Creative Banter

Finding the time to head out into nature, especially for extended periods of time, can be a daunting task as you find your life becoming more complicated. While neither Ben nor I share in the exactly difficulty that a listener is facing, we do our best to discuss how to find the time for photography in a busy life. We talk about how important it is to alter your mindset away from the idea of const...

Based on comments received from better podcasters than myself, I have been making some alterations to not only the software and editing used but also the location in which I record. It is hoped that these changes are for the better and will improve the quality of Creative Banter . Ben and I start off this week by discussing some of these changes, before tackling a number of questions sent in on th...

We’re back with Ben in this episode, starting off by discussing human psychology when it comes to amusement park lines and high school fights. This leads to a short discussion on the current state of bullying in schools and how it has continued to change in drastic manners since Ben went to high school. We speak on my new website and eBook as well as how we organize our photo galleries, expanding...

This episode, I’m joined by photographer Murray Livingston as we discuss a variety of topics surrounding the idea of poetic photography. We discuss the intersection of language and art - an idea which Murray is creating an eBook about - and whether it is important to think about such an idea while out in the field. We speak on photography as a meditative act, something which calms both body and so...

Since we have found ourselves with a bit of a backlog worth of questions and topic suggestions over on the Discord, it felt like a good time to work through some of them. But first, I have a few questions for Ben about his photographic approach, after having watched his recent Death Valley videos. We speak about how our decisive moment has changed over the years, as well as whether we bother to ta...

One of the scariest parts of working with a film camera is that you never truly know what you are going to get after you expose a frame. Was the metering right? Will I accidentally flash the film, exposing it and ruining the photograph? Or will I mess up development, leading to a paranoid fear for the next few months before I force myself to try again? Not to mention that companies such as FujiFil...

Buckwheat and oat milk ice cream get us started on this episode, oddly enough, before we move on to discussing the weather and a rather disappointing interaction while out in the woods. For the majority of the episode, we speak on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it means primarily for writers, as we see more people using ChatGPT for article outlines and school essays. Our discussion turns to...

After months of deliberation, I finally decided to pick up a new camera, one which will be used for documenting family events and trips into the wild. This starts a conversation about film versus digital and whether people actually care if something is photographed with either medium. We speak a bit on the benefits of using analog technology and how it brings great joy to see something typed with...

Feeling as though you have found yourself in a rut, and cannot get out, is a feeling all too familiar to many artists. The feeling that you are stuck and unsure where to go next with your creative endeavor. For the past few months, I have been struggling with this feeling, airing my grievances both on and off of the podcast. But as I come closer to re-launching my website, I am forced to face the...

Artist residencies, weather, and biking start off this week’s episode before we delve into Ben’s perceptions about his upcoming videos and newly-scanned photographs. We speak on the idea of flipping photographs - both to alter our reception of them, as well as an editing technique. Our conversation shifts toward that of YouTube, sparked by ideas found in a video by Van Neistat. We end this week, s...

We ended up being a bit all over the place this episode, as we worked to find our footing after Ben’s recent absences for his winter trips. Which, we started the episode off talking about, before discussing my most recent adventures in student teaching, both rather briefly. Something that student teaching has helped me accomplish so far this year, has been increasing the number of books I have bee...

This week, our conversation turns primarily toward that of constructive criticism, a topic brought up due to my experiences so far with student teaching and the desire I have to improve in the field. We discuss our openness to criticism and how that openness changes as we begin to gain confidence in our craft. Though, that confidence can sometimes be misguided, as we ponder our intentions and the...

As my student teaching kicks off, we spend the first few minutes of the episode discussing how the beginning of that journey has been, before transitioning to our usual discussions around photography. Primarily, we reflect on how different the curriculum is, compared to what Ben and I experienced while in grade school. And speaking of different, Ben has finally developed his black and white film f...

While many photographers think of pairing their photographs on the facing pages of a monograph or, perhaps, the pairings that naturally occur when working on a large project, pairing photographs to go together as prints can be quite challenging. As we discuss the photographs Ben revealed from his 2022 Fall trip to Zion National Park, we discuss the potential that some of these pieces have, especia...

An issue I ran into quite a bit when using digital cameras, that no longer occurs nearly as often with film, is overshooting. Clicking away at the shutter because, hey, digital files are practically free, so why not? And while neither of us can fault people from doing such things, there is certainly merit in learning to slow down and take into deeper consideration what you want from a photograph,...

Comedian Marc Mason once said, “Every status update is just a variation on a single request: Would someone please acknowledge me?” It’s been just over a year now since I have made any sort of status update, since I have made the choice to get rid of social media. Ben and I discuss this choice, speaking on the reasons behind it as well as how I have felt since. We also discuss screen time, which le...

Back in November, I submitted thirteen photographs for Brooks Jensen of LensWork Magazine to review, as well as a few questions which I wanted answered. These questions had nothing to do with my photographic work; rather, they revolved around the business side of photography: how to market you work; how to price your prints; et cetera. A few days ago, around 11 o’clock at night, I received an emai...

This week, Ben and I discuss how our holiday celebrations went, which turned out to be rather quiet for the both of us. Keeping in what appears to be a tradition of analog technology, I received a record player from my parents, along with a few records my mother had picked out. After discussing a bit about this analog technology - one which is coming back in much the same manner as film - we turn...

Our conversation begins with a discussion regarding Ben’s recent trip to Hawaii and some thoughts he had while enjoying the warm weather, while the rest of us dealt with the blistering cold. One of his thoughts places us into our main conversation, where we discuss whether we must always be a photographer. We ask what that looks like for each of us, whether we feel compelled to bring a camera at a...

Thoughts of a Hawaiian vacation and winter blues slows our conversation down a bit, as we initially struggle to find our pace, our topic, for the week. Sparked by a message posted on the Discord by Michael Rung, we begin speaking on whether we have ever hit a wall, experienced a period of funk, after having completed a large project. Namely, Ben retracts the statement he made initially, revamping...

In this episode, we continue our discussion from last week around large format film photography and how to get started. Primarily, we speak on the topic of scanning your film - whether it is done with a drum scanner, flatbed scanner, or a digital camera. We then move on to questions sent in by you, the listener, over on our Discord server. These include taking about how Ben and I organize our film...

Though we often avoid discussing gear, as there are already plenty of resources focused on the subject, we have been getting quite a few questions about how to start with large format, so we felt it was time to sit down and give our recommendations. Given this is such a large topic, we are splitting this into two episodes: this first episode is all about the basics, including what cameras, lenses,...

As we find ourselves nearing the end of 2022, we enter the typical period of self-reflection, looking back on what we had accomplished, as well as what we wish to get done come the new year. For myself, that includes the completion of a large eBook and, perhaps, the creation of a few presentations; for Ben, it means maintaining his status as a full time photographer, figuring out the intricate bal...

Ben has officially begun shipping off his 2022 Portfolio Box Sets, which brings up the topic of deadlines and how we deal with them on an individual basis. Primarily, we discuss whether we place more value on extrinsic deadlines, over intrinsic ones. This leads to a discussion about eBooks, once again, along with a bit of a tease regarding one I am currently working toward. Our conversation takes...

We start this episode off by discussing the student teaching I will be doing in the spring, which will be a bit of a change to my way of thinking about the English language arts classroom and the curriculum around it. Namely, it seems there will be a lot more creativity allowed in the class, which I am all for. This leads to a discussion around business practices, figuring out the best path forwar...