Photography in it’s truest sense is a form of art. I am quite sure most people would be aware of this. And what exactly is art? According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term “art” means – “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” Art is such a subjective thing. One persons appreciation of some form of artwork may be the complete opposite to another persons. And when you consider art to be “works produced by human creative skill and imagination”, the ideal behind that indicates some form of creative process, and as is clearly stated, imagination.
A black and white photography challenge by a colourblind photographer
Earlier this year I wrote what I felt was quite a personal article about what it is like to be a colourblind photographer. In the coming weeks and months after writing and publishing it (and having it widely re-shared across some very big photography blogs) I had contact with so many other colourblind photographers who reached out to me to thank me for putting into words something many of us struggle to explain to others. One particular email was from a mother whose young son is also colourblind thanking me for giving her hope and opening up her eyes to not treating it as a physical disability. But on the flip side to the incredible conversations that I had with people who either understood what I was explaining, or who knew someone who was colourblind, there were also several rather negative conversations and comments from the typical anonymous trolls urging me to quit photography, or questioning my ability to be able to sell my work or offer the professional workshops I do.
An open letter to my beloved Canon – What happened to your innovation?
Dear Canon,
You and I have had a very, very long friendship which has lasted many years and many, many generations of cameras. Ever since my first camera purchase, you have been my brand of choice. I still have my original Canon IXUS 40 and multiple generations of full frame and APS-C SLRs going back as far as the 450D which was released in March 2008. I own more Canon lenses than I know what to do with including many “L” series lenses which I firmly believe are the best lenses on the market. I have recommended your cameras and other equipment to anyone who will listen to me. I challenge you to find anyone who has been more passionate about using and promoting your products in the general photography community than I am.
How to maintain a healthy romantic relationship as a travelling photographer
As photographers quite often the addiction we have to capturing that next special moment becomes one of the most dominant things in our lives. And while photography is generally a “healthy” addiction in comparison to many of the things we could be doing with our time and money, sometimes we can also be blinded by what is truly important in life and forget about those around us. While we are off chasing that magical sunrise or sunset in some faraway place, our partners in life may be left behind wondering when we are coming home, or where exactly we may be.
There’s no better feeling than having that special someone in our life who is supportive of your goals and dreams. But this works both ways – and while that endless journey and pursuit we like to call photography leads us all to some incredible experiences, it’s the experiences we have when not pointing the camera at pretty scenes that truly matter in life. Here are 5 tips for maintaining a healthy romantic relationship as a travelling photographer to ensure a healthy balance with the things that matter most in our lives.
What it is like to be a colourblind photographer
I have never tried to put this into written words before but here goes – I am colourblind. And I am a photographer. In my particular case, and in the majority of those that are “colour challenged”, being colourblind doesn’t actually mean we cannot see colours. Or at least, without borrowing your eyes and brain for a while and comparing what we see, I don’t believe this to be the case. Technically what it means is I have colour vision deficiency, which means my eyes and brain interpret things differently to you “normal” people. I lack the ability to interpret the full spectrum of colours, and quite often get confused by shades of colours that are very close together. My particular type of colourblindness has been diagnosed as “Strong Protan” and apparently I can only see anywhere from 5%-10% of the shades of those that have no form of colour vision deficiency.
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