HT0637 - Not Merely Objects

Those little things you have in your house that you've collected over the years are not merely trinkets. They are the story of your life. This might very well be the ideal start for an image and text project.

HT0638 - Your Collectible Books

Will your heirs know which of your photo books in your library are collectibles and worth some serious money? Here is a way you can keep track of your library with a terrific book database app, Collectorz.com

HT0639 - The Subject and the Meta-subject

There is the thing you photographed, and then there is the reason you photographed it. The art part of photography is all about the latter. Why did Edward Weston photograph those bananas and pears, and why does the pepper become the famous one? "Why" is always a more interesting question than "what."

HT0640 - Winter Light

In photographic circles, there is so much attention given to the "golden hour." But I think this is really misnamed. It's not the golden color that is so magical, but rather the angular light that brings out the texture and detail in subjects. That angular light happens at mid-day during winter.

HT0641 - Those Extra Five Feet

On several occasions, I've mentioned the little 2-step ladder I take with me into the landscape to gain a little extra height. I'm stepping up (no pun intended) to an even taller perspective with a new step ladder I can use from the bed of my pickup. I'll gain five feet in height over standing on tierra firma.

HT0642 - The Images That You Keep Coming Back To

Why is it that some images haunt us and we keep coming back to them? This goes for both images from others and our own. I think there is something to think about here. Perhaps more importantly, I think there is something to strive for here.

HT0643 - It's Not Where You Go, It's What You See

I'm starting the planning phase of my new life on the road, and the more I think about it, the more I realize that the destinations I choose are almost immaterial. Photographs can be made anywhere!

HT0644 - The Weather

If there is one component of a scene that can make or break a photograph, it is the weather. With great weather, even a mundane location can be made into an interesting image. If weather has such an influence in our images, what strategies can we use to our advantage?

HT0645 - Changing Lenses in the Field

I received a terrific bit of advice from a reader about the sensor dust issue I was discussing a while back.

HT0646 - Express Yourself

If your photographs simply show us the spectacular world we live in, how are your artistic creations any different than other photographers who show us the same world? Isn't the real challenge to express yourself?

HT0647 - Only By Request

I'm more than happy to give my artwork away, but I never send my work out when it is unsolicited. I'm simply not comfortable imposing the responsibilities of ownership on someone who hasn't volunteered it. This is one of the reasons I offer my work for sale at real people prices -- paying me $15 or $20 is an expression of your commitment to ownership, at a price that everyone can afford.

HT0648 - Allowing Mistakes to Guide You

One of the reasons I resist one-click filters is because they completely remove the random discovery we might stumble upon by accident. Are those accidents really mistakes, or are they another form of whisper from your creative muse?

HT0649 - Image Orientation

We use the term "landscape orientation" because it is most often used in the landscape. But a fun exercise is to try to photograph a landscape project using only portrait orientation. I did this recently to simply test a new battery grip. Fascinating.

HT0650 - Forget the Experience

I have quite a number of images I really like that I could only produce once the memory of the experience of photographing had started to fade from memory. Another example of how letting go helps in the creative process. This is one reason why, after returning from a photographing session, I always jump right into any image I don't remember photographing.

HT0651 - Secondary Light Sources

In every scene, there is a primary light source that is of paramount importance. But don't let your concern for the primary light source overwhelm the attention you should give to the secondary light sources — the ones that often make or break a photograph.

HT0652 - The Future of LensWork

A couple of readers emailed to ask if there are going to be any changes in LensWork after Maureen's passing last September. The short answer is, "No changes." We will miss her every day, but looking forward to the same production schedules that we've had for years — 6 magazines, 6 Tablet Editions, 6 Extended Editions, 3 Monographs, and new content daily at LensWork Online.

HT0653 - Essential Equipment

Do you pack for the images you know you will make? Or, the images you might make? The "might make" list could be infinite, so is that a practical way to think about what gear you will take and what gear you will leave behind?

HT0654 - Paper

I can't imagine being a photographer and not being in love with paper. It truly is one of the great miracles of human ingenuity. It is sensual and appeals to so many of our senses. It's easy to become swept up on the technologies of creative pixel pushing, but don't forget the world of creativity that can be found in paper.

HT0655 - Only in the Field

There is so much we can do to our images in postprocessing, that it's easy to think "I'll fix it in post." There are things, however, that can only be accomplished in the field. Best to take care of them then, while you can.

HT0659 - Snow

Landscape images in the snow are so fun. Why? Snow has the amazing dual properties of enhancing the details in trees and plants like the angular light of the golden hour, while simultaneously simplifying the scene to a minimalist composition. That's a neat trick.

HT0660 - One Too Many

How many images should you include in a project? Better to have one fewer than you need than one too many. Boring an audience is far worse than leaving them wishing for more.

HT0661 - Safety Margins

Whenever I'm photographing a subject that I know might need rectification, a building for example, or if I know it will be crucial to have a level horizon, I find it a good practice to make a safety shot. I reduce the focal length a bit for that safety shot so there is room to crop if I need to without losing any element that is close to the edge of the frame.

HT0662 - Critical Black Details

It's not uncommon for us to see more detail in the deep shadows on our monitor that get lost in a print. Here's an old school trick and a new digital darkroom trick that can help.

HT0666 - Means to an End

Cameras are amazing tools that can take us (or lead us) to some very interesting results. But what are the "results" that best represent the end you are hoping for? Is it simply having some fun? Mastering a challenge? Fame and fortune? Crafting something exquisite? If the camera is a powerful means, to which "end" are you using your photography? What matters to you?

HT0667 - Remotes

Seems to me that the human interface with any technology is one of the most important bits of engineering that needs to be incorporated into any piece of technology. When it comes to cameras, why can't manufacturer's build in a wireless remote so we can trip the shutter without needing to touch the camera? This would be so useful and a better solution than some add-on, clunky device.