Secret Diary of a Seasoned Snapper
Al Macphee 
I can’t stress enough the importance of an organised photo filing system. It’s best to file properly from day one. Start the way you mean to go on. Otherwise, it’s like trying to process a year’s worth of receipts for your tax return in one go. Filing properly means using the name of events and … Read more
How to take professional headshots. All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR The basic brief for a headshot is to get something that will show your client in a good light, and will get them some attention. However, every client will need something different. Clarifying the brief Before anything else, you’ve got to talk to your clients and … Read more
Documentary photography: All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR Documentary photography is capturing the atmosphere using fly-on-the-wall photography. It covers anything that moves naturally and is related to the subject you want to record. Documentary photography at weddings and sports events I work with the documentary photography style at weddings. I sit down in a corner where I … Read more
Read Photography Copyright: Q&A Part One for advice on photograph copyright ownership, copyright labeling and how to protect your images. Please bookmark this blog or, even better, sign up to my mailing list to stay connected. How do you add a watermark to photos? Whatever software you use will do it. You can use Lightroom … Read more
How to learn photography the smart way. Mark approached me wanting to learn how to take photographs of his dog, similar to the one I took above. ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR If you want to know how to learn photography without wasting money, you need to find courses that fit your photography goals. My bespoke courses tick … Read more
Who owns photography copyright? Photography copyright can be a minefield, but to put it in a nutshell, it depends on the contract you have with the client. If you have no contract with the client, then you, the photographer, own the copyright. If you have a contract with an employer, for example if you are … Read more
With the so-called Exposure Triangle, you’ve got a triangle with shutter speed, ISO and aperture at each corner. ISO and sensitivity to light Your ISO is basically how sensitive your sensor is to light. If you set your ISO to a really low value, say 50, you will need to be taking pictures in really … Read more
How to photograph horses jumping. All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR General tips on how to photograph horses jumping It’s mainly about timing so that you catch the perfect shot of the hoofs up over the fence. If you get the horse just as it takes off with the fence looking nice and high then you’re well … Read more
Theatre pictures. All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR It’s panto season, so this week was all about covering Cinderella, a New Pantomime Productions show featuring: Jeremy Edwards (from Hollyoaks) as Dandini Carl Johns as Buttons Shakira Rattray as Cinderella Paula Tappenden as The Baroness Paul Lawrence-Thomas as Claudia (Ugly Sister) Nathan Kiley as Tess (Ugly Sister) Jordan … Read more
How long is a working day? All photographs ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR How long is a working day for a pro photographer? If somebody rings you up and asks you how much you charge for a day’s work, don’t automatically base your answer on an eight hour day. Your next question should be, “How long is a … Read more