<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>It is a sad fact we are probably more familiar with places we have visited on holiday than our own locality. A few years back I sent a letter to a local paper asking for readers' help with a topic I was researching. The editor was intrigued and in turn interviewed me for his paper. When he discovered some of the topics we enjoy searching out he asked if I had taken any shots of an example in a town less than ten miles away and I had to admit I had not.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>With this in mind we have been visiting local towns on Sundays. Why Sundays? Two reasons. In our area parking charges are quite high but many places do not make a charge on a Sunday. More importantly there are less people about and I am far more likely to be able to take the photographs I want without waiting for people to pass. This was something we initially discovered when visiting towns and cities on holidays. Sundays were easier for negotiating unfamiliar streets and strange road layouts, too.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This is proving very useful. I already have enough pictures to support articles on a couple of my favourite topics. Having had a few pieces published by a couple of local magazines I needed new articles to pitch to the editors who are now familiar with my work and I often find the pictures throw up the themes. Admittedly a few places were not open so return visits will be needed but by taking the photos while I could easily do so I have much reduced the time we will need to spend on subsequent visits.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>There has also been another benefit. People seem more relaxed and several have stopped to chat and have passed on local knowledge leading us to make more discoveries we may never have made on our own. All in all this is proving to be an excellent strategy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0cm; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>A recent TV report showed a chap who had been stopped by police for taking a photograph of a Police Station. Apparently he has an American friend interested in police memorabilia and he took the photo for him. Just the one shot, nothing more.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Taking photographs has never been easier now that we have idiot-proof digital cameras that allow almost unlimited images to be taken and stored and shared. However, in many other ways things have never been harder. We have to be sure not to include children in shots. If people are included in pictures we may want to use to illustrate articles some magazines require proof that they have all given consent yet at the same time their guidelines often stipulate the need for scenes to include the human element. Maybe they would be happy with shadows. I tend to opt for back views where possible with people walking away from the camera.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Looking back at some shots I have taken of traditional shop fronts, for example, I discover several are of old jeweller's shops and include customers entering or maybe gazing into the windows. If stopped would I have to prove I wasn't planning something more sinister perhaps. For a long time the National Trust haven't allowed internal photography in their properties. This arose from a massive burglary that took place locally and it was thought photographs taken during visits may have helped the criminals to set things up. Now many other places open to view have adopted the same policy although they do not always make it that clear and I have been caught out a couple of times and have been happy to delete the shots. Visiting the Shakespeare Houses earlier this year, however, people were blatantly ignoring the signs in every room - pictorial signs so no excuse for not being able to read them.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In the past the biggest hazard to taking photographs has been the reaction of people passing by (or worse, driving by) who seem intent on discovering what I have found to photograph. As this could be anything from a plaque on a wall, a milestone or even detail of tiling&nbsp;most look totally mystified. Others walk elaborately around even when the camera is pointed well above their head or rush past bent double to avoid being included in the shots. Of course there are always the ones who offer to pose and seem quite disappointed when they discover my interest is in inanimate objects on the whole.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Do others find photography more or less challenging in the current climate I wonder?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Following on from my earlier post on the restrictions being placed on people with regard to taking photographs I see in today's paper another example. This time a man was stopped by police whilst taking a photograph of a cathedral. The story is covered in an editorial and Sue's points regarding taking photographs in public places was raised.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Please to say our daughter managed to take some lovely shots at a local Christmas event yesterday. If they don't feature her own children the shots are suitably fuzzy so no problems there.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I really think this issue, like political correctness, has begun to seem more like paranoia than common sense.</p>

<p>I have now received a print copy of the magazine containing my article written after our break last June. As usual I had supplied the photographs and I was struck by the relative blandness of one image. The editor had stressed she could only use my work if the images were bright and colourful.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Looking at the page layout I realised this was the only photograph shown in portrait (upright) format and had been used to break up the text in one of the columns. I checked the file of photos I had submitted and the mystery was solved. Of those submitted only three were in portrait rather than landscape mode and this was by far the most interesting of the three.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Checking other photo files on the same subject I found portrait images were largely overlooked yet editors need these to add variety to their layout. In general I use the portrait format more than many photographers as I find it often gives a more interesting feel to the shot but with the tiles topic often I needed to include the widest possible shot to gain the most detail.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Taking a look at other recently published items I noticed another aspect. Editors including close-up pictures like to remove the background altogether from shots. When taking photographs of objects I tend to place them against a bland or single colour background and this makes it easier for the photograph to be manipulated and the background removed from digital shots. This I had done instinctively in trying to avoid the background intruding but clearly there are many more tricks to be learned. Taking photographs for articles is not always simply point and shoot as some would have us believe.</p> <p>(I have made three abortive attempts to add photographs to this post - all low res ones well below 1Mb - but it seems it is not to be.)</p>