LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

HT2589 - The Value of Limits

HT2589 - The Value of Limits Perhaps you've heard that great Orson Welles quote that "The absence of limitations is the enemy of art." I think he's right, and I say this because of experiences I've had in making art. Limits become defining parameters, motivating deadlines, and achievable endpoints. There are numerous ways we can define limits. Each has its own value and purpose. We can limit the equipment we use, the number of raw captures we'll collect, the number of finished images, the time we allow ourselves with a given project, or the geographic boundaries we will explore. This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2500 and counting! — are available to members of LensWork Online. Try a 30-day membership for only $10 and discover the literally terabytes of content about photography and the creative process.

HT2588 - A Problem with Big

HT2588 - A Problem with Big What do the following have in common? War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, The Ring by Richard Wagner, running a marathon, and a 60-inch photographic print? They're all possible, but intimidating. It is human nature to hesitate before engaging a big thing. It's natural for us to measure our commitment and dedication before we begin. Big things require a sort of risk versus reward analysis Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2587 - In Gear We Trust

HT2587 - In Gear We Trust During my 50 years in photography, I've owned 24 different cameras. I can assure you that with each new camera my hopes and aspirations rose as I was sequentially convinced each new piece of gear would provide the answer to making better photographs. You would think my faith in gear would subside with each disappointment, but it never does. That's how strong faith in gear is in photography. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2586 - The Data Hidden in the Noise

HT2586 - The Data Hidden in the Noise We click the shutter because there's something there. We feel it, we sense it, we may not be able to describe it, but there is data hidden in the noise. Our job is artists is to brush away the noise, the obscuring dust, sometimes the verbosity in our mind. Photography is not so much about taking as it is about revealing. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2585 - New Is Not Necessarily a Virtue

HT2585 - New Is Not Necessarily a Virtue Photographers tend to get very excited about everything new. New gear, new techniques, new locations, new venues. The problem with new is that it can be a false promise. It's far too easy to equate new with better. My experience is that better pictures most often come from repeated visits and pushing past the new, past our first impressions. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!