I’ve been pondering a deceptively simple question: What makes a photograph good as part of my book club this month? But, before diving into that, a couple of quick announcements! I’ve got some new workshops lined up in 2027 at Badlands, Adventures in the Palouse, and the Oregon Coast and Redwoods. Check out the details on my website. Plus, I’ll be teaching a masterclass called “The Landscape is Language” at the Photographic Center Northwest in November 2026.

As for the topic of episode 596, the source of this question comes from re-reading The View from the Studio Door by Ted Orland. In the section Art & Society, Ted comes up with an interesting answer that we will get to at the end of the podcast. Sure, the what is a good photography questionseems like it should have a straightforward answer. We could list out a bunch of qualities: composition, light, color, timing, technical skill, originality, emotion. Maybe a photo resonates because it communicates something important or makes us pause and reflect. So, what are we really talking about when we say a photograph is good?

First off, we need to distinguish between “good” and “beautiful.” A photograph can be stunning without really offering much depth. Gorgeous light, perfect composition, beautiful colors—sure, but does it say anything? Conversely, a photograph can be rough around the edges but still pack an emotional punch. 

First off, we need to distinguish between “good” and “beautiful.” A photograph can be stunning without really offering much depth. Gorgeous light, perfect composition, beautiful colors—sure, but does it say anything? Conversely, a photograph can be rough around the edges but still pack an emotional punch.

Who determines what makes a photograph good? Is it because I like it? A critic? Other photographers? Does it matter if it’s hanging in a museum or selling at auction? Or is it simply about whether the creator feels they achieved what they set out to do? The more I reflect, the more I realize there isn’t a universal standard for art—and maybe that’s just fine.

What if we judged the “goodness” of a photograph by its impact?

– Does it make me stop?

– Does it hold my gaze?

– Does it shift my perspective?

– Does it make me uncomfortable or curious?

– Does it inspire creativity in me?

Suppose I take a photograph that falls flat. You have them too. You know the ones with bad composition, poor lighting, missing the mark entirely. On its own, it might not see the light of day. But what if that photo leads me to create ten better ones? What if it highlights what I don’t want in my work or points me toward an unexpected direction? Does that still make it a bad photograph? Aesthetically, sure. Creatively, it could be invaluable.

It makes me wonder if we’re sometimes asking the wrong questions about art. Instead of “Is this good?” maybe we should be asking, “What did this make possible?”

I feel like photographers can get caught up in the notion that their work is a collection of standalone images. You make a picture, then another, and it’s easy to obsess over which ones are the “good” ones. But that’s not really how creativity works. It is a journey for us to follow, and the most important photographs aren’t necessarily the strongest ones; it might be the one that reshapes everything that follows

Ted Orland has this concept I keep returning to: a piece of work can be deemed good if it helps you move toward the next piece. I love this idea because it eases the pressure on each photograph. It doesn’t have to be the final say; it can be a question, an experiment, or even a failure.

Welcome to episode 595 of the Perceptive Photographer. This week, we are exploring the importance of asking questions about our work—not questions related to critique or the meaning of our completed images, but rather questions we consider before taking the shot.

I hypothesize that the questions we ask play a crucial role in shaping the central theme of the image. If we prioritize technical elements and settings over feelings or storytelling, the final image may feel off in its narrative. This disconnect occurs because we focused on the wrong aspects when creating the photograph.

When we make a photograph, there is a lot happening in our minds. If we concentrate on the wrong elements, that focus may not be conveyed effectively. However, this doesn’t mean that all elements aren’t important; they are. Composition, technique, emotion, and storytelling all matter. Ultimately, it comes down to determining which of these elements you want to prioritize in your work.

In this episode of The Perceptive Photographer (number 594), I return back to dig a little deeper into one of the most common pieces of creative advice: know your audience. Your audience is not your starting point. Your audience is the people who see themselves in the work you made that began with your act of seeing and sharing something more universal than just here is a picture of a thing. The more clearly you understand what you’re exploring through photography, the easier it becomes for the right audience to find and value your work. Finding your audience is about expressing what really matters to you with enough clarity, honesty, sincerity and , lets me honest here, craftsmanship that others recognize something of themselves in your work. The next time you pick up your camera, instead of asking, ‘Will anyone like this photograph?’ ask, ‘What question am I trying to answer?’ You may discover that the audience you’re looking for has been waiting for someone willing to ask that same question.

Just got back from several weeks on the road. the studio is a mess. the dog has to get a tooth pulled that she broke on the road trip, but it was great to see family. All that is to say that things are crazy here at the old studio. but that doesn’t mean we don’t to the podcast. So, in this week’s episode of The Perceptive Photographer, I dig into two big ideas that can impact your photography: who you invite to critique your work, and what it really means to “see” as a photographer.

I have heard this a few times over the past few months so I wanted to talk a little about it this week. That idea is the belief that feedback should come exclusively from those within the same genre. For example, landscape photographers often seek critiques from fellow landscape artists. However, this approach can be limiting. If someone already shares your knowledge and perspective, they may not offer fresh insights. Seeking feedback from diverse art forms can unlock new ideas and perspectives that challenge your usual way of seeing.

Consider, too, those who might not even identify as photographers. Legendary photo editors and publishers often lack a formal photography background yet possess a keen understanding of what makes an impactful image and more than photographers can they are amazing at recognizing the nuances of light, composition, and storytelling. Critiques can be incredibly valuable when they focus on the essence of what resonates in an image rather than genre-specific “guidelines” or “rules”.

The second thing I wanted to talk about was how we approach and talk about the act of “seeing” in photography. for many of us, our initial feelings about an image in the field differ from how we perceive it in post-editing or years later. Seeing isn’t just a one-time event. Seeing is actually an action. It’s something we do. It’s something we engage with. It’s not a passive response.

“Photography is about seeing. And to be a good photographer, we need to be engaged in the act of seeing.”

Starting a new mini-podcast within a podcast this month on the way we see. Episode one is focused on silence. I mean, really, what does silence look like? Can we photograph it? Exploring this can empower you to see with fresh eyes and inspire your artistic practice.
Sure, we might instinctively understand silence as the absence of sound, but photography requires us to think about it. We really have to think about how an image can be silent. Once we get our head around that idea, it is easier to see that some photographs seem to whisper while others seem to yell. That difference has little to do with where they were made and everything to do with how they were seen.
So in this episode of the podcast, I dig into when you live in a world filled with noise, and I don’t just mean audible noise, but visual noise too. How do we overcome the noise to make better images? Practicing mindful observation helps you cut through the clutter and find the quiet in your frame, making your images calmer and more deliberate.
Silence lives in our compositions, and the use of negative space, soft light, and other notions of stillness. Be it a lone tree in morning fog or an empty street before sunrise, the goal is to have nothing fighting for your attention; the photograph lingers.
Working with silence is often less about finding the perfect scene and more about slowing down enough to see. Instead of asking, “What photograph can I make here?” try asking, “What is this place trying to say?” I think one of the greatest aspects of silence is that it teaches patience and restraint. The strongest images are not always the first ones, and sometimes we have to think hard about what to remove from the frame to make a photograph work.
In a world constantly demanding our attention, perhaps the most meaningful photographs are those that encourage us to slow down. Maybe silence isn’t the absence of something at all. Maybe it’s the space where our perception begins.

I am out on the road this week so just a quick note on the podcast. I hope you enjoy it. I have been driving across Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota so seeing lots of plateaus, but I digress from the topic of the week.

A creative plateau is that strange phase where progress feels stagnant. You’re not getting worse, but it feels like you’re also not getting any better. It’s like hiking. There are flat stretches where you can’t see the summit, yet you’re still on your way there, just on a less steep path. so in this episode we dig into those long flat stretches that are in many ways my favorite parts of a hike.

The great part of creative plateau can be valuable because it slows you down, strengthens discipline, reveals repetitive habits, encourages experimentation, and reconnects you with the deeper reasons you enjoy photography, such as curiosity and storytelling. At the same time, plateaus can bring self-doubt, frustration, unnecessary and unhelpful comparisons with others, or a tendency to blame equipment or technique. For some of us, we might even find a temporary loss of excitement, It is important to rememmber that these are a normal part of creative growth. Rather than signaling failure, a plateau is often a sign that your artistic vision is evolving and an opportunity to develop new skills, perspectives, and habits.

Ultimately, creative plateaus are part of your growth as a photographer. Embrace them, and you’ll find new paths to explore.

Have you ever looked at two versions of a photograph where one is technically clean and the other one a little rough around the edges. For some reason, you feel something pull you toward the scruffy one. It drives you crazy because you can’t explain it and put words to why? Well for this weeks podcast we are going to dig in a talk about that and how to sit with that feeling.

In my practice and in helping others I see us spend a lot of time learning to justify our choices. Composition, exposure, light direction, timing all comes with vocabulary and frameworks that let us explain what we did and why. Sure I like to know all that, but there’s a quieter voice underneath. A voice that responds before the analytical mind catches up. It’s the part of you that knows an image works before you understand how. It’s your instinct.

Instinct isn’t mystical. It’s more of a super fast compressed process where the thousands of visual decisions you’ve absorbed and cataloged show up. The problem is we’ve been worked over to not trust that intuition. Social media rewards certain aesthetics. Portfolio reviews push us toward legibility. Mentors see through their own eyes, not ours. Almost without noticing, we give up our taste to external feedback loops.

In this episode, I hope that we can get to some reasons and talk about what happens when logic interrogates intuition. I also offer up three practices that have helped me build trust with that quieter part of my seeing: shooting without immediate review to stay connected, setting aside low-stakes time for experimentation where failure is the point, and learning to articulate choices after the fact rather than rationalizing them.

Instincts aren’t broken but rather they sharpen with reflection. They deepens with repetition. And the more you learn to listen to it, even when you can’t yet explain what it’s saying, the more your work starts to feel like yours.

so head out and notice one moment where your gut reacts before your mind can explain it. Honor that reaction in some tangible way. Then come back to it after a few days and see what you notice.

Have a great week

Daniel

Hey all. We are up to episode 589 of the Perceptive Photographer. This week, we are going to talk about how nothing is ever wasted in the creative process.
I think one of the most damaging ideas for artists and photographers is the belief that every effort must produce a successful result. We head out with our cameras, hoping for great light, compelling subjects, and portfolio-worthy images. When those expectations aren’t met, it’s easy to label the experience a failure.

But creative practice doesn’t work that way. Every frame, every mistake, every abandoned idea or project adds to our growth and journey. The value of an experience shouldn’t ever be only measured by the images we bring home. There is a deep value in what we learn along the way.

A failed photograph can teach us more than a successful one. It reveals weaknesses in our timing, composition, or observation. It helps us recognize patterns and refine our approach.

What appears to be a mistake today often becomes a lesson that strengthens future work. The same is true of unfinished projects and creative detours. We might learn that a project long forgotten or abandoned years ago eventually becomes our favorite thing to work on. I know that, for me, subjects, themes, and questions often remain hidden until I am ready to explore them more fully. What once seemed like a dead end may have been preparation for the next stage of development.

I like to think of creativity as a form of composting. Experiences, experiments, successes, and failures all accumulate over time. I like to think about it as compost for the garden. We add in all sorts of things that we don’t want, but they break down, transform, and eventually nourish new work. The process is rarely immediate, but it is always active.
Sure, we might be someone whose photograph are never shown, printed, or shared outsound our own eyeballs. But, the act of seeing, exploring, and engaging with the world shapes us and refines us. In that sense, every creative effort matters. Nothing is wasted. It all becomes part of the photographer you are becoming.

Before we dive into this week’s episode (number 588, btw), just a quick reminder: two spots are still available in the Photo Book Club—Click on the link under the workshop menu for more details. 

This week, the inspiration for this episode came from the book we are reading for the book club — Robert Adams’s Why People Photograph. But before we dig into our topic. We lost two great photographers this past week. Both Duane Michals and David Hockney passed away. Duane pushed photography into the realms of narrative, imagination, and personal expression, and reminded us that photographs could ask questions rather than provide answers. David said he took pictures (30,000) from time to time, and he continually encouraged us to reconsider how we see and work with ideas as complex and dynamic rather than as frozen moments. While they will be missed, we have such a great archive of their work. If you haven’t looked at their work, it’s worth your time. 

Our main topic for the week is about those exact moments of the shutter clicking. For many, photography is something we do almost automatically. Cameras are always within reach, and images are made billions of times a day. Yet beneath every photograph lies a simple question: Why did we choose to photograph that particular moment?

In this episode, I explore some of the ideas behind the why of our photographs. For some of us, photography begins with attention. Before there is a photograph, there is an act of noticing. Something in the world captures our interest, interrupts our routine, and asks us to pause. The camera becomes a way to acknowledge that moment.

We might photograph to remember, but photographs aren’t records of the past. They become memory triggers, opening doors to experiences, emotions, and stories that often fade or are forgotten. 

We also photograph to understand who we are and the world we live in. The camera allows us to investigate the world, ask questions, and discover meanings we might have overlooked. It allows us to push back when things aren’t right and celebrate what is good.

Maybe our photographs reveal something about who we are. The subjects we return to, the moments that move us, and the scenes that capture our attention all provide clues about what we value and how we see the world, all acting like a form of self-portraiture. 

Ultimately, photography may not be about collecting images at all. It may be about collecting these moments and places of attention and creating a deeper connection to the world around us.

Before getting into today’s episode, I want to acknowledge the passing of Jeff Schewe. Jeff’s contributions to the photographic community were immense, and his passion for the craft touched countless photographers worldwide. I learned so much about printing and processing from Jeff. He will be deeply missed, and my thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone whose life he influenced through his teaching and work.
On a happier note, congratulations to Makeda Best, who recently stepped into a wonderful new role as the photo curator at the MOMA. I can’t wait to see the programming, exhibitions and content that the photo department puts out under Makeda’s watch. She has a great background and has curated several really interesting projects and exhibitions in the past. 
As for today’s podcast topic, we are exploring a simple idea: the photographs we almost make are, in some ways, one of our greatest barriers to our true work. Most photographers think their biggest mistakes happen after pressing the shutter, things like exposure errors, missed focus, or weak composition. But the greatest loss is the image we never make at all. We see something interesting, pause for a moment, and then let hesitation talk us out of taking the photograph.
My biggest issue is that I sometimes expect something better down the road. For Others, we’re uncertain whether the scene is worth photographing. Sometimes we’re distracted. Whatever the reason, the moment passes, and the photograph exists only in memory.
This week, I’ll explore why hesitation may cost us more images than technical mistakes and how learning to trust our curiosity can lead to richer photographic experiences. After all, some of our favorite photographs are often the ones we almost walked past.
Thanks for listening, and as always, keep seeing the world through your images as gifts that keep giving.