I have 200,000 digital captures in my Lightroom catalog. Does that mean I have 200,000 pieces of artwork? Of course not. So I ask you, precisely, at what point in the process does the digital capture transmogrify into artwork? When you finish processing the image? When you make a print? When you use the image in a PDF? When you say, Quod Erat Faciendum (It is finished)?

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1481 - Every Picture Is a Compromise

I think I'm remembering this correctly that it was Pablo Picasso who said the trick and painting is knowing when to stop. Obviously, the same sentiment applies equally well to photography. The question I'm still trying to answer is not about knowing when to stop with a given image, but knowing when to stop with a given project.

All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content.

Sign up for instant access!

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

and...

"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.

I think I'm remembering this correctly that it was Pablo Picasso who said the trick and painting is knowing when to stop. Obviously, the same sentiment applies equally well to photography. The question I'm still trying to answer is not about knowing when to stop with a given image, but knowing when to stop with a given project.

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

Edward Weston's famous photograph, Pepper #30, has always intrigued me. It's a beautiful image, but to be honest I'm less fascinated with the image itself than I am with the idea that there were 29 antecedents that he, for one reason or another, rejected. And is there a pepper number 31?

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

I'll bet that most of you, from time to time, watch the bonus features after you've finished watching the movie. Or perhaps you watch the director's cut with commentary from behind the scenes. Is there any reason why we still photographers couldn't use this idea with our projects? After the last image in a PDF, for example, why not have bonus images for people who want more?

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

How many different genres of music are there? Beyond that, each song has its own mood. Beyond that, the same song can be performed in different ways. Aren't we just as creative as the musicians? Why, then, do so many photos look the same, that is have the same aesthetic? Perhaps we need to let go of what an image should look like and think more about what it could look like.

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

A couple of days ago, I received three "zines" in the mail that came from a LensWork reader. They were lovely and I enjoyed her photography a great deal. They were very close in physical dimensions to my 6R chapbooks. This got me thinking about what's the difference between commercially printed zine and a handmade chapbook. Is it as simple as one is disposable and the other is collectible? I'm not sure about this.

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

Caravaggio, the Italian painter from the 16th century, is well known for his use of a technique called "foreshortening." Today we would call it " focus stacking." It's curious to me that this view of the world is impossible for the human eye. Essentially, Caravaggio had to ignore his eyes and what he saw in order to paint using this technique that seems so real.

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

Yes, lens sharpness, stabilization techniques, and resolution all add to build a sharp image. As a pragmatic photographer, however, I can't help but observe and admit that the most important way to increase apparent sharpness is to use the angle of incidence between the light source and the subject that maximizes visible contrast and detail. Light that strikes the subject at an extremely low angle does more to increase detail than buying a sharper lens.

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

I've thought for years that photographers often think about tones exactly backwards. There are lots of photographic gurus who preach that we must pay special attention to the light. Early in my dark room days, it seemed obvious to me that we don't create a print by adding light to the paper, that instead we start with white paper and add shadows. Photography is supposedly "light writing" but getting the blacks right is what we actually do.

Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!