I make photographs. Sometimes that involves photographing news events, life on the street, and other times people posing for my lens for a portrait. But all those photographs are made. I make an effort to create an image the way I want to, using photographic and compositional techniques as well as my experience on how... Continue Reading →
10 Things ‘People With Cameras’ and Non-Photographers Say and Get Wrong!
1. "Everyone nowadays is a photographer." WRONG!" Having a hose doesn't make you a fireman. Having a stove doesn't make you a chef. And having a camera doesn't make you a photographer. You might be able to put out your campfire, cook an egg and make a picture, but you're not a fireman, chef, or... Continue Reading →
Some of My Seniors Aren’t 70+ (Some Are 17+)
I do a fair number of senior portraits (age 70+) for The Wise Photo Project, but I also make a good number of high school senior portraits (age 17-18), a completely different kind of photograph, but oh, so challenging and creative. So, here are some from a session this week. I get to meet so... Continue Reading →
Sisters Portraits: 8×10, Rolleiflex and the In-Betweens
I had a portrait shoot this week with a pair of sisters, ages 15 and 16. I told them to wear fancy formal dresses and meet me at the lake in my town. Their mom drove them over and the two girls had a look of embarrassment and annoyance at being dressed like that when... Continue Reading →
“I’M NOT THAT BUSY”
I abhor the way every working photographer when asked how it's going replies, "I'm so busy." Automatically. Whether they are or not, they think it's a badge of honor. "So, so busy."Busy isn't the most important thing to be. A good balance of work and free time is important, not just running from one job... Continue Reading →
Making a Series of Film Portraits on Your Terms
Made on black and white 4x5 film, this is the lead photograph from the shoot. I have a friend Clark whose Father collects classic cars and used to work for Kodak. I had never met his Dad, but told Clark that he sounds like someone I need to photograph. And so I did. I brought... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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.... Continue Reading →
Grandma’s Gone With No Portraits To Remember Her By, Just Like in 1890.
I was talking to a woman at a yard sale last weekend and she said the reason she had so many photo frames for sale for 25-50 cents each, is because none of her children or grandchildren want the family photographs—she's moving to a smaller house and thought they'd want to have them. Wrong! She... Continue Reading →
200 Photos To Give Away
LaVern Johnson passed away. She was in her early 90s and was the town matriarch of Lyons Colorado. The town held a memorial service in a park that was named for her a few years ago. Since her passing, I had been posting photographs online of her that I made over the years because I... Continue Reading →