The Perceptive Photographer

This week we share in the sadness and impact of Jeff Schewe’s passing, a major loss to photography. We offer up some congrats to Makeda Best, new photo curator at MOMA! Finally we dig into and explore how hesitation can cost us great images.

Photographers often hear that they should "shoot with intention," and I mostly agree. But for today’s episode of The Perceptive Photographer (episode #586), I wanted to dig a little deeper. While some level of intention is always at play, we don’t always know what it is before picking up the camera. Often, we discover it later while editing, processing, or writing about our work. And importantly, intention doesn’t always start as a fully formed idea; sometimes it emerges gradually as we engage with the creative process.

In this episode of the podcast, 585, I talk about something that has come up in conversations several times over the past few weeks with different friends and colleagues: the challenge of photographing familiar places.

There’s a tendency in photography to believe the next great image exists somewhere else. So we travel to new cities, another country, or another landscape. We just want something new, but some of the most meaningful photographic work comes from returning to the same places over and over again until they begin to reveal something deeper.

In Episode 584 of The Perceptive Photographer, I explore how photography is fundamentally about creating connection. Photographs connect twice: first visually through composition, light, layering, and perspective, and then emotionally through meaning, memory, and shared experience. The strongest images are created when visual structure and emotional resonance support one another. At its best, photography becomes more than documentation; it becomes a bridge connecting the subject, the photographer, and the viewer through a shared moment of understanding.

On this week’s episode of The Perceptive Photographer, I explore how editing reveals the photographer behind the image. From cropping and contrast to color and mood, our processing choices shape emotional meaning and reflect personal perspective. Photography may document the world, but editing often becomes a quiet form of self-portraiture.

May the Fourth be with you. It's Star Wars day and there is a lot of of overlap between photography and Star Wars

I often say the camera doesn’t create meaning. We do. you have to learn to “Trust your feelings” . It's really about shifting how we see and embracing that way of seeing.

Light shapes everything. In Star Wars, Darth Vader lives in shadow while light carries hope and tension. Every frame tells a story and being present matters. Yoda tells us can’t force a photograph, but rather you have to notice it. It’s about the moment and mindfulness in front of you.

In the end, both photography and Star Wars are about learning to see and telling a meaningful story.

Welcome to episode 581 of the Perceptive Photographer. This week, I am sharing what I hope are five insightful suggestions to help you think differently about your work in your photography and deepen your creative practice. As I was digging into some new books, class prepping and thinking about some classic comedy and photographic techniques, I came up with five simple ideas for you to try out and see if it can jump start soemthnign in your work.

In this episode, I reflect on how easy it is to get lost in the technical side and why it’s so important to shift our focus back to what truly matters: our voice, our vision, and our story. I’ll talk about the value of studying our own work, learning from both successes and mistakes, and recognizing the hard and soft rules we set for ourselves in composition.

Welcome to episode 579 of the Perceptive Photographer. This week, we explore the unexpected connection between the distillation of alcohol and the art of photography. This idea came to me when I was thinking about a visit to a local distillery mean years ago. I was amazed how the process of removing impurities from spirits mirrors the photographic journey of refining images to their essential core.

Welcome to episode 578 of the Perceptive Photographer. In today’s show, I invited you to play a mental “what if” game. Specifically, what if nobody cared about what you care about in your photography? My hope is to challenge your assumptions about what really makes a photograph resonate with yourself and others.