On Taking Pictures

It’s Q&A time and we do our best to answer the questions you’ve sent in. We got a ton of great questions this time about gear, process, business and even a few that were too big to tackle, so we’ll get them in the mix for larger discussions next week. William Albert Allard is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: OTP Google+ Community - Assignment: #facelessportrait How well ha...

This week, a memo written by David Mamet sparks a discussion around the meaning and importance we give the things we make. Also a follow up on the Norman Seef video and how, for some photographers, the connection with the subject is the point and the photographs are merely a byproduct of the experience. Leonard Freed is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures - Goo...

This week, what a difference a week makes. We begin with some followup to last week’s show and discuss expectation, process vs product and how for some (me) Artist is not the same as artist. Also, iconic photographers don’t always make iconic photographs. Plus, we reflect a bit on the life of Leonard Nimoy both as an actor and as our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pict...

This week, what do you do when the motivation just isn't there? We may love what we do, but sometimes it’s hard to hold on to whether loving the process is enough. Also, are the rich kids taking over the arts? Photojournalist Melissa Lyttle is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Apple Details Revolutionary New iPhone Camera - Forbes Mumford & Sons, Coldplay, Other Privileged...

This week, should there be standards defining what is and isn’t considered photojournalism? Plus, are labels important, necessary or just noise? We also take a look at a potential alternative to Photoshop, the new Affinity Photo. Spencer Tunick is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures - Google+ - Assignment - #Mimic World Press Photo Disqualifies 20% of Its Conte...

This week, we’re going deep into discussing the power of a single photograph. Social or emotional impact notwithstanding, are photographs (or art for that matter) better with additional context? Also, you’ll never believe what Carol Armstrong found in her closet. Iconic sports shooter Neil Leifer is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures 2015 Listener Survey On Ta...

This week, a bunch of recent articles around use and copyright have us discussing “Who really owns what, and for how long?” Also, should art be enjoyed or merely collected? Bill may have found the perfect camera...for him. Louise Dahl-Wolfe is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures 2015 Listener Survey On Taking Pictures - Google+ - Assignment: #square Photographe...

This week, a domestic worker wins a Magnum Fellowship, two Magnum icons try Google Glass and we discuss entertainment before the word “format.” Also, we discuss what happens when you stop trusting your gear? “Small Town Inertia” shooter Jim Mortram is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures 2015 Listener Survey Prince Harry's Moving Photos Prove African Orphan...

This week, a conversation overheard on the train sparks a discussion around the need to create or not and whether we would trade a creative life (whatever that means) for a nine to five if we could. Also, is your personal value in the experience of making or in the resulting artifact/object? Obscure Romanian shooter Andre Pandele is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Congressman...

This week, a few shorter discussions around work for hire vs licensing your work, work that becomes relevant years after it was produced and whether or not your work should continue after you are no longer the one producing it. Deborah Parkin is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Three Records From Sundown | 99% Invisible A Last Gift From The Genius Mind of Taylor Negron: Reflec...

Welcome to 2015! In this week’s show, we talk about how sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t get you very far and how copyright and the web still has a long way to go. Also, a terrific email from a listener raises the question “What would you do?” Portland based shooter Delaney Allen is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: SFMOMA | Explore Modern Art | Our Collection | Robert R...

We’re finishing off 2014 with one last listener Q&A show. But first, we’re talking about the idea of planned obsolescence. Is current gear as good as it was 20 years ago? Is anything? Then, Bill’s trip to a recent Saul Leiter show in NYC sparks some discussion around the idea of posthumous artist foundations and legacy. User submitted photojournalist Matt Black is our Photographer of the Week....

This week, we discuss a documentary on last week’s Photographer of the Week, Jane Bown, who recently passed away at 89. Can photography be “just” a job and still be important? Or do we have to approach it as art (whatever that means to you) for it to have any sort of deeper meaning? Pioneer of early motion studies, Eadweard Muybridge is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taki...

This week, does “most expensive” always equate to best? SPOILER: No. Also, does finding an emotional connection to photographs (or any creative endeavor) mean finding an anchor you can relate to from your own life experience or can art have meaning in a vacuum? Plus, a terrific video series from the George Eastman House. Jane Bown is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Jeff Frost...

This week, what makes a “good” photograph (or painting, sculpture, film, etc.)? Are there checkboxes that need to be hit or is good something more intangible, more ephemeral - maybe even exclusively personal? Also, once you do make something good, what do you charge for it? Where does value come from? Arthur Leipzig is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Tony Zarak Photography Bi...

This week, we’re talking about the friction of creativity, getting out of your own way and how often the only way out is through. Also, finding help with the work that isn’t in your wheelhouse and using process to overcome technical limitations. Anne Geddes is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: DIORAMA MAP AMSTERDAM from the project "Sohei Nishino: Cities" on Vimeo han...

This week, Inspired by an email exchange Bill and I had with a listener, we ask each other as well as all of you: “What makes a good photographer?” Is it the work? Is it ONLY the work? Or is making interesting (read: good) work merely a byproduct of being an interesting person? Can you even separate the person from the work? Plus, Sohei Nishino is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episo...

This week, a discussion around a documentary about Polaroid, called Time Zero, gets us wondering about objects versus process and whether there is more intrinsic value in the artifact or the content. We also look at a few “link-baity” news items around the value of photography as art. Carrie Mae Weems is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Time Zero | The Last Year of Polaroid Fi...

This week, are you an artist or an entrepreneur? While on the surface they may seem similar, each offers a unique set of challenges that often require very different approaches to overcome. It’s an important question that many of us wrestle with as we try to find a balance between creating art and producing product. Guatemalan shooter Luis Gonzalez Palma is our Photographer of the Week. Links for...

This week, a wrap up of our terrific OTP meetup in Philly sparks an interesting discussion. Should art - both the making and the viewing - be a privilege or a right, regardless of ethnicity or economic standing? Are humans better with a healthy serving of art and culture in their diets? Also, is there such thing as too much art? Fascinating installation artist Chris Engman is our Photographer of t...

This week, is your image your own? Should photographers be able to use photographs of you without your permission - or even your knowledge? Also, an interesting discussion around when the idea for a project is more interesting than the execution. Plus, pricing and what freelance photographers can expect to make. Miller Mobley is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: PHILIP-LORCA DI...

This week, we turn the show over to you, the listeners. It’s not so much a Q&A show as it is taking deeper look at previous topics that you’ve written in about. Topics include sources of inspiration, whether video is a “must”, how to improve, what not to shoot, the future of photography and even our favorite photos. Plus, you get to hear us botch the pronunciation of J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, our...

This week, with such great gear at our disposal, why does Program mode get such a bad wrap? Also should you be take a more serious look at Instagram as a delivery platform for your work? Pulitzer prize winning photojournalist Tyler Hicks is our Photographer of the week. Links for this episode: Heroes, Villains & Jedi - KEVIN KNIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY The Daily Show - Race/Off - YouTube When Instagram...

This week, we begin with a listener question around passion and purpose. What drives the “why” behind your work? Should public perception/reception play a role in what or why you create or should accolades be merely a byproduct? Nicholas Nixon is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 Hour Rule for deliberate practice is wrong: Genes for music, IQ, drawing...

This week, we try to tackle more of your questions and there are some terrific ones. Topics are all over the map and provide a great deal to think about not only for photography, but for anyone trying to make things and live a creative life. Photojournalist Ami Vitale is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Newsha Tavakolian Photography A best-possible outcome. Follow-up from last...