Personal projects are great. They provide helpful constraints within which to be creative and they offer an opportunity to see things differently. If I weren’t in the midst of a personal black and white project I don’t think this mornings episode would have been anywhere near as rewarding.

In a rush to get out the door I smashed a bowl in the kitchen. A massive glass bowl at that. It literally shattered when it hit the tiles sending shards all over the kitchen floor under my bare feet. $%*#§! I hear you say. Indeed, pretty annoying. Thing is, I had my camera on the worktop as I’d just been taking som ‘light observation’ style photos on what was a lovely sunny morning. So, the first thought that came to my head was actually how beautiful it was and that I should take some pictures.

As I stood still, working out what I was going to do I noticed that the glass was still breaking, kind of like when you put ice into luke warm water and it cracks and shifts under the pressure. I don’t know if it was something to do with the heat but these shards of glass were pop and cracking like breakfast cereal all over the place. It was quite extraordinary. I dutifully took some photos, swept up and went to work.

As I walked I smiled that I’d managed to enjoy what would otherwise have been a solely destructive moment, and I created something out of the mess.

For the record, this was a great wedding and I’m sure this little chap is not representative of the feelings of the rest of the guests. Just thought I’d use to illustrate how great it is when bride and groome think and care about their guests. If you’re getting married, plan fun stuff, for all ages. Make the day unique, memorable and loads of fun. That’s all

For anyone who doesn’t know what this is all about, study this image for a moment and then head over to www.londonsafari.org for a closer look. There’s still space at the exhibition launch night so get in touch if you want to come along.

AT LAST! Google have significantly revamped their image search engine. I honestly don’t think it’s changed since I first used it which must be at least 10 years ago. With the arrival of Bing I’ve switched my preferred image search Microsofts way. Bing offered more options for customising the display, the search fiend stayed visible and you don’t have to click on any silly little ‘o’s at the bottom, keep scrolling and Bing just keeps serving up images.

Google have followed suit. It’s not often that they’re lacking behind the competition. They’ve replied with a handy little ephasis on mouse over, much like iStock Photo. They’ve removed the old fashioned ‘frame style’ preview when you click but I still don’t think they’ve got it quite right.

As a partial designer I’ve always liked Google’s colour filter but for now I think Bing still has the edge for quick and easy results just how you want them.

Google Image Search Results for MOUNTAIN

Bing Image Search Results for MOUNTAIN

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzRKEv6cHuk

I’m a fan of both stop motion and viral advertising. This does both very well. The amount of planning and travelling involved in making this must be phenomenal.

One thing a photographer often needs is a third hand. Whether its a reflector, a light of a camera, guranteed you’re going to need to hold something at some point.

I rigged up this little camera mount in a kitchen to shoot the fun stop motion video below, purely for my own pleasure. It’s comprised of a mini tripod and a unidirectional ball and socket clamp. See what you’ve got lying around that can become a photography prop and don’t be afraid to get the hammer and nails out. Some of the best photos are not made by cameras but by behind the scenes ingenuity.

Also, check out this video by Chase Jarvis. He’s got some great tips on how to get good photos with simple equipment. His latest blog post is about Levis latest ad and it uses stop motion.