Technology Explained, Practice
Daniela Bowker
Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! ...

When you hear the term 'high-res' thrown about with such abandon when it comes to images for web use, have you ever stopped to think just how big or how high quality and image meant for the web needs to be?

Resolution and pixels and image quality! Oh my! Saving images for the web
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring

There's an assumption that high-contrast images are more dynamic, more compelling, more inviting. Have a go at some low-contrast photography. You might surprise yourself with the results.

Low-contrast photographs don't have to be boring
Feature Articles, Theory
Daniela Bowker
Seeking balance in your photos

Balance doesn't mean symmetry; it means an internal consistency and tension within your photos. And it's a vital element of composition. 

Seeking balance in your photos
Feature Articles, Photography Theory
Haje Jan Kamps
Training your photographic luck

Great photos might be down to a little bit of luck, but most of that 'luck' you make yourself. Don't believe us? Read on...

Training your photographic luck
Feature Articles, Practice
Daniela Bowker
The ups and downs and ins and outs of ...

Photographing buildings doesn't have to mean wide-angle lenses and fretting about correcting for the keystone effect. Any lens, and angle. Don't believe us? Let us show you!

The ups and downs and ins and outs of photographing buildings

competition website

"Oops": UK agency withdraws rights grab

Picture 3

A few days ago, Small Aperture revealed that UK government agency the Office for National Statistics was running a photography competition encouraging minorities to be counted in the upcoming census – which included a particularly hair-raising case of rights-grabbing: they wanted to pinch entrants’ copyright and had the gall to say it was to protect it from misuse and abuse.

We decided to make it our mission to see if we could do anything about it. Guess what? They quickly went in and removed the offending clause from their competition Terms and Conditions.

“Remove, you say?” – Yes, they have quite literally removed clause 18. The terms and conditions jump from clause 17 to 19.

They told us: ‘the ONS did not intend to prohibit the rights of photographers in any way’. That’s much better, folks. Now repeat after me: First engage brain, then concoct the legal primal ooze that solidifies in a terms and conditions document.

It just goes to show that you don’t have to accept hogknobbery like this: Tweet, blog, complain, and make sure that people understand that rights grabs are a big deal to photographers.

So, after all that, If you are interested in entering the competition, (by coming up with two pictures and 500 words that show the changing population of Britain over the past 50 years), check out the details on the competition website – yes, including the new terms and conditions.