As Scott Gutterson walks the rocky route to the Kiama Blowhole entrance and climbs down over sharp rocks, he makes the decline to the sea look easy, but it isn’t.

“I’m on a rock ledge here, it’s maybe 4 metres off and goes vertically down 10 metres,” he says.

“I’ll jump in there because I love a little dose of adrenaline to start the swim, but I’m assessing the risks constantly.”

The ex-navy officer of 20 years and ocean swimmer lives in Gerringong on the New South Wales south coast and has been exploring the ocean for the past six years.

The Kiama Blowhole is his favourite spot.

“In the blowhole itself, the water comes in, and obviously everyone’s seen it blow through the hole in the top,” Mr Gutterson says.

“But there’s a chamber in the back of the blowhole and on a flat day, there’s a mini cave in there.”

Mr Gutterson is a self-taught photographer who captures his adventures above and below the waterline using a GoPro camera.

Mr Gutterson documents his free dives, especially at the blowhole, where there are a couple of resident stingrays.

He says the first time he went to the bottom of the blowhole he found a couple of bronze statues.

He has also found fishing rods, hats, a pushbike and money.

From below

Mr Gutterson enjoys listening to the sounds in the blowhole.

“When you actually hear it go below the waterline at the bottom, it’s like a depth charger going off and it’s amazing,” he says.

As a member of the Werri Point Swimmers group, Mr Gutterson says it’s important people are comfortable in the ocean and know their limitations.

As an emergency services worker, he’s been involved with rescues at the blowhole.

“I don’t ever put myself in the situation where I’m putting other people at risk.

“If I can’t get out of the blowhole when it’s a big swell, Plan B takes me to Storm Bay.

“Plan C is to swim around the headland and go into the harbour.”

Dangers of sea caves

Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce warns swimmers it’s not safe to go near the blowhole.

“The Kiama Blowhole and surrounding area has been synonymous over the years with numerous drowning fatalities involving major rescues of both swimmers and rock fishermen who have been swept off the rocks or caught in the water due to large swells developing,” he says.

“We would never encourage anyone, regardless of the conditions, to swim in and out of sea caves because you just don’t know what situation could arise that could present a danger to you, and in turn present a danger to all those first responders who would have to come to your assistance.”

World’s biggest blowhole

Kiama Council’s Sally Bursell says more than a million people visit the blowhole each year.

“It runs best on a south-easterly swell, and can get as high as 30m,” she says.

Historian Malcolm Bedford volunteers at the Pilots Cottage Museum at Blowhole Point. He’s lived in Kiama so long now he rarely visits the blowhole, which is 200 metres away.

“It’s bigger than the ones in Hawaii as the opening in the rock is 2.6 metres.”

Mr Bedford says that over the years, 25 people have died at the blowhole.

“Not many people drowned in it, they drowned on the rocks around it, where they come to have a look,” he says.

When there were no fences around the blowhole, you could do whatever you wanted to.

“You could go right down to the edge and look in. You could throw things in, and you could dive in, and that had really bad consequences,” Mr Bedford says.

Town rubbish dump

From 1859 to 1939, the blowhole was used as the town rubbish dump.

“Residents threw dead cows, dead horses and butcher’s shop waste into the blowhole, and of course the sharks loved it,” Mr Bedford says.

Sunday afternoon shark feeding sessions were a regular activity for locals, who enjoyed the event as much as the 20-foot-long (6-metre-long) shark named Big Ben, who frequented the blowhole for more than two decades.

These days, it’s standing room only at the blowhole on weekends.

“It’s … a great vantage point to see whales,” Ms Bursell says.

And Mr Gutterson’s photos from inside the blowhole’s chamber offer another perspective.

“To see it [the blowhole] from underneath as well, it provides a whole other story about the ecosystem, creatures living and breathing underneath the viewing platform, which is amazing,” Ms Bursell says.

The art of photography transcends mere documentation and becomes a powerful tool for storytelling. It is not just about freezing a moment in time but about crafting a visual narrative that stirs emotions and preserves cherished memories for a lifetime. Keeping the same in mind, Birdlens Creation is planning to expand its horizons in wedding filmmaking and create new songs specifically tailored for weddings. 

In today’s fast-paced world, capturing precious moments has become a crucial aspect of our lives, to reminisce in the future. From glamorous fashion shows to intimate weddings, photography has evolved into an art form that allows us to relive the cherished memories whenever we please. Kolkata-based, Birdlens Creation is one such company that excels in this realm. It stands as one of the best wedding photography companies dedicated to creating lifelong memories for couples across the nation.

The company is led by Subhajit Banik, formerly a renowned supermodel, with a remarkable portfolio that includes prestigious print ads for top brands like “Idea,” “Nokia,” “Star Cement,” “Khadims,” and “7up,”. With participation in esteemed fashion weeks such as Mumbai Fashion Week, Kolkata Fashion Week, and Lakmé Fashion Week, he holds a strong background in modeling. 

Banik has been an ardent admirer of photography, ever since his modeling days. His curiosity for the art led him to take it up professionally. As an assistant photographer, Subhajit had the privilege of working alongside numerous professional photographers, honing his skills and gaining invaluable insights into the world of photography. Through these collaborations, he was able to refine his skills and acquire knowledge about the multifaceted realm of photography. Equipped with the practical training and experience he acquired, he laid the foundation of his company which now strives to exceed clients’ expectations and delivers stunning photographs that tell a story.

Aiming to immortalize the true spirit of weddings, Subhajit’s company goes beyond traditional photography. It recognizes the ever-increasing importance of photography in today’s society and believes that each photograph has the power to encapsulate a lifetime of memories. It specializes in wedding photography, ensuring that no precious moment is missed. From the radiant smiles during the pre-wedding preparations to the heartfelt emotions exchanged during the ceremony, every aspect is meticulously captured with an artist’s eye.

By composing unique and personalized songs, the company aims to add an extra layer of emotion and significance to the already magical atmosphere of a wedding celebration. This innovative approach will further enhance the overall experience for couples and their loved ones, creating memories that are both visually and musically enchanting.

We all want to take better photos. There are countless ways of learning how to do that. Attending courses and workshops, watching YouTube videos, and reading books and articles such as this are traditional approaches. But there is one unexpected way too: embracing bad photography.

I love bad photography. It’s not because it gives me any sense of satisfaction or feeling of superiority, although we all have come across people who think that way. No, I think bad photos are brilliant, not least because I believe I am perfectly capable of taking them.

Why? Firstly, there is the obvious answer: we can learn from bad photos. Why do we think they are bad? What would we have done differently? We can then go out and avoid making those mistakes again.

Secondly, bad photos allow us to challenge our beliefs about what a good photo should be. It’s easy for us to dismiss pictures because they don’t comply with what are arbitrary standards that we accept as good. Just because some famous photographer or art movement has declared that things should be done in a certain way doesn’t mean it is universally applicable. Similarly, just because you do something one particular way doesn’t mean everyone else should do so too.

Pushing the boundaries helps us to discover something new and interesting.

Passing Fads Make Bad Photographs

The way we have done things in the past often doesn’t apply to the way we do things today. New art movements have always been met with resistance before they are accepted. Then, after a period of popularity, they become passé. The same applies to photography. There are fads in our art that are forever going out of fashion.

For example, it wasn’t that long ago when photographers were raving about hyper-real HDR images. Selective color was once considered cool as well, as too were signatures on photos. All of those were my pet hates from the start and I am glad to see them disappearing. (If you think that distracting squiggle protects your photo from theft, check out the performance of generative fill that’s coming to Photoshop.) Similarly, something I was once guilty of, the too-heavy use of mid-tone contrast, is now met with disdain.

Consequently, when we look at pictures from 10 or 15 years ago, we often see those images as gaudy and tasteless. Thankfully, those techniques have pretty much gone out of the window and more subtle approaches to developing photos have come to the fore.

There’s More Than One Type of Bad Photo

I think there are different types of bad photos. Firstly, there are those shot by beginners that really are not bad at all. They may be underexposed, have wonky horizons, consist of a jumble of distractions, have lines that lead our eyes in randomly around the picture, show a lamppost growing from the top of someone’s head, and are oversaturated, but it is important that we take them.

Those are a few of the types of mistakes that everyone has made along the way. But when someone wobbles when they take their first steps, we don’t think of their attempt as being bad. Similarly, our first photos are just the starting point on our never-ending journey of learning photography. That’s fantastic, isn’t it?

The difficulty though is that novices don’t necessarily recognize their mistakes. They don’t see that their pictures have errors unless they are pointed out. Sadly, the majority of non-photographers will praise their images because they don’t recognize the mistakes either.

It’s not just beginners. I’ve seen a professional bridal portrait with a road cone lying on its side in the shot, and another where a stray hair was running across the bride’s face. I wonder whether those photographers were encouraged to turn professional by well-meaning family and friends.

Equally, many of those who do offer criticism don’t do it with compassion. I know young people who have been put off photography by unnecessarily harsh judging. More about that later.

Learning From Bad Photos

Here are two bad photos.

For me, the second one worked better because the person was not in the background, although I preferred the gull looking to the side. Also, the blue door in the background is a distraction, and I probably should have taken a couple of steps to the right. Usually, If I didn’t want them for this article, I would have consigned those to the bin as rubbish.

Is It Bad Photography When the Subjects Are Materially Poorer Than Us?

Some subjects we deem to be immoral. For example, it is generally considered poor judgment to photograph the homeless, as it is seen as photographers taking advantage of their situation to promote themselves. There are counterarguments to this, as such photos can help fight social injustice and inequality. Not only that, many of the photographers I know who do capture images of people who are down on their luck also work to help their subjects.

Recently, an article here by Kim Simpson promoted an exhibition by Martin Parr. His work has been criticized for sneering at and looking down on working-class people. Yet, if you listen to him talk about his work, or speak with those he has worked with, this could not be further from the truth; he shows compassion towards his subjects. Those criticisms are more likely driven by envy. However, I think there may be another reason behind why he and others shoot situations that are outside their usual experiences.

I speak to lots of photographers, and many of them say that they find it easier to photograph people and places they are unfamiliar with than in their own backyard. That is because it is harder to see the appeal of what is mundane to them. Some go on a vacation and happily capture photos of people in the streets of their exotic destination, but they don’t find their own neighborhood as appealing.

Yet, a visitor to where they live would be captivated by it. Photographing things, people, and places that have novelty make it easier for us to find an interesting shot. Furthermore, some photographers have told me that they find shooting in their hometown intimidating.

I guess there is truth in this as yesterday, I was photographing a member of the Royal Family. I found that much easier than I would have done with one of my peers because the situation was unfamiliar to me.

When we shoot the ordinary stuff we see daily, our reaction to the photo is less likely to be excitement because of its familiarity. In our mind, it may well be a bad photo, but your viewers won’t necessarily see it in the same light. Additionally, by honing our photography on mundane subjects, we build up a portfolio of technical, compositional, and storytelling skills that we can later apply to extraordinary subjects. If we can shoot everyday stuff well, then we can quickly apply the same techniques to things that take us by surprise.

Another Type of Bad Photograph Comes From an Unexpected Source

My old junior school headmaster had a saying he used to frequently use at morning assembly,

Empty vessels make most noise.

Mr Drake. Circa 1976

There are photos that are shot by more experienced photographers that, nevertheless, have no meaningful narrative and lack style.

Strangely, these are often shot by a particular type of unsuccessful photographer who believes they are the king of their genre. They vociferously shout about how fabulous their work is while taking the opportunity of putting others down. They are usually easy to spot on the internet by their scathing comments and their uninvited criticisms. Similarly, as I mentioned earlier, they can be judges at photography competitions. If you want to find bad photos to learn from, look at theirs.

Conversely, you will also find almost every photographer who has succeeded in the art has done so because they have a positive attitude toward others. They are supportive and encouraging and gently help others to achieve better. They are often over-critical of their work and deserve praise too. If you consider your photos to be bad, surround yourself with people like that. At the same time, give someone else a helping hand to improve and you will become better too.

Train Sim World 3’s next major expansion, adding a modern version of Manchester’s iconic Piccadilly station as part of the Glossop Line, will incorporate a couple of new gameplay elements. While there’ll be the usual scenarios pertaining to actually driving the route, a couple of new experimental challenges will see you working as a guard and engaging in a spot of photography.

For those not familiar, guards are the people who walk up and down the train during a journey, answering questions and checking tickets. You’ll need to ensure everyone’s got the appropriate ticket for their travel in order to earn points, and also ensure the doors get opened promptly so that everyone can get on and off in time. You won’t, to our knowledge, have to deal with drunks, however.

Meanwhile, the photography mission will see you taking some snaps of the Class 323 which runs the route, with your best pictures eventually being used as part of a display within the virtual Manchester Piccadilly itself. On a livestream, executive producer Matt Peddlesden said he’s eager to hear feedback on the new gameplay elements to try to understand whether fans would like to see more of it.

The Manchester to Glossop expansion will release on 27th June, 2023, so you can test it all out for yourself in a few days. We’ll try to go hands on with it as soon as possible and bring you our thoughts, as we’re a few expansions behind right now and are due a big article on all the latest content that’s been added to the game.