The difference between a conscious and an unconscious photographer is that the conscious photographer produces better work by thinking more and photographing less. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List – Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops
In a few past episodes, we’ve looked at alternate ways to get your work in front of an audience, and here’s another one: ‘Zines. This “low-fi” type of publication is a great (and cheap) way of getting your work into others’ hands. I use my former student Michael Jarecki’s ‘Zine “Just Make Pictures” as an … Continue reading Camera Position 182 : The Art of the ‘Zine →
The great architect Mies van der Rohe is famous for the phrase “Less is More” to describe his approach to simplifying his designs. That philosophy can be applied to photography as well, as it is often better to make fewer, but more thoughtful, images. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: The Mies van der Rohe … Continue reading Camera Position 181 : Less Is More →
From aperture and focal length to shutter speeds and focus points, our modern photographic tools give us a wealth of information about our photographs. We can use that information to learn about the way we approach photography and what strategies lead to our greatest successes. JUNE 28 Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Julieanne Kost’s … Continue reading Camera Position 180 : Mining the Data Set →
All of us make photographs that, for some reason, don’t quite work, even though we had high hopes for them. If we embrace those photographs that almost worked, but didn’t, we can find some tools to help us improve and grow. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera … Continue reading Camera Position 179 : Embracing the Almost →
When you face something you think you can’t possibly do and then go ahead and do it anyway creativity is the tool you use. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Using Virtual Copies in Lightroom – a great way to experiment Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr – Share … Continue reading Camera Position 178 : Everyday Creativity →
A lot of people who are “into” photography seem to think of the “doing” of photography as the end unto itself. While the mechanical act of making photographs can be pleasurable, I think of photography as a medium for self-examination, not a pursuit unto itself. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook … Continue reading Camera Position 177 : It’s Not a Pursuit, It’s a Medium →
The American abstract expressionist painter Richard Diebenkorn (1922 –1993) is noted not only for his great work, but also for his thoughts about the creative process. Diebenkorn’s “Notes to myself on beginning a painting” is a list of 10 things to think about as we begin any creative work – we can think of them … Continue reading Camera Position 176 : 10 Rules Rules for Getting Started →
There’s an old adage in photography: “inside every 8×10” print, there is a really excellent 5×7” image waiting to be found.” That old saw is the foundation for an exercise that I’ve used for myself and in my classes over the years; take an image that you’ve made and search for alternate cropping choices that … Continue reading Camera Position 175 : From One, Many →
A listener asked where the logo for Camera Position came from, which gave me an impetus to talk about that photograph and the concept of the Lone Tree image – a compulsory photograph for nearly every photographer. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr … Continue reading Camera Position 174 : The Lone Tree & The Logo →
When we position the camera, we are ultimately positioning the viewer of our photographs. We explore this idea using a 1757 painting by the Venetian Painter Canaletto, who often used a camera obscura to create his paintings. Thanks to Dirk Rösler and the folks at the Large Format Photography Forum for setting these wheels in … Continue reading Camera Position 173 : Position The Camera – Position The Viewer →
Everyone has ideas, but many people keep those ideas hidden inside. The creative person finds a way to get those ideas out the door in a way that allows them to breathe. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr – Share your images Jeff’s … Continue reading Camera Position 172 : Get Your Ideas Out The Door →
“Anyone can print black – just put a piece of photo paper under the enlarger, turn the enlarger light on and leave it on. But light values… ahhh… light values… they are the soul of the black and white photograph. Not everyone can print white and have it sing.” So said one of my great … Continue reading Camera Position 171 : Tone, Value and Mr. Bennett’s Button →
Camera Position is ten years old! The first episode of Camera Position was published February 5, 2006 and it’s been a wonderful decade of learning about photography, my listeners and myself. A huge thank you to all of you listeners out there! I really appreciate your support and your participation in the Camera Position community. … Continue reading Camera Position 170 : Camera Position Turns 10 →
“How do I get started in learning black and white photography?” That was the question I got by the boatload after the podcast about B&W photography, so this episode is dedicated to articulating some resources for that pursuit, starting with some advice from one of the greats, Ansel Adams. Play Podcast: Links for this episode: … Continue reading Camera Position 169 : Black and White Revisited →
Edges – The edge of the frame, the edge of the subject, the edge of the world, the edge of a moment. Regardless of how we interpret it, the assignment of “Edges” can be a good one to expand our understanding of photography. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook – Share … Continue reading Camera Position 168 : Edges →
Can photography be better learned in black and white? That’s the question that I look at in this episode, as we look at line, shape, tone and texture as we see our world in black and white. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr … Continue reading Camera Position 167 : Learn Photography With Black and White →
Photography is about storytelling. Sharing your images and the story that they create is one of the ultimate goals for most photographers. Fortunately, our contemporary world has some amazing tools and interesting ideas that can help us tell our stories with words and pictures. Play Podcast: Links to some ideas discussed on the podcast: Listener … Continue reading Camera Position 166 : Sharing Your Story →
Today’s world of photography is so very confusing. Photographers are confronted with a barrage of advice about how to make good photographs and what gear you must have to make them. Of course, that advice has some value, but I think best way to learn is to actually go and make photographs because, as a … Continue reading Camera Position 165 : Forget The Gear →
The great photographer Ernst Haas said, “”The frame of the camera is the photographer’s discipline. It can contain as much as it withholds, cut into or hold together images that detract or contribute to a given theme.” In this episode, I explore the idea that the frame of the camera is a discipline. Play Podcast … Continue reading Camera Position 164 : The Frame Is A Discipline →
Using a quote from Janet Malcolm’s collections of essays about photography as a springboard, I talk about the relative truth of photographs and look back to our discussion about peripheral vision. Play Podcast Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr – Share your images Janet Malcolm’s Diana & Nikon on … Continue reading Camera Position 163 : Photographer’s Bookshelf – Diana and Nikon →
As a driver, you use your peripheral vision all the time. So, too, with photography as you need to learn how to pay attention to what’s at the edge of your visual field in order to really see the world. Play Podcast Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr – … Continue reading Camera Position 162 : Driving Your Peripheral Vision →
What’s your hobby? As a recently retired person, it’s the question I often get as people try to figure out what I “do” with the time I used to spend “working.” In this episode, we look at the interconnected aspects of the things we like to do. Play Podcast Camera Position on Facebook – Share … Continue reading Camera Position 161 : What’s Your Hobby? →
With creative work, there is often a gap between our ambitions and our ability to create work that meets our expectations. Fortunately, our “inner critic” is there to help us close the gap between our goals and the photographs we make. Play Podcast Infographic on the 4 steps of Critique as a PDF Camera Position … Continue reading Camera Position 160 : Accept the Inner Critic →
Human values — those emotions, beliefs, traditions, and knowledge that we understand and share as human beings are an integral part of how we come to express ourselves in photography. In fact, it may be the essence of why we want to express ourselves with photography. Play Podcast Camera Position on Facebook – Share your … Continue reading Camera Position 159 : A Sense of Humanity →
Rollo May (1909 – 1994) was an American existential psychologist and author. Among his books was The Courage to Create. In it, May lays out some ideas about art and creativity that have important implications for the creative person; photographers included. Play Podcast Jeff’s Podcast Facebook Page – for discussion of podcast topics The Courage … Continue reading Camera Position 158 : The Courage To Create →
One of the four steps of achieving true critique of a work of art is analysis and doing that analysis requires applying the elements and principles of art. In this episode, we look at what those elements and principles are so we can employ them in true critique of our photographs. Play Podcast Links for … Continue reading Camera Position 157 : The Elements and Principles of Art →
In the last couple of episodes of Camera Position, I talked about feedback on your work and the type of feedback you typically get contrasted against the type of feedback you want, which is true, genuine critique of your work. In truth, critique of any sort is based entirely on critical thinking or the objective … Continue reading Camera Position 156 : Critical Thinking is Creative Thinking →
Feedback on our work usually comes in one of two forms: Reaction and Direction. Both are simple to do but don’t give us what we really want to help move our work forward. This second podcast of two parts looks at a third and much more useful type of feedback: Critique. This form of feedback … Continue reading Camera Position 155 : Feedback Part 2 – Critique →
Feedback is something that photographers always want. Regardless of their level of interest or expertise, photographers always want to hear what other people think about their work. Most of the time, though, we often get feedback that doesn’t match what we are looking for. This first episode of a two-part set of podcasts looks at … Continue reading Camera Position 154 : Feedback Part 1 – Reaction and Direction →
