Thursday 25 August 2011

war photographer tim page

Tim Page
 Tim Page born in England made his reputation during the 60's photographing the Vietnam war. Arriving in Laos penniless but determined he was the original drug fueled photographer.

Tim Page
During his first job in Laos as an agricultural adviser he was caught up in a coup. Getting his hands on an old Nikon he began photographing what he saw.  At 21 he was a staff photographer for UPI's Saigon bureaux. With others of his generation including Don McCullin he brought the horrors of the conflict to the world. Sean Flynn (the son of Errol) was a friend and colleague who was kidnaped by the Khmer Rouge and never seen again. For those of you who have seen Francis Ford Coppola's classic Apocalypse Now the Denis Hopper character is loosely based on Tim Page.
The video is a good look at Tim's work and I hope you enjoy it.




If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it's already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer. - Eve Arnold

Sunday 21 August 2011

Never give up on photography.

After putting 'pictures of disappointment' into Google images this was the best one I could find. There were various images dealing with 'sexual disappointment' but I decided not to go there. So why am I disappointed? The twins who I am meant to be photographing today could not make it. 
'The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune." Plutarch I re-tweeted this earlier on today and while it is bit of an exaggeration to describe my situation in this way it did get me thinking. Photography is not for the faint hearted and if you are not committed to it then it probably will not happen. Perseverance is a quality that all photographers must have to succeed. I need to be reminded of this fact as much as anyone.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
The above picture is a less well known image by the great master and I hope it inspires you as much as it does me. 
It is like a shot of adrenalin.

Thursday 18 August 2011

Photography is not easy.


Nicholas Brewer
With a bit of luck I am off to photograph the twins on Sunday. Above is the last one that I did of them and while much more what I am looking for it is not there yet. I have been photographing Michael and Jonathon for about a year and it is often difficult to get subjects to feel comfortable being in front of the camera They are both professionals with busy lives so it is difficult to find time in our schedules to keep the momentuem going. This is essential on a project like this.

Nicholas Brewer
The 'Ghost Signs' are another project that has been going for 12 exactly months on Saturday. The miracle of Meta data (data about data) tells me not only the date but also focal length and exposure. The project is enjoyable and I have learnt a great deal about this historic form of advertising. I feel the work is now getting tired and predictable. The bike creates a triangle shape pointing to the sign and the traffic light and chimney serve as vertical structures to add geometric form to the image.

Nicholas Brewer
Click on the 'Ghost Signs of London' link at the top of the page and see the best of the year.
Thanks for reading

Thursday 11 August 2011

the law photographing the london riots

Amy Wenn
Dramatic pictures like these taken only a few miles from my house made me think about my rights to photograph on the streets. The law changes quickly in these volatile times so it is good to know when you can tell the police to 'move along now.' The Terrorism Act has been responsible for 100,000 stop and searches, many were photographers. From July of last year, Section 44 was removed and you cannot be stopped for taking photographs under this section of the Terrorism Act. This legislation was responsible for routinely disrupting the lawful business of photographers. Professionals and amateurs (derived from the love of) were harassed by police. Despite over a 100,000 stop and searches no one has been convicted of any terrorist offenses.


You are allowed to photograph the police in public places conducting their work. They only have a right to see your images if the police believe you are a terrorist. Just taking pictures is not a valid reason. Under no circumstances can they delete your work. Look at it this way. If you are taking images for terrorist purposes it would be destroying evidence and if you are not then what is the problem?


Things you are not allowed to do.
  • Take photographs near a court.
  • Take photographs of military bases and restricted areas.
  • Use a tripod in a public area.
Thanks