"That's Stone'enge, innit?"

I loved Stonehenge. Not because of the rocks themselves, but because it was such a hyper-real tourism experience, the sort of place where you get...

A young tourist taking pictures of an illustration of Stonehenge.

An older tourist taking 20 photos in rapid succession of the same view of a pile rocks. Someone should tell him they are not moving. In fact they haven't moved for thousands of years. That's the whole point, dude!

Young tourists observing "That's Stone'enge, innit?"

Photo Processing Example

In my last article I gave beginner's tips for taking Your Photos From Washed Out To Punchy. Now I'll step you through a real-life example, using a photo I shot just last week. I'll give you eight versions of the file, starting with how it came out of the camera and ending up with the finished product.

My example is the following view of Sywre Head and Bat's Head, on the coast of Dorset near Lulworth Cove. It's an amazing part of the world, a small stretch of what is now known as the Jurassic Coast, Britain's only natural World Heritage Site. There is a great description of the walk available.

Your Photos -- From Washed Out To Punchy

"I take a picture and it looks all washed out. It's just not as dynamic and interesting as the pictures I see others take. What am I doing wrong?"

Ever find yourself saying this? If you are just getting started in photography, chances are the answer is "yes". In this article I'll cover the basics of avoiding and fixing those washed out pictures and giving them some visual punch. Please remember that this is just an introduction and that there is a lot more one could say.

Throughout I will link to articles from the fantastic Luminous Landscape. If you were to read and understand 90% of the articles on that site, practicing as you go, I believe you'd be a good photographer. Of course being a great photographer requires something more than can easily be distilled in words. (Not to mention years of practice.)

We Were Right To Vote No -- Democracy Dead In EU

I am amazed and delighted in the Irish public. First, because 53.4 per cent of you voted "No" to an EU treaty that would create a super-state set to squash workers' rights and the democratic principles on which our country (and the EU itself) was founded. And second because a remarkable 53.1 per cent of you decided to get out and vote either way. Does any other western democracy have this sort of voter turnout?

So no matter if you voted "Yes" or "No" I think Ireland has shown the world we care.

But now for the bad news.

Vote No Or It's The Last Vote You Get

I believe in democracy, real democracy, the kind where people are informed and consulted and play a key role in policy-making. The current Irish referendum is a good example of that.

The Lisbon Treaty would remove the need for there ever to be another Irish referendum on EU matters. New constitutional changes will be made without going through the current process to modify the laws.

Not only that but the current process within the EU that requires a unanimous vote of all member states would be replaced by a majority vote. And furthermore, smaller countries are having their voting power reduced significantly in favour of the larger countries (eg: Germany, France).

Ireland Votes On Lisbon Treaty

Emotional Blackmail At Its Finest?

We in Ireland will be at the forefront of Europe for one day tomorrow as we vote on the Lisbon Treaty. No other country in the EU has had or will have a public referendum on the issue. On 12 June Ireland will be a bellwether for all of Europe.

So what's it all about? Why are posters lining our streets threatening us with doom and gloom? Here I will naively attempt to explicate matters.

Photographing Strawberries

I've been working furiously lately on several projects included a major website. As a break I decided to take an hour and see if I could do some creative studio photography around a commonplace subject. Limiting myself to an hour including setup and tear-down meant I had to think quickly and be creative, without too much obsessing over details. I recommend this sort of exercise to get the creative juices flowing. And, speaking of juices, my subject was the strawberry.

British Journal Of Photography Loves Pentax

There's lots of good news for Pentax lovers in the British Journal Of Photography #7687 (28.05.08). For those unfamiliar with this publication, the BJP is a publication geared to professionals, with excellent coverage of art photography and photojournalism together with news on legal and commercial issues. It also features precise and technical equipment reviews. Each and every weekly issue contains some of the most exciting images you are likely to see. Get it!