LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process: Recent Episodes
LensWork Publishing
Random Observations on Art, Photography, and the Creative Process. These talks focus on the creative process in fine art photography. LensWork editor Brooks Jensen side-steps techno-talk and artspeak to offer a stimulating mix of ideas, experience, and observations from his 50 years as a fine art photographer, writer, and publisher. Topics include a wide range of subjects from finding subject matter to presenting your work, and building an audience.
Included in this RSS Feed are the LensWork Podcasts — posted weekly, typically 10-20 minutes exploring a topic a bit more deeply — and our almost daily Here's a thought… audios (extracted from the videos.) Here's a thought… are snippets, fragments, morsels, and tidbits from Brooks' fertile (and sometimes swiss-cheesy) brain. Usually just a minute or two. Always about photography and the art life.
Brooks Jensen is the publisher of LensWork, one of the world's most respected and award-winning photography publications, known for its museum-book quality printing and luxurious design. LensWork has subscribers in over 73 countries. He is the author of 13 books on photography and the creative life -- the latest books are The Best of the LensWork Interviews (2016), Photography, Art, and Media (2016), and the four annual volumes of Seeing in SIXES (2016-2019).
Here's a Thought… #2710 with Brooks Jensen
Your Best Is Often the Least ImportantAn over-emphasized component of fine art photography is the assumption that "making stone-cold winners" is the heart of the pursuit. I would propose that super-winners are not the goal but can, occasionally, be the result. We make art for the process, not the accolades. There is a cultural pressure to be and produce "the best of the best of the best." (stolen from Men in Black) Far too often our very best work relies on a generous helping of luck. Take all the lucky ones you can get, but don't confuse luck with artistic accomplishment.
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Here's a Thought… #2709 with Brooks Jensen
The Return to FilmI think I understand why some photographers are returning to film and analog photography. There is a sense of accomplishment in the production of a wonderful gelatin silver print that is absent (or at least diminished) with an inkjet print or an Instagram post. What is missing from this debate is the source of the thrill. Does the thrill of accomplishment come from the successful command of the medium or from the depth of connection with the content?
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Here's a Thought… #2708 with Brooks Jensen
Better Than I RememberedWith some frequency now, I find that as I look back at my older unprinted archives, I'll stumble upon an image with new appreciation. How did I miss this one? Is it that my processing tools are now so much better? Is it that I'm older and more artistically mature? Is it that the passage of time has made it easier to distance myself from the experiential memories of the moment?
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Here's a Thought… #2707 with Brooks Jensen
Blind Spots and HabitsNow that I've been photographing for decades, there are some subjects and trends that have become more identifiable with a larger data pool to pull from. Evidently, I find walls irresistible. Chairs must be one of my favorite subjects if the count of how many photos of them I have is any indication. Trees and rocks rate high on the list. I have no interest in architecture, but you'd never know it by looking at how many photos I have of buildings. Sunsets, wildlife, urban streets, and sports events are almost completely missing from my archives. I'm wondering if a list of what I've never photographed could lead to something interesting?
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Here's a Thought… #2706 with Brooks Jensen
The Creative Life Is a Daily HabitEvery waking moment is an opportunity to make a photograph — but we don't. Moments don't rise to the level of photographic importance until we sense them. Photography happens at the intersection of a particular moment and our sensitivity to perceive it. I'll pause for a minute for you to think about that. If true, doesn't it seem obvious that the limitation of creativity is our sensitivity, not the availability of moments? If so, the challenge of being an artist is all about developing our sensitivity to every moment, not the never-ending search for the special moment.
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HT2705 - Abundance Can Be a CurseI had a couple of weeks last fall to photograph in the San Juan mountains of southern Colorado. The weather was perfect, the fall colors at their peak, and I just kept shooting. I now have 967 RAW captures from that couple of weeks. What do I do with 967 perfectly focused, properly exposed, lovely images? They can't all be winners! If I toss half of them, I'll still have 400+. If I keep only the top 10%, I'll still have almost 100. I'm beginning to think that too many is a curse worse than too few.
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HT2704 - A Photographic 2-Minute DrillThere is a situational strategy in football when the time runs short. It's called the "2-minute drill." Its essence is accomplishing a lot in very short time. We could borrow this idea for project-oriented photography. If you've only got 20 minutes or so to photograph, how do you turn that into short, multi-image project? How should we prepare ourselves for such opportunities?
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HT2703 - Internalizing the SceneI assume that all of you are aware of the idea that a camera is a mirror, that every picture we make is a reflection of who we are. There is a kernel of truth in this idea, but I don't think it's automatic nor universal. To internalize a scene requires a conscious effort on our part. That moment is the seed of creating artwork.
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LW1516 - Beyond the Rectangle
We photographers have quadrilaterals on the brain. Why? The world is not quadrilateral. Why not compose in circles, ovals, or other shapes? Is it because cutting round or oval mats is so difficult? Are we prisoners of the straight-edge ruler? Can we not learn from our lenses — which by the way cast round images onto our quadrilateral sensors?
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2702 - When a Group Ceases to Be a GroupOne of the interesting things about a multiple image project is how the viewer assembles the collective idea that binds the images into a unified expression. Show three images as a group and the viewer will try to connect them. When the group becomes too large, however, it can be more difficult to see so many images as a group. I think this is one of the reasons "Seeing in SIXES" works so well. It's the sweet spot between the single image and too many to be a group
This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2600 and counting! — are available to members of LensWork Online. Try a 30-day membership for only $10 and discover the literally terabytes of content about photography and the creative process.
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HT2701 - A Personal PileI'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this. I have a "personal pile" of prints that I rarely (often never) share with anyone. They are not embarrassing, nor obscure. They are ones that I'd just as soon not have my feelings about them diluted or polluted with other's opinions. To call them "spiritual" would be too strong, but they are moments that I treasure and would like to preserve. Maybe I'm being silly about these images, but that's the way I feel.
This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2500 and counting! — are available to members of LensWork Online. Try a 30-day membership for only $10 and discover the literally terabytes of content about photography and the creative process.
HT2700 - Small BitesI wish my brain worked in a continuous straight line, but it doesn't. I bounce from idea to idea. For years I've fought this by trying to be creative in a continuous straight line. Why not take the easy path and develop an approach to project development and even image processing that uses a small bite strategy? This is not a creativity problem, it's an organizational problem.
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Here's a Thought… #2699 with Brooks Jensen
The Creative Life Is a Daily HabitIt's almost a cliché to suggest that a creative life is a daily thing. The truth is that it's true. A drop of ink in a gallon of water changes the entire gallon. A drop of creativity in an ordinary day changes the entire day. Does that mean you need to shoot pictures everyday? Might be fun, but for most of us that's impractical. The only thing I know that I can do every day of my life is think about creativity, about photography, about locations, about ideas. Thinking can go with me everywhere, fill a minute here or there, and introduce a drop of creative momentum into every day.
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HT2698 - My Favorite Features of Digital ProcessingIt seems that with digital processing we can do anything — and do it, if need be, at the pixel level. I find, however that there are a few tools that have dramatically allowed me to make images that were essentially impossible in the analog darkroom. These have become so integral in my image making that I can now barely imagine photography without them.
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HT2697 - New Life for Old IdeasOver the last 50 years in photography, I've had a number of ideas that I thought were good at the time, rejected because they were too odd, and now realize they were pretty good ideas all along. I let convention rule my thinking, an attitude that I now realize is always a mistake. Never let convention get in the way of your creativity. Here are three examples.
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HT2294 - A Real Photographer"You have a really good camera, you must be a real photographer." We've all heard this. What does it mean to be a real photographer? I'm not sure this is an answerable question, but it feels to me that it has to do far less with gear and far more with a state of mind.
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HT2293 - Stitching as a Wide Angle WorkaroundThe other day I was out photographing with a single lens, a longish zoom, and found myself in a pickle. The shot I wanted required a wide angle of view I would normally capture with a wide-angle lens. Since I didn't have one, I simply stitched a pano and accomplished a result that was close enough.
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HT2292 - Everything Bigger Is More ComplicatedBigger cameras, bigger prints, bigger books, bigger projects — all are more complicated because of their size. If your project has become overwhelming, consider downsizing as a means to simplify the challenge. A favorite maxim of mine is that "It's better to say one thing well, than to say too much poorly."
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HT2291 - The Director's Cut in PhotographyWith lots of movies these days, there is a commercial release version and a longer, more inclusive "director's cut." Why can't we do the same sort of thing with our photography projects? At the end of a PDF project, for example, what if there was a section with additional images, or link that went to a web gallery that included images that were not used in the "commercial release" version?
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LW1458 - Lessons in Editing
In 2009, I visited an exhibition in China that included some 1,500 photographs. I learned two things in the presence of such a firehose of images. First, good work does not elevate the whole, but the whole can drag the good work down to its level. Second, that exhibition led me to a better way to use Lightroom's star ratings when editing a project.
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2290 - What We Remember Is QuestionableWe all carry dozens if not hundreds of images in our mental gallery. But does our mental gallery accurately and completely retain all that we've seen in a image? Here's a fascinating exercise that makes a powerful point about what we remember.
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HT2289 - What Is Gained with a Large PrintLet's pretend we could measure a viewer's response to a photograph. If they look at a large print, say 28x42" and have X amount of experience, what fractional portion of X will they have with a smaller print, say an 8x10"? Caution, this may be a trick question.
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HT2288 - Lightroom Mobile Now in My Everyday WorkflowUntil recently, I never considered Lightroom Mobile a serious tool. Simply said, my phone screen is too small for me to consider Lightroom Mobile's image processing of any value. Last fall, however, I discovered a use for a couple Lightroom Mobile features that now consistently contribute to my everyday workflow.
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HT2287 - What Causes RejectionWhat characteristics of an image you are working on causes you to reject it? What characteristic of an image causes of viewer to reject it? Are these the same things? If not, are we fretting and fussing over elements in our images that are without consequence to our viewers?
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HT2079 - Where You LiveThere is landscape photography, urbanscape photography, and more. Why not "homescapes" that use everyday life at home to create an environmental portrait that doesn't need to include people. Not "House Beautiful," but rather House Lived In.
HT2078 - From Where You SitSo many times, the process of photographing involves moving to location or a position where you can see a lovely scene and composition. Since I've had problems with my back these last few years, my mobility has been compromised. I can't hike or backpack the way I used to. My most frequent way of photographing these days is from the driver's seat in the truck or at a short distance. The funny thing is, I've never been so productive in my life. It's amazing how many compositions become available when we still our bodies and our minds.
HT2077 - Substantial ArtworkLast year, I was showing some chapbooks to another photographer who commented that they preferred more substantial ways of presenting their work. What an interesting way to think about our work. Substantial? What makes photography more or less substantial?
HT2076 - It's Been Photographed BeforeI know photographers who are hesitant to do something that's been done before, but it occurs to me that there is a premise behind that reaction that is not necessarily true. The premise is that the virtue lies in the subject itself, not in the experience had.
HT2075 - Questions About InstaxI guess I've been hiding under a barrel, but I just this week learned about Fuji Instax printers. I can see them easily becoming a fun gimmick at a party or a social gathering, but I'm wondering if anybody has figured out how to use this medium for more serious artwork. Any ideas?
HT2074 - Cameras Support Your Creativity, Or NotOne thing our annual LensWork community book project has proven beyond any doubt is that, when it comes to publishing anyway, high quality images can be produced with any camera. If that's so, then what criteria should we use when selecting our tools?
LW1427 - Art That Uses Photographs
In recent years, at least for my own work, I've come more and more to realize the difference between "photographic art" and, a quite different thing, "art that uses photographs." Rarely now do I find that a processed and printed image is the end of the process. More frequently that's just the beginning phases of a piece of artwork that combines photography with other ideas and materials.
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2073 - Done Is Not Always ConcludedMost often, we are drawn to photograph those subjects we are passionate about. Once we've had the exhibition, published the book, posted the web gallery, that doesn't mean our passion for the subject ends; we keep photographing. What do we do with these post-publishing images? Thank goodness for second editions, and Volume II.
HT2072 - Time For It to MarinateInstagram seems to have taken over the world of photography. I don't participate via Instagram because I believe it's important that images have an opportunity to mature, for us to think about them a little bit, for their meaning and metaphors to ripen. The idea of instantly posting an image just captured seems to serve a mentality that I don't agree with. The art life is not so trivial.
HT2071 - Skill Means Little Without a Heart That Drives ItSkill can easily be taught, but skill alone does not make art. Sensitivity, compassion, empathy are developed within us, over time, with purpose. These are the necessary ingredients to create artwork that is meaningful.
HT2070 - Advice On a Great Place to GoMy experience with other photographers has been that they are generous and kind. They're always willing to give me helpful advice of where to go photographing. That advice, however, is typically the result of their having made successful images there. But the kinds of images I make, or want to make, might be entirely different than theirs. The same can be said about when to go.
HT2069 - The Composed BackgroundIn every picture there exists a foreground and a background. To be more precise about this, there are the things you want your viewer to see, and there is the context against which the subject is seen. Our primary task in composing and processing is to direct the viewer to what we want them to see. The background/context has an incredibly important role in this. The best photographers compose the background as much as they possibly can.
HT2068 - On AbstractionsAbstracts are one of the most puzzling types of photography that fascinates me. Emotionally connecting with an abstract is rare, but so powerful, so unpredictable, so fickle.
HT2067 - Brevity Is the SoulI know that Shakespeare was talking about the soul of wit, but I've come to conclude it is the soul of photography, too. At least it can be. How often do you look at a book or a project and wish there was more? As compare to, how many times to you find yourself looking at a project or a book and feeling like it is getting too long or repetitive?
HT2066 - Way to Go, GodMy friend Joe Lipka (who is a lifelong practicing Catholic) will often set up his tripod to capture a beautiful landscape with the words, "Way to go, God!" I've come to recognize this as a type of photography. No one would ever think this about a novel, a piece of music, a poem, or sculpture.
LW1426 - More Captures, or More Artwork
I'm of the school of thought that when you've clicked the shutter and made another capture, you haven't made artwork, yet. So what will you do with this precious day, evening, hour? Do you need more captures? Or, would your time be better spent making a print or some other finished piece of art?
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2065 - The Forgotten OnesBuried in your Lightroom catalog are tons of images that deserve deeper attention. I have no doubt about this. I have faith that each time you click the shutter you do so because there was something that connected with you. That is, you've never clicked the shutter on a purposeful loser. Those potential images in your catalog have simply slipped out of mind.
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HT2064 - Monitor CalibrationThere have been a few times - - but only a few - - when a photographer we've published has been a bit disappointed in how their images looked in LensWork. In every case, it turns out that there was a monitor calibration issue on their end that was easily resolved. For critical work, the first step is always to calibrate your monitor, with hardware calibration if possible.
All 2000+ episodes of Here's a Thought . . . are available in their entirety to members of LensWork Online, our extensive resource library of our 30-year publishing history. Learn more about LensWork Online.
HT2063 - The Additive Process
The process of photographic composition is, by the nature of its mechanics, a subtractive process. What superfluous and distracting element can we remove from the framing? It can be useful, however, to reverse this and think of our composition as an additive process, like painters do.
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com that looks at failures as a way to learn.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2035 - Subjects That Are Everywhere
In this month's LensWork Bonus Edition we are featuring a project by Kevin Raber that consists of images of rust. In some ways, this reminded me of a project we published from Larry Blackwood about crows (LensWork #93). What these two projects have in common is that their subjects are common. Both Raber and Blackwood could photograph anywhere, on any day, out their front door or as they travelled around the world. Brilliant.
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com that looks at failures as a way to learn.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2034 - An Audience of OneIn a conversation the other day, a photographer was making a case for large prints on the wall because they could be viewed simultaneously by a group of people. Viewing such artwork, he emphasized, becomes a social activity. Maybe that's another reason why I tend not to make prints for the wall.
HT2033 - A Most Creative QuestionA friend gifted to me 500 sheets of 4x6" glossy inject paper. Every day when I walk into my office, I see that stack of paper and wonder what I might do with it. Voilá, a new project is born.
HT2032 - A Photograph Is a Printed ObjectI recently was talking with a photographer who stated authoritatively that there wasn't a photograph until there was a print. That certainly was true in my youth, but I'm not so sure any more. This is why I try to clarify my language by differentiating between a photograph and an image.
HT2031 - Unfinished WorkFor a good portion of my creative life, I would show my unfinished work. That was the work I was currently thinking about, spending time working on, most excited about. At some point, I realized how unfulfilling this was to the viewer as well as to me! Now I only show my finished work. Instead of displaying my potential, I concentrate on displaying my accomplishments - - and hope they are important enough to share.
LW1421 - All That Is Left Are the Hard Parts
History clearly shows us that the trend in photography is that making photographs has become easier and easier with the passage of time. It is so easy to conflate technical challenges with the creation of art. What once was difficult still is.
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2030 - Fond MemoriesI was given a tour of an analog darkroom a few days ago. The smell of fixer, the stack of washed and drying paper trays, that magical red light. So many memories. I do miss my youth, but I have to admit that I don't miss those hours and hours of frustration to produce one print that was not quite satisfactory. I miss my youth, but I don't miss the darkroom that was such a large part of my early days.
HT2029 - Performing for the CameraWhen my kids were young, the instant they saw me pull out the camera they began posing in a performance for the lens. Getting past that artificiality was a challenge. Strangely enough, the lesson how to do this came from a microphone.
All 2000+ episodes of Here's a Thought . . . are available in their entirety to members of LensWork Online, our extensive resource library of our 30-year publishing history. Learn more about LensWork Online.
HT2028 - The Running Narrative
So often when I have a chance to look at another photographer's work, there is a running narrative that accompanies my view of each image. When I move to the next image, the narrative repeats. That universal narrative is the location of where the image was captured. Divorced from the images, the spoken accompaniment is merely a travel list. Is this the best way to narrate our images?
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com that looks at failures as a way to learn.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2027 - Image Stabilization in the WindHere's an odd observation from last week's photography in South Dakota. It was windy all week. In reviewing my images, I noticed that the shots made with a longer focal length are sharper than those made with a shorter focal length. In the wind, I would have expected just the opposite.
HT2026 - Base CampDuring this last couple of weeks of photography, I was reminded how much I prefer a base camp approach to travel. We've been doing the opposite. We stopped for a night, maybe two, then move on to the next location. That doesn't leave a lot of time for photography, but worse doesn't leave a lot of time to get to know a place well. I much prefer a base camp approach where I stay in one location for a week or a month or even longer.
HT2025 - Statistical NeedsLike most "serious" photographers, I have several lenses I carry with me to provide the ideal solution for various shooting scenarios. Statistically however, my Lightroom catalog shows I only need one lens - - at least for 75% of my shots. That can't be right.
HT2024 - Which Way the Shadows FallAll of us are sensitive to the angle of the sun when we are out photographing. I find it more useful to think in terms of which way the shadows fall. The sun itself is rarely in my pictures, but every picture has its shadows. Said another way, shadows are a part of the visual composition, the sun is usually outside of the composition.
LW1420 - How Many Images in Your Project
Perhaps the most common mistake I see in others' project-oriented photography is a need for more ruthless editing. I wish I wasn't guilty of this myself, but I am. We are invested in all our precious images and we want each and every one to have its moment in the spotlight. Too much, however, leads to boredom. "Leave 'em wanting more" is advice that is appropriate for us photographers, too.
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2023 - Initial DisappointmentMy first look at the images I captured that day are often a disappointment. Is that because the memory of them is too fresh? I've observed over the years that my initial disappointment often converts to excitement when I work on an image sometime later.
HT2022 - Close Your EyesWe photographers are such visual people that our sense of sight can overwhelm our experience. I often find it useful to close my eyes and let my other senses open to the experience. Strangely enough, when I reopen my eyes I see differently and more deeply.
All 2000+ episodes of Here's a Thought . . . are available in their entirety to members of LensWork Online, our extensive resource library of our 30-year publishing history. Learn more about LensWork Online.
HT2004 - Consider All the AnglesIn 1990, I went to rural Japan for a 3-week photography adventure. I was accompanied by my friend, David Grant Best. Watching him work. Watching him work was both an education and revelation about composition.
LW1417 - Life In Moments
The light is special. The subject cooperates. You pull out your camera and CLICK! What have you captured? You've captured a visual instant. More importantly, what have you not captured? How much of the "experience/moment" was left behind? How much of the "art" was left behind?
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You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT2003 - The CompulsoriesCertain subjects or themes seem to pop up with extraordinary frequency. Why do so many photographers make images of the predictable? Sand dunes, lone tree on a hill, lacy waterfall, colorful fall leaves blanketing the hillside, barren trees in the fog, beautiful blossom isolated on a black background - - the list itself is predictable. Are these subjects magically attractive, or photographically easy?
HT2002 - A Picture at RandomNormally speaking, we process and print only our very best images. Setting aside the question about how "the best" is determined, I'd like to propose an alternative experiment. What can you do creatively with an image from your digital archives picked at random? In truth, these images teach us more than when we process only our best.
HT2001 - A Photograph to Die ForThe other day, there was another report in the news about someone who had died falling off a cliff while taking a selfie. I know we are all supposed to suffer for our art, but no photograph is worth dying for. I don't think photography was ever intended to be an extreme sport.
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HT2000 - Standard Sizes
For the longest time, there were three standard sizes in fine art photography: 8x10, 11x14, and 16x20. These dimensions, of course, we're not the size of the image, but rather the size of the paper we used for printing. Does it clarify or complicate things if we redefine these sizes based on how an image will be consumed?
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HT1999 - Handwork On a PhotographThere is a sizable number of photographers who are rejecting the digital workflow in favor of more handwork using so-called alternative processes. Are they missing an obvious hybrid that would involve handwork after digitally printing their images? Anyone remember Marshall Oils?
HT1998 - The Date It Was PrintedIt is very common to see the date (or at least the year) of capture in the title of a photograph. From a collector's point of view, the more important date is when the print was produced. The date of capture may tell us something about the subject, but the date of the print tells us more about the artwork. Why not include both?
HT1997 - Hands Off My NegativesFor as long as I can remember, photographers at every level have been vehemently opposed to someone else having access to print their negatives or digital files. Are photographers just being protective of their copyrights and financial interests? Or is something else going on here? What if composers felt this way about their scores of music?
LW1416 - A Few Thoughts About Thinking
I remember with clarity my early workshop experiences. I thought they were going to be great fun out with my camera making meaningful artwork with an inspiring instructor looking over my shoulder. Instead, we talked and then talked some more about images and the creative process. Those hours of conversation, print commentaries, and just hanging about prompted a flood of thoughts about what I was doing and how I was thinking about my own creativity. In these LensWork Podcasts and my Here's a Thought. . . series, I hope to pass on that process of thinking about your creative life. My purpose is not to have you agree with me, but rather to have you think - - every day - - at least a little bit about your creative process.
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HT1996 - Your Best Work vs Your Favorite WorkIt's very common for photographers to conflate their best work with their favorite work. In fact, these two may not be the same at all. The former is a judgment of our audience, the latter is a judgment from ourselves. Which work do you choose to exhibit and publish?
HT1989 - Predictable LightOne of the exciting aspects of landscape photography is that the light is constantly changing, often surprising, and never predictable. Compare that to the lighting in your house which is the same, day after day. Could this be one of the reasons we find home photography to be such a challenge? What if we purposefully change the light to create more dramatic effects? Would that make home photography easier?
LW1415 - Expansive Ideas
In the upcoming issue of LensWork (#169) you'll find a project by photographer Jennifer Renwick that will be worthy of close study. She sent in 40 images, every single one of them just wonderful and worthy of publishing. The same could be said of Alan Henriksen from LensWork #100. These two projects in particular illustrate the joy and challenge of the expansive idea, that is a subject or idea that generates hundreds of images. What do we do with a project that is so prolific?
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HT1988 - The Obscure That Grabs Your HeartWe all carry a mental gallery of our favorite images, many of which are famous and universally admired. What is especially important for each of us are those images we love that are obscure. What does our love of these images say about us? Can these obscure ones guide us in our work?
HT1987 - Ideas That Do Not WorkEven those who fall flat on their face are at least moving forward. Ideas that don't work are not failures but rather necessary opportunities to progress along the path of success. The only failure in art is doing nothing.
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HT1986 - The Three-color Rule in B-W Photography
The three-color rule is a mainstay of fashion and of filmmaking. Interestingly enough, there's also a way this applies to black and white photography. I'm referring, of course, to toning.
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HT1985 - Toning B-W ImagesBecause we are liberated from the limitations of chemistry when we work in the digital darkroom, it's now easily possible for us to do any kind of monochromatic toning we might imagine. Even exotic split-toning and tri-toning are easily accomplished. What does this new grammar of expression mean for us black and white photographers? First, toning sets the mood.
HT1984 - The Obscure ArtI'm pulling a figure off the top of my head, but I would bet that 99.9% of all art that has been created is obscure. In other words, if the audience for your artwork includes more than 10 people, you ought to consider yourself lucky and successful.
HT1983 - Visual DissonanceThe musical world is filled with dissonance and consonance. These are not, however characteristics that are used very often in the visual arts. I think there is potential in photography for visual dissonance, but it does require an experimental frame of mind.
LW1414 - Photography, A Way of Life
Wynn Bullock's 1973 book, A Way of Life, points directly at the life of an artist. It's far less about the photographic artifacts we make and leave behind than it is about an approach to engaging the world in everyday life, less about learning to see than it is about learning to feel, less about composing a scene than it is about living in the moment.
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HT1982 - Creativity QuestionsA significant part of the creative process can be found in the related questions What if? and How far can I take this? These questions lead to an implied strategy: You will never know you've arrived until you go too far and then come back.
HT1981 - Seeing a Focal LengthI remember hearing a story about Edward Weston that I hope is true. It's said that once he set his tripod down to make a photograph he never needed to move it because he knew the focal length of his lens so well he could predict exactly where the camera needed to be. Does this mean that choosing our focal length changes the way we see?
HT1980 - Those Colors Are OffIn our images, a blue sky that appears cyan is just not right. An apple that is too orange is a mistake. Color photography can so easily be wrong, whereas a black and white sky or apple is never wrong. What does this say about our premises?
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HT1979 - More Ideas Than Time, Part 2
So you've captured in your notebook 20 possible ideas you would like to explore photographically. How do you choose which ones you will work on with the precious time you have? Said another way, how do you prioritize what you will work on?
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HT1976 - The Treasure InsideAfter 50 years of photography, I can attest that one of the most Important characteristics in my projects has been photographing from the inside. Photographing the outside of a building is easy, but gaining access to the inside requires effort, people skills, patience, and perseverance. The rewards, however, are tremendous.
HT1975 - Multiple Image ImagesFor 100 years now, the standard in photography has been for a single image to be presented in a frame. Now that we have the ability to do multiple image layouts, why not? There are limitless ways to create a grid of images in a single print.
LW1413 - We Live in a Physical-Digital World
Prints are great. PDFs are great. Living in either world exclusively is a self-imposed limitation. Revisiting The Spectrum thirty years later.
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HT1974 - Outside Your Normal GenreI consider myself primarily a landscape photographer. That very thought limits my exploration into other genres of photography. We do what we think we are.
HT1973 - From a Mess to a MasterpieceMost projects start without much more than a hint. There may be a fuzzy idea, but mostly we start with a print of perhaps a pile of prints and little else. Our task is to turn a mess into art, possibly even a masterpiece. A large part of that work is bringing order to the chaos.
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HT1972 - Something Is Always Better Than Nothing
I have a super-zoom lens that's very good, not outstanding, but very good. I find I am using it more and more these days because it is so darned convenient. It gets me a picture I would likely have missed if I had needed to swap lenses. At first I was hesitant because I knew it wasn't the very best quality lens I owned. Now that I'm working with the images, I'm not sure I can see any practical difference between it and my better lenses, at least not for lots of images.
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HT1971 - Pinpoint AccuracyWe pursue excellence at all costs. We sweat bullets over the details, the perfect colors, the exquisite tones. It's probably good that we do so because we are the most immediate and important audience for our own work. But how do we know the colors and tones we so fastidiously create will be what others will see?
HT1970 - Once the Project Is FinishedWithout fail, I've noticed that I experience an emotional vacuum after the completion of a project. The bigger the project, the bigger the void. Curiously enough, this feeling is a function of how many projects I'm working on at a time.
HT1969 - Consequences and RevisionsThere are often consequences of a decision that are so severe that they force a revision in the initial decision. For the longest time I never used a fast shutter speed because that implied a high ISO which implied an image with lots of digital noise and artifacts. Funny how things have changed so radically in the last few years. Decision dominoes.
LW1412 - Working Through the Alternatives
In the early days of my photographic life, it never occurred to me that there was more than one way to process an image. My struggle was to achieve that processing and once achieved, I was done. Now that I look back, now that I've matured, I recognize the extreme limitation of such a primitive approach to art making.
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HT1968 - Production BalanceThere's a sort of Goldilocks balance I'm always looking for when it comes to production tasks. If producing a project is too easy, I worry that I haven't really explored the options sufficiently. If producing a project is too difficult, I know the difficulty will be a disincentive. Finding the sweet spot in the production of a project is a critically important aspect that encourages productivity while at the same time allowing a deeper level of engagement.
HT1967 - Docent RequiredFor totally unrelated reasons, I've recently gone through a bit of art education about Caravaggio, Brahms, Garry Winogrand, and Hiroshige. As I was learning about these four, it occurred to me that every sophisticated artwork requires a docent to one degree or another.
HT1966 - Consciously Defining Your Relationship to PhotographyOne of the characteristics I love about photography is its plasticity. It can be used to accomplish so many different things. But that also presents us a bit of a challenge. With so many possible goals for our photographs, this plethora of options can add to our own internal confusion and obscure our objectives.
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HT1965 - We Are Creatures of Habit
I try to think about what I am doing photographically, but sometimes my (bad) habits simply overpower my better intentions. For example, I know my habit is to think of a wide angle lens as one that shows more to the left and the right of a normal lens. I have to consciously fight that habit to use that lens as a near-far lens.
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HT1964 - Getting the Right TonesPushing tones around might make an image have better light, but that doesn't guarantee it will be a better photograph. Images might be enhanced by tonal adjustments, but it's content, meaning, and metaphor that make a photograph better artwork.
HT1963 - I Didn't Know I Needed ThatWe live in the age of software. Even if you are producing analog prints from the wet darkroom, you still use digital means to share your work on the Internet, produce you work as a book, or email your images to, say, LensWork. Learning software is a part of our creative life. Here's a thought about the two strategies for embracing software.
HT1962 - Mood, Feeling, EmotionIn a generic sense, a piece of artwork has the purpose of shifting our emotional state of mind. In most cases, that means a shift from everyday awareness to an elevated sensitivity. How do we break through everyday awareness so people will experience a shift of mood, feeling, or emotion? Doesn't this seem like a question for either biologists or psychologists? Do those disciplines offer any clues?
LW1411 - More Fun
I've been seriously (note the word) involved in photography for 50 years. I've learned to value of letting go of the seriousness. From time to time, maybe it's worth a little experimenting to design a photographic project that would be a lot more fun and a lot less work.
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HT1961 - The Poetry in PhotographyOf all the artistic and non-artistic media, photography is considered the most objective, factual, documentarian. I think this idea about photography is so widespread that it complicates things for those of us who see photography as visual poetry.
HT1960 - Being Open, Being ReceptiveLao Tzu advices us to go with the flow. That doesn't mean give up free will, but it does mean that fighting nature can easily become a losing battle. In photography, that implies using the light as it is, using the subjects that fall in our laps, being receptive to the photographic opportunities before us rather than assume the dictatorial response of trying to bend nature to fit our aesthetic expectations.
HT1959 - The Sequence of EventsI received a comment from a listener that illustrated a very important point for all of us who are art creators. Come to think of it, maybe this applies to almost all of our efforts.
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HT1958 - Working Time Per Print
How much time do you spend working on a print? I've never timed myself but I wouldn't be surprised to find the average time I spend working on a print is probably less than a half an hour. Compare this to any other art medium. What if novelist spend only a half an hour to bang out their masterpiece? Or painters a half an hour to execute a portrait?
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HT1957 - Layers of UnderstandingI went to a piano recital last night featuring the world-famous Yuja Wang. Wow. But there is more to this story than I listened to some music.
HT1956 - Finished, But RejectedI remember in my film days being discouraged that I might only get one reasonable image out of a role of 36 exposures. Now that I'm older, I've come to understand a more unexpected statistic — the number of images that I finish that are ultimately rejected.
HT1955 - Just Because You Can Do ItPlaying around the other day I stumbled upon a really interesting idea, a new way to present image and text that could be a lot of fun. I've experimented by making a dozen examples and it works! I'm excited because I could see this developing into an entirely new project. Now I've arrived at the difficult part: Just because I can do something doesn't mean that I should.
HT1954 - Critique via F-T-RWhen you look at a photograph, rather than judging whether or not it is a good photograph or a bad photograph, whether you like it or not, whether you think it would look good hanging in your living room, it's much more interesting to ask how you F-T-R — feel, think, and respond. If you were a member of a photo group or workshop, I might suggest this is also a great way to do group critiques.
LW1410 - Artist As Visionary
Have you ever looked at a piece of artwork and thought the artist had somehow been mistaken? For example, when you look at a photograph and think it's too dark or too much contrast, is your natural reaction to give it thumbs down? It seems like so much of the art world today has become pushing art makers toward the expected rather than looking at art makers as visionaries with lessons to teach us.
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HT1953 - The Spirit of RepetitionThere is an old Zen saying that when the spirit of repetition leaves you, your work will become difficult. Remembering this wisdom helped me through many hours of washing darkroom trays, spotting prints, and organizing images with keywords in my Lightroom catalog.
HT1952 - Portraits of DoingI suppose because we are people, we enjoy looking at photographs of people. I have noticed, however, that I'm much more drawn to portraits that show someone doing something rather than showing merely what they look like.
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HT1951 - Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral
I remember once attending a lecture on photography (I don't remember who) in which it was suggested that a productive way to think about photographing was a variation on the old animal, vegetable, or mineral game. The variation, he proposed, was to replace animal with things that move, replace vegetable with things that grow, and think of mineral as inorganic stuff. He suggested that photographs that contain all three elements are likely to be more interesting than those that don't.
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HT1950 - A Visual Diary ProjectI've never done a visual diary project, but I've seen quite a number of them over the years. There's something fascinating about a daily image combined with commentary of the moment, that creates a personal history. I've always been hesitant to start one because it could go on forever. But it doesn't have to! Why not just a week, 10 days, a month, a season?
HT1949 - Love of Photography, Love of PhotographsI hope I'm not splitting hairs here, but which do you love more, Photography or Photographs? Photography is a process; photographs are a point of connection and sharing. Understanding this difference about ourselves helps clarify where to focus our activities. For example, I'd much rather spend time looking at, thinking about, and discussing photographs than I would spending time in the darkroom.
HT1948 - Our Youth-Oriented CultureWe live in an age that celebrates the New. Part of that is technology driven, but a lot of it is also a result of our advertising driven media. When it comes to art, it's too bad we don't celebrate wisdom and insight as much as we do the innovative, the new, and the hip.
LW1409 - Finding That Negative or Digital File
Just as a thought experiment, let's imagine that you were in charge of organizing the books in a major public library. What would be the first order of organization? You could organize them all by physical size, or by color, or by page count, but these organizational schemes would not make it very easy to find what you were looking for. The first order of organization is critical for those who might want to find something later. This is the exact same problem we have with all of our digital files.
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HT1947 - Two Alternative Presentation IdeasFraming is a classic and terrific way to showcase a photograph, but it can be expensive. Folios are also a great way to showcase a group of photographs, but since I departed on my travel adventure, I haven't had a workspace that allowed me to create folios. Here are two presentation ideas I've recently discovered that have me thinking
HT1946 - The Square FormatFor most of my life I've used rectangular aspect ratios almost exclusively. But there is something fascinating about the square format that's always tugged at my heartstrings. I think I may have figured out one of the characteristics of the square format that is so appealing.
HT1945 - Parallel LightA lot of photography instructors these days talk about "good light" and "bad light," in particular morning light and evening light. It's been my experience that morning light and evening light are great not because of the time of day but rather because of a characteristic I think of as "parallel light."
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HT1944 - Different Sources of Illumination
The key attribute of travel photography is seeing something new. Seeing something new is the topic for this thought. But travel is difficult, expensive, and takes a lot of time. What if we could invoke that idea of seeing something new by simply changing the source of light? What if we photographed in our home or neighborhood with illumination by candlelight, flashlight, portable video lights, or reflected flash photography?
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HT1943 - What You Are Working On, What You Have FinishedNo one cares what you are working on. No one ever will care what you are working on. It's only what you have finished that matters or will possibly survive you.
HT1942 - The Problem with CamerasCameras are marvelous devices that do incredible things. The problem is they can do none of those things if you don't have it with you when the photographic opportunity appears. Mark Twain said that those who don't read have no advantage over those who can't. The same could be said about making pictures. A person who leaves their camera at home has no advantage over those who don't own a camera.
HT1937 - The First Time
Can you think of an experience in your life where you did something for the very first time and did it flawlessly? Yet we go photographing in new locations and assume that our first time will produce brilliant images. Why do we think that's true for art making when we know it isn't true for anything else in our life?
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HT1936 - You Are Different TodayI'd like to address today's comments to those of you who have been doing photography for 20, 30, 40, 50 years. An interesting exercise is to go back and look at your first completed project with the intention of redoing that project today. How would you approach the subject differently based on the fact that you are now an older more mature photographer?
HT1935 - Moonlit ScenesOccasionally a breakthrough in technology opens the door to create a vision that had previously been impossible or at least very difficult. The new AI noise reduction available in Lightroom is a good example. The other day was a full moon and I found that sufficient illumination to make some interesting landscape images illuminated only via moonlight.
HT1934 - Too SharpThere is a definite set of today's photographers who are eschewing the digital workflow in exchange for a more analog process and aesthetic. Nowhere is this more prevalent that in discussions of sharpness. How much sharpness it too much sharpness?
HT1933 - Worthy of PreservingOurs is one of the first generations in all of history to have the ability to so easily record our life. But what should we record? What's worthy of preserving? Which is more important, Who-Where-When, or Stories-Thoughts, and what they Did?
LW1407 - Portrait of a Place
In that subgenre of photography we call "fine art photography," there is one approach that dominates over all others. I think of this as "portrait of a place." Whether it's one photograph or a dozen, the photographer's underlying premise is to show us somewhere they've been and appreciate. Their motivation is to share their experience of the special place. All well and good, but some approaches are less successful than others.
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HT1932 - Covid BreakDoggone it, I've come down with Covid. After 1,931 days in a row without missing a single day, I'm needing to take a few days off to rest and recover. Hopefully, I be back in a few days rarin' to go. In the meantime, not a bad time to scan back and see if there are any episodes you missed..
HT1930 - Your Signature
It's customary to sign your finished prints in the lower right hand corner. Some people sign on the mat board, others sign on the print itself, some sign on the back of the print. They're various strategies and various philosophies about this. But what does it actually mean when you sign your print?
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and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT1929 - Choose Your Mentors WiselyWe are memetic creatures. We learn by observing others and then by copying what we see. This is most visible in babies and toddlers, but is equally true of artists and photographers.
HT1928 - Photography and PhilosophyPhotography may not be the best medium for philosophy, but that doesn't mean that photography isn't guided, shaped, informed, influenced by a philosophical background. Said another way, art is the marriage between images and ideas. It's easy to see that photography without an image is not art. It's much more difficult to realize that photography without an idea is not art.
HT1927 - Fame vs MeritHave you ever noticed how difficult it is for most unknown photographers to get published? In one of those dirty little secrets of the publishing industry, most magazines choose to publish the photographs of famous photographers because they want to ride the coattails of the famous individual. Needless to say, here at LensWork we've chosen a different path and try to bring to light the best work we can based on its merit.
HT1926 - Good Teachers, Better TeachersHaving been a participant in workshops for 50 years (both as a student and as an instructor), I come to recognize that there are two types of instruction that are most prevalent. There are instructors who teach how to make images like they make. Then there are instructors who help you make the images that you want to make.
HT1925 - Why Is Always More Important Than HowThe technical questions of how to make a photograph dominate almost every YouTube channel, book on photography, workshop content, and much of our creative time. It has always seemed to me that the far more important question is not how, but rather why. Why do you want to make this photograph? Why do you want to share this photograph? Why do you choose to process this way rather than all the other possibilities? The art-life is asking why; our craft-life is asking how.
HT1924 - Blotchy Blue SkiesFor technical reasons I don't understand, aggressive processing in blue skies tends to create a blotchy appearance that is very unpleasant. This is true whether the image is color or black and white. I assumed the solution would be found in bit-depth, the Clarity tool, or possibly the new Lens Blur tool. Nope. So far, the solution escapes me.
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LW1405 - Others Have Already Done It, But No One Has Done Yours
Looking back, I wasted so much of my photographic youth by studiously avoiding going to the obvious and iconic landscape locations. If someone famous had photographed there, I reasoned that they'd "already done it" so there was no reason for me to go there to photograph the same things.
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HT1923 - Make It Personal, But Make It Universal
We are all advised to photograph from our heart. The temptation is, however, to jump to the conclusion that the more personal our images the better they will be. The problem with this is that if your images become too personal, only you will be able to relate to them. The trick is to make it personal, but still preserve a sense of universality.
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HT1922 - Art and PhysicalityWhen I think of the word "artwork," I immediately think of physical things: Painting, prints, sculptures. But then there are lots of artistic media that are not physical in the sense that the art is not a thing: dance, music, theater, poetry, even novels. Where does this leave photography?
HT1921 - The Still ImageIn an age in which life seems to be progressing at an ever faster pace, the still image/photograph is having a difficult time competing. I have no doubt that it's only a matter of time before we visit the Louvre and have an AI generated personal conversation with the Mona Lisa herself. Forget I said that. Shhhh. Don't give them any ideas.
HT1920 - Stuck on the ShelfA book stuck on the shelf is a sad thing. Don't you think that if books were sentient that they would want to be opened and enjoyed? I've been known to purchase a book because I have intentions of reading it, but never do. It's a bad habit and not only an insult to the book but also to the photographer.
HT1919 - Your FavoriteAs we all know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, mostly, anyway. And as the creator of our artwork, we decided which is our best image and that is the one we typically print. What makes us think that our selection of "the best" is the same image that others will choose as their favorite?
HT1918 - An Affordable Medium of DeliveryA book is not artwork, but a novel is. A book is a medium of delivery, a novel is the content that is delivered. Does the same logic apply to photography? What if I said that a print or a book is a medium of delivery the same way that an LP or a CD is a medium of delivery for music, but neither are the artwork itself?
HT1917 - The Fusion of Craft and ContentWe can't make artwork without craft, but craft without content is not art. When the two become fused, then there arises a magic that can take our breath away. I was reminded of this recently looking at some Albrecht Dürer original engravings.
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LW1404 - Enough Dynamic Range
Dynamic range is a bit of a technical topic for this podcast, but it's also an aesthetic one. I've recently become aware of this because of the photography I was doing at the Hancock Shaker Village in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. My inspiration for this work was from Linda Butler in her wonderful and very influential book, Inner Light: The Shaker Legacy.
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HT1916 - The Opposite of Fog
I love photographing in the fog. It has a way of turning the most complex landscapes into minimalist compositions. Snow can do the same thing. Strangely enough, I can be just as fascinated with the opposite of fog or snow, that is, incredibly complex patterns that seem quite chaotic. For me, the most difficult compositions are the ones in between that are neither minimalist nor cacophonous.
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HT1915 - Three MiraclesI believe there are three miracles of human invention that continue to amaze me that they even exist at all. These are language and writing (books), the aural arts (music, recordings), and the visual arts (painting, photography). Through writing we can know what Sophocles thought millennia ago; through audio recordings we can hear what our grandparents sounded like; and via photography we can see the world that no longer exists.
HT1914 - Learning from Each Project We CompleteFinishing a photography project has multiple rewards not least of which is the manifestation of the artwork we produce. However, perhaps the most important thing we gain by finishing a project is what we learn in the process. Each project is a teacher as well as a culmination of our efforts.
HT1913 - Why Think Deeply When You Can Think InstantlyI know we can make a picture in 1/60th of a second, but should we? We've recently seen cameras introduced to the market that allow you to upload an image to your social media account instantaneously after clicking the shutter. Doesn't this completely miss one of the most important aspects of fine art photography?
HT1912 - Searching the IntersticesI've been doing and thinking about project-oriented photography for so long that it's become a reflex for me to search the interstices between pictures for threads that connect them together. Looking through some photography books recently, I realized I was doing that reflexively when in fact there was no thread between the pictures, at least not one intended by the photographer.
HT1911 - Style Is Not ContentThis week Panasonic introduced a new camera that incorporates wide variety of picture styles that can be instantly applied in camera. These styles go by the technical name of LUT, an acronym for lookup table. Supposedly this will make your photographs more artistic. I'm not so sure.
HT1909 - A World with No Cameras
What would you do if you were to wake up to find yourself in a world with no cameras? Would you still be an art creator with a different medium? Or, is your relationship with photography so photographic that without photography you would not create artwork?
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HT1908 - The Little ThingsWhen I haven't photographed for a while, it seems like a bit of rust always develops, on me. I went out photographing a few days ago and boy was I rusty. Diopter dial was moved. Focus stacking lever. Couldn't remember which direction to turn the zoom ring. Lost a Spider Holster pin when I dropped it and lost it. Geez.
HT1907 - Laserdisc, Betamax, and PhotographyPerhaps this is a flawed analogy, but I can't help but look back at the history of technology and conclude that widespread adoption is more important than ultimate quality. Does this also apply to our photographic work? As artists, we tend to want to pursue perfection at all costs. But, like technology, is it just possibly a better strategy to pursue widespread distribution rather than that last 2% of quality improvements?
HT1906 - Ideas That Go NowhereSometimes photographic project ideas come rushing at me with such momentum that they're completion is inevitable and accomplished quickly. Other times, I'll have an idea that seems to go nowhere. Over the years, I've learned to not discount those ideas that don't come to fruition quickly. Even project ideas that are decades old could suddenly become alive with meaning and a newfound energy. The trick is to develop your method for preserving ideas until they ripen.
HT1905 - Explaining a PhotographI'm fascinated by how often I hear photographers talk about their images by explaining what they were trying to accomplish. Does the photograph not accomplish that without the verbiage? There are good reasons for producing image and text combinations, but using text (or talk) to justify or explain a photograph is almost always going to end up diminishing the artwork.
HT1904 - Structure Imposed DisciplineArt making is such a frivolous activity in so much that no one really cares whether or not we make artwork. Because we don't have to, it's easy to relegate our art life to the nebulous future when someday we'll have the time to do so. This is where a structure can be handy. Self-imposed projects like a photo a day, or a commitment to exhibit can provide a little nudge of incentive.
HT1903 - Tilting at Photographic WindmillsTo some degree, the purpose of photography is to replicate the human experience. Isn't this an impossible pursuit? If the purpose of a photograph is not to give us the experience of standing there and seeing the world with our own eyes, then what is the purpose of a photograph?
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LW1402 - Photography in a Post-Mistake World
The history of photography shows that it has become easier and easier to make technically impressive photographs with every passing decade, certainly with every passing generation. Easier, perhaps, but never easy. There has always been a battle between our mental pictures and the ones we can make with light and chemicals. What if every shot you make is mistake-proof? Every shot - - recoverable, the seed of a perfect image assisted with AI. (This is not about AI, but about the artmaking process.)
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HT1902 - Single-minded Attention
One of the reasons I love the creative aspects of photography is that doing photography seduces me into a single-minded and thoroughly focused attention. In fact, without that level of immersion, I find my photographs are remote, emotionless, empty.
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HT1901 - Used FramesI mentioned a while back that I stayed with some friends who had a couple of hundred framed pieces of art on their walls. It occurred to me that they had an incredibly wide variety of styles of frames. I asked them about this. They explained that the cost of framing is so high that they get all their frames from thrift shops and other second hand stores. This is a great idea.
HT1900 - Internet NumbersCall me a cynic, call me a disbeliever, call me an irascible conspiracy theorist, but I simply don't believe the numbers reported by websites like YouTube. When I see that some new and unknown YouTube influencer is reported to have a half a million views of their video, I simply don't believe it. We have no idea how Google tallies those numbers, but knowing the statistics for our websites here at LensWork, I find it hard to believe when I read the download statistics from social media websites. Something funny is going on here.
HT1899 - The Difference Between Snapshots and ArtI guess I've always been a bit snootish in my attitude towards snapshots versus fine art photography. But the more I think about it, the more I've begun to question my assumptions. Snapshots are form of memory, but don't we experience that with our fine art photography? What is the difference between a snapshot and a fine art photograph?
HT1898 - Collectors vs ConsumersWhen asked, I think most fine art photographers would have to confess that they would love to see their work become "collectible." I understand the motivations for validation that come with collectability and museum exhibition. It's curious, however, how different are the motivations of collectors compared to consumers.
HT1897 - Dinner in an Art HouseI had dinner this week at a friend's whom I'd recently met. The minute I walked in his modest house, I felt a vibe that I would characterize as "an art house." His house was filled with art, his tables with pottery and art books, and every wall had a display of beautiful framed work in every possible medium. After dinner, I had a chance to go from room to room to see what artwork he collected. Only later, the next morning, did I realize that every piece of artwork on his walls was smaller than 11x14.
LW1401 - Advantages of Small Projects
I suppose it's no surprise that as the publisher of Image Suites, Seeing in SIXES and Trilogies that I'm a advocate for small projects — projects from just a few to perhaps a dozen or so images. I was therefore startled when I received an email from a LensWork reader pointing out that I've never specifically addressed why I'm such a fan of small projects. I looked back and she was right; I've never specifically addresses the concept of small photography projects. Here are some of my thoughts about this.
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HT1896 - A Book Group for PhotographyI suspect many of you are a member of a book group of one kind or another. Have you ever heard of a photography book group? I never have. In fact, I think this could be a wonderful idea. I'm often grateful to hear how others think about a photograph or a group of photographs. Seems to me like it would be easy enough to put something together on Zoom. Hmmm. . .
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HT1888 - Photography's Fascination with the Rare
Photography can be hard work. For most of us, the work of artmaking also includes lots of fun and pleasant entertainment. Which parts of photography do you find the most fun? As a hobby, wouldn't it make sense to increase those components and to strategize ways to reduce the work? For example, I dislike framing, so I either use presentation methods that don't involve framing, or I pay someone to do my framing for me.
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HT1894 - Postponing Your Art LifeNo one begins their photographic journey by immediately leaping into 40-inch prints. We all start small, 5x7, or 8x10. Then somehow we get gripped with the idea that bigger is better. Rather than turn our attention to making more personal, more meaningful, or insightful photographs it becomes so much easier to pursue the greater technical challenges of large prints, thereby postponing the launch of our real art life.
HT1893 - Dry Spells and Damp SpellsWouldn't we all love to be creatively on fire every day, every moment. Unfortunately, that rarely happens. Instead, we have times when we are productive and times we are not. We think of those fallow times as "dry spells" which can be accompanied by guilt. But there's also a spell that is neither dry nor productive and can be an incredibly useful time in a creative life. I think of them as "damp spells."
HT1892 - The Time to Make a PictureLet's take just a moment to think what a miracle is photography. Before photography, think how long was required to make a picture. Drawing one l line at a time, adding one brushstroke at a time. Pictures were relatively rare and treasured. That way of relating to pictures leaked over to photography in its earliest days. Compare that to the bombardment of pictures that assault us every day! Our pictures aren't special because they are pictures, they need to connect through content to be special.
HT1891 - Grabbed by ArtworkI suppose all of us have, from time to time, been mesmerized by a piece of artwork. It grabs us, it seduces our attention, it fills our consciousness. Why? What is it about a piece of artwork that gives it this power to influence us so deeply? Maybe not 100% of the time, but most frequently I find this happens when the artwork engages my imagination, when it allows me to drop my normal awareness of the world and to be transported to a world of its making.
HT1890 - Experiences or ThingsA friend of mine is downsizing in preparation for moving to a retirement community. She can't find anyone who wants her extensive collection of sheet music. Another friend is finding it difficult to find a home for her collection of dinnerware and silver. No one wants them. It seems like the younger generation values collecting experiences far more than collecting things. I've come to regard this as the joy and burden of ownership. What are the implications for our fine art photographs?
HT1888 - Photography's Fascination with the Rare
Ask most people what makes a fabulous landscape photograph and they will unhesitatingly say a fabulous landscape. That is, the magic is out there. This implies that the photographer is simply a faithful recorder of the scene. Ask most photographers what they actually do when they are out photographing and they will tell you they are looking for the spectacular scene.
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HT1887 - Obscurity Is InevitableI distinctly remember in my youth being encouraged to consider archival properties and longevity of my images as one of the primary goals of processing my prints. It was just assumed that it was important that our work survive 50 or 100 years when it would be valued by generations yet unborn. But now that I've been in photography for 50 years, I can't help but notice that my bookshelves are filled with photographers who have disappeared in the obscurity of time. I know that's the fate for my work, too, and that prompts me to consider other strategies.
HT1886 - Private WorkThe real work of the artist all takes place outside of the spotlight. If a pianist doesn't enjoy practice, they will never be an accomplished performer. If a photographer doesn't love the darkroom or studio work, that will be obvious in their prints. Toiling away on one's own is the heart of the art life.
HT1885 - The Most Important Tool in the DarkroomAnsel Adams used to preach that the most important tool in his dark room was the garbage can. I believe the corollary in the digital workflow is the virtual copy. I've often thought that the terms "making art" and "editing" are synonyms for the same activity. If you don't progress through at least a half a dozen drafts, I think you are fooling yourself.
HT1884 - Sample NotesEarlier this week I was discussing the importance of note taking in our creative life. We need to capture those fleeting ideas before we lose them. A listener asked what kinds of notes are the useful ones to capture. Here are some samples from my own notebooks.
HT1883 - Cameras or SoftwareI suspect we would all agree that the advancement in camera technology over the last 25 years has been amazing. Curiously enough, when I look at my digital images in my Lightroom catalog, the advances in camera technology pale in comparison to the advances in software processing. I'm not sure my newest and latest camera has allowed me to do anything that I couldn't do with my first digital camera 20 years ago. The latest camera technologies have made my life easier, but I'm not sure it's made my artwork any better.
HT1882 - SeedsOften, while I'm working on a project, I'll try something that doesn't work at all for the project I'm developing. It ca be tempting to just delete the failure and move on. Instead, I've come to realize that perhaps the failed idea is a seed for a new project. I guess what they say is true, "The harder I work, the luckier I get."
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LW1399 - Your Photographic Lineage
In most every walk of life, lineage is a big deal. This is particularly true in religion, politics, and nobility. It might seem less true in photography, but I'm not so sure. We each see ourselves as the inheritors of an approach to the art life that not only informs our self-image, but can heavily influence what we produce
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HT1881 - Taking Notes
Creative ideas rarely manifest on demand. Be brilliant, right now, this instant. You can. Creativity doesn't work that way. In my mind, there is no doubt that one of the most important activities about the art life is capturing ideas when they pop into mind. How you capture ideas is a strategy that is worth thought, planning, organization, and commitment.
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HT1879 - Twenty Times, a VariationAs a follow up on yesterday's conversation about music and looking at photographs, I could apply the exact same logic to locations where I photograph. The first time I go anywhere I tend to photograph the fairly obvious compositions - - and perhaps do so without nearly as much depth as I would like to. I need to return to a location a half a dozen or a dozen times before I feel I've gotten to know it. Weather changes, seasons change, but most importantly, I change.
HT1878 - Twenty TimesTo really appreciate a new piece of music, I need to hear it at least 20 times so that I can own it in my mind. The same can be said for photography. I have to spend time with an image before I feel like I've seen it. I have to think about it. I have to search for metaphors in my responses. Sometimes I need to know a little bit about the photographer so I can put their photograph in the context of their career. The idea that photography is something to be glanced at just sits wrong with me on so many levels.
HT1877 - The Thought That Goes With Every PhotographPhotographs are visual, but that does not mean they are devoid of words, devoid of thought. Every photograph sparks a thought. A photograph might spark thoughts of the beautiful, the trite, the irrelevant, the desirable - - there is probably an example of a photograph for every word in language. Artwork is a gateway to thought. How does knowing this change what we do and produce?
HT1876 - Before You Process an ImageHere's an exercise you might find fun. What happens when you spend time with an image before you begin processing it? Seriously, try this exercise next time you are working on images in Lightroom or Photoshop. Before doing anything to the captured file, spend 20 minutes or so just looking at it. Write down any words that come to mind, any thoughts, any ideas. Challenge yourself to write 10 things before you begin processing the image.
LW1398 - Life, As Lived
When you decide you want to make a photograph of this particular thing, why is that thing chosen over all others? What is it in that thing that makes it more photogenic than all others? I've thought about this a great deal lately and I'm not sure I have the answer. I do, however, think I have one answer: Idealism. So much of photography as it is practiced is the pursuit of the ideal.
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HT1875 - Question or StatementThe common perception of a photograph is that it is a fact. Even a fanciful, imagine-based photograph is a statement of how the photographer sees the world. But what doors to creativity are opened if we change that perspective and think of a photograph (or a project) as a proposal to consider? What if your photograph says, "Here's a question" rather than "Here's a truth"?
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HT1874 - Composing Using Focus Tracking
Here is a slick focusing technique I never thought of, but it works. It replaces the half-press and hold, then compose technique. It's much more intuitive in my brain than back button focusing. It uses "focus tracking" or something I like to call "sticky focus." You really should try this one.
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"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
HT1880 - Mat Boards and MarginsThe convention in photography is to finish the print by affixing it to mat board. There various methods to do this, but they all have in common the physicality of the board itself. This adds expense and bulk to the finished work of art. Is it the physicality or the margin that is important here? Once the print is in the frame, is the physicality of the mat board still important?
HT1650 - October in MaineI'm headed up to Maine next month for a couple of weeks of photography and I'm quite concerned about it. I'll be there during the peak explosion of fall color. But I don't want to make pictures of beautiful fall leaves, at least not like everyone else does. I know I will be seduced into doing so, but I'm really hoping to find my own response to that beautiful landscape.
HT1649 - The Unsold OnesIt's always great to be asked to exhibit your work. Nothing is quite so motivating for productivity than a deadline. And if you're lucky, you might sell a print or two. But what will you do with the other 26 prints that don't sell? Where will you store them? Can you afford the expense of the unsold, framed inventory?
HT1648 - Twenty Bucks Burning a Hole in Your PocketIn Portland, Oregon there is a weekly event known as Saturday Market. It's mostly craft booths or street food and it's an awful lot of fun. Everyone goes there intending to spend a little money just because it's cheap entertainment. I learned a valuable lesson about this from my Chinese calligraphy teacher who, for years, had a booth at Saturday market.
HT1647 - Brown, A Love-Hate RelationshipBrown is such a lovely tone in a monochrome image, but it's also a bear to get right. I think it's because brown is made up of all colors mixed in exacting proportions. And this is where it becomes a challenge. Too much red in the brown can result in pink skies. Too much yellow in the brown and images can look muddy.
HT1646 - Paper PropertiesThe most common physical medium for photographs is paper. I wonder why it is that the fundamental properties of paper are never used by photographers? Paper is a pliable material that might offer some interesting properties we could use creatively. For example, paper can be folded, crumpled, sewn, dyed, twisted, and torn.
HT1645 - The Absent PhotographerI was looking at a coffee-table book of photographs of the Grand Canyon. There were all well-crafted, beautiful images. They were also completely devoid of any sense of a photographer whatsoever. The perfectly objective photographer is the absent photographer.
HT1644 - Once It Was DifficultOlivia Parker inspired us to explore the incredible complexities of split toning. I attended a week-long workshop to learn Jay Dusard's ferrocyanide bleaching technique. I don't even want to remember the hours I spent trying to master the concepts in Minor White's little yellow Zone System book. And now all of these can be accomplished with a single mouse click.
LW1365 - In Praise of Used Bookstores
I love used book stores. I have nothing else to add. Just love them.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1295+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1643 - Imitation Is Not the Sincerest Form of TeachingWe know that imitation is a form of flattery, but when it comes to teaching art, imitation is not the goal. The purpose of a teacher or mentor or workshop instructor in art is to help the learner to make their own art.
HT1642 - Art StoriesYesterday, I was talking about my friend and her extensive collection of framed art on the walls of her home. As we toured her collection, she told stories about the artists she had known, many of whom were friends. I couldn't help but contrast with the visit I'd had a few years ago visiting an important photography collector whose stories were all about the acquisition and the monetary value of his collection.
HT1641 - Surrounded by ArtI recently visited a friend who loves art. She gave me a tour of her house and I counted 139 framed pieces of art on the walls of her home. I found it interesting that what connected her collection was not media, but content.
HT1640 - Volumetric SatisfactionIn the intersection of art and commerce, there are two opposing strategies. Sell relatively few pieces for a high dollar amount, or sell lots of pieces for a low dollar amount. Which volumetric approach appeals to you the most? High volume dollars per photograph, or a high volume number of photographs?
HT1639 - Slowing DownBad habits rarely arrive fully formed, but sneak up on us in the sneaky ways of a sneak. I've noticed in the last few years that I have developed the bad habit of working too quickly in the field. Needing a way to slow down, I remembered my large format dark cloth.
HT1638 - Paper WeightIn my earliest days of photography, I was taught to always use heavy weight photo paper, referred to then as "double weight." It was always implied that double weight was the choice of serious photographers and that single weight was amateurish. I'm not so sure about that.
LW1364 - Disposable, Flippant Artwork
What is the future of what we know as "fine art photography"? I have no idea, but I do have some concerns, especially as the public seems more and more to think of photography as a device for selfies and disposable images.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1637 - Rounded CornersA recent chapbook purchaser asked why I use rounded corners on my images. There's a very good reason to do so, but it's not a photographic one. It's an aesthetic decision based on a bit of practical experience.
HT1636 - Hesitation to EngageFairly commonly, at the beginning of a project, I find myself hesitating to jump in. I know what's about to happen in terms of the artistic battles and frustrations. Sometimes, I'm just a little reluctant and feel guilty about that.
HT1635 - Painting on PhotographsTwenty years ago, we had a LensWork booth at Art Expo in New York. We showed gelatin silver photographs and photogravures and aroused very little interest. The booth across the aisle, however, sold millions of dollars of artwork that was a fascinating combination of photography and painting.
HT1634 - PracticePianists practice. Ballet dancers practice. Do photographers practice? Should we? What would that be? What kind of practice would improve our performance? Is it mechanical and muscle memory that we need to practice? Or is there something about creative seeing that might be more useful?
LW1363 - Competitive Artmaking
So much of culture today is based on competitive posturing. I've never been comfortable with competition in artmaking. Yes, competition may motivate us to strive for better results, but that's not the problem as I see it. The problem is that in order for competition to be fair, there need to be rules that must be followed, and judges that must enforce the rules — both of which are antithetical to creativity.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1362 - The End of the Trail, Sort Of
Big news about my travels and a thoroughly unexpected lesson learned!
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1361 - Kinds of Projects, Redux
A great way to jump-start your project-oriented photography is to first define what kind of project it is.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1295+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1360 - Digitally Remastering Your Still Photographs
What do you do if a project you finished a decade ago can suddenly be radically improved based on new software features? Do you go back and redo that old project so that it looks better with the new capabilities? Or, do you leave it as is as a testament of the times in which it was completed?
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1352 - Light, Glorious Light.wav
Announcing our 2023 LensWork Community Book project - - Light, Glorious Light. Now accepting entries. Details and Entry Form at www.lenswork.com
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1553 - Photography BooksSpeaking somewhat coarsely, photography books can be divided into two types. There are those books that are a monograph of the photographer's best work, and then there are photography books where the subject is something found in the world. The former draws attention to the photographer; the latter draws attention to the world.
Time in New England by Paul Strand
California and the West by Edward Weston
The Jews of Greece by Morrie Camhi
Yosemite Range of Light by Ansel Adams
Summer Nights by Robert Adams
The Home Place by Wright Morris
Gypsies by Josef Koudelka
The Sweet Flypaper of Life by Roy DeCarava and Langston Hughes
Italy: In the Shadow of Time by Linda Butler
North American Cowboy - A Portrait by Jay Dusard
Weeping Mary by O. Rufus Lovett
From Uncertain to Blue by Keith Carter
HT1552 - Sometimes You're the BugThere's a great line in a Dire Straits song that says, "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug." Today I was the bug. Sometimes that's just the way it goes and I've learned that feeling guilty and pressuring myself to photograph is a sure fire way to suppress creativity.
HT1550 - A Modified ETTRMichael Reichmann used to preach ETTR, exposed to the right. In principle, I still think this is a pretty good strategy, but I've also learned not to overdo it. I've lost a number of images because I pushed to the right too hard and can't recover enough highlight detail to create the image I'd like. Ever since, I've used a modified ETTR that seems to work pretty well for me.
HT1549 - Dumb MistakesPhotography is hard enough without making dumb mistakes. Nonetheless, we all make them. Here are a few of mine, including a whopper just yesterday. We live, we learn.
HT1548 - Photogenic LocationsA big part of the fun of being a landscape photographer is the thrill of spending time in spectacular locations. Who doesn't love visiting Yellowstone or Yosemite or any of the other landscape treasures? But for me, an even bigger thrill is finding some out-of-the way location that I've never heard of that offers extensive potential for some great images.
HT1547 - Photography As DiaryNot surprisingly, most of us photographers can use our image archives (or our Lightroom catalogs) as a sort of visual diary of our life. The answer to "When was that?" is often found in our EXIF data. Perhaps formalizing that and turning our images into the stories of our lives would be something of real value to our descendants.
LW1351 - The Burden of Decor.mp3
We do and all love a type of photography we could characterize as "décor." Because we are photographers, we also make and enjoy lots of other types of photography that the general public would not. There can be a subtle pressure in our creative lives to pursue décor photography because of the prevalence of décor photography in the frame on the wall.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1295+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1546 - Definition of PhotographyThe Generative Fill feature in the current Beta version of Photoshop has a lot of people talking. I heard one YouTuber say this would be the death of photography as we know it. Doesn't this depend on how we define photography? Is photography defined by a process or by a result?
HT1545 - Photographic ProofWhatever sense of photographic truth was left, with the new feature in Photoshop beta called Generative Fill, photographic truth is now a quaint memory.
HT1544 - Film Images, Digital ProjectsI wonder if I'm like others, or perhaps I should say if others are like me? The transition from film photography to digital photography was far more than a change in the medium of production. There was also a change in what I produced. With film I make images; with digital I shifted to projects.
HT1543 - Accuracy Is Not the Same As SignificanceIn my youth, I fastidiously measured all my darkroom chemicals and controlled the temperature of my developers to plus or minus a tenth of a degree. I cringe now to think how many hours I must have wasted by confusing accuracy with significance.
HT1542 - Unicorn PhotographyIn the most generic sense of the word, what we all seem to want to photograph is the elusive unicorn. That is, we search and search for something magical that is rare and elusive. Hence, Yosemite, Nepal, Antarctica, and (as I was saying yesterday) buffalo.
HT1541 - Buffalo PaparazziI've mentioned before that I'm not particularly motivated to photograph in the big national parks. I've had a chance to think about this more deeply this last week while I was staying in West Yellowstone.
HT1540 - Express YourselfWe take photographs and make digital captures. Why all this aggressive language? There is such an acquisitiveness about this, but this can also define the divide between fine art photography and other kinds. Isn't the true core of fine art photography expressing ourselves? That is to say, isn't fine art photography and outflow rather than an inflow?
HT1539 - Mix TapesRemember mix tapes? I guess we now call it "shuffle play." It's a fun way to adjust the music you listen to based on your mood and day. Why not do this with photographs? I have a playlist for Sunday Mornings, and I could easily have a "displaylist" of photographs
LW1350 - Which Perfection
As artists, we pursue perfection. But, which perfection do we choose? Perfection of craft or perfection of content? Which is more important?.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1538 - Turning the Ordinary Into the MundaneA common refrain is the advice to photograph in your home, photograph in your yard! More often than not, this turns the ordinary subject into a mundane photograph. The challenge is not to make photographs in a familiar location, but to think and see differently in a familiar location.
LW1349 - Photography Without Applause
We don't live in a vacuum, but lots of photographers seem to live in an audience vacuum. Let's be honest and admit that one of the most discouraging things that can affect our motivation level is the absence of an audience
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1348 - Instant vs Moment
Photography is famous for being an instantaneous medium. I'm not so sure. There is a subtle but incredibly important difference between an instant and a moment. In my opinion, the best photographs capture a moment in their emotional impact even though they may only capture an instant in measured time.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1347 - From the Road, from the Truck
In 1990 I spent 3 weeks photographing in Northern Japan with an 85 lb backpack. A full 45 lb of that was my photography gear. Here in my aging years, I'm sure glad I have a lighter weight equipment that allows me to still be creative, in fact I'm in the most productive years of my life because of it.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1512 - The Cost of ProductionA while back a friend of mine let me know he was offered a 1-person show at a local venue in his town. He was excited about the invitation - - right up to the time he calculated the cost of matting and framing 30 images for the exhibition.
HT1511 - Fellow TravelersIt is valuable and even important that we find fellow travelers from whom we can learn, with whom we can challenge each other and grow. There is a contrary philosophy that proposes photographic celibacy. Ok, then find fellow travelers who are poets, or philosophers, or nature lovers.
HT1510 - Stalled OutEveryone gets stalled out from time to time. There are just no good ideas, no motivations, no momentum, no desire to go out photographing. When this happens to me, I find it best to let go of the camera. Stop trying to make photographs. Let yourself become interested in the world. The photography will naturally follow.
HT1509 - The Better Version DilemmaWhat do you do when a software enhancement makes it possible to improve one of your processed images? Ignore the potential improvement, or make a "second edition" version? This is a challenge for original prints, but is an even greater dilemma once an image has been published in a book.
HT1508 - Transition PointsI've often proposed that photography is about relationships. Perhaps that is why transition points often make great photographic potential. Where the water meets the land, where the day meets the night, where stream meets the sky in a waterfall - - just a few examples of transition.
HT1507 - Doing or PracticingIn athletics and music, practicing is the best way to improve performance. But when it comes to art making, the best way to improve is to stop practicing and start just doing the work, completing as much of it as you can. It is the process of doing that is the fertile ground for learning.
HT1506 - What Makes a Picture BadIn this age of digital processing, we have the flexibility to work an image with incredible finesse and in microscopic detail. This power has changed the concept of a "bad picture." Now, almost any image can be salvaged, well, quite a bit of them anyway. If every image has some potential, what makes a bad picture?
HT1505 - Weather and the IdealLast week I mentioned the Utopian ideals that are the basis of so much of photography. Perhaps that's why we see so much photography capturing idealized weather. A lovely snowfall, instead of the remnants left is the snow melts; the distant cloud burst rather than that drippy rain that soaks us through and through; thin fog that allows us to see a distant tree, rather than that socked in fog that obliterates everything beyond 5 feet.
HT1503 - Project ClustersYesterday, I was out shooting in the Olympic National Forest. I spied a composition in a grove of red alders and made the exposure. Then I saw another composition. At that point, my mind flipped into project mode.
HT1502 - The PuzzleI'm not a particular fan of jigsaw puzzles, but I am sensitive to the fundamental philosophy behind them. In fact, I kind of think the paradigm of the jigsaw puzzle is akin to doing project-oriented photography. It's a matter of fitting pieces together in an order with a larger objective that creates a whole that is bigger than the sum of the pieces.
HT1501 - DiagonalsAs an overly generalized assertion, photographic compositions tend to consist of either right angles or diagonals. Right angle compositions emphasize stability, solidity, timelessness, or rectitude. Diagonals emphasize movement, life, change, the flow of time.
HT1499 - Heaven's BreathHave you ever noticed, as I have, that the number of roadside pullouts and parking spaces is inversely proportional to the photographic potential. I can't recall how many terrific photographic scenes I've come across which I leave unphotographed because they're simply no place to park the car. Damn. Why don't these road engineers keep us photographers in mind when they plan their pullouts?
HT1499 - Heaven's BreathDuring my college years when I was studying Chinese calligraphy, I learned one of the key principles of that art is encapsulated in the phrase "Chi Yun Sheng Deng" - - Heaven's Breath Vitalizes Movement.
HT1498 - More Than One WayOne of the philosophical premises to Lightroom's virtual copies feature is that any give RAW capture can be processed in different ways to create different images with different moods and intents. This is not at all what I learned in the wet darkroom.
LW1345 - AI and the Objective
When we look at a photograph, there are two primary possible approaches. We can appreciate it for the artifact that it is. Or, we can appreciate it for the content is illustrates, in which case the image is a portal to something beyond the artifact. There is a lot more to consider here than we might assume.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1497 - More Pixels or More Dynamic RangeIf I only had enough influence to push sensor manufacturers to produce more dynamic range rather than ever more pixels! More dynamic range would be more exposure latitude, more detail in the shadows, which would allow us to better control highlight exposure. But alas, the megapixel wars still ruled the roost.
HT1496 - The Element of SurpriseNot infrequently, while processing an image, I discover some previously hidden option that I'd never thought of. Assuming that processing with change A will imply a change B, I'll be surprised that A implies something other than B that emerges and an idea from nowhere. Or is it nowhere?
HT1495 - Give It a Fair ShotI remember reading advice about approaching a novel. The advice was to always commit to read to the first 50 pages, even if they are a grind. After that many pages, if you are not engaged, you've at least given it a fair chance. I think the same can be said for a photography project. Carry it through to a fair amount before abandoning it.
HT1494 - Worrying About PrintersIt's not just camera gear that might disappear. What about printers? What would happen to fine art photography if we couldn't purchase printers or inks? This might seem far-fetched, but my favorite gelatin silver papers are now long gone as are my favorite films.
HT1493 - Your Camera for the Rest of Your LifePhotographers are dependent on gear. What would happen to us fine art photographers if professional new cameras were no longer available? What if the telephone camera becomes the only cameras that are being manufactured? What if the camera you currently own is the only camera you will have for the rest of your life?
HT1492 - I Love Panoramas, I Hate PanoramasRemember banquet cameras? Remember the Widelux? Thanks goodness we now have the ability to make panorama images so easily with digital stitching. Every digital camera can now do panorama images. I love them — right up to the time I need to mat them, frame them, or publish them. Then I hate them.
HT1491 - A Mission of DiscoverySome photographers set out with the purpose of making a photograph that fits their objectives. I'm always amazed and impressed by such organized and purposeful photographers. I always set out with no purpose in mind. For me, photographing is a mission of discovery - - and surprises.
LW1344 - Purpose Driven Photography
Why do you do photography? Fame? Money? Technical challenge? As I've thought about this over the last several months, I've concluded there are three main reasons I pursue the creative life as a fine art photographer - - exploration, introspection, and connection.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1490 - Easy or DifficultWhich do you enjoy more, the easy photograph that just falls successfully into your lap without much effort? Or, do you enjoy the challenge of making something from nothing? Every time I find some gem-in-the-rough in my Lightroom catalog that I can coax into an exciting image, I get a bigger thrill than I do with the easy ones.
HT1489 - A Real Color PhotographI received an email from a fellow who was promoting his photography as "real color photographs." I assumed what he meant by that was that his processing did not artificially change or enhance the colors from nature. I'm not sure that is even possible.
HT1488 - Ideas and ActionWhich comes first, the idea for a photograph or the action of taking the picture? Does anyone take a picture before they have an idea of what they hope to capture? If ideas come first, then isn't it possible to "practice photography" everyday by being aware of our ideas and jotting them down so we don't forget them?
HT1487 - Money and ArtmakingWe are told that money is the measure of success. I'm not so sure. In the world of selling art, money might be the measure of fulfilling expectations. But, in the world of artmaking, the cutting edge of creativity is rarely where the paying customers are comfortable.
HT1486 - Potential Is Not the Same as AccomplishmentIt seems to me that what a camera can do is not nearly as important as what you actually do with it. Come to think of it, the same can be said of photographers. Results always trump capabilities.
HT1485 - Grand Landscapes, Landscapes, and Intimate LandscapesThe more we know something, the more we work with something, the more subtleties and variations we both see and understand. Thirty years ago I would not have differentiated between grand landscapes, landscapes, and intimate landscapes, but now I can't imagine thinking about all these landscape types as being indistinguishable from one another.
HT1484 - God's Own SoftboxI first heard someone refer to a high thin cloud cover as "God's own softbox" years and years ago. Because I never spent any time as a studio photographer, I didn't know what a softbox was. I did know I loved the soft shadows and lovely contrast that high, thin clouds create. It's an almost perfect lighting for landscapes.
LW1343 - Photography Is About . . .
This week (as I record this), it was announced that DPReview.com is closing down. For most of you, I suspect this won't be much of a loss because you may not be in the market for a new camera. For some of you, it's a concern. Here are a few random thoughts about this news.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1483 - What's Old Is New, Really NewIt's perfectly natural for us to be most excited about our most recent work. That thing we finished years ago is, well, old news. But for an audience who has never seen that old work, it's brand new to them. Don't neglect those older, finished projects that might deeply touch someone who is new to your work, or has never seen that body of work before.
HT1482 - Photograph as ConclusionAn interesting way to think about photographs is to perceive them as the conclusion of all the events that led up to the moment of photography, or as a beginning that will serve as a starting point for some as yet unknown destination.
HT1481 - Photography and IdealismWe do not live in a perfect world, but if your only knowledge of life here on earth were from landscape photographs, you would naturally conclude that this is a perfect world. Or, it's opposite. So much of photography is either pro idealism or anti-idealism.
HT1480 - When Realism Isn't RealI visited Yosemite for the first time in 1983 expecting to find there the landscapes I had become so familiar with through the photography of Ansel Adams. That was my first experience in which I discovered that the realism school of f/64 photography was anything but realistic.
HT1479 - Mortensen Had a PointIn books on the history of photography, there is no doubt that the quintessential outcast is William Mortensen. He represented a kind of photography that the f/64 group rebelled against most vigorously. But Mortenson had a point, and one that we should not ignore.
HT1478 - Soft Blacks and the Printed BookNot all blacks are black. There's some photographic media, for example platinum palladium prints, but have a soft black. Reproducing these tones in a printed book always present a unique challenge.
HT1477 - 9 to 1There's an old rule of thumb in video editing that for every 1 minute of finished video requires 9 minutes of editing and production. I'm not sure what the ratio is for still photography, but it's probably at least 9 to 1.
HT1476 - MoonlightMost photographs are made with sunlight. A few are made with artificial light, that is to say man-made light. I wonder why it is that's so few photographs are made with moonlight?
LW1342 - One Sheet, Many Images
The traditional presentation method for fine art photographs has been to mat the photograph and then frame it for the wall. That's still a great method for showcasing an image. But, what if we use today's printing technologies to create a layout of more than one image on a single sheet of paper? Why not display a "trilogy" or a "Seeing in SIXES" project printed onto a single sheet of paper, then matted and framed for the wall? Perhaps the advantages of multiple-image projects can be used for wall art, too.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1475 - Two Years on the RoadOn March 15th (a couple of days from now), I'll mark the second anniversary of my extended travels and RV life. I've learned a few things along the way.
HT1474 - Necessary EgoThe role of the artist is to show the world something. But a preliminary step of doing so is that you must feel that what you have to share is important and valuable. This requires a certain amount of ego. Artists can be shy, but not about their artwork.
HT1473 - Long Lens, Close DistanceAnd often overlooked characteristic of a long telephoto lens is its minimum focusing distance. There's no reason why a long focal length can't focus very close, but most manufacturers don't consider this an important characteristic of a long lens. I disagree. The minimum focusing distance will determine how shallow the depth of field can become when using a long lens.
HT1472 - To Be a PhotographerWhen you describe yourself as a photographer, what does that actually imply? That you take your camera out into the world and capture pictures? That you spend time processing your images to higher standards? Or does it describe a certain art making mentality that implies an interdisciplinary approach and numerous skill sets?
HT1471 - The Willingness to FailArtists embrace failure. There's no other way to put it. If you are unwilling to fail, you will find your attempts at art making will be thoroughly frustrating and unproductive. Failure is part of the process, but what you do with those failures is what keeps art making sufferable. There is a thrill when failure magically morphs into a new idea.
HT1470 - Mixing B-W and ColorCan a project have both black and white and color images? "Never" is a strong word and I'm sure there are probably examples that succeed by mixing black and white and color images. I've never seen such an example. My temptation is to say that any given project should never mix these two media, but the minute I propose that as axiomatic someone will show me an example where it works.
LW1341 - The 10 Most Useful Accessories
The audio of this podcast is an unedited dictation of an article that was never published. Included here just for fun. If the audio is too long for you, a text version is also available in PDF form..
Text version of The 10 Most Useful Accessories
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1295+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1469 - Tools of the TimesWould Dickens have been a better novelist if he had been able to write using a word processor? Would Rembrandt have been a better portraitist if he had been able to use a camera? Would you and I be better artists if we could use the cameras that will be available 100 years from now? Or is the brilliance of the artist independent of the tools they use?
HT1468 - Photoshop Less and LessAs the processing tools in Lightroom have gotten more and more powerful, I find myself spending less and less time in Photoshop. Occasionally I still need to use one of Photoshop's unique processing tools, but I find that rare these days. If Lightroom ever gets content aware fill that is as sophisticated as Photoshop, I wonder if I'll even need Photoshop anymore?
HT1467 - Basic Shooting StrategyI've talked a lot about my strategy of just gathering assets while I'm in the field. That does not mean, however, but I'm just randomly shooting. I do have a basic shooting strategy that has served me well over the years.
HT1466 - Creative Looking in LightroomWhen we look at something that doesn't change (like the artwork on your living room walls), eventually we cease to see it. To bring it back to consciousness, we need to stir things up from time to time. The same can be said of looking at your images in Lightroom. Stir the pot and you will invariably find images you didn't remember you had.
HT1465 - How Many to Tell the StoryAs you probably know, I'm an advocate of multiple image projects. Seeing in SIXES, Trilogies, and the projects we publish in LensWork are examples. That does not mean, however, that I'm against the singe, stand-alone image. The right number of images to tell a story is the right number of images. That might be one image, it might be a hundred. Knowing how many are needed to tell the story is a large part of sensitive editing and sequencing.
HT1464 - Website as Content DeliverySo many photography websites are based on the same premise and structure. They show a series of small thumbnails that you can click on to see a bigger version. From there you can then click on the buy button to make a purchase. This is website as brochure and online store. But that is not the only way to strategize your website.
LW1340 - Artifact or Imagination
When we look at a photograph, there are two primary possible approaches. We can appreciate it for the artifact that it is. Or, we can appreciate it for the content is illustrates, in which case the image is a portal to something beyond the artifact. There is a lot more to consider here than we might assume.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1462 - Invisible ProcessingWe all know that effective dodging and burning remained invisible and didn't look like you had dodged or burned at all. I think this rule applies equally well to composition, editing, sequencing, titles and captions, and even typography.
HT1461 - Landscape WeatherAlthough it's not necessarily true, certain weather conditions have developed a reputation for being difficult, namely bald blue skies and gray overcast skies. It seems as though most people favor those days of weather transition, e.g. clearing winter storms (ahem).
HT1460 - The First Image Sets the ToneIn multiple image projects, the first image is critically important because it sets the tone for everything that follows. It's worth putting a little extra attention into that first image to make sure that it launches the viewing experience with precision.
HT1459 - Pay AttentionWhen I was in grade school I had a teacher who would unexpectedly slap her desk with a ruler and yell at us, "Pay attention!" The funny thing is, I often think about her when I'm out photographing because her advice is actually pretty good.
HT1458 - The Complete PhotographerHave you ever seen the book The Complete Photographer by Andreas Feininger? I find that a particularly interesting phrase. What does it mean to be a "complete" photographer? In my way of thinking, that has little to do with technical prowess or photographic skill.
HT1457 - Public SpeakingHere is the best advice I've ever received about public speaking: never speak about something you don't know about. It's just that simple. You will eventually be asked to talk about your artwork. It might be to a handful of friends or large audience. Either way, recognize that you are the world's foremost leading expert on you and your artwork. Remembering this might make the process of public speaking more comfortable.
HT1456 - Where the Limitations ResideOur best can be foiled by limitations. We may be limited because our creative time is limited. Or perhaps our travel budgets are limited. We are constantly encouraged to upgrade our gear so as to remove limitations. But is that where the real limitations to our creativity reside?
HT1455 - Repeating Yesterday's SuccessPhotography can be such a frustrating pursuit. Nothing ever turns out exactly like we'd hoped. When it does, or at least comes very close to our expectations, perhaps it's natural that we should want to repeat that success. Ultimately, however, the way to improve our artwork is not to repeat or former successes, but push forward to our next successes.
LW1339 - Your Response to the World
When you go out to make photographs, what are you hoping to accomplish? Is your goal to copy the world? What if, instead, your objective was to respond to the world? Art making, particularly photography, is diminished when all we are doing is copying what we see. Art making is elevated, when it becomes our response to what we see.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1454 - Image Stabilization and Focal LengthI've noticed that with wider angle focal lengths, the image stabilization doesn't seem to work as well as it does with long focal lengths. On the other hand, it's true that shorter focal lengths don't need as much stabilization. This all falls apart in low light.
HT1453 - Interruptible TimeOne of the most valuable yet unexpected benefits of a digital workflow is that it is interruptible. That is to say, if I only have 10 minutes to work on an image, I can still make that productive time. In the wet darkroom days, I needed an uninterruptible number of hours to produce a print. That was fun, but not always practical.
HT1452 - Ruthless EditingThe earliest steps in assembling a project for me has been to build a collection in Lightroom of potential candidate images. The implication of this beginning is that the final selection is arrived through a process of elimination. This is really a difficult strategy because so often I find myself needing to eliminate images I really like.
HT1451 - Rereading Moby DickLike many high schoolers, I had to read Moby Dick — and simply hated every moment of doing so. So when a friend suggested I read it again, I was more than a little hesitant. I dreaded the thought. Nonetheless, I jumped in and am finding it one of the most interesting books of my life. What changed?
HT1450 - Five Stars - An Alternative UseYesterday I was talking about the flawed strategy of using star ratings as an indication of the quality of an image. But that's not the only way we can use the star rating paradigm. Here's my alternative.
HT1449 - Five StarsThe star rating system in Lightroom has a flawed premise. In fact, it has two flawed premises. Does an image deserve five stars because it meets your expectations? Or, does it deserve five stars because you can process it to fit a specific goal? Whose goal? What goal? Can there only be one goal?
HT1448 - The First Time You Do ItNo one is born with the knowledge of how to be an artist. We have to learn it through experience and education. Therefore, there will always be a first time you attempt to do anything. Nowhere else in life would we expect the first time will be our best, but that seems to be a common assumption in the art life of photographers. "Been there, done that, no need to go back" is never a good strategy in artmaking.
LW1338 - YouTube
From time to time, someone will suggest that we should put our content on YouTube because it's the place where so much about photography can be found. I've avoided YouTube for some very good reasons, I think. Maybe I'm a bit of a contrarian, but I just don't think YouTube is a good fit for our content.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1447 - The Ideal GearAfter 50 years in photography, I can unhesitatingly state that there is no such thing as the perfect camera. Every camera I've ever used has had limitations that frustrated me. That said, today's cameras are light years closer to the ideal than any time in the history of photography. Not even debatable. The goal is symbioses with your camera.
HT1446 - Multi-shot High-resolution ModeI've been playing around with the multi-shot high-resolution mode of my Panasonic G9. Here are a few observations and first conclusions about this clever bit of technology.
HT1445 - No Technical BarriersWhat if I could wave a magic wand and eliminate all technical barriers from your creative life? Would you find that a relief that unlocks a flood of productivity? Or would you find that the removal of technical barriers brought you face to face with the challenges of knowing what and why to photograph?
HT1444 - The SubtletiesEvery one of us sweats bullets over subtleties in our images and prints that are likely to never be seen by most of our audience. If no one will notice those subtleties, why do we put so much effort into that last 1% that improves our photographs? We do it, of course, for ourselves and for that 1%.
HT1443 - Pictures Arise from the SilenceOne of the best ways I know to find a photograph in the chaos of the world is to simply stop looking for a photograph. There's a great analogy used in the world of meditation that I have found to be flawless in helping me find photographic subjects.
HT1442 - The 10 Percent We UseClearly I can only speak for myself, but I know I only use about 10% of the capabilities of Photoshop. The other 90% I don't need and have never missed. There are similar statistics with the features of my camera. Am I a simpleton or is this a function of how engineering works in the real world of design and marketing?
LW1337 - Galen Rowell vs Wynn Bullock
It's been my experience that most photographers eventually arrive at a fork in the road. They are presented with an aesthetic choice that makes all the difference. Do you follow the path of Galen Rowell? Or do you follow the path of Wynn Bullock? Both answers are correct, and there is only your aesthetic choice that determines which path you should follow. But there is no question that those two paths in photography are as different as different could be.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1440 - Bigger Explosions and Faster Car ChasesI'm certainly not the first one to notice that Hollywood has decided that the key to success is bigger explosions and faster car chases. I'm also not the first one to propose that this is a trend that is indicative of the lack of new ideas and story plot lines. There is a parallel about this and the world of photography.
HT1439 - The Daily Photo GameI've said for a long time now that artmaking is a conversation between us and others, including other artists. Here is a fun example of that in photography. https://dailyphotogame.com/
HT1438 - Ergonomics of a Phone CameraI know that phone cameras have the potential to be used to make serious photographic artwork. I've seen it, I've published it, but for the life of me I can't do it. I simply cannot take a phone camera seriously and I think I know why: it's the ergonomics.
HT1437 - When 24 Equals 21Subtitle: When more is not nearly as much more as you think it is. Panasonic would love to seduce me to buy their new full-frame 24 megapixel camera. For me, those 24 megapixels are not as seductive as they could be because they are in my least favorite aspect ratio.
HT1436 - Unreasonable ISO Fears"Always shoot at the base ISO unless it's an emergency situation." I can't tell you how many times I've heard this so-called advice. I think this might have been true in the earliest days of digital photography, but today's cameras are so much better.
HT1435 - MoneyI remember once having a conversation with Oliver Gagliani when he said emphatically that when money got into photography that it ruined it. I think he was talking about Photography with a capital P, but I think his statement is equally applicable to individual photographers.
HT1434 - Landscape StoriesWhen it comes to still photography, what do we mean by the word "story"? When I think of the word story, I think of some sort of tale that unveils events happening over time. Clearly, that is a challenge in a medium like still photography. So the word story must imply something else.
LW1336 - How to Make a Workshop Work
Like everything else in life, there are examples of good and bad photography workshops. Here is a condensed version of an article that appeared in LensWork #8 back in 1994 on how to get the most from a photography workshop.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1295+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1433 - Start to Finish in a Few HoursPhotography projects can take a long time to complete. Years are not unheard of; decades are required for some projects. At the other end of the spectrum are projects you can complete in a few hours, perhaps an afternoon. Why would you want to do that?
HT1432 - D-76 and DektolIn my early days in photography, my instructor would only allow us to use D-76 to develop our file and Dektol to develop our prints. His contention was that we needed to learn how to use these two well before moving on to other developers. Does this still apply to how we learn today?
HT1431 - How Many PicturesHere is a question that comes up with some frequency. How many pictures should there be in a project? There is not, of course, a specific numeric answer to that question, but there are some principles that might help you think about this.
HT1430 - Hidden ImagesI'm constantly amazed when I run across an image in my Lightroom catalog that has escaped my attention for a while. We see when we are ready to see. I guess that applies to image we may have captured years ago but haven't been properly prepared to see them.
HT1429 - Yay for Zoom LensesFrom the buzz about prime lenses that has buzzed around photography for my entire life, I suppose they are the ultimate. Primes are certainly not the preferred for my kind of photography. Over the years, I've tried lots of primes, but I always come back to zooms when I get frustrated with the limitations of primes.
HT1428 - Landscape LensWhy do so many photographers automatically think that the idea landscape lens is a wide angle or even ultra-wide lens? Isn't the idea landscape lens the one that allows you to compose whatever image you are trying to make at the time? For me, three quarters of the time that's going to be a telephoto lens.
LW1335 - Things I Wish I'd Learned Sooner
In the long learning curve that is required in the beginning phases of photography, we tend to concentrate our effort on all the technical and procedural aspects of the craft. That leaves precious little time for issues that are ultimately much more important. Here are a few of them that I wish had not been so neglected in my artistic infancy.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1427 - Pay Attention to the EdgesI know I've mentioned this before, but it's been a while and a reminder might be useful. It is far too tempting for us to pay attention to the central areas of a photograph and forget about the problems the creep in around the edges
HT1426 - Seven Basics of ColorWith every image, one of the fundamental and first decisions that needs to be made is about its rendition in color. Is this image better in natural color, pastel color, hypercolor, psychedelic color, neutral black and white, toned black and white, or as a hybrid rendition.
HT1425 - The Opposite DirectionIn general, most of us want more sharpness, more color, more clarity, more vibrance, in our pictures. Curiously enough, there can be benefits in the exact opposite direction by making images that are blurry, desaturated, less clear, and have dull colors. Creativity, like human emotions, points in every direction imaginable.
HT1424 - That Genre You've Not TriedEach of us have a type of photography that is our favorite. Instead of constricting ourselves to just that one type of work, what can we learn from other types of photography and adapt to our work?
HT1423 - Compromise and Trade-offsThe series that I do over at my personal website at www.brooksjensenarts.com is titled "Every Picture Is a Compromise." That is so true. But what does that mean? It means that photography is a constant dance of trade-offs. For example is it better to have a noiseless capture at a low ISO that might be a little blurry, or is it better to use a faster shutter speed and have a sharp photograph that exhibits a little noise?
HT1422 - The Grandiloquently Refulgent ImageWhen someone compliments me on my use of Photoshop tools for the subtlety of tones in my image, I know I've missed the mark. The photograph is not supposed to be the point of the artwork, but rather the photograph is supposed to point the viewer to something beyond the photograph, something about life and feeling.
HT1421 - The Next Exotic LocationFads and trends exist in photography like they do in every other walk of life. Exotic locations are a great example. I wonder where the next exotic location will be that will attract workshops, photographers by the planeload, and portfolio submissions to LensWork by the dozens.
HT1420 - Has Photography Improved?The other day, my friend Joe Lipka asked a fascinating question. There is no doubt that in the last 60 years that cameras have improved, lenses have improved, printers have improved, and by miraculous leaps and bounds. But have photographs improved with all these technological advances?
LW1334 - The Flame of Recognition
The Flame of Recognition is the title of an Edward Weston monograph published by Aperture in the 1960s. I've come to realize this is a much more important idea than I thought when I purchased the book so many years ago. It describes one the of central cores of fine art photography.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1419 - The "Across the Room" TestYears ago, I was visiting Oliver Gagliani and we were talking about gelatin silver paper. He was testing a new paper and looking at a series of prints from across the room.
HT1418 - 10,000 Hours, Sort OfYou've probably heard the popular notion that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I do know from personal experience that my photographs of a given subject remain fairly trite and insignificant until I've photographed and finished 50 to 100 images. It takes that long to work through the obvious and the cliché.
HT1417 - What Professionals Worry AboutA friend shared a maxim of bumper sticker wisdom that I think is pretty good. Professionals worry about things that amateurs never think of. A companion bit of wisdom is that amateurs practice until they get it right, whereas professionals practice until they can't get it wrong.
HT1415 - Processing for the Black Point and White PointFirst, not every image has to have a black pint and a white point. That said, most photographs need them. Fortunately, it's an easy thing to accomplish in processing and definitely something worth looking at early on in working with a digital file.
HT1414 - Not a Critique, but a ResponseA common activity for photo groups is to do critiques of each other's work. In my experience, however, most critiques boil down to, "If this were my photograph, I'd....." The problem is it's not your photograph, and what you might do or might suggest could entirely miss the point the photographer is hoping to communicate.
HT1413 - Out of the Creative RutIf you ever find yourself in a creative rut, and don't we all from time to time, the surefire way to break out of the rut is to pursue a very narrow challenge. For example, try putting together a portfolio of pine needles, or mason jars, or smoothly rounded pebbles, or landscapes that include the moon. Just pick something, anything, and explore it consistently and with depth. The mere challenge will enliven your creative spirit, and more importantly, build some creative momentum.
LW1333 - The Primary Medium of Photography, Revisited.wav
Way, way back in podcast #12 in 2004, I proposed that the primary medium of photography was not the original print, but rather the commercially printed book. This makes some sense if we admit that most of the photographs we know and love we've only seen in books or magazines. Seeing original prints is a rarity. I've been thinking lately that times have changed yet again.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1412 - Special Use CasesA characteristic of typical camera reviews that bothers me is how a camera will be disparaged because it fails in some special case scenario. The camera might perform with an exceptional feature set, but if it fails to do underwater macro photography in the Arctic, it gets downgraded. Every camera fails at something, but every camera available today is a miracle of capabilities.
HT1411 - Photographing in the RainYesterday, I was out photographing with a friend. We almost cancelled when the weather forecast showed rain all day. But then I remembered some months I spent on the Oregon coast back in 1983 when I was hibernating on the coast writing my first book. Every day, I was able to take a walk on the beach with getting rained on. It never rains every moment, all day.
HT1410 - Archival for How LongIt seems that lots of photographers are a tad obsessive about the archival properties of their prints. A number I repeatedly see is 175 years for today's generation of inkjet printers. But do we really need our prints to last 175 years?
HT1409 - The Proper Magnification for SharpeningThe recommendations in Photoshop are that we should do sharpening and spotting to clone out unwanted dots at a magnification of 100%. That means each pixel in the image is represented by one pixel on the monitor. I have a different recommendation based on hard-won experience.
HT1408 - Side-by-side ComparisonsYesterday I was talking about color space and that reminded me of another impracticality I see frequently in photography, side-by-side comparisons. For example, theoretically there may be a difference between sRGB and Adobe RGB (1998), but if that's only visible in a side-by-side comparison, no one will ever know. The same could be said about one camera and the next, one lens and the next, etc. In the real world, only photographers make side-by-side photographic comparisons.
HT1407 - Is Color Space Important?Maybe, but probably not. I say this because your photographs will not be viewed (or measured) by a machine, but rather by the human eye. Human vision is adaptable, imprecise, interpreted by our brains, non-linear, and biased. And "what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over."
LW1332 - Why Photographs Fail
Filled with the spirit of reverse engineering, I've spent the last several months engaged in a bit of a introspective examination of my photographic failures. There were a dozen reasons of a technical nature that images failed. But the bigger reason for my failures is C-L-I-M-B-E-R-S.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1406 - Those Damned Blobby BlobsI'm not an engineer or a scientist, so I don't understand the optical reasons why small apertures enhance certain flaws. As a pragmatist, all I know is that when I stop down to f16 or f22, previously invisible dust on the sensor or dirt on the lens will manifest in my photographs as an ugly, dark, fuzzy blob in the sky.
HT1405 - The Three Biggies Really Aren'tLooking back with the benefit of hindsight, I now realize that the most valuable thing about attending a workshop was never the techniques I learned and especially not the photographs I made during the workshop. Even here in the age of the internet, I still think the most valuable thing to accomplish in a workshop is to look at excellent prints.
HT1404 - The Future of CamerasThis last week, Panasonic introduced their latest camera that is getting rave reviews. As I often do, I took a look just to see what new features were being introduced in this camera and whether or not they would have any interest to me, or not. This has made wondering about the future of cameras.
HT1403 - Georgia's HandsThere is a history of photographers photographing their loved ones, not as family snapshots, but rather as an artistic pursuit. Stieglitz photographing Georgia O'Keeffe's hands; Harry Callahan and those portraits of Eleanor; Edward Weston and his portrait of Charis. This idea intrigues me.
HT1402 - Anti-Vibrance, Anti-SaturationThere is a part of me that is decidedly contrarian. When the flock all turn left, I'm likely to want to turn right. The current trends in photography are to increase the saturation and vibrance to make photographic colors unlike and intensity we can actually see in nature. That makes me want to explore pastel renditions and a soft color palette.
HT1401 - The Unexpected SceneThe other day we had a massive storm with huge waves here on the southern Oregon coast. I was excited about the possibility of doing more work with the big waves crashing into the rocks offshore. The most interesting subject, however, was not the one I expected. Thinking back over my decades and photography, I realized this is a very common occurrence.
HT1400 - The Difference Between Structure and RulesOrson Welles advised that "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations." I am an advocate of structure and working within the limitations of a structure. This is not at all the same thing as blindly following the rules.
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LW1331 - Expanding the Moment - Sequences and GridsStill photography is wonderful, but the single image is not the only option. Sequences and grids of still images offer us the possibility of changing the viewing experience by adding an element of time. Brooks has been playing around with sequences and grids and has concluded there is more potential here than he'd originally thought.
HT1398 - An Audience of PeersFor years now I've been critical that fine art photography is primarily aimed at other photographers. Who buys fine art photography books? Other photographers! And although I wish we could break out of this insular audience of each other, that doesn't mean we should ignore the obvious fact that our primary audience actually does consist of our fellow photographers.
HT1397 - Another Virtue of VolumeSomeone wants to see your work so you invite them over to the house. What do you supposed will happen if you show them one and only one photograph? Doesn't it make sense that the more work you complete and have available to show, the greater the odds will be that people will find something they really like?
HT1396 - Apply to StackI regularly employ stacking in my Lightroom catalog to organize groups of images. With some frequency, I then apply a color label, a development preset, a star rating or a keyword to the top image in the stack. Wouldn't it be handy to be able to apply that to all the images in the stack, especially any development adjustments. How about it, Adobe?
HT1395 - Becoming InvisibleWhen photographing people, I've always preferred the candid shot rather than the posed shot. But the minute I pull out the camera, people naturally want to pose, especially kids. Over the years, I've learned how to become invisible as a photographer so people forget I'm there and go about their work, which allows me the opportunity for the candid shot I prefer.
HT1394 - Outside vs InsideI'm convinced that most photographers are shy. How else could we explain so many photographs of the outside of a building - - especially abandoned buildings? As somewhat of a generalization, I tend to think that pictures of the outsides of buildings are about architecture, but when we photograph the inside of a building the project becomes about the people who lived or work there.
HT1393 - All Cameras Are the SameI've been showing people my photographic work now for 50 years. One trend I've noticed that is absolutely consistent is that only photographers ask me about my cameras. Non-photographers never ask about cameras, because they don't care what equipment I use. To them, all cameras are the same.
HT1392 - The Sound of the RainAs photographers, we are visual people. We are not, obviously, exclusively visual people. We each have within us something the Buddhists refer to as the alaya-vijnana, a faculty of perception in which objects we experience with different senses are united so that we can understand them more deeply. How do we include other senses in our photography?
LW1330 - Some Thoughts on Curation
Curating is a skill all its own and one in which most photographers have no formal training. We can learn to be curators of our own work and one of the best ways to learn is to practice with our own work in our own home. Curate a wall. Curate a room. Learn to think in groups of images rather than just our "greatest hits."
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1295+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1391 - Risking My LifeI'll risk a lot for a good photograph, but I won't risk my life. Day after tomorrow there are predicted 25-35 foot waves that are supposed to crash into the southern Oregon coast where I'm staying this month. I want to photograph them, but I need to find a safe place to be so I'm not swept out to sea.
HT1390 - Watching a Photographer at WorkI own a large number of videos that are interviews or biographies of photographers. In every video there is the obligatory segment where we see the photographer at work in the field - - setting up their camera, taking a light meter reading, clicking the shutter or cable release. Is that really watching a photographer at work? Or does the work of photography all happen in our minds, our eyes, and our hearts?
HT1389 - Fewer and Fewer PrintsIt seems to me that fewer and fewer photographers are making prints these days. I'm saddened by this, but I understand it. Prints are expensive and what are we supposed to do with them all? Prints make the most sense when we think about collectability and commerce, but fewer and fewer photographers are producing for collectors or buyers.
HT1388 - After the Shutter ReleaseThe event that we call "photographing" Is it discontinuous, interrupted activity. We look and look, then compose and frame, then click the shutter. Photographing then stops for a while and until we can do the processing of the image at a later date. But that moment right after the click of the shutter is and often overlooked opportunity.
HT1387 - Performing for the CameraThe "Kodak grin." Is there any virtue to these photographs? As a family snapshots, I suppose, but the candid picture is so much more real.
LW1329 - Significant Seeing
The art life is one of revelation. Suddenly, often without warning, we see with more significance that we do with everyday consciousness. That experience is the core of the art life and everything that follows is a consequence of significant seeing.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1328 - The Plateau of Despair
Learning and progressing includes predictable phases, some of which can be quite discouraging. Forge on! Discouragement is actually a sign that you are about to embark on the most exciting phases of the art life.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1327 - Your Important Stories
We photographers are thoroughly involved in images. But if we ignore the importance of the stories behind our images, we disempower them. A picture iw worth a thousand words, but a few words can empower an image in ways that make the experience far more meaningful and memorable.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1326 - Our Own Small Audience.mp3
A few thoughts on today's audience and how it differs from the audience of the mid-20th century.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1071 - It's a Bad Day for Photography Several times in the last few months I've been told by photographers that "today is a bad day for photography" - - bald skies, smoky skies, rainy skies. When did photography become dependent on the weather? Sure, if you have bad skies you might find it difficult to make a puffy cloud image, but surely there are other images that are best under a bald sky.
HT1070 - On the Way Back I drove down a dirt road this morning that was uninteresting and I didn't make a single picture. I was bummed. I turned around and drove back. On the return trip I was looking with different light and at the landscape from a different angle. I found all kinds of photographs! Upon further thoughts, I realized this happens with some frequency.
LW1284 - The Three Most Important Books
Books are not only a way to see photographs; they can be a door opening to our creative life. Books can teach us in thoroughly unexpected ways. Here are the three books that have been the most important in shaping my thinking and my entire creative process.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
HT1069 - The Premise of How-to Videos I see videos on YouTube like, "How to Photograph Mountains," or "How to Photograph the Forest." The premise of these videos seems to be that there is one way to make a photograph in these locations and the video will teach you how. Of course, if it does so, you photographs will look like everyone else's and will not at all be personally expressive.
HT1068 - Image vs Project Here is a good example of the difference between photographing for an image and photographing for a project.
HT1067 - Digital Sharpening I once had a photographer tell me that he had instructed his commercial book printer to dial back on the digital sharpening because his images in his books were sharper than the images from his wet darkroom.
HT1066 - Graphics That Tempt Me Do you have a photographic project idea that has tempted you but you've never done? I do. The one that I keep coming back to is Russian icon paintings, but there are others. For years I've fantasized about photographic bar coasters, playing cards, and Tarot cards. And then there are movie posters, apple crates, and LP album covers. Why do fine art photographs have to look like paintings?
HT1065 - Whatever Your Heart Desires Just as a thought experiment, if you could have anything you heart desires in your photographic life, what would that be? A solo exhibition in an important New York gallery? Million dollar print sales? A new Leica medium format camera? More time out photographing? Why?
LW1283 - Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams is such an iconic and important figure in the history of photography. That's beyond questioning. But is his dominance in photography too much of a good thing? A gallery exhibition announcement has me wondering.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2021 including Exploring the Back Issues and Q&A with Brooks and friends. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1282 - Photography Needs to Be Hard
Has photography become too easy? Or has the technology of photography become so easy that the challenge has shifted. Making a visually interesting, emotionally powerful, meaningful piece of artwork is as difficult as it has ever been. That's becoming more and more obvious as the challenges of the craft parts of photography evaporate with the ever more sophisticated technology.
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1281 - The Changing Photographic Priesthood
To whom do we look today as the photographic luminaries who lead the pack of fine art photographers?
You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.
and...
"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.
LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me (and Why). We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com.
And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. LensWork Online is the most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.
LW1280 - Finding It Quickly A critique that helps with technical issues and subtle processing improvements can be valuable and useful. But as useful as that can be, it's not the most important feedback you can offer to your workshop attendees, students, or peers.