House Keeping

Morning light/cloudscape at the railway station

The end of another month. A good month though. The first Richard Flint Photography podcast was released (or escaped if you like) yesterday. This first 'show' takes a look at what i want to do with the podcasts and how i got into photography - i thought that a bit of background about me might be a good start. Fear not though, that was just the introduction. From May, the audio podcast will feature it's usual mix of news, comment and chaos. Work on the April video podcast starts soon and will delve into my work on the movie 'Christian'.

With the start of the podcasts this month,  i have decided to move the photographer profile series, which is about to start again on the blog, to a new slot in the first week of the month . The last series was released at the end of the month, but due to the podcast taking that position, it's a bit much to do both. So look out for the first of this series of profile posts coming up in the next week or so. We'll be starting with a brilliant portrait photographer.

Finally... i leave you with a link. A post or two ago, i mentioned the Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder who had used his iPhone to photograph the U.S Marines in Afghanistan. Well another photographer, Todd Heisler of The New York Times, decided to photograph Moscow using his iPhone and the shakeitphoto 'Polaroid' app too. A great gallery of Moscow images, and an article where Heisler discusses why he used the iPhone to take his pictures, can be found HERE.

Tough Call

The view from a train: A moment in time on Darlington railway station.

The great photojournalist Robert Capa once commented that working as a freelance photographer was like working as an actor. There are many similarities in lifestyle and work ethic; both have to deliver creative performances by plucking things out of thin air, find work amongst a vast throng of talented competitors and have the ability to ignore criticism/rejection. However, after attending the first actor auditions for the Whitby based vampire film 'Christian' yesterday, I've come to the conclusion that the photographer has the much easier job.

Out on a limb perfectly describes the audition process. Imagine standing before three strangers (I'm one of them, folks) and reading a part you may have never,ever seen before. No shield. No protection. No camera to hide behind. Nothing. All you have is your talent. Just you. That is a bit too up close and personal for my liking. My photographic work is often judged by clients, but over the years I've managed to emotionally distance myself from it. It is just a photograph, not part of me. You have to be able to take flak, because destructive criticism is cheap and readily available everywhere, delivered by bitter and twisted individuals who believe their viewpoints are the only ones that really matter - just look at most website forum sections for examples of that.

Distance is a luxury that actors probably find tough to achieve. They are the talent. They are the canvas/artwork. Photographers can go into many areas of work from photojournalist to advertising, but an actor will tend to get parts based on two factors - first their acting ability and, second, how they look. That's why most actors are very outgoing and confident. They have to be! I tend to think of people as either predominantly watchers or players and, naturally, actors are players. Photographers are usually watchers, but some can be both watchers AND players. The photographer Cindy Sherman is a great example of that. Me? Oh, I'm a watcher, definitely a watcher dear reader, and i imagine you are too.... no?

Unique Lens

A U.S. Marine searches an Afghan farm compound in Marjah. Image © David Guttenfelder/Associated Press

The creative potential of the iPhone camera and the various photo apps available has been a pleasant surprise. I never really expected a mobile phone camera could have so much potential for creating striking photographs. It's not just the camera though, the iPhone photo apps are the major ingredient that make the smart phone, the flexible creative tool it is today. As you may have seen from this blog and my Facebook page, i use the iPhone's picture taking function a heck of a lot. I love it and it seems I'm not the only one.

David Guttenfelder, a photographer with the Associated Press, has put together a wonderful gallery of 'Polaroid' images taken with his iPhone while embedded with the U.S Marines near Marjah in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Sadly the photographer doesn't mention the iPhone application he used,  i did initially suspect that it could be my own personal favourite Lo-Mob, but apparently, according to the British Journal of Photography, it was an app called shakeitphoto. Not that it matters, I'm immensely impressed with the images David Guttenfelder has created - the photos ooze a wonderfully distinctive visual diary feel that beautifully captures the day-to-day activity of troops living, working and fighting in Afghanistan.

The Afghanistan iPhone 'Polaroid' gallery is well worth a visit and can be found HERE.

Little Moments II

Taking in the view - Sheringham sea front, Norfolk, UK

Today has been spent catching up on email and looking for parts for a camera. At some point in the recent past, i lost the DK-17 eyepiece for the F3. It could be lost here in the house or up at Consett somewhere. It's one of those annoying little problems that you have to deal with from time to time. Anyhow I've ordered a new eyepiece online for the slight cost of around £13. It could have been far worse.

When I'm out and about taking pics, i follow my unofficial motto/rule 'ALWAYS work out of the bag'. I've developed the habit of working to that rule. If i put anything down, a lightmeter etc, i put it on, or more often, back in the camera bag. It's a simple, rigorously enforced rule that works really well and gives me peace of mind because i know that i won't ever leave anything behind on a wall or bench. Sadly some things you can't watch all the time - the eyepiece must have been loose and fallen off the pentaprism as i walked along.

On the other hand, i could have taken the eyepiece off the pentaprism to clean it and forgot put it back on...

Valley View

A wildlife pond, a great place for frogs and fireflies i'm told, on reclaimed industrial land overlooking the Derwent valley not far away from Consett in County Durham, UK.

Eight Starfish

Starfish washed up on a pebble beach

The podcast is still on schedule and I've managed to set up a great studio podcast system. The sound quality should be absolutely superb. The only thing left to do is purchase the camcorder for video podcasting, and a USB microphone so i don't have to bother with the audio mixer. Just plug the mike in and away you go.

The image above was taken in Norfolk, but i just can't remember where. Maybe looking at the negatives will give me some ideas. Last year, along the coastline for about a mile at Holme beach, over 20,000 starfish were washed up due to the tides.

A Difficult Task

The humble news cameraman isn't often able to give his side of a story, however, Channel 4 news have kindly given their camera person, Stuart Webb, the ability to video blog his adventures in Afghanistan. His commentary and footage offer a fascinating insight into the difficult task of filming a news story in a war zone.

Little Moments

Taking in the view - Sheringham sea front, Norfolk, UK

Another of my 'quietly taken' shots. I doubt if they even knew i was there. The man was talking to a friend on the mobile phone and both were engrossed in the conversation.

I love capturing moments like these but you have to work quickly and quietly. In this case though, the phone call held all of their attention, so i could snap away unnoticed.