"Luminosity encodes form and space." - John Paul Caponigro

The art of photography is not mechanical reproduction. By this I mean to say that my motivation is not to copy reality, but to place what my eye sees within the context of a frame. To create a picture, and if it has a story to tell, all the better for it.

Most of my work is the opposite of minimalism in that every element in the frame is meant to be there. I do not believe pictures take themselves, they are made. Of course how they are interpreted by the viewer is another matter. That's why I expect people will take a little time in looking at my photographs. It's the way I work. I do not try to photograph things, but rather the relationship between all the elements in the frame to tell a story.

I am strongly motivated by Henri Cartier-Bresson's dictum: "It is all about the geometry." So expect to find plenty of lines (especially diagonals) and shapes between the elements in each composition. I am more interested in posting photographs that tell a story, rather than technically perfect photographs. So you won't see as many landscapes or sunsets as I might have photographed in the past - they almost take themselves with the quality of cameras these days. The technical skills required in digital photography are relatively simple to master, so then the mastery of photography must be about something else: Composition and choice of subject.

I like to shoot in series. Sometimes these series will extend over several days and I try to set out my page in such a way as an art curator might. The WHOLE is greater than the individual parts. That's the way my mind works. We may live in a random world, but I try to order it. I also encourage comment and discussion about my photos and the descriptions I write. Sometimes I will wax on about my interests in philosophy, history, poetry, art and spirituality. This is designed to stimulate thought and discussion for viewers who would like to participate - you are most welcome to.

I hope that you will find this a place to stimulate all your mind, but if you want to just look at the pictures, that's okay too. Two things you will learn about me: (i) I will always speak my mind, and (ii) I refuse to be bound by genre or style. I wish to take as many photographs as I can in different settings and facing new photographic challenges. Finding a composition that makes sense in the midst of the mundane is far more satisfying to me that the most beautiful sunset. For that Nature rightly gets the credit. But the true photographer wants to be a creator too.

* Please enlarge all my photos (double click) as you will then get the most detail out of each shot.

*** A SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION ***

Hello. I live in Tasmania, Australia.

I got my beginnings in photography as a boy growing up in Papua New Guinea. A family friend introduced me to the alchemical wonders of contact printing in a makeshift darkroom in our bathroom. At that stage I took rolls of black and white on an old Box Brownie camera. In my teens I graduated to a Minolta SLR and shot Kodachrome slides. Over the years my interest in pure photography declined. I still took plenty of snaps and travel photos, but photography was not a major part of my life.

Now, nearing retirement, I have taken up the art again. My interest in art and art history will be evident in my descriptions, but also in my compositions. Photography is an expression of my artistic interests. My purchase of a Nikon D850 DSLR has been just the tonic to stimulate my photographic interests once again. This is truly an extraordinary camera. I have also had my trusty little Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40 converted for Infra Red. I enjoy sharing some of these shots with you as well. My other camera for handy street work is the Leica D-Lux 7. I can honestly say that since buying this little camera it has improved my photographic eye immensely. Just having a camera so handy is the main reason for this. Every scene is a potential picture now, with a little less formality than the big D850 demands.

This Blog is somewhat experimental. I will post photographs where I am trying out new techniques, and I will try where possible to make some technical notes. I hope some of you will find these interesting and informative. You will also see me reproducing old photographic techniques as well, such as cyanotypes. www.flickr.com/photos/luminosity7/51557266288/in/album-72...

Inspired by Eric Renner, the marvellous book "The Poetics of Light", and YouTuber Joe Van Cleave, I am searching for a more pure (pre-digital) expression of photography that reminds me of my childhood photographic experience. I own a beautiful handmade Ranica Pramien 4x5" large format pinhole camera (made in Ukraine). I will experiment primarily with 4x5" large format, and want to try various kinds of negatives (monochrome and colour), Harman Direct Positive paper, and alternative methods, including salt prints and cyanotypes.

FILM

Recently I have taken a serious interest in film photography. I own a Nikon F90X film camera (1994) and a Minolta SRT Super (1973). My interest in vintage cameras has led to the purchase of a Leica IIF "Barnack Rangefinder" (1952), and a Rolleiflex 3.5B (1954).

I find it stimulating to feel a part of the ongoing stream of the history of photography from the earliest period (cyanotypes and pinhole cameras to the digital era). The wonderful thing about photography is that we are always learning!

Happy shooting to you all, John.

****** PUBLICATIONS ******

My photograph "Trip the Light Fantastic 1" has just been published in Issue 393 of the UK Magazine Photography Week. It is one of four photographs in "Gallery Exposure: The Week's Most Inspiring Reader Photos". www.flickr.com/photos/183221334@N02/49629379802/ ***

****** NEWS ****************************************************************************************

(1) My photograph "White Picket Fence" was published in Issue 441 of the UK Magazine Photography Week. It is one of four photographs in "Gallery Xposure: The Week's Most Inspiring Reader Photos". www.flickr.com/photos/183221334@N02/50951241431/in/pool-p...

(2) My photograph "The Light on the Hill" was published in Issue 445 of the UK Magazine Photography Week. It is one of four photographs in "Gallery Xposure: The Week's Most Inspiring Reader Photos".

(3) The Glover Prize has used my photographs to promote Australia's greatest landscape art award. www.johnglover.com.au/

(4) My photograph "Light Source" was published in Issue 518 of Photography Week.

(5) Two of my photographs were published in the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania (RACT) magazine, Journeys.

(6) My photograph "Cabin" from the Spirit of Tasmania was published in the second book of the series, Accidentally Wes Anderson Adventures (Little Brown, 2024).

(7) My photograph "Rainbow in the South Tasman Sea" was published in Issue 621 of Photography Week.

********************************************************************************************************