Over the years I've had a fair bit of work published in various magazines
and books. Obviously I'm a photographer so I have a lot of images published,
but I also write a lot and therefore often have both photos and an accompanying
story printed.
This is a new section of the site, I have a LOT of previous writing to post here and will be creating new stuff as well. So stay tuned, articles and tutorials will pop up here as I get them formatted.
Diaires of our experiences living on the road since 2001. Wothahellizat Mk1 construction diaries. Wothahellizat Mk2 construction diaries.
Is it OK to manipulate images?
"In fact I see the raw digital image in much the same way as I see a negative, it's the raw material, from which something beautiful can be created. If I do that by waving my hand over an easel, or a mouse mat, it doesn't matter."
Are you driven to go out and make images? If so, how much?
"It was below freezing outside the tent and not much warmer inside
so I had little incentive to leave my sleeping bag. But the rat would
give me no peace. He was gnawing away, saying "You know theres
going to be a great sunrise over Blue Lake"."
Sometimes it's better to leave the camera be and just experience.
"Some things are just too beautiful to photograph. They
cannot be captured and bottled by a camera or any other device. They should
simply be experienced and savoured at a spiritual level."
To print the entire negative, or crop if it looks better.
"After several attempts at taming the
upper part of this print I began to realise that I may not be able to
create a quality print from this negative."
What subjects do I consider to be within the landscape genre.
"You show me an Australian landscape photographer who
is only interested in spectacular vistas and I'll show you a sad landscape photographer."
From despondency to the top of the world in one day.
"Tomorrow I will return to civilisation, but for the moment there is just me,
the rocks, the grass, and the view. Most importantly there is the light.
After all these years of photography I still get excited by the light."
Should photographers work for nothing? Some years ago I was offered a 'dream job'
but when I did the math my response was "Yeah nah".
"So, in return for neglecting the normal operations of his or her business,
the hapless photographer receives $1200 gross and nets $164. Even assuming only eight hours a day on
the job, that's 69c an hour!"
Should photographers caption their images, or should we leave well enough alone?
"Edward Weston did caption
his photos, but with names like Eroded Rock, Cow Tree Barn and Pepper
#30 I think its fair to say that he wasnt trying to
add any meaning to his images."
I spend two days on top of a mountain, WITHOUT a camera.
"As long as I live I
will never forget this moment. I have no photographic record, just
a memory, but it's more real and vivid than anything I could create
with silver halides."
Sometimes I get invited to photograph fascinating old buildings
on farms. When I get there I meet equally fascinating people.
"while in the ancient
laundry, amid bottles of developer and selenium toner, a Beseler
45 enlarger stands proud, complete with cold light head and voltage
stabiliser."
Obviously you need a subject to make a photograph, but it's more
important to have the right light.
"Always keep in mind
that, as a photographer, you do not photograph objects, you photograph
the light reflected from them."
Can a photograph have 'meaning'? I think so, but there are caveats.
"She is looking directly at the camera. The eye contact is intense
and haunts me as if I were staring across the decades at the woman herself."
These articles are all in PDF format, clicking on the thumbnail images below will load the
PDF into your browser, from there you can download it to your computer if you wish.
The bower bird
"The next day we left Port Warrender, but not before I gave
him a gift of a green peg, and saw that he had indeed attracted a lady friend.
Have a nice life little bird, and thanks for the photos."
These articles are all in PDF format, clicking on the thumbnail images below will load the
PDF into your browser, from there you can download it to your computer if you wish.
Wildlife photography in your own backyard
"For three weeks I only
photographed around his house and in the immediate vicinity. Once or twice a
day I would venture from the safety of the lounge room into the wilds of his
veggie patch, or paw paw tree forest, hunting some of the world’s fiercest
creatures."
Exposure and contrast control with B&W film
I wrote this in 1998, twenty years ago when I specialised in large-format B&W landscape photography.
The principles are still the same however if you use film.
"The density of shadow areas is determined at the time of exposure.
The density of highlight areas is determined when the film is developed."
22 Jun 2020: Work in progress, more coming soon.
Over the years I've had a fair bit of work published in various magazines
and books. Obviously I'm a photographer so I have a lot of images published,
but I also write a lot and therefore often have both photos and an accompanying
story printed.
Title
Digital Travel Photography
Publisher
AVA
Author
Duncan Evans
ISBN
2 88479 082 9
Brief
Digital photography for the traveler, mostly two-page spreads describing
how a photo was taken and talking about any issues involved.
Some of the whackiest motorhomes and campers ever created. Also interesting
historical information about the first land yatchs and early mobile forms of accomodation.
Cover
Photo(s)
Title
Move House
Publisher
Prestel
Author
Sean Topham
ISBN
3 7913 3056 X
Brief
A book about various forms of mobile and temporary housing, form the
whimsical to the practical.
Cover
Photo(s)
Title
Tarkine
Publisher
Alan & Unwin
Editor
Ralph Ashton
ISBN
1 74114 354 3
Brief
A book about one of Australia's most pristine and endangered wilderness areas.
The book is available from any bookshop, but if you buy
it directly from the WWF more of the money goes towards protecting
this fantastic wilderness.
Cover
Photo(s)
Title
Tierisch
Publisher
Rowohlt Verlag GmbH
Author
Dirk Steffens
ISBN
978-3-499-62308-0
Cover
Photo(s)
Title
Best of Friends 1
Publisher
Creative Monochrome
Author
Roger Maile
ISBN
1 873319 16 9
Brief
Creative Monochrome was a UK-based company that published books and newsletters about
black & white photography.
Each year they printed a yearbook with what they considered to be the best
B&W photography of that year.