The Limbo Connection's most read articles

In September, 2011, I bought a secondhand Nikon D2Xs with 40,000 shutter actuations on the clock and an exhausted battery. When new, this pro camera cost £3,500. I paid a shade less than a quarter of the original price and a new battery was over £100. Much of the advice at the time was to buy a Nikon D300 in preference, as it was superior in almost every respect and the cost was broadly comparable. Long after, when a D300 had become quite cheap on the used market, I bought one - the ’s’ vers…

In 2013, on a whim, I bought a secondhand Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm Tessar lens in M42 mount. This is unquestionably the cheapest way of acquiring a Carl Zeiss lens but keep in mind the ‘Jena’ part of the designation, indicating that it was made in East Germany (DDR) prior to German reunification. East German cameras and lenses were good value but not at the cutting edge of technological development. My Tessar cost £12. It was a real bargain. Dealers used to offer these as a cheaper alternative to…

She’s a muse clinging to a chain link fence (She sells sanctuary). Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh. Well, it’s that time: (Sunset in Fitzroy) Always in the twilight (In the night, no control). Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh. No control in so many ways; Nothing standing in its way. (Locked Out): Locked out in so many ways; Always locked out. Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh. Stop saying Oh Oh.

Clarity in a photograph is a combination of resolution and acutance. Resolution is the ability of the camera to distinguish between two very close elements in a photo. Acutance is the edge contrast of an image. Once you’ve opened the shutter and made a photograph there is no ability to change the resolution. Resolution is governed by your choice of camera - not all digital sensors are equal - and the settings of aperture and shutter speed. Technique comes into it as well: camera shake…

Photography and graffiti are hobbies with some similarities. In some respects people who post photographs on social media web sites display similar behaviour to graffiti artists. Motivation might differ but the quality of the art will vary in both cases. Graffiti artists are mainly in the age range 13 to 25. Some are angry, others are attention-seekers. Graffiti can provide a safety valve for the artists who might use it as an alternative to more dangerous acts of violence. Sometimes…