Affinity Photography, Harrogate

Thinking about photographic possibilities

2009-09-20T23:37:00.006+01:00

And let's not forget Steichen, Demachy, Davison, Sutcliffe, Begue, Henneberg, et al:

http://www.answers.com/topic/pictorialism

for a start.

Apart from any aesthetic concerns let's also not forget that this was a fin de siecle movement. Against the background of the Russian Revolutions and World War One this movement would evaporate in the face of industrialised warfare and social engineering on a vast and uncompromising scale. The Great Depression would follow, only ending with the mobilisation needed for WW2.

Pictorialism, and its latest manifestation, neo-pictorialism may have it's comforting aesthetic and pastoral and romantic charm but enjoy it while you can and wonder what we are in danger of hiding our heads in the sand from this time.

Now, where did I leave the digital bichromate?

Photographic Pictorialism

2009-09-20T23:34:00.004+01:00

Mmmm, are things going full circle?

Working definition of art

2009-09-14T12:15:00.004+01:00

My working definition of art is:

"an artifact, performance or written expression, which reflects, to a greater or lesser degree, a shared landscape of the imagination."

If you like it use it but please credit me. Thanks

Be a squeezer, not a jerker........

2009-09-12T21:44:00.007+01:00

Ok, so you are peering thru the viewfinder and you know this is going to be a great pic.... STEADY... take a slow breath in, hold it and v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y squeeze the shutter button until it trips.

If you are instead jabbing at the button, the camera movement this causes will, chances are, blur the picture (which is OK if that is what you really want).

Think of it as making love to your camera. Enjoy :)

Top photography tip

2009-08-27T21:20:00.004+01:00

Please read the camera manual! Yes I know it may be 100+ pages long and even hidden away on a disc but it's well worth the effort. Try it! xx

Top DIY Wedding Photography Tip

2009-08-27T20:50:00.007+01:00

OK so times are hard and budgets can be tight....so, having made a few calls and surfed for a bit you have finally decided you really can manage without a wedding photographer...Ahhh!!....quite how you managed to miss my site first time round escapes me....but here goes....anyway, 'uncle Tom' has agreed to 'shot some pics' for you. He's even bought a brand spanking new digital! What can possibly go wrong?

Please do this now, while there is still time! Get uncle Tom to visit the wedding location as soon as possible (with a spare camera, batteries, storage cards, etc etc) and get him to take a few dozen shots. Then ask him to give it his best shot on the pc (if possible) to enhance the images (so that they look something like) and then trot off to have them printed and have a look at the prints. If you fancy a couple of these prints ask him to print them out at the size you want.

If, after all that, you are happy then, at least, you are in with a chance. (here's hoping that Uncle Tom is a 'people person'.)

If you are not happy with the results (and you are getting married in the beautiful Harrogate District of North Yorkshire) then just give me a call 0789 1109 425 and lets see what can be done at a price that will mean you can still afford to eat on the honeymoon!

Wedding and Portrait Photography

2009-07-16T11:20:00.004+01:00

At a business meeting yesterday (not photography) I asked another delegate (a professional man, and nobody's fool) "when was the last time you used a professional photographer?" "Forty years ago, for our wedding. We didn't feel that he had done a good job and there was not much to show for all the money that had been spent. And he was supposed to be a pro." Oh dear, I thought, is it any wonder that sometimes photography struggles with a bit of an image problem! Pity I was only 11 at the time and had just snapped a few b&W pics of York Minster on a creaky Instamatic! Oh well, maybe next time! I gave him my business card, just in case.

Top 10 tips: landscape photography (you tube video)

2009-07-15T12:23:00.005+01:00

I found this youtube vid whilst surfing. Maybe a bit technical for beginners but worth the effort: enjoy xx

To pose or not to pose.....? (you tube video)

2009-07-13T11:28:00.004+01:00

Ok, so while I'm thinking about what would be my best ten photo tips...how about sitting back, relax and enjoy a vid on whether you want to pose or not pose for the camera?

Website up and running....

2009-07-07T10:45:00.007+01:00

Well, to fair, it's more like a slug trailing out in the damp night air. Still it's there at least and not that bald arrow pointing (accusingly) to the parent directory... blah blah. The only problem with being a carer, as well as being a pro photographer, is just that sometimes a few things merge (broken hip, gallstones, cellulitus, two broken lumbar bones) and the next thing you know is that a tidal wave is washing over you and, between the spluttering and fighting to find which way is up, I end up wondering if I will ever regain sufficient balance to get through the days. So that is how its been since last December. The old one is now on a bit of an even keel and I'm hoping that she will try and resist her daredevil antics for a while.

So its a work in progress: enjoy

Now whatever happened to my top ten photo tips? Hmmmm

2009-04-28T10:57:00.000+01:00

10 Top Photo Tips coming soon!

2009-04-24T14:54:00.000+01:00

Affinity website reconstruction in progress!

2009-04-24T10:20:00.004+01:00

Top Tip: When you are photographing against a bright background does the person in front turn out too dark?

Your camera is being fooled but you don't have to be.

Try pointing the camera downwards and half press the shutter, don't release it but refame and then take the shot. If you camera is using auto focus and auto exposure lock (the auto mode on most cameras) the image should be a whole lot better now. It sounds more complicated than it is.

Go on, give it a try and say goodbye to gloomy dissapointing images :)

Like it ? Why not share it?

2009-04-23T11:58:00.002+01:00

What makes a good image? For that matter what makes a great image. Looking at the work of others is one way to go. Try William Eugene Smith for one.