In 1826, French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce achieved something never done before: he fixed an image permanently using light. His photograph, “Point de vue du Gras”, is the earliest surviving photograph in history. Before then, images produced by light-sensitive materials would fade when exposed to light. Niépce’s breakthrough process, which he called a “Heliograph”, changed … Read more
This month we lost another legend of photography, British documentary art photographer Martin Parr. His work had enormous influence on me at art school in the 1980s, realising my strength was in colour photography. Since the 1970s, Parr’s work has documented people at leisure, especially his fellow Brits. His early work was black and white, … Read more
Until recently I wasn’t able to recommend a simple program for managing image collections. DAM software with a clean interface that will appeal to creatives seemed to have become extinct. A creative is anyone who makes digital art; photographer, designer, illustrator, video or music producer. Digital Asset Management software for creatives has undergone many changes … Read more
Digitising a collection of artworks, photographing them with the highest possible accuracy, is both a technical and logistical challenge. It’s a process that demands precision, problem-solving, and a deep respect for the works themselves. Last century, I had the privilege being a full-time assistant to photographer Stuart Scott in Max Dupain’s old studio. Working on … Read more
When I’m out photographing or capturing video, almost everything on my cameras is set to manual. Shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc, if there’s a setting to control, I’d rather make the decision myself. It might sound odd, especially since I’ve paid good money for a camera packed with the latest in technology. But the truth … Read more
When hiring a photographer, the cost often comes down to one thing: experience. But what exactly are you paying for, and why does it matter? Money! Experience is built over years of practice, study, and problem-solving. A seasoned professional doesn’t just know how to make great images, they know how to do it quickly and … Read more
From the start, photography struggled to be taken seriously as art. In 1822, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce captured the first permanent image, one that didn’t fade in light. Yet it wasn’t until 1906, thanks to the work of Alfred Stieglitz, that photography gained recognition as a fine art. Stieglitz also helped legitimise abstract art in America. … Read more
Imagine this: You contact me to photograph your managing director for a media release. We discuss the job, agree on a fee, exchange contracts. We work out the style, location, date, and time. Everything’s locked in. Only, on the day, I show up an hour late. On the wrong day. You try to call me, … Read more
Sebastiao Salgado, one of the world’s foremost documentary photographers, passed away in Paris earlier this week. His legacy is enormous on many fronts. His powerful black & white images are displayed in galleries around the world, and celebrated inside his monumental books that document the struggle of humanity. Salgado and his wife also established Instituto … Read more
Myths, facts, and best practices When it comes to digital photography, discussions around file formats can sometimes create more confusion than clarity. One such myth I sometimes encounter is that TIFF is always superior to JPEG. Similar to the misconception on what defines “high resolution”. After nearly 30 years working directly on digital photography standards, … Read more