The Digital Dilemma

"For some time, my loathing of cameras has been bubbling away on a low heat. The other day it finally boiled over". So said Nigel Farndale in his column in last week's Sunday Telegraph.

You can read the article on the Telegraph website, but, in a nutshell, Mr Farndale was relating the tale of being plagued by a snap-happy tourist on the Barcelona cable car. Apparently the tourist managed to rattle off over a hundrd shots in next to no time, never stopping once to admire the view first hand. In other words, his only recollection of the magnificent aerial views over the spires of Barcelona will be second-hand, some time later, if he indeed bothers to look at the pictures at all. Mr Farndale did refrain from pushing the tourist out of the cable car but you can imagine his irritation.

Over the past week the various comments added to the article (on the Telegraph website) have ranged from 'get a life and leave people to do whatever they want' to messages of support and further tirades against video cameras and people using mobile phones in public places.

My take on this is that the issue lies not with photography as such (I am rather biased of course), but with the invention of digital photography (of which I am also a fan). Suddenly photography is perceived to be easy. "You can take hundreds of photos at no cost only keep the good ones". And if they don't turn out as well as you'd hoped, "you can improve them later on the computer". There is an element of truth in both of these statements about digital, but the art of photography, and the thought processes that go into making a good photograph are the same as they ever were. Mr. Farndale bemoans the fact that photography is no longer a 'noble art'. But in my view it still can be. Photography has not changed, only the tools.

My advice is to treat your digital camera as if it were a film camera (if you remember film of course), with a cost attached to every frame. Consider your image before pressing the shutter and resist the urge to machine-gun your subject in the hope that you'll get one great image. But most importantly, put your camera down for a while. Take in the view. Soak up the atmosphere. Enjoy the moment. In the present, and not 'sometime later'.

Postcard from Greece

Janet and I have just returned from a holiday sailing around the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. Normal service at Michael Turner Photography is slowly being resumed, though after two weeks of hot and sunny weather we're not impressed that it's still cool and showery here in the UK. It's OK, we don't expect sympathy!
We were sailing with our good friend Jonathan Chandler, his partner Conny, their summertime skipper Lex and an American couple from Connecticut, Conrad and Amy. This was a busman's holiday for Jonathan, he spends the rest of the summer running skippered charters around the Greek Islands. Jonathan was born in Greece, educated at Dartmouth Naval College and employed firstly in the Hong Kong Police and then in the world of corporate sailing in the USA (America's Cup, Whitbread Round the World Race). A colourful background to say the least. Now he has settled back in his home country and his local knowledge and understanding of Greek culture (and especially the food) gives an extra dimension to a sailing trip that can't be matched by the big charter companies. You can check out his website at http://www.sailcharter-greece.com/.

Jonathan's pride and joy, and our home for the past two weeks, Koralia3...

This was an active sailing holiday for us, rather than a photographic trip, but we did manage to take 'one or two' pictures along the way. This is a tiny selection :

A typical street scene on Poros, our first port of call after sailing out of Alimos Marina in Athens...

A sunrise walk around the harbour on Elafonisos island at the southern tip of the Peloponnese rewarded me with a portrait of this amazing looking character preparing his fishing boat. I don't speak fluent Greek (only a few words in fact) but a gesture to the camera and 'en-dak-zee?' (that's Greek for OK) and he was happy to pose.

Two more pictorial shots from my early morning walk...

Random images from the most southerly island on our voyage - Kythira...

If you think that Greece is completely dry in August you may be surprised to see this shot of an ethereal waterfall we found at Mylopotamos on Kythira island...

And finally...for our friends who think that our sailing in the Aegean is the same as going on a cruise, in other words lounging on board a luxury yacht drinking ouzo all day, think again....this is Janet in action raising the mizzen, nonchalantly assisted by Lex!

The Joy of Photography

My friend John Robinson, a keen amateur photographer, has reminded me (if I ever needed reminding) of the simple joy of picture taking. A couple of years ago he bought his wife, Al, a new camera, tried it out.....and was hooked. Now he lets her borrow it now and again when he's not out looking for subjects to photograph!

Even though I love my chosen career, as a professional photographer it's all too easy for me to get distracted with the day to day 'stuff ' involved in running a business and temporarily forget why I became a photographer in the first place. A fantastic photoshoot with fun-loving kids or a day out shooting personal projects usually reminds me why I love what I do; John's refreshing approach to photography for the sheer pleasure of creating beautiful pictures also helps to make the point.

Personally speaking, my favourite subjects often feature people whereas John likes to photograph nature and rural landscapes without people in them. The beauty of photography is that there is endless variety and scope for anyone to express themselves through their images, whether as a professional or simply for fun. For some people photography is a hobby, for others it's a living, but the resulting images can be enjoyed by everyone.

A graphic artist and web designer by profession, John has put together his own website to showcase his favourite photographs. You can visit at http://www.jrobinsonphotography.co.uk/

An Outdoor Photoshoot

Last weekend I had a commission to capture some natural portraits of a delightful little girl for her fourth birthday. With heavy showers a possibility we started off in the studio for a few minutes, which gave the opportunity for some beautiful close-up portraits before she started to get too restless and fidgety!

Then it was everyone outside for a walk to the park......fortunately by now the clouds were clearing and it stayed fine for the rest of the shoot.

Outdoor photoshoots are unpredictable, which is all part of the fun. Today we found some ladybirds - catching them and counting the spots is good fun for children and a great opportunity for some close up portraits. 'No ladybirds were harmed in the making of these photographs...'

Still raring to go and having fun at the end of the photoshoot. Studio portraits have their place but you can't beat the great outdoors for a fantastic photoshoot experience.

Bump Baby Show Report

Sunday's 'Bump' Mother and Baby show organised by Imagine FM was a huge success, with a fantastic turnout in spite of clashing with the men's final at Wimbledon. Thanks to everyone who visited our stand, it was great to have so much interest in our baby photography and well worth the early start! Good luck to all the expectant mums that we met - we hope you enjoyed the show.

Janet discussing the Baby's First Year Folio scheme that was the main focus of attention on our stand... We'll see you again next year....

Baby Show Images

Today I took delivery of a set of large format exhibition prints for our stand at the Bumps Mother and Baby Show this coming Sunday. The 50" x 40" prints look very impressive and should hopefully turn a few heads. Thanks to Alf at Manchester Colour Lab for doing such a great job with the printing and mounting.

Look out for the pictures at the show!

New Website

...or a re-worked version of the previous one to be precise. After what seems like months (actually, it IS months) of preparation the new look turnerportraits website is now live. The site is structured to provide much more information than before and we aim to be adding more as we go along. There'll be lots more pictures too - we hope you enjoy browsing.

The address stays the same : www.turnerportraits.co.uk