Two hours around dusk condensed into 30 seconds at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar.

So there was something of a storm in Bangkok this evening.

(30 second exposures at f/22, ISO 200 with a 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens, sturdy tripod and thick rubber soles)

This time-lapse sequence was shot over three hours and consists of 2,000 individual frames.

For those of you who like to delve into the technical stuff, here’s a breakdown of my set-up.

• Limited Edition Velbon Sherpa Tripod.
  I’ve had this tripod for about 100 years and it’s looking well-worn now. In fact, the feet have corroded after so many dunks in salt water but I wouldn’t swap it for anything else.
• Canon EOS 5D MKIII
• Canon EOS TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L II (Tilt-Shift) lens at 24mm.
  Shifted down slightly to correct the converging verticals and keep the buildings nice and straight. A normal wide-angle lens would not have been able to keep those all-important straight lines parallel.
• Canon Intervalometer.
  This is the device which controls the intervals between successive shutter releases and has an impressive six syllables.
  I bet you just counted and checked.
• A head for heights and a healthy respect for the inevitable consequences of falling from 64 floors up.
• Lee 3 stop Hard Graduated Filter.
  Don’t even talk to me about other filters. Lee filters are the best. They are hand-dunked by virgin Polynesian girls and coated in fairies’ wings.
• X-Rite Color Checker Passport.
  Never, ever leave home without one. Ever.

Having set up the composition, taking into account the line that the setting sun would follow and having carefully checked that the horizon was level using the 5D MKIII’s handy spirit level thingy, I manoeuvred the Tilt and Shift of the TS-E 24mm lens to correct the converging vertical lines.

I set up the camera to record small RAW files to a 32GB CF card and the same size JPEGs to a SD card. I knew that large RAW files would take too much space and I wouldn’t get three hours of images into 32GB so, as the files are ultimately for video, small RAW files were OK. I also like to have the JPEGs on a separate card because I can quickly ingest them into Lightroom using the SD slot on my MacBook Pro, which is handy for satisfying that need for instant gratification.

View over the Chao Phraya river, Bangkok

I set the camera to AV mode and dialled in f/8. Setting up a camera for a time-lapse sequence where the light levels are going to change so dramatically is a challenging task and the subject for much heated debate on Internet forums. However, I have found that the best approach is to set the aperture because I don’t want the depth-of-field wandering all over the place. Then I’ll set Auto ISO and allow the camera to move the ISO and shutter speed to compensate for the falling light.

However, two critical things to consider are the upper and lower limits of the ISO and these can be controlled in the relevant camera menu option and also the metering mode. I think that the majority of people who shoot time-lapse sequences on Auto and are then disappointed with the flickering results are metering on evaluative (Canon) or matrix (Neekon/Nyekon) mode. Setting the metering mode to partial or spot metering and then ensuring that the camera is metering from an area of average or neutral light density will overcome this whilst also allowing the camera to set the exposure correctly. But don’t tell anyone else this, it’s our little trade secret. Shhh!

View of the balcony with camera recording time-lapse sequence

I set the intervalometer to take a frame every 5 seconds and then left it running for an hour in the afternoon in order to check the results. Time-Lapse photography is a one-shot deal and if you leave the camera running for three hours only to discover that you’ve neglected to control one essential setting then, basically, you’re (insert preferred expletive here).

After checking the test shots, I made a few tweaks, tightened the tripod legs, added a weighty camera bag to the tripod hook for added stability, set the intervalometer running and went upstairs to the rooftop bar for a well-earned fruit juice.

Three hours later, with the CF card full, I had almost 2,000 JPEGs and 2,000 RAW files for processing. I made some simple adjustments to the RAW files, changing White Balance, Clarity, Vibrance and Camera Profile and then synchronised the processing across all files.

I exported new JPEGs from the RAW files and imported those to QuickTime Pro 7, creating a movie at 25 fps. From QuickTime Pro I exported the movie file to Final Cut Pro X, where the titles and music were added.

The music is “Spectrum” by Eric Haddad and was licensed through Audiosparx.

A publicity still for “City Lights”

I’ve also been compiling some content on the theme of “Visual Storytelling” for various talks and workshops throughout the summer and I’ve had the pleasure of looking again at the work of one of the masters of visual storytelling. One of the Bangkok cafes I frequent has a TV screen in one corner. I often go to work in a cafe, it gives me a change of scenery and I seem to be able to work on e-mails and other admin chores more effectively when I’m in a busy environment. However, I digress. In this particular cafe there’s a TV in the corner of the room, which isn’t unusual but what is unusual is that instead of the usual fare of Thai soap operas or Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), they show Charlie Chaplin films on a loop.

You might think that old, grainy, black and white silent movies would have lost their appeal in the age of the 3D Dolby Surround Sound Movie Experience but nothing can beat a good story, well told.

I glanced up from my laptop during one recent trip to the cafe and caught the beginning of Chaplin’s “City Lights” movie on the TV. I had forgotten what a great performer Chaplin was. I mean, seriously, that’s such an understatement, he is mesmerising. He had such a terrific elegance and presence, even when playing the fool in some slapstick scene. “City Lights” is generally considered to be one his best films, indeed, many people think it’s one of the best films ever made. It’s nearly 85 years old now but it held me captivated. It has all the elements of a wonderful visual story. A simple but evocative plot, measured pacing, comedy and pathos, heartfelt acting and that often elusive ingredient: integrity.

I think there’s terrific value in returning to the masters of any art-form that you wish to pursue. If you want to know about light, look at Rembrandt paintings. If you want to learn about visual storytelling, treat yourself to a collection of Chaplin movies.

This is the final scene of “City Lights” where Chaplin, the down-at-heel “Little Tramp”, finally meets the girl he has been searching for. After being tormented by newspaper boys in the street, he turns to see the girl in a flower shop. This is the first time she has seen him. She had been blind when they knew each other before and she had wrongly assumed that the tramp was a wealthy gentleman. Through a series of comical events earlier in the film, the tramp had been able to pay for the blind flower girl to have a sight-restoring operation but then he had been cruelly imprisoned before they could meet again.

It’s no wonder that the film received a standing ovation on its opening night and I was also moved to rise to my feet and applaud after this moving final scene, which bought an awkward silence in the cafe. The film grossed $5 million, which, coincidentally, is about the price of a coffee in this place. Some things change, some things stay the same and a classic will always remain a classic.

So, if you’re interested in the art of visual storytelling, give yourself a treat and watch “City Limits” this week. There’s an HD version on YouTube.

I’m working from another part of Bangkok this weekend. This view from the Sathorn area in Bangkok looks west across the Chao Phraya River to Thonburi. The Shangri-La hotel is in the foreground. Thunder storms often play across the city at this time of year and I’m hoping that one might head in this direction overnight or sometime tomorrow. It’s not often I get an opportunity to see the city from 64 floors up.

Images are available to license through Photoshelter.

When asked to name the one thing which has been of greatest help in my photographic career, I will invariably say that it has been learning the art of visual storytelling. Making an impressive single image is one thing but creating a comprehensive visual essay  is quite another. It requires a slightly different skill-set and a variation in approach. The results, however, are typically much more cohesive, more complete and, ultimately, more satisfying.

The demands of creating a visual story are arguably greater than creating a single image. A story requires a narrative; a beginning, middle and end. Visual stories require a selection of different image formats and meaningful essays are created when all the parts combine to make something greater than the sum of the parts.

Photographers who wish to delve deeper into their environment create stories, not single images. When I photograph for an essay, I tend to gain a greater appreciation of the subject. That familiarity is what produces more engaging work. I know that I’ll need to shoot wide-angle opening shots, contextual portraits and be conscious of developing the narrative with close-ups and interactions. I change lenses more frequently when I’m shooting a story, I move around more, I change perspective more frequently and, crucially, I spend more time with the subject.

When I shoot for a story, I return home with a more complete collection of images and feel that I’ve captured greater depth. Editing is potentially easier because I have a wider variety of images to choose from but that narrative has to stick and I’ll go back to my original plan and research material to edit in a meaningful fashion. Single images are great and sometimes it’s nice to just turn up and shoot a solitary photo or two but when I photograph with a story in mind, I feel like I’m really beginning to achieve my original goal, which has always been to convey something meaningful about a location or an event.

Visual storytelling is at the heart of what I try to do with my photography. That’s why I’m particularly looking forward to working with photojournalist Jack Kurtz in Cambodia this summer. At the end of June, Jack and I will visit three locations in Cambodia where rich stories are waiting to be told.

In Phnom Penh we will visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, where the spectre of the Khmer Rouge lurks in the cells of the former detention centre. It’s hard to know what to write about Tuol Sleng, you really have to see it for yourself. It’s shocking and chilling and takes a while to get to grips with. But it provides evidence of a story which we should all learn and offers a challenge for photographers who wish to do the story some kind of justice.

From Cambodia’s capital we will travel to Battambang and spend time on and around the unique Bamboo Train. The railway is a triumph of Cambodian ingenuity and the rural villages beside the tracks are a delightful place to spend some time. With rice-threshing factories and traditional brick kilns there are plenty of great photo opportunities but the real challenge will be for participants to create a cohesive essay of life on and around the railway.

From Battambang we travel to Siem Reap and the glorious temples of Angkor. We skip off the tourist trail as quickly as possible, exploring parts of the temple complex where the light is at its best. Angkor is a great place to finish our workshop and I’ve never visited and been anything less than enchanted.

We have worked hard to create an itinerary which includes some fascinating locations and because both Jack and I are familiar with the places we’ll visit, it will be easier to get a look “behind the scenes”. This is a workshop where the emphasis is on the “work”. There will be early starts and late finishes. It will be wet season in Cambodia, which brings its own set of challenges but which also often provides the most atmospheric light.

Because you will be working hard, we have booked the finest hotels in each town so that you can also relax in comfortable surroundings and we are confident that you will be impressed with the accommodation. We have included all meals, all transport, all entrance fees and all tuition in the workshop fee so you only need to book your flights and we’ll take care of the rest.

The workshop fee is $1,900 and includes all of the above with single occupancy rooms (doubles or twins) with no silly single supplements.

Because of the nature of this workshop, places are limited. You will have the dedicated attention and support of two professional editorial photographers and our aim is to teach you as much as we can about the process of creating visual essays, from researching, planning and scoping to shooting and editing. You won’t have to come and search for us, we won’t be sneaking off to work on our own images, our goal is to help you create stories to be proud of.

You can read more information and register for a place by clicking here:

The annual Tattoo Festival (Wai Khru) in Thailand attracts many hundreds of devotees. Tattoos are applied by hand with long needles, the tattoo ink is rumoured to be blended with snake venom, amongst other things. Tattoos are believed to have magical properties which protect the wearer from harm. At the festival, hundreds gather in the grounds of Wat Bang Phra, a temple about an hour outside Bangkok. Some enter a trance-like state, channeling the spirits of animals until, mimicking the animals which possess them, they crawl or sprint towards the temple’s main shrine.

This year was the third that I have photographed the Tattoo Festival and it was fascinating to spend the night before the main festival in the temple grounds. Tattooing takes place throughout the night. In contrast to the noise and chaos of the following morning, the night is peaceful with small groups gathered in rooms and halls around the temple, waiting for their turn to have a new tattoo and to have tattoos from previous years re-blessed, the magical power being replenished.

A selection of images from the Masai Mara in Kenya. I’m not a wildlife photographer but after a magical few days, I can see the appeal. The Masai Mara is quite extraordinary and I could have happily stayed a lot longer.

It was a great privilege to see the animals at such close quarters and with a glorious sunrise each morning and an even more impressive sunset every evening, it seemed almost like another world.

A selection of images from an editorial assignment about Thai street food, shot in the Chinatown and Sukhumvit areas of Bangkok

I’m working on a story about Cambodia’s “Bamboo Train” this week. The Bamboo Train is a result of Khmer ingenuity. When the original train line, constructed during Cambodia’s colonial past, fell into disrepair, the local people constructed their own bamboo platforms, rested them on salvaged train bogeys and stuck an engine through the middle.

The resulting contraption is functional, fast and fun. Not necessarily in that order With only one set of rails, meeting another bamboo train travelling in the opposite direction requires a hasty dismantling to allow the oncoming train to pass. The speed of the train is controlled by a simple lever, moving the engine back and forth to provide more or less torque on the axle.

My guide/translator/fixer, Mr. Thean enjoys “surfing” the Bamboo Train – I’m thinking of putting a sequence together with a Beach Boys soundtrack. The Bamboo Train is a sight to see and a unique experience. However, it’s the stories of the lives of the communities alongside the train track that really appeal to me and so I’ve been concentrating on getting “behind-the-scenes” of the Bamboo Railway and have been enjoying getting to know the people who make their homes in the villages along the railway track.

If you’re interested, I’m hoping to run a workshop in Cambodia in late July and the Bamboo train will feature as one of our visual story exercises. Watch this space.

…and then there are days where even the rain can’t dampen your enthusiasm for a plan. Those days where an idea has thundered down the hillside towards you and you’ve had the presence of mind to reach out for it and the tenacity to grip it tightly enough to claim it before it continues down the hill in search of somebody more receptive.

Such days, in my experience, frequently include one or more of the following: the company of a treasured friend, a few contemplative moments of quiet reflection, introductions to new friends who quietly and unknowingly offer inspiration, a glimpse of something the colour of which defies comparison, the sight of a landscape bathed in light so golden that it literally makes you gasp and – in my case – the unexpected appearance of a solitary rainbow-coloured umbrella.

Today brought all of these and more.

Which was nice.

I’m in Umbria, enjoying the best hospitality and soaking up the landscape (and the occasional glass of vino rosso in the name of research), making plans for a new type of workshop. I’m moving away from the traditional photographic workshop towards something that I hope will prove to be of interest to creative souls working in any medium. I hope to announce the dates, itinerary, content and prices for a “Creativity Workshop”, currently scheduled for the first week in September. More details will follow in the coming weeks but if you are interested in joining me and some of my most inspiring friends in the rolling hills of northern Italy then make a note in your diary and drop me an e-mail asking to be put at the top of the invitation list.

In the meantime, here are three images found on a short stroll through Castiglione-del-Lago this morning, in-between coffee, meetings, lunch, coffee, site visits, research, more coffee, dinner and wine. It’s a tough life

Chapters include Data Management and Data Risk Analysis, Working in the Field, Colour Calibration, Naming files and Folders, Configuring Adobe Lightroom 4, Importing Images, Image Processing and more.

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I have compiled the Photographer’s Workflow in response to questions asked by many students and fellow photographers. Whilst we enjoy the benefits of digital capture, knowing how to manage our digital photograph archive can be confusing and there’s no clearly defined way to deal with all those images.

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The Photographer’s Workflow is my workflow. It’s the system I use every day to manage my digital photographs and I’ve shared the structure, principles, presets and the best of the knowledge that I have acquired over ten years as a professional photographer.

The contents of this eBook will give you a comprehensive guide, with lots of tips and realistic advice, from which you can build a process which suits you. It will reduce the amount of time you have to spend managing your digital photos, leaving you with more time to do what’s really important – taking photos.