pmorgan's photostream  

Thanks for coming by ...

My photos have been used in many different ways. These include illustrating: concepts in an Argentinian math textbook; fiction in a Canadian literary magazine; UNESCO reports on technology in basic education; publisher Thames and Hudson's books on China; travel websites; personal blogs; more than 50 articles on Wikipedia; a Hong Kong noodle shop's walls; and the flickr homepage. Please contact me if you are interested in using my photos.

Also a select number of photographs are available as limited edition, archival quality prints.

“The best pictures, for me, are those which go straight into the heart and blood, and take some time to reach the brain." - David Hurn and Bill Jay, On Being a Photographer (recommended by down by Missipippi and down and out in Niagara Falls photographer and blogger Alex Soth)

”I think music and art are part of the same thing: It's rhythm, light, air, movement, focus ... and more focus." - Lou Reed (quoted in American Photo)

“I would compare the meditative process of photography with the act of writing poetry." - Patti Smith (quoted in American Photo)

I am enjoying understanding perceptions of how photography can be organized. Geoff Dyer's relaxed, insightful The Ongoing Moment got me started on this trail. The Guardian said about his book that a 'careful reading is rewarded with intriguing observations; on the significance of hats and overcoats, and nudes and gas station, of the way that narrative is always assumed, even in an isolated and static image."

Stephen Shore's pricey The Nature of Photographs uses brevity and intriguing photos to discuss The Physical Level, The Depictive Level, and The Mental Level.

And legendary John Szarkowski, in The Photographer's Eye, writes about the five issues: The Thing Itself, The Detail, The Frame, Time, and Vantage Point.

I am interested in:

documentary photographs that show the spirit and state of the world;

outdoor and landscape photography that captures wilderness in a realistic, visually appealing and technically proficient manner, like my friend pbowers does so well;

taking better portraits; and

the inexplicable appeal of the ephemeral photograph, to which others like bombdog do great justice.

I struggle to achieve a semblance of technical competence. I push my boundaries. I'm trying to balance good photographs, with ones that I know have flaws, but which have a strong story. I'm ok with a bit of post-processing but I'd like my photos to come out of the box pretty well ready to go. Wabi-sabi.

And sometimes, a photograph is just cool or fun.

In 2004 I finished a three year stint living in China working on a development project with sites in wilds of rural Xinjiang, Chengdu and forgotten Ningxia. A lot of my recent photographic inspiration stems from this time. I now live in Singapore.

My digital equipment:
Nikon D300 D-SLR (now seeming a wee bit behind the sensor curve)
SB600 flash (delightfully complicated capability to be used wirelessly, off camera),
AF-S Nikkor 17-35 f/2.8 (2nd purchase after 1st was stolen)
AF Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR;
AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 (the start of my prime allegiance)

Retired:
Nikon d70s (battered from my journalistic approach to its care)
Nikon 5700, from whence my first flickr posts came.

But genuinely, mostly, I believe its not the equipment that matters.

In addition to the wonderful chaotic world of flickr, I am partial to the helpful and inspired site lightstalkers.org.

Ancient family photos start here. A recent photo of me is here.

I post a mix of international relations, photography, arts and in transit notes on twitter. I'm only occasionally successful achieving Hemingway-esque observation and brevity.

I have also recently created, in beta form, PeterMorganPhotography.com.

I welcome your comments!