The idea of photographers "making" a photograph instead of just "taking" a photograph raises its head every once in a while. I remember back when digital photography was viewed as suspect because it made the "taking" of a photograph too easy, as opposed to using a...
Being able to stay curious about the world is important for photographers. Curiosity fuels creativity and keeps us wanting to connect more, learn more and understand more about what we see around us. So, how can we refresh our sense of curiosity? Here are some ideas: Embrace...
This title comes from a quote from photographer W Eugene Smith: "What uses having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling?" I see the idea of "feeling" here as having two instances: the first is with the photographer, the...
Light. It's what photographers obsess about. Whether you're a landscape photographer or a portrait photographer (or any kind of photographer), you can deploy light to evoke mood in your images. We all have our go-to lighting...
"What settings did you use...
Let me tell you a story. Some years ago, while running a photography tour with a great group of photography enthusiasts, the topic of photographic perfection popped up. "I'm still chasing the perfect sunset photo," one of our group bewailed. "I see so many of them out...
The holy grail for many photographers is to be able to develop a distinctive Style. But the idea of a "style" seems elusive and perhaps a little too abstract for most people to comprehend. What does it mean to have a style? Let's look at this word...
Here is a tip for those who shoot in RAW image format and who would like Lightroom to retain the picture's profile (also called Picture Style or Image Style, depending on camera you use) when it imports the picture into Lightroom Classic (note: this features...
You may have heard of the American artist and photographer Saul Leiter, whose photography in the 1940s and 1950s was credited to have brought about the New York School of street photography. Leiter once said in a conversation: “I have a deep-seated distrust and even contempt...
Social distancing and self-isolation seem to be the buzzwords of the moment, as are words like closures and suspensions of service. The last two weeks have seen tremendous changes to our lifestyle and it’s hard not to feel apprehensive and uncertain when things are changing and...