That's not so say I want to be an arrogant arse or someone who's difficult to work with, quite the contrary. I pride myself on my ability to work with anyone, to put people at ease and make the most of a photographic session. I also pride myself on trying to create images which satisfy my clients needs and where possible to deliver beyond their expectations. Just don't expect me to create a persona around me to do it, I am me and I'm happy with that. Sometimes boisterous and sociable, sometimes I fall into the shadows and you'll never notice me, sometimes plain withdrawn; I've got to be me.

I have notes on the cult of personality, the nature of constructed personae, all a bit incomplete. One thing that does strike me though, despite the fact that we all wear masks from time to time, is that if you're working on a persona, then you're diminishing your ability to just be, you're using the faculties that could reflect your true self to create something else. All well and good if you're an actor and building a persona is your stock in trade, but unnecessary for most of us. It strikes me that too much is made of persona (or read this as celebrity if you prefer) and not enough of talent and personality, for that is what interests me, it shows – no, shines – in a face and the more of that there is, the easier the portrait will be.

On a slightly lighter note, I'm just about to add a new gallery to my personal work section. The snow chain image below was highly pre-visualisedand a couple of other images formed into a mini-project and gave me the opportunity to play with some black and white techniques, hope you like them.

Snow Chain

I was very fortunate recently to be completely outdone by a tool I was using, it was so well crafted, so perfectly fit for purpose that my skills in using it felt woefully inadequate. It was one of mankind's oldest tools, my partner's professional chef's knife. I did not have the "knife skills" to make the most of it's potential, and I knew it. It was was a humbling moment and reminded me of the first time I picked up a camera and how different that is to how I handle them now.

I know my cameras very well. Yes, there may be functions I only use once in a while and I may need to refer to the manual for those, but the day-to-day operation is completely second nature. I have chosen cameras, lenses and accessories which are appropriate for the work I am doing. Not only this, there are other tools I draw upon. The intellectual tools from having studied photography, viewed thousands of images and seen what does and does not work, what makes a good image, translating this into the selection of the correct tool to create an image. Then there are the physical tools too, the "muscle memory" that comes from having practiced the craft for countless hours, the way my cameras become invisible to me in the photographic process. Then there are those who will create the tools they need in order to achieve the results they desire, who find what's available commercially inadequate.

What does all of this translate to? In simple terms – cost. Professional equipment is expensive, it needs to be to withstand the rigours of everyday photographic use, some of it is highly specialised and produced in small quantities. Most importantly the appropriate tool will not hinder the your ability to do the work, professional cameras just work better than budget models and give you greater freedom to concentrate on the creative aspects of photography. Which brings me to the easiest things to grossly undersell; the experience, practice and creativity, difficult to achieve but enormously enjoyable and rewarding, the work of a lifetime. I can be hard to see the value in proficiency at a skill you enjoy, the years of learning, but that is where the value of a professional lies. The professional photographer will deliver the images you want.

Which brings me to another great expression, courtesy of a tweet by Terry L White: "Telling a photographer that their camera takes great pictures is like telling a chef their oven makes great meals".