Episodes

Episode 251 As we close down the year and decade, many of us start to look back and reflect on the past year or ten. I am not a huge fan of looking back at what was cool in 2015 as a part of the decade. I would much rather think about the coming year. As photographers, we are always dealing with time and issues in time. It is part of the reading of photographs and the making of photographs. As the new year dawns, I got to thinking about how much time there is. I hear from so many people how tim...

Episode 250 I’m excited to be producing my 250th episode of the podcast for this week. It is a milestone that I never imagined when I started years ago, and it has been fun thinking about all the episodes I have had the honor to create thus far. As I began to reminiscing, I realized how much my podcast, while photography and creativity focused, isn’t really about being a better photographer by using a formula, but rather more about a wandering path. That realization got me thinking about how mu...

Episode 249 I was recently helping a friend who was insistent that his camera lens needed to be adjusted because it wasn’t able to properly autofocus. I tried to tell him that it was likely a technique issue, but he was insistent. So he and I got together to test the lens, and sure enough, it was him and not the lens. As I reflected on the experience, I got to thinking bout how many of us have a manual focus autofocus issue in our photography. In the old days, most people who missed focus would...

Episode 248 Most photographers, when they are learning about camera gear, learn that the lens controls the perspective. This isn’t exactly accurate; the subject to lens distance determines perspective along with the point of view. However, from a podcast a few weeks ago about fear, I was asked about perspective and meaningful photography. This week’s podcast is about how our perspective and approach to the things we photograph will be a cornerstone for what defines important personal photography...

Episode 247 I don’t know a photographer who sets out to make or take bad photographs. Yet, we all come home with lots and lots of bad pictures. In this week’s podcast, we take a look at the value of the bad photograph. I feel too many photographers don’t take photographs for fear of the bad photo, but you have to respect the photographer that in the face of that fear is willing to pick up the camera and make photos every day. While most of us might want to avoid making them, I argue that there i...

Episode 246 I have often wondered what people think is the hardest thing to photograph. When I have conversations about this, those conversations more often than not start with some technical aspects of photography. Learning how to use studio lighting, getting in a good location, or finding a unique vantage point are all topics I hear people talk about. This week’s podcast focuses on what I feel is the hardest thing to photograph. That is the thing that causes us to feel fear or some reason. Ma...

Episode 245 If you listen to this podcast for very long, you know that it isn’t really about camera gear, but this week I did want to focus on the five most essential pieces of gear you should always have in your camera bag. Luckily, you can get all of these pieces of gear for little to no money, and many of you might even have them already around the house. The purpose of this equipment is not to add to your physical gear, but rather to shift your mental approach to your photography. Each one ...

Episode 244 In this week’s podcast, we take a look at two important questions that can have a significant impact on your approach to your photography. The first question deals with our approach to failure. What would you do in your photography if there was no such thing as failure? Do you think if you took a risk, would you see the world in a new way? The second question focuses on our notion of taking and giving in photography. If you could give one photo to someone, what would it be? As you...

Episode 243 I was recently having a gear conversation with a friend who was asking me to validate a decision they make on a new camera purchase. They wanted me to tell them that with that new camera they were going to be able to take the photographs they always wanted. I just couldn’t do that. Anyone who has listened to this podcast for a while knows that it isn’t the gear that makes the photo. So this week’s podcast is all about the validation of our decision-making process and how it can impa...

Episode 242 I am always bothered when I hear people say that you are too optimistic, or you’re wearing rose-colored glasses. My response to them is always the same. Your damn right, I am. The outlook you have on life, and your creativity is the most significant decision you can make. Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t worry, fret, or get stressed at times, but when that happens, I work to get back to a place where I can focus all that is good and great. I often hear photographers worry about n...

Episode 241 I have several friends who like to gamble. Poker and blackjack for the most part. When they are playing, they always talk about being on a hot streak or a cold streak. When it is good, things are hot, and the universe seems to give them the cards they need. When it is bad, well, it is bad. I think many of us approach our photography in the same way. We remove the focus, effort, energy, and vision to an external source calling it a hot streak or luck. Luck is something that we see as...

Episode 240 I have a quote from Gary Winogrand that says all photographs make a new fact. As I looked back on that quote, it got me thinking about how much narratives and storytelling come into photography. Anyone who has been introduced into photography in the last few years have been hit with the importance of storytelling and narratives in photographs. In this week’s podcast, we take a look at the importance of narratives in photography and discuss how direct storytelling in a photograph mig...

Episode 239 I love being able to drive on a roundabout. If they are well designed, they make the traffic flow so much better, but if you haven’t ever driven on one, knowing what lane to be in can be problematic and stressful. As I was recently driving through a local roundabout, it reminded me of a question I am often asked. That question is, where do I point the camera to make a good photograph? Part of pointing the camera is knowing what you like to see and understand in the world, and part o...

Episode 238 I find that it is sometimes difficult to work with a strong feeling of uncertainty. It doesn’t matter if it is technical, artistic, or just a feeling I have. I like to think that I have some clarity in my work and process. However, the reality is that I frequently don’t have a clear idea when I set out to work what might happen. In this week’s podcast, I talk about the importance of accepting uncertainty and ambiguity in our photographic process. While it might be uncomfortable to w...

Episode 237 I was recently asked if I sign my photographs. I found this to be such an interesting ask because it seems so simple on the surface and yet within it holds more profound questions. Our signatures carry power. A signature can bind you to an agreement, signify acceptance, and provide a notion of who you are. From signing checks (or a screen) when purchasing something to contracts to artwork, the signature says we accept this object or agreement as outlined. As photographers, the signa...

Episode 236 I came into the studio early today and found a flying friend cruising around. I guess they came in the night before when I had the bigger door open. After some encouragement and strategic door opening, we were able to work together to get them on their way. As I worked to get the little one out of the studio, I realized that they had a methodology of looking for a way out and I hadn’t freaked out about things flying by my head. Together we find a way to get someone home. I think ou...

Episode 235 If you have ever tried to put together a piece of furniture from IKEA or have been pulling your hair out because your friend can’t give you good directions to their house, this week’s podcast is for you. This week we take a look at how important it is to understand the instructions we are following when we do something creative like create a photograph. There is so much that goes into a photograph and processing of an image. I would argue that most of us aren’t aware of all the deci...

Episode 234 I was recently at an art opening that had several photographs of interesting abstractions. Images of plants, buildings, and objects all taken and presented as abstract objects. In listening to people talk about the work, I heard people discussing what they saw in the images or what they thought the actual object in the photograph was. I also observed that many people would tilt their head left or right to gain a new perspective. That tilting reminded me of working with a large-format...

Episode 233 There are many traps out there to keep us from making the types of photography that we want to create. Some of them are simple to see, while others are more complex in nature. As I was sitting in the studio watching my dog flip the pillows off the sofa she gets to sit on; it occurred to me that too much of something, even a pillow on a couch, might be a bad thing. In this week’s podcast, we take a look at the impact of too much of something and what that can do to your photography a...

Episode 232 I think everyone has been to a party where politics and religious topics were not allowed, or you wish they were banned from the family holidays or summer parties. Both of these topics seem to bring out the worst in people’s conversational behaviors, and unless you recently underwent a huge personal journey, you are unlikely to change your opinion because of something some said about god over wine coolers. In this week’s podcast, I take a look at how we approach hard and unapproacha...

Episode 231 At some point, we all want to quit. For a host of reasons, we might want to call it a day. Maybe we are tired, bored, fearful, or lost. No matter the cause at some point in your photography, you will want to move on. For some, it might be moving on from just a project. For others, it might be from photography in general. This week’s podcast takes a look at the art of giving up. The process of letting go so that we can remove the old and make room for the new. A chance to find that w...

Episode 230 When you look at an inkblot test, you might see something strange or unusual. You also are likely to see something that someone else might not see. Each of us sees something unique and different, which is why I think many of us are photographers. We find that photography helps us be able to say something about how we see the world around us. As photographers, we are responsible for the entirety of the frame. We are responsible for what is in the frame, out of the frame, and how ever...

Episode 229 There are many ways that people measure success. One of the more common ones that I hear people talk about is achieving goals. Goals are milestones that we set to help us keep focused on attaining something in the future. Some goals can be very short-term, while others might last a lifetime. In this week’s podcast, we take a look at the impact goal-setting can have on your productivity and enjoyment of your photography. While goals can be critical to helping you achieve what you wan...

Episode 228 This week’s podcast focuses on noise reduction in photography. Now you might be thinking that we are going to be talking about how to use the software in Lightroom, Photoshop or other tools to reduce the noise caused by higher ISO settings in digital photography but that is not the case. I am talking about the noise in our heads as we try to make new photographs or look at photographs. There is so much rattling around our head when working, and trying to silence the noise is key to...