Welcome to Photos, mostly, a newsletter offering thoughts on the philosophy and practice of street photography, helping photographers to develop and create great work while guiding readers to better interpret street photography and appreciate how it is made. I’ll put you in the well-worn shoes of some of the best street photographers, past and present. Together, I hope we can improve the quality of hashtag-streetphotography, frame by frame.

So, what’s this all about?

Photos, mostly - Published on the last Wednesday of the month, the titular newsletter contains an essay on the philosophy and practice of street photography, a digest of my writing on photography from elsewhere, and to finish, some of my recent photographs.

Dispatches - Published on the 2nd Wednesday each month, Dispatches is a round-up of photography news, Substack highlights, and pop culture recommendations.

The Tinnitus Diaries - Published occasionally. This is a collection of scribbled thoughts and photographs from a music photographer, deep in the pit.

I aim to build a community of street photographers and readers of street photography and to help, Substack has equipped us with some useful community tools.

Substack Notes is my sporadic, online scrapbook. You’ll find photos, music, street photography quotes, random thoughts, and other bits and pieces. Your comments keep the conversation going.

Let’s talk about cash

Photos, mostly is free to read, however, your paid subscriptions and donations help me keep making photographs and writing. All labour required to publish Photos, mostly is undertaken by me alone. As I strive to better live by my anti-capitalist beliefs, I will donate 10% of all income to anti-capitalist, leftist or progressive causes or organisations that help to make the world a better place.

As the wider Photos, mostly universe develops, it will evolve based on what our community wants it to be, so please get in touch and let me know.

Sounds interesting?

If you want to make dynamic, engaging street photography and stand out from the crowd, or if you would like to learn to read and interpret street photography better, then you are in the right place.

A brief introduction

I'm Neil, a shy though loquacious, youthfully middle-aged, Scottish Varsovian street photographer. I teach photography, write about it for Shoot It With Film, and make photos for the SOPA Images agency. I'm formerly the owner of too many fireworks, a Glaswegian indie record label.

Why Photos, mostly?

I began photographing in 2006, the same year I first read Alasdair Gray’s collection of short stories, Unlikely Stories, mostly. As a musician now taking up the camera, and in homage to Gray, I named my website, the content of which spanned both, Photos, mostly. Though the website is lost to time, I revived the name for this street photography newsletter. In further homage to my favourite author, this newsletter’s logo is a combination of the classic Leica M3 frame lines, and Liam Nugent’s font, Lanark, which is based on Alasdair Gray’s very own typeface.