1
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 […]
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Urbanity Photographic Exhibition – The Story
Below is an updated article (original here) featured in the Image Catalogue for the Urbanity Exhibition. Over the next weeks, I will be presenting a review of each image and some thoughts around why it appealed to me. Ever found that you have started taking the same image over and over? A particular type of […]
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AAMI Park Stadium
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 […]
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Street Photography Etiquette – Buskers
Was lucky enough to come across this guitar guy today, on the corner of Flinders Lane and Degraves – a case of the usual suspects, to some degree. The subject was more than happy for me to poke around him for a minute or two, taking some great images. I don’t often shoot buskers as […]
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Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Six – Summary
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 […]
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Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Five
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 […]
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Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Four
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. […]
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Featured Melbourne Image “Five Ways” – Dee Smith
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 […]
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Free Open Source Street Photography Course
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 […]
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Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Three
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 […]
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Vivian Maier – Composition Tips Part Two
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 […]
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Vivian Maier – Composition Ideas – Intro
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 […]
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“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 […]
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Exploring New Places
Take the path less travelled. Some of your best images are waiting to be found in places you wouldn’t expect. A fundamental purpose of photography is to show people something they might not ordinarily get to see. An experience, a moment in time, a place… Sometimes the most ordinary of places can be hoarding something […]
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Changing Perspective
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 […]
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Life Magazine Photographers – Lesson 2
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 […]
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Life Magazine Photographers – Lessons 1
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 […]
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The Art of Bar Photography – Part Two
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 […]
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December 14, 2014 