On Empathy - Jorg Colberg (Mon 25 Aug 2014)

Untitled - Picadilly Circus / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Jorg Colberg (*) writes on Photography (*) and Empathy (*):

You can approach the photograph formally and study its composition, you can study its visual content, but you can also feel something here.

To be able to make photographs that convey feelings is an immense gift, but of course in part it is rooted in being able to be susceptible to what other people might feel.

Photographers’ empathy (or lack thereof) is a topic that is rarely discussed.

via PROJECT PROFILES: Ute Mahler – Zusammenleben (*) by Jorg Colberg (*).

On Inspiration - Mike Peters (Wed 08 Jul 2014)

Untitled - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Mike Peters (*) writes On Inspiration (*):

Take a stand (*), make a statement (*) that you believe (*) in, tell your story (*) and give the viewer a reason (*) to stop (*) and look (*).

via Digital cameras have no more killed photography than word processors have killed writing. .. (*) by Mike Peters (*).

Love your work Mike (*). Thanks for the Inspiration (*), your story, your words and of course your photos.

On Photography - Bill Yates (Wed 18 Jun 2014)

Framed - The Photographers Gallery (*) / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Bill Yates (*) writes On Photography (*):

I learned (*) to observe (*), engage (*), document (*) and create (*).

via Flying High: A Conversation with Bill Yates About His Aerial Photography (*) by Gregory Eddie Jones (*).

On Pressure - Frank Dick (Tue 20 May 2014)

Untitled - The Photographers Gallery (*) / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Frank Dick (*) writes On Pressure (*):

When you've pushed to the edge and the pressure (*) is on, it's not about holding onto the edge but pushing beyond it. There's always more to give.

via twitter (*) by Frank Dick (*).

Been there in paddling and life, and proud of my response.

On What is Seen - Michael David Murphy (Mon 12 May 2014)

Untitled - Oxford Street (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Michael David Murphy (*) writes On What is Seen (*):

how we see is less important than what is seen. The former are questions for a machine: which lens? Which film? Which speed? The latter includes the most severe and gut-wrenching choices for a dedicated, free-thinking artist.

via Michael David Murphy on The Americans (*) by Michael David Murphy (*).

On Street Photography - Haris P / Eric Kim (Sun 23 Feb 2014)

Street Portrait - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Haris P (*) writes On Street Photography (*):

[..] tips I would give street photographers would be the following:

1. Search for the light (*),


2. Search for the place (*),


3. Search for the character(s) (*),


4. Wait for the moment (*)..

And if you find all these things– don’t be satisfied with mediocrity.

Not-ordinary photos are nice but not enough. Extra-ordinary (*) photos are your target.

via Photographs are Everywhere: The Extra-Ordinary Street Photography of Haris P (Xaris P) (*) by Eric Kim (*).

On Compositional Framing of a Photo - Jorg Colberg (Thu 20 Mar 2014)

Bond Street (*) - London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Jorg Colberg (*) writes on framing (in the compositional sense) [*]:

photographs are as much about what they show as what they imply, what they don’t show, what’s outside those frames. There always is a balance going on [..]: The photographic facts in the frames work with – hint at – all those facts, assertions.

via W. Eugene Smith – Dr. Ceriani, 1948 Smack out of the golden age... (*) by Jorg Colberg (*).

Another wonder and insightful post by Jorg Colberg (*). Reminds me of a Post (*) by Mike Davis (*) from a few years ago, that I think of often when taking photos.

On Gestures - Jorg Colberg / Conscientious Photography Magazine (Tue 28 Jan 2014)

Untitled - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Jorg Colberg (*) writes On Gestures (*) and Photography (*):

Gestures (*), the way people use their hands (*) and facial expressions (*), are very hard to deal with photographically.

One of the complications appears to be that the moment we are made to look at a gesture (*), frozen in a photograph, we have to pay attention to something we usually do not think about.

And then it gets weird very quickly.

via Corinna Sauer: Home Story (*) by Jorg Colberg (*).

Untitled - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

On Portrait Photography - Jorg Colburg (Wed 14 Jan 2014)

Street Portrait #1 - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Dorothee Deiss (*) writes On Portrait Photography (*):

In my mind a good portrait strives for honesty (*), truth (*), intensity (*), empathy (*) and respect (*). It dignifies and makes some kind of beauty visible. It is an emotionally striking picture of somebody, where one could catch a glimpse behind the surface.

via A conversation with Dorothee Deiss (*) by Jorg Colburg (*).

On Photography, Context and Meaning - Jorg Colberg / (Sun 15 Dec 2013)

Untitled - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Jorg Colberg (*) writes On Photography (*), Context (*) and Meaning (*):

Photographs need to be seen with context in mind. Many photographs are created with a very specific context in mind [..] But context can also be an anchor that prevents access. [..] [some] speak directly to us; many of them escape their context and talk of the human condition [..] these photographs show what happens when a master photographer sets up her or his camera: The results will stand the test of time and, inevitably, they will want to break out of whatever context they might have found themselves originally in.

via A few thoughts on Lewis Hine (*) by Jorg Colberg (*).

Hands (Detail) - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

Robin - York Cameras (London) - 18 Bury Lane / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

Robin - York Cameras (London) (*) - 18 Bury Lane / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

On Understanding Understanding - Streetshooter (Wed 4 Sep 2013)

An Understanding. Maybe? - Oxford St / Paddington (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Streetshooter (*) writes On Understanding (*):

He had a look in his face that read as .. he understood what he didn’t understand.

via September 4th, 2013 (*) by Streetshooter (*).

On Understanding and Expectation - Elvis Costello / Spectrum (Sat 31 Aug 2013)

A Door (*), A Window (*) - Red and Blue - Paddington / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Elvis Costello (*) talks about musical creation (*):

We were somewhat free from expectations (*) because we didn't tell anybody we were doing it, because we didn't know (*) we were doing it ourselves at first.''

via Pump it up: How hip-hop seduced Elvis Costello (*) by Nick Miller (*).

Back home now. A fantastic trip (*) with many great moments and experiences. Not a natural traveller, but this trip I seemed to handle it all better than I ever have and was fully engaged in the moment, not feeling homesick and not wanting myself to be somewhere else.

Hardly gave my work, paddling or situation in life (my usual preoccupations) a thought. A usual thought was to try and understand a place, event or thing, not to judge or to wish it to be something I am familiar with. It is there for a reason, and if I could just understand it a little, then I might learn something about it, life, or even myself.

I also thought how lucky I was to able to do this, to have these experiences and this outlook on life.

Took over 10,000 photos and have much to look at and ponder over the next few months, in particular, and no doubt, for the rest of my life.

Some photos have been taken so I can remember a place, a moment, or a transientary thing - to give it a life beyond its time.

Some have been taken because something caught my eye - a colour, a combination of colours, lines, shadows or maybe just the quality of the light.

Others I think have been captured for reasons beyond my comprehension, just as Elvis explains above. Most of these photos will never be seen by another person and in some ways this relieves me of any expectation or what others might think, as the above quote so nicely demonstrates.

So if you think some of the photos that appear here are a little beyond comprehension, maybe you should be thankful that you don't see some of the others that will never seen by anyone other than me.

Thanks Elvis and Nick, a great interview which allowed me to learn something about myself, which is what great writing and its sharing is about.

Swirls - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

Swirl - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

Horizon - The Photographers Gallery / Ramillies Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

Horizon - The Photographers Gallery (*) - Ramillies Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)
Come here every time I am in London. First time was 2005 and then 2009, where it had moved to this location. Each time I come, there are more people, which seems to indicate a stronger interest in photography, brought on by Digital Cameras and Smartphone.

Surveillance Camera - Ramillies Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

Surveillance Camera - Ramillies Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

Smoko - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)

Smoko - Oxford Street / London (Sat 17 Aug 2013)