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Getty Editorial Grants
2007-09-20 09:23:00
A Bristol man is one of this autumn?s winners of a Getty Images grant for Editorial Photography. Leo Maguire?s photojournalism project will ?focus on the world of Gypsy bare-knuckle fighters in England?.Perhaps naively, I thought that bare-knuckle fighting was a thing of the past in 21st Century England but clearly I was wrong. At least, I was surprised to learn that there?s an organised element to it and that it?s sufficiently prolific to warrant a photojournalism project. But that simply shows how easy it is to miss things that happen right around the corner when you?re tucked up in your tidy, commuter-belt Semi.Leo?s project will, I?ve no doubt, be well worth keeping an eye out for. Getty?s blurb suggests that he will ?examine the romance and tradition of a culture based on brutal values, where fighters would rather die than lose face or money?. It really is another world. Ten of Leo?s photographs can be seen on the Getty Site and there?s an obvious brooding darkness to them that...
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Lonely Planet Images Newsletter
2007-09-19 09:37:00
I recommend a quick look at the Lonely Planet Images Newsletter for September. I?ve recently started contributing to Lonely Planet and their images have long been a source of inspiration, not only in photographic terms but also in terms of destinations.I think the six pictures in the ?Habitat? gallery sum up what the typical Lonely Planet image looks like: bags of colour, great composition, masses of impact and something that leaves you asking ?where is that?? and ?how can I get there??.The ?Living? gallery is great too of course and the first picture in the sequence is one that any travel photographer would be proud of. Well, this travel photographer would be.If you have time, take a look through some of the older editions of the newsletter, there are some great images on display.

Evening Shadows
2007-09-19 08:55:00
This photograph was taken in Marrakech, in the square just outside the Koutoubia Minaret in the centre of the Old City.I?ve never been very good at meditating. I struggle to do what Buddhists call ?taming the monkey mind?. I?ll sit down, start concentrating on something and begin to focus on my breathing. Within minutes I?m either asleep or thinking about what?s for dinner. My mind flits from one inconsequential thought to another and this ?monkey mind? runs rings around my most concerted efforts to bring a little bit of karmic calm into my life.However, there have been rare occasions when I manage to achieve a level of concentration similar to that which I imagine successful meditation would bring. Taking this photo is one such example. I sat down on the low wall surrounding a fountain in the square and noticed that the orange wall would make a great backdrop. As the sun sank lower and lower the orange hue grew deeper and the shadows lengthened. I set up the controls on the camera ...
More About: Shadows , Evening

Kumbh Mela
2007-09-18 10:14:00
So far, I?ve resisted an almost daily temptation to regurgitate a post from Tewfic El-Sawy?s blog for my own blog but today the temptation is too great.Tewfic manages to locate some terrific examples of editorial travel photography, which he then shares with his readers. These include some of the web?s best multimedia slideshows but today?s offering, from photographer Poul Madsen, is a real head-turner.If you think Glastonbury is packed each year, consider that the Kumbh Mela attracts almost 70 million people. Yes, that?s the population of London times ten. In tents.I encourage you to view the four-part slideshow, which is certainly educational as well as entertaining. I also recommend that you subscribe to Tewfic?s blog as I can?t steal his posts every day and you?ll miss out otherwise.

More bad news?
2007-09-18 09:48:00
Following on from earlier news, Getty have made an initial response to photographers with a reduction in the period of the licence for their $49 images to three months. It doesn?t really make any difference as far as I can see as these sales are going to be for short-term use anyway.Perhaps, as one forum post suggested, it means that Getty ?blinked first? in this apparent stand-off between the library and photographers but I suspect not. I?d find it difficult to believe that Getty hadn?t already considered the possibility that photographers would be up in arms and so had built in some negotiating room. The discussion continues and photographers? representatives are still in talks with Getty.The other bit of news that I noticed this week is a post on Alamy?s contributor blog that isn?t so much an announcement as a possible softening of the ground. Alamy propose to release a ?number of new products to broaden our customer base?, which seems like good news until you read the rest of th...
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AOP Open Exhibition
2007-09-17 20:00:00
?This Saturday, come and see the 84 selected images chosen by our panel of judges including the overall winning image by Shamil Tanna and the six other winners. The gallery is open from 12-4 p.m.The September edition of Image magazine is an Open special edition and on Saturday it will be available for all visitors at half price, that?s just £1.If you would like any further information, please contact: aopopen@aophoto.co.ukWe look forward to seeing you on Saturday.?From Association of Photographers Press Release
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All Aboard
2007-09-17 09:52:00
You know what it?s like, you wait around for ages for a bus to Sydney and then six arrive at once. Yep, the first of six buses from London to Sydney left the capital yesterday and another five trips are scheduled in the coming year.The 12-week Oz-Bus itinerary will take passengers through Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Transylvania, Gallipoli, Istanbul, Turquoise Coast, Bam, Taj Mahal, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Kathmandu, Mount Everest, Bangkok, Ko Samui, Kuala Lumpur, Sumatra, Komodo, East Timor, Kakadu National park, Ayers Rock, Sydney.As well as paying the £3750 fare, passengers are expected to cook, clean the bus, shop and ?security watch?. Accommodation will often be in tents, which in places like Komodo and Ko Samui would be wonderful.It?s possibly a tougher journey to do now than it would have been twenty or thirty years ago. The stretch through Turkey and Iran could be an adventure in itself and one imagines that there will be some extraordinary logistical efforts going in to make t...

Simon and Louisa
2007-09-15 14:13:00
I?ve just put the finishing touches to Simon and Louisa?s wedding album and there?s a slideshow below. It?s best viewed on a fast Internet connection but if it?s too slow, try the ?small? version.Photos can be obtained as prints, on DVD or in a hardcover album. Please contact me if you have any queries or special requests.PRODUCTS:PRINTS from £1.99Printed on art paper with archival quality inksDVDContains over 200 photographsPlays on PC/Mac and most DVD players£59.99WEDDING ALBUM (See slideshow below)Hardcover, 100 pages, full-colour, 11.25?x8.75?£129.99

Getty $49 sale (PDN Article)
2007-09-14 02:20:00
Further to yesterday?s post about Getty ?s dramatic price reduction, PDN Online has a good summary article that explains the background to the current situation. The Photographers? trade associations are awaiting a reply from Getty but, as I mentioned previously, I suspect that this battle is already lost.The problem is that other agencies will inevitably follow suit and the likes of Corbis and Jupiter might not prove to be viable alternatives for photographers seeking representation. Time will tell and I hope that the fears of the Stock Artists Alliance and other associations will prove to be unfounded. Getty have managed a very successful business for many years now so perhaps they?ve got their finger on the pulse and the rest of us are unnecessarily concerned. We?ll see.Download the SAA?s letter to Jonathan Klein, CEO of Getty Images
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Getty $49 sale
2007-09-13 09:11:00
Unfortunately for me, it?s not the best time to be a stock photographer. Back in the 70s and 80s Stock Photographers were making a packet. It was, I imagine, a different ball game then and probably much harder to get into the market but photographers who managed it were able to set themselves up quite nicely thank you.It?s changed a whole lot since those halcyon days. The ability to deliver images over the Internet and the immediacy of digital technology has changed the marketplace substantially. Prices have been driven down and anyone reading the Stock Photography forums in recent months and years will have seen an ever increasing number of posts complaining about the ?race for the bottom?, a phrase used to describe the apparent desire of stock libraries to give their images away for free.I?m no mathematician but if stock libraries are giving images away for next to nothing and then giving me 50% that?s not going to add up to a whole lot. Some argue that the reduction in revenue is...
More About: Sale , Getty

Allow me to be your docent for the evening
2007-09-13 01:05:00
I?ve recently subscribed to a podcast by Brooks Jensen, the publisher of Lenswork magazine. I?m a big fan of podcasting and find that I listen to podcasts now as much as I listen to the radio or watch the television. It?s useful to be able to tailor your listening material to your mood and situation. When I?m driving into town I?ll click on a five minute Photoshop tutorial. For longer journeys I?ll catch up with Radio 4?s Front Row or From Our Own Correspondent. When it?s time to relax I?ll switch to Channel 4?s Fonejacker or This is a Knife and for an honest-to-goodness blend of Apple Mac geekery and British eccentricity then it has to be British Mac.But I digress. There are lots and lots of podcasts concerning photography and I?ve listed to a few in the hope of finding something entertaining and educational (sounds a bit like the brief for the BBC). Unfortunately, most photography podcasts seem to either talk about the hardware, which is of limited interest to me, or be promotiona...
More About: Evening , Allo

Emily Maguire
2007-09-12 09:27:00
A few weeks ago I went down to Dorset and may have gone on a bit about the Best Pub in the World. I also mentioned that I was hoping to catch Emily Maguire perform at the Square and Compass, which I did.This YouTube video is a bit dark but will give you an idea of one of the cosy little bar areas. I really must take some decent photos of the inside of the bar and the adjoining fossil museum one day.

WTD288: ?You?ve got Smail?
2007-09-12 09:12:00
What the Duck is a cartoon about a Photographer duck. I suspect that it may be the only cartoon about a Photographer duck but please tell me if you know differently.

Raleigh Update
2007-09-11 09:49:00
Sadly, I?ve had to postpone my participation in this autumn?s Raleigh expedition to Costa Rica. Too many things to organise, not least of which is moving house, in too short a time. It?s disappointing but I will have an opportunity to go again so all is not lost. Thanks for the crossing of fingers earlier in the month guys, it wasn?t wasted and I?ll obviously be bringing news when I do get to go.
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Virtual Reality?
2007-09-11 09:15:00
OK, I?ll admit that not all aspects of travel are a pleasure. Getting to the airport, queuing for passport control, airline food, cramped seats, hostile taxi drivers, unhelpful hotel staff, the list goes on. Perhaps it?s with these drawbacks in mind that people will be tempted to spend an evening at ?the most hi-tech venue in the whole of London?.24 is, the owners claim, the ?first fully interactive bar in the world?. It has state-of-the-art lighting and bar technology that can project images of any location all around you as you sip your Tequila Sunrise. Apparently, the furnishing are touch sensitive too so light beams shoot out every time you put your glass down. Reach out towards the projections and they will react to your movements.So it is now possible to enjoy views of the Grand Canyon without even having to go as far as Zone 4 on the Underground. You can have dinner outside the Taj Mahal and still be home in time for Match of the Day. I assume that it will even be possible to...
More About: Reality , Virtual Reality , Virtual , Ality

Simon & Louisa
2007-09-08 09:01:00
Very nearly all photographers can be conveniently placed into one of two categories. Firstly, there are Wedding Photographers. Wedding photographers put adverts in the Yellow Pages. They make web sites, put up posters and attend wedding exhibitions to promote the fact that they photograph weddings. In the second category are all other photographers; travel, landscape, wildlife, commercial, architectural, etc. The second category of photographers repeat a daily mantra that goes ?I don?t do weddings. I don?t do weddings?.Earlier in the year I got confused over the exact wording of that mantra and found myself saying ?Yes, of course I do weddings?. As a result I found myself in Suffolk at the weekend, photographing the wedding of Simon and Louisa and although I should whisper this in case my colleagues in the second category of photographers hear me, it was a delightful experience.The bride and groom were a pleasure to be around and made everyone else?s job so much easier by being calm...

Meerkat Madness
2007-09-06 20:25:00
April 1st is many months away, which is perhaps why none of the editors at The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Mail or The Mirror were suspicious when alerted to a story about Meerkats with a new hobby in photography.All of the above papers carried news and pictures of the Meerkats of Longleat apparently enjoying a bit of portrait photography. The tall tale, admitted now by Longleat staff to have been ?a slight hoax? suggested that a warden had accidentally left a camera on a tripod in the Meerkat enclosure. One Meerkat, it was reported, climbed up on to the tripod whilst the rest of his family posed and, one assumes, said ?Cheese?.And what, apart from the obvious, was the giveaway? Longleat staff reported that images had been recorded on a digital memory card and yet the camera pictured is a Canon EOS 650 - a film camera. Ah ha!Also, if it were true, the Meerkat pictures would be on Alamy by now.
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Beijing Bloggers
2007-09-05 13:34:00
The Guardian Unlimited web site has started a ?monthly city-focussed? roundup of blogs. The first in the series looks at Beijing and includes a Canadian Travel Blog, A Swedish drinking guide and a mystery video blogger (including footage of Kenny G ?blowing fans away? in Beijing!).Next month the Guardian picks out blogs about Rio. I assume there?ll be a blog guide to the places to avoid if you don?t want to be mugged. In fact, that?d be a pretty short blog and would simply say ?Avoid Rio?. All of which is fascinating stuff but does highlight the main problem I find with all this citizen journalism. There?s so much fascinating material being generated that it?s impossible to find the time to do more than scratch the surface.
More About: Bloggers , Jing

Shutting up Shop
2007-09-05 10:20:00
Featured in the latest edition of the AOP magazine is a book by John Londei that illustrates the decline of the local shop. ?Shutting up Shop ? was fifteen years in the making and all of the images were made on a 10x8 plate camera.The images featured in the magazine are nothing short of exquisite and you can see John?s ?Shops? portfolio online.The image of the bakers in Branscombe is beautiful and seems to have been lit from a solitary bulb, which is quite an achievement.The man outside the corner shop in Wigan wears a brown overall that seems to be the perfect uniform. It?s a picture where you can almost smell boiled sweets and hear the rustle of brown paper bags.Another of my favourites shows a couple standing outside their bicycle shop in Southsea. The shop is called ?Ricketts?, which I think is wonderful. ?I?m just popping down to Ricketts for a puncture repair kit dear?.This image of F. Gedge?s shop had me puzzled until I read the caption. Yes, it is indeed a condom shop. Who kn...

AOP Open 2007
2007-09-05 09:43:00
The winners of the 2007 AOP Open competition have been announced and the above photo, untitled, of a girl playing in a rubbish tip is the overall winner. Click the image above to view a larger example.The AOP magazine carries a larger version, almost a double-page spread, and it?s possible to see a much greater level of detail in the printed image. I like it. The girl?s expression is very engaging and the grimy rubbish is almost painterly. It was a shot made to increase awareness of the problems of fly-tipping. Personally, I?m not sure if it conveys that problem as it looks to me as if the girl is simply playing on a rubbish dump, not, perhaps, in her local park. Anyway, that?s not the issue here and I think it was a worthy winner.Equally as interesting perhaps is the winner of the public vote, which I was pretty sure would go to THIS IMAGE of Johnny Vegas which, in fact, was awarded to THIS IMAGE entitled ?Amazon Odyssey?.

Happy New Year
2007-09-04 10:15:00
The excitement is building as preparations for the new millennium celebrations build... In Addis Ababa.Yes, September 11th sees the new millennium arrive in Ethiopia and the country is preparing for 12 months of celebrations, as reported in this week?s Guardian.I imagine that many people still associate Ethiopia with images of drought and starvation, I certainly did. But how the country seems to have changed. It?s a country with a heritage that?s arguably richer than anywhere else on earth and the single photo heading up the Guardian article illustrates what a vibrant and colourful place it is.And if you fancy joining in the Ethiopian celebrations then there are apparently some excellent Ethiopian restaurants in London including Abyssinia and Marathon.Happy New Year Ethiopia!Links:whatsupaddisethipia2000
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Newcastle Shoe Tree
2007-09-01 10:21:00
If you?re ever looking for evidence of British eccentricity then look no further than the Newcastle Shoe Tree . Nobody is quite sure how it started but I have to agree with those who suggest that it?s beautiful.I?m not sure of it really satisfies ?a communal longing for ritual in an age which has abandoned religion? any more than it is simply a bit of a laugh but I?m pleased to hear that the local council don?t plan to cut down the dangling footwear.

Canon Info Bank
2007-09-01 09:06:00
Canon have announced the arrival of Info bank, a comprehensive encyclopaedia of ?everything you wanted to know about Canon digital photography?.At first glance, it does indeed seem like a comprehensive resource. I wanted to find some information about E-TTL flash and as well as a quick guide explaining the principles of TTL flash metering, I found a list of compatible Speedlites and Canon camera.As a further test, I looked up ?Fill-in Flash? and there?s a pretty useful explanation that includes a couple of examples. If you?re a Canon user then this site may well offer some useful information.And whilst I?m regurgitating information from the Canon Newsletter, there are some road tests of the new Canon EOS-1D Mark III and whilst they?re pretty one-sided (what else would you expect from Canon?s own site?) they do make for interesting reading in terms of being able to find out more about the photographers who performed the tests.
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New Getty web site
2007-08-30 08:47:00
?The new www.gettyimages.com website is now live. The redesigned site is based on extensive customer feedback and usability studies. Through this process we have been able to preserve features from our old site that customers loved while adding new capabilities.?So reads the introductory e-mail from Getty to the new web site. As you?d expect, it?s pretty swish and the quality and depth of images is, of course, impressive. I?m delighted to see some of my own images appear and am excited about the new relationship. Unlike the other agencies I have contact with, Getty are prepared to invest time. I?ve enjoyed a productive and informative meeting with my ?Creative Contact? and am hopeful of big things from my links with the agency.
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Back to work
2007-08-28 09:35:00
And now it?s Tuesday morning and the sight of a growing ?To Do? list is already clouding the memory of a stunning weekend in Dorset. So, showing a complete lack of self-discipline, I ignore the ?To Do? list and return to the weekend?s photos instead.I?ve added a small selection to the top of the Purbeck Gallery and one to the HDR Gallery but will mention a couple here, just for interest and to keep me away from those boring chores for a few minutes more.The first is the lighthouse near Durlston. Perhaps the shortest lighthouse in the world? Immaculate though, looking like it probably gets a fresh coat of paint every six months.The signpost is situated on the Priests? Way, the path between Swanage and Worth Matravers. There?s some great dry-stone walling along this path and it offers a relatively flat route along the coast, certainly flatter than the cliff-top path, which rises and drops every half a mile or so.Dare-devil antics at Dancing Ledge. It?s a popular place for climbers and...
More About: Work , Back

August Bank Holiday
2007-08-27 11:04:00
What a wonderful weekend. The summer finally arrived and although it had been a bit tardy, it was still very welcome. Tom?s Field was predictably full but 200 yards away I found Acton Field. Higher up the hill than Tom?s Field, it boasts gorgeous views over Swanage and the Purbeck hills. Although facilities are limited (2 loos, 2 showers, 3 wheelie bins, no laundry, no games room, no pool, no shop) it does have a Baker?s Van that brings supplies each morning. The van?s arrival is announced by the sound of a bicycle horn, and eager campers scurry from their tents to stock up on milk, tea bags, pain-au-chocolate and newspapers.Camping offers wonderful people-watching opportunities. As campers, we make temporary neighbours who we nod to when we meet in the shower block and when we bump into each other in the queue for the checkouts at the local Co-Op. Watching people put tents up is the funniest thing. Obviously, I?ve practised in the Living Room at home so am able to get mine up fairl...
More About: Holiday , Bank , August

Tom?s Field
2007-08-23 23:58:00
With the weather forecast for the Bank Holiday suggesting that these three days might be tall that we see of the summer of 2007, I?m hoping to get away to the Isle of Purbeck for the weekend.I?ve retrieved the tent from the loft, checked the gas canister, packed the sleeping bag and stowed the whole lot in the boot ready for an early get-away in the morning.The camp sites in Swanage get pretty busy through the summer but over August Bank Holiday with a forecast like this, anyone arriving after lunch-time tomorrow is going to be looking at some pretty busy camp sites.I?m hoping to get a pitch at Tom?s Field . It?s in the charming village of Langton Matravers, within stumbling distance of the Best Pub In The World. I?ve never camped at Tom?s Field before but I?ve been aware of it for some years. Tom?s Field always strikes me as the perfect name for a camp site, rustic and friendly.As well as getting more images to promote next year?s Photo Workshop, I?m hoping to get to see Emily Magui...

Travel Photographer of the Year
2007-08-22 09:40:00
It has a nice ring to it, Travel photographer of the Year . The competition has become one of the country?s biggest travel photo competitions. I suppose that along with the annual Wanderlust competition, it?s the one that receives the most public attention.It?s obviously a competition that catches my eye and I?ve been interested to watch it develop. I see that photographic workshops are now planned for Vietnam, Cambodia and other locations under the TPOTY umbrella. There?s a book published every year and the TPOTY name and logo are becoming more and more well known.My attention was caught by the recent announcement of an additional prize for the winner:?This year we are honoured to be able to announce that the overall winner of the competition will travel to Dharamsala in India, during which they wil have the opportunity to spend up to two days with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  This trip will enable the winner to produce a superb photographic essay on His Holiness and the Tibetan se...
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Raleigh International 2
2007-08-21 15:59:00
So, the call from Raleigh came last night when I was still on the train.?Hi, Gavin? I bet you didn?t expect us to call you back this quickly???No I didn?t??Well...?The line went dead. The signal to my mobile phone dropped out.It took 45 minutes to get back to Basingstoke and a reliable phone signal, during which time I was thinking that they?d obviously come to a quick decision. Either I?d met their expectations or I was so bad in the interview that they were calling to tell me never to darken their door again.The phone rang again just as I reached the car in the station car park.?We?d love to offer you a place on the Costa Rica expedition?:)Links:Raleigh International

Raleigh International 1
2007-08-20 13:47:00
I?m on my way back to sunny Basingstoke following a meeting with representatives of Raleigh International in London. We?d been discussing the possibility of me joining an expedition as a photographer in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.Joining an expedition like this would have been a dream come true for me when I was a teenager but, unfortunately, it was never a realistic opportunity. Some years later, the chance to join a Raleigh expedition is just as appealing and being able to do so as a Photographer would be the icing on the cake.A few photographers have been interviewed today and obviously they?ll all be keen to be accepted for the expedition so I have to wait and see whether my skills and experience measure up to those required. I?ve been promised a call back with a decision tomorrow. Links:Raleigh International