Creative Banter

Comedian Marc Mason once said, “Every status update is just a variation on a single request: Would someone please acknowledge me?” It’s been just over a year now since I have made any sort of status update, since I have made the choice to get rid of social media. Ben and I discuss this choice, speaking on the reasons behind it as well as how I have felt since. We also discuss screen time, which leads to a few astute observations on my end, specifically regarding how easy it is to get sucked into one’s phone even without social media. One alternative to social media that we discuss, which we the individual have more control over, is that of newsletters. Given the unreliability of social platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, they are something both Ben and I feel should be taken into greater consideration, especially as we figure out our plans for this year.

LINKS

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.comTwitter: @benhorneInstagram: @benhorneYouTube: Ben Horne

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.comEmail: [email protected]

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

Back in November, I submitted thirteen photographs for Brooks Jensen of LensWork Magazine to review, as well as a few questions which I wanted answered. These questions had nothing to do with my photographic work; rather, they revolved around the business side of photography: how to market you work; how to price your prints; et cetera. A few days ago, around 11 o’clock at night, I received an email with the review. I knew that if I listened to it then and there, my night could be ruined, as well as any potential of sleep; but if I waited until morning, it would be my entire day that was ruined instead. Can you tell by now how optimistic of a person I am? Throughout this episode, Ben and I discuss what was said during this review, as well as what it means for me as a photographer, moving forward.

LINKS

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.com

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.com

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

This week, Ben and I discuss how our holiday celebrations went, which turned out to be rather quiet for the both of us. Keeping in what appears to be a tradition of analog technology, I received a record player from my parents, along with a few records my mother had picked out. After discussing a bit about this analog technology - one which is coming back in much the same manner as film - we turn our attention to the idea of Patreon and free entertainment, a topic brought on by discussions had in the Landscape Photographers World discord channel. We provide our opinions regarding the problem with so many people believing entertainment should be free - think of Spotify and the low monthly cost compared to when you had to purchase each album from your favorite artists - along with what Patreon originally stood for versus what it has become, due to people always desiring something in return. Our conversation shifts, then, toward a poll Ben had put on Twitter which asked whether photographers follow trends, which led to an interesting discussion that has no pure answer.

LINKS

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.comTwitter: @benhorneInstagram: @benhorneYouTube: Ben Horne

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.comEmail: [email protected]

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

Our conversation begins with a discussion regarding Ben’s recent trip to Hawaii and some thoughts he had while enjoying the warm weather, while the rest of us dealt with the blistering cold. One of his thoughts places us into our main conversation, where we discuss whether we must always be a photographer. We ask what that looks like for each of us, whether we feel compelled to bring a camera at all times, and more. The conversation ends with talking about both mental and physical health. Running, stoicism, and how it ties into hiking as a whole.

LINKS

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.com

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.com

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

Thoughts of a Hawaiian vacation and winter blues slows our conversation down a bit, as we initially struggle to find our pace, our topic, for the week. Sparked by a message posted on the Discord by Michael Rung, we begin speaking on whether we have ever hit a wall, experienced a period of funk, after having completed a large project. Namely, Ben retracts the statement he made initially, revamping his thinking. This brings us to speaking on success and productivity: how we define it, the issues with hustle culture, and more. We go on to ponder whether tangibility has anything to do with our feelings of success, before finishing off by speaking on competitions and black and white photography.

LINKS

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.comTwitter: @benhorneInstagram: @benhorneYouTube: Ben Horne

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.comEmail: [email protected]

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

In this episode, we continue our discussion from last week around large format film photography and how to get started. Primarily, we speak on the topic of scanning your film - whether it is done with a drum scanner, flatbed scanner, or a digital camera. We then move on to questions sent in by you, the listener, over on our Discord server. These include taking about how Ben and I organize our film - both physical and scanned versions - as well as whether we would still pursue photography if film no longer existed. We end this week’s discussion by answering whether the voice in our head, who asks why we are doing this, ever goes away.

LINKS

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.com

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.com

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

Though we often avoid discussing gear, as there are already plenty of resources focused on the subject, we have been getting quite a few questions about how to start with large format, so we felt it was time to sit down and give our recommendations. Given this is such a large topic, we are splitting this into two episodes: this first episode is all about the basics, including what cameras, lenses, and film we would recommend, as well as a few worthwhile tidbits of knowledge to pass along. In next week’s episode, we will be discussing how we scan and organize our film, whether we have ever used digital medium format cameras, along with a few other questions sent in on the Discord from you, the listener.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.com

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.com

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

As we find ourselves nearing the end of 2022, we enter the typical period of self-reflection, looking back on what we had accomplished, as well as what we wish to get done come the new year. For myself, that includes the completion of a large eBook and, perhaps, the creation of a few presentations; for Ben, it means maintaining his status as a full time photographer, figuring out the intricate balance which is required by such a career. Our conversation spans the topics of retail jobs and Black Friday, money as a motivating factor, sponsorships and obvious ad placements in TV shows and movies. And speaking of movies, we discuss a viewer-suggested topic from our Discord.

Speaking of Discord, Ben and I will be discussing large format in the next episode. If you have any questions regarding how to get started, what gear we recommend, or any other general inquiries, please head over to the Discord channel linked below to let us know. And with that, let’s dive right into it, shall we?

LINKS

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.com

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.com

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

Ben has officially begun shipping off his 2022 Portfolio Box Sets, which brings up the topic of deadlines and how we deal with them on an individual basis. Primarily, we discuss whether we place more value on extrinsic deadlines, over intrinsic ones. This leads to a discussion about eBooks, once again, along with a bit of a tease regarding one I am currently working toward. Our conversation takes a turn toward the seasons we find to be most difficult, as well as our valuing of images which whisper, rather than shout. We end the discussion with a topic suggestion sent in by Roger on our discord, which regards movement.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.com

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.com

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.

We start this episode off by discussing the student teaching I will be doing in the spring, which will be a bit of a change to my way of thinking about the English language arts classroom and the curriculum around it. Namely, it seems there will be a lot more creativity allowed in the class, which I am all for. This leads to a discussion around business practices, figuring out the best path forward for you as an individual, and how good things don’t simply fall from the sky but instead have to be chased after. We end the episode by talking about the editing process - namely Photoshop versus Lightroom - and how one can get to better know their photographs through that process.

LINKS

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join Our Patreon

Join The Discussion

Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership

CONNECT WITH BEN

Website: https://www.benhorne.com

CONNECT WITH CODY

Website: https://codyschultz.com

MUSIC

The Introvert by Michael Kobrin (licensed through Pixabay)

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission. Thanks.