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…

In this last installment of our four part series on Neil Leifer, we will look at Neil’s legacy in his five decades as a sports photographer. Neil does not engage in sports photography anymore these days. He now spends his time directing and producing films. The only photographs that he takes these days are those of his family. But Neil’s place in the history of sports photography is secure. Nothing can detract from his achievements in a field that considers him as one of the best ever.

We consider Neil’s legacy to be the honest inside look that he has given us into the lives of our finest athletes in the past five decades. Our athletes have showcased humanity’s indomitable spirit. Our athletes’ triumphs have been our triumphs. What is it that our athletes are thinking? What are the stirrings inside them? What drives them to push themselves beyond barriers to reach new heights? Neil’s sports photography helps…

In this second installment of our four part series on Neil Leifer, we will explore the factors that have contributed to Neil’s success as a photographer. It is hardly ever just one thing. It is almost always a combination of things. The rules are hardly ever hard and fast. We can only try our best to capture as much of the reason for Neil’s success as we can. If we had to sum it all up in two things, it could very well be these two:

1. Being at the right place at the right time.

We know it only too well. Timing is everything for a sports photographer. It is the stuff of which great sports photography is made. Timing is something that Neil had going for him all those decades. Neil had to be at the perfect place to take his photograph. He had to be there at the perfect time. There and then, he had to be ready…

In this last installment of our four part series on abstract photography, we will examine a technique in abstract photography called ‘delaying recognition.’ To help us understand this technique, we will consider the ideas of Canadian abstract photographer Mark Raymond Mason. Mark likes taking photographs of abstract scenes from nature and out of the way urban areas. Working abstractly instead of linearly, Mark’s goal in his abstract photography is to delay the recognition of his subject. What this means is that Mark gives the viewer time to become acquainted with the subject of the photograph without hurrying the viewer in anyway.

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If you want to celebrate your great travel images, consider entry into Intrepid’s annual Travel Photography Competition.

Intrepid, Lonely Planet Images and Kathmandu have announced their annual competition yet again in 2010 with entries closing on 30 June. The competition is open to anyone, both pro and amateur, to submit photos that embody the travelling spirit. Categories include real life experiences, landscapes, icons and families. Winners receive prizes such as Kathmandu Travel Gear vouchers, Lonely Planet titles and Intrepid tours.

Previous winners include David Lazar’s prayer image in Egypt and Sudip Roychoudhury’s photograph of women washing in India.

The age of digital photography is upon us. Whatever critics might have to say about digital photography, it no longer seems possible to turn back the hands of time. Rob Sheppard and Bob Martin point out the benefits of digital photography as they give these digital photography tips:

1. Shoot it right from the start. Do not rely on the help that you might be able to get from a computer later. The photography starts from the very first moment when you take the shot.

2. The basics: Avoid the shake. Keep it steady.

3. Exposure: Use the simple exposure override facility that enables you to overexpose or underexpose your picture. If the subject is predominantly dark, try to overexpose your picture. If the subject is predominantly light, try to underexpose your picture. Take test pictures and use your histogram to adjust your exposure compensation. Keep in mind that the LCD screen is not always spot on. Know that you can just delete…

Meet Nick Koudis. He is not your everyday photographer. What you see as big, he sees as small. What you see as small, he sees as big. He is famous for his unconventional way of capturing the world on camera. Test the limits of your imagination with his photography. Through his lens, the world is simply surreal.

The photograph below is typical of Nick’s photography.  He calls it “I love a sexy cup.” Examine the photograph closely to appreciate Nick’s sense of humor. More samples of Nick’s photography are in his portfolio. Looking at any of Nick’s photographs is like playing a game in which you guess the answer to the question, ‘What is wrong with this picture?’

The world is Nick’s playground. His images know no barriers. Poke fun at life with Nick’s photography.

From Koudis.