Introduction

Welcome to my corner of the web! I am Miserere, and I will be your host, guide and companion during our quest for photographic enlightenment.

If you’ve found this spot, it’s because you want to learn how to take better photographs. You are not alone in this endeavour and, if I may say so, you’ve come to the right place.

I don’t claim to have all the answers; indeed, I’m not even sure that anyone has all the answers. As famed 20th century photographer, Robert Doisneau, once commented, If I knew how to take a good photograph, I’d do it every time.

Robert Doisneau – Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville
(He definitely knew how to do it this time!)

However, I am committed to tracking down as many answers as possible…and sharing them on this site with all of you. I am also hoping that you, dear reader, will help me/us with your comments, letting us all know about your techniques, your little tricks, your photographic superstitions, etc. I hope this site will enable all of us to become better photographers.

I make no distinction between film or digital photography; how you entice your light is entirely up to you. There is no wrong or right, there is just a good photograph…or a bad one. I crave the final product, the recorded light: the image! The medium is just a necessary evil in the process of freezing photons in time.

“I make no distinction between film or digital photography; how you entice your light is entirely up to you.”

I know I will be walking most of this road alone, and I’m happy with that. This blog is as much about sharing as it is about me ordering what I know and learn, and creating some sort of “roadmap” where I can direct people to when I’m asked “how can I take a good/better photo, Mis?”.

Along the way I will present the Art of photographers whose work I find interesting, that we may all learn from it. Sometimes they will be famous, and sometimes they will be unknown; photographers whose work I just found floating around cyberspace. I will also be commenting on any piece of photo news that catches my fancy. One thing I will try to stay away from is equipment talk, at least to begin with. It seems most aspiring photographers tend to obsess over the camera or lenses they have (or don’t have) and forget the basics, the method, the Art. I’ve been guilty of this myself and it’s part of the reason why I started this site. I also have many other ideas which I will try to implement as time and resources permit.

Thus the journey begins…

The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.     –Ansel Adams