So I'm thinking of buying a new camera - one that does absolutely everything I could want from a camera, now and into the future. It should be able to capture on both film and digital, accept all lens mounts, and have a resolution of 1MP to ~MP (where "~" = more than I'll ever need, so I don't have to upgrade). It should be feather-light to carry, but be solidly built like a true workhorse. It should be small enough to fit in my pocket, even with the 70-200mm lens attached to it. And it should cost no more than $budget, so that I can buy one right now...

Figured out what the title of this journal means yet?? If not, the above paragraph should have helped!! I'm describing something that does not exist and NEVER will!!! SoNikOlyPanaCanoBlad? Yes please, I'll take 3...

The reason for this journal update is a recent discussion I saw amongst a few people that boiled down to a flame war - Canon vs Nikon. Perhaps all you people out there who don't work in IT have never heard of a flame war, so here's the Wikipedia [link] to give you an overview. Thankfully, DA rarely breaks down to the point where it is a full-blown flame war on a topic (ie when people start getting personally insulting), but I do find the "my brand is better than your brand" discussions sooooo amusing!!

Why do I find them amusing? Simple - the reason all these "tools" exist in the photography industry is because they all serve their own special purpose. Sure, there's a lot of overlap in functionality, and that's why people get feisty about their brand compared to someone elses, but at the end of the day, it's completely irrelevant.

It's irrelevant because you choose the right tools to achieve the goal you want, end of discussion. If I need to shoot a billboard poster, I need resolution, so I hire a Hasselblad H3D or I don't take the shot... or I accept the fact that the shot I do take might not be suited to the purpose.

If I want the specific look and feel of a Polaroid, or I want to get that delicious cross-processed look, I'll go for a film body with suitable developing/processing workflow... or I'll shoot it digital and tweak in PS for 19 hours... or I won't take the shot and accept the fact that I don't have the right tools to get exactly the shot I want.

Canon vs Nikon? Film vs digital? Windows vs Mac (or Unix)? Apples or oranges? I think you probably get my point - the answer to all of the above is "Yes"!!!

To be fair though (and realistic), none of us can afford to buy every single tool that is perfectly suited to the specific shots we want to take, unless we only work in that one field (think product photography, or macro). So we buy a workhorse, something that covers most of the bases most of the time. And take note of this next statement, because I personally believe it is vital in terms of selecting your workhorse - Whatever you choose, you must love using it.

It has little to do with the technology itself, since the major players are all pretty much the same at each step in their product range - I don't care if the D3 has better sharpness at ISO6400 than a Canon 1Ds Mark III, if I don't actually LIKE using Nikons. Does my point make sense? I need to be perfectly in sync with my gear, working in tune and as one, so that when the EXACT image I'm searching for actually presents itself, I can capture it PERFECTLY!! And that means I need to love my gear, so that I enjoy using it, so I can be happy and at peace before I press the shutter, so I can be a craftsman and not a technician...

I'll leave it there, because this topic will probably result in a flame war (ha!). But I will make one last point - a craftsman could capture magic with a disposable underwater camera, while a newbie with a Hasselblad will probably manage a snapshot... it's never been about the tools, it's always been about the person using them!!


DA has been offering CC licensing during upload for a while now, and I realised the other day that there is a fair chance many people don't even know what CC is all about. CC has been in my life for a long time - CC and GPL feature heavily in IT, in Open Source initiatives (free software) and the like. The intention of CC is to give more flexibility to the author/artist/owner, by allowing copyright controls to co-exist with other purposes.

I don't necessarily support CC, but I also don't disagree with its intent. Like my view of photo "tech" (use the right tool for the job, whatever brand it is), I think CC has its place.

So I went hunting and found a few good sources of info, for people who are perhaps interested in understanding what it means when you choose CC during your image uploads, rather than leaving it with the default.

A great overview on Wikipedia - [link]
An interview with Lawrence Lessig, the founder of CC - [link] (this is a great way to learn about CC, Lawrence is excellent at explaining the intention of the system he founded)
A counter-argument to CC, and specifically why it might be bad for some types of photographers - [link]

I'm not going to express an opinion at this time - although, if you look at my work you'll notice I pretty much choose CC licenses here on DA. I do so because I am not a commercial photographer, and I'm happy to relax my license paranoia in the interests of sharing my art. If I was commercial and was doing this for money, I may have a different view.

So, no opinions from me - only my 0.02c worth of advice, being that if you are a photographer and you don't understand copyright and CC (and ARR and other license models), then you better get yourself informed. What to choose is different for everyone, and a decision in this space has to be an informed one!!


I like "behind the scenes" photos, particularly those of the actual photographer at work - telling someone how a shot was taken is interesting and useful, but a behind-the-scenes shot can say so much more and therefore be significantly more helpful!!

I've been lucky enough to be in the same place as quite a few amazing photographers and models, and have taken quite a few behind-the-scenes shots. And I think it's time to release them to the world!! However, I understand that some people (photographers usually) don't often want to be known/shot/displayed, and I respect that. So if I post a shot that you are in, and you want it taken down, I'm completely cool with that, just note me and it will happen. In most cases shots are from behind/beside anyway, so these shots probably won't help you recognise these great artists on the street.

But I hope they will provide some insight into how different people shoot, and what the bigger location looked like outside the crop of the shot!! Expect these shots to start appearing shortly!!

Photograjph.com is my new personal photography base. It's actually the new home of *projectjp, and is better aligned with my photographic, business, and artistic interests. I'm a freelance photographer, but not in it for commercial reasons - I've already had various levels of success doing other things, and don't need to make cash from my photography. It isn't as grand as it sounds - I still work to pay the bills, but I don't have financial pressures driving my art!!

I have experience in a variety of genre's - my background originated in landscape and architecture photography, but over the last couple of years has focused more on people. These days you can find me working on portraiture, fashion/glamour, fine art nude, fetish, and some experimental photography as I try to explore the capabilities of my gear and my own idea pool.

What does any of this actually mean for you, dear reader? Well, I have learnt a lot from the photographers I admire. So I want to give some of that knowledge and experience back to the others who are struggling through the same learning curve I did, the same way other photographers and models supported me while I was stumbling around!!

So these days I'm providing services and support to models and photographers, particularly those trying to build their portfolios, or clean up a portfolio that is getting dated (or has shots that weren't good to begin with!!). I help people get their projects off the ground, hook people up with different service providers, and get involved with actually shooting if people want me to!! I used to shoot film (10 yrs ago!!), but these days I'm 100% digital. And I do it all basically for free!!

If you are a talented photographer, model, MUA, whatever, and want to enlist some help with the ideas in your head and don’t want to pay much (or anything) for it, drop me a line. Sometimes I can help directly, sometimes I’ll point you towards people I know can help, and sometimes I won’t be able to do much!! But it doesn’t hurt to ask!!