Photocritic photography blog

This article discusses the what’s, how’s and why’s of running a photography blog.

You’re a photographer, you’ve got a camera - probably one of those flashy SLR jobbies - and you have a harem of groupies who follow you wherever you go, and you make a quarter of a million quid out of a moderately sized photo shoot. Yeah, baby, that’s what it feels like when you’re a shit-hot ‘tog. Or so I’ve been led to believe.

In reality - and especially now that digital SLRs have become relatively affordable - the vast bulk of people reading this blog will be amateur photographers. Really good amateurs - hell, fanatic amateurs, even. Read the rest of the article »

“Photography has to be enjoyed by looking at pictures”, my arts teacher used to say, back when I still listened to teachers. I agree with the man, but I’m also a geek, and I love understanding things. I’m the kind of guy who enjoys knowing why the engine makes more noise and the car goes faster when I press the fast pedal on a car. I like to understand how a satellite works, and why it can make movies appear on my TV. And I love to understand how a photograph works.

There’s been a lot of books written about photography throughout the years (I had a stab at it myself…), but to be perfectly honest with you, a lot of them are complete and utter rubbish. Read the rest of the article »

Imagine, for a second, that you are a young person with a camera. There are other cameras in the world around you, and there are people who use those cameras, too, but nobody really knows what they are doing, nobody can teach you anything you don’t already know, and the only tool you have in the world is the internet. All hope is lost … Or is it?

I was recently speaking to Elisa Longhitano, who found herself in the same situation. As she was telling me about how she was teaching herself photography, I found myself smiling, and wishing I had access to the internet back when I was learning. Either way, Elisa’s story is a lovely reminder of the fact that all you need to do to learn the dark (well, technically, the perfectly gradient) art of photography, is to be curious, and just that little bit inventive… Read the rest of the article »

Portraiture is one of the most exhilarating forms of photography. It’s rewarding, exciting, challenging, and a lot of fun. But people have a way of hiding from the camera: Clothes. Nude photography is essentially portraiture sans clothing, which is what makes it such a fun topic to explore and develop as a photographer. Personally, I’m completely convinced that a photographer who starts developing their nudes also becomes a better portrait photographer.

One of the things people frequently e-mail me about is how to get started in nude photography - some of you want to make a living out of it, many just want to have a go and experiment, but don’t know how to begin.

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Of course, Photocritic already has a series of articles on the topic already, including an introduction, and an interview with acclaimed nude photographer photographer Renoux.

Well, today you’re all in for a phenomenal treat, as my good friend Tammy guest-writes an article on taking the first steps into nude photography, by inviting your girlfriend to model for you.

Needless to say, depending on what you do for a living, this article may not be ’safe for work’. Read the rest of the article »

We’ve all seen the seductive photos of vividly colorful fresh vegetables, sumptuous cherry pies, and golden-brown roasted turkeys. These pictures, often found in glossy cookbooks and magazines, make us believe that if we follow the recipe we, too, can create such delectable dishes. And many of us can. Well, almost.

A peek behind the kitchen door would reveal the sometimes bizarre tools of the food photography trade that transform fresh baked brownies and juicy crown roasts into science fair projects masquerading as culinary delights. Food is among the more difficult of subjects for photographers. The laws of nature guarantee it: Hot foods cool, moist foods dry out, frozen foods melt especially fast under hot lights, vegetables wilt, and fruit turns brown. But determined food photographers rise to these challenges with their extraordinarily inventive bag of tricks.

And yes, that includes motor oil, spray deodorant and and brown shoe polish… Read the rest of the article »

I’ve been a fan of Renoux on DeviantArt for a long time: His style of strongly emotive nude photography always appealed to me strongly. Playful, and with levels of nudity ranging from regular portraits to borderline pornography, he manages to capture the essence of the human body in a way that is quite unlike any other photographer I have come across.

Photocritic had a chat with Pascal Renoux, to find out what drives him…

Depending on your work, this article might not be safe for work. Read the rest of the article »

I first covered Earth Shots, the photo of the day contest, back in November 2006 and ever since, I have displayed their photo of the day widget in the side bar of Photocritic (see right!). Even when there’s a rather long time between updates, I keep checking back on my own site just to have a quick look at what the talented Earthshots submitters are up to.

It’s surreal to think about it, but this week Earth Shots celebrated their first birthday, and what an incredible first year it has been! Scanning through their archives you can see 365 fantastic images of our planet and among them are some truly spectacular shots.

To celebrate, I got the guy behind Earth Shots - Will - to pick some of his favourites. 12 months, 12 pictures - makes perfect sense, yes? Read the rest of the article »

You’re a keen photographer, and you find yourself in a city where the world’s biggest art festival sneaks up on you. It’d be rude not to do anything, really… But what?

Katie Cooke, a long-term friend of mine, who might be more known in the photography world as the queen of pinhole photography, decided to set up a little market stall in the middle of the mayhem, and take photos of people who felt like being photographed. Using a classic Toyp 45CF field camera loaded with Ilford HP5+, she decided to show the Fringe from an unusual angle… We’ve caught up with her to find out how and why. Read the rest of the article »

Have you ever noticed how most photographers tend to develop a very specific photography style? It’s a great way to create a very distinctive appearance, of course, but it may also cause you to stagnate as a photographer.

Long-term reader of my blog Cristian Galletti posted a comment on my ‘loosen up your portraiture style‘ post a while ago, where he shows off how he manages to use half a dozen completely different photography styles. The quirk? Well, the photos are all of the same model. Read the rest of the article »

A friend of mine sent me a link the other day, and I’ve been deeply fascinated by it - and its concept - ever since. The website is known as ‘best pic ever’, and it’s probably a pretty good description of what the site does - and what it does really quite well.

Click on ‘random image‘, and you’re offered a series of weird and wonderful images. Some of them are truly some of the most creative photographs I have seen in my life. Others are less technically proficient, but are still likely to make you grin broadly.

Not all is well in paradise, however: Where are the photos coming from? Read the rest of the article »