I’m re-reading a stack of books about the creative process. Anne Lamott, Stephen King, Annie Dillard, Robert McKee, et al. When what I want is to hear about the creative life, I don’t go to photographers – most of them are good with images, lousy with words. Want insight into how this whole creative thing works? Go to the writers. …
Begin. Again. Part 2
Genova, Italy. 2010. Last week’s posts on putting your ideas into action seemed to really resonate. I posted BEGIN and then BEGIN. AGAIN. Begin Again was aimed at the working photographer, this one’s aimed at all of us – the amateurs, the ones that do this because we love it, paycheck or no paycheck. Heck, some of us don’t earn …
Hiding Behind Shiny Pillars?
I’m re-reading Hugh MacLeod’s IGNORE EVERYBODY. Great book. You should read it. Seriously. But that’s not why I bring it up. I just posted about shooting with a little less gear and then I sat down with a glass of wine and this book and a pen and read the following. I think it applies. There’s no correlation between creativity …
Begin. Again.
San Frutuosso, Liguria, Italy, 2010. Had to strip down to my boxers to get this one. Monday’s post seemed to strike a chord. Perhaps because y’all were so surprised to read a post that had nothing to do with books 🙂 So, harnessing that momentum I want to make some suggestions for those who are suddenly captivated by the need …
Begin.
Camogli, Italy. It’s a stretch to make this image relevant to the sermon below, but these guys know that talking about fishing isn’t going to bring the fish in. Neither is looking at the boat and hoping something happens. Goethe is frequently quoted as saying: Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and …
Sucking Is Not Enough
Ladakh, India, 2008. Finding images to illustrate these things ain’t always easy, so I picked something completely at random and because, well, I guess because Ladakh doesn’t suck. I dunno. Just read the post, ignore the caption. Lest anyone think the last post about Suck-Mode was a license to celebrate mediocrity, I want to look at this all from the …
Suck-Mode.
Me. Happily in Suck-Mode in Kenya. Man I miss Africa! The image has nothing whatsoever to do with the post so don’t go looking for deeper meanings. Sometimes a photograph is just filler, ya know? During the Q&A time at Amazon the other day a guy in the audience asked me a question. It must have been very complicated because …
Speaking At Amazon – 5 Things.
I spoke at Amazon yesterday in the middle of a whirlwind trip to Seattle. Had a great time, met some amazing people. To all of you who came and were so hospitable, thank you! For those that didn’t come because, well, ahem, you weren’t invited because you don’t work at the Amazon mothership, this is what I said. Or planned …
From Confession To Photographic Penance
I have to tell you the response to Monday’s post absolutely blew me away. It clearly hit a nerve and that tells me there are a lot of photographers out there that have been told one thing in the face of a very different reality. And the truth is that the bulk of the pros I know routinely do some …
Confessions of a So-Called PRO.
Shot in Senegal. Long shutter speed. Dawn. Through the windshield. Moments before driver drove off the road, through the ditch and stalled in the bushes. A while back I wrote a piece about the “I’m only an amateur” mentality. In brief it was an unashamed rally call to photographers everywhere to stop seeing themselves as merely an enthusiast, not yet …