tips on taking photographs - my best tip

Tips on taking photographs
My best tip is to keep taking photos, keep thinking about it, keep experimenting - there's really no substitute for practice. In my experience, it's best to work intuitively, really focussing on 'being' with your subject, bringing your own feelings to it, and taking photographs from there; a good photo should say as much about you as your subject. Try not to have preconceptions, or 'rules' in your head; be open to seeing what's there as directly as you can. Having said all that, it helps if you have some interesting weather on your side; if you are able to, pick and choose when to go out; get up early and see if you can catch some mist, or choose a thundery day, or sunshine and showers; try different times of day to see what different sun directions bring.

Another tip is to read a book I discovered recently - 'The Tao of Photography - Seeing Beyond Seeing' by Philippe L. Gross and S.I. Shapiro, published by Tenspeed Press - nice philosophy about taking photos.
Tips on Equipment

For my photography, I use and would recommend Canon EOS equipment - I have two 50E cameras for normal use, plus a secondhand 600 I use for infrared (the 50E's fog it, as do many modern cameras). I do not favour the professional cameras as they are expensive and heavy, and frankly I find the amateur versions perfectly satisfactory. The EOS system is so universal it gives lots of choice of lenses. I find the Sigma lenses very good, and I use zoom lenses - an 18-35mm, a 28-70 mm and a 80-300mm. For architectural work, I have a couple of shift lenses (which avoid converging verticals) - one at 24mm and one at 35mm.

My early photography, however, used Olympus cameras, and abandoning my beloved OM1 was a real wrench. But the EOS system has some real advantages - not least that you can get modern lenses to fit!

I recently switched enlargers from a Durst M670 to a Meopta Magnifax 4A, which (though cheaper than the Durst!) I much prefer. It seems much better built, and is very accurately aligned - unlike the Durst! Plus it features a neutral density filter which is invaluable for dialing in corrections when creating enlargements at different magnifications. However, I still use my Durst Neonon enlarger lens which is excellent.

With the enlarger, I use an RH Designs analyser/timer - an excellent piece of equipment, with nice added features like automatic test-strips, footswitch, etc.

For processing my prints, I use a Durst Printo processor. This does the job, and is much to be preferred to dish-processing large numbers of prints. However, it has some annoying niggles which are both money and time-consuming, so I couldn't recommend it wholeheartedly.

For cutting mounts, I use a Logan 4000 cutter, which is excellent.
Materials

Historically, I 've used a number of black and white films, including Ilford FP4 and Ilford Delta 100. Recently I have been using mostly Ilford's XP2Super chromogenic film.

I use exclusively Ilford's Multigrade IV RC printing paper - it's reliable, consistent and I know how it behaves! (I do have some more interesting papers in the fridge, but somehow I never get around to trying them!).

For producing sepia prints, I recommend Tetenal's Triponal Toner - it gives good, consistent results, is pleasant to use, and has a high capacity. I now make up the equivalent from raw chemicals, as this is more ecological (fewer plastic bottles!!) and economical.
Tips for using Infrared Film
My experience is with Kodak High Speed infrared film, processed in ID11. Use with a red filter, rated at 400 ASA as metered by the camera through the filter (Kodak's suggestions on speed are up the wall!). Best conditions to use - sunny or bright overcast. Focus slightly shorter than you would normally (you may have a special infrared mark on your lens). Beware of modern cameras which may fog the film (almost all the Canon's do). Also beware of a dimpled film backplate, which can create a pattern on the negative. I had this problem with an OM1 - a good tip is to stick a piece of black (fogged) negative over the backplate, which seems to solve the problem. You must not expose the film cassette to light - load/unload in a changing bag or darkroom. If using a manual wind-on camera, check the rewind spool is turning as you wind on, to confirm the film is loaded properly ...