Jeff Curto's Camera Position: Recent Episodes
Jeff Curto
Photography podcasts that deal with the why of photography over the how and discuss the essential qualities of the medium from the point of view of the creative photographer.
How do you consider yourself as a photographer in terms of the work you do? Is it important to tell your viewers how you define your work as being a particular kind or made with a particular camera, or does the work you make define you instead?
If I make more images, like the one in this post, am I a #lunarphotographer or a #GreatLakesPhotographer? If I shoot it with #film or with #digital, how does that change what the image says? I think my intent as a photographer matters more than the label or the gear and if you make photographs that are genuinely yours, your own personal hashtag will write itself.
Rather than think of myself as this kind of photographer or that kind of photographer, I prefer to think of myself as photographer - I'm interested in subject matter as it presents itself to me, or as I think of it relative to things I've read, music I've listened to, places I’ve gone...
Rather than pigeonholing yourself into a particular genre of image-making, or that you use a particular kind of camera, think rather of how the work you make defines who you are and let that be your “hashtag.”
Links for this Episode:
- PhotoPlace Gallery in Vermont
- Composed Exhibition
- Jeff's essay about the work
- My Instagram Feed - Follow me and I'll follow back
- Podcast Facebook Page
Blue Hour Moonset – Lake Superior - photograph by Jeff Curto
This episode covers some practical details. I go over the places where you can listen to Camera Position and list a number of online resources for you to explore photography that go beyond the “usual suspects" of Instagram - Flickr - Facebook.
– Sources – Where to Listen to Camera Position
| Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeartRadio | | Spotify | Stitcher | Amazon Music | | iOS App | YouTube | Android App |
– Resources – Where to Find Quality Photography & Photography Inspiration Online LENSCRATCH - "an online platform dedicated to supporting and celebrating the photographic arts and photographic artists through exposure, discussion, community collaboration, and education."
LensCulture - "LensCulture is one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching resources for discovering contemporary photography talent around the world."
Artsy - "Artsy features the world’s leading galleries, museum collections, foundations, artist estates, art fairs, and benefit auctions, all in one place." - Over 1,000,000 artworks online
Museum of Contemporary Photography - "The MoCP is the world’s premier college art museum dedicated to photography. Our mission is to cultivate a deeper understanding of the artistic, cultural and political roles of photography in our world today."
The Griffin Museum - "The Griffin Museum of Photography is a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the art of photography. Through our many exhibitions, programs and lectures, we strive to encourage a broader understanding and appreciation of the visual, emotional and social impact of photographic art. "
The Eastman Museum - "The George Eastman Museum is located in Rochester, New York, on the estate of George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography and motion picture film. Founded in 1947 as an independent nonprofit institution, it is the world’s oldest photography museum and one of the oldest film archives."
The Center for Photographic Art - "The Center for Photographic Art inspires the artist and the audience by nurturing the personal growth essential to creating and appreciating art. CPA works to increase understanding of and respect for photography and its important role in contemporary culture."
The Center for Photography at Woodstock - "Through its programs, CPW fosters opportunities to create and explore photography, and celebrate its role in contemporary culture."
En Foco - "En Foco is a non-profit that supports contemporary primarily U.S.-based photographers of African, Asian, Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander heritage."
Behance - Adobe's new-ish image sharing platform. I've been impressed with the work I've seen on there - check it out.
Last Sunset of 2020 Over Lake Superior photograph by Jeff Curto
"Whatever you do with your photography - don't ever do... "that"
Our desire to learn quickly, be noticed in social media and not make any mistakes has led to some photography pundits saying things like the above with increasing frequency
I can't think of a time in my life that has been more disconcerting than this last year. The pandemic and the disruption to our daily routine. We don't work the same, we don't socialize in the same way, we don't go out or see friends or family. We are certainly in strange and uncertain times, a situation that brings anxiety to many.
I’ve discovered that for me the disquiet of our time is calmed by the camera. I’ve learned that spending some time exploring some part of the world through the lens takes me away from the chaos and uncertainty and brings me back to center. It doesn't matter if I just take a walk around the kitchen in the warm morning light or grab the camera and spend a few minutes just outside the front door seeing what the siding looks like in the rain, if I take some photographs, it helps push disquiet away.
Moving my cognition over to the right side of my brain - the creative side - lifts the weight of the world from me. How about you? Do you find that raising the camera to your eye is a component of helping you create balance in your life? Let me know what your routine is below or on the podcast Facebook page.
During this pandemic time, we have been forced to trade in the allure of travel for the allure of the backyard. As I return to the podcast after a long absence, I explore the idea that you don’t need to go somewhere special to make special photographs. Instead, you need to go deeper wherever you are.
By slowing down as we look at photographs - ours or someone else's - we can more easily bring ourselves to the photograph, and by doing that, learn more about the medium and ourselves.
Links for this Episode:
- My Instagram Feed - Follow me and I'll follow back
- Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2020 Italy Photography Workshops
Life Saving Museum, Eagle Harbor, MI
Snow Drift, Eagle Harbor, MI
A couple of images from my winter in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Musicians warm up before they make music, but what about visual artists? Do photographers need to warm up before they create photographs? I think yes, and with the help of a podcast listener, we posit some ideas for getting warmed up visually.
Links for this Episode:
- University of Georgia's Cortona Studies Abroad - a great opportunity for any arts-oriented college student - young or old!
- Tuscany: In Search of The Personal - a couple of spots are left in my 2019 Tuscany Photography Workshop
Rainy Day - Arezzo, Tuscany - Photograph by Jeff Curto
Rainy Day - Arezzo, Tuscany - Photograph by Jeff Curto
Rainy Day - Arezzo, Tuscany - Photograph by Jeff Curto
Some thoughts on living an artful life, led off by poet Mary Oliver's "Instructions on Living a Life"
Pay attention
Be Astonished
Tell about it.
Links for this Episode:
- Mary Oliver- The American poet at the Poetry Foundation
- Twyla Tharp - a brief video of some of Tharp's choreography
- Samuel Beckett - Some information about the poet & playwright
- Pablo Picasso - A collection of paintings, quotes and a bio
Summer Cloud, Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, 2018 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
Rather than trying to make art your life, work instead on trying to make every day of your life into art.
"You just have to live and life will give you pictures."
-Henri Cartier Bresson
Birch & Sun, Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, 2018 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
The act of making photographs connects me to the world, to my medium and to myself. When I make photographs, there is always a reward.
Links for this Episode:
Places you can find and listen to Camera Position:
- iTunes Podcasts
- Player FM
- Stitcher
- iHeart Radio
- Short Orange
Sun, Pines and Water - Lake Superior, Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, 2018[/caption]
Many people think of a wide lens as a way to get farther away from a subject, but I think of a wide lens as a way for us to get closer... a wide lens is really a close-up lens, allowing us to create a dominant subject in the frame by emphasizing the difference in distance from near to far.
Links for this Episode:
Evidence of Hands on Stone - Jeff's Italian architectural photographs
The Curtometer - An Aid To Seeing - a deceptively simple device to help you sort out camera position and focal length
Places you can find and listen to Camera Position:
- iTunes Podcasts
- Player FM
- Stitcher
- iHeart Radio
- Short Orange[caption id="attachment_2658" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Fortezza di Radicofani - Tuscany A wide-angle lens was used here, allowing me to emphasize the difference in distance from the nearby bricks to the doorway.[/caption][caption id="attachment_2657" align="aligncenter" width="474"] San Biagio, Montepulciano, Tuscany
A longer lens was used here, as I didn’t want to emphasize any difference in distance between objects in this subject.[/caption]
Podcast listener Tracy wrote:
"Photography comes from the depths of who we are. It is not only an exploration of our world, it is also an exploration of ourselves."
This episode is a "part 2" of self-exploration and its relationship to our photography, utilizing a worksheet that you can download called "Passion and Mission" to help you think through not only what you care about, but how you can take those things and transform them into a body of photographic work.
Links for this Episode:
- Passion and Mission PDF
- E. E. Cummings at the Poetry Foundation
- Got a minute? Leave a review of this podcast on iTunes
Starry Night (weathered log) - Glacial Park, McHenry, IL 2018 - Photograph by Jeff Curto[/caption]
What is your story? What are you curious about? What do you care about? How can your photographs express those interests? Making stronger photographs often depends on digging deep to determine your passion and then translating those passions into images.
Links for this Episode:
- Morton Arboretum Photographic Society - Where I'll be speaking on the Creative Process on Monday, April 9, 2018
- Got a minute? Leave a review of this podcast on iTunes
[caption id="attachment_2613" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Snow & Ice, Lake Superior, 2018 - Photograph by Jeff Curto[/caption]
Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes and art is knowing which mistakes to keep. Instead of living in fear of "getting it wrong," a better, more useful strategy is to keep moving - plowing through the things that don't work and slowly refining the process to get to the things that resonate for you and with viewers of your work.
“Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make. Good. Art.” ~Neil Gaiman
Links for this Episode:
- Neil Gaiman's website
- Morton Arboretum Photographic Society - Where I'll be speaking on the Creative Process on Monday, April 9, 2018
- Got a minute? Leave a review of this podcast on iTunes
Luca, Cortona, Tuscany - Photograph by Jeff Curto[/caption]
"Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself." -Miles Davis
One of the most consistent questions I get from students is this one: "how do I develop my own style?" Miles Davis helps with an answer.
Links for this Episode:
- Miles Davis Interview on YouTube
- Got a minute? Leave a review of this podcast on iTunes
- Sign up for the Italy Photography Workshops Mailing List - The 2018 workshops are sold out, but planning is underway for the 2019 Workshops
Cloud, Shadow & Wall, Cortona, Tuscany, 2017 - Photograph by Jeff Curto[/caption]
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” - Thomas Merton
How can we use the art we make with the camera to grow, learn and provide ourselves with a way of saying new things... to, as Merton says, “find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time"?
I’m asking listeners to help steer the future direction of Camera Position by letting me know what you’d like to hear.
Links for this Episode:
- Help steer the future direction of Camera Position:
- Send me an email
- Post a comment on the Camera Position Facebook Page
- Leave a comment below
- Sign up for the Italy Photography Workshops Mailing List - The 2018 workshops are sold out, but planning is underway for the 2019 Workshops
- University of Georgia Studies Abroad in Cortona, Tuscany
[caption id="attachment_2535" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy, 2017 - Photograph by Jeff Curto[/caption]
When the subject takes precedence - when you point your camera at things that are the most interesting thing to you, you are on your way to developing a personal style - the sense that these subjects are the most important things and can only be pointed out in this way by you.
“To be a good writer, you not only have to write a great deal but you have to care.” Anne Lamott - Bird by Bird
Links for this Episode:
- Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2018 Italy Photography Workshops
- Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott on Amazon
[caption id="attachment_2483" align="aligncenter" width="474"] Piazza del Salvatore, Lucca, Tuscany, 2017[/caption]
How do we go beyond a record of a place and begin to make photographs that convey a real sense of place? The objective is not just to show what your destination looks like, but rather to convey, in photographs, what it felt like to be there.
Links for this Episode:
- Exhibition: WANDERLUST: Travel as Muse in the 21st Century
- Stony Brook Camera Club: Talk on May 11, 2017
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2018 Italy Photography Workshops
Carrara, Tuscany – photograph by Jeff Curto
This episode is a little meditation on the importance of aligning ourselves with the messages around us, using Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird as inspiration.
“The Gulf Stream will flow through a straw provided the straw is aligned to the Gulf Stream, and not at cross purposes with it.”
-Anne Lamott
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Links for this Episode:
- Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2018 Italy Photography Workshops
-
Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott on Amazon
Barga, Tuscany, 2016
“But the art in an artwork might not be located precisely where you thought it was. Perhaps it was just as much in the damage and decay as it was in the intact original. Perhaps it was in the gaps - in contemplating and rending those insults and injuries - that we find ourselves, by compassion; by bandaging, however imperfectly, those wounds. Art may be a species of faith, the assurance of things hoped for. It contains nothing so much as our wish that we persist.”
-Robert Clark
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Link for this Episode:
Dark Water: Art, Disaster and Redemption in Florence on Amazon
The River Arno, Florence - Photograph by Jeff Curto
As photographers, we know that there is a fairly wide range of options available to us that change what was to what we show the world in our images. Every photograph is a composite of the choices we make as the person who eventually presents the image. Every photograph is an interpretation of the way the world really looks.
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Italy Photography Workshops, 2017 - Late Registration May Be Possible:
- Sicily: Photographing a Sense of Place - May 26 to June 2, 2017
- Tuscany: Exploring the Eternal Moment - June 17 to June 24, 2017
Bevagna, Umbria, 2016 (might be art)
An early influence on my ways of thinking about photography on a deeper level was the great writer John Berger. A poet, novelist, artist screenwriter and more, Berger, born in 1926, and died just a few weeks ago, in January of 2017 at the age of 90. A read of Berger's work gives great insight into what meaning we derive from looking, seeing and photographing.
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Links for this Episode:
- Books by John Berger:
- Ways of Seeing - 1972
- About Looking - 1980
- Understanding A Photograph - 2013
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Ways Of Seeing TV Program:
- Episode 1
- Episode 2
- Episode 3
- Episode 4
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Italy Photography Workshops, 2017 - Late Registration May Be Possible:
- Sicily: Photographing a Sense of Place - May 26 to June 2, 2017
- Tuscany: Exploring the Eternal Moment - June 17 to June 24, 2017
About Looking by John Berger
Walt Whitman's poems in his opus Leaves of Grass mirror the actions of the photographer by beginning with facts and transforming those facts into ideas. I explore how both photography and Whitman's poetry use simple language to convey complex ideas, giving any object or experience new importance by recording it on a previously blank page.
Links for this Episode:
- Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass on Amazon
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Edward Weston's photographs for Leaves of Grass
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The Italy Photography Workshops for 2017
- Sicily: Photographing a Sense of Place - May 26 to June 2, 2017 - 1 space left
- Tuscany: Exploring the Eternal Moment - June 17 to June 24, 2017 - 2 spaces left
Leaves of Grass - 1856 Edition, Frontispiece and Title
"You can observe a lot just by watching." - Yogi Berra
I like to see photographers out in the world and watch them photograph. Observing how photographers photograph can be a great aid in helping us make better, more informed, more personal photographs.
There are still a few spaces left in 2 of my Italy Photography Workshops for 2017:
- Sicily: Photographing A Sense of Place - May 26 to June 2, 2017
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Tuscany: Exploring The Eternal Moment - June 17 to 24, 2017
Colonnata, Tuscany, 2016 - on the itinerary for the 2017 Tuscany Photo Workshop
What drives and motivates photographers to do the work they do? I think that our unifying motivation is curiosity - an unrelenting, never-ending curiosity - an "itch" to know more about something and to learn about that thing through photographing it.
I was prompted to think about how we should cultivate the itch - our curiosity - and not the scratch by this quote from photographer Sabastião Salgado:
“If you’re young and have the time, go and study. Study anthropology, sociology, economy, geopolitics. Study so that you’re actually able to understand what you’re photographing. What you can photograph and what you should photograph.”
Links for this Episode:
- The Italy Photography Workshops for 2017
- Sicily: Photographing a Sense of Place - May 26 to June 2, 2017
- Tuscany: Exploring the Eternal Moment - June 17 to June 24, 2017
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Sabãstiao Salgado - View some of his work
Steps, Medici Chapel, Florence, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
Do you take time to be creative each day?
The creative act is worth taking the time for. It's worth making the time for. It's what holds us up and keeps us going. Thousands upon thousands of creative people are forced to make the time to create. It's worth it because of what we give ourselves and what we give back to the world.
Links for this Episode:
- The Italy Photography Workshops for 2017
- Sicily: Photographing a Sense of Place - May 26 to June 2, 2017
- Tuscany: Exploring the Eternal Moment - June 17 to June 24, 2017
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The Memoirs of Hadrian - by Margurite Yourcenar on Amazon
Olives, Tuscany, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
If you see a picture that you think you may have photographed before, take it. Both the subject and the photographer may have changed since the last time you photographed it. Regardless of the reason, you should always make the photograph.
Links for this Episode:
- University of Georgia Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, Tuscany - a great program for students who want an excellent study abroad experience.
- Lincoln Shatz - Lake Series - look what happens when a photographer engages the same subject over and over again.
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Pienza, Tuscany, 2016 I’ve stood in front of this very door many times, and photographed it repeatedly, but never in this light, never at this time of year and never with this degree of success.
Among the many things that make photography such an interesting pursuit are its qualities of objectivity combined with subjectivity. In the end, photography is an objective medium with a subjective soul.
Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops.
Varenna, Lake Como, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto Varenna, Lake Como, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto Each one of these images is ostensibly of the same subject (or is it object?) but each one dramatically different from the other based on my subjective interpretation of the scene. Thinking through the choices we make is what makes photography tick.
In addition to the phrase "Less is More," the great architect Mies Van der Rohe also had another saying that relates to making creative work, and that is "God Is In The Details," suggesting that attention to each and every detail of your process, from conception to execution, is integral to making the best work possible.
Links for this Episode:
- The Mies van der Rohe Society
- Gustave Flaubert - Bio info
- Le Corbusier - At MOMA
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Lake Superior Shoreline, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
Whether it's a stack of dishes in the sink, moving forward with yur photography or climbing up a steep mountain, looking at the path that you're traveling is usually the easiest way to the top.
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Faro Voltaio - Volta's Lighthouse, Brunate, Italy, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto Faro Voltaio - Volta's Lighthouse, Brunate, Italy, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto Faro Voltaio - Volta's Lighthouse, Brunate, Italy, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
The difference between a conscious and an unconscious photographer is that the conscious photographer produces more by thinking more and photographing less.
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Links for this Episode:
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Wind, Varenna, Lago di Como, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
In a few past episodes, we’ve looked at alternate ways to get your work in front of an audience, and here’s another one: ‘Zines. This “low-fi” type of publication is a great (and cheap) way of getting your work into others’ hands. I use my former student Michael Jarecki’s ‘Zine “Just Make Pictures” as an … Continue reading Camera Position 182 : The Art of the ‘Zine →
In a few past episodes, we've looked at alternate ways to get your work in front of an audience, and here's another one: 'Zines. This "low-fi" type of publication is a great (and cheap) way of getting your work into others' hands. I use my former student Michael Jarecki's 'Zine "Just Make Pictures" as an example of how it can work.
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Links for this Episode:
- Michael Jarecki - His 'zine "Just Make Pictures" is also the name of his blog
- Order Mike's 'zine here
- If you're in Chicago, you can find Mike's 'zine here
- Allison Smith's 'zine is also worth checking out
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Mike Jarecki - Just Make Pictures Mike Jarecki - Just Make Pictures
The great architect Mies van der Rohe is famous for the phrase "Less is More" to describe his approach to simplifying his designs. That philosophy can be applied to photography as well, as it is often better to make fewer, but more thoughtful, images.
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Links for this Episode:
- The Mies van der Rohe Society
- van der Rohe's Farnsworth House in Plano, IL
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House
From aperture and focal length to shutter speeds and focus points, our modern photographic tools give us a wealth of information about our photographs. We can use that information to learn about the way we approach photography and what strategies lead to our greatest successes.
Links for this Episode:
- Julieanne Kost's quick Lightroom tip about finding your images using filters
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
All of us make photographs that, for some reason, don't quite work, even though we had high hopes for them. If we embrace those photographs that almost worked, but didn't, we can find some tools to help us improve and grow.
Links for this Episode:
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Here are some examples of images that are "almosts" for me (and that I discuss in this podcast):
Archway - uninteresting light and no solid center of interest make this an "almost" image. Blue & Red Paint - if only I'd realized that it was the faded paint that I was most interested in and not the decoration, I might have moved in closer for a more abstract image in this "almost" photograph. Blue Door - Of course I see now that it was the blue door that attracted me and not the carved details of the door. But I didn't see that then and I have this "almost" image to remind me to be clear about my intention.
When you face something you think you can't possibly do and then go ahead and do it anyway creativity is the tool you use.
Links for this Episode:
- Using Virtual Copies in Lightroom - a great way to experiment
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
El Trovatore Motel, Kingman, AZ
Photograph by Jeff Curto
A lot of people who are “into” photography seem to think of the “doing” of photography as the end unto itself. While the mechanical act of making photographs can be pleasurable, I think of photography as a medium for self-examination, not a pursuit unto itself. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook … Continue reading Camera Position 177 : It’s Not a Pursuit, It’s a Medium →
A lot of people who are "into" photography seem to think of the "doing" of photography as the end unto itself. While the mechanical act of making photographs can be pleasurable, I think of photography as a medium for self-examination, not a pursuit unto itself.
Links for this Episode:
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
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Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops. Sign up for the mailing list to be informed when registration begins.
Spiral 1, 2016 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
The American abstract expressionist painter Richard Diebenkorn (1922 –1993) is noted not only for his great work, but also for his thoughts about the creative process. Diebenkorn's "Notes to myself on beginning a painting" is a list of 10 things to think about as we begin any creative work - we can think of them as "10 Rules for Getting Started."
Links for this Episode:
- Richard Diebenkorn on Artsy. net
- Richard Diebenkorn - a website with lots of information and images
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Richard Diebenkorn's "Notes to myself on beginning a painting"
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Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion.
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The pretty, initial position which falls short of completeness is not to be valued — except as a stimulus for further moves.
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Do search. But in order to find other than what is searched for.
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Use and respond to the initial fresh qualities but consider them absolutely expendable.
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Don't "discover" a subject — of any kind.
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Somehow don't be bored — but if you must, use it in action. Use its destructive potential.
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Mistakes can't be erased but they move you from your present position.
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Keep thinking about Polyanna.
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Tolerate chaos.
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Be careful only in a perverse way.
Richard Diebenkorn - Knife in a Glass, 1963
Richard Diebenkorn -Cityscape, 1963
There’s an old adage in photography: “inside every 8x10” print, there is a really excellent 5x7” image waiting to be found." That old saw is the foundation for an exercise that I’ve used for myself and in my classes over the years; take an image that you’ve made and search for alternate cropping choices that might strengthen the composition. Regardless of whether you find a “better” photograph, you learn a fair amount about how to see.
Links for this Episode:
- Using Virtual Copies in Lightroom - a great way to experiment
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List - Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
Original Image - Grapes, Castiglione d'Orcia, Tuscany, 2014
Crops from the original image
Crop #1
Crop #2
Crop #3
Crop #4
A listener asked where the logo for Camera Position came from, which gave me an impetus to talk about that photograph and the concept of the Lone Tree image - a compulsory photograph for nearly every photographer.
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Links for this Episode:
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops
Lone Tree, Pienza, Toscana, 2004 - photograph by Jeff Curto
When we position the camera, we are ultimately positioning the viewer of our photographs. We explore this idea using a 1757 painting by the Venetian Painter Canaletto, who often used a camera obscura to create his paintings. Thanks to Dirk Rösler and the folks at the Large Format Photography Forum for setting these wheels in … Continue reading Camera Position 173 : Position The Camera – Position The Viewer →
When we position the camera, we are ultimately positioning the viewer of our photographs. We explore this idea using a 1757 painting by the Venetian Painter Canaletto, who often used a camera obscura to create his paintings.
Thanks to Dirk Rösler and the folks at the Large Format Photography Forum for setting these wheels in motion. Check out some of the conversations we’re having on Facebook and Flickr about photography and ideas.
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Links for this Episode:
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops
- Japan Exposures - Dirk Rösler's site
- Canaletto - a gallery of his paintings online
- Large Format Photography Forum - A clearing house of information for the view camera photographer
Piazza San Marco: Looking South West - 1757 by Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal)
Everyone has ideas, but many people keep those ideas hidden inside. The creative person finds a way to get those ideas out the door in a way that allows them to breathe.
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Links for this Episode:
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops - A few spots remain for Puglia and Rome
Door, New Mexico, 2011
“Anyone can print black – just put a piece of photo paper under the enlarger, turn the enlarger light on and leave it on. But light values… ahhh… light values… they are the soul of the black and white photograph. Not everyone can print white and have it sing.” So said one of my great … Continue reading Camera Position 171 : Tone, Value and Mr. Bennett’s Button →
"Anyone can print black - just put a piece of photo paper under the enlarger, turn the enlarger light on and leave it on. But light values... ahhh... light values... they are the soul of the black and white photograph. Not everyone can print white and have it sing." So said one of my great photo teachers, Neil Rappaport. I took that advice to heart, but it was a visit to the Photography Study Room at the Art Institute of Chicago where I really learned the truth behind those words as I viewed Paul Strand’s photograph Mr. Bennett, Vermont, 1944.
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Links for this Episode:
- The History of Photography Class in the Photo Study Room at the Art Institute of Chicago
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops - A few spots remain for Puglia and Rome
Camera Position is ten years old! The first episode of Camera Position was published February 5, 2006 and it's been a wonderful decade of learning about photography, my listeners and myself.
A huge thank you to all of you listeners out there! I really appreciate your support and your participation in the Camera Position community.
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Here are some of the more popular podcast episodes over the last 10 years.
- Camera Position Episode 89 - Camera Position & Camera Distance - examined work by some great photographers to look at proximity and relationship.
- Episodes 87 & 88 : Desert Island Photographs - Part 1 and Part 2 - where listeners picked their one “desert island photograph.”
- Episode 60 - Back to Basics - Composition an overview of essential visual image composition principles.
- Episodes 69 and 70 on Gestalt Theory and Composition which explored the concepts of gestalt and visual communication. For those interested, I’ve also produced a free e-book, Resonating Images: Communicating Messages Visually
- Episode 154 Feedback Part 1 - and Episode 155 Feedback Part 2 - looked at how to - and how not to - critique photographs, and included the printable infographic that detailed how to do effective image critique.
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops - A few spots remain for Puglia and Rome
Combining my passions - Photography, Teaching and Italy - at one of my Italy Photo Workshops
"How do I get started in learning black and white photography?" That was the question I got by the boatload after the podcast about B&W photography, so this episode is dedicated to articulating some resources for that pursuit, starting with some advice from one of the greats, Ansel Adams.
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Links for this episode:
- Ansel Adams' book The Print
- Hiroshi Sugimoto - Seascapes
- Michael Kenna - Photographs
- Lenswork Magazine
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops - A few spots remain for Puglia and Rome
Ansel Adams' book - The Print
Edges - The edge of the frame, the edge of the subject, the edge of the world, the edge of a moment. Regardless of how we interpret it, the assignment of "Edges" can be a good one to expand our understanding of photography.
Links for this Episode:
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops - A few spots remain for Puglia and Rome
Can photography be better learned in black and white? That's the question that I look at in this episode, as we look at line, shape, tone and texture in the world of Black and White.
Can photography be better learned in black and white? That's the question that I look at in this episode, as we look at line, shape, tone and texture in the world of Black and White.
Links for this Episode:
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops - A few spots remain for Puglia and Rome
Photography is about storytelling. Sharing your images and the story that they create is one of the ultimate goals for most photographers. Fortunately, our contemporary world has some amazing tools and interesting ideas that can help us tell our stories with words and pictures.
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Links to some ideas discussed on the podcast:
- Listener David Crowe's "Boulders" Flickr group
- Listener Chris Bonney's PDF of images of Cannon Beach, Oregon
Jeff's online stories:
- Puglia Photo Workshop 2015 - made using MyAlbum
- Tuscany Photo Workshop 2015 - made using MyAlbum
- Your Story of Rome - made using Adobe Slate
- Autumn in the Keweenaw - made using Adobe Slate
- Grana Padano Cheese - made using Storehouse
Jeff's Photograph Italy Workshops - registration is now open for 2016!
Rome Photo Workshop - A story made with Adobe Slate
Puglia Workshop 2015 - A story made with MyAlbum
Today's world of photography is so very confusing. Photographers are confronted with a barrage of advice about how to make good photographs and what gear you must have to make them. Of course, that advice has some value, but I think best way to learn is to actually go and make photographs because, as a longtime listener once told me, "Pictures need to be taken to be any good."
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- The Candid Frame - Ibarionex Perello's podcast
- Ibarionex Perello's book - Chasing The Light on Amazon
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
Matera, Basilicata, Italy, 2015 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
The great photographer Ernst Haas said, ""The frame of the camera is the photographer's discipline. It can contain as much as it withholds, cut into or hold together images that detract or contribute to a given theme." In this episode, I explore the idea that the frame of the camera is a discipline.
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- In America by Ernst Haas on Amazon
- Ernst Haas' Estate website
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
New England - Photograph by Ernst Haas
Using a quote from Janet Malcolm’s collections of essays about photography as a springboard, I talk about the relative truth of photographs and look back to our discussion about peripheral vision. Play Podcast Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr – Share your images Janet Malcolm’s Diana & Nikon on … Continue reading Camera Position 163 : Photographer’s Bookshelf – Diana and Nikon →
Using a quote from Janet Malcolm's collections of essays about photography as a springboard, I talk about the relative truth of photographs and look back to our discussion about peripheral vision.
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- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- Janet Malcolm's Diana & Nikon on Amazon
As a driver, you use your peripheral vision all the time. So, too, with photography as you need to learn how to pay attention to what's at the edge of your visual field in order to really see the world.
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- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
US 41, Michigan, 2012 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
What’s your hobby? As a recently retired person, it’s the question I often get as people try to figure out what I “do” with the time I used to spend “working.” In this episode, we look at the interconnected aspects of the things we like to do. Play Podcast Camera Position on Facebook – Share … Continue reading Camera Position 161 : What’s Your Hobby? →
What's your hobby? As a recently retired person, it's the question I often get as people try to figure out what I "do" with the time I used to spend "working." In this episode, we look at the interconnected aspects of the things we like to do.
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- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
- History of Photography Podcast
Bellagio, Lago di Como, Lombardia, 2015 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
With creative work, there is often a gap between our ambitions and our ability to create work that meets our expectations. Fortunately, our "inner critic" is there to help us close the gap between our goals and the photographs we make.
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- Infographic on the 4 steps of Critique as a PDF
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
-
Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
Vigolo Marchese, Emila-Romagna, 2015 Photograph by Jeff Curto
Human values -- those emotions, beliefs, traditions, and knowledge that we understand and share as human beings are an integral part of how we come to express ourselves in photography. In fact, it may be the essence of why we want to express ourselves with photography.
- Camera Position on Facebook - Share your images
- Camera Position on Flickr - Share your images
Rollo May (1909 - 1994) was an American existential psychologist and author. Among his books was The Courage to Create. In it, May lays out some ideas about art and creativity that have important implications for the creative person; photographers included.
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Jeff's Podcast Facebook Page - for discussion of podcast topics
The Courage to Create By Rollo May - on Amazon
Rollo May - The Courage to Create
One of the four steps of achieving true critique of a work of art is analysis and doing that analysis requires applying the elements and principles of art. In this episode, we look at what those elements and principles are so we can employ them in true critique of our photographs.
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Links for this episode:
- An infographic on the elements of art and the principles of art as a PDF (also as a JPEG)
- Use artsy.net to look at some masterworks of art to begin exercising these ideas:
- The Old Masters
- Abstract Expressionists
- Cubists
- Contemporary Photography:
- Lens Culture
- New York Times Lens Blog
- FlakPhoto
- Zone Zero
In the last couple of episodes of Camera Position, I talked about feedback on your work and the type of feedback you typically get contrasted against the type of feedback you want, which is true, genuine critique of your work.
In truth, critique of any sort is based entirely on critical thinking or the objective analysis and evaluation of something in order to form an evaluation of it. Critical thinking is at the base of how we come to know something… critical thinking is the engine of learning.
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La Foce, Toscana, 2014 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
Feedback on our work usually comes in one of two forms: Reaction and Direction. Both are simple to do but don’t give us what we really want to help move our work forward. This second podcast of two parts looks at a third and much more useful type of feedback: Critique. This form of feedback … Continue reading Camera Position 155 : Feedback Part 2 – Critique →
Feedback on our work usually comes in one of two forms: Reaction and Direction. Both are simple to do but don't give us what we really want to help move our work forward. This second podcast of two parts looks at a third and much more useful type of feedback: Critique.
This form of feedback that is most helpful to us in understanding the impact of our photographs on viewers.
Play Podcast
- Infographic on the 4 steps of Critique as a PDF
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Infographic on the 4 steps of Critique as a JPEG (or see below)
An Infographic on the 4 Steps of Critique - Click to Enlarge
Feedback is something that photographers always want. Regardless of their level of interest or expertise, photographers always want to hear what other people think about their work. Most of the time, though, we often get feedback that doesn’t match what we are looking for. This first episode of a two-part set of podcasts looks at … Continue reading Camera Position 154 : Feedback Part 1 – Reaction and Direction →
Feedback is something that photographers always want. Regardless of their level of interest or expertise, photographers always want to hear what other people think about their work. Most of the time, though, we often get feedback that doesn’t match what we are looking for. This first episode of a two-part set of podcasts looks at the two most common types of feedback; Reaction and Direction and starts us on a path toward the best kind of feedback: Critique.
Pienza, Toscana, 2014 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
The practice of photography shapes the way we view the world. No matter what level of involvement you have with the medium, seeing the world as a photographer enhances your vision, your life and your sense of self.
Celebrate that!
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Castelluccio, Norcia, Umbria, 2014 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
The book The Shape of Content, by Ben Shahn, is a collection of essays based on a series of six lectures given by Shahn, an important 20th century painter, at Harvard University in the 1950s.
Through the book, we get a great sense of Shahn’s notions about how art can and should be learned and, more importantly, his belief that art cannot really be taught. In Shahn's mind, we are human beings first; artists second. Or, in other words, we must always be living, learning, and looking.
The Shape of Content - Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn's The Shape of Content
In his book The Way of Zen, Alan Watts explains two different, mutually important, ways of using our minds and therefore our creativity, which helps to explain the potential of perception in photography:
"For we have two types of vision—central and peripheral, not unlike the spotlight and the floodlight."
In this episode, I look at those two types of vision and see how they can be used to improve the thought process behind the photographs that we make.
Play The Podcast:
Links for this Episode:
- The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
-
Camera Position 57 - About the book Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel
Zen Garden
You're the photographer, not the viewer of the photographs you make. Between the making of the image and the time that the image is put out into the world for viewing, that distinction is often lost, though it's an important one to consider for both photographers and viewers alike.
Every new idea is just a restatement of old ideas, or sometimes it’s several old ideas combined into a new one. Collecting ideas as you go along is a great way of mining new ways of thinking of things.
I use an Idea Bank to hold my ideas so I can use them at a later time.
For a long time, I’ve used a plain old folder to hold things like quotations, objects, articles, pictures and other ephemera. What I like about a physical folder is that I can pull the objects out from time to time and physically associate them with one another as I try to create new ideas out of things I'm interested in.
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Cactus, Tucson, 2015 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
My first experience using snowshoes to explore the winter landscape gave me some insight into the process of learning new things and slowing down the process of looking and photographing.
Check out my free e-book The Lakeshore in Winter - Filled with images and video of Lake Superior in winter or see the video Fire and Ice on Vimeo.
Each year, I take small groups of students to Italy for an intense week of photography and learning. Some destinations vary, but a constant is the workshop In Search of the Personal: Photographing Southern Tuscany, where my goal is to help my students tap into their personal way of seeing the world. This past summer, seven photographers went to the same locations but came home with dramatically different images, as they saw Tuscany with their own personal style in mind.
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AlAmandaAnnBeth
KayeLarrySusan
Links for this episode:
- Get on the Advanced Notice Mailing List for the workshops
- Jeff's Italy Photography Workshops Website
Student Websites and Slideshows from Tuscany
- Al's website | Al's Tuscany Slideshow
- Amanda's website | Amanda's Tuscany Slideshow
- Anne's Website | Anne's Tuscany Slideshow
- Beth's Website | Beth's Tuscany Slideshow
- Kaye's Flickr Page | Kaye's Tuscany Slideshow
- Larry's Website | Larry's Tuscany Slideshow
- Susan's Tuscany Slideshow
Watching a group of students just getting started in photography reminded me about how we reach "escape velocity" in photography. Their positive experience was based on time, concentration, idea and craft.
Leaving home can not only allow you to view your personal environment with new eyes, but the new experiences you find when you're away can also help you see the world in a different way. Here I use some examples of how something that was not inherently about being "away" prompted me to experiment with light, reflection and transparency.
As a kid, returning from my summer vacation showed me my home in a different way. Trees were bigger and the house smelled both familiar and new. Leaving home and coming back again can be a great way to invigorate the way you see. When we return home after being away, home is still the same, but we can see it with new eyes.
Years ago, I had a friend who was a professional chef. Sometimes, on his days off, he would come to my house and practice what he called "sport cooking" and I ended up applying the concept to my photography.
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Be in the moment.
In this episode, I encourage you to put your camera down, disconnect yourself from your devices and other distractions and embrace the Italian concept Dolce Far Niente; the sweetness of doing nothing.
Grasses, Lake Superior, 2014 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
"The medium is the message" is a phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan meaning that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived.
Content is king. Emphasizing content over visual flash encourages the viewer to respond intellectually and the idea of storytelling takes precedence.
In recent years, the proliferation of photography as a pastime has meant a huge number of images being produced and viewed every day. Some photographers have resorted to using visual flash over interesting content to rise above the fray. I still believe that content is king.
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Barista, Montepulciano, Toscana 2005 - Photograph by Jeff Curto Podcast is 8:43
Content, sequence and structure matter. This episode looks at editing down your photographs to a cogent and clear set that tells your story most effectively and strengthen the work.
We also look at the element of sequencing your images as an important element of helping you to create structure in your work. Whether you are trying to tell a story or you want to create a different type of coherence in a body of work, the process of editing and sequencing your images becomes of paramount importance.
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Mercato Rialto, Venezia, 2003 - Photograph by Jeff Curto
The Story Spine is a wonderful method of conceptualizing a story. Initially conceived by playwright Kenn Adams, it's a great tool for anyone who wants to tell a story effectively. The Story Spine is a template, but a loose one, with some open-ended statements that you can fill in to help you start to conceptualize a story.
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The Platform
- Once Upon a Time…
- Everyday…
The Catalyst
- But one day…
- Then something changed…
The Consequences
- Because of that… (repeated as needed)
- And then __________ occurred
- And then…
The Climax
- Until finally…
- Then suddenly…
The Resolution
- Ever since then…
- And the moral of the story is…
- And the funny thing was…
For a PDF of The Story Spine, click here.
Photography excels at storytelling. While a single image can tell a story, we can tell much more complex stories with sets or series of images.
If we set out to create those images with a story idea in mind, it's much easier to have our stories make sense. This episode presents the essential elements of storytelling with images.
We’ve all known great storytellers and we know that what they are able to do is tap into both the personal and the universal when they tell a story. They also understand that a story has to have a beginning, a middle and an end.
Typically, a good story has most, if not all of these elements, each of which is explained in the podcast:
- Introduction
- Situation
- Main Character
- Detail
- Setting The Hook
- Tension
- Consequence
- Conclusion
I’ve found that photographers have a much easier time with storytelling if they photograph with story in mind. If you start thinking about the story that you’ll tell before you start to photograph, you’ll have an easier time of making a story work than if you try to impose story on photographs you’ve already made.
While Camera Position has been quiet for a while, a whole lot has been going on in my life as a photographer, a teacher and a traveler. This episode is an update on the past, the present and the future for Camera Position and for me.
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Interactive iBooks by Jeff:
- Basic Photography - An overview of the components of a camera to an exploration of exposure, aperture, shutter speed, lenses, depth of field, composition and more.
- Resonating Images: Communicating Messages Visually - An introduction to the visual concepts of gestalt psychology, helping you see the cognitive reasons that some images resonate with us and others don’t. Using both graphic and photographic visual examples, I show you how to go beyond making images that are just visually pleasing and look at how images communicate messages to viewers.
- The Lakeshore in Winter - I’ve spent nearly every summer on the southern shore of the largest of the Great Lakes, Superior. I’ve sailed across the waves and I’ve braved its cold water to swim all summer long. In January of 2013, I was able to spend a week in the same place that I enjoy during summer. This book is a record of that time on the lakeshore in winter.
Teaching in Italy:
- Italy Photography Workshops: www.photographitaly.com Get on the Advanced Notice List for the workshops.
- University of Georgia Study Abroad in Cortona, Tuscany
Apple Distinguished Educator:
- Apple Distinguished Educator - Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs) are part of a global community of education leaders recognized for doing amazing things with Apple technology in and out of the classroom.
Photographer Olivia Parker has been an influential and prolific photographer for more than 40 years. We look at Parker's work, her background, her persistence and the way our networks can help move us forward in this episode.
In this episode, we take a third look at how we can get our work "off the wall" by creating digital stories. Using iMovie, Final Cut Pro, ProShow Gold or similar software to combine image, motion and audio, we can get our photographs in front of viewer's eyes. I discuss content, tools and process with the goal of getting you to tell your own stories. Once you create your digital story, post a link to it on the Camera Position Facebook page.
- iMovie - It comes free on every Mac and can be a great entry point into creating digital stories
- Final Cut Pro X - Like iMovie on steroids, Final Cut Pro is a great choice for authoring digital stories
- ProShow Gold - A windows-based digital storytelling application
- TripleScoop Music - Great music for your digital stories. Also try FriendlyMusic
- Jeff Curto's Podcasts Facebook page - post your digital stories here
This episode offers a second look at how we can get our work “off the wall” by creating ebooks using iBooks Author to get our photographs under viewer’s eyes. You can download the free book The Lakeshore in Winter from the iBookstore using the link below. The Lakeshore in Winter – my free iBook on … Continue reading Camera Position 134 : Off The Wall #2 – iBooks →
This episode offers a second look at how we can get our work "off the wall" by creating ebooks using iBooks Author to get our photographs under viewer's eyes.
You can download the free book The Lakeshore in Winter from the iBookstore using the link below.
- The Lakeshore in Winter - my free iBook on the iBooks Store
- Jeff's Podcasts Facebook Page - Like the page and post a link your iBook or other platform e-publication there when you finish it
- Tuscany Photography Workshop - My Tuscany workshop registration is now underway; only two spots left
As photographers, we translate our ideas into objects. In this episode, we look at how we can get our work “off the wall” by using the print on demand service MagCloud to get our photographs under viewer’s eyes. MagCloud – I’ve linked to the “Create” section here where you can find out how to make … Continue reading Camera Position 133 : Off The Wall #1 – MagCloud →
As photographers, we translate our ideas into objects. In this episode, we look at how we can get our work "off the wall" by using the print on demand service MagCloud to get our photographs under viewer's eyes.
- MagCloud - I've linked to the "Create" section here where you can find out how to make a MagCloud of your own.
- At the Lake's Edge - Jeff's MagCloud publication available either printed or as a free e-download
- Jeff's Podcasts Facebook Page - Like the page and post your MagCloud publication link there when you finish it
Learning photography is like learning a language. As we assimilate photographic vocabulary, nuance and the like, we wind up being interpreters or translators of our ideas, interpreting those ideas into objects.
I’ve realized that as I progress, my interest in photography as an artistic practice is in the learning of more visual languages and in becoming a strong enough speaker in each to effectively translate the many stories I have continually flowing through my mind.
"If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" is a phrase attributed to psychologist Abraham Maslow, but I've always thought it had application to photography and its practice, too. In this episode, I discuss how the small Panasonic GX-1 has energized my photography and brought me to new ways of seeing.
Not long ago, I saw an article by Nicholas Day on Slate.com about babies and pointing. The article discussed how babies point at things to help them create meaning in their world and to share their experiences with someone else. It immediately made me think of what photographers do. We use our cameras to point; to carefully and systematically say to the rest of the world "look at that!" In this podcast, I discuss the importance of pointing and what it means when we point in a sophisticated way at something.
I've long loved the detail image; the photograph that shows just a snippet of the larger world. In this episode, I look at an image of mine that has that sense of detail and also look at the historical referent that brought me to that place.
Photographer Carol Golemboski has taken the idea of an electronic book - or any sort of electronic presentation of photography, farther than any I’ve yet seen. Her iPad app Psychometry combines images, text, video, interactive panoramas, extensive background on how the images were produced, a virtual darkroom experience and myriad other amazing details. It is like a book in that it’s a presentation of Carol’s work, but it’s unlike any book you’ve ever seen because it’s so comprehensive, engaging and filled with so many different ways of showing us the photographs and helping us interact with and learn about them.
Many photographers who grew up in my generation understood the monograph to be one of the solid culminations of a photographic project. In today’s world of publishing, we are confronted with an interesting yet challenging landscape where anyone can produce a print-on-demand book of their work on their own, even as hard copy books seem to be less popular than they were in the past. Electronic books have arrived, yet are often one-dimensional; a simple screen-rendering of the hardcover book that came before.
What’s even more interesting is that Carol’s photography is completely darkroom based. The Psychometry series of images is completely dependent on the darkroom process to make the images look and feel the way they do. What the app presents, then, is a completely digital-age way of looking at the old-world method of making photographs using silver-based materials. The app’s design takes advantage of the tactile nature of the images themselves, giving us a sense of a hand-made environment, even as we interact with it on our glossy-screened iPads.
If you have an iPad, this app might be one of the most inspirational and engaging apps you can find.
Check it out here: Psychometry – Photographs by Carol Golemboski
I had lots and lots of great ideas from podcast listeners about Camera Position 125, “Thinking in Monochrome.” Several listeners suggested a digital tool that I’d not thought of before and that was to set the camera for B&W, but to also set “Raw + JPEG” as the file format. Other listeners talked about the [...]
We all try to spend time with photographs by photographers whose work we admire. We spend time trying to figure out how to emulate their work, then produce work that is similar in style to what they do. But here is the rub; our problem is that once we get to a point where those [...]
I grew up making black and white photographs. It’s what I love the most about photography and the way I have long thought about the photographic image. But the digital revolution has spawned a dilemma; the digital camera sees in color, and I have to shift my mind to think in black and white. I’m [...]
The word “photography” comes from a combination of two Greek words; “photos” (light) and “graphos” (writing or marking). So, “photography” means to “write with light” and light has a counterpart, shadow, something for light to play off of. I’m giving Camera Position listeners an “assignment” to work with these two fundamental building blocks of photography. [...]
When’s the last time you printed a photograph of your best friend, your child or your parents? Now that the holiday season is concluded, we all likely have a lot of photographs of friends and family and places we visited. Make sure you spend some time printing those photographs of the things that matter to [...]
Photographer Jerry Uelsmann once said something like, “while you can memorize the dictionary, it doesn’t mean you have anything to say afterwards.” The idea of course is that craft is not content. While the mechanics of photography can be a point of refuge for many image makers, photography’s power exists in an image’s message.Ansel Adams [...]
At what point do photographers manipulate their images? Does it happen when we choose a camera, lens and field of view or does it happen afterwards, in post-production? When it comes to manipulating your photographs, is there such a thing as “too much”? This episode of Camera Position looks at one photographer’s confession of “over [...]
As the greatest photographer of Modernist architecture, Julius Shulman’s images stand as icons of the architectural boom in mid-20th Century America. This podcast is a quick and enthusiastic review of a wonderful movie entitled Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman, which is available as a DVD or as streaming video at the locations linked [...]
A photographic project is a wonderful thing, but a single image is powerful too in a wide variety of ways. Single photographs can be fulfilling all by themselves and they can also be harbingers of bodies of work yet to come. JM Colberg’s Conscientious Blog Post: The Single Photograph Jeff’s Italy Photography Workshops: Full for [...]
How much do you know about the subjects you photograph? Granted, you may just be encountering them for the first time when you first make pictures, but for a body of work, knowing the “backstory” about a subject and what makes it significant can be an important part of investing yourself in the image.
In their book The Color of Hay, photographer Kathleen Laraia McLaughlin and her author husband H. Woods McLaughlin take us to a little known part of the world and show it to us with extraordinary grace and care. Many of my photo book recommendations have been old classics, but this one is what you might [...]
Turn it upside-down! Turning your photographs upside-down is a great way to help you evaluate the composition of your photographs by helping to remove the importance of the subject of the photograph and concentrate more on its structure.
Although I have been giving assignments to students for years and years, I sometimes forget that I can give myself an assignment, too. So, this summer, I gave myself the task of photographing a stretch of lakeshore 150 feet long and 10 feet in either direction from where the water meets the land. It was [...]
Feeding yourself with as many photographs as you can possibly see is one of the great ways to stay fresh in photography. The more you see, the more full your visual history becomes and the more you can take with you to make your own new statements about the world. Links for this podcast: Greg [...]
What happens when you give your viewer some visual tension? What does that visual tension feel like when it gets resolved in the viewer’s mind? By having a quick listen to an edited version of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, we get a sense of what it means to create tension in your work. I worked with [...]
“Chance favors the prepared mind.” This great quotation by the important 19th century chemist Louis Pasteur is a springboard for some thoughts on preparedness for photography, both physically and intellectually. In the podcast, I mention the great Alinari Archives in Florence, Italy and its online resource of amazing images of one of my favorite places [...]
A pair of emails from podcast listeners provided the impetus for this episode and its brief discussion of “a real time for things.” Kristian wrote, “But when looking back at the time (especially after a by a PhD degree and two years of intensive R&D work) I realize the most important thing to learn, is [...]
In my fifth and final piece of conversation with Mary Virginia Swanson, we talk about the relative importance of story and narrative in photographic work. Mary Virginia Swanson’s website Publish Your Photography Book – a book about making books from M.V. Swanson and Darius Himes Todd Hido – Pier 24 in San Francisco - at [...]
After a wonderfully rich week of wandering beautiful Tuscan hilltowns and sublime landscapes, photographing, talking about photography and editing through our best work, here are some slideshows from my talented workshop students. Amanda Dussault Ruth Guthrie Keith Guthrie Amanda with her 4×5 in Tuscany
The 4th part of my conversation with Mary Virginia Swanson, where we discuss public art, galleries and work for the wall, image size and the life of images that aren’t meant for traditional display. Links to resources mentioned on this podcast: Mary Virginia Swanson’s website Martha Madigan Chuck Close – Magnolia Editions Tapestries Susan kae [...]
I continue my conversation with Mary Virginia Swanson, covering the importance of photographic craft, the world of print-on-demand publishing and how folios of photographs fit into the mix. Galleries mentioned in the podcast: Clampart Yossi Milo Gallery Yancey Richardson Gallery Fraenkel Gallery The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (repository of the Hallmark Photographic Collection) Mary Virginia [...]
In part 2 of my conversation with Mary Virginia Swanson, we talk about the rise of the small group Salon, various online presences in the photo world and the importance of books. For some context for this part of the conversation, see Part 1 of this interview. See below for a large number of links [...]
I recently had the good fortune to interview my longtime friend Mary Virginia Swanson, one of the most important photography consultants working today. This episode is the first in a series of posts that will cover that interview. Mary Virginia Swanson’s website: www.mvswanson.com & her blog Paul Strand’s White Fence (mentioned in the podcast) [...]
“Always stay ready so you never have to get ready.” So said the great modern artist Constantin Brancusi, whose statement seems to be about both being ready with our equipment and materials and also about being ready emotionally for the creative act. Constantin Brancusi in the Guggenheim’s collection Ed McCullough, sculptor and my great teacher [...]
Learning to do photography well isn’t about checking a series of checkboxes about “how to do” the medium. Instead, it’s more about figuring out what to do with those basic principles of photography and then go out and make photographs using those basic ideas. It’s the “why” not the “how.” There are still some spots [...]
How important is exploration to the creative process? The great author John Steinbeck thought it was supremely important: “This I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.” Exploration of the world around us is an important part of photography. Steinbeck was talking about going [...]
The creative process can be broken down into four distinct processes, most of which we can foster in ourselves. We look at preparation, incubation, illumination and implementation and see where our world of image making intersects with these stages. Intriguingly, the things that we think of as “creative” are really bookended by more pragmatic aspects [...]
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” that’s what Socrates said. By looking at our past and both remembering and forgetting its lessons, we can begin to answer those questions about who we are, where we want our photography to take us and how we want to get there. Socrates Camera Position App Jeff’s Italy [...]
When we make a picture of something, we elevate the importance of that subject merely by the act of paying attention to it with our camera. This basic idea is one my most closely held photographic beliefs. It doesn’t matter how insignificant the subject may appear to be; the camera’s lens and our point of [...]
Some information about my summer, 2012 photography workshops in Tuscany and Venice. See itineraries for Tuscany and Venice Registration information Email Jeff jeff@jeffcurto.com
Photographer Robert Frank said, “It is always an instantaneous reaction to oneself that produces a photograph.” Reading that quote in a wonderful essay by noted photographer and art historian Gretchen Garner, I also noted her idea that photographers respond to the world with gestures that are different from those that painters use. As Garner puts [...]
Passion for the medium is, in the end, the thing that keeps us going. This episode of Camera Position discusses passion and its strange bedfellow, direction. Thanks to photographer and friend Al DaValle for providing some inspiration for this podcast in the form of an email. Al DaValle’s website Al DaValle in LensWork Extended Jeff’s [...]
The Gallery Photographica Exhibition, which opened March 3 at the Michelle O’Connor Gallery in San Francisco is showing some really excellent photographs. While I can’t highlight all the great photographs that are in the show, I wanted to comment on a few of the photographs that really impacted me as I selected the work. I [...]
This episode examines the three “prizewinner” photographs for the Gallery Photographica exhibition and competition. Photographs by Micah Garen, Diane Fox & Edie Fogel are highlighted and examined. Gallery Photographica Micah Garen website Diane Fox website Edie Fogel website Jeff’s Italy Photography Workshops - photograph & learn in Tuscany and Venice this summer!
This episode introduces a small set of podcasts about my recent experience of being the juror for the 2012 San Francisco International Photography Competition and Exhibition. I discuss the process a juror goes through when evaluating images for a competition. Gallery Photographica – website for the 2012 San Francisco International Photography Competition and Exhibition. Find [...]
There is a difference between knowing “how” to do something vs. knowing “what” to do. In this episode we talk about the difference between mechanics and inspiration and how to know the difference. Masters of Photography – a great resource for seeing excellent photography Lenswork Online – now available in an online subscription model Camera [...]
Camera Position is back! After a too-long hiatus, I’m back with a great series of ideas about the creative side of photography. In this episode, metaphor and symbol and the way they can enhance our photographs.
In this episode, Camera Position takes a field trip! A great visit to A Gallery for Fine Photography in New Orleans, Louisiana and a great conversation with gallery owner Joshua Mann Pailet links up the idea of collecting photographs with a consummate collector. Links for this episode: Tulane University Marching Band A Gallery [...]
Living with art… if we were wanting to be writers, we’d read books and we’d collect work by our favorite authors. As photographers, living with work by artists we admire is an important part of living the artful life. This podcast talks about how important it is for us to collect photographs we love and [...]
Sometimes inertia gets the best of us and inertia was responsible for Camera Position’s absence these last few months. And photography can be like that, as well. This is the story of how one picture helped get me moving on a beautiful day in Rome and that same picture helped get me moving on talking [...]
Camera position and camera distance… are they the same thing? As we position the camera, are we also thinking about how we position ourselves relative to the subject? By looking at work by August Sander, the Bechers, Andreas Gursky, Tina Barney and Jessica Todd Harper, we examine ideas about how we distance ourselves from a [...]
In this, the second of a two-part “desert island photograph” project, we cover more Camera Position listeners describing that one image that they’d take with them for visual sustenance if they were stranded on a desert island. Links for this episode: Don Hong-Oai – A History of Photography “Summer School” podcast Cartier-Bresson at Magnum Edward [...]
I had the great pleasure of being an interview guest on Paul Giguere’s great podcast “Thoughts on Photography.” We talked about all sorts of topics, concentrating on the education of a photographer, both formally and informally. We also talked about my LensWork Folio and how that came to be. Take a listen and check out [...]
Back in Camera Position #83, I asked Camera Position listeners to pick their one “desert island photograph;” that one image that they’d take with them for visual sustenance if they were stranded on a desert island. This episode shares the first few of those responses; others will follow in the next episode. Thanks to those [...]
One of my goals for my workshops is to help the participants learn how to cope with the volume of images that they are making and to edit their images so that the group of photographs becomes their own. This podcast is a partial response to my friend Brooks Jensen using his podcast platform to ask who is teaching this important skill to today's photographers. Of course, my workshops are about looking and seeing and being in the world as a photographer, but we also work with ideas about how to express who you are and what you think in a series or group of images.
Just a few spots remain in my Italy photography workshops for June, 2010. Join us for "Your Story of Rome" Rome (June 1 to 5) or "In Search of the Personal – Photographing Southern Tuscany" (June 5 to 12) and explore the way the editorial process helps make meaning possible.
Links for this Episode: * Jeff's Italy Photography Workshops - June, 2010 * Student Work from the 2009 workshop * Brooks Jensen's LensWork Podcast - "Where are the Editorial Workshops?" (.mp3 file in a new window) * Brooks Jensen's LensWork Podcast on iTunes and the podcast on the web * Jeff's LensWork Folio - "Evidence of Hands on Stone: The Italian Portfolio"
Students from the 2009 workshop in action: [gallery link="file"]
In a world populated by billions and billions of images, with more being made every second, how do we find a path for ourselves as image makers? We look at the dilemma of quantity and quality in this episode. Links for this Podcast Alec Soth interview on the Big Red & Shiny Blog Alec Soth’s [...]
Nurturing a set of “interesting visual friends” is one of the ways we can help create an environment of creativity around us. We can do that by networking both in the virtual space of today’s social networking tools and in the real world space of spending time with other photographers. This podcast episode talks about [...]
Just a quick post to report that George over at the One Minute How To podcast invited me to participate in his fun show, where people explain how to do something in 60 seconds. This was my second time on the show, the first one, “How To Publish Your Project In A Book” is here. [...]
The Focus Ring returns with a new format where each contributor submits 2 of their own images to discuss the topic of Light & Shadow. Contributors Chris Marquardt (Tips from the Top Floor), Jeff Curto (The History of Photography and Camera Position), Martin Bailey (Martin Bailey Photography Podcast) and Ibarionex Perello (The Candid Frame & [...]
If you were stranded on a desert island, what one photograph would you bring along to sustain you visually? I’m soliciting Camera Position listeners’ “Desert Island Photographs” and asking them to send me the one photograph they think would keep them visually “fed.” Listen to the podcast to find out how to play along. Eugene [...]
I’m delighted to announce the winners of the Apple Aperture software giveaway! I used the great resource of the “third party draw” option at Random.org to pick the 3 winners out of 51 entries. The winners are: Roger Walton Mark Darrough Rebecca Bryant You can see the Random.org results here: http://www.random.org/draws/details/?draw=1316 Thanks for playing, but [...]
“Many times beauty begs to be recorded and it is only later that its position in the overall order of things becomes apparent.” So said podcast listener Bryant Johnson, a sentence that made me think about how we photograph and the ways that we can produce work just by looking and responding. After our time [...]
In our final “Project Planning Roadmap” podcast, we talk about DAM – Digital Asset Management – trying to get a handle on what these software packages can do for you. Rating, sorting, grouping, keywording and adjusting your images is what applications like Apple Aperture and Adobe Lightroom are all about. If you’re using them, you [...]
In May of 2005, I was honored to have LensWork magazine publish a selection of my images under the title Bella Luce. Now, I’m very excited to announce that I’ve been asked to participate in LensWork’s Folio series. The beautifully-produced “Evidence of Hands on Stone” folio can be thought of as a hybrid between an [...]
A place for your all your stuff! The next part of planning and producing a project has to do with managing your content. Where do you store it? How do you get at it? Can you find it when you need it? We take a look at these issues in this episode. Links for this [...]
Taking a quick break from our project planning roadmap series, this episode of Camera Position spends some time looking at a few of the wonderful photographs produced by participants in my first-ever photography workshop in Tuscany, Italy. This podcast episode looks at two images from each of the participants. The rest of their great projects [...]
Above: Photograph by Bud Hines - Siena Pants Lovers Students in the 2009 Photography Workshop in Tuscany produced some really great images. As a "final project," they made wonderful slideshows. Check them out below:
Ann Marie Barry Cathy Brinkworth Amanda Dussault Marty Grassie Keith Guthrie Don Hartwell Bud Hines Gary Lewis John Triebe Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna
Above: Photograph by Bud Hines – Siena Pants Lovers Students in the 2009 Photography Workshop in Tuscany produced some really great images. As a “final project,” they made wonderful slideshows. Check them out below: Ann Marie Barry Cathy Brinkworth Amanda Dussault Marty Grassie Keith Guthrie Don Hartwell Bud Hines Gary Lewis John Triebe Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna
Who is your audience and how will they best see the work? Audience and Distribution considers not only who is interested in the work you’re producing, but also to consider how they can access the work you’re creating. Links for this podcast: Books from Blurb.com Portfolio reviews at Photo Lucida
A great time is being had at my first annual photo workshop in Tuscany, Italy. Amazing photo opportunities, a really fine group of photographers and stunning food... we're having a great, exciting time filled with learning and fun. Here are a couple images from the first couple of days of the workshop (click to enlarge).
–Jeff
A great time is being had at my first annual photo workshop in Tuscany, Italy. Amazing photo opportunities, a really fine group of photographers and stunning food… we’re having a great, exciting time filled with learning and fun. Here are a couple images from the first couple of days of the workshop (click to enlarge). [...]
Now that we have an idea for a project and a mission for what that project will do and for whom, we have to start making some images and actually creating the body of work. This episode deals with our needs, our habits and our goals, all aspects of project time managment.
Taking passion and combining it with purpose gives you a direction in your work. This episode talks about taking the list of 20 things that are important and using that passion to build a mission for your photography. Passion & Mission PDF
What do you care about? What things are really important to you as a person in the world? The next step in the project planning roadmap is to make a list of at least 20 things that are really important to you. We’ll use this list in the next episode of Camera Position,
The second part of the Photographer’s Project Planning Roadmap series looks at idea germination; how do you find new ideas and nurture them? Download the Hard & Soft exercise PDF
Defining and planning a project is one of the most useful ways to build a body of work, learn about yourself and learn about your personal response to photography. With this podcast, we start a series of Camera Position episodes that will create and follow a project planning roadmap for photographers.
Photographer’s Bookshelf #5 highlights a stunning and interesting reprinting of Robert Frank’s important 1959 book “The Americans,” a must-have for your photographic book collection. Also, a reminder about registration for the Tuscany Workshop May 16 to 23, 2009 – the registration deadline is Friday, February 6 – register now! Robert Frank’s The Americans at Amazon [...]
I am very pleased to announce that I will be leading a workshop to Tuscany this May. In Search of the Personal: Photographing Tuscany with Jeff Curto Saturday, May 16 to Saturday, May 23, 2009 For more information, visit www.photographitaly.com Enjoy a photographic journey where you will experience many aspects of Tuscany’s remarkable culture, landscape [...]
How to get really good at photography! Finally, the secret is revealed. Turns out, it’s not all that hard… just live a life in the world. And make pictures. Tractor, Sycamore Steam Fest, 2008 and Spring Grapevine, Tuscany, 2008 Photographs by Jeff Curto (click for a larger view) Books mentioned in the podcast: Photography in [...]
Part two of our examination of the concepts of Gestalt in composition. Gestalt is a psychology of visual communication that helps explain how the mind works to make sense of the visual world. This episode talks about “similarity” and “proximity.” Photographs by Jeff Curto (click for a larger view)
We examine the concepts of Gestalt as they relates to composition. Gestalt is a psychology of visual communication that helps explain how the mind works to make sense of the visual world. This episode talks about “Closure” and “Continuance.” Photographs by Jeff Curto
I’ve posted both the Enhanced and Audio-Only podcasts of my presentation on Podcasting and Digital Storytelling from PhotoPlus Expo last week. The content is semi-off-topic for Camera Position, so I’m just pointing to it from this blog post. If you’re interested in podcasting or making slide shows from your photographs, you might want to check [...]
I've posted both the Enhanced and Audio-Only podcasts of my presentation on Podcasting and Digital Storytelling from PhotoPlus Expo last week. The content is semi-off-topic for Camera Position, so I'm just pointing to it from this blog post. If you're interested in podcasting or making slide shows from your photographs, you might want to check [...]
Just a quick post to report that George over at the One Minute How To podcast invited me to participate in his fun show, where people explain how to do something in 60 seconds. Mine was “How To Publish Your Project In A Book” Check it out here: Jeff’s One Minute How To
Just a quick post to report that George over at the One Minute How To podcast invited me to participate in his fun show, where people explain how to do something in 60 seconds. Mine was "How To Publish Your Project In A Book" Check it out here: Jeff's One Minute How To
Zoom with your feet! Zoom lenses can interfere with the creative process by letting you get lazy with where you’re positioning your camera. Switching to a “prime” lens of a single focal length can help your composition and your thought process. We also look at “The Poor Man’s Tripod” – a simple device for helping [...]
Photographers must love the act of photographing; the mechanics of making a picture. But, before that, they have to love the simple act of seeing the world around them. Some pictures are best made without a camera. Lunch – Still Life with Tomato & Basil Salad – Photograph by Jeff Curto “The camera is an [...]
Human memory is a curious thing; sometimes it’s spot-on perfect, other times it’s altered by the passage of time. Photographs are a way that we can extend or enhance our memories and this episode is about a way that my memory was both rewarded and tested in the Italian mountain village of Scanno.
Photography is about doing, but it’s also about thinking… looking, seeing, appreciating. It’s possible to learn more about photography just by doing it, but it’s a lot easier when you pay attention to how others do it. This episode of Camera Position discusses the ideas of connoisseurship; the art of how we come to know [...]
Those of us who work with traditional photographic tools sometimes wonder… will those things disappear in the face of the digital revolution? Will we be stuck in the middle of an island with no way to produce images? We consider those ideas in this episode. Links for this episode: B&H Photo – Great source for [...]
What is an “arts background”? Whether we know it or not, I think we all have one. Having a background in creativity is about synthesizing things that we already know and combining them with new things that we learn to come up with wholly new ideas. Venice, Sunrise – Photograph by Jeff Curto (click for [...]
Is beauty enough in a photograph? It’s an odd concept in photography, especially in today’s visual world where so many photographers seem to ignore it. Or… are they ignoring it? We take a look. Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Abruzzo, 2007 Photograph by Jeff Curto (click to enlarge) Links for this Episode: Robert Adams’ Beauty in [...]
The Camera in The Cathedral: A Brief History of Photography of the Natural World In a bit of “podcast cross-pollination,” I’m presenting an episode of my history of photography podcast here on Camera Position. If you’ve heard the Photo History podcast of this same topic, you’ve heard this podcast, but for those Camera Position listeners [...]
A cold winter’s day prompted me to work on a warm-day photograph, then to make a cold-day photograph. Also, we celebrate Camera Position’s 2nd birthday and talk briefly about the Photocast Network and the Focus Ring podcast. Peach, Toscana, 2007 & Snow Apple, 2008; Photographs by Jeff Curto (click images for larger views) Links for [...]
Camera Position goes back to basics with an overview of the essentials of photographic composition, including the Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, Framing and Balance. Also, a mention of the work of photographer Ron Diorio. Tractored Out – photograph by Dorothea Lange Links for this episode: Slides for this episode of Camera Position Camera Position [...]
I’ve just posted the audio and presentation slides of the session I did a few weeks ago at PhotoPlus Expo in New York. The presentation was about how to create podcasts and other “digital storytelling” pieces and covers software, hardware and workflow for multimedia projects. At a little over 2 hours, it’s longer than a [...]
After an insanely busy fall, I’m back in front of the podcast mic, talking about photography. In this episode of Camera Position, we go to the Midwest Society of Photographic Education conference in Flint, Michigan, where I presented a 40 minute talk about my photographs of Italy. This episode of camera position is that presentation, [...]
Getting your work out there… how do you do it? We take a look at some responses to an exhibition I just had at the University of La Verne in California and see how that might fit into how you can show your work. Irene Carlson Gallery of Photography – University of La Verne, La [...]
Can you become a selfless photographer and reach a state of Zen with your camera? Fourth in an irregular series of “books for photographers’ bookshelves” is Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, where Herrigel’s works towards the “perfect shot.” Replace “bow” with “camera,” “arrow” with “shutter” and “target” with “photograph” and you [...]
Abruzzo Sheep – Photograph by Jeff Curto (click for a larger view) Photographers should always use the right tool for the job, right? But what if you’re stuck with the wrong tool in the right situation? You just wing it, that’s what, and sometimes something interesting happens. That was the case with me this summer [...]
Montepulciano, Toscana, 1998 - Photograph by Jeff Curto Yes, it’s the age old question… does size matter? Does the size of the prints we make change how we view the images? Have you ever made a large print of your work? Here’s an image that I recently had The Print Lab print to a very [...]
Summer’s lazy days put me in the mind of childhood and a recent encounter with some ideas by Pablo Picasso and some photographs by French photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894-1986) made me think about how important a childlike sense of wonder is to photographers. Picasso said: “All children are artists. The problem is how to [...]
An image isn’t finished until it starts to feel like what you saw. Here is a brief look at the way I approached the post-production (what we used to call “darkroom work”) of this recent image from Gubbio, a marvelously medieval town in northern Umbria, Italy. The differences are subtle, but the idea is to [...]
Preconceived notions about what you’re going to photograph can keep you from finding good images that you may have missed. This episode of Camera Position examines how I nearly fell into that trap in Gubbio, a beautiful town in Italy’s Umbria province. Images of La Festa Dei Ceri, Gubbio, Umbria by Jeff Curto click images [...]
Traveling with a camera involves planning. A lot of folks have asked me about traveling with the large format camera, and in this episode of Camera Postiion, I detail the gear that I take on the road. Links for this podcast: Deardorff History Page Harrison Film Pup Tent Pentax Digital Spot Meter
What does your website say about who you are as a photographer? Does your site clearly define your goals or do you use your site’s pages as a dumping ground for every photograph you’ve ever made? In this episode of Camera Position, I look at the way in which web pages can tell us whether [...]
In order to make photographs that are meaningful, it really helps to know your subject in intimate detail. In this episode, I talk about subject research, and about how knowing your subject can be one of the best paths to good photographs. Gubbio, Umbria – Photograph by Jeff Curto Links for this episode: Alec Soth [...]
What do you do when you get “stuck” photographically? Here are a few ideas about how to find your way out of “Photographer’s Block,” with some references to how other photographers handle the problem. Photograph by Jeff Curto (left) and David Quigg (right) Photograph by Suzanne Szucs (left) and Nicholas Nixon (right) Click images and [...]
In this episode, I talk about shallow depth of field as a creative tool and its use by several photographers who are using it in inventive and interesting ways. I also look at how focusing yourself on a project can help you be more creative. Photographs by Jeff Curto – Jeff Curto’s Website Photographs by [...]
I’m in Miami Florida at the annual Society for Photographic Education (SPE) conference. I was on the presenter slate this year with a presentation entitled “Teaching Your Students, Teaching the World: Podcasting in Photographic Education.” On this webpage, you’ll find a host of resources for creating podcasts. Also on that page, I’ve posted a podcast [...]
This episode of Camera Position is about combining passion with profession. We need to photograph what we love, but we also can’t lead an insular life; we need to be out there, casting our lines into the river of photographic experiences. This week, March 15 to 18, is the Society for Photographic Education conference in [...]
In this second part of the Zone System overview, we look at a few more specifics about how the Zone System works and is implemented. Don’t forget to download the PDF handouts! Click any image below for a larger view. The first part of the Zone System overview was in Camera Position #43 Download part [...]
Tomasz Trzebiatowski has launched Shutter Stories Magazine, an online interview-based magazine. Shutter Stories subtitle is “Where Photographers Talk” and talk they do, as the premiere issue has interviews with Jim Zuckerman, Noah Grey and Photocast Network pal Martin Bailey as the first interviews. The interviews themselves are short and easy-to-digest, but insightful and interesting and [...]
This episode of Camera Position is the third entry in an irregular series of suggestions for the serious photographer’s bookshelf. This time, the selection is “On Photography,” an important – and occasionally somewhat difficult – book of photographic criticism and thought from writer Susan Sontag. Click on images above for a larger view Links for [...]
We’ve done another of the Photocast Network Roundtable discussions. This week , John Arnold (Photo Walkthrough), Chris Marquardt (Tips from the Top Floor), Ibarionex Perello (The Candid Frame) and Jeff Curto discuss the importance of printing, lens selection, metering & exposure and self assignments. We’ve set up a separate subscription feed for these Roundtable (email [...]
Creative photography benefits from mastering technical content. This first installment of a discussion of The Zone System of exposure will help you stop worrying about whether the photograph will “work out” so you can concentrate on being creative. In the photographs below, the highlighted side of the ball (left image) was “placed” on Zone VIII [...]
Yowza… sometimes doing a podcast is complicated beyond my control. I’ve been having a terrible time over the last couple of weeks with the software that runs the blog and now that I’ve gotten that sorted out, I’m having problems with the plugin for the software that lets me post podcasts. So, I’ve got a [...]
For something new and different, four members of the Photocast Network (www.photocastnetwork.com) gather to shed a light on photography from all sorts of different angles. When can I call myself a photographer? How to transition from film to digital? How do Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Lightroom compare? How to get the best pictures in [...]
Another exploration of color in photography and the way it has been used by two of the great masters of color, WIlliam Eggleston and Stephen Shore. Also, I mention Adobe’s fabulously fun and useful online application “Kuler.” Photograph by William Eggleston (above) (click images for larger views) Photograph by Stephen Shore (below) Links for this [...]
I’m back! After a month-long hiatus, I’m back with a podcast about color. Using a Christmas present of a book of Pete Turner’s photographs that have been used on jazz album covers as a springboard, we talk about color, color relationships and how color works in the photographic world. Links for this episode: Pete Turner’s [...]
Lens choice, tripods, negative and positive space, image sequence and selection of a small group of images… it’s a “holiday leftovers ” group of ideas and thoughts for this episode of Camera Position. Above photographs by Jeff Curto Links for this episode: Images referenced in this episode of Camera Position Ralph Gibson’s Website College of [...]
Mission statements don’t have to be about dull, corporate stuff… they can also be about the creative process and act as a compass to point you in the right direction. Your photographic mission statement can be about your audience, your passions and your goals. Example and blank “audience circles” (click for larger images) Links relevent [...]
It’s about time. It’s about time to talk about time in photography and time as it relates to how photographs function. Using photographs by Garry Winogrand and Tokihiro Sato, we examine two different approaches to dealing with time in the photograph. Photographs by Garry Winogrand (left) and Tokihiro Sato (right) Click images for a larger [...]
Photographers are not creators, they are editors. Unlike the painter, who starts with a blank canvas, we start with the whole world and our job is to remove all the “stuff” that doesn’t make our picture better; to pare down to the essence of the image. Ideally, we do this with the camera’s viewfinder, but [...]
Who is in your critical circle? Who looks at your work to help you define what is good and what “works”? Do you do it yourself? Can you trust yourself to be a good critic of your own work? This episode examines the idea of being your own best friend and your own best enemy. [...]
Another in an irregular series of suggestions for the photographic bookshelf. My selection this time is the Aperture monograph of the work of Ralph Eugene Meatyard, but you may substitute that one book that made you realize new and different things about your medium; that changed your ideas about what photography could be. I also [...]
The order in which we see images changes how we perceive them. In this episode, we look at how sequencing photographs can take one set of images and change the message they convey. Sequence 1 – Click Image for a larger view photographs by Jeff Curto Sequence 1 – Click Image for a larger view [...]
This brief “Thirty-Three-and-a-Third” epsisode of camera position is just a quick “pointer” to my guest-host appearance on Chris Marquardt’s “Tips From The Top Floor” podcast. I hope you’ll check it out. Click my “Liguria, 2003″ image above for a larger view.
See this book at Amazon This episode is the first in an irregular series that explores important photography books that should be in every photographer's book collection. The first book is The Daybooks of Edward Weston, Weston's remarkable series of journal entries about his life in photography. Also on today's episode: Find great photo podcasts [...]
Well, if you've been trying to get to Camera Position over the last few days and have had a hard time, join the crowd. It seems that the Podcast became popular enough that I was running my web server's bandwidth allotment dry. That reached a head last night when the server shut down. I think [...]
This week, we go into the "field" to a gallery talk I gave at an exhibition of my work. My comments give some background on my 17-year photographic exploration of Italy and the show, "Evidence of Hands, The Mediated Landscape of Italy." Click for images from the "slideshow" I used at the presentation Click for [...]
How many images does it take to say what you want to say? Editing your work to create a group of images that projects a coherent voice is an important part of the photographic process. Honest and unmerciful editors have the most effective stories. Santa Fe Center for Photography - home of the Creative Edge [...]
Once we get back to the darkroom-digital or chemical-how do we maximize the vision and idea we had when we were in the field making the photograph? We explore the post-production side of the creative process using a photograph of Civita di Bagnoreggio. Click on the images for a larger view Civita di Bagnoreggio, Umbria, [...]
Where do creative ideas come from? How do we figure out what's the most interesting thing to photograph? Using the photographs and ideas of photographer and writer Wright Morris (1910-1998), I explore the notion of mining your past and your passions to find your subject.
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- -- Photographs by Philip Trager - click images for a larger view When we choose a subject, sometimes we need to choose the right machine to record that subject. This episode uses the work of photographer Philip Trager to show how subject can influence the tools that we use.
Click image for a larger view Whether we like it or not, photography has technology at its base. Sometimes, changing up the equipment we use can allow us to change the way we look at the world in a significant way. This episode uses a triptych image I made in using smaller-than-my-normal 4×5 camera and [...]
The edges of the frame change everything about how we see a photograph. One of the great masters of the use of the photographic frame edge was Edward Weston, and today we look at his remarkable ability to show us "just enough" of the subject. The podcast briefly touches on gestalt theory for the visual [...]
For the last 16 years, I've been photographing structures and the landscape in Italy. Over the last two years, though, I've tried my hand at portraits and have learned some things about photography, my interests and the power of the large-format camera. This podcast features two versions of a portrait of a 97-year-old Italian man. [...]
As I've worked with one of my newest photographs, I've noted a loose relationship Alfred Stieglitz' "The Steerage" from 1907. It reminded me that photographers need to be aware of the image makers who have gone before them and helped them see. Now, I'm not saying that my photograph is the same as Stieglitz' masterpiece, [...]
Photographs by Jeff Curto Sometimes, when you think that there is a photographic subject in front of you, you can't see the picture you want to make. In this episode, I talk about taking a left turn, both to find a photograph and to provide a catalyst for even more images. I also take a [...]
This episode of Camera Position is a bit different from previous episodes. First off, it is a lot longer. Weighing in at a little over an hour, it is a podcast of a presentation I made recently at the MacSpecialist store in Villa Park, Illinois. I had been invited to come and speak to a [...]
As I return to Camera Position after a month-long hiatus, I give you a few minutes with one of my favorite paintings, "The Calling of St. Matthew" by Caravaggio. Caravaggio's sense of light and moment of "exposure," were extraordinarily "photographic." See a larger version of the image with this link Yes, I'd planned on trying [...]
The visual device of a "view through" from one place to another is a fairly common one in photography, and one that I tend to use often. This episode explores a variety of ways of using the idea of framing a subject to emphasize a sense of space and place.
When a photographer finds a beautiful scene, there is often a temptation to put everything he sees in the photograph, even if the image that results isn't all that interesting. Here, Ansel Adams and Paul Caponigro show us how showing less shows us more. As a side note, if you are listening to and enjoying [...]
Here is an absolutely dull photograph of an absolutely dull (and ugly!) piece of cardboard that is one of the most indispensible pieces of equipment in my camera bag. Temporarily diverting Camera Position from the examination of fine photographs, I look at a tool I use to help me make better images. By using this [...]
The idea of photography that depends on the exact moment of exposure for success didn't originate with Cartier-Bresson, but he certainly made the most of that perfect instant. Bresson's idea of "the decisive moment" is examined this week, along with the idea of how photographers always have to grapple with the intersection between idea and [...]
I've moved my Camera Position! I've abandoned Apple's "easy but limited" iWeb software and moved over to a WordPress blog. Hopefully, the majority of listeners have made the switch with no problems. There is a new RSS subscription feed (see first post at the top of the page to see the new information). If you're [...]
Camera Position is a podcast about the visual and creative processes in photography, not the technical. Using images and the spoken word, my podcasts are about the "why" of photography from the point of view of the creative photographer. Passion for subject, experience and image all wind together in these short commentaries about camera-based images [...]
In Camera Position #8, we looked at Paul Strand's "The Family, Luzzara, Italy, 1953″. Listener Don Bricker wrote in to note that there are, in fact, two different images of this photograph. The idea that Strand "directed" this image by changing the content in an important way should be considered when we think about how [...]
Photographers sometimes have a hard time separating their own emotional response they have to a subject from the image that they make of that subject. It's up to us as imagemakers not only to respond to the subject and the way we feel about it, but also to remember that our viewers can only rely [...]
Why do we do what we do as photographers? Where does our motivation come from? Why do some subjects interest us more than others? Episode number 12 of Camera Position briefly traces my 16-year examination of Italy's culture, architecture and landscape and looks at where we find our inspiration as image makers. Trastevere, Roma, 1990 Photograph by [...]
It took Edward Weston 29 prior attempts to get to the point where he made his well-known "Pepper #30″ photograph. Musicians have to practice their scales, and so do photographers, trying a variety of attempts at conveying the essence of their subjects before hitting on the one that works the best. Weston's strategy of looking [...]
Photographers have to be aware of the fact that viewers of their images can't know the whole story of how a photograph came to be. The image has to rely on its own visual authority to get the message across. Using this photograph of Sant' Antimo, a 12th Century Romanesque abbey in rural Tuscany, I [...]
The idea you want to communicate in a photograph is in direct relation to the way in which you choose to make that photograph. A photograph of Bernini's beautiful Baroque fountain, situated in front of the Pantheon, is used to examine how composition and idea play off of one another. Fontana, Piazza della Rotunda, Roma, 1990 Photograph [...]
Paul Strand's masterful 1953 portrait "The Family" acts as a backdrop for some thoughts on how interaction between the photographer and subject and among the subjects themselves creates visual and emotional interest in a photograph. The Family, Luzzara, Italy, 1953 Photograph by Paul Strand
Ultimately, a photograph comes down to a common element: Light. Using two photographs of a vineyard, this podcast explores the quality, direction and visual impact of light. Vineyard, Umbria, 2001 Photographs by Jeff Curto
Eugene Atget's photograph of conical shrubs in Saint Cloud provides the visual resource for a discussion of how careful camera placement can affect a photograph. Saint Cloud, 1921 Photograph by Eugene Atget
With a photograph of pecore (sheep) as an example, Camera Position #5 examines the way movement and time affect a photographic image. In many ways, every photograph is about the past and about the passage of time. Pecore, Tuscany, 1994 Photograph by Jeff Curto
Using a photograph of Venice, Camera Position #4 explores the idea of how sometimes what you think you want in a photograph isn't the most interesting thing there. Sometimes the subject is right in front of you; you just have to be patient enough to find it. Calle del Forno, Venice, 1990 Photograph by Jeff Curto
Camera Position #3 features a discussion about one of my all-time favorite photographs by one of my all-time favorite photographers, Paul Caponigro. The photograph, "Two Leaves, Brewster, NY, 1963″ is discussed alongside some images that were made at the same time, giving us some sense of how a photographer finds and "works" a subject. Two Leaves, [...]
Camera Position #2 is about a photograph I made in 1997 of the Tempio di San Biagio, a beautiful Renaissance church just outside the walls of the Tuscan hilltown of Montepulciano. It’s all about the light and waiting for that light to be right. Montepulciano, Tuscany, 1997 Photograph by Jeff Curto
This introductory podcast explains what I want to try to accomplish with this Camera Position and what I will be talking about as the shows progress. Camera Position is a podcast about the art of creative photography, featuring the work of noted fine art photographer Jeff Curto. This episode features a photograph made in the town of Positano, Italy.
This introductory podcast explains what I want to try to accomplish with this Camera Position and what I will be talking about as the shows progress. Camera Position is a podcast about the art of creative photography, featuring the work of noted fine art photographer Jeff Curto. This episode features a photograph made in the … Continue reading Camera Position 01 : An Introduction through an Italian window →