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Welcome to the Charles Tait Photo Library website. Here you can browse a few of my favourite images and if you wish order prints or other merchandise.
About
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Dr Charles Tait
Charles Tait is an Orcadian photographer, writer and publisher. His main interests are natural and cultural heritage. His inspiration comes from the beauty of nature in all its aspects as well as the vast archaeological and historical heritage of his native land and further afield. Although based in Orkney, he travels widely in search of new images and in research for new publications.
Most of Charles’ work is used in his series of guide books, postcards and calendars. The Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides Guide Books have become very popular with visitors. They are full of images, maps and information, all arranged in an authoritative, yet very easily assimilated manner. Over the years Charles’ photographs have been used in all manner of books, magazines, brochures, websites and advertising campaigns.
Having worked with film for nearly 40 years before changing to digital in 2002, Charles has a vast experience of all formats of stills photography. He used everything from 35mm to 5x4 and large format panoramic equipment, as appropriate to the work in hand. For all of this time B&W and colour darkroom work was crucially important.
The availability of affordable, high quality scanners, adequate computers and software starting around 1999, and then DSLRs in 2002 led to a complete step change in ways of working with images and publications. However the essential nature of photography was not changed. There was no paradigm shift as many suggested.
Today’s DSLRs and lenses have been developed to the point where issues about image quality rarely arise due limitations of the gear. Rather the camera should be seen as an extension to the senses. This demands complete mastery of the particular set of equipment in use, such that nothing gets in the way of creating the images sought, except the ability, creativity and energy of the photographer.
Charles was educated at Kirkwall Grammar School, then Edinburgh and Aberdeen Universities. His scientific training honed his already acute eye for detail and use of complex equipment. His aunt, film maker and poet, Margaret Tait, as well as other family members, had a profound effect on his artistic outlook, as well as interest in the natural and cultural world.
Charles Tait September 2013
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Dr Charles Tait
Charles Tait is an Orcadian photographer, writer and publisher. His main interests are natural and cultural heritage. His inspiration comes from the beauty of nature in all its aspects as well as the vast archaeological and historical heritage of his native land and further afield. Although based in Orkney, he travels widely in search of new images and in research for new publications.
Most of Charles’ work is used in his series of guide books, postcards and calendars. The Orkney, Shetland and Outer Hebrides Guide Books have become very popular with visitors. They are full of images, maps and information, all arranged in an authoritative, yet very easily assimilated manner. Over the years Charles’ photographs have been used in all manner of books, magazines, brochures, websites and advertising campaigns.
Having worked with film for nearly 40 years before changing to digital in 2002, Charles has a vast experience of all formats of stills photography. He used everything from 35mm to 5x4 and large format panoramic equipment, as appropriate to the work in hand. For all of this time B&W and colour darkroom work was crucially important.
The availability of affordable, high quality scanners, adequate computers and software starting around 1999, and then DSLRs in 2002 led to a complete step change in ways of working with images and publications. However the essential nature of photography was not changed. There was no paradigm shift as many suggested.
Today’s DSLRs and lenses have been developed to the point where issues about image quality rarely arise due limitations of the gear. Rather the camera should be seen as an extension to the senses. This demands complete mastery of the particular set of equipment in use, such that nothing gets in the way of creating the images sought, except the ability, creativity and energy of the photographer.
Charles was educated at Kirkwall Grammar School, then Edinburgh and Aberdeen Universities. His scientific training honed his already acute eye for detail and use of complex equipment. His aunt, film maker and poet, Margaret Tait, as well as other family members, had a profound effect on his artistic outlook, as well as interest in the natural and cultural world.
Charles Tait September 2013
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Charles Tait