Photography Clips

Discussion of good images and bad often led to talks about gear. Gear isn’t what makes the image. It’s just a tool. Join me the next time as I talk about the mind behind the image and what makes it good.

Show Notes: 
https://moneymakerphotography.com/finding-ways-around-physical-limitations/ 

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As photographers, we are on a never-ending quest to create something new and unusual. After so many years of taking photos, you more than likely have terabytes of archived raw files or boxes upon boxes of negatives – most of which you haven’t looked at in years. Even those photos that we once chose as our favorites are sometimes buried under a wave of new, exciting images.

At some point, though, we all need to go back to our photographic roots. When you next have the chance, sit down to browse your old images. Go back and take new photos of old subjects. Simply examining the contrast between your new work and the old will prove to be a wonderful learning experience, and you may find that your archives are packed with hidden gems and surprising sources of inspiration.

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Once you’ve judged your image for technical and artistic quality, the final step is to evaluate the photo’s emotional impact. First, ask yourself: Will other people find something of emotional value in this image? For instance, a photo of your husband or wife will always be meaningful to you. To a complete stranger, however, the image may have little or no meaning.

Another way to create emotion is to tell a story with your images. A photo of someone riding a horse will have more of an emotional impact than a horse just standing and looking at the camera. That is because the action in the first image will invite your audience to examine your image to learn more. Why is the person riding the horse? Where are they going?

There is also a third point to consider: Sometimes photos are created, not for emotional impact, but for beauty’s sake alone. If that is the case, then make a list of the elements that make your image beautiful. The longer your list is, the more likely it is that someone else will find your image beautiful, too.

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What is the photographer’s voice? And more importantly, what does it mean to express that voice? In today’s episode, share a short essay that I wrote in art school that gives some of my thoughts on the matter.

Show Notes: 
https://moneymakerphotography.com/the-photographers-voice

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To critique your own work, you first need to develop a system for looking at your work from a fresh perspective. I usually find that the best way to do this is to simply walk away from the computer. Leave your images alone for a day, a week or however long it takes for you to forget some of the finer details of the image. Once you’ve “slept on it,” so to speak, some of the luster will have worn away and you’ll be able to look at your images with a much more objective eye.

Printing your images, or having a professional print them, is another great way to look at your images from a different perspective. We are all so used to seeing our photos on a digital screen that, when presented with prints of our images, the difference is sometimes jarring. You’ll find that the printed photos often have more nuanced colors and a higher dynamic range. Sometimes even the texture of the photo paper adds its own character to your image.

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Photography projects are a lot of work, often spanning weeks, months or years to complete. And, you’ll find lots of tips on how to plan and structure your project — the gear that you’ll need, the list of shots that you need to remember to take, the storytelling aspects of a project. If you page through my blog, you’ll even find advice on some of these topics.

All of these things could be considered the mechanical side of the project: What you will do when you will do it and with what tools. There is a whole other side to planning a photography project, one that should be considered at the outset of the project and, in part, should be undertaken as you work through each of the project’s steps. This is more the theoretical side of things, or, I suppose, you could say, the artistic side, since most of the planning tips that I will outline here deal with creativity in one way or another. Take a look at the following thoughts — perhaps they will help you as you plan your own photography projects!

Show Notes: 
https://moneymakerphotography.com/tips-for-planning-a-photography-project 

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We all have lots of old ideas laying around in the form of handwritten notes or archives. Today, I’ll share some thoughts that may help you use some of those ideas in your photography.

Show Notes:
https://moneymakerphotography.com/working-with-the-ideas-youve-already-had/

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If you’ve ever been to mid-range or high-end galleries, then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The cost of a photographic print is sometimes astronomical, unaffordable to all but the wealthiest people. Sometimes costs will be $1,000 or $3,000 or more, and even at the lower end of the range, costs around $500 can make it so that you may buy a piece once in a very, very great while, if at all.

Sometimes the costs are tied to the name of the photographer, with famous photographers often getting much higher prices for their work. Other times, the costs are simply what the artist and gallery feel the work is worth, or what is needed to pay the high costs of producing and marketing it. The images aren’t necessarily artistically better than less expensive pieces of art, although there are instances of groundbreaking artistic vision.

So, with the cost of prints so astronomically high, how can you enjoy them at an affordable price tag? My answer is to go out in search of local artists. Number one, local artists certainly need the support of their communities in order to keep producing their work. Two, you’ll find local art that is often just as beautiful and thought-provoking as the expensive stuff, but priced more reasonably. Here are a few places to check:

Look for local artist’s cooperatives. These are businesses co-owned by all of the artists involved, so they have a vested interest in bringing art to their communities that sells. Go to art shows. This is where you’ll find a lot of up-and-coming photographers looking to make their way in the world through print sales.

Small-time galleries will often have great photographs at much more reasonable prices than high-end galleries who spend much more money on advertising and overhead.
Check out the images at locally owned coffee shops and restaurants. Often, artists will ask the business owners if they can hang their prints up on the walls, and in cases like this, the prints are usually for sale.

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The Rookery is one of the most recognizable office buildings in Chicago, and for good reason. Join me today as we look at this beautiful building and learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright.

Show Notes:
https://moneymakerphotography.com/the-great-artists-frank-lloyd-wright-the-rookery/

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Seeing something new in a subject that has been photographed thousands of times takes an incredible depth of knowledge about that subject. Let’s say that you’re in the woods, and you’ve found a rushing stream that you’d like to photograph. Before pressing the shutter, find a nice rock or log and sit down. Spend time – an hour, a day or however much time you have – just taking in your surroundings.

Listen to the sounds of the stream, the wind in the trees and the fleeting birdsong around you. Take in the fresh scents and examine how they make you feel about the scene before you. Watch the water playing over rocks or swirling around tree roots. Touch tree bark, rocks, and foliage to get a feel for the myriad textures in this vista. Enjoy the colors you find and take the time to look for contrasts between light and dark. Once you’ve studied all the elements at play before you, then you can start looking for the image within them. With luck, you’ll have found something about the scene that no one else has noticed.

But what if your subject is a person? To create a portrait, you need the same intimate knowledge of your subject, but the acquisition of that knowledge comes a bit differently. You’ll want to spend time talking with your subject and getting to know them on a personal level – not only to help them feel more comfortable in front of your lens but also to get a sense of your subject’s personality so that you can bring it out in your images.

Sometimes, though, there just isn’t time to become acquainted with your subject. Take, for example, event photography or wedding photography. It’s impossible to learn all about the entire wedding party – let alone the guests – prior to the big event. To create artistic images of those sudden special moments, you’ll need to practice on someone else. The best way to do this is to watch other people. Go to a public place like a park or mall and simply watch how people interact with each other. Before long, you’ll be able to pick out those fleeting moments and turn them into works of art.

To learn more photography tips, visit 
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