The Perceptive Photographer

In this Episode

After last week's topic, I got to thinking about a book from Atul  Gawande called the Checklist Manifesto (affiliate link). If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, the book deals with how a checklist can be used to make sure that we are more successful in accomplishing our task. The checklist is more than a to-do list; it is really about making sure we can do all the thing necessary to mitigate risk and increase our effectiveness. In Atul's research, he found a couple of interesting things. The first is that we have two types of information. Things we don't know and the things that we know, but just don't do. The checklist is all about dealing with what we do know and just don't do. He also found that people don't want to do checklist because they think they are too smart for a checklist, what they do is too complex or that the checklist makes the work too ridged.

Over the years I got to making some checklist for my photography. They provide great structure to help me with everything from packing to printing. In this podcast, we take a look at how using checklist can help you not just stay organized but also how they might be able to help you have the freedom to unlock your creative energy.

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes and have you take a few minutes to do a quick review, it can help others learn about the show.

In this Episode

I was recently speaking with my brother, and we got to laughing about how if you look at all the options on the Taco Bell menu, they are basically created with seven ingredients. I got to thinking about how to apply food and photography together. At its most basic, there is not a lot to a photograph, the frame, composition, light, color, gesture, time, etc., but yet there is an infinite number of images that can be created.  As I thought more and more about that notion, I realized that how we think and deal with our food is a lot like photography. We have quick shots that don't really stay with us as memorable (fast food), we have places we like to eat and love the consistency and value (chain restaurants) and then the finer dining or smaller places that make really good food. As we work on our photographs, I think we sort of can put them in similar buckets. This classification can help us better understand our images, our voice, and our style since not every image has to be a four-start restaurant.

I also got to thinking about how we cook at home and how our understanding of baking, cooking and recipes impacts the food we make.  There are times when you need to follow the recipe or the cake doesn't work, and other times the recipe calls for more seasoning to taste. Photography is a lot like that. There are times when following the recipe makes sense and other times, adding your own flavors makes the photograph your own. I also think there is huge value in applying the skill or recipe writing to your photography. Making a list of what was done, in what proportion and the order things are done can really impact what you get in the camera. Having taken the time to write it down and understand what happens when you put the photograph ingredients together could be a big shift in your work.

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes and have you take a few minutes to do a quick review, it can help others learn about the show.

In this Episode

I was recently speaking with my brother, and we got to laughing about how if you look at all the options on the Taco Bell menu, they are basically created with seven ingredients. I got to thinking about how to apply food and photography together. At its most basic, there is not a lot to a photograph, the frame, composition, light, color, gesture, time, etc., but yet there is an infinite number of images that can be created.  As I thought more and more about that notion, I realized that how we think and deal with our food is a lot like photography. We have quick shots that don't really stay with us as memorable (fast food), we have places we like to eat and love the consistency and value (chain restaurants) and then the finer dining or smaller places that make really good food. As we work on our photographs, I think we sort of can put them in similar buckets. This classification can help us better understand our images, our voice, and our style since not every image has to be a four-start restaurant.

I also got to thinking about how we cook at home and how our understanding of baking, cooking and recipes impacts the food we make.  There are times when you need to follow the recipe or the cake doesn't work, and other times the recipe calls for more seasoning to taste. Photography is a lot like that. There are times when following the recipe makes sense and other times, adding your own flavors makes the photograph your own. I also think there is huge value in applying the skill or recipe writing to your photography. Making a list of what was done, in what proportion and the order things are done can really impact what you get in the camera. Having taken the time to write it down and understand what happens when you put the photograph ingredients together could be a big shift in your work.

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes and have you take a few minutes to do a quick review, it can help others learn about the show.

In this Episode

In this episode of the Perceptive Photographer we take a look at the influence of Galen Rowell. Galen was a gifted climber, mountaineer, and photographer. He spent a great deal of time in the Sierra Nevada range where he recorded over 100 first ascents. He also holds several other climbing records. He began working as a full-time photographer in his early 30s working for National Geographic. In addition to his amazing career as a photographer, he was also a very talented writer. In 2001, he released a book. The Inner Game of Outdoor Photography* which was an updated collection of his essays from Outdoor Photographer magainze.

The essays in the book, along with the images, showcase the best of Galen. Not only do we get practical insights into the skills, techniques, and experiences as an outdoor photographer but is also a wonderful insight into what it takes to create "visionary imagery." Over the course of my journey as a photographer, I have returned again and again to Galen's teachings. He had such a great way to articulate about the art and science of photography.

Galen, along with his wife and a few friends, died in a plane crash in 2002. I had always wanted to meet Galen and get a chance to talk about his work, life, and love of photography. When he passed, I created a bucket list of photographers I wanted to meet. While the list isn't complete, I have had a chance to meet, share and learn from so many great photographers. In many ways, Galen's death pushed me to never wait to reach out because as amazing as life is, it can also be so short.

If you haven't checked out Galen's book it is worth picking up. Even if you don't do landscape and outdoor photography, you can learn a lot. You can get a copy of the book here on Amazon (*affiliate link).

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes and have you take a few minutes to do a quick review, it can help others learn about the show.

In this Episode

In this episode of the Perceptive Photographer we take a look at the influence of Galen Rowell. Galen was a gifted climber, mountaineer, and photographer. He spent a great deal of time in the Sierra Nevada range where he recorded over 100 first ascents. He also holds several other climbing records. He began working as a full-time photographer in his early 30s working for National Geographic. In addition to his amazing career as a photographer, he was also a very talented writer. In 2001, he released a book. The Inner Game of Outdoor Photography* which was an updated collection of his essays from Outdoor Photographer magainze.

The essays in the book, along with the images, showcase the best of Galen. Not only do we get practical insights into the skills, techniques, and experiences as an outdoor photographer but is also a wonderful insight into what it takes to create “visionary imagery.” Over the course of my journey as a photographer, I have returned again and again to Galen’s teachings. He had such a great way to articulate about the art and science of photography.

Galen, along with his wife and a few friends, died in a plane crash in 2002. I had always wanted to meet Galen and get a chance to talk about his work, life, and love of photography. When he passed, I created a bucket list of photographers I wanted to meet. While the list isn’t complete, I have had a chance to meet, share and learn from so many great photographers. In many ways, Galen’s death pushed me to never wait to reach out because as amazing as life is, it can also be so short.

If you haven’t checked out Galen’s book it is worth picking up. Even if you don’t do landscape and outdoor photography, you can learn a lot. You can get a copy of the book here on Amazon (*affiliate link).

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes and have you take a few minutes to do a quick review, it can help others learn about the show.

In this Episode

"Each time Andre Kertész's shutter clicks, I feel his heart beating." Henri Cartier-Bresson

In this week episode, we take a quick look at the influence of André Kertész and his work on my own. I was aware of André Kertész's work early on in my photographic studies, but it was a trip to the LA MOMA that really introduced me to his amazing sense of seeing, composition and feeling. Over the years, I have returned to his work over and over again trying to find ways to better connect to my own simple, emotionally filled work.

Born in Hungary in 1894, his career spanned seven decades. From his earliest work as a kid in the streets of Budapest to Paris to New York, there was always something pulling at the experiences of life that could be seen in Andre's images. As you spend time looking at his work, you can see not only his sense of design, form, and geometry, but you can also see how he overlayered his own emotion subtext to the work. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from Andre that I feel summarize why his approach is worth studying.

"I do what I feel, that's all, I am an ordinary photographer working for his own pleasure. That's all I've ever done."

"Seeing is not enough; you have to feel what you photograph."

"I do not document anything, I give an interpretation."

A photograph draws its beauty from the truth with which it is marked. For this very reason, I refuse all the tricks of the trade and professional virtuosity which could make me betray my canon. As soon as I find a subject which interests me, I leave it to the lens to record truthfully."

"Technique isn't important. Technique is in the blood. Events and mood are more important than good light and the happening is what is important."

I encourage you to go out and spend time with your own influences and see how their lives, photographs,  and words have impacted you and your work. You might find even more inspiration when you get to know more about the person who created the photographs you admire the most. As you create more and more work, you might be surprised at how the technical influences fall to the side and the content and emtioanl influences creep into your images.

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes, I would love to hear some feedback or have you take a few minutes for you to do a quick review up on iTunes it can help others learn about the show.

In this Episode

“Each time Andre Kertész’s shutter clicks, I feel his heart beating.” Henri Cartier-Bresson

In this week episode, we take a quick look at the influence of André Kertész and his work on my own. I was aware of André Kertész’s work early on in my photographic studies, but it was a trip to the LA MOMA that really introduced me to his amazing sense of seeing, composition and feeling. Over the years, I have returned to his work over and over again trying to find ways to better connect to my own simple, emotionally filled work.

Born in Hungary in 1894, his career spanned seven decades. From his earliest work as a kid in the streets of Budapest to Paris to New York, there was always something pulling at the experiences of life that could be seen in Andre’s images. As you spend time looking at his work, you can see not only his sense of design, form, and geometry, but you can also see how he overlayered his own emotion subtext to the work. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from Andre that I feel summarize why his approach is worth studying.

“I do what I feel, that’s all, I am an ordinary photographer working for his own pleasure. That’s all I’ve ever done.”

“Seeing is not enough; you have to feel what you photograph.”

“I do not document anything, I give an interpretation.”

A photograph draws its beauty from the truth with which it is marked. For this very reason, I refuse all the tricks of the trade and professional virtuosity which could make me betray my canon. As soon as I find a subject which interests me, I leave it to the lens to record truthfully.”

“Technique isn’t important. Technique is in the blood. Events and mood are more important than good light and the happening is what is important.”

I encourage you to go out and spend time with your own influences and see how their lives, photographs,  and words have impacted you and your work. You might find even more inspiration when you get to know more about the person who created the photographs you admire the most. As you create more and more work, you might be surprised at how the technical influences fall to the side and the content and emtioanl influences creep into your images.

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes, I would love to hear some feedback or have you take a few minutes for you to do a quick review up on iTunes it can help others learn about the show.

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In this Episode

Well I am in Las Vegas this week for Photoshop World so come find me if you are hanging around Mandalay Bay for PSW2016. As I was packing for the conference I came across a notebook from a prior life when I was dealing with marketing. In that notebook was some work that I had done with a firm on the 30-second pitch, 2 minute pitch and tagline/slogan work. As I looked over that work, grateful that I no longer do that full-time, I realized how important that work is to photography. There is huge power in being able to tell someone in a few words or a few minutes what your work is about. Making your language around what you do as a photographer clear, simple and cohesive has the ability to not only help you communicate to others but can also help you gain some clarity in making more simple and effective images.

I also had to pack for the trip, and much like the 30-second pitch, I realized that simplifying the camera bag, camera options and lenses can be a great exercise. You have to think about how you are going to see the world and what you will need to achieve that vision. Keeping your vision simple, keeping your words simple will likely lead to more effective images.

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes, I would love to hear some feedback or have you take a few minutes for you to do a quick review up on iTunes it can help others learn about the show.

In this Episode

Well I am in Las Vegas this week for Photoshop World so come find me if you are hanging around Mandalay Bay for PSW2016. As I was packing for the conference I came across a notebook from a prior life when I was dealing with marketing. In that notebook was some work that I had done with a firm on the 30-second pitch, 2 minute pitch and tagline/slogan work. As I looked over that work, grateful that I no longer do that full-time, I realized how important that work is to photography. There is huge power in being able to tell someone in a few words or a few minutes what your work is about. Making your language around what you do as a photographer clear, simple and cohesive has the ability to not only help you communicate to others but can also help you gain some clarity in making more simple and effective images.

I also had to pack for the trip, and much like the 30-second pitch, I realized that simplifying the camera bag, camera options and lenses can be a great exercise. You have to think about how you are going to see the world and what you will need to achieve that vision. Keeping your vision simple, keeping your words simple will likely lead to more effective images.

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes, I would love to hear some feedback or have you take a few minutes for you to do a quick review up on iTunes it can help others learn about the show.

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In this Episode

Looking at my own work, I realize that often times I see the same thing and photograph the same thing over and over again. While the subject and subject matter might change, for all intensive purposes the images are the same. I don't necessarily think this is bad or good, but in trying to understand why that might be happening I came across a couple of quotes. The first quote is by the wonderful photographer Edward Weston:

Why limit yourself to what your eyes see when you have the oppotunity to extend your vision?

The second quote is by Henry Thoreau

Many an object is not seen, though it falls within our range of visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray, i.e., we are not looking for it. So, in the largest sense, we find only the world we look for.

I think that is the challenge in photography is how do we expand our seeing and sense of seeing so that it is outside our intellectual ray. How does our time behind the camera, editing, and critiquing work build a bigger world to live in.

Photoshop World 2016

I an also so excited to be an instructor at Photoshop World 2016 this summer in Las Vegas. I am teaching four classes and I would love to see you down there this July. You can find more information over at www.photoshopworld.com.

If you subscribe to the Perceptive Photographer up on in iTunes, I would love to hear some feedback or have you take a few minutes for you to do a quick review up on iTunes it can help others learn about the show.