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No doubt someone, somewhere, has estimated how many photographs have been taken since the very first one in the 1840s. Undoubtedly the number is many billions. And in every single instance, there was a reason for taking the shot. However, all too often, it’s far from obvious afterwards what that reason was. And one of the principal reasons for this is that, all too often, the photographer was none too clear about it in the first place.

Another basic problem is that ‘point and shoot’ seems to promise that what you see is what you will get. In fact it never is. This is not an exaggeration but the simple truth. What you see through the viewfinder, or on the LCD screen, is not the same as what you see when you look directly at your scene or subject. The real world hardly ever packages itself in neat little rectangles.

Reality has four dimensions and a photograph has only two. The third and fourth dimensions – depth and time – can only be suggested in a photograph. This might seem to be a limitation, but in fact it may be a strength. 3D movies may be almost commonplace and 3D TV might just catch on, but 3D photography has been around a lot longer without ever really getting anywhere; it was more popular a hundred years ago than it is now. Similarly, movies and video have taken their place alongside still photography without ever threatening to replace it. Photography is irreplaceable; in its ability to crystallise an instant, it appeals to something deep within us.