I often get asked what the things you can do to be a better photographer are. The two that are always at the top of my list are printing and consuming other people's work. I like to use the analogy of ice cream when discussing other people's work. Our work is one flavor of ice cream. Different people all have their own flavor. When we look at others' work, it is like getting to try a new flavor of ice cream. We might like it. We might not. Either way, it helps us broaden our palate and understanding of photography or ice cream. Even if we love the flavor of our ice cream, trying other flavors will help us build a deeper understanding of what makes one brand of ice cream better than another. After all, not all Rocky Road ice cream is the same.

This week's podcast is about how seeking out and trying a more diverse consumption of photography, much like ice cream, can help you build a deeper and more meaningful connection to your work. Because of the way photography history is shared, you will have to do extra work to find them. Much of the photographers we know from our photography classes come from a single perspective. So if you break out of that model, you will have to dig a little. Here are some suggestions.

Find a history of photography for a given country or culture.

Search for all photographers from a given country by genre in the library or online

Ask friends for a list of photographers.

Find a photographer you like and research who inspires them, or they like

Search online book stores for photographers you have never heard of using the you might also like feature of shopping websites

Search by publisher (www.photoeye.com makes it easy). If the publisher has one book you like they might have more. Some publishers also focus more on certain aspects of photography making it easier.

If you live in a city, find all the photographers you can from that city regardless of genre, race, age, camera type.