About this Blog

Photo Writing is the web version of the Photo Writing mini-magazine produced by Limephoto and Emil von Maltitz since 2010. As of 2015 it is now completely online. Feel free to browse through the articles and please leave comments in the comments section if you would like to engage with us.

Friday, April 25, 2014

The Element Approach


Over the last few months we have been looking at some of the principles of creative photographic composition. These being; the use of lines, space, showing distance, the ‘rule of thirds’ and framing. At this point it’s useful to start looking at composition in a more systematic manner, something that I refer to as the element approach to composition.


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Great Photographs Require Walking! April AI Drakensberg Trip



Edward Weston apparently once said that, "Anything more than 500 yards from the car just isn't photogenic". This, I suspect, was made when he was more interested in still life than in landscapes. I also suspect that he may have changed his mind later in life considering some of his later images. The one thing about the statement though, is that he was dead wrong!



Wednesday, April 9, 2014

5 Myths Debunked (About Being a Pro Photographer)

Me in the Berg shot by a student, Dov on one of the Drakensberg AI Workshops
Being a moderately successful photographer I am often asked by students what steps they should take to going pro themselves. Particularly among the younger set are a few myths that I often find that I have to dispel first before getting into the nitty gritty of how to go about making a living from photography. As I usually do, I also recommend reading Michel Heron's excellent book 'Creative Careers in Photography' (South Africans can look here) which takes a no holds barred look at actually making photography pay. It's easy to look at the list and think I am being negative about photography as a career. Don't get me wrong - I adore my job. To the point that my wife complains about how I bounce out of bed raring to start work. So to get to the point: