Why These 100-Year-Old Photographs Look Impossibly Modern

The photography of early 20th century photographer Edward Curtis looks like a modern photo series.

Why Take Pictures? Answering the Existential Question of the Hobbyist Photographer

Came for the sarcasm, stayed for the solid conclusion.

In Honour of JT’s Birthday

Was seeing Capture One being used in a Duran Duran video on your bingo card for 2026?

How F1 Photographers Shoot Through Catch Fences

Seems like magic the first time you try this, but it works every time. Ideal if you like photographing animals in a zoo too.

You’re Missing Shots Before You Even Press the Shutter!

Top advice here from Jan – techniques that even hold hope for Fuji shooters and the fully randomised auto-focus.

Photographers Get Just 5%

You might not be aware of just how shitty publishers treat photographers when they dangle the carrot of getting their work in print, but Alan Schaller doesn’t mince his words about that in this video. Funnily enough, the approach he has taken is one I’m taking too with my own forthcoming book project – it’s not quite ‘owning the means of production’, but it’s definitely about taking control.

Forests, Streams & Mountains // New Zealand Landscape Photography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyQLdiyN7dM

I’ve included this video by Nick Page, not because he offers any deep insights into composition or techniques (though there are a couple if you look) but because it’s just a really nice meditative video showcasing the glorious landscape of New Zealand.

Four Nik 9 Color Efex Filters I Actually Use

Decent Nik tutorials are thin on the ground and it’s great to find one where it’s not just some random selection of modules and a bit of slider waggling. Solid walkthrough here (primarly about fixing weak contrast) and a great baseline guide for landscape edit.

Stop Exposing for the Midtones

Some rock solid advice here if you’ve struggled to understand the importance of that age-old advice about exposing to the right.

The high cost of ‘Instagram face’

I think I’ve made my feelings on social media pretty clear over the years 😆 and it seems the tide is slowly turning against it. This is one hour documentary talking about the harm this one-time photo-sharing app has wrought upon several generations – and there’s also some interesting insights from Instagram employees from back in the day.

Repairing a Salt Water Flooded Lens

As someone who has dropped a camera into a salt-water river during a lens swap, I can confirm that, short of dropping it off a skyscraper, it’s the worst thing you can do to precision electronics. Hard to believe then, that with some expert help, this epic lens got brought back to life.

Why the Unguarded Moment Matters

I do like Sean Tucker, though his more navel-gazing philosophical videos make me think of late night TV shows on BBC2 circa 1982. This is a good one though, nicely explained and well worth a watch.

Photographing a once in a lifetime event

I really enjoyed the vibe of Josh’s video which he shot in London during the recent eclipse. He went, not to photograph the sun, but the people experiencing the event in the sort of communal and supportive atmosphere which is quite rare these days. In two years time we’re getting a total solar eclipse here in Australia and, handily, the path of totality passes right over my house, so I could (in theory) photograph it from the back garden.

Thoughts & Ideas for the Stuck Photographer

These sorts of videos usually have a load of whimsical bollocks in them, but Kyle delivers some concreate solutions for getting out of a photographic rut and finding your phojo once more. Some great photography books showcased too.

That’s your lot for this go-around – bit of interesting content hopefully- more again soon. If you enjoyed this email then consider subscribing to my Substack.