This past Sunday, I introduced you to a photograph of mine and sent you to my blog to discuss it, asking questions about the decisions I made and the effect of those decisions. I’ll keep this message short because I said most of what I want to say in the video I’m about to show you. But if you missed …
What Makes the Image Work?
As a child, my cousin James had a reputation for taking things apart. I recall one Christmas when he dismantled down to the wiring every gift he was given. Remote-control cars? Give him 20 minutes, and there’d be nothing left but a pile of tiny screws, little motors, and the tears of his mother who probably should have known better than to …
The Joy of Photography?
A couple of weeks ago, I confessed to you that I hadn’t picked up my camera for six months. The replies I received by email and comments on the blog were like a big collective sigh of relief from so many of you—like we were all holding our breath, thinking we were the only ones who had lost some of our …
Your Next Challenge
For almost six months since mid-February, I didn’t pick up my camera. Not once. Yes, I needed a break. No, I don’t think to be a “real photographer” you need to pick up the camera every day. I don’t think we owe the camera any obligation at all; it’s there for us, not the other way around. But a couple …
The Unexpected Path to Everyday Creativity
The Short Version: My two new books are out today and you can get more information and links to how to get your hands on paperback, PDF, or Kindle versions at StartUglyBook.com. The longer version below is more compelling, but it’s, well, longer. Keep reading. In bold, trendy font, the advert for some piece of computer equipment aimed at photographers …
New Thinking > New Gear
In the eternal quest for better photographs (and you can define that however you’d like), we all tend to spend a great deal of money. You probably already know how I feel about this. When I look back at the money I spent on gear that made promises that were never kept (and yes, I know, I heard what I …
Without the Gargoyles
In the Middle Ages, churches placed gargoyles on their roofs to remind parishioners of the dangers that awaited them without the church, both then and into eternity. Literally hanging over their heads, the gargoyles kept the faithful, well, faithful, and warded off evil spirits. Most creatives I know, if not most human beings, have voices and negative people in their …
The Same River Twice
Everything changes, including we ourselves. Failure to recognize this essential impermanence, even to celebrate it, is a missed opportunity to live life as it is, not as we wish it could be, and to cope with change and uncertainty creatively rather than fearfully. Let’s talk about it. I’ve decided to begin posting my weekly podcast here to my blog, as …
The Value of Doubt
Doubt gets a bad rap but it has long been doubt and the willingness to live with uncertainty that has led to innovation and creativity. What would happen in our creative lives if we were more willing to look more carefully at our doubts and set aside the things we’re so sure of? Let’s talk about it. I’ve decided to …
Making the Edit Easier
I came home from my last trip with almost 20,000 photographs, which is, by any standard, a whole lot of photographs. I edited them down to about 30. That’s 19,970 images that didn’t make the cut. If I looked at every one of those photographs for only three seconds, it would take me 1,000 minutes, or almost 16 hours, to …