Articles on Photography

Articles – short written pieces on photography

This page brings together articles on street photography, documentary work, and the ideas behind making images. Some pieces are reflective, some are practical, and others look at how photographs are read, shaped, and shared.

Review of the year 2022
20 December 2022
Quite a successful year, exhibitions in both the UK and Japan and another few hundred pictures for the archives. Here’s a short selection of photos taken this year – one for each month. It’s definitely…
Read More about Review of the year 2022
Where do you find all these characters?
29 July 2021
One of the questions I get asked most often is ‘where do you find all these characters?’ My usual answer is along the lines of ‘they’re everywhere’. We are all ‘characters’ really, all faces are…
Read More about Where do you find all these characters?
Review of the year 2020
26 December 2020
2020 will forever be associated with Covid-19. The street photography opportunities have been very restricted and look as though they will be for a while to come. Here’s a selection of the photos taken over…
Read More about Review of the year 2020
Street Photography After Coronavirus
3 June 2020
Street photography has always been contentious; plenty of people have objected to it for their various reasons; privacy, the motives behind it, it’s boring, they don’t ‘get it’ and even jealousy. By its very nature,…
Read More about Street Photography After Coronavirus
Street Photography and the Lockdown
1 June 2020
Being prevented from going out hardly provides the best opportunities for street photography. Unlike many we have stuck to the guidelines, only going out for essential shopping and exercise. I use the word ‘exercise’ in…
Read More about Street Photography and the Lockdown
I’m a photographer, please let me patronize you.
26 May 2020
A short while ago I posted this picture online, a candid street photo like many others. One of the comments was “He looks as though he needs money more than his picture taking. I hope…
Read More about I’m a photographer, please let me patronize you.
Words about my father
12 April 2020
Words about my father So what do I know? I have a vague memory of deep set eyes and heavy eyebrows. A slender frame with hairy arms. I may have imagined it. There were some…
Read More about Words about my father
I’ve never been to New York!
8 April 2020
A lot of people dislike street photography. A lot of photographers dislike street photography. That’s okay, I understand that. What I don’t understand is those ‘photographers’ who insist that only street photography done in large…
Read More about I’ve never been to New York!
An hour in Leeds
13 February 2020
If you look too hard for photos they probably won’t be there. Just be ready for when they are ???? One of the questions that seem to come up regularly when I give the lectures…
Read More about An hour in Leeds
The Seaside
10 December 2019
Scarborough and Bridlington – A photographer’s paradise I never really had holidays as a kid. No transport, no father, and no money. The closest we got was the ‘club trip’. Once a year, members and…
Read More about The Seaside
Photographing the Homeless
6 November 2019
A few thoughts on photographing the homeless I’ve often seen the argument that street photographers shouldn’t photograph the homeless. The reasoning seems to roughly come down to three things: The ‘easy option’ The ‘they’re too…
Read More about Photographing the Homeless
Leeds street photos – a few out-takes
16 September 2019
One of the problems with street photography is there’s inevitably a lot of failures. Lots of camera shake, out of focus pictures and plenty of pictures that just aren’t all that interesting. These are few…
Read More about Leeds street photos – a few out-takes