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JTBPhotography JournalField notes for working photographers
A photographer stepping into a sunlit studio with a camera at the ready

Issue 01 / Working light

Make the next frame
more deliberate.

JTB Photography Journal is a field guide to the choices behind a photograph: where you stand, what you carry, how you shape light and what you promise after the shutter.

Open the setup library →

A broad editorial desk for photographers who want fewer mysteries between idea and image.

Built from the perspective of a working photographer, with room for technique, people, equipment and the business that keeps the work moving.

Meet the journal →
BrowseThe desks

Find your next useful question.

A photographer checking a hand-held light meter beside a camera on a wooden studio tablePhotography BasicsExposure, composition, focus and the decisions that make a frame hold together.Explore the desk
A portrait photographer speaking with a subject beside a tall window in a quiet daylight studioPortraits & PeopleDirection, expression, location and light for photographs that feel like people, not poses.Explore the desk
A camera with two charged batteries and a small flash resting on a linen event table before guests arriveEvents & WeddingsReliable coverage plans for fast rooms, changing light, meaningful moments and tired batteries.Explore the desk
A lone photographer walking a coastal trail at dawn with a camera bag and a compact tripodOutdoor & TravelWeather, place, pace and light for photographs made beyond the controlled room.Explore the desk
A mirrorless camera body, two lenses and a folded lens cloth arranged on a dark workbenchCameras & LensesBuying and using camera systems by the work they need to do, not by the spec sheet alone.Explore the desk
A softbox, silver reflector and light stand forming a simple portrait setup in a working studioLighting & FlashShape, direction, distance and control, from one window to a small working kit.Explore the desk
A photographer reviewing a contact sheet and export checklist beside a calibrated monitorEditing, Workflow & BusinessA clean path from card to delivered work, with the habits that keep a photo practice viable.Explore the desk
ReadLatest dispatches
See the full desk →
A field technician in a wide-brim hat crouches on a rice paddy bund at first light in the Mekong Delta, holding a handheld GPS over a corner stake while a printed satellite map rests on the mud beside her boots.

Lead dispatch · September 15, 2026 · 6 min read

Satellite Data for Asia: A Field Picker's Guide

How to pick satellite imagery for an Asian project, where free archives live, and which countries fly their own Earth observation missions.

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A laptop on a kitchen table at night, screen showing a code editor with a single line highlighted, warm lamp light from the left, tight crop on the keyboard and the lower half of the screen.

Dispatch · September 14, 2026 · 6 min read

ABAP Basics: Syntax, Data Types, Keyword Index

A practical walkthrough of ABAP syntax, data types and where to find the keyword index, written for photographers who also write code between shoots.

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A bench-top RF test setup at night: a two-port VNA screen showing an S21 trace, a small SMA-mounted PIN switch on a brass test block, a bias tee with a red and black twisted pair, lit by a single adjustable desk lamp from the left, shot at a low angle with the VNA screen slightly out of focus behind the switch.

Dispatch · September 13, 2026 · 6 min read

Solid-State PIN Switches: A Field Guide

Reflective and absorptive PIN switch topologies, how isolation shapes performance, and the insertion loss you can expect in a real RF chain.

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A laptop on a studio desk at dusk, screen showing an XMPP client's roster window, a phone beside it on the same account, warm desk lamp on the left and cool window light on the right, shot from slightly above at a three-quarter angle.

Dispatch · September 12, 2026 · 6 min read

XMPP in the Field: Open Messaging That Works

A working photographer's field notes on Jabber and XMPP: what the protocol does, how to pick a client, and where to run your own server.

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A closed silver laptop on a wooden desk beside a printed database schema, lit by a single window on an overcast afternoon, shot from a low three-quarter angle with the screen dark and the paper in focus.

Dispatch · September 11, 2026 · 6 min read

Choosing a Mac Database Client and Scheduling Tasks

How to pick a database client on macOS, what SyBrowser did in the classic Mac era, and how to schedule recurring tasks without a server.

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A canvas patrol tent pitched on grass at a wooded camp in late afternoon, low sun raking across the fabric, a coil of rope and a cooking pot on the ground in the foreground, shot from a low angle with the tent filling the right half of the frame.

Dispatch · September 10, 2026 · 6 min read

Scout Method by Age: Law, Cubs, Troop

How Catholic scouting works by age: law and promise, cubs and brownies 8 to 11, troop life 12 to 16 with patrols and the impresa.

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A laptop on a wooden desk at night, screen showing a terminal window with a curl response header, warm desk lamp from the left, shot slightly from above with the keyboard out of focus.

Dispatch · September 9, 2026 · 4 min read

SEO for Small Sites: Fix the Host First

A practical order of operations for small site owners: check hosting and security before chasing SEO tactics, with a real example from a Mac-focused magazine.

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A workbench at night, an open PC case lit by a single desk lamp, a memory module held between two fingers above its slot, shot from a low three-quarter angle with the cooler and cables soft in the background.

Dispatch · September 8, 2026 · 7 min read

Overclocking: Diagnose Before You Push

A practical method for PC instability: test memory, read SMART data, run a burn-in, and know what each result actually proves before you overclock.

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Signature resource

Lighting setups you can actually repeat.

Eight working arrangements with a diagram, position notes, exposure starting points, a visual result and a way to change the mood without starting over.

Browse the library →
A portrait subject making a half-turn beside a tall window with soft light across the face
James T. Blakely reviewing a contact sheet beside a camera on a studio table

From the editor

Good work leaves a trail.

Each guide here names the decision, the compromise and the next experiment. No gear worship, no mystery language, no pretending every assignment happens in a perfect room.

Read the author note →
ReturnKeep in the field

The frames that keep teaching.

These guides and references stay visible because they are reread, maintained and useful when the next assignment asks a familiar question.

A portrait subject making a half-turn beside a tall window with soft light across the face

Reference library · Working reference · 8 setups

Lighting Setup Library

A repeatable set of light positions, starting exposures and variations for building a portrait setup you can test again.

Open the library
A photographer reviewing contact sheets under a warm desk lamp beside a calibrated monitor

Journal method · Editorial reference · 4 checkpoints

How a Field Note Gets Made

The journal explains how questions, sources, practice, images and careful checks become useful photography guidance for working readers.

Read the method
A photographer marking an event floor plan beside two camera bodies and a quiet notebook

Events · August 16, 2026 · 6 min read

The Event Coverage Map

A practical walk through people, transitions, details and difficult light so a busy event remains legible when revisited afterward.

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A rain jacket and camera strap hanging beside a misty mountain view through a trail shelter

Outdoor · August 15, 2026 · 5 min read

Weather Is Part of the Picture

Rain, wind, haze and cloud become working conditions to expose for, protect against and use with intention in the field.

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A photographer checking an export checklist beside a monitor, camera and labelled archive drive

Workflow · August 5, 2026 · 5 min read

Export Settings That Serve the Delivery

A destination-first guide to format, colour space, dimensions and metadata for a file that reaches its next use cleanly.

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Reader desk The journal’s working notes, policies and rights information are open to every reader.

Legal informationEditorial policySponsored contentTerms of usePrivacyCopyright
BeyondWorking references

Read the wider frame.

These independent desks extend a practical question into print, exposure, sequence and changing light.

External desk

Print formats and finishes

Formats, aspect ratios, cropping and finishes clarify what changes when a prepared file becomes a physical print.

External desk

Aperture, speed and ISO

A second plain-language route through aperture, shutter speed and ISO, with the visible compromises each setting makes.

External desk

Photo essay sequence

A useful sequence of establishing frames, people, details and transitions for making an event report read as a story.

External desk

British landscape field notes

Locations, hours and changing coastal or hill conditions turn weather preparation into part of the landscape practice.

External desk

this Italian guide to home electronics

For readers who compare specs before buying, this Italian guide to home electronics covers HDMI ARC and eARC, panel types, screen size by viewing distance, and the EU energy and repairability labels that decide a purchase.

External desk

home electronics buying guide

For readers who want the reasoning behind a purchase rather than a spec sheet, home electronics buying guide covers TV size and panel types, soundbar and cable choices, and how to read an EU energy label before deciding to repair or replace.

External desk

digital painting and character design

For illustrators weighing digital painting order, character design and freelance rates, digital painting and character design covers Photoshop build-up, model sheets and day rates in plain English.

External desk

a French travel photography journal

For photographers who time their shots around light, a French travel photography journal breaks down how morning sun on Bali rice fields, golden hour on pyramids and blue hour on Paris bridges change the frame.