PhotoActive Blog about the photography courses and workshops in Shropshire with Philip Dunn
cloth caps and poultry at a poultry show
I've always enjoyed photographing shows and exhibitions. It's not just the wonderful array of interesting things to look at that makes me want to take pictures - I get a buzz from photographing the exhibitors and enthusiasts themselves. If fact they are often the most interesting subjects of all. It's not just the poultry exhibits that are worth photographing at a poultry show - what about all those wonderful characters - the visitors and exhibitors. Photograph by Philip Dunn The list of shows and exhibitions to photograph would seem endless - there's something to capture…
Long exposures during night photography
When you take a very long exposure during a session of night photography, maybe 20 seconds or more, why does the camera take so long to process the image? This question came up during my latest Night Photography Workshop. The answer involves your camera's 'Long Exposure Noise Reduction' process. Long exposures can be both necessary and creative for night photography, but the camera processing time for each image can often take as long as the time exposure itself. Photograph by Philip Dunn Hot pixels Well, it's all about 'hot pixels', and how your camera deals…
The Philip Dunn Collection Now you can buy beautiful art prints online. The Philip Dunn Collection has evocative and exciting images covering everything from hard news to street photography, and landscapes to abstract images. The Mary Evans Picture Library has hosted this body of work since early 2019. The library has now arranged for the collection to be made available for high quality art prints online. Black and white or colour photography This means you can now browse and search though a catalogue of over 1400 black and white and colour images. You are sure…
Morning light in Fethiye, Turkey
The best photographers in the world understand the value of using morning light - and how to get the most from it. Landscape photography at dawn In fact, those top photographers are often in position well before dawn. Landscape photographers - and indeed townscape photographers - are there bright and early so that they can capture the wonderful colours of dawn and pre-dawn. Berwick-on-Tweed - spotlighted by the rays of early morning light just after sunrise. Photograph by Philip Dunn Early morning light for Street Photography For the street photographer, working very early in the…
Venice 2013
So which is best - monochrome or colour? And can you simply desaturate a colour image to produce a wonderful black and white picture? When I spotted this woman in the streets of Venice, I knew the picture had to be in monochrome. It would never work properly in colour. The child's brightly-coloured hat and trousers pulled the eye right away from the main subject. Photograph by Philip Dunn Well, as a photographer who served an apprenticeship on local newspapers when glass plate cameras were the norm, I have a deep affection for monochrome, or…
It's been a busy time for me with lots of one-to-one photography tuition, and last week I did an Evening Photography Walk in the beautiful old town of Ludlow. A gentle form of photography tuition Six photographers on a Photography Walk in Ludlow, Shropshire. Photograph by Philip Dunn I take only six photographers on the photography walks and they are almost always over-subscribed, which is a great compliment. Certainly, judging by the number of repeat bookings and the responses I get, all the photographers seem to enjoy this gentle and enjoyable form of photography tuition.…
The London-based Mary Evans Picture Library is to give a permanent home to The Philip Dunn Collection.
I’ve finally taken the big step – traded in my old DSLR Nikons and bought a new camera. Well, it’s an almost new Fuji X-Pro 2. The Nikons were getting less and less use, and my super little Fuji X-Pro 1 had become my camera of choice. I was one of the first photographers to buy into this Fuji system when the X-Pro 1 was launched a few years ago. It suited me perfectly. Having carried a heavy bag full of camera gear for most of my working life, this high quality little mirrorless camera…
Photographing older people can be a joy for many reasons. To start with, a lived-in face is usually more interesting than that of a callow youth. Also, older people are usually more generous with their time. So here are some tips of photographing older people. I life story in every portrait It’s said that a person has the face he deserves by the age of forty. Maybe these days sixty would be more appropriate. Certainly as far as photography is concerned, the older a person gets the more of their life story will be…
With shooting modes, apertures, ISO settings, shutter speeds and white balance, it's not surprising novice photographers get confused - even before they point the camera. So what's the first thing to set on your camera before you go out and take pictures? Which camera setting to set first? I teach a great many novice photographers. Without exception they all get confused by the sheer number of settings on their camera. Nearly all ask the same question - which should I set first? The Aperture or the Shutter Speed? ISO settings Well, before you set either of…
