On Taking Pictures

This week, we discuss mentors and community. Whatever happened to someone taking you under their wing? Is learning from one person different, or better, than learning from a collective? Also, we talk a little about some of the fantastic projects you are posting to the Google+ group. Plus, as a nod to Bill’s new Fuji x100s, Henri Cartier-Bresson is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episo...

We’ve got a big show this week, beginning with a little follow up on last week’s discussion about branding and websites, specifically writing. We also talk about practice...does practice really make perfect or just better? Plus, we answer several of your emails and questions from the G+ Community. Edward Burtynsky is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Jeffery Saddoris — About iT...

This week, we’re chewing on the the idea of you as your brand and we’re talking blogs, logos, portfolios and more. What do you expect from your online presence and how do you know when you’ve got it right? We also gear out a little as Bill considers a new camera for his upcoming vacation. Plus, brilliant portrait photographer Nigel Parry is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Abo...

This week, we wrestle with creativity; is making something “good” a struggle? If it’s not, are you doing something wrong? Plus a listener sends in a great list of things to help you find your purpose. We also walk the line between art and pornography (and wonder whether the government should pay for it) with our Photographer of the Week, Robert Mapplethorpe. Links for this episode: Q&A@F+B No....

This week, we follow up on our previous discussion about location. We also look at making art (or content) as a lifestyle, rather than an end game. Plus, we tackle a great question for a listener: How do you know when to go pro and what does that really mean anyway? Dramatic black & white street photography, courtesy of Ray Metzger, our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: L'...

Are you following a straight line or tacking an irregular course? Is one more effective than the other, providing you can see True North? What is the real value in a life spent making art? Plus, Russian photographer and graphic designer, Alexander Rodchenko is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Kayla Harrison - Judo Compilation - YouTube Scanning Film with a Camera – My Test : O...

This week, we’re talking film; both the technical side and the aesthetics. Is film as close as we’ll get to alchemy, or is it merely a placebo to look back on happier times? Also, cameras are better than they’ve ever been, so why isn’t there more great work? If you’re a fan of Art Deco and Fritz Lang, you’re going to love the work of our Photographer of the Week, Czech shooter, Frantisek Drtikol....

The week, who are you presenting to the world, you, or a manufactured version of you? Also, all roads lead to film when Bill borrows a Leica M7. Plus, what’s the difference between collecting and curating? Artist-slash-photographer, Vic Muniz sparks some interesting discussion on the nature of art as our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: J. Paul Getty Museum opens up its collection...

This week, we celebrate looking at work through the eyes of an amateur. Also towards the end of the show, we hit upon a somewhat profound revelation about art and bicycling. Plus, Art Streiber is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Unconsciously Graceful: Lillian Bassman » Faded + Blurred The Platinum Print Bostick & Sullivan - Supplies For Platinum, Palladium and Alternative...

This week, how do you gauge whether or not the work you do is authentic? What do you do when good isn’t good enough or how much to you chalk up to timing? Also, should you be held accountable for the consistency of the art you create? Plus, brilliant fashion and fine art photographer, Lillian Bassman is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: How a Working-Class Couple Amassed a Pric...

This week, we talk about image; both the images you take as photographers as well as the image you present of yourself as the photographer. Do better shoes make you a better photographer and, if so, when did being cool trump being good? We also tackle some listener Q&A and profile Horst P. Horst as our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: What Remains: Robert Polidori » Faded + Bl...

This week, we talk reinvention. Sometimes you choose, while other times, the choice is made for you. Do you go willingly, or kicking and screaming? Also, how do you take your work (or yourself) to the next level? Plus, you may not know the name, but you definitely know the photos; Philippe Halsman is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Impostor syndrome - Wikipedia, the free ency...

We lighten things up this week and talk about gear, specifically cameras and why what’s right for you may not be right for someone else...and that’s okay. Also, sometimes your photos really don’t matter... just enjoy the moment. Plus, Ellen von Unwerth brings the sexy as our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Dan Winters- Photographs of the U.S. Space Program - LightBox The Joy of O...

Last week, we talked about valuing your work. This week, we take on the idea of defining artistic goals and how a journey without a destination can have a dramatic impact on the work you create. Also, how do you decide just how much creative capital to invest? Plus, brilliant Chinese street photographer, Ho Fan is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: John Nack on Adobe : No words...

This week, we do a bit of follow up on last week’s episode, which really seems to have touched a nerve with listeners. At what point does worrying about putting a value on your work keep you from doing your work? Also, Bill contemplates going big for a new project. “Original Mad Man” Bert Stern is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Only The Lonely « The New Adventures of Stephen...

This week, we wrestle with “good enough”; what does it really mean, and who gets to decide? Where do we draw the line between homage and just plain thievery? Plus, documentary photographer Martin Parr is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Patton Oswalt | A CLOSED LETTER TO MYSELF ABOUT THIEVERY, HECKLING AND RAPE JOKES Dumped! - meg wachter photography Would You Believe That Thi...

Big discussions this week as we talk about different facets of collaboration and look to dispel The Myth of the Lone Artist. A short film by Eric Becker prompts us to wonder whether or not the world is for want of inspirational material. Plus, classic sports photographer Hy Peskin is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Miscommunication on Vimeo A Life Well Lived | Jim Whittaker &...

This week we talk about getting through a shoot when you feel like a truck ran over you. Also, do retouchers deserve credit? If so, when and how much? Plus, abstract photographer and MacArthur "Genius" Fellow Uta Barth is our Photographer of the week. Links for this episode: Joe McNally Climbed the Burj Khalifa - NYTimes.com How the New National Geographic Cover was Captured with James Cameron Ado...

This week, we wrestle with whether or not you can be an artist, without locking your own self worth/self image to your art. What does it mean to live a creative life anyway? We weigh in on the firing of the photo staff by the Chicago Sun Times. Plus, we look at two Civil War era photographers, Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner as our Photographers of the Week. Links for this episode: Beauty is Em...

We discuss why it is that we bother to create anything. What are we looking for, praise or just a body of work? Bill takes the plunge into filmmaking (sort of) and we get some great questions from listeners. Magnum photographer, Josef Koudelka is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Between Moments: Gregory Crewdson » Faded + Blurred Spring Fling on Vimeo When Photography Imitates...

Big show this week as Bill and Jeffery question what happens when it’s the process used to create the art that’s interesting, not the result. Also, where do we draw the line between photo manipulation and photo journalism? Plus, questions from the Google+ group and listener-suggested Alec Soth is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: "Ice Cream Cait" by Bill Wadman on Vim...

Bill battles severe back pain to discuss whether or not people know good from bad and how Steven Soderbergh’s observations on the state of cinema may also reflect the state of art. We also wonder how we should go about judging our own growth. Plus, voracious street shooter, Garry Winogrand, is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Steven Soderbergh's State Of Cinema Talk - Dea...

Bill and Jeffery discuss why content is no longer king and how you should focus on making (read: doing) something that’s important to you. Adobe kills individual licenses. Are they doing the right thing with the new Creative Cloud? Plus, “Tulsa” photographer Larry Clark is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Aeron Chair Cylinder Replacement A legal victory for 'appropriation...

Heroes aren’t just for children, especially when you meet them in person. Art for art’s sake, rather than investment. Plus, listener emails and Vancouver street shooter, Fred Herzog as Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: How The Print Medium Matters - Dye Transfer Google Map of Kodak Factories Dan Carrillo: Daclotype on Vimeo Amazon.com: Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Lens: CANON: Camera &a...

Once you realize that everything you do leads to the next thing, and that the journey is the reward, you’ll be fine. Do clients want your work or your juice? Plus, controversial photographer and art world darling, Cindy Sherman is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Sanford and Son Theme (The Streetbeater) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Circuitous Conversations #41 – Monitors...