I saw an interesting reply to a question posed to Alain de Botton, my favourite philosopher, in the Guardian recently. The question was "Have you ever told a friend you didn't like their book?" He said: "A friend who has written a bad book is no real challenge: the real worry is when friends write masterpieces. I… Read more

I saw an interesting reply to a question posed to Alain de Botton, my favourite philosopher, in the Guardian recently. The question was "Have you ever told a friend you didn't like their book?" He said: "A friend who has written a bad book is no real challenge: the real worry is when friends write masterpieces. It takes great reserves to confess just how inadequate your friend has unwittingly made you feel." Slightly (or 'Mr Esoterik' as I should probably call him) is just that sort of person. In the short time I've known him via Flickr, he's been supportive of my own efforts, while being supremely modest when it comes to his shots. His Flickr profile lays claim to his being an amateur who hasn't settled upon any particular style, when in fact his technique and approach is far superior to the majority of shots I've seen from working professionals. When I see a new shot appear in Ben's photostream, it's normally accompanied by an exasperated sigh - yet another shot that makes me feel like packing up my cameras and trudging off, mumbling rude words under my breath. So yes, my testimonial is my admission that I feel entirely inadequate, but I see your shots and they push me to shoot and also interact outside of my comfort zone. Thank you for making me want to be a better photographer.