This post – and the images within it – are all about the third of those pictures: the one we post process. SO let start at the end and show you the result of applying this to an old image (below).

The improved image of Pigeons at Jama Masjid Mosque Delhi India after full processing

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting recently, not just about the turmoil going on in my own life, but about finding a way to start to nourish and train this “new voice” that I blogged about in Koh Samui

I am not sure that the new voice will be significantly different from the old one – not in terms of vision anyway. I think I will probably continue to conceive the same images in my mind – but hopefully now see more of that “vision” in the end image. Maybe that vision will have a slightly more resonant tone – or at least I hope it will – but I am just going to let that particular aspect of my work develop without trying to push it or try too hard.

Nor do I think I need to change my gear. I know there are people out there for whom gear is everything, but I don’t think it will matter two hoots whether I shoot Canon, Nikon, Olympus or Zenith. I have all the tools of the trade, so I think this is one part of the argument that I will let lie. That does not mean I will not continue to work at my craft – pushing some of my technical skills with the camera, trying new techniques etc but only in as much as they help to give voice to the…ugh…voice!

I might just simplify things and shoot one body and one lens for a while to try and get back to grass roots, but I need to give this whole areas some more “noodling” time.

The original RAW color image as shot in camera

But one area that I do want to focus on is my post processing. The recent superb Craft & Vision book, “The Power of Black And White” by Piet Van den Eynde, inspired me to review how I look at both color and black and white images.

I went back to an image of pigeons dispersing against the morning sky that I had shot earlier in the year in Delhi of the Jama Masjid Mosque. The one above is the original mediocre color image as shot in camera. The one below was the black and white version I originally created before being inspired by Piet’s eBook.

The original crude Black and White Conversion

I reworked it from color, past the black and white version that adorns the masthead of this blog and can be seen above and in its full proportions in an earlier post and onto a more sophisticated version (the first image in this post), applying many of the techniques suggested by Piet Van den Eynde, including experimenting with a split tone (below)

Split tone of the same enhanced image of Pigeons at Jama masjid, Delhi, India

Lightroom is such a powerful tool, and I for one am guilty of thinking I know more than I do – skipping over passages or tutorials because I think I have it sewn up. From a mediocre image we have ended up with a powerful black and white image and a split tone variant both of which are so much closer to what I originally conceived of. In this case I narrowed the gap between the the 3 images to deliver the vision and voice.

But – and this is Dr Ryan’s prescription for this blog – this is not about “rescuing poor images”, as the original image was not bad to begin with. It is about using the digital darkroom properly to deliver the final image as close to the conceived image. In this case I achieved this just by slowing down, just by taking a more critical eye and being more selective and yet more adventurous with my Lightroom workflow. As a result I am excited about how suddenly a whole new body of work is beginning to appear.

Vocally it sounds and feels different. It seems to be more rounded, more resonant. More confident.

So have a think about the 3 pictures and your 1 voice. Can you work on each of those areas all at once? Probably not. Pick one aspect and make some changes. Experiment. Slow Down.

Maybe by looking at other photographers work and writing down what you like or dislike it will help you to mature your vision. Maybe it is by taking less images or focusing on composition, getting more familiar with a particular lens or technique or maybe – as in my case – it is as simple as slowing down and being more selective and more thorough with your post processing.

Good luck. Let me know how you get on.

Looking at their wonderful images that both exude tranquility and transport you in an instant to a world of hammocks, Pad Thai and beach life it is difficult not to be drawn in (the image below is Lake Michigan not Koh Samed)

I have been musing over why images of piers provide such opportunity for compelling images.

Of course there is the overt even obvious compositional cues of leading lines, perspective, and contrast between the solid matter of the pier disappearing into the less structured world of the sea, lake or mist.

But for me I see it more as a metaphor. These strong visual elements are signpost that help transport us from the fixed even constrained viewpoint of our current world, to the end of pier where we see a world devoid of order, restriction or boundaries; a world where the mind can roam more freely: to dream to imagine and to explore. If you like the pier is a bridge or a short cut from reality to dream scape.

It is a metaphor that catalyzes our transition or change. Walking down the pier – both literally and metaphorically – transports us to a different destination. In the literal world moving to the end of the pier has a finite end where our perspective is different. In the metaphorical world, we move to a place without boundaries, without structure, where imagination, freedom and creativity are the most valued currencies.

In the real world, each pier tells a different story. The tranquility or roughness of the sea or lake encourages us to think towards harmony or conflict respectively. Towards peace or towards change.

Stretching this metaphor further – possibly beyond the limits of its natural elasticity- I was drawn to my own photographic journey. I am increasingly drawn to the end of the pier where imagination and opportunity are in abundance. The post and planks of the pier have been useful companions in guiding me through the early stage of my journey, giving me encouragement that I am heading to a more rewarding destination with purpose and efficiency, comfortable that at the end will be a different perspective, seemingly endless destinations and opportunities.

I saw the small pier and breakwater, on the shores of Lake Michigan with the surf breaking over its end as the tide came in and it made me think of the similarities and the differences of those images from Thailand.

It made me stop and think. I started to see it as a metaphor for how we view our photography. All too often our perspective is either constrained or led by strong leading lines. We get fixated on gear, or the next trip or securing a client. Often our images are constrained by where we stand or the angle we shoot at.

Wandering down the pier, to a world unconstrained by pillars, plank, lines or viewpoints and you see a very different landscape.

If we just “pier” (pun intended!) down our fixed perspective, chances are that our images will lack the freedom, openness and raw emotion that a more liberated viewpoint might allow us.

And sometimes, it doesn’t need a new lens, a new bag, a new camera or a new location to do that.

Sometimes it just requires us to stop, look and possibly move our feet a little to create something totally different.

The second image was one that John Batdorff encouraged me to explore as we wandered around Lincoln Park and I loved the uniformity of the structure and yet the abstractness of its form.

So to David, and Jeffrey – and over this last weekend when I am yet again in Chicago, to my friends Stuart Sipahigil and John Batdorff who helped me to explore angles, perspectives and subjects that I would normally walk past – thank you.

Which is why we thank God for the likes of David duChemin.

He has managed to push us all (but especially us men) to a point where it is all about vision first and gear second. His mantra “Gear is good, vision is better” has become the hallmark of both his traditional books and his superb eBooks. To me these eBooks are everything I wanted when I was learning to take better images (and still learning). Highly compelling, visually rich, short books that inspire, that explain and that share the insights. It is almost as if they are written to that same mantra “compelling visionary images first, technical and craft explanations second”. Scratch that. It is exactly how they are written.

SAFARI, A Monograph is the second in the his wonderful series “The Print & The Process”, where he takes us on his personal journey as he shoots a series of projects and explains the process behind them.

This latest one is just breathtaking. The images captivate and engage. They transport you to the dry savanna, the equatorial heat and the languid lions watching bemused as another 4×4 of tourists winds it way through the Serengeti. It is hard to believe him when he says this is is first safari – irritatingly, it seems as if the man has no end to his talent.

He unpacks the images from a 10-day safari in Kenya earlier in the year, first letting the images speak for themselves then diving deep into the process behind the photographs. This eBook like his previous one on Venice, offers an honest discussion about the issues connected to the creation of what he called the monograph, including the gear used, the techniques employed, and the lessons learned.

It’s a 62-page PDF eBook that will provide you with inspiration amidst the details of the Why and the How. This is not so much about how to photograph your first safari, though you’ll learn that too; it’s a look at the lessons learned, and re-learned, by a photographer who is now 25 years into his craft.

And then if this is not enough, David also shares his Adobe Lightroom settings used for Serengeti Chocolate, the duo-tone look in which much of his SAFARI monograph has been styled, and a downloadable Lightroom Preset. These books are as “cheap as chips” as we say in the UK, and I for one feel like a kid waiting for the next installment of my favorite comic to hit the newsstand. I devour it when it arrives and the moment of elation is followed by the eager anticipation of the next one in the series.

SAFARI, A Monograph is a available now for $5, but as with all of David’s eBooks there is OF COURSE a special offer:

For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code SAFARI4 when you checkout, you can have SAFARI, A Monograph for only $4 OR use the code SAFARI20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST JULY 11, 2010.

Whats more, I am using an affiliate code for FOCUS FOR HUMANITY, so for every book that you buy you do some good and Focus For Humanity gets a slice. David generously gives Focus For Humanity a kick back for every one you order. Just click on the Craft and Vision image left or in the sidebar.

A couple of weeks ago we launched Focus for Humanity – a new Not For Profit foundation that supports photographers and NGOs. This was the subject of of a previous post.. Well today the main annual Foundation grant of $15,000 was formally announced. This helps s a semi-pro photographer turn pro. You can find about more about this or how to apply at Focus for Humanity

Last week was primarily focused on work a “recce” for a Photo workshop down the Nile that Matt Brandon will be leading in October 2011. You can read all about the exciting developments in my last two posts, here , here and here.

But my real news for this week is the launch of a new photography business here in Cairo – The rather grandly named Cairo Photo Group. What we have done is to establish 4 different but interlinked companies that each focus on a much needed area of photography support here in Egypt.

The first is the Cairo Photo School We are very honored to be the first “franchisee” of Gavin Gough’s Bangkok Photo School, looking at teaching travel, street and cultural photography to expats and visitors, as well as the local Egyptians. The school focuses mainly on practical half day or one day workshops exploring Cairo and working on an individual’s requirements. This is supplemented by some classroom work on Lightroom, creative concepts and also studio lighting. Which brings me onto the second company, Cairo Photo Studio.

Cairo Photo Studio is a commercial photo studio run by an up and coming Egyptian photographer, Ramy Salem. Together Ramy and I have created a dedicated photo studio and some classrooms, filled the studio with some great lighting equipment (no mean feat getting hold of this stuff in Egypt) and are mixing the use of the studio for teaching, the rental of the studio to local photographers to explore their own ideas and the commercial use of the studio by Ramy to deliver client work in product, fashion and event photography.

The third company is Cairo Photo Tours. It seemed strange to me that no-one was offering tours or workshops to some of the amazing site and locations around Egypt, so we decided to fill the gap. With guest leaders such as David duChemin, Gavin Gough and Matt Brandon, we will be offering a series of photo tours/workshops with a difference. There will be a strong social responsibility angle to each of the tours. We will be working with local NGOs and charities (including some hopefully chaired by Egypt’s President’s wife, Suzanne Mubarak) and making some donations back into communities that we visit or spend time with.

The first of those – announced today – is an amazing tour down the Nile between Luxor and Aswan that Matt Brandon and I have been investigating.

Based on a luxurious privately chartered Dahabiya we which allows us to stop off the beaten track and explore some of the lesser known temples, ruins and villages. There full overview, some great images, the price, what to bring and how to book are on the dedicated pages on the Cairo Photo Tours site. Other tours we have planned include the Western Desert including spending time living with the Desert tribes at an Oasis, crossing the dunes by 4×4 and camping out under the stars) and the there is also the Cairo Explorer tour – a week of photo opportunities in Cairo, Alexandria and the immediate area.

Lastly we will be opening in the near future a much need service here in Cairo, Cairo Photo Services. Getting hold of camera accessories and support equipment here in Egypt is both difficult and expensive, and yet photography is one of the fastest growing hobbies within Egypt. We are thrilled to be representing both X-rite – whose product we use in the studio, the school and on the tours and THINK TANK PHOTO in Egypt. In the future we will also look to offer a simple rental service of lenses, cameras, tripods, flash accessories etc to help people try out new equipment and to have access to the right gear for special occasions.

Lots going on!

As many of you know, Matt Brandon and I have been scouting for potential workshop locations In Egypt this past week or so and at times we both wanted to take the same image from the same location at the same time. Indeed at a quick glance at some of the images that we have both posted on our respective blogs they might look identical. Look closely though at those images and the differences start to appear.

We had a laugh about it but we also discussed which images each of us would put up on our blog or Facebook so that we didn’t “steal each others thunder” – as they say in England. But it made me think back to some discussions and experiences I had had on a workshop recently with David duChemin and Jeffrey Chapman, where it felt at times that I was following David around letting him create the compelling image and then I would pole up, ask him what he was doing and think “ooh, I like that” and then set about creating a similar version.

Now I should say at this point that I was not DELIBERATELY following David around, nor was intent on copycatting, but in these tiny seaside towns (population:4 old ladies, 3 vespas and a black cat) it was difficult not to bump into each other. My approach was to try and learn from David what he had seen, what aesthetic he was considering, what setting he was thinking about etc as he composed his image.

Those of you that know David will realize that he is incredibly generous about sharing ideas and helping others to learn. He would show me his image on the back of his camera, discuss with me what lens he had selected, what f-stop he had chosen or what to look out for and then allow me to have a go. And Matt, Jeffrey, Gavin and many others that run these sorts of workshops all share this ethos.

And the result? Well once or twice I got close to a duChemin or Brandon “original”, but mostly they became my images that I had sweated over, albeit inspired by someone else. But mostly – and this recent trip with Matt Brandon was no exception – I just learned a whole lot.

I learned how to really look within the Frame: what was the background doing? What tonal range was I looking at and what options did I have? Was there any hot spot or distraction that would change the viewers [perception of the image? Was I telling a story? Was I using the right focal length to draw the eye or did I have enough visual mass or negative space to balance the image?

Now I wouldn’t have got all of that insight If I had just copied the image carte blanche and if I hadn’t asked – and those of you going on a workshop this year, never be afraid to ask. What you think is a dumb question is only dumb if you don’t ask it. I could have got some of that knowledge or inspiration by reading, but the impact was so much greater when it was a practical example, on the ground, camera in hand. And that was when I started to learn. To me each of these images became sketches that I want to adapt and to make my own, probably at a different time and in a different country.

So although Matt and I might have very similar images from our few days together, we interpreted the scenes we saw differently. Our angles were different, our light was different, our choice of lens was different (I always seem to be coveting Matt’s 85mm f1.2 lens. I am sure there is a commandment about that: “thou shalt not covet another man’s lens”!) and our post-processing is different.

So the morale of the post is what? Well if your intent is to learn, to be inspired by a great image and to use that as a vehicle to further your own vision, then go ahead, emulate, practice, ask copy whatever. If the person is there then for heaven sakes ask them to explain things to you. In my experience photographers are happy to help fellow enthusiasts.

If your intent is to copy without your own subjective vision, or to deliberately mislead, then good luck to you. I suspect you will still be doing that in a few years time – if you have not been caught and had the copyright law thrown at you – whilst the rest of us have moved on and developed our own individual style or vision.

So to Matt – thanks for sharing, for taking the time to explain and for continuing to inspire. I love the image of the camels walking down the hill with Cairo in the background – but I still prefer his! Check out his recent blog to see his (better) version and get inspired.

Then go out and take some fun pictures.

Most of the images that I took fell – deliberately for once – into one of 4 themes: motion, people, abstract or landscape. I had deliberately selected the motion and abstract categories because I really wanted to push myself to experiment and to try things differently. I’ll be posting some galleries of each category in due course.

The people category was well… it just would have been criminal to have spent ten days in Italy and to have ignored some of the wonderful characters, faces and sights that we saw every day. Rather than just look at my people shots as individual pictures, urged on by David, I decided to process them more as a collection, trying out split-toning as a way to create order out of a fairly disparate group of people pictures.

Below is part of the series – I am still not all the way through the images yet as my day job is somewhat all consuming at the moment and I am also building up to the launch of Focus For Humanity, a charitable foundation aimed at providing grants to photographers wanting to switch to full time and work with NGOs!

During one of the afternoon critique sessions, David took us through his Lightroom workflow, including the use of split toning. I think it is one of those things that you need to practice and to have an objective eye for so that you use it selectively, but I loved the idea of taking such a varied group of people pictures – different ages, locations and activities – and creating a link between them simply by turning them to black and white and then applying a split tone.

In this case I chose red for the highlights and green for the shadows –in homage to the Italian flag! It is fascinating to flick between the split tone version and the full color version and to see the marked difference the change makes to how you perceive the image.

So although I will not fall prey to the trap of split –toning every image or doing everything in black and white, I really enjoyed seeing how the images transformed, how the emotion and the story change or how the message received different emphasis just by a couple of different settings in Lightroom.

Let me know what you think!

The 45 minute boat ride provides a transition from the hectic crowded streets and canals of Venice, to a small fishing island with brightly painted houses and walls. The wider streets and the riot of colors suggest a world apart from the more sober colors and grandeur of Venice, but on closer inspection you see the links – a couple of small canals here, a boatyard manufacturing gondolas there and shops selling beautiful lace. The island was probably settled by the Romans but only rose in importance in the 16th century, when women on the island began making lace with needles, a tradition introduced via Venetian-ruled Cyprus, but more specifically the small town of Lefkara where Leonardo da Vinci visited in 1481 and purchased a cloth for the main alter of the Duomo di Milano.

The lace was soon exported across Europe, but decline began in the 18th century and the industry did not revive until 1872, when a school of lacemaking was opened and lacemaking on the island boomed again. Few now make lace in the traditional manner as it is extremely time-consuming and therefore expensive, and the few tourist shops around the ferry station that sells the lace, hint at a glorious past and a more commercial future.

Burano is also known for its small, brightly-painted houses, popular with artists and designers – Philippe Starck owns three houses on the island. Some suggest that the colors originated so that the fishermen could see the town even when out at sea, but whatever the stimulus, the colours of the houses follow a specific system originating from the golden age of its development. If someone wishes to paint their home, one must send a request to the government, who will respond by making notice of the colours permitted for that lot. This practice has resulted in the myriad of warm, pastelly colours that characterises the island today, and creates a harlequin effect of contrasting windows ,doors, walls and alleys

On this, our last full day of Italy Within The Frame, we wandered the streets of this charming town, capturing the shapes, forms and contrast that this kaleidoscope of colors provided us. I was still trying to explore the idea of motion, and shot of couple of images I love – one of which is shown here on the left – as well as lot of windows, doors and shadows. I also spent time with Eli Reinholdtsen and Jeff Fielding chatting to some wonderful retired gondoliers who were sitting in their rowing club passing the time of day and regaled us with tales of their prowess.

On our return to Venice, David duChemin and I hired a gondola for an hour and a half, and went exploring the canals of the old historic quarter between the Rialto bridge and Piazza San Marco. Armed with tripods, flashes and some wide angles lens, we experimented in trying to get some atmospheric and moody shots of the gondolier and the canals.

Gondolas are not the most stable of objects as they rock side to side and at times even the tripod was in danger of tipping over. However by anchoring the camera on the tripod we were able to retain the gondola itself as perfectly sharp, allowing us to blur the motion of the gondolier as he pushed his way through the canals, or used his leg to kick of the walls.

As we went under bridges we experimented with firing a hand held off-camera flash with an orange gel fitted to provide some warm fill light. Some of David’s images are truly breathtaking – mine a little less accomplished, although a couple of my shots on the Grand Canal using a panning technique as the gondola turned which produced an ethereal image. Some of the shots taken pointing towards the front of the gondola are fun as the walls blur, whilst the gondolas remains tack sharp.

I don’t think they will win me any prizes, but it was huge fun, entirely experimental and if you don’t try something like this you just don’t know. I’ll post some more of these once I have completed the processing of them.

It was an appropriate way to end not just our time in Venice but our time on the Italy Within The Frame workshop. It has been an extraordinary journey both literally and figuratively. spent with a wonderful, entertaining and generous bunch of friends. We have cried with laughter, we have made fools of ourselves in large public piazzas running in circles while we panned or dragged the shutter with second curtain synch. We have become leading authorities on Negronis and Foccaccia al Formaggio; we have shared kit, experiences, stories, laughter and tears.

But above all we have all learned a huge amount. David duChemin and Jeffrey Chapman’s relaxed mentoring approach has helped each of us address and overcome our photographic barriers or frustrations. Through them we have become objective about our work, we have learned to understand what should be within the frame and what should be left out and we have enhanced our awareness of composition, form, contrast, color, mood or post processing.

I am looking forward to being at home, seeing the family, and reflecting on what I have learned, but I shall really miss the company of a group that have now become firm friends.

If David and Jeffrey decide to run this tour or a similar tour in Italy again, make sure you are following them on twitter, as I can guarantee the tour will sell out in minutes. You can follow them by clicking on these links:

David DuChemin

Jeffrey Chapman

and while we are about it, you can follow me to on twitter, by clicking here: Marco Ryan

Few of us will have failed to read over the years the stories that Venice is sinking. This once grand trading city state, that dominated merchant trading for centuries, and yet has manged to retain much of its medieval and renaissance character today, is fighting a losing battle against rising tides, crumbling buildings and the forces of nature. The authorities extensive work to repair, to restore and to underpin the cities foundations will ensure that Venice does not become the next Atlantis, but it is a different type of erosion that I believe is undermining Venice’s future.

Inevitably the concentration of container shipping, the centralization of logistic hubs around major cities and the increasing adaption of every city skyline to account for service based business leaves most cities changed and not normally for the better. Venice has escaped this harsh treatment by its very situation and construction, but has paid an even heavier price: Tourism.

The eponymous presence of a MacDonald’s, A Hard Rock Café, a Disney Store or any other bland vanilla high street chain marks a city’s final submission to the relentless march of consumerism and seems particularly incongruous in a city like Venice. Yet the reality is that this city’ lifeblood is tourism. The city has become greedy and corpulent on the tourist dollar with prices seemingly indefensively high: A glass of wine in St Marks Square is about 14 euros, a 30 minute ride on a gondola about 80 euros and our simple hotel is double what we were paying for a better place in Cinque Terre. Unfortunately the city has bent so much to the will of the tourist visitor that much of the city reminds me of an extended theme park. I wonder whether I might not get a more “authentic” experience in Las Vegas.

Finding things to shoot in Venice is however not such a problem. There are alleyways, little artisan shops making masks, small courtyards or the joy of turning a corner and seeing a small cobbled bridge, with a boat tethered nearby and an old lady sitting outside the house she has lived in for years, quietly reflecting on her life.

I mentioned in my blog yesterday the need to find a theme to direct my shooting. I steered away from the idea of the people and the water as, although a complex and potentially rich theme I think this needs more than 2 days in Venice to do it justice. I was tempted to address head on the conflict between the majesty and timelessness of Venice with the assault of tourism and modernity but others in the group are doing something similar. So instead I chose something more abstract – Motion.

Slightly masochistically, I chose a theme that required me to focus on making my pictures more dynamic and that, with the brighter light of the daytime, will challenge me to be able to get the shutter slow enough to blur people or gondolas, to provide the aesthetic I need. Of course I will take some panning shots, but I don’t want motion to just be about panning! It is a challenging theme, but I need to push myself to find things that will encourage me to take more risks and to experiment.

For the first time this trip the weather has turned against us. The rain started in the afternoon, just as David was sharing his amazing images from his two weeks here, explaining what creative decision he had made, why he had chosen certain angles and how he had worked the image. I was encouraged that he and I had selected so many of the same subjects often from very similar viewpoints, but there the similarity ended. His angle or selective use of motion or depth of field made his images both simple and complex. They were images that drew the eye, that encouraged you to explore the colors, the textures, the motion or the subject. It was truly inspiring to see how things have been envisaged, but incredibly helpful to then have the “behind the scenes” explanation.

The rain unfortunately claimed one casualty. David and I had planned to hire a gondola between us, and shoot some images with motion, some off-camera flash and some unusual angles of the city from the gondola, focusing on the gondolier and the canals as dusk fell and the city “dressed” itself for the evening. Instead, we headed back into the area around St Marks Square to capture some more moody images of Venice in the rain.

Tomorrow is the last day of this wonderful adventure. It seems like the time has flown but it is difficult to express in either words or pictures how much I have learned, how much fun I have had and how much I would recommend taking a similar workshop. Jeffrey Chapman and David duChemin make the most wonderful combination of host, mentor, teacher, comic and companion. You cannot fail to learn, you cannot fail to eat well and you cannot fail to have fun.

Speak with you more tomorrow!

It is odd to review a body of work taken over such a short period of time and to begin to see patterns emerging of what I have been experimenting with and to remember the decisions I took at the time.

You would think too that with so many images, I would have a wealth to chose from – it is not as if we have not been presented with great opportunities wherever we have gone. Yet interestingly I have found that there are very few images that really move me. There are lots of competent images that when processed will be a useful addition to my work

One of the most valuable opportunities for us is to have some one on one time with David or Jeffrey. I used the long train journey between Milano and Venezia to sit down with David and review some of those images, to analyze what I was lacking or missing in the images that I shot, and to provide a focus for the next few days in Venice.

David is always objective, honest and fair. His critiques bring that wealth of experience that has made his books and eBooks such international bestsellers, so although I feel I have got to know him well over this last week, I was still a little apprehensive.

Most of my images form last week fall into two themes – people in their environment or shapes, colors and patterns. So far so good. The former is my passion, the latter group was what I was trying to experiment with this last week.

However, David challenged me on whether I was taking enough risks. The images are too static or too safe. Initially he thought this might be because I was afraid to get in close, but I genuinely think that my ability to approach people and persuade them to allow me to shoot a series even to use a wide angle and almost be in their space is an area that I am comfortable with. Yet if my images are suggesting remoteness or too much structure, then of course I need to practice this all the more. I am not saying for one minute that I have mastered this but lets just say this is not one of my perceived barriers.

So if it is not about getting in close, is suggest that my images are too static, too structured and that I don’t take enough risks. This I think is spot on. I have been trying to put my finger on what it is that I find stimulating in other images, and are lacking in mine. I think I need to shoot more unusual compositions, more movement and different perspectives.

Secondly I need to have more of a purpose in my shooting. That is not to say that I need to stick rigidly to a theme, but for example over the next few days in Venice I need to have a story of a theme in mind that will help me direct my shooting and ensure that my body of work is more cohesive. It might be the relationship between the water and the people, or it might be the contrast of romantic environment yet solitary people, or perhaps it is something to do with the lack of transport other than by boat.

As we begin the first of our two full days in Venice I am still a little undecided as to what that theme is. However David’s insight into what is holding me back has helped ease a little bit of the frustration that was building, and will allow me to truly enjoy the opportunities that this extraordinary city can provide.

More on Venice in Tomorrow’s post!

Portofino is perhaps at the top of that glittering tree. The presence of Hermes, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, alongside Rolex Phillipe Patek and Cartier in the small streets nestling the harbour provide even the most unobservant of visitors a clue as to the type of person this town thrives on.

Our own arrival was perhaps less ostentatious but more authentic. We took a five-minute train ride from Camogli to Santa Margarita and then the public bus into Portofino itself. The graffiti and dirt of a working train station provided an amusing comparison to the refinement of Portfolio. The anonymity of our arrival allowed us to blend into the town and observe – as much as any group of photographers laden with lenses can blend into any small ritzy port!

Portofino is one of those paces that at some time you should visit. A great place to sit and watch the wealthy at play, it still has a charm and an authenticity despite it current role in Riviera life. Perhaps as the season had not really started we saw Portofino at its best. I am not sure that I would have regarded wit with such compassion in high season full of – as one British boat owner was overheard to remark – champagne communists.

From a photographic perspective the colors, the light, the reflection in the water or the boutique windows were a wonderful surprise, and provided the canvas on which I could experiment with “painting” my images.

I seemed to have hit a bit of a creative slump these last few days though. My images just don’t have the punch I had been hoping for at this stage of the workshops. This might be that I am making the mistake of comparing myself to the others in the group, rather than looking at my own journey and my own style. But I think this is more about execution than visualization.

Strangely I am unworried about this. I know that the images will follow, perhaps not this trip but in the future. My aim for this week was to experiment with a different type of visual storytelling. To slow down, meander more and see more. I was keen to explore shape, form, shadows, reflections as sources for images.

Whilst it is of course frustrating to have conceived an image in my head – a priest with his cassock blowing in the wind, glancing up at a statue of St Mary in a town square, or the two old ladies on the bench laughing with pleasure at an illicit ice cream or a joke about former friends, perhaps in front of a terracotta wall or a bright modern shop, helping to show the contrast of age and time – and yet not to have captured it, I am content that I am beginning to visualize and to see more.
I have move passed the concern about what setting I am using or what I am metering , to concentrate on what I see and what story I want to tell or why I want to take the picture at all. Or at least in my mind I have.

Others of course captured these images. But they deserved to. They had waited patiently or they had worked the situation, returning at different times of day knowing in their mind the sketch they had see just needed the right combination of factors and actors to lift the image.

Of course luck sometimes joins in and plays our game with us, but what I have realized I this trip is that everywhere we look there are opportunities. Change the angle, change the perspective, perhaps change the lens or the time of day, but everything has the potential when crafted right to be interesting and sometimes compelling.

So although at the end of our time here in Liguria I may not have the 10 images or so that others will walk away with, I am really happy. I am genuinely pleased with what I am achieving in terms of observation. I have a much keener eye now for shadow, reflections, patterns and abstracts, I know now how much more I need to work an image and this week, as I renewed my desire to practice more and to experiment more, but this time I will do so with more purpose, more options and more confidence,

My journey is I realize is more about exploration and satisfaction – the exploration of new places, new ways of using light or shadow or the exploration of a concept or a theme. The satisfaction comes from trying. That is not the same as succeeding, but for me there is real satisfaction in knowing that I am learning, exploring and trying. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it won’t. I think perhaps my biggest learning in this week has been about letting go – personally and creatively. If it doesn’t work on this trip, then that is okay too.

The journey today to Venice for the few of us going on there with David and Jeffrey is a useful reprieve from the self-imposed pressure of feeling I have to make a shot or an image today. I am fortunate that I will sit with David on the train to Venice and the few days ahead.

But if all I come away with is happy memories then I will be content with that too. This week we have been so fortunate to have been with such a great group. To them – to Claudio, Anna, Stuart, Natalie, Eli, Jeff, Kerry and of course to David and Jeffrey – my thanks for your patience, your advice, your conversation, your humour, your inspiration and your tolerance. I already have a mass of memories – as well as a mass of memory cards that are full! – and I can’t wait for the next few days in Venice to share this journey further.