A Buddhist monk in Wangdu Phodrang Dzong, Bhutanq

Girl and doll, Tamshing Goemba, Jakar, Bhutan

I’m preparing some images to accompany a magazine article on photographing in Bhutan, re-processing some using the much-improved tools in Lightroom 4, when I had something of a revelation.

I’ve been reading Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s rather excellent book “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” in tandem with Malcolm Gladwell’s equally excellent book “Blink” (the two really compliment one another) and, having been thinking a lot recently about the nature of “optimal experience” and also considering the formation of our instinctive reactions to things when… Eureka! I had a brilliant, light-bulb illuminating flash of inspiration. I’ve no doubt that it was prompted by a combination of being in the “flow” – the period of quiet concentration when trying to get the post-production on these images just right – and what Gladwell would call “thin-slicing”, a momentary, instinctive and subconscious reaction to something that a friend said to me earlier in the day.

It was such a good idea – and I knew immediately that it was – that I actually jumped up from my chair, shouted “BRILLIANT!” and grinned like a Cheshire Cat. Then I sat down again very quickly, searched the domain name registry, found the domain that I was looking for on the first hit and registered it.

But, I hear you demand, “What is it?”.

Ah, that would be telling. Patience, young Jedi, patience. All will be revealed. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy these three, re-mastered images from Bhutan. Would you say that the little girl loves her doll very much? Yes, I think she probably does.

Tamshing Goemba Kitchen, Jakar, Bhutan

We meet for dinner and the obligatory apple crumble, share and review our photos, discuss our projects and enjoy two hours of guilt-free photographic indulgence.

Bangkok Photo School Social Club

We also compared the work of Don McCullin with Steve McCurry. It would be hard to find two photographers dealing with similar subjects in more different styles and approaches and the gritty, urban, black & white photographs of McCullin contrast sharply with the colourful, considered McCurry images.

After dinner we had a quick look at Silver Efex Black & White software and then the apple crumble arrived.

It’s great to be able to meet with a group of enthusiastic photographers on a regular basis and we’ve begun talking about arranging photographic outings, which would be fun.

Some of the group, those I shall refer to as the “elite of the elite” are joining me in Cambodia for the Angkor Photo Weekend Expedition on June 28th. There are currently 2 places remaining on this weekend adventure to Angkor so if you are interested you can find more information on the cunningly titled “Angkor Photo Weekend Expedition” page of this web site.

If you’re a student of the Bangkok Photo School and would like to attend our monthly Social Club get-together, the next one will convene on Tuesday 22nd May, 2012. Watch the Bangkok Photo School web site for further details.

Seriously, if you’re doing any sort of digital post-production with your images, you should consider the implications of Art’s discussion, where he tells us that every computer monitor comes out of the box with default settings which are far from perfect.

If you’re keen to achieve any sort of consistency with your images, you should consider a way to introduce some form of colour-management to your workflow. Otherwise, whilst images might look good to you on screen, they’re potentially going to look less than impressive to the rest of the world.

And if you hold any aspirations of ever marketing or selling your work then it’s a no-brainer.

X-Rite advertising for the ColorMunki Display with one of my images from Bhutan

In the interests of full-disclosure, I’ve been affiliated with X-Rite for a number of years. Indeed, I’m proud to say that I am one of their illustrious Coloratti.

You’ll notice on my “Partners” page that the half-dozen partners I choose to work with and that I recommend each meet the criteria that I’ve established, I don’t choose partners just because they give me free stuff or because I might earn something from referrals. I do occasionally receive gear to test but rarely, if ever, earn anything from referrals. Just so you know.

“Each partner must offer a service which helps me to take my business forward. Each must exhibit the same levels of integrity and professionalism that I hope to instil throughout my business and, above all, I seek out partnerships with companies who are supporting the creative community as a whole.”

So, with that said, there’s no question in my mind, having tested many of the alternatives, that X-Rite offer the best, most complete and most accurate colour-calibration solutions. But whatever device you choose, it’s clearly better to have some sort of colour-management in place than none at all.

Peacock Dancer, Angkor Wat Eastern Cloisters

I’ll be returning to Angkor twice in the coming months, once for a two-week Angkor Photo Workshop in the company of fellow photographers Matt Brandon, Karl Grobl and Marco Ryan. This is a two-week visual storytelling workshop and, if it’s half as good as last year’s event, promises to be a memorable adventure.

Angkor Photo Weekend Expedition

Before that, I’m inviting keen photographers to join me for a weekend photo expedition to Angkor on June 29th, 30th and July 1st. We have a packed itinerary, organised in conjunction with the nice people at Peace of Angkor Tours, which includes early starts to photograph sunrise at Phnom Bakheng and a private photo shoot with Apsara Dancer models in the western cloisters of Angkor Wat. We will take a cruise on Tonle Sap lake, passing the high-stilt houses and viewing the floating fish market.

With instruction sessions and reviews, I have organised the weekend to give photographers not only great photo opportunities but also a chance to experiment with new techniques. This is a learning opportunity and participants will be encouraged to work on a personal project theme over the weekend.

Ta Phrom temple and trees

The price of the weekend workshop, including all transport, accommodation, temple passes, model fees, tuition, local guides and meals is $875.

We’ve started taking reservations already so if you are interested in joining us for the weekend, please check-out the full itinerary and complete the booking form.

However, one aspect of my work which has consistently brought me great happiness has been the hospitality, generosity and grace that I have encountered wherever I have taken my camera. No matter what impression of today’s world you might have from watching the evening news and reading the national newspapers, my experience is that the spirit of a shared and common humanity is well and truly alive – people are, by nature, positive, generous and welcoming.

I’ve been treated with respect, compassion and kindness on all of my travels and I think an anniversary is an appropriate time to offer something tangible in return.

This is my first step towards that goal.

Three Free Desktop Wallpapers – Trial Version 1.0

FREE DOWNLOAD

These are the first three in a series of 31 Desktop Wallpaper images (one for each day of the month), each carrying an inspiring photographic quote. The quotations come from some of the most inspiring photographers including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Don McCullin, Sam Abell, Ansel Adams, Steve McCurry and many more. Each quote has been a source of inspiration and motivation for me during my career so far.

Each desktop wallpaper features one of my favourite images and has been lovingly re-processed by me with the text quotes added by a design professional, creating what I hope are a series of carefully crafted and inspiring images, beautiful enough to grace any computer screen.

This trial version of 3 images is available for free – or for a donation to my new Creative Photo Charity (see below). The pack also includes a Photoshop PSD file with the text quotes, ready for you to add your own images to create a custom desktop wallpaper.

The full 31-image Desktop Wallpaper Pack

The full 31-image pack will be available shortly for a suggested donation of $24.99. However, everyone downloading the 3-image pack now will automatically receive a 50% discount code on the full pack price when it is released.

Creative Photo Charity

My new photo charity doesn’t yet have a name (suggestions welcome), or a logo, or a web site – but it has a simple mission statement:

“We aim to bring tangible benefits to local communities by encouraging children’s creativity.”

   
“From the chai seller’s daughter in India to street children in Ethiopia, children love to take their own photos”

The Premise

Children love to use cameras. They enjoy seeing the results in the LCD screen. They love to share the images with their family and friends. Having watched children use my cameras, I have seen the delight and sense of responsibility it brings them. I’ve also seen growing confidence in children who are given permission and encouraged to create. Children in under-priveledged communities are not necessarily unhappy but they are often required to work in order to support their families and they do not always have the opportunity to play and to use their creative skills and imagination as much as we might wish.

The Goal

I probably can’t change the world but my expectations are, I hope, realistic and I’ve seen that it’s possible to change one person’s life dramatically, through simple actions. I’m going to take basic and easy-to-use cameras into communities and teach a small number of children how to use them. Equipped with the means and the skills, the children will be encouraged and assisted to document their lives, photographing their families, their schools, their friends and their daily activities. In liaison with schools, orphanages and community project leaders, my aim is to encourage and assist the children to create a visual documentary of their environment.

The Outcome

At the end of the project, the children, community leaders and I will collaborate to edit and process the images into a cohesive collection. The images will then be collated into a book or as content for an exhibition. The book will be published or the exhibition launched with the purpose of raising sufficient funds to feed back into the children’s community, providing a vital piece of equipment, perhaps a clean water filtration system, medical supplies, clothing, food – you know, the basics!

The Benefits

Not only will the children involved have had an opportunity to document their own story, their sense of ownership and awareness will have increased and their confidence will have grown. They will be able to see the direct benefit of their work. Surplus funds will be used to fund the next project, and so the cycle will begin again.

That’s my goal.

Nepal, India, Cambodia, Ethiopia… whatever the location, children’s enchantment with photography is universal

The Process

I’ll be liaising closely with NGO professionals and local community leaders and will be looking to recruit experts to assist. However, more than anything I’m inspired by the community of workers who I met in Delhi recently. With no official organisation, no logo, no web site and nothing more than a healthy desire to benefit those less fortunate than themselves, this group has been providing food and healthcare to hundreds of homeless people in Delhi every day, 365 days a year for 20 years. You won’t have heard of them but they’re on the streets of Old Delhi every morning.

What’s next?

The first goal is to raise sufficient funds to purchase six Fujifilm Instant Cameras and 42 packs of Instant Films, enough for six children to take ten photographs of their community every day for a week. I’ve used a Fujifilm Instant camera for many months now and if I could only keep one camera, it would be this one. It’s easy to use (point-and-shoot), has big buttons for small fingers and produces instant results. It’s plastic but rugged, has a built-in flash and shows the number of prints remaining on a rear-facing screen.

Fujifilm instant camera and instant film pack

What can you do?

For now, I’m hoping to spread the word so there are two things you can do to help.

FREE DOWNLOAD

1. Download the free Trial Version Desktop Wallpapers
If you would like to make a donation then just amend the value in the Shopping Cart for the amount you would like to contribute. A pack of two instant films costs $16 and a new Fujifilm Instant Camera costs $190. Everyone making a donation at this initial stage will have their name and a url link of their choice included on the project’s “Founding Donors” page of the project web site as soon as it goes online.

2. Please share the link to this post on your Facebook page, on your Twitter feed and on your blog.
The desktop wallpaper trial version is free and everyone who downloads the pack now will receive a 50% discount voucher for the full, 31-image pack.

Summary

Thanks for reading this far. In a world of ever-decreasing attention spans, you can pat yourself on the back. I’m grateful for any support that will help kickstart this creative photography project and your attention, sponsorship and support is really appreciated.

For now, I hope that you will enjoy the first three free desktop wallpapers and I look forward to posting updates on this project in the near future.

Cheers!

The Free Desktop Wallpaper Trial Pack

Apsara Dancer, Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Sunrise at Phnom Bekheng, Angkor, Cambodia

The sacred river Ganges, Varanasi, India

The original Lensbaby featured in our classes at the Bangkok Photo School, where the drop-out aperture rings provided the perfect means of demonstrating varying aperture sizes to new students.

However, the new Lensbaby optics have come of age and I’m genuinely impressed with how the build quality has improved, giving the lenses a more substantial and professional feel. Perhaps best of all, the drop-out aperture rings are a thing of the past and it’s now possible to change apertures with a twist of the lens.

So, it was with some excitement that I unwrapped two new Lensbaby optics last week. The Sweet 35 is “A 35mm selective focus optic with an internal 12-blade adjustable aperture, creating a Sweet Spot of sharp focus that photographers can move around the photo by tilting their Lensbaby”. But my new favourite toy is the beautiful Edge 80, “A tilt lens that delivers a selective slice of sharp focus through an image, also with an internal 12-blade adjustable aperture”.

Both optics drop into any of the Lensbaby lenses, so they’re interchangeable if you have a Lensbaby Composer Pro, Composer Muse, Scout or Control Freak Lensbaby.

I took a morning off to visit some of my favourite locations in Bangkok and put the two new optics to test in Chinatown and the Flower Market. Using a Lensbaby can be a challenge at first but that’s mostly because you’re dispensing with all that auto-focus laziness and are forced to concentrate on exactly where the focussing falls. Photographing with a Lensbaby demands that you pause, think, compose carefully and focus with some attention to what you’re doing. That’s got top be a good thing in my book and I really enjoy slowing down the process and being forced to take a more considered, more thoughtful approach. There’s no hit and run with these lenses and that’s how good street photography should be.

I have a Canon 35mm Tilt and Shift lens and I love the manual nature of that lens too. It gives awesome amounts of control and the quality is second-to-none. But the Lensbaby is light, about one-tenth of the price and not nearly as cumbersome. I find it hard to use the Canon Tilt and Shift without a tripod and sometimes even my almost endless patience is challenged by the need to work as slowly as it demands. The Lensbaby is perhaps the best of both worlds, allowing some freedom of movement with the creative control and an almost infinite array of potential results.

Click here to see some of my test shots using the Lensbaby Edge 80 and Sweet 35 optics in a Composer Pro lens (hide the menu to see the full image).

The videos below will give you a brief introduction to these two new optics and if you get yourself a Lensbaby, which you should, I’ll look out for your work on the impressive Lensbaby Gallery.

It was a fun evening and great to catch up with so many students. The post-event beer was very welcome too and we’ve resolved to hold other similar events in the future.

You may recall that the challenge was to recreate as many of my original images as possible, as close to the original composition, exposure and lighting within the two-hour time frame. Here’s a small selection of some of my favourites and some of the closest to the originals, with my sample image shown first in each series for comparison.

Scroll to the foot of this post to discover who will be crowned “King or Queen of the Great Bangkok Photo School Treasure Hunt“.

One of the things which soon became very clear is that even with the same photograph as an example, each photographer inevitably ends up creating their own interpretation. The light varies, they find a slightly different perspective, use a different focal length, a different aperture, white balance, the arrangement of subjects has moved and they process using differing methods.

Proof, if it were needed, that you can’t step into the same part of a river twice. Everything changes, our world is in a state of constant flux and even on the same day, in the same light and in the same location, a dozen photographers working within shouting distance of each other will create images that differ considerably.

That, perhaps, is one of the aspects of photography which we find most appealing. There are no absolute formulas, no defining compositional rules and no conclusive steps to creating an image. Whatever the surroundings and no matter what the circumstances, the art of creation is in the hands of the person holding the camera – or the pencil, brush, chisel or whatever. Isn’t that wonderful?

The Treasure Hunt proved to be a great success, over fifty photographers came and joined us for the evening’s expedition. Whilst the competition was the stated premise, the more important aim was to create an event which gave local photographers an excuse to step out with their cameras into a familiar setting, but with nothing else to do but make pictures. This part of Bangkok is familiar to anyone who lives here – or even passes through. Yet most of us will see it only from the perspective of a shopper as we hurry to the popular MBK store or to the nearby Siam Discovery mall. With time available, we were able to re-examine the location with a photographer’s eye – and that’s always worth the time.

Now then, most importantly, who won our Treasure Hunt competition? Well, competition was fierce and choosing a winner was a challenge, as they say at all the best awards ceremonies. Young Peteris and Jay both submitted an impressive compilation and had many images that were within a hair’s-breadth of the original. However, pipping them at the post with just a few more images in her collection was the ever-smiling Annette Heile. I’m delighted to be giving Annette a copy of Steve Simon’s excellent “The Passionate Photographer” book and, knowing Annette, it’s a title that could not be more appropriate as she is the very definition of a passionate photographer.

Annette Heile - Queen of the Bangkok Photo School Treasure Hunt

Thanks to all those who attended. It was great fun and I look forward to organising another Bangkok Photo School Treasure Hunt soon.

In the mean time, you might be interested in the Bangkok Photo School Club, which is an occasionally social gathering for students of the Bangkok Photo School. We next meet on Wednesday 25th April for dinner. It’s an opportunity to meet other local photographers, to share and review photographs and this month I shall be giving a presentation on the work of two of my favourite photographers and discussing what it is that I like about their work. We hope to provide inspiration, food-for-thought and food-for-the-stomach as dinner from the fine British Club menu is included. You can REGISTER HERE.

Or… “Reasons why I love my job so much #83 (one of a series of thousands)”

This evening saw the first ever Great Bangkok Photo School Treasure Hunt where nearly fifty enthusiastic photographers gathered in central Bangkok to seek out a series of images in, around and above the streets between National Stadium and Siam Square.

You can see the images that our keen students were challenged to replicate on our Bangkok Photo School Facebook Page.

As they arrived, I snapped a quick portrait of some of the photographers but, for no better reason than I find it enormously amusing, I asked them to leap up in front of the camera. You see, whilst we can probably all manage to muster some kind of semblance of normality, or what might pass for it, when asked to pose, for some reason there’s no hiding our true personality when we’re in mid-air.

So, let’s take a look at some of my personal favourites and enjoy the varied jumping styles. You’ll quickly see that an enthusiastic approach and a willingness to see the lighter side of life is a pre-requisite for students at the Bangkok Photo School.

I love, love, love these jumping students. Everyone is a winner in my book.

Peteris sets the standard with a jump that prompted small children to run into the arms of their mothers

Annette shows her customary zest and zeal and gives a jump that epitomises the spirit of joie de vivre

How can you fail to adore a job where you turn up for work and people show this kind of enthusiasm (and style!)

Meanwhile, young Dan leaps so high that passengers on a passing Skytrain where heard to ask 'Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's SUPERDAN"

A personal favourite, Tatjana demonstrates her usual poise and elegance despite the added challenge of balancing a street light on her head

Always good for a laugh, Dave shows the pointed-toe poise that once earned him a silver medal at his annual ballet school contest

OK, I have nothing even remotely clever to offer in order to do this delightfully enthusiastic leap justice - it's just a joy to behold

Lynn gets airborne with a stylish reverse-baseball-cap technique to minimise air resistance

The ever-smiling Jane demonstrates the combined jump and jive technique

Nothing beats a bit of well-synchronised teamwork. Impressive stuff guys.

Young Tony goes for the "Floating Buddha" style, with a "degree of difficulty" score hitting an impressive 9.3

Whilst young Sue reaches for the stars (Are those new shoes, Sue?)

The delightful Lubica keeps a smile and simultaneously hails a passing taxi

Filsuf proves that you don't have to look like a raving loon just because your tutor tells you to act like a Mexican jumping bean

I have nothing to add to this spirited leap except this: "Pure genius!"

And let us remember, these people had each just finished a day of "proper" work when they turned up to be greeted by me, my camera and my ludicrous demands for them to start jumping around. How cool is that?

Anyone remember "Fame"?

Don't you just love the fact that we're able to capture such glorious expressions of life at 1/400th of a second, like this shot of a smiling Sharka - and then blog it?

Denise illustrates the joy of being a Nikon user. Or is it pain?

You might think that Olga looks like she's jumping too but actually she's just parachuting in from London, I guess

Oh yes, I've saved the best for last. Let's begin with Raj, who was the only student talented enough to jump whilst also impersonating the cast of the Muppets

Now we're getting serious. Poise, balance and energy, young Jay has the lot. Sadly, he jumped clear over the nearby barrier, landing on the roof of a passing tuk-tuk and was last seen heading at speed in the direction of Thong Lor

Sensing how bizarre the whole event has become, Norbert introduces sanity and points the way to the bar. Lead on Norbert, lead on.

But we can't leave before enjoying another photo of the ever-joyful and enchanting Annette who, it seems, is in Seventh Heaven. Brilliant!

I defy anyone to see this photo of Tun and not break into a grin. Now there's a girl full of life and light.

Finally, the poster girl for all the best photography tours and workshops in the world, the effervescent Sabina jumps for joy

What a way to finish this gallery of spirited joyfulness. Ladies and gentlemen, airborne once more, Sabina Mismas!

Oh, what larks. Seriously, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and such a treat to see so many photographers out and about, practising their art and enjoying the company of their fellow enthusiasts.

Thanks so much to all those who attended. Thanks to Tony West for producing the very elegant Bangkok Photo School cue cards that we were able to give-out to students this evening. Thanks to Sabina and Aleks for the tea (which is probably the finest tea I’ve had in a long time guys) and, well, I don’t know, thanks to whichever unknown and unknowable power that led me to be able to spend the evening on the streets of a bustling Bangkok taking photographs of people leaping into the air. You are all superstars and I’m still laughing.

Here’s a brief Travel Photographer’s insider tale for you. When I was photographing the ironing table on the street, which isn’t an uncommon sight in Old Delhi, it was unattended. Just an empty ironing table with a heavy steam iron on top. A local man stepped out of a nearby shop, saw me photographing the ironing table and, quick as a flash and with only a moment’s thought, clearly decided that my image would be lacking the essential human element. So, showing what I thought was pretty impressive levels of generosity, he stepped into the frame, picked up the iron and pretended to be ironing. It wasn’t his iron. It wasn’t even his shop. He was just a passerby who spotted a gurning photographer on the street and thought he’d help make the shot a little more engaging.

He was only there long enough for me to take a couple of shots and for us to exchange laughter about his impromptu modelling. As you can see, he didn’t even remove his bag.

There’s something about that spontaneous, unselfish and gleeful act of generosity that restores your faith in human nature. I promised myself that I’d see that picture of him at the ironing board published one day. And there he is. Making me smile all over again.

There’s my friendly, helpful model in the background. Having just spotted me and decided that my image would lack an essential human element, he stepped up to the plate and into the frame.

Frankly, it’s not difficult to stand around with a camera at the festival and snap images of people with spears, or “vels” piercing their faces but who would find that satisfying? Well, a lot of people do, apparently but, thankfully, our workshop participants were all keen to do the story justice and to show a little more respect.

Consequently, we spent time with local people, were able to appreciate their story and to understand what motivates such displays of faith and devotion. The images that emerged from the workshop have a much greater depth than those we might have produced if we had just turned up and stood on the street. Importantly, the relationships built over the course of the workshop between photographers and subject developed, without exception, into something meaningful and within a short space of time the “photographer”/”subject” distinction dissolved, revealing firm friendships between two people, one on a journey, one documenting the journey, but each sharing the experience and collaborating in a trusting way.

We didn’t chase the sensational photos, we didn’t clamour to photograph the dramatic moments, we had no need to get in anyone’s way. By the time our photographers arrived at the festival, they each had developed a relationship with the subject of their story and it was clear, watching them go about their work in a quiet and considered fashion, that each had earned the right to photograph. It made me proud to be honest and, as I said to our students on our final evening, they are leaving Penang safe in the knowledge that they haven’t “taken” photographs, they haven’t stolen anything but they have taken part in a fair exchange. What a much more satisfying manner in which to work.

The Workshop team working at the Campbell House Hotel

For me, this type of workshop has much greater value than the “turn-up-and-shoot” photo tour and the photography almost becomes a secondary consideration. Our priorities are respect, patience, understanding and appreciation, characteristics that each of our workshop students showed in abundance. I have a small glow of inner pride this morning, like watching your kids learn to ride a bike or swim their first lap of the pool. And now they are heading off into the big, wide world and I have every confidence that their future photographic endeavours will be defined by the same respect, patience and perseverance. I’d happily photograph with any of these guys and girls again and believe me, that’s not something that I’d say about everyone.

Here are just two of my favourite stories from Thaipusam, the first is photographed edited and compiled by the talented and dedicated Tim Steadman and the second is the work of the always delightful Victoria E. Finlay.

One of the assignments we gave to students during the week was to select a piece of music, about three-minutes long, and to consider what emotions and moods the music evoked. Was it placid or vibrant, was it cheerful or melancholy? The challenge was then to photograph in a style that reflected the musical themes. It’s a way of encouraging photographers to think about more than just the subject and to consider ways in which they convey and communicate emotion. The assignment produced some enchanting slideshows and we’ve chosen just two to share with you. The first is really inventive and was skilfully created by raconteur Dave Ray and the second is the mildly chilling but wryly amusing work of Mr. Steadman again.

Thank you to our friends and sponsors at Peachpit, Phottix, X-Rite, Photoshelter, Lensbaby and Spider Holsters for providing such a great range of toys and goodies for us to distribute to our students.

Thanks also to our charming and generous hosts, Roberto and Nadia, at the Campbell House Hotel, the finest, friendliest and most elegant hotel in Penang. They made our stay enormously comfortable and provided a great location for our teaching activities. They also make a mean omelette!

There may be future workshop opportunities for you to attend if you’re very well behaved. Watch this space, subscribe to my newsletter and I may see you on a future photographic workshop.

You might excuse the participants on our Thaipusam Photo Workshop for feeling a little weary.

Yeah! Right!

The ever-smiling Sabina, the always-inspiring Melissa and the ever-delightful Alejandra

Don’t tell anyone I said this but the truth is that I sometimes feel that the enthusiasm of the participants on these workshops inspires me more than the other way around. I just hope that I can keep up.