I took this picture in October 2006 in Findhorn, Scotland (see previous posts to see more photos from that spot).
The Colour of 70s Childhoods
Black rock cottage
I used to spend a lot of time on Scotland’s West coast to take photos. The landscape is wild and desolate, nobody is around, a perfect place for photography.
One of my favourite places is Glencoe and Glen Etive. Small mountains, scarce vegetation, crazy weather and midges. It’s also a lot of other photographers’ favourite place. Around Black rock cottage, you can nearly tell where to put your tripod because the rocks have the marks.
But it doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s a great place, full of poetry and character.
Other’s Photographs Are Always Greener
Other people’s photos are always more interesting to me. When I look at other people’s photos, I always find them better made than mine: the technique is better, the composition is better, the tones are better, the colours or contrast are better, the artistic vision is more obvious, they’re more innovative, and the general idea is more interesting.
Port de Royan
Last week I visited the lighthouse at Cordouan, on the French Atlantic coast, not far from where I live. It’s one of those things that aren’t far, but as a local you don’t do (e.g. when I grew up in Paris it took me many years to visit the Eiffel tower the first time even though I saw it nearly every day).
The trap of meaningfulness
One of the things I’ve struggled with lately is what I called to myself “the trap of meaningfulness”. I need to put names on things to think about them, even if it’s not the right one others use, don’t judge me.
Monument
I took this photo in 2008 with my 5D. I was on my way to the West coast of Scotland with a friend of mine (in the photo next to the monument) and we stopped on the way when I saw this monument away from the road on top of a hill. We walked to it and took some photos.
I remember it had a long list of names on a plaque, so I’m assuming it was a war monument, but I now can’t remember exactly what it said.
Become a Good Photographer, Step Two: Quantity
I’ve watched, and sometimes was involved in, countless conversations about creativity that devolve into the same tired refrain: “Quality matters more than quantity”, “creativity can’t be controlled”, and my personal favourite “I prefer creating high-value work rather than churning out rubbish”.
This thinking is nonsense.
Frozen River
When I lived in Scotland, I’d spend a lot of my weekends across the country on the West Coast. Especially in the winter. The scenery is spectacular there, and very sparsely populated.
Why I Fell In Love With Monochrome
Since I restarted photography after long hiatus, I decided to concentrate on monochrome. For some reason, it came naturally to me to not produce colourful images anymore.
Watching back from the tram
Sometimes, you take a photo not because it’s well composed, but because its meaning strikes you.
