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Saturday 22 November 2008

Let the red-eyes have it

James Leith discovers how to take the perfect pic

Our house is full of photographs covering 35 years of family life. Out-of-focus babies and blurred party guests subject to inebriated camera-shake. We cannot bring ourselves to discard the fuzzy picture of a newborn infant even if we can’t agree which of our offspring it is, and the most professionally framed shot in the whole collection is of the inside of a lens cap.

Some years ago, in the hope of better things, or at least better photographs, my wife spent a small fortune on a compact digital camera. Delighted, I turned the little dial at the top to Auto and clicked away, amazed at how the flash automatically flashed and how everything was almost, but not quite, in focus. What the other settings on the little dial did I had not the faintest idea. I turned it to Auto and ‘Look! You can zoom in and out, too!’

Read the manual? Do I look like a sissy to you? In any case, what’s to learn? Turn it to Auto and it does everything for you. It’s wonderful! The pictures were still crap, though.

Now you can buy a Canon 400D SLR 10.1 megapixel digital camera (you know, a proper job that makes you look like a pap) for less than the digital compact cost my wife. But still people turn the little dial to Auto and blast away, although the zooming in and out is even better, and this time quite a lot is in focus. What they (and I) need is EYE.

EYE workshops are being set up by professional artist and photographer Michael Potter to arrange interesting trips both in the UK and abroad during which he will, almost without your noticing it, teach you to take a decent photograph. Still life, portraits, game photography, architecture and even ‘glamour’ shots are meat and drink to him. Speaking of which, the meat and drink and accommodation accompanying any given workshop are reasons enough for going on their own. I went to Hovington House, an extremely upmarket Wolsey Lodge B&B in Wiltshire, for three days, and was inspired to include among my portfolio some great shots of breakfast.

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