The Gift of Meeting People, The Gift of Photography

Like I said a couple posts ago, the more you go out, the more people you meet. This time I went out to McIntosh Lake with a roll of Ilford HP5 in a Rolleiflex 3.5F to see who I'd find. I always start on the promenade--that's what I call the sidewalk that wraps around the...

My Satisfaction = Photographing Folks Where I Find Them

A photographer friend recently sent me a video link to a talk by a photographer named Adrian discussing photography and his expectation to fail, concluding disappointment was just a part of the process. In the notes of the video titled, The Curse of the Photographer, he wrote, "Photographers might be destined to permanently feel dissatisfied....

Frank’s Photo Books Are a Great Idea and a Tremendous Way to Share Our Work

A photographer I follow who posts online, Frank Solle, offered to send me a copy of his latest book, Travels in Utah. It's a booklet you might say, it's only 32 pages, and I said yes, of course. I'm always interested in what other photographers are doing. His book came in the mail and I...

Taking a Leica M3 Everywhere for 30 Days

I switch out a lot between many cameras in different formats. I enjoy working with large format view cameras as well as the miniature format (as it was originally called)--35mm. And my favorite camera is my Rolleiflex. But for the next 30 days I'm carrying a Leica M3 with a 50mm rigid Summicron with me...

Starting a 2022 Large Format Portrait Project

I'm inspired by many portrait photographers. Five I can think of right off the top of my head would be Judith Joy Ross, Duane Michals, Lora Webb Nichols, Gregg Miller and the masterful August Sander. August Sander. Young Farmers. 1914 Ross, Nichols, Miller and Sander because they documented people in a way that shows them...

Art Photography Versus Documentary Photography–It’s Really Not a Competition!

I was reading on Twitter this tweet that got everyone's in the Twitterverse photography community feathers ruffled. (See what I did there.) Why do people have to tell others what to make and what is valid and what isn't? Like there's any truth to their opinion. There are multiple types of photography, from scientific to...

My Phone is For Calls, Leave a Message

I heard a professional photographer recently talking about how great his new phone camera is and I thought, boy, I never want to have the computer techs at Apple or Google dictating what my photographs will look like. Have you ever looked at Instagram or Flickr and seen the photographs and how they all look...

The New Canvas, The Empty Frame, The Blank Page: GO!

Every time I sit down to write these photography essays I start with no idea what to write about. I have nothing but a blank page. (It's actually a blinking cursor at the top of this WordPress page, but you get the idea.) What to do? I don't know. If you don't know either, welcome...

Photographer Mentorship with Weekly Photo Assignments

Want to learn photography? You do it by making photographs. There is no other way, no shortcut, no special trick, no secret, no magic camera. Not even a Leica. You do the work. Want to make the work and have me evaluate it? So you can grow your vision in a significant way? Fine. Here's...

Embracing Risks, Taking Chances & Possible Failure

What if you try something new, something you're not quite sure about how to do, so much so that it even makes you uncomfortable? Good! See, you could fail. Excellent! There's nothing great happening when we're sitting at home in our easy chair. There's no magic when we are working the familiar, the comfortable way...