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
Twenty-five years ago, I invested in a Nikon D1, the first “affordable” professional digital camera. Before owning the D1, I would occasionally rent Kodak digital cameras when their benefits outweighed the cost of shooting on film. As we entered the new millennium, digital photography started to surpass film in practicality for my corporate and editorial … Read more
Digital imaging has revolutionised photography, making it more accessible and user-friendly. Collaboration between creatives and Big Tech companies has fostered innovation, but the relationship is weakening due to a shift in focus towards influencers and a lack of respect for creatives and copyright principles. Despite this, AI has the potential to enhance creativity and productivity, … Read more
As visual medium, photography relies heavily on the user experience. As a business, photography relies a lot on your client’s user experience. In both cases the outcome is the same, it’s all about the human experience. You can’t get away from it, photographers are visual people. It’s how we communicate and interact with the world. … Read more
In the world of software development, the success of many well known companies can be attributed to the contributions of their developer community. These devs play a pivotal role in expanding and enhancing the capabilities of software programs, taking them beyond their out-of-the-box functionalities. Two examples of this are Adobe Photoshop and the Apple ecosystem, … Read more
Almost twenty years later, I’m again being asked to help with how to set up a professional photography workflow. Some context In the early noughties the move from film (I dislike the word analog) to digital photography introduced many challenges. Especially for professional photographers earning their living with the new medium. How we captured images, … Read more
Navigating the Learning Curve in Photography In the dynamic world of photography, the adage “fake it till you make it” takes on a unique significance. Many photographers have found themselves in situations where they accepted jobs that stretched their expertise to its limits, all in the pursuit of growth and new experiences. This approach, while … Read more
With the increasing buzz around AI, many creatives have expressed concerns about its potential impact on their professions. As a commercial photographer, I have been using AI in various capacities for years, and now the spotlight is on Generative AI like ChatGPT and DALL-E from OpenAI. These tools claim to enable anyone to become proficient … Read more
Austin Kleon wrote, “…validation is for parking, not for artists.” However I’m not referring to validation as a creative. Photographers need to regularly validate their image archive to ensure it hasn’t deteriorated. A lot of things can go wrong: file corruption, bit rot, missing images and more. In ye olde days of film we could … Read more
I love black and white photography. Some of my favourite photographers, like Elliot Erwitt, are best known for their B&W images. In photography’s early years B&W was the only option. If you wanted colour it had to be hand painted onto the print. However colour photography has always driven the market for professionals and consumers. … Read more