The Wise Photo Project Goes Worldwide to Photograph Sweet Wonderful Old Faces

It really started kind of small in Kenneth Wajda’s Boulder Colorado commercial portrait studio back in 2015. He advertised an open studio on Mondays in the local events listings for seniors age 70 and over to come in and get a formal portrait made at no cost, figuring that was his slowest day at the...

How I Can Afford to Make The Wise Photo Project

I photographed Margaret, a lovely 98-year-old woman last week in my studio and will gift her a framed 12x12 portrait this week. How am I able to gift photo shoots and framed portraits at no cost to seniors in The Wise Photo Project? Easy, through commissioned portraits--when people commission a portrait, they know that the...

What is a Photograph Worth?

A conversation blew up on Reddit this week with people asking how can a photographer justify high prices for photographic prints. Which got me thinking, does the proliferation of "everyone has a camera" nowadays, does the cheapness of photography mean that there's no room for experience and quality anymore? No need for high-end photographers? Are...

No Reply At All

I was listening to Genesis' song, No Reply At All, and it reminded me of one of the toughest thing about being a photographer--when you reach out to someone with a special photograph and they never respond. And there's no reply at all. There's no reply at all. There's no reply at all. No reply...

If You Could Do One Thing as a Photographer…

Here's mine. If I could do one thing as a photographer, it would be to photograph people's parents and grandparents, sort of a celebrity photographer to regular people. Celebrating their magic. How about you, if you could do one thing as a photographer, what would you do? What would be the one thing one thing...

Seeking Denver/Boulder and Front Range Authors for a Gallery Portrait Series

AUTHORS/WRITERSI'm working on a series of large-format black and white film portraits of authors for a fall 2021 gallery show. If you are one or know one, would you please message me. I'm looking for published authors, both young and established.You can see some of my 4x5 portrait work of people in other professions made...

The One That Got Away

It's always been this way to some extent, but it seems more than ever we live in a time where people take advantage of other people. To get ahead, to make money, for some selfish reason. It's why racism exists and it's the means of capitalism. It's created a culture of distrust, suspicion and fear....

Photography is at a Low Point in its History

Photography is at a low point in its history. And it makes me sad. But first a little photography history lesson to see how we got here. (And hope for how we change it for the better.) We've been at this photography thing for just about 193 years--the first photograph was made in 1826.  And...

Name a Time, Name a Price, Get a Photograph

I have a dilemma. I love to create photographs, lasting memories, beautiful portraits of people of all ages. But people don’t commission portraits anymore.  An occasional high school senior portrait, because those are due.  But the rest of the time, the rest of the family, nah! We’re living in a time when our phone camera...

DON’T ‘LIKE’ THESE PHOTOS!

I don't create photographs for likes. I make photographs that will still exist in 50 years, long after the swipe is through, through gallery and book projects. That's why I shoot on film, and make gallery-quality prints. These aren't for likes. I’m looking for two kinds of photographs to make, one for my Roy Stryker...