It’s 5 A.M and cold in Melbourne. I’m wide-awake, drinking my first espresso of the day, and I suddenly feel like I should be doing something else. I’m going through photos from yesterday’s shoot. Sure, it’s productive, but maybe a different approach, a different angle, that might bring in more clients.

It’s a thought that’s not uncommon among photographers and creative types. Sometimes you feel like you’re targeting the wrong audience with your work. Perhaps your work only speaks to a tiny fraction of people on this planet, and if you could just widen that slice, the business would boom. I often wonder if my photography is too niche, too specific for the mass market. Maybe I should photograph something different today…

And then I sit back, take another sip, and say to hell with that! The feeling of doubt and uncertainty is never any fun, but do you want to know…

All sports photographers have only one goal – to capture a moment that would last a lifetime, a photo that transcends a message to the people who will be looking at it. Sports photography has become the face of the reality of sports. It has been the mirror of many victories and success, as well as the agony of failures and defeats. With all the moments, there is an eye that sees what others cannot. As every great person starts in a humble beginning, same goes with Bob Martin.

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If you’re eye have been caught by the new Matt Damon – Morgan Freeman movie, Invictus, about South Africa’s emergence from apartheid, you should also check out this photographic exhibition about the country.

Brisbane Powerhouse from April 8 to May 10 with a collection spanning 50 years of South African history.

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Forty-three photographers have had their work selected for the exhibition highlighting the entrants to the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2010. The annual event held at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra will run from 4 March – 2 May 2010.

Advertising photography specialist Chris Budgeon from Victoria will feature at the event. His work has appeared in commercial shoots for HBA Health Insurance, Energy Australia, Carlton Draught’s “Because You’re Worth It” series, Cougar Dark Rum, Shell, Schweppes and Bendon Sport.

(c) Chris Budgeon

(c) Chris Budgeon

Robin Sellick is a celebrity photographer who is already exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery and will be exhibited again this year at the pending exhibition. Sellick has shot music, TV, sport, business and political personalities in Australia for the past 10 years. Some of his more well known work includes images of Rove McManus vaulting into a pool and sexy images of Cate Blanchett (see below)…

The National Portrait Gallery will showcase the winners of the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2010 from 4 March – 2 May 2010 in Canberra. The annual event promotes contemporary photographic portraiture and the Gallery offers $25,000 for the most outstanding entry.

The exhibition will tour to Victoria and New South Wales to the following galleries:
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery      12 May – 27 June
Bathurst Regional Art Gallery                         27 August – 10 October
Wagga Wagga Art Gallery                               5 November – 16 January 2011
Mosman Art Gallery                                          5 February 2011 – 20 March 2011

Some of the photographs currently in the National Portrait Gallery include these icons of Australian television and cinema.

Image of Bert Newton by Robin Sellick, one of the 43 photographers to be featured in the pending exhibition.

Image of Baz Luhrmann by Ingvar Kenne

Reuters has put together a fabulous slideshow highlighting the best pictures of 2009.

Images in the slideshow feature some of the biggest news stories of the year such as the H1N1 flu, global warming, the election of American President Barack Obama, Australia’s bushfires in Victoria and the memorial for pop star Michael Jackson.

Reuters has photographers based around the corners of the world covering news events and stringing for the agency. Many share insights into their working life via a blog. On the blog photographers talk about the horrors of photographing the devastation wreaked by the Asian tsunami, how to shoot the British Premier League in snow and some of the unusual topics they’ve covered.

A child receiving a vaccine for H1N1 at a Sichuan hospital in China. REUTERS/Stringer

A fan waiting to enter the Apollo Theater for the memorial to Michael Jackson. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

In this final series of VIEW: videos, I detail who inspired me from the first picture through to today’s exceptional photographers, which include Chase Jarvis and Dustin Snipes.

Inspiration is by its very nature can arrive at any moment. I remember a blog post or video from Chase that he mentions that he sometimes wakes up during the night with some immediate thoughts that he just has to write down. If I recall, he even talks about having a notepad beside his bed. I’m not sure if that will ever happen with me, because when I’m asleep, I’m really asleep.

But this video isn’t about how to do it or when, but the people that I have looked up to during the weeks and months and even years of doing this fun filled work I do called photography.

The Queensland Festival of Photography is a month long event in April 2010 that will showcase the talent of photographers across Queensland in more than 25 participating venues. From Cairns to Toowoomba art galleries, exhibition halls, press clubs, libraries and museums will take part in the event with anything from documentary and photojournalism to art and voyeuristic work.

Features include:

Pineapple Press Club
14 Lavinia Street, Southport
16 – 24 April 2010
Featuring a collection of images from exemplary Australian photojournalists.

The University of Queensland Art Museum
University Drive, The University of Queensland, St Lucia
29 January to 11 April
“The state we’re in: Contemporary Queensland Photography“

Logan Art Gallery
Corner of Wembley Road and Jacaranda Ave, Logan Central
Wednesday 21 April – Saturday 22 May 2010
“Seventh CCP Documentary Photography Award“
A biennial showcase of documentary photography. Exhibits…

Need some inspirational locations where you can shoot this year? Consider stocking up on Lonely Planet‘s “Best in Travel” to find journeys you can follow, destinations to consider and various travel trends to expect.

The book utilises the incredible travel knowledge of Lonely Planet’s staff and authors and lists the top 10 countries, regions and cities to visit. The November 2009 release is the fifth annual publication in this series. A handy resource for travel writers and photographers.

We ought to acknowledge how powerful photography can be. It can move people in different ways. Like the words of a poem or a song, images can have a great impact on people. Indeed, photographers are a talented lot who have a great deal to offer.

Even more, just as photography can be a tool for generating earnings, it can also be an instrument for giving back to the community. Photographers are in a unique position to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Christina Dickson lists five ways to reach the community. Christina is a gifted wedding photographer who takes time out of her busy schedule to inspire people in her own personal way. She shares some advice on how we can inspire people in our own personal way too. Her five suggested ways to reach the community are:

1. Host an art fundraiser

Sponsor an art fundraiser by bringing together artists who may be willing to donate a few…