Mike Reid Photography

BLOG

Notes from the road

The story behind a photograph is usually better than the photograph: the four-hour boat ride, the flooded housing, the dog that would not sit down. This is where those go, along with notes on the gear that has actually earned its place in the bag.

A giant clam with an iridescent blue-speckled mantle

Placeholder · Diving

Learning to see colour underwater

Why everything looks blue at depth, what a red filter really does, and the editing that turns a flat green frame into something worth printing.

Coming soon

A calm lagoon between towering limestone cliffs in the Philippines

Placeholder · Travel

Two weeks in Palawan

Karst islands, a bangka with a temperamental engine, and the lagoon that was worth getting up at five for.

Coming soon

Sierra leaping into the air in a back garden

Placeholder · Pets

Photographing a dog that will not sit still

Shutter speeds, bribery, and why the frame you want almost always arrives after everyone has given up.

Coming soon

Blue and gold naga sculptures at the Blue Temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Placeholder · Travel

The Blue Temple, and knowing when to stop

A place so detailed you can photograph it for an hour and come home with nothing.

Coming soon

A diver's lights cutting through a dark underwater cavern

Placeholder · Gear

What's actually in the bag

The camera above water, the one below it, and the accessories that turned out to be a waste of money.

Coming soon

A wide river winding between arid bluffs in the Columbia River Gorge

Placeholder · Prints

Why metallic paper suits water

What a pearl or metallic finish does to a reflective subject, and when a flat matte print is the better call.

Coming soon

A note on links

Some posts here link to gear I use. Where those are affiliate links, I earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what I recommend — I only link to things I’ve actually paid for and kept using. Any post containing affiliate links says so at the top.

This disclosure exists because the FTC requires it, and because you deserve to know.

LET'S TALK

Got a question about a photograph?

Where it was taken, how it was shot, or whether you can have it on your wall.