HT1065 - Whatever Your Heart Desires

Just as a thought experiment, if you could have anything you heart desires in your photographic life, what would that be? A solo exhibition in an important New York gallery? Million dollar print sales? A new Leica medium format camera? More time out photographing? Why?

HT1066 - Graphics That Tempt Me

Do you have a photographic project idea that has tempted you but you've never done? I do. The one that I keep coming back to is Russian icon paintings, but there are others. For years I've fantasized about photographic bar coasters, playing cards, and Tarot cards. And then there are movie posters, apple crates, and LP album covers. Why do fine art photographs have to look like paintings?

HT1067 - Digital Sharpening

I once had a photographer tell me that he had instructed his commercial book printer to dial back on the digital sharpening because his images in his books were sharper than the images from his wet darkroom.

HT1068 - Image vs Project

Here is a good example of the difference between photographing for an image and photographing for a project.

HT1072 - Workshop Groups

In a workshop, you will often find yourself photographing in a group. That's a great opportunity to meet new friends, chat about ideas with peers, and learn by observing. Don't expect it to be a great time to make personally expressive artwork.

HT1073 - My Amateur Camera

A number of years ago I was photographing at an event in China where I had a very interesting cultural exchange with a Chinese photographer. His comments explained a lot about a certain subset of photographers the world over.

HT1074 - The Better Shot Around the Next Corner

One of the implications of the idea that photography is all about capturing the hero light, or the hero scene is that we need to hurry. There might be a hero shot just around the corner and we might miss it if we dawdle. Photography meets FOMO.

HT1075 - If You Feel Nothing

The common "bumper sticker wisdom" in the art world advises that if you feel nothing, you should photograph nothing. That would seem to make sense in traditional thinking, but if you are in the field to just "gather assets," it's always possible that you will feel something later, when you are reviewing those photographs years from now.

HT1079 - First Time Expertise

We all know that the first time we do anything that we probably won't manifest professional expertise. We lack practice, experiential learning, and even muscle memory. Why, then, do we think that visiting a new photographic location for the first time should result in masterworks?

HT1080 - The Subconscious at Work

Last spring I photographed a funny scene because it tickled my funny bone. It wasn't a serious photograph, but just a moment of fun. Later, while I was doing some keywording in Lightroom, I realized I had variations on this theme dating back to 2009. I had no consciousness that I had been gathering these related images, but suddenly it's a small collection that could be developed into a little project!

HT1081 - The Deepest Not-Quite Blacks

Absolutely solid black is almost never encountered in nature. This is why crushed blacks can appear so problematic in a photograph. Those deep, dark tones from 90-98% are so important and a lack of any detail there can feel too heavy.

HT1082 - You Can't Control Their Rorschach Projections

I learned a valuable lesson about artmaking when I showed an image to a group of photographers and had some very interesting responses. People always see artwork through the filter of their own experiences.

HT1086 - Statistics and Excellence

A workshop instructor of mine once stated flatly that the photographers who spend the most time photographing will likely be the best photographers. Although I'd like to infuse that statement with talent, statistically I can't argue with his logic.

HT1087 - Color Grading Consistency

In any presentation of a group of images, a consistency of color grading is usually best. Movies have educated us to color grading that a shift of color is associated with a shift of mood or scene. This is a great technique for movies that are based on scenes, but usually looks odd in a sequence of still images.

HT1088 - A Radically New Approach

On occasion, I find myself working on an image for hours, often with more and more subtle processing tweaks. At some point, I usually just give up on the image. Too bad, because frequently I can find a use for the image if I just abandon the current path and try something radically different.

HT1089 - A Visual Experience

In today's media saturated world, I've been thinking a lot these days about what people want in a photograph. They certainly don't need more visual stimulus. Instead, I think viewers are looking for an experience. That's a vastly different thing than a "view."