Before I start this post proper I will have to apologise to Masher for changing my web site template once again.

Sorry Masher.

Unfortunately, the previous template was giving me RSS gyp and we all know how painful that can be. In order to make it up to Masher I invite you to peruse his recent blog post about the WayBack Machine, a site that caches earlier versions of web sites, although it probably didn't even have time to cache the last incarnation of my site, so fleeting was its appearance.

The WayBack Machine doesn't cache all images but it does still give a pretty accurate version of how web sites looked in the past. For example, in 2003, gavingough.com looked like this, in 2004 like this, like this in 2005, turned into a photoblog in 2006, looked a bit dull in 2007 before emerging as the beautiful butterfly that you see now.

And it's got to stay like this for a while now, not least because we can't keep confusing Masher. Tell you what, if I change the web site again this year Masher I'll give you my 1Ds MKII.

Probably.

I'm occasionally asked about web design and in order to give me something to point people to, here's a quick list of the software I use.

• Rapid Weaver - from realmacsoftware is unquestionably the easiest and most flexible web design tool for Macs I have ever had the pleasure to use.
• fluidgalleries - from Evrium, is what produces my portfolio pages. It's simple to administer, the customer support is second to none and they have a two-for-one blitz sale every month. Mention me if you're buying from them as I'll get a referrer bonus!
• Silk - from Josh Lockhart is the RapidWeaver theme that you're looking at now. Like all RapidWeaver themes it has loads of configuration options and is easy peasy to use.
• Kuler - is an online colour management site from Adobe where you can create and store colour theme combinations. Pick a colour and the site will display the analogous, monochromatic, triad, complementary, compound and shade colours to go with it. Hours of fun. No, really. Hours!
• Feedburner - manages my RSS feed. Click on the link on the left hand side of this window to subscribe if you haven't already.
• Haloscan - manages the comments on my blog. It's free, integrates with RapidWeaver and seems to be able to identify spam very accurately.

I think that's about it. If there's anything else you'd like to know then feel free to ask. I have to stop playing with my web site now to go and do some real work.

Probably.

Tags: web site

When I first saw this poster on the EPUK web site I thought it was some sort of joke, a comment on the apparent desire of a few people in power to increase the level of suspicion in what has become known as the "climate of fear". But I don't think that it is a joke. It seems that this is an actual poster used by the Metropolitan Police. If it wasn't so serious it would be laughable.

Firstly, how is the responsible citizen supposed to decide if a photographer looks "odd"? The poster fails to offer a description or definition. I know quite a few photographers and believe me, if there's one thing we could accurately be described as, it's looking "odd". We're often nerdy types with spectacles and woolly hats and, most suspicious of all, we carry large rucksacks around. So should we prepare to be swooped upon by anti-terrorist forces when we lift a camera to our eye in London these days? Perhaps so.

There's the obvious Orwellian parallel and it's a comparison that's been invoked so often recently that I hope it's not losing impact because it's a valid one. I can't remember who said this on Question Time recently but it's a worryingly accurate observation: "George Orwell's '1984' was written as a warning, not an aspiration".

So I took a look at the Metropolitan Police web site and in particular the page about anti-terrorism, it makes for frightening reading. Examples of "suspicious activity" are listed and here are just three of the things that alert citizens are being asked to report. I quote:

* Mobile phone – Terrorists need communication. Anonymous, pay-as-you-go and stolen mobiles are typical. Have you seen someone with large quantities of mobile phones? Has it made you suspicious?
* Suitcase – Terrorists need to travel. Meetings training and planning can take place anywhere. Do you know someone who travels but is vague about where they are going?
* Padlock – Terrorists need storage. Lock-ups, garages and sheds can all be used by terrorists to store equipment. Are you suspicious of anyone renting a commercial property?"

I realise with some trepidation that not only do I have a garage with a padlock but that I also own a suitcase and am frequently vague about where I'm going. Sometimes that's because I don't know but increasingly it's because I've forgotten. I think it's my age. What was I saying? Oh yes! Luckily, my phone is on a contract, which is a blessing because with a pay-as-you-go mobile phone I'd have hit the triple-whammy and be on my way for interrogation in a windowless room beneath a swinging light bulb. Having said that, I do also possess a passport and credit cards, two more things that the Metropolitan Police would have us view the owners of with suspicion.

Seriously, this stuff is ridiculous and perhaps it's just too easy to point fun at but there's a precedent being set here that we should at least be aware of. Increasing the level of suspicion in our society is surely not the way forward. The product of such behaviour can only be a tendency towards mistrust and further breakdown in the relationships between different sections of our community. I hope I'm not being too simplistic when I wonder if that isn't exactly part of what terrorists aim for?

I've gone on a small rant here, which I hadn't set out to do and clearly there's another side to the argument but it does worry me that the police force are asking people to look at me with suspicion when I do my job. I'm a photographer. It's a worthwhile job that serves the community and, knowing that I use my powers for good, I resent people being asked to look at me suspiciously because I'm carrying a camera. If my ethnic origin were Asian or African I might worry even more about being seen out with a camera in London. Is the kind of society where that's the case really one that we'd be proud of creating?

For the sake of a little balance (not a lot, admittedly) I have been stopped by plain-clothed police in London when I've been working and they were polite and didn't interfere with what I was doing. That's my only personal experience and I should report that. However, at the risk of being terribly predictable, here's the well known Benjamin Franklin quote that I think should be repeated every time we see evidence of a ratcheting up of the "climate of fear" in which we are being asked to live:

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither"

PS - having written this "rant" I did a bit of Googling and there's a gaggle of similar blog posts on the web so my apologies for the lack of originality but I feel better for having ranted ;o)

PPS - I wonder what the correct collective noun for "blogs" is? A "boggle" of blogs? A "wibble" of blogs? Answers on a postcard please.

Tags: epuk

Understandably, there is some sentimentality about the potential passing of Polaroid instant film and this has prompted a campaign to save the technology and keep the film supplies alive. The campaign organisers have had discussions with both Fuji and Ilford about the possibility of licensing the Polaroid technology. I hope they are successful, not least because I have a future project in mind where I'd like to use Polaroid film and it's going to become increasingly difficult to get hold of the film if nobody's prepared to take it on.

Tags: polaroid

The April edition of Digital Photo Pro magazine includes my brief account of a day photographing in Varanasi, northern India. The article is one of a series of "Working Lives" pieces that the magazine carries every month. The full text of the article follows:

"I've never been what you might call a “morning person”. However, I'm much more likely to throw back the covers with enthusiasm when the alarm rings if I'm in a great location and know that the potential for eye-catching photos is just outside the door. In Varanasi, the alarm barely sounds before I'm up and searching around in the darkness for my camera bag. For a Travel Photographer, Varanasi is a real gem and I always get that sense of being a “kid in a sweet shop” when I'm here.

I plan to leave the hotel, which is at the southern edge of the main town, take a small ferryboat up the Ganges to the northern end of town and then to walk back along the river, photographing the many activities that take place on the string of ghats that line the riverbank. It's pitch black as I tiptoe out of the hotel and I need a torch to help me pick my way through the maze of cow pats that dot the narrow alleyways or galis towards the river.

Despite the early hour, the ferrymen who sleep in their small, wooden boats have a sixth sense and know when there's a potential passenger nearby. I quickly accept one of the many called offers for a ride and step aboard a rocking rowing boat. It's a magical time to be on the river. The only sound is the slip-slap of the ferryman's oars in the water and the first, golden band of light is only just starting to bring illumination to the ghats and riverside temples.

I'm shooting stock material for Getty and Lonely Planet Images and whilst Varanasi is rich in potential material, I'm also conscious that I need to look for more than the usual run-of-the-mill images. I have a list of potential shots and ideas and I'll refer to this during the day although, inevitably in a place like Varanasi, the great diversity of subject matter will dictate what I actually photograph as the day progresses.

I usually carry three Canon 'L' lenses with a 1Ds MKII body. The f/2.8 70-200mm IS is a wonderful lens and I'll have this on the camera for much of the day. For stock use, having a camera with higher resolution can make all the difference. Larger images give potential clients more flexibility and with Travel Photography being such a competitive market it makes sense to grab what small advantages one can.

I find lots to photograph as I walk towards Manikarnika Ghat, one of Varanasi's main cremation ghats. Even this early there are log pyres burning but it's not a place to photograph so I move on, knowing that there are some locations that really should remain unseen.

The burning ghats show how people lead their lives very much in the open here. The river soon becomes much busier with people performing their early-morning ablutions, praying, meditating, washing their laundry and even scrubbing their oxen clean. The Chai-sellers have set up shop and are soon serving a queue of eager tea-drinkers. A hot, sweet chai is a perfect way to start the day in Varanasi.

In the course of the next few hours I wander slowly back south along the river, photographing couples getting married, children flying kites, men getting haircuts and women gossiping as they lay out their washing to dry on the steps. All life is here.

Back at the hotel there's just time to download the morning's photos to a laptop and grab a bite to eat before heading back out to do the same route in reverse, ready to catch the evening light. Varanasi is such a delight, I'll probably set the alarm clock even earlier tomorrow."

Tags: interviews, india

Buffalo have announced a 500GB MiniStation TurboUSB hard drive that comes encased in a shock-resistant cover. It has a fixed, wraparound USB cable, which is handy and, best of all, is USB powered so doesn't rely on a separate power supply.

I currently use Freecom Toughdrives and LaCie All-terrain drives when I'm travelling but this is the first 500GB bus-powered drive that I've seen.

Although the extra space would be great (my current drives are 120GB only) I think the wraparound USB cable could have been a bit neater. The Freecom ToughDrive, for example, has a USB connector the slips back inside the case so there's no chance of it getting caught on something and pulled loose.

Tags: hardware

PDN shows their selection of thirty emerging photographers. These are the ones to watch!

Not many of them live outside the USA, indeed not many live outside New York, and there are none based in the UK. But you're already watching me, right?

Tags: pdn

The lure of impressive prizes for winners of big photographic competitions can be incredibly tempting and there seem to be an increasing number of competitions appearing that are designed to attract photographers.

The Pro-imaging group has recently announced a campaign to raise awareness of the fact that not all competitions are alike and the terms and conditions that entrants agree to when they submit their entries can see their copyright being grabbed by the competition organisers.

It's known as a "Rights Grab" and can be as innocent as allowing the organisers to use your images to promote the competition to a full-blown transfer of copyright from the entrant to the competition organisers. It seems reasonable to me that competition organisers should be able to use submitted images to promote and publicise their competition but there can be no justification for asking for entrants to give up the copyright to their work.

So, be sure to check out the Terms and Conditions of any competitions that you're thinking of entering and if you're required to give away your copyright then think again. The Pro-imaging campaign has introduced a Rights Off List, featuring those competitions that might be considered to be little more than Rights Grabs and, for sake of balance (we like it when there's a yin and a yang), there's also a Rights On List showing those competitions that "respect photographers' rights". When I checked this evening the Rights Off List was four pages long and the Rights On List was... err... empty.

Sadly, two of the worst culprits at Rights Grabbing are the BBC and the Guardian. Two organisations that one might expect to be a little more ethical in their approach to contributors. Indeed, the Guardian used to have a reputation for respecting its journalists and photographers but it's a reputation that's been looking increasingly tarnished of late. A temporary state of affairs no doubt.

So, if you're a photographer, then Pro-imaging asks you to lobby any trade or pro organisations that you're a member of in an attempt to get more bodies behind the campaign. And if you're tempted by big prizes in a photo competition, read those Terms and Conditions thoroughly and carefully consider the implications before sending off your best images.

Tags: competitions

Joe Barrett, a photographer from the South West of England, is offering a free eBook detailing tips and tricks that he's put together for Adobe Lightroom. All that Joe asks in return for the free pdf download is that you ket him know if you find it useful.

Joe's eBook offers some useful tips if you're starting our with Lightroom and, as always with an application as comprehensive as Lightroom, even the more experienced users among you will find some new tricks.

Even small things like being able to show typographic fractions for exposure information (page 11) and being reminded of the "Synchronize (sic) Folder" option (page 17) are useful tips that most of us would probably have overlooked. Cheers Joe!

Tags: lightroom

Andrew Gibson is a UK photographer who has recently moved to Argentina in order to build up a portfolio of photographs from South America. You have to admire that sort of commitment.

He's kindly asked me to complete one of a series of interviews that he's carrying out with photographers and you can read the full extent of my ramblings on his Magical Places Blog.

The interview did give me an opportunity to have a brief but enthusiastic rant about Don McCullin, who I don't talk about nearly enough on this blog but I hope to rectify that in the near future.

Tags: interviews

Matt Brandon has just returned from Sumatra with some gorgeous photographs.

You might also want to check out Matt's blog.