Can you force creativity? Should you force creativity? The answer to the first question is most definitely yes—you can force creativity. But for the second question, things get a bit murky. My gut instinct is to say that no, you should not force creativity. But, sometimes, you have to. Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/the-creative-flow/ Photography Clips Podcast: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/podcast/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Will.Moneymaker https://www.ins...
Jan 08, 2025•4 min•Season 10Ep. 468
Since painting with light is what we photographers do, we’ve discovered over all these decades how to utilize light in many different ways. When you stop to consider it, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of things we can do simply by manipulating light. We’ve learned to apply colors to lighting or to utilize the colors of the ambient lighting around us. Intensity varies — sometimes bright lighting is what we need, and other times, we seek to capture as little light as possible to focus on sp...
Jan 05, 2025•7 min•Season 10Ep. 467
Audiences are a tricky beast! Who are these people? On the broad scale, we often categorize our audiences into two groups: Those who look at prints, and those who consume photography digitally. But that is painting with a very, very broad brush—and it’s vital that we go deeper to really understand audiences and their various disparate fragmentations. I’ll explain why it’s critical to understand these audiences in a bit. First, let’s examine how these audiences fragment into smaller groups. For i...
Jan 01, 2025•4 min•Season 10Ep. 466
Today, we’re diving into the magical world of night sky photography. You're in the right place if you've ever wanted to capture the stars in all their glory. Let’s get started! Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/capturing-the-cosmos-a-journey-into-night-sky-photography/ Photography Clips Podcast: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/podcast/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Will.Moneymaker https://www.instagram.com/willmoneymaker https://www.youtube.com/@willmoneymaker http...
Dec 21, 2024•5 min•Season 9Ep. 465
What is a photographer’s medium? I can see where maybe you’re scratching your head and thinking that our medium is of course photography. But technically, that’s not quite true. Not when you think about the finished products that we produce. So let’s look at it through the lens of other art mediums. Painting for instance. If you’re a painter, then your medium could be oil on canvas, or maybe you’re a watercolor artist. Perhaps you prefer to work in acrylics. Mixed media artists combine different...
Dec 17, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 464
There are so many different things that photographers prize highly. The answer might be different from one photographer to the next, too. Take prints , for instance. One photographer may treat them as a precious artifact, storing them in perfect condition, using only the best archival materials, and handling those prints with gloves. That’s the most valuable thing to them, so they take great pains to keep those prints pristine for decades. Other photographers might have different answers. Camera...
Dec 14, 2024•3 min•Season 9Ep. 463
The biggest part of photography is coming up with new kinds of art. To do that, we take our inspiration from all kinds of places—the conventional art world combined with the things that inspire us as we go about our lives—but there are some other unconventional sources in which we can look. Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/a-new-format/ Photography Clips Podcast: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/podcast/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Will.Moneymaker https://www.ins...
Nov 30, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 462
For many photographers, the idea of creating a still life image is boring. Who wants or needs yet another photo of a bowl of fruit or a vase filled with flowers? The fact is, however, that still life images don’t need to be boring — and even if you do choose to go with more traditional subjects, the creation of these images will prove to be a valuable learning experience. Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/can-learn-still-life-photography/ Photography Clips Podcast: https://www...
Nov 24, 2024•6 min•Season 9Ep. 461
Certain things in life make the act of creation quite difficult. At times, adversity arises and makes it hard for us to power through and keep producing photographs. This could be any type of adversity. Maybe it’s a physical injury or ailment that makes it much harder for you to travel, hike, or carry your camera gear. It could also be mental or emotional adversity. Everything from depression to stressful life events like the loss of a job or even a loved one can take us out of the frame of mind...
Nov 19, 2024•5 min•Season 9Ep. 460
I think to be a creative kind of person, there is a certain level of mercilessness required. At least, if you want to be the type of creative person who learns and grows. And when I say mercilessness, I certainly don’t advocate being merciless toward others. Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/merciless/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Will.Moneymaker https://www.instagram.com/willmoneymaker https://www.youtube.com/@willmoneymaker https://www.flickr.com/photos/willmoneymaker...
Nov 14, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 459
I’ve found that this is very true throughout my career. There are lots of reasons to be doubtful, reasons that, if you let them, will stop your creative pursuits before you get underway. It starts with the dive into photography itself. You may feel like you are not artistic enough to become an artist or the very thought of learning all of the things that you will one day need to know might seem overwhelming. Then, as you progress, it can be challenging to work up the courage to display your imag...
Nov 12, 2024•6 min•Season 9Ep. 458
Second chances can be powerful, especially in places we think we know well. Revisiting familiar spots, where all the obvious photos have already been taken, presents a unique creative challenge. It pushes us to look deeper, finding fresh perspectives and capturing what’s truly unusual. That’s why I believe in going back to those well-trodden places—it’s an opportunity to see them in a new light. Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/dont-count-on-second-chances Follow me: https://...
Nov 09, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 457
What are our motivations for making photographs? If you ask around, among friends and neighbors, you’ll quickly find that many photographers harbor dreams of making money or becoming known for their art. But are those the right reasons for creating photographs? Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/why-do-we-make-photographs/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Will.Moneymaker https://www.instagram.com/willmoneymaker https://www.youtube.com/@willmoneymaker https://www.flickr.com/p...
Nov 07, 2024•5 min•Season 9Ep. 456
Art always seems like such a planned event. It’s a production. We think about our ideas, we jot them down, we plan and plan for how we can take the perfect photograph. Then comes the day when we actually set out to take that photograph — that, too is a production. It’s often a long trip laid out on maps, organized through lists of gear that we check twice before we depart, and so on... Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/letting-art-happen/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Wi...
Nov 05, 2024•3 min•Season 9Ep. 455
We’ve all heard that old saying, “There’s no accounting for taste.” There’s so much truth to that. Tastes vary so much from one person to the next that no matter what, there is no one right answer that will satisfy absolutely everyone. That puts photographers in something of a conundrum. Of course, we want to produce photographs that people will love. But we can never guarantee that these images will be broadly loved because there’s just no accounting for taste. Podcast Notes: https://www.moneym...
Oct 31, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 454
Gear wishlists. We all have them, and they’re often quite extensive. Filters, lenses, new camera bodies, lighting equipment, computers, and software — some of our wishlists are extensive! But is any of this stuff really necessary? Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/forget-about-gear/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Will.Moneymaker https://www.instagram.com/willmoneymaker https://www.youtube.com/@willmoneymaker https://www.flickr.com/photos/willmoneymaker #PhotographyClips #...
Oct 29, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 453
Something is interesting about photography that you may not have noticed before. And it’s one of those things, just like the perfect composition, that you can’t “unsee” it once you see it. Have you ever noticed that the overwhelming majority of photographs — almost all, if not all — neatly fit into one of a few niches? We have genres like landscape, abstract, portraiture, urbex photography, nature photography, wildlife, etc. There are lots and lots of different categories, but when you compare t...
Oct 25, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 452
Art really is timeless—and that is true across all mediums, be it photography, sculpture or something like literature or movies. To see what I mean about the timeless nature of art, look no further than books. Here, you’ll find works that could be a century old, two centuries, or perhaps even older than that. And yet, we still read them today and get value from them... Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/art-is-timeless/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Will.Moneymaker https:...
Oct 21, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 451
There is a lot of information on how to plan shot lists or choose gear for photography projects, but what about the creative side of planning? Here are some thoughts that may help you! Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/tips-for-planning-a-photography-project/
May 17, 2024•7 min•Season 9Ep. 450
We all have lots of old ideas laying around in the form of handwritten notes or archives. Here are some thoughts that may help you use some of those ideas in your photography. Podcast notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/working-with-the-ideas-youve-already-had/
May 16, 2024•6 min•Season 9Ep. 449
Changing tastes are a fact of life—and that means it’s worthwhile to look at images that you may not have enjoyed before. You might see something new. Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/changing-tastes
May 14, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 448
What is the photographer’s voice? And more importantly, what does it mean to express that voice? Here is an essay with some of my thoughts on the matter. Podcast notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/the-photographers-voice/
May 12, 2024•6 min•Season 9Ep. 447
Sometimes, breaking the rules better serves a photograph. Experienced photographers know that the rules are best followed most of the time, but not always! Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/when-you-know-enough-about-the-rules-to-break-them/
May 10, 2024•6 min•Season 9Ep. 446
Technically correct photos aren’t always artistically correct. Sometimes, the wrong techniques or effects are actually the right choices. Podcast notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/sometimes-correct-methods-techniques-wrong/
May 08, 2024•3 min•Season 9Ep. 445
FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is a very real thing in photography. Here are some of the places it crops up, and what you can do to get past it. Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/overcoming-fomo/
May 06, 2024•6 min•Season 9Ep. 444
Where photography is concerned, it truly is possible to create whatever you can imagine. Here are some ways to get your creative ideas flowing! Podcast notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/photography-has-no-limits
May 03, 2024•7 min•Season 9Ep. 443
Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/copyrights-and-the-community/ It doesn’t take much to say something when you think it might be necessary—and it can be a good way to help foster a sense of community.
Apr 26, 2024•3 min•Season 9Ep. 442
https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/the-true-meaning-of-originality/ In this day and age of Google Image Search and photographic travel guides, what does it truly mean to be original? Here are my thoughts on originality.
Apr 24, 2024•6 min•Season 9Ep. 441
https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/balancing-perfection/ If ever there was a creative devil, it was perfectionism. Learn how to selectively cut corners to move on to new projects rather than rehashing the old.
Apr 22, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 440
https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/clean-edges/ As they say, the devil is in the details, and we photographers don’t always notice the little distractions around the edges. Here are some thoughts on this!
Apr 20, 2024•4 min•Season 9Ep. 439
