The Perceptive Photographer

In this Episode

As I look at my own work and the work of others, I have been noticing that the better photographs have something in common. Each of the photographs has a good working background, midground and foreground. The photographer has taken the time to make sure that all the elements of the entire frame work together.

When we first start photographing, I believe that we focus on the subject or the object that we want to photograph. After a while, we might start to think about subject matter or how that subject is perceived in the frame. As we continue to work on our images we learn about framing, compositions and design guidelines that make images works. One of the final skills that I think develops in most photographs is the ability to use all the planes of a photograph to help convey meaning and story. Using various parts of the photograph to overlap, separate and relate various objects and aspects of the photograph is something that makes really great photographs stand out.

As you look at your own work, I encourage you to really evaluate in both your effective and non-effective images how do you use the various dimensions and planes in your image. Do they relate and help with the image or do they hinder the viewing of the image. After you have looked back at your old work, try to apply those skills in the field. Find a location where you can set up and frame, compose and use the planes of the image. Once you have the elements in the frame, wait for something dynamic to happen. I think that you will find that when your images share a good frame, composition and plane development that you just need to have some patience to make amazing photographs.

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.

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In this Episode

One of the questions I have been getting a lot lately is how you go about picking a paper to print your photographs on that will work best for the image. I think there are a few key elements to keep in mind as you think about paper and paper options for printing your images.

First off, if you haven't started printing your photographs you should. There are some things that can happen when you print your photos. First, you will see a commitment to your final image. You will have to place a stake in the ground that says I am doing playing with the tools, and this is my vision of the print. Printing also allows you to hold and see your print at a better viewing distance. This allows you to see and experience the work in a new way by creating different tonal, color and structure relationships.

Once you have decided to print there are hundreds of options available for printing. To help make things easier, I recommend that you consider a few key areas when selecting a paper type.

Paper Surface: The type of paper surface will shift how you see and experience the image. Matte papers will often offer more color gamut, but luster and glossy will have more saturation and contrast. You will need to decide what is the right look for your image.

Paper Weight: How heavy is the paper. Do you like a heavier or lighter weight paper?

Paper Texture: Is it smooth or does it have a lot of tooth? How does that change your experience of looking at the image?

Paper Color: The white of your image is only as white as the paper base so selecting an image with a creamy base versus a bright white base will change how you see highlights and contrast.

Paper Longevity. How long is the paper designed to last and be archival?

You will likely settle on a couple of types of paper for your images. You will likely have a matte and a luster/glossy paper. You might also have different papers for black and white versus color. You have to look at the papers that are out there and figure out what paper has the best feeling when you look at, touch and print. In the end, selecting a paper is as much about what looks and feels right as it is any measurable quality like brightness, weight, and texture. Get a bunch of sample and print on a variety of papers and you will quickly start to narrow down your printing paper options.

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.

In this Episode

One of the questions I have been getting a lot lately is how you go about picking a paper to print your photographs on that will work best for the image. I think there are a few key elements to keep in mind as you think about paper and paper options for printing your images.

First off, if you haven’t started printing your photographs you should. There are some things that can happen when you print your photos. First, you will see a commitment to your final image. You will have to place a stake in the ground that says I am doing playing with the tools, and this is my vision of the print. Printing also allows you to hold and see your print at a better viewing distance. This allows you to see and experience the work in a new way by creating different tonal, color and structure relationships.

Once you have decided to print there are hundreds of options available for printing. To help make things easier, I recommend that you consider a few key areas when selecting a paper type.

* Paper Surface: The type of paper surface will shift how you see and experience the image. Matte papers will often offer more color gamut, but luster and glossy will have more saturation and contrast. You will need to decide what is the right look for your image.

* Paper Weight: How heavy is the paper. Do you like a heavier or lighter weight paper?

* Paper Texture: Is it smooth or does it have a lot of tooth? How does that change your experience of looking at the image?

* Paper Color: The white of your image is only as white as the paper base so selecting an image with a creamy base versus a bright white base will change how you see highlights and contrast.

* Paper Longevity. How long is the paper designed to last and be archival?

You will likely settle on a couple of types of paper for your images. You will likely have a matte and a luster/glossy paper. You might also have different papers for black and white versus color. You have to look at the papers that are out there and figure out what paper has the best feeling when you look at, touch and print. In the end, selecting a paper is as much about what looks and feels right as it is any measurable quality like brightness, weight, and texture. Get a bunch of sample and print on a variety of papers and you will quickly start to narrow down your printing paper options.

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.

Twitter

In this Episode

In this week's podcast, I got to thinking about how creativity works in our lives. It is important to consider how creativity manifests itself in your everyday life. For myself, I find that when my creativity is low it is because I haven't created the necessary space to allow the creativity to emerge. In my own work, I have found that simple is always more. Getting more and more complicated in my work often leads to less creativity. I have also found that when my places of creativity are in disarray that my work is also in disarray. After listening to the podcast, I encourage you to think about your own creativity and how the spaces and places you feel most creative are pull together. Do you need clear and clean environments or the hustle and flow of a busy city? Does your desk need to be clean or messy? If you find that your creativity is off, I encourage you to look at what is filing your spaces with junk, noise and pollution and to do what you can to remove it. Find your simple, clean creative space.

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.

In this Episode

In this week’s podcast, I got to thinking about how creativity works in our lives. It is important to consider how creativity manifests itself in your everyday life. For myself, I find that when my creativity is low it is because I haven’t created the necessary space to allow the creativity to emerge. In my own work, I have found that simple is always more. Getting more and more complicated in my work often leads to less creativity. I have also found that when my places of creativity are in disarray that my work is also in disarray. After listening to the podcast, I encourage you to think about your own creativity and how the spaces and places you feel most creative are pull together. Do you need clear and clean environments or the hustle and flow of a busy city? Does your desk need to be clean or messy? If you find that your creativity is off, I encourage you to look at what is filing your spaces with junk, noise and pollution and to do what you can to remove it. Find your simple, clean creative space.

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.

Twitter

Google+

LinkedIn

Facebook

In this Episode

In this week's podcast, we talk about what you are doing with your work. A lot of photographers seem to be capturing more and more images, and that has gotten me to wonder about what is happening with all of those images. I am not harkening back to a better time in photography, because I think this problem has always existed. Once you have created your images, what do you ultimately do with them? What is their ongoing purpose? There are so many ways to share and see photographs now than in the past, but has that really changed what we do with them?

As I got to looking at my own images, I realized how little time I was spending with my work, both new and old. Once an image was shared or printed and put in a box, what really becomes of it? Does it end up effecting our creativity in some way? Does it impact how we create? Does it have us recreate the same sins over and over again. So, I guess as I cleaned up my office this week it got me thinking that there has to be a better way of relating to my work then creating piles and boxes of prints. As you look at your own work, think about what goals you really have for the work. Do you want to give prints away, win a photo competition, be in your favorite magazine, or get a gallery show. Once you know your goals it is so much easy to work towards them.

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.

In this Episode

In this week’s podcast, we talk about what you are doing with your work. A lot of photographers seem to be capturing more and more images, and that has gotten me to wonder about what is happening with all of those images. I am not harkening back to a better time in photography, because I think this problem has always existed. Once you have created your images, what do you ultimately do with them? What is their ongoing purpose? There are so many ways to share and see photographs now than in the past, but has that really changed what we do with them?

As I got to looking at my own images, I realized how little time I was spending with my work, both new and old. Once an image was shared or printed and put in a box, what really becomes of it? Does it end up effecting our creativity in some way? Does it impact how we create? Does it have us recreate the same sins over and over again. So, I guess as I cleaned up my office this week it got me thinking that there has to be a better way of relating to my work then creating piles and boxes of prints. As you look at your own work, think about what goals you really have for the work. Do you want to give prints away, win a photo competition, be in your favorite magazine, or get a gallery show. Once you know your goals it is so much easy to work towards them.

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.

Twitter

Google+

LinkedIn

Facebook

In this Episode

This week we return to a topic we have touched on in prior podcast, the critique. There is so much you gain from sharing your work with others and learning about your work, language about your work and how people see your work. You also gain a better understanding of working with photographs and photography when you learn to give a good critique of someone's work. This week we take a look at some of the key ideas, questions and concepts you need to be able to work both sides of the critique table.

Lessons from starting the critique

Here are the key concepts to keep in mind when working with critiques.

Set goals for what you want and communicate those goals.

Start from a position of abundance.

Work from a place where you have done some basic editing without cropping.

Remember that this is a discovery process where you need to ask questions and have them prepared ahead of time.

What is the subject?

What works in the image?

What doesn't work in the image?

Watch how people visually respond to the work. You can learn a lot from non-verbals queues people might give about an image

Be open to feedback, but remember that it is just an opinion and try to stay calm

Be open to how others might see your work

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.

In this Episode

This week we return to a topic we have touched on in prior podcast, the critique. There is so much you gain from sharing your work with others and learning about your work, language about your work and how people see your work. You also gain a better understanding of working with photographs and photography when you learn to give a good critique of someone’s work. This week we take a look at some of the key ideas, questions and concepts you need to be able to work both sides of the critique table.

Lessons from starting the critique

Here are the key concepts to keep in mind when working with critiques.

* Set goals for what you want and communicate those goals.

* Start from a position of abundance.

* Work from a place where you have done some basic editing without cropping.

* Remember that this is a discovery process where you need to ask questions and have them prepared ahead of time.

* What is the subject?

* What works in the image?

* What doesn’t work in the image?

* Watch how people visually respond to the work. You can learn a lot from non-verbals queues people might give about an image

* Be open to feedback, but remember that it is just an opinion and try to stay calm

* Be open to how others might see your work

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.

Twitter

Google+

LinkedIn

Facebook

In this Episode

I found myself this week completely in love with a new Leica camera. The Leica M-D Type 262 body was announced. This camera is pretty much a standard Leica digital camera, but it lacks a digital view screen on the back of the camera. In place of the view screen is an ISO dial. So it pretty much looks like an old film Leica. Over the years, I have been been able to pretty much eliminate my GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) for camera gear. For me, gear now has to be able solving a problem. And, if I think the problem is a single time problem I rent rather than buy. Yet, this Leica seemed to haunt me all week.

Lessons from the Leica

As I got to thinking about the Leica camera, I got to wonder what it was about the camera that had me so engaged. It wasn't the technology of the camera as I think there are other cameras who have better sensors and focusing options for the type of work I do. I also think there is huge value in the digital view screen. However, as I spent the past several days thinking about this M-D Type 262, I realized that it represented a purity and freedom in photography. You would no longer be able to look at the photos as you took them. You couldn't stop shooting to check your shots. You would have to be present all the time. It reminded me of a more simple time in my own photography. In many ways, it represented why I still shoot film. There is a mystery, anticipation and distance that comes from not have immediate feedback. In our photography, I often times feel that  little distance can provide a wealth of information. So as I wiped the drool from my chin, I realized it wasn't the camera per say, but rather the love of photography that the camera created in me that mattered.

I hope that as you think about new gear you are adding in your bag that you take the time to really figure out what you love about the gear. Is it a problem being solved, just something you want or does it create a ground shift in your way of thinking.

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.