Software updates have become a part of every digital photographers routine. Every time a new software update is announced, I look forward to new capabilities that will open up new ways to improve my images. So many times, however, the so-called "update" has more to do with making things easier than with making things possible.

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LW1514 - Where You Draw the Line

We are fast approaching that point where each of us need to draw the line about our involvement with AI and photography. Come to think of it, we may have already passed the line, at least for some of us. At what point do you call an AI generated image a fake? At what point does the involvement of AI mean the image is no longer artwork? No longer photography, no longer yours? What amount of AI are you willing to accept as you create your work? Culturally we are struggling with these issues, but individually we can make immediate decisions for ourselves about where we want to draw the line for our work

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Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.

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"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.

We've all heard that age-old maxim about creativity and "thinking outside the box." We are supposed to hear this exhortation relative to our unconscious habits. I would propose that the box we are supposed to get outside of is the camera itself. When I find myself thinking I've made a nice photograph, I know I need to let go of photography and remember that art is about LIFE, not our chosen medium of expression.

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How do these kinds of notions become so wide spread? If I owned a Steinway, would that make me an accomplished pianist? Would a fancier fountain pen make me a better novelist? Of course not. But then we often think a better camera might be the answer to improving our photographs — perpetuating the myth that the tool makes the image. If not a new camera, what should we do to improve our art? Answer: Finish more projects and study the history of art.

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In their candid moments, most any landscape photographer will admit that most of the world is not very photogenic. That's why we run off to the exotic locations of extraordinary beauty to make our photographs. We'll drive mile after boring mile to get to that national park scene or that overlook of majestic wonder. Why? Could it be that we photograph what we wish the world to be rather than the world as we find it all around us?

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There is a component to being a fine art photographer that is rooted in personal testament. Every photograph says, in part, "I was here, I existed, this is what I saw, this was important to me." The opposite is to attempt to be invisibly objective and let the subject speak for itself. I suppose both approaches are valid, but there is no question that the former requires a larger sense of ego. I have to confess that when I create art without ego seems to me to be illustration rather than artistic expression.

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I don't know an artist who doesn't feel, from time to time, a touch of futility. An image fails to live up to our wishes. We look at that stack of unsold photographs diligently stored in our closets. Rejection from publication — this could be a lengthy list, indeed. It's at these times when I try to remember why I do photography: for the experience, not the results. In this regard, photography is more a hedonistic relation to life than it is a means of manufacture.

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What is the most important thing you look for when choosing a camera? Megapixels? Price? Ergonomics? Features? Portability? Weight? Brand? What if I were to suggest that you first choose the lens(es) and then the camera that can use those lenses? Even weirder than that, I once chose my cameras based on the LCD screen!

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Of course you worked hard to make that wonderful photograph! It takes time, energy, money, effort, and even sacrifice to make a photograph. Unfortunately, none of our struggles are important to others as they look at the results of our blood, sweat, and tears. Whenever I hear a photographer drone on about how hard they had to work at it, the more it sounds like whining.

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Nothing damages a project so thoroughly as trying to say too much. It's far better to say a small thing well rather than a huge thing poorly. This is a good idea to keep in mind when defining your project boundaries. Here are two examples.

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