I like picture books

One of my University lecturers once said that he hated 'picture books.' You know the sort of thing - coffee-table photography books which have little to no editorial in them, instead relying on the photographs themselves to get the message across.

His reasoning was something along the lines of how he disapproved of the way pretentious photographers were exploiting their work (and its captive audience), simply to make a quick buck and if they were that set on being 'photographic artists,' they should probably just think about getting their work up on the walls of a gallery. Ooph.

I can see his point. I don't necessarily agree, but I can see his point.

Personally, I love seeing my work come together in any way, shape or form - whether that's on a client's website, in a national magazine, in a self-published book, whatever. It's often been said that pictures are no good just sitting on a hard drive - they should be enjoyed by others, employed to increase awareness of a situation, or to generate revenue if used in a commercial context.

By now, you will be aware of my Fountain Jam book project. I'll be editing, laying out and generally putting this together next month, but already I'm thinking about getting this year's book project under way. No details to share with you yet - you'll just have to watch this space!

Anyway, the point is, it's really important for us photographers to create bodies of work other than those which are commissioned by our clients. If we don't, all we have to show for ourselves is a bunch of pictures depicting interpretations of other people's ideas.

I like 'picture books.' Regardless of whether they are produced by contemporary photographers or creators from other disciplines. If I admire their work, chances are I'll take a look at any new collection they unleash on the viewing public.

One such example is Chase Jarvis, who I have mentioned in previous posts and on The Active Photographer podcast. Not so long ago, Chase brought out a new book called Seattle 100: Portrait of a City, which is a fine example of what a self-driven book should look like.

Whether you like his work, or you simply want a great photography book to inspire some fresh thinking (especially if portraits are your thing), I'd highly recommend you take a look.

My copy is sat on the bookshelf, waiting to be brought into action just as soon as I have a spare moment - but from what I've seen of it already, the ol' brain will be buzzing with ideas once I properly indulge myself in the pages' rich, contrasty, black and white images.

Web Wise

Does anyone still use traditional libraries these days? You know, places where you can go and actually hold actual books in an actual building designed for just such a purpose! Well, I do - albeit on increasingly rare occasions!

I was in my local library today, where I picked up an interesting looking book called "Web Presence - Creating an eBusiness out of chaos". I've not had a chance to sit down properly to explore it in any great depth yet, but it looks like it just might present a few nuggets of useful information.

The general consensus these days, it would appear, is that you'd have to be a fool not to use at least one of the myriad online tools as an integral part of your business promotion/marketing plan. Sure, some types of enterprise might argue that they really don't have a need for it, for whatever reason. And that's fine... although something of a shame and a missed opportunity, I think.

By now, I hope, it is clear where I stand on this. If you still don't know, maybe you should check out the main GBP website, our YouTube channel, or the front page of this Blog in order to see how we are spreading the word further.

The more I look into how I can develop my business activities, the type of work I undertake, and the way I supply my imagery, the further I am drawn down the internet superhighway. On the right here, you will see some of the blogs which I regularly follow; these are of interest to me - and possibly/hopefully they will be to you, too - and what is really exciting is that we just don't know where our associations with them might lead. I have already formed new synergies and re-established past connections this way alone, and from what I can tell, there is a virtually limitless range of possibilities to be explored in the future.

Now, it's long been known that our American counterparts appear to be much more open to the 'cross-site, open-networking' potential of the net. And a great deal of these guys have been sharing information left, right and centre for years. One of my favourite exponents of this, as you may know, is Chase Jarvis, who recently posted a video entitled "Making The Web Work For You". I would recommend you take a look because, in Chase's own words, "If you're at all thinking of blogging, video, the web, or sharing information, then you will pick up a thing or two, guaranteed. Keep in mind, it's almost entirely unedited. But there are some nuggets in there. Nothing flashy , just a couple of us guys talking about blogging and how we use the web in our profession. There's a Q+A session at the end as well". Incidentally, it also features David Hobby (who you may know as Mr. Strobist) and David Nightingale.

Let me know what you think of that video. And if you have any suggestions/ideas/recommendations of your own, please feel free to put them in the comments section below so that everyone can benefit from them.

How to hijack a photograph

If you are the sort who likes a good prank, or who simply appreciates a good bit of technical thinking for the sake of art, you're going to like this. I got wind of this guy's activities thanks to Strobist (original post here), and I see Chase has also made mention of him too (ah the joys of blogging - watch those stats shoot through the roof, Sir!).

The artist goes by the name of Julius von Bismark; he is Berlin-based and his 'invention' is called "The Fulgerator". What does this contraption do? Well, in a nutshell, it is basically an adapted SLR camera and flash gun device which senses when another camera's flash goes off and then projects an image. Doesn't sound like much hype, huh?

Here's the best bit. It is an unwitting passer-by (often a tourist) who sets the sequence in motion simply by the act of taking their own picture; within a fraction of a second, The Fulgerator lets off a flash, projecting its image onto the scene that the 'subject' is focusing on.

Confusion and amazement then follow (though not necessarily in that order) when they review the image only to find something unexpected.

All is revealed in the video below. Enjoy!



If you like what you see, make sure you also check out Bismark's website for more info.

Inspiration all around

How and why are we inspired to do what we do? Do we set out specifically with an end goal in mind and a series of resources to methodically work through? Or do we place ourselves in a situation and faithfully wait for inspiration to come to us?

Sometimes the answer appears out of the 3am darkness of a Friday night, thanks to RSS feeds. Other times, an idle stumble on the internet can set in motion a series of ideas. It can even be a chance meeting in the street which is enough to trigger the imagination. For me personally, nature is a great grounding zone. It helps me work over ideas without stop-starting for the telephone, email, internet... basically, without interruption from technology. It is where you will often find me jotting down thoughts for these blogs or our newsletter. Free from so many constraints and distractions, this is where I go to think.

Everyone has their own methods. I know people who deliberately have a few beers before settling down to work of an evening, because they feel this opens up their thought processes. Maybe this helps them think more laterally, I don't know. Interaction on forums is also a great way to share ideas; for example, I often post on Strobist, which has an active community and is a great place to discuss creative lighting.

I am always thinking. I cannot simply sit still on the sofa and watch the television - my mind is far too active for that. Even on those occasions when I am technically concentrating on a tv show, chances are it's a documentary from which I am hoping to gain some kind of information which I can incorporate into personal projects or creative commissions. You will also find a magazine or notebook not too far from my side - god forbid an idea should get away!

Whether you are looking for inspiration on a personal or a professional level - look around you... at your location, friends, colleagues, relatives. It can often be such a simple thing that gives you that initial spark. And if you see something you like, don't be afraid to draw on it. I recently came across these thoughts on the blog of Chase Jarvis - a US photographer whose work I admire and who, as far as I can see, has got the right idea. Be sure to have a look at that link - and you might also want to check out his follow-up post, too.

Of course, professionally-speaking, it is important to stay up to speed with what's going on, but never forget what led you to where you are. Especially where technology is involved, I think it is always good to reflect on history and tradition. Even now, I love looking through books of photographs taken by the great pioneering photographers such as Julia Margaret Cameron and the members of Magnum Photo. There is such a lovely quality to the images produced by these people and you really get a sense of what photography should be about - the 'being there', the observation, the reaction and interaction, the simplicity and effectiveness of light.

At the end of the day, inspiration is everywhere - you just have to tune in to find it. And keep an open mind. In the same way that there is often 'never a stupid question', there is also never a resource that cannot generate productivity, no matter how random or irrelevant it may seem.