The BookPosted by Colin Bell Thu, July 03, 2008 12:11:45The CreativePhotoBook.co.uk website is a completely free online book and we intend to keep it free. However it does cost us to host the site and to keep the .co.uk domain name. Therefore we decided to implement a voluntary donations scheme. If people find the site useful and they enjoy reading it, we hope that some people might feel it is worth donating a small amount (say the cost of a monthly photography magazine).
We have therefore implemented a PayPal donation system and anyone providing donations will be listed (unless you specify otherwise) on our "Friends" page.
For us (Colin and Phil, the authors), the best thing about getting a donation is knowing that the site is deemed good enough for someone to feel it is worth contributing and just knowing that is reward to us for the effort we put into writing the content and maintaining the site.
Whether you donate or not though, please enjoy the site and we hope you get something out of it. And remember we are always happy to receive feedback and or ideas for new articles.
Colin
FeedbackPosted by Colin Bell Tue, March 18, 2008 20:12:28If you have any comments on the Creative Photography website, please either send us an e-mail (feedback@creativephotobook.co.uk) or post a comment below (just click on 'comments' directly under this text).
Although there is not much content yet, we are trying to add a little bit more each day. We want the site to evolve and so comments on anything which is on there, or even ideas for improving the site, specific articles on photography etc. are all welcome.
Cheers,
Colin and Phil
Being CreativePosted by Phil Thomas Mon, March 17, 2008 17:24:34"It's not the camera it's the photographer", you'll notice quotes saying something along these lines on our new site but what does this really mean? It's a phrase that crops up a lot when people are discussing camera gear, someone will say that such and such a lens is useless and another will say that it doesn't matter because "it's not the camera, it's the photographer". Perhaps it's just an old cliché that people trot out to defend their poor quality equipment or perhaps it's a piece of Zen-like wisdom to explain that creativity does not exist in a soulless machine...
For me it's not quite either of those things, you can't take photographs without a camera and a photographer is a fairly useful part of the setup too! What this phrase means to me is that you won't go from taking terrible photos to taking great ones by buying the best camera available. The camera is a tool and like all tools you need to know how to use it, but better tools can lead to better results in the right hands.
You don't become a great carpenter by buying a top quality saw and you don't become a great photographer by buying a professional camera. However, a good carpenter will find that a good saw will last longer, make smoother cuts and probably cut quicker*; a good photographer will be able to shoot faster, get sharper, less noisy pictures and so on with a good camera.
A good photographer will be able to get some good results from an average point and shoot however (s)he will be capable of recognising the restrictions of the camera and know what tool suits what purpose.
So, when we say that it's not the camera it's the photographer we are not saying that professionals are wasting their money when they spend thousands on lenses and cameras to shoot sports events, the tool suits the purpose. We are saying that you won't buy yourself skills by buying a better camera, if you aren't getting good results it could just be that you need to work on your composition or knowledge of setting exposure. Buy the better camera when you have the skills, not to get the skills.
If you are considering buying your first "good" camera and want to get really into photography you may be disappointed by the results you get having spent thousands on your EOS 5D or Nikon D300*, you may even go to a web forum and post about how your new camera is worse than your old point and shoot and how it must be faulty. If you do that, don't be too surprised when people tell you that "it's not the camera, it's the photographer ;-)
*I know nothing about carpentry but its just an analogy...
*If you have the money to spend on one of those as your first DSLR I'm a bit envious! Go for it but do it aware of the fact that you still need to be able to use it - it won't create great photos on its own. :)
The BookPosted by Phil Thomas Sun, March 16, 2008 11:25:55You'll now find that
www.creativephotobook.co.uk is up and running. Colin did some great work on this yesterday (thanks Colin!) and it's starting to come together nicely. There's not a huge amount there at the moment but keep an eye on it to see some more content soon.
The BookPosted by Colin Bell Fri, March 14, 2008 18:00:06Hey ... the very first posting to the Creative Photography blog. Nothing exciting here yet or on the associated web site (www.creativephotobook.co.uk), but we are hoping to start getting some useful and interesting information up soon. If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see (preferably photography related), then e-mail us at feedback@creativephotobook.co.uk
By the way, do you like the banner at the top of this page? It incorporates two photos (one by each of the books authors - the Candles by Colin and the Glass by Phil.
Please check back soon.
Colin
