Episodes

Episode 383 One of the purposes of language is used to express ideas and share observations. The visual language of photography is no different. It is about expressing the ideas and feelings behind the camera. For many photographers, this can prove to be a significant challenge. Many photographers have developed routines for unconscious biases towards what makes a good photograph. Images need to be a certain something to be good. They need to be in focus, centered, color, or some other arbitrar...

Episode 382 Improv is a fun time and a great set of skills to develop. There are several exercises and playful ways to approach improv. One of the most well-known concepts is that you never shut down a conversation. To keep improv flowing, you need to extend and reach forward. At the heart of that is the notion of the yes, and. When someone starts a conversation or says something outlandish, you begin your statement with a yes, and… For example, if I ask, did you know that fish are one of the mo...

Episode 381 I have several restaurants I like to eat at where there is something on the menu that I love. I order it every time I go out to eat. Sure the wait staff will read me the specials or talk about what is new on the menu, but I always get the same thing. I know that it is good and I know that I’ll like it. My rationale is that I won’t be disappointed if I order something else that isn’t as good as my comfort food order. As a result, I miss out on a lot of chances to try other great food....

Episode 380 There is a great quote by D.T. Suzuki. One has not understood until one has forgotten it In this week’s podcast, we take a look at that quote and how it can shape our approach to making more meaningful work. One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a variety of equipment in the years that I have been recording, but here is the current list of equipment that I am using. Also as an FYI and full disclosure, the l...

Episode 379 Carrie Fisher has a great quote, “Instant gratification takes too long.” In this week’s podcast, we dive into the impacts of instant gratification on the making of meaningful photographs. From overly relying on the back to the camera to software that automates much of our processing, it is easy to get trapped into the notion that having our initial desires met means that our purpose in our photography was also completed. Over the course of looking at photographs and thinking about wh...

Episode 378 I was recently asked if I use the app Photo Pill to do my photography research. While I love Photo Pills and use it and recommend it all the time, it is not my primary research tool. I often spend time looking at books, websites, movies, and podcasts that can give me insights into the non-photographic aspects of a place. It is the history, culture, backgrounds and other aspects of a location or person that feed the soul to help me understand the why I make my photographs of place. T...

Episode 377 In the podcast this week we focus on two questions from listeners. The first question is about how fast one can improve in photography, and the second question focuses on how to make (or in the case of my answer not make something the subject) light or color the subject of your photograph. One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a variety of equipment in the years that I have been recording, but here is the cur...

Episode 376 One of the more interesting questions I get asked about during a critique typically deals with intention. Can you understand the intention of the photographer? Can you understand why they took a photograph? In many cases, I am not sure you can. I am often left wondering what the photographer is saying in those instances. I do believe that when we are creating our work, our real work, we are putting what matters to us into the work. In this podcast, I discuss the importance of making...

Episode 375 This week’s podcast is focused on the importance of conversations in our work. Conversations and conversing is an art in itself. I suspect that the better we are at conversations, the better we are at making interesting work. I have several friends who are great a conversing, They seem to slip in and out of topics with ease. They can talk to anyone about anything. The one thing those people have in common is that they leave the ego at the door. They converse to learn about others and...

Episode 374 I have been given a number of great quotes over the past few weeks. Many of the quotes have been nice, and I have since forgotten them. Two of them, however, have really stuck with me. They have seemed to come up again and again both as I was working on some new class content and editing some of my recent work. They are both Buddhist quotes and I have no idea who the source of the quote, but I have them in my notebooks and can’t stop thinking about them. I lost myself trying to plea...

Episode 373 I was rocking out to the car radio the other day. A few songs came on back-to-back. They were huge songs when I was in college. They played in every bar, dance club and seemed to be on a permanent solo rotation on the radio. I got curious what happened to those bands because these songs were the only ones I could remember. As it turns out most of them went on to make a few albums, but that one hit was the one hit. I started to look back at my images with that thought in mind. Do I o...

Episode 372 I think one of the more interesting aspects of photograph is what it represents to different people. When I am taking a class or teaching a class, I often have engaged in a spirited discussion with others about the nature of photography and good photography. If I was to ask you what your photograph is about, you might often tell me what type of photographs you make by subject, subject matter, or concept. However, does telling someone what you photograph actually tell them what your p...

Episode 371 This week’s podcast talks about the conditions that arise when we are left with too many choices and the impacts on our work If you want to participate in the Photoshop Virtual Summit 4, you can register for your free pass using the link below. Get your Free Pass Here One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a variety of equipment in the years that I have been recording, but here is the current list of equipm...

Episode 370 Some people hit it out of the park from the very first day. Others, many of us others, seem to be on a long road to success. Rather than having a jump start right out of the gate, it can feel like we are forever climbing the hills and dropping into the valleys on our photographic journey. The shinny light of success always seems just over the next hill. This week’s podcast talks about how sometimes an instant success to someone can seem like a long slow journey to the person making ...

Episode 369 Photographers can learn a lot from bird watchers. Bird watchers don’t worry about what other birds someone has seen. Do you think a bird watcher says, “Oh well, someone has already seen a great flamingo? So there is no sense in me seeing one of those. That boat has sailed. No bird watchers watch birds because they love birds. Photographers should be more like bird watchers. When we first start photography, we will try anything and do anything. Then we learn what a “good” photograph ...

Episode 368 I was looking at some images I recently took on a hiking trip. As much as I wanted to like the photos, there was just nothing for my eye to land on in the image. It was a chaotic mess of lines, shapes, and textures. Everything was sharp, but nothing was in focus too much of everything. That image got me thinking about when approaching the making of an image. How do we decide on the point of focus, and what does focus mean and do in an image. In the podcast this week, the focus is, w...

Episode 367 I have been preparing for several classes and workshops these past few weeks. One theme that has come up, again and again, is the principle of what defines interest in a photograph. Not good, flawed, sellable or not, but interesting. As I got to looking at many different images, I began to think about some of the common elements that make a photograph interesting to view. Again, this may not be about making a good photograph, but rather a picture that holds my interest and thus time ...

Episode 366 In this week’s podcast, we dive into how blurry and sharp are both important elements to have in making successful images. One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a variety of equipment in the years that I have been recording, but here is the current list of equipment that I am using. Also as an FYI and full disclosure, the links are affiliate links to Amazon.

Episode 365 One of the biggest mistakes I see when I am working with a critique is the use of statements as facts in an image. Statements such as that person looks angry, or that is a interesting color choice. The statements are put into the context of the photo as if the photo is responding. Rather than focusing on what the photo is doing, it is important to focus on how we are responding to the image. The best way to do this is by using statements that start with I and focus on your reaction t...

Episode 364 Well I started this podcast seven years ago. I didn’t have a clue then how to make a podcast, and some would argue I haven’t learned much about it in sevens years. I know for me it has be been a grand adventure sharing what my everyday work and struggles are as a working photographer. No matter if you only listen once or every week, I am truly touched that you would come along with me for this journey. In this week’s podcast, in addition to talking about a little podcast history and...

Episode 363 When you approach your photography do you do it from a sense of awe and wonder or obligation for making new work. In this week’s podcast, we take a look at the difference it can make in your images when you do them because you are in awe of the subject. One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a variety of equipment in the years that I have been recording, but here is the current list of equipment that I am usin...

Episode 362 This week on the podcast is about two big challenges for your photography work. They are both super easy to take on, but each offers up a chance to learn about your work and build a connection to your community. So take a listen to this short episode and see if you are up for the challenge to be thankful and create more than you consume in your photography. One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a variety of e...

Episode 361 So much of how we talk about photographs is fact-based. We talk about the accuracy of an image, the correctness of a composition, or the ideal settings to use. The risk of talking about photographs as facts is that it can cause us to fall into bad habits and traps. It can also lead us to miss out on the most important part of a creative journey which is sharing our experiences, emotions, feelings, and ideas in our work. In the podcast this week, the focus is all on how focusing on f...

Episode 360 There is something to be said about how you spend your time on things. While not always the case, the more time you spend on something can be an indicator of what is important to you. Or, maybe the outcome of that time is what is important to you. For example, you might spend a lot of time working so that you can have the outcome of a paycheck. The work might not be important but the paycheck is. In photography, there are a lot of ways to spend our time. We can spend time planning, s...