Author Archive
The Dry Season
Written on October 4, 2018
in Creativity and technique

This year’s dry season has felt long – in more ways than one. Here in Zambia it hasn’t rained since April and in Blogland I haven’t posted anything for more than two months. The creative well has felt empty. I was talking to a friend last week, moaning about lack of inspiration.
Saul Leiter – Early Black and White
Written on August 4, 2018
in My inspirations

‘I simply looked at the world, not prepared for anything.’ Saul Leiter (1923-2013) I have mixed feelings about Saul Leiter’s black and white work. Some of it I love, especially the images taken through glass. But I have to admit – reluctantly – that a lot of his black and white photos
The big friendly chicken
Written on July 18, 2018
in Zambia

If you’re visiting Zambia, you’ll probably arrive by air. In a landlocked country there aren’t many practical alternatives. I remember my first visit – collecting my luggage after landing, passing through Customs, the warm welcome. It was September and there’d been no rain for several months. The rainy season used to start
No urinals please
Written on July 7, 2018
in Creativity and technique

Have you hit a creative block? I know the feeling. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been quiet recently. I could make excuses – we flew back to Zambia last week. But really, the excuses don’t hold any water. Inertia set in a while ago and it hasn’t been easy to shake
A Portrait of London
Written on June 19, 2018
in London

Big cities are perfect for street photography. And when I lived in London, a friend would remind me how lucky I was. My problem is that I don’t like confrontation (or even the risk of being confronted). So what are the options? Do the introverts of this world give up, go home
Happy hump day
Written on May 30, 2018
in Photoquotes

‘Cherish your children, for they are the footprints you will leave behind.’ Taylor Evan Fulks
Privacy ‘red tape’
Written on May 28, 2018
in Privacy

Here’s a brief summary of how your personal information is handled by Richard Alton Photoblog: If you’re on our mailing list, your name and email address are shared with Mailchimp, for the sole purpose of letting you know about new articles. Your details will never be passed on to third parties. Finally,
Photo marketing : slow but sure
Written on May 23, 2018
in Photo business

In a world that’s flooded with photographs, getting noticed can be hard work. The point was recently driven home by an article that I read in the UK magazine Black + White Photography. Apparently most visitors to photography websites never venture beyond the homepage, generally moving on within sixty seconds. And Facebook
Figaro the singing dog
Written on May 17, 2018
in Town Dogs

I took this picture in Wanstead, east London, for my Town Dogs project. I’d seen the dog before, but always been too busy to stop. So I made a special trip one Saturday morning and asked for permission to take photos. That way, I felt at liberty to hang around and wait
Taking photos in your own backyard
Written on May 7, 2018
in Creativity and technique

‘Every place is someone’s backyard.’ David Alan Harvey – photographer and mentor They say that travel broadens the mind. And by extension, it’s supposed to be good for your photography. If you don’t believe me, browse through any book of quotations (or clichés). ‘Familiarity breeds contempt’ and ‘Variety is the spice of