Secret Diary of a Seasoned Snapper
South Devon Football League action from Coach Road. As a club photographer, make sure you contact the venue in advance for permission to take pictures. © Al Macphee/MiraclePR Protecting your equipment – and yourself! Let’s start with something that a new club photographer might not think about: keeping their equipment safe. It’s not just a … Read more
Donut Duathlon. All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR Over my time in the photography business, I have collected a fair few contacts: from newspaper editors and radio DJs to community leaders and event organisers. Ever so often, the opportunity arises to ‘rally the troops’ for the benefit of a good cause. With Children In Need coming up … Read more
Photography on a budget: Lioness captured on a 4 megapixel Canon EOS-1D (current used price £75). © Al Macphee/MiraclePR This week’s blog is about the various ways you can save money when getting started as a photographer. I was on a Facebook photography forum the other day and there was a post where someone was … Read more
FA Vase: All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR The FA Vase challenge Working with the local press in the 21st Century is very different to how it used to be. Things have changed a lot even in the last ten years. Many local newspapers now come under the umbrella of large commercial publishers and editors have responsibility … Read more
What is aperture in photography? All pictures ©Al Macphee/MiraclePR To answer the question, ‘What is aperture in photography?’, you first need to know what your focal plane is. Take your focus point and extend it in a line to either side (not in front or behind). This is your focal plane. Your aperture setting affects … Read more
South Devon Football League photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR The South Devon football 6 team challenge In a recent radio interview with David Hammond for Riviera FM‘s Sports Roundup, I mentioned how setting yourself a challenge can help keep things fresh for a sports photographer. Since Neil (press officer) and I hadn’t covered any South Devon Football … Read more
Dawlish Warren Triathlon: All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR I had been up until gone 11 following a wedding shoot. My breakfast consisted of a sandwich in the car. So spending three hours trying to get my head around the dreaded Dawlish Triathlon (aka the Dawlish Warren Triathlon) roundabout was not a thrilling prospect. Let me try … Read more
How to take photographs in the rain. All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR This week I covered the Sportiva Lands End 100 and the forecast for the event was 95% chance of heavy rain. In Cornwall, with the weather coming in from the Atlantic, you can expect wet weather in Autumn. Because my brief was to shoot … Read more
Tips for photographing people. All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR Diplomacy works when photographing people If you can talk to people as human beings, on their wavelength, you will be able to get on with anybody. I learned that from my brother. He was a sales rep covering Scotland and part of the north of England. He … Read more
Dance photography. All photographs © Al Macphee/MiraclePR A dance photography case study featuring Dance Dynamix The Background Josh Brown’s Dance Dynamix classes have got several unique aspects to them. One, he shows that he really enjoys it; he’s not just like the glamorous person doing the aerobics class, he’s up there and he enjoys it. Second, … Read more