The Perceptive Photographer

In this Episode

As March Madness takes hold, I got to thinking about our faction with David and Goliath. We seem to love when an underdog rises above expectations and can advance in the tourney. I think creativity in a lot of ways is sort of like David vs Goliath, but the Goliath is leading a life outside of creativity doing what is expected vs the life that “everyone” talks about living which would be the David.

As i made the transition to full-time photography, I kept hearing from my friends and colleagues that they wondered what it was like to give everything up to become an artist. In my world, I didn’t give anything up, but rather was able to find a balance of what really mattered and being present in the moment. As I got to relating the NCAA’s to those conversions, it occurred to me that we like to think about how great it would be to go be that “starving artist” who is leaving the dream, but how much we prefer to be that number 1 or 2 seed. It is nice to know that we have put in all the work and that we are likely to come out on top. However, as we learn every year at this time. Just because you play in a certain conference, have a certain record or show huge talent, at the end of the day the team that shows up and embraces the moment and believes in what they are doing can be that underdog that breaks everyone’s brackets.

I encourage you to find a way to be your own David in your creativity and break out of what you should do, how you should play and try to enjoy the creative energy you have today.

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

This week I noticed a number of articles online talking about the secrets of photography. Most of them had between five and ten secrets that every photographer should know. As if there are these secrets that somehow have magic powers. At the same time I have been looking back and some journal entries from the past few years and found some interesting topics that I thought were worth sharing. I have to admit that these are not the great and grand secrets of photography, but I do think they can help you find some interesting ways to look at and experience your photography. In the podcast, I share with a couple of ideas about how to do what I like to call no camera photography which involves playing with haiku and 6 word stories to describe things you would like to photograph or see that you want to photograph if you don't have your camera. I also talk about the idea of a desert island camera and what that camera would do and allow you to feel when you are photographing. Finally, I talk a little about the notion of guilty photography and how succumbing to guilt can keep you from moving forward in 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 I noticed a number of articles online talking about the secrets of photography. Most of them had between five and ten secrets that every photographer should know. As if there are these secrets that somehow have magic powers. At the same time I have been looking back and some journal entries from the past few years and found some interesting topics that I thought were worth sharing. I have to admit that these are not the great and grand secrets of photography, but I do think they can help you find some interesting ways to look at and experience your photography. In the podcast, I share with a couple of ideas about how to do what I like to call no camera photography which involves playing with haiku and 6 word stories to describe things you would like to photograph or see that you want to photograph if you don’t have your camera. I also talk about the idea of a desert island camera and what that camera would do and allow you to feel when you are photographing. Finally, I talk a little about the notion of guilty photography and how succumbing to guilt can keep you from moving forward in 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

With the introduction of the Kodak Brownie camera, the masses have been able to photograph pretty much anything they want. This has allowed us to have an interesting look at our history. As told from the perspective of the everyday photographer, any object could become a source of inspiration. Flash forward to today and we are creating billions of seemingly similar photographs. A search of Instagram alone for words like latte art will generate thousand upon thousands of similar images. These images are of everyday life. Common objects that people can come across at any point in their day. Yet, some mundane photographs and photographers seem to elevate above the everyday. Photographers like William Eggleston and Stephen Shore come to mind. They were able to photograph and tell a story of very mundane objects and places in interesting ways. This got me wondering what is it about mundane photographs that make some interesting and others less interesting. It also got me thinking about how do we deal with the cliche in photography. Is it possible to create a truly unique cliche?

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

With the introduction of the Kodak Brownie camera, the masses have been able to photograph pretty much anything they want. This has allowed us to have an interesting look at our history. As told from the perspective of the everyday photographer, any object could become a source of inspiration. Flash forward to today and we are creating billions of seemingly similar photographs. A search of Instagram alone for words like latte art will generate thousand upon thousands of similar images. These images are of everyday life. Common objects that people can come across at any point in their day. Yet, some mundane photographs and photographers seem to elevate above the everyday. Photographers like William Eggleston and Stephen Shore come to mind. They were able to photograph and tell a story of very mundane objects and places in interesting ways. This got me wondering what is it about mundane photographs that make some interesting and others less interesting. It also got me thinking about how do we deal with the cliche in photography. Is it possible to create a truly unique cliche?

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

Well it has been a year since I started the podcast. In this 52nd episode, I look back at a couple of key learning points from the year. As I started the podcast, I learned how hard it is to get audio recorded and sounding normal. I also was reminded that you can just as easily focus on getting new gear to record on or you can focus on learning how to make better content. Just like in my photography, keeping your eye on the final product is so much more important than focusing on new toys.

I also realized in preparing for the show that we often times can focus on the wrong questions to move our work forward. I am looking to get a new camera and like most people, I have been reading specs and reviews. I have been thinking about megapixels, frame rates etc. When I should have been asking a different question. I think the right question to ask is what do I want my next image to look like? Answering that question will tell me more about what I really need from my camera than any review ever could. I also realized in reading reviews how petty and jealous many commenters can be when really working photographers work hard to get where they are.

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

Well it has been a year since I started the podcast. In this 52nd episode, I look back at a couple of key learning points from the year. As I started the podcast, I learned how hard it is to get audio recorded and sounding normal. I also was reminded that you can just as easily focus on getting new gear to record on or you can focus on learning how to make better content. Just like in my photography, keeping your eye on the final product is so much more important than focusing on new toys.

I also realized in preparing for the show that we often times can focus on the wrong questions to move our work forward. I am looking to get a new camera and like most people, I have been reading specs and reviews. I have been thinking about megapixels, frame rates etc. When I should have been asking a different question. I think the right question to ask is what do I want my next image to look like? Answering that question will tell me more about what I really need from my camera than any review ever could. I also realized in reading reviews how petty and jealous many commenters can be when really working photographers work hard to get where they are.

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

As we come to an end of winter and start to move into spring, I have been thinking a lot about my creative process and what makes the creative process work. Having read dozens of books and watching countless hours of video, I have learned that your creative process can be informed by the process other people use, but in most cases our creative process is our own. It is something that you have to develop for yourself. It becomes as unique to our own world as a fingerprint.

Road to the creative process

For some of us the creative process is a destination and for others, it is a journey along the way to a destination. I don't personally think one is better than the other, but they do impact how we get to our creative space. For some of us the destination is a powerful pull to the creative energy and for others the mere act of moving down the road is important. For some of you, it might be a little of both. I also think it is important to understand your process and what motivates you to be creative. As we develop our own creative path, it is important to recognize what works for one of us might not work for another so you need the flexibility to really do what works for. Do not get stuck in someone else's suggested process when it doesn't work for you.

For the next year, I am going to try to give my creative self some fun days. One day a week I am going to create some creative photos. Just images that seem funky, fun and a creative side I wouldn't normally shoot. I am going to wait a month to review those images and then pick some to edit that are interesting. Not necessarily the best or greatest, but the ones that I just find interesting from a creative space. Then at the end of the year, I am going to pull in a little portfolio of my creative days. It is an exercise that I think will bear a lot of fruit, and I encourage you to give it a try.

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

As we come to an end of winter and start to move into spring, I have been thinking a lot about my creative process and what makes the creative process work. Having read dozens of books and watching countless hours of video, I have learned that your creative process can be informed by the process other people use, but in most cases our creative process is our own. It is something that you have to develop for yourself. It becomes as unique to our own world as a fingerprint.

Road to the creative process

For some of us the creative process is a destination and for others, it is a journey along the way to a destination. I don’t personally think one is better than the other, but they do impact how we get to our creative space. For some of us the destination is a powerful pull to the creative energy and for others the mere act of moving down the road is important. For some of you, it might be a little of both. I also think it is important to understand your process and what motivates you to be creative. As we develop our own creative path, it is important to recognize what works for one of us might not work for another so you need the flexibility to really do what works for. Do not get stuck in someone else’s suggested process when it doesn’t work for you.

For the next year, I am going to try to give my creative self some fun days. One day a week I am going to create some creative photos. Just images that seem funky, fun and a creative side I wouldn’t normally shoot. I am going to wait a month to review those images and then pick some to edit that are interesting. Not necessarily the best or greatest, but the ones that I just find interesting from a creative space. Then at the end of the year, I am going to pull in a little portfolio of my creative days. It is an exercise that I think will bear a lot of fruit, and I encourage you to give it a try.

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

In this Episode

One of the questions I get asked the most is about starting a photography business. Running your own business isn't for everyone, but if you are wanting to have the freedom and responsibilities that come with being your own boss, there are some things to consider as you get started that can really help you get off on the right foot. In most cases, people who start their own business think that they are alone, but the key to being successful in business is having great partnerships and partners that can support you along the way. In my own experience, I wish I had lined up a few of these key partners as I was getting started. I know they would have made a huge difference in the beginning. As you get started, there are a lot of forms, pricing, taxes, and host of other concerns that you might have never seen or heard of when you were working for someone else. In this podcast, I share what I think are the 5 key business tips to focus on when starting your business.

5 key business tips

I don't think the order matters when setting up and thinking about your business as long as you at some point touch on all of these issues.

Legal. There are a lot of little things that a lawyer can help you out with when you get started. From looking at contracts, estimates, copyright and invoice language to releases and even longer contracts. It is great to know that you have good and clear language in all your written agreements. In many states you can find legal organizations that offer courses, pro-bono or reduced cost services to artist. Such organization as Washington Lawyers for the Arts or California Lawyers for the Arts are in most states and are invaluable resouces as you get started. A quick search for your location, lawyer, and arts should turn up some good options.

Accounting: You need a good accountant to help you make sense of your business income, expenses and taxes. I recommend that you find one with a background in working with artist. Also you want to seperate your perosnal and business money and have some system to track your business. I personally use Wave Accounting or Quickbooks, but when I started out it was a simple spreadsheet.

You need to get basic business insurance and an inland marine policy on your equipment.

Be frugal. Not cheap or free, but smart. Being frugal and knowing what expenses matter and where you can save and cut cost, spend to grow and how to price your services are all critical to have considered when starting out.

Supportive partners. I have an amazing business and life partner, Lori, who I work with on creative and business projects. We also have a number of other people who we can talk to about the bsuiness and issues we are facing. Most of them are people who we trust and can offer experience, wisdom or a sounding board.

As you get your business up and running, I think you will be on the road to success if you get some of the basics of business handled by others. Let them focus on what they are good at so you can focus on what you are good at.

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.