The Perceptive Photographer

There are many ways to learn things—some things in life we pick up pretty quickly, others not so much.

In today's podcast, I talk about how most of the time, the time we put into something offers more rewards than just the desired goal. The journey is, in fact, more important than the destination.

I got to thinking these past few weeks about what would happen if I lost my eyesight. What would that mean for my photography? What would it mean to make photographs and appreciating photographs? In this week's podcast, I talk a little bit about not being able to see could impact our photography and also how in some cases, it might make us better photographers because of how we would have to share what a photograph means in a much more complete way since we couldn't just rely on someone looking at it.

I have heard from several friends how every day in the pandemic seems to run together. Sort of a Groundhog Day effect. In this week's podcast, I dive into that notion of everything and every day being the same and how that can impact our approach to talking about our photography in a meaningful way. I also talk about the challenges of shifting our focus on what we talk about to celebrate the experiences of every photograph we look at.

This week's podcast takes a look at the impacts of how we react to events and information. When you hear someone talk about your photography, do you focus on the negative, which in turn makes everything negative, or do you focus on the positive? In the podcast, I talk about how your approach to that feedback can make all the difference in improving your work. I also talk about some strategies to help you focus on slowing down the experience so you can focus on what matters most to you.

If you ever take one of my classes or workshops, you will listen to me talk about reading the photograph. The idea of reading a photograph is just like reading a book. You have to slow down, take it in, process the work, and think about it.

This week's podcast breaks out the dustpan and broom. It is spring cleaning week. It is important to keep yourself organized and with sufficient space to be creative. With that in mind, this week we take a look at three easy places to do some spring cleaning in your photography practice to make some room for both the new and old ideas you might have around your photographic work.

This week's podcast is all about answering questions from podcast listeners. We tackle five questions that really got me thinking or were asked more than once. I hope you get something out of the answers and if you have any questions feel free to reach out and let me hear them.

Sometimes when we are working, it is easy to stick with what we are good at. We tend to think that we are meant to be doing it if we are good at something. However, being good at something doesn't mean that we enjoy something or should keep doing something. In this week's podcast, we talk about how sometimes we need to give up what we are good at in favor of doing what we're meant to do or really want to be doing.

This week's podcast takes a look at why we create. I believe that art, and by proxy photography, is best when it is personal. It is born out of our curiosity and desire to discover, learn, grown, process, and sort out how we fit in the world. When we make work from a place of self--understanding, it taps into a common thread across lots of people who have similar feelings and ideas. While made by a single click, our images allow us to connect as a community to more important questions we face in life about who and what we are. As you think about your work, if you find yourself doing work that does feel right or seems off, maybe you need to think about what is it about the work that is important to you. Be a little selfish in some way and appreciate that creativity and art sometimes work best when we focus first on who we are and who we are becoming.

Episode 311

Each one of us has a different level of patience when it comes to time. I think each of us has to answer how long I am willing to wait to get a great photograph? Often, I find that I might give up a little early or stay way too late in my work. The balance of time always seems a little off. In this week's podcast, we jump into the question about how long you are willing to wait to get that photograph. We look at the pros and cons of various approaches and the importance of setting up a framework before you go out with the camera. Knowing ahead of time how long you will wait might free you up a bit to enjoy your time out a little more without the clock ticking pressures.

As always, I hope you and yours are safe, and please remember to keep safe and wear your mask.