Here's a thought…

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.

HT2064 - Monitor Calibration

There 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.

HT2068 - On Abstractions

Abstracts 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.

HT2069 - The Composed Background

In 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.

HT2070 - Advice On a Great Place to Go

My 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.

HT2071 - Skill Means Little Without a Heart That Drives It

Skill 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.

HT2075 - Questions About Instax

I 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?

HT2076 - It's Been Photographed Before

I 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.

HT2077 - Substantial Artwork

Last 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?

HT2078 - From Where You Sit

So 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.

HT2079 - Where You Live

There 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.

HT2082 - Narrowing the Subject

There are subjects that lead to short projects, and subjects that lead to lengthy projects. Both kinds of projects have their virtues and their drawbacks. The real problem, however, is when as producers we give our audience mixed signals.

HT2083 - Getting Closer

A universal rule in photography is to get closer to the content. This may not mean getting physically closer. The idea of getting closer means different things for different subjects. For example, getting closer to a distant landscape probably implies using a longer lens. Conversely, getting closer in street photography probably implies using a wider lens.

HT2084 - Digital vs Optical Zoom

A lens captures a finite amount of detail in a finite image circle on the film plane. Increasing the size of that circle through digital zoom does not increase the amount of detail that was captured; it just makes it bigger. This is known as "empty magnification." Optical zoom from the same position, however, captures smaller detail as the subject gets larger in the field of view

HT2085 - Commentary Beyond the Photograph

In workshop and photo group critique sessions that I've observed over 50 years, almost all the comments offered are about technique, composition, or gear related. Such comments might be useful for beginning students, but a much more helpful kind of comment has to do with the content, the feelings the photograph generates, metaphors that come to mind.

HT2089 - The Missing Stories

As painful as it is for us photographers to admit, most of our images could benefit from an attendant story. A few tell their own story, but most seem naked or inadequate without a bit of context.

HT2090 - When the Story Is Better Than the Photograph

Image and text combinations are a tricky business. The text needs to expand the content of the image without overpowering it. I'm reminded of potatoes and gravy. Potatoes are fine; gravy is fine; but it's the right ratio of the two that makes it magical.

HT2091 - The Best Time of Day to Photograph

A fairly typical scenario when I'm out photographing with a group of people is that we head out an hour or two before sunset to catch that early morning light. Later, in mid-morning, we head back for breakfast and some non-photographic time while we wait for the evening light. For the work I love to do, this is exactly backwards.

HT2092 - When the Frustration Becomes Unendurable

My philosophy about gear is that it should be transparent, functionally invisible. The equipment that fights me, the frustrates me, that I find I want to throw against the wall, should be dumped long before I do. Eventually the frustration becomes too much, and only then do I sell it. I really should be far less patient.