My Two Events for Denver Month of Photography

Denver Month of Photography is a biennial event (every other year) and it's on this year, March 2023. Check out the full schedule of events and get to the galleries and get inspired! DenverMOP.org I'll be hosting two events, one on Street Photography and one on The Wise Photo Project in late March. Both are...

Wanna See Some Bad Street Photographs?

I'll post them and tell you why they're not good. These photographs were all made during a five-day visit to New York City, October 31-November 4, 2022. The Yellow Scene "Look, he's got a yellow bag and a yellow shirt and there's a yellow vest to the right and a yellow slicker to the center."...

Street Photography Defined

I am certainly a street photographer. Only I really don't go out to make street photographs. I simply go out to run errands and keep the camera with me at the ready--meaning turned on, with the exposure set, ready to shoot--and then photograph what strikes me in my travels. Like these. I just today updated...

What Makes a Street Photo?

There are many street photographers nowadays. But what makes a street photo? It can't just be anyone walking along the street--I can see that out the window. To me, there has to be a story (or it gets the viewer to create one). If there's a story, it's a street photograph. If it has no...

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...

The Different Types of Photography (and Their Difficulty) And Why Street Photography Needs Serious Curation

STUDIO PORTRAITUREMaking portraits in the studio is difficult. You need a studio. Some lights. Knowledge on how to use them. And a subject sitting for you. A bit of human psychology to draw out the expression you want from them. All those things take experience and skill. Plus access to a studio and subject. NEWS...

The Difference Between Going Out to Make Photos and Simply Going Out to Live (and Finding Photos)!

There is one way to make photos that involves taking the camera down off the shelf, dusting off its (n)ever-ready case, peeling that leather wrap off and setting it aside, removing the lens cap, putting the camera in hand and heading out to make photographs at the birthday party, holiday celebration, or ___________ (your event...

Street Portraits on a Nothing-Happening Street Photo Day

What is is about street portraits? They can be a great way to create photos in public when we're not finding street documentary moments that are catching our eye. Especially if you see some interesting characters and faces. I define a portrait as one where the subject is aware of the camera and is connecting...

Making Art Requires Showing Up for Life (and Coffee)

I've said it before: The muse exists but she has to find you working. But that doesn't mean you have to know you're working. I wasn't going out to make photographs, I was walking to get coffee and parked a block up the street because that's where I found a parking space, and I wasn't...

Seeking the Fastest Film Camera for Robert Frank-like Lightning-Quick Shooting

Where do you get your speed? What works for you? Because speedy camera work gets the shot when it comes to documentary street work. My quest is to be as fast and nimble as Robert Frank was reported to be, able to lift the camera, shoot and drop it down in one fell swoop that...