79
B+WAll images © Tim Clinch
WHAT TIMDID THIS
MONTH
Been to Finland for the
first time. And it was lovely!
I was there doing a workshop
with my new chum, Mari
Moilanen, a talented Finnish food
photographer (jotainmaukasta.
fi), and we had a blast! So much
so that we’re planning three more
next year. Helsinki is a delightful
city. It’s small, compact and
beautiful and has three things
that, to my mind, make any
city great: bicycles, trams and
ferries. It’s also full of fabulous
photo-opportunities and I can
heartily recommend a visit.
Annoying things? The language is
impossibly difficult (but everyone
speaks English), it’s quite
expensive (but do what
I did and use the wonderful
Airbnb) and the people are all
really good looking and fit
(which made me feel old).The pictures this month are
all taken on the tiny island of
Suomenlinnan, a 15-minute
ferry ride from the centre of
Helsinki where Mari and I
had a memorable lunch in the
island’s brewery. Afterwards we
wandered around and I came over
all Paul Strand, photographing
the peeling paintwork and doors
of the cute little yellow and red
huts the island is full of (featured
here), which brings me on to...This month’s photographer to
look at is Paul Strand. He was
an American photographer and
filmmaker who, along with fellow
photographers like Alfred Stieglitz
and Edward Weston, helped
establish photography as an
art form in the 20th century. He
worked over six decades and the
vast scope of his work is amazing
and well worth some of your
time. And if you can get to see his
remarkable 1921 film Manhatta,
you will be in for a treat. It’s only
10 minutes long and exquisite.4 Q How many megapixels
does your camera have?
A Oh good grief. Are you
serious? How many cells
does your brain have?
5 Q I really love your work.
What kind of camera do
you use?
A It really doesn’t matter. I have
pictures on my website shot on
all sorts of cameras from high-
end DSLRs to large format film
cameras to iPhone. I never put
technical details on my pictures
because it affects the way you
look at and perceive them and,
quite frankly, I don’t want to
give you ammunition.S
o, wonderful and useful
as it obviously is, don’t
spend too much time on
the internet. You’ll end
up chasing your tail. And don’t
spend any more time reading
lists. As I’ve proved above, they’re
all froth and nonsense. Get out
there and DO! Go somewhere,
do something, take pictures.
Concentrate on your eye and on
your vision. Spend more time
looking and less time snapping.
The important bit must be what
is on the other end of your lens.
What’s in front of you and your
camera. Not what type/focal
length/make of equipment it is.
Remember: a good
photographer with a bad camera
will always take better pictures
than a bad photographer with
a good camera.budget for photography. Can I
use them if I give you a credit?
A (polite version) No. A (grumpy
version) I have been making
my living as a professional
photographer for 40 years. The
words Photography by Tim
Clinch, while being nice, do not
pay the bills. Would you walk into
a restaurant and ask the chef if
you could have a free meal if you
tell your friends how nice it was
afterwards? No. Exactly...3 Q Can you fix this
in Photoshop?
A Yes, it can probably be fixed in
Photoshop. Most things can. Will
I fix it in Photoshop for you? No.
You have not agreed a budget
for retouching and I am not a
retoucher. If you really want that
blue sofa to be red you should
either have thought about it in the
first place or you will have to pay
for a clever Photoshop person to
do it for you.78-79_FORTNIGHT_180 ER/MB.indd 7978-79_FORTNIGHT_180 ER/MB.indd 79 09/07/2015 11:3009/07/2015 11:30