Sunday Edition: Mik Dogherty and Paul Harrison

PHOTOSNACK #307

Every Sunday, I contact photographers previously featured on PHOTOSNACK and ask them to send me their spontaneous thoughts, observations, reflections, or advice.

Today, I am sharing the messages I got from Mik Dogherty and Paul Harrison.

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Mik Dogherty

The New Forest National Park in the UK is a beautiful area of heathland, woodland, and even a small area of coast, which I have called home for most of my life. Despite this, my photography has taken me all over the UK to photograph many different landscapes, seascapes, etc, often bypassing the National Park on my doorstep.

Because of the inability to travel, Covid changed everything, and I would use the New Forest as my area to exercise, taking photographs as I went. I soon became addicted to the complexity of woodland photography and now I can't resist the time spent wandering through the many areas of woodland, known in the 'Forest' as enclosures, forever trying to capture the best the area has to offer throughout the seasons.

Woodland photography can be a complicated subject to get to grips with, but with practice and patience, you can perhaps "see the wood for the trees," as the saying goes.

I recently did a workshop with Simon Baxter, and one of the many things he taught me was to take a view you are attracted to, take a little time, and then ask what it is about this that caught my eye. Is it the shape of the tree(s), is it the light, is it the atmosphere, etc.? Then, use this to master your composition. This is something I now use all the time, and it works. Maybe it can work for you, too.

Mik Dogherty was featured in PHOTOSNACK #239.

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Paul Harrison

It's said that in street photography there are no rules. That's not true. There is one... only when you've spent countless times trudging around getting nothing, and it's definitely time to go home or back to work will 'The Thing' happen. It's never when you're freshly full of hope and expectation, skipping out of the tube station at the start of your time shooting.

Ladies with Red Hats is a classic example. I was in the National Gallery here in London on my lunch break, and I was done. Tired and late back to my nearby office job, I was ready to get out of there. One room before the exit, I saw one of the ladies. And then another. And another, which meant I would be back to my job even later.

Here's how it works. As fast as you can, get an idea of how quickly the subjects are moving through the gallery and their likely direction. Get ahead of the subjects by searching their next likely room or rooms for artwork with a match, and then head back to the room they are in and hang out while checking out a couple of artworks behind them. Then, if the stars are aligned, you'll be in the right place to take the photo when everything comes together.

I fail 99% of the time, which is the pleasure and the pain of street photography.

Paul Harrison was featured in PHOTOSNACK #266.

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Sunday Editions connect you with photographers whose work you previously explored through PHOTOSNACK.

I want to reveal some authentic parts of the people behind the cameras.

I don't ask them any specific questions. I ask them to share whatever comes to mind when they think about YOU, the newsletter readers.

It makes their responses genuine and personal.

I hope you enjoyed today's Sunday Edition.

Until next time,
Tomasz