On Taking Pictures

This week, questions and answers from YOU, the listeners. Topics range from the business side of photography — including social media and marketing — to how to approach subjects who may not “get” your vision on the shoot. We’re also talking about how art can sometimes be overwhelming to look at and even a few technical questions around gear. A couple questions were too big to answer here and we’ll...

This week, we start with a discussion around the often finicky nature of inkjet printing—between random clogs and the cost of ink and paper, is it better to just job it out? Also, a talk around taking risks, inspired by an interview with Gail Bichler, Design Director of the New York Times Magazine who says that if your work is “consistently pretty good, but you don’t have anything great,” you may...

This week, we’re discussing “iterative ideation” — process whereby you course correct more often as a project develops — as a means of failing forward. Along the way, we wonder if “failure” is really the most productive way of thinking about our creative missteps. Also, we talk about some of the struggles of balancing our personal and professional lives on social media. Plus, 11 minutes for 3 setu...

This week, we’re talking about the importance of mentors and how changing our focus can sometimes lead to incredible exchanges that would not have happened otherwise. Also, a discussion around workflow and the potential of using more of a mobile-first approach to post-processing images. Plus, are camera manufacturers simply releasing slighting different versions of the same cameras and trying to p...

Happy New Year! This week, we’re talking about various ways to approach 365 (or any long term) projects, inspired by some questions from a listener. Topics include: approach, overall goals and how to mark your progress when single pieces may take longer than a day to complete. If you’re starting a new project this year, we would love to check it out. We also discuss an article on Kotaku highlighti...

Questions, questions. Whose got the questions? Turns out, it’s YOU, the listeners! This week, we tackle conundrums about favorite museums, sources of inspiration, archiving strategies, finding the theme of your work, and a whole lot more. Brett Weston is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: Richard Avedon Foundation Demands New Avedon Biography Be Pulled [UPDATED] Avedon: Somethin...

This week, we geek out a little over the new non-upgradeable iMacPro and talk about hardware and workflow. We also discuss how deadlines can affect how we define (or redefine) good. Affinity teases a new piece of software for publishers and we discuss the new Annie Leibovitz Masterclass, which leaves us asking “What do you expect from online training?”. Lori Nix and Kathleen Gerber are our Photogr...

This week, we’re talking about the question of “what comes next?” and how adapting your skills to something completely unexpected may be the difference between moving forward or being left behind. Also, getting out of our own ways and realizing that you can’t get anywhere without taking that first step. Plus, would you show up for a “professional” job with a bag full of point and shoots? Peter Lin...

This week, Jeffery is back from Paris and is wrestling with whether seeing so much art is inspiring or depressing. Is there a point where experiencing the creativity of others is actually counterproductive? Also, we’ve said it many times...back up your photos. Southern California is on fire and photos still top the list of what people take first. Plus, a few gift picks for both the photographers a...

This week, we discuss walking the line between creativity and productivity. How do you approach getting your creative work done? Are you a planner, or do you fly by the seat of your pants and go where the muse leads? Also, what would prompt you to walk away from social media if you had more than a half-million followers? Plus, we weigh in on a couple listener emails. Vitas Luckus is our Photograph...

This week, we discuss a recent article talking about “capitalist realism,” an idea that suggests that the work of Annie Leibovitz and Gregory Crewdson are two sides of the same coin in terms of the worlds they represent. Also, we weigh in on a photographer who decided to make an editorial decision on a photograph that didn’t go well. Plus, Fuji is being sued by Polaroid over Instax. Robert ParkeHa...

This week, with the actual hardware making so many drastic changes and computational photography gaining more interest and capability, we discuss the potential future of photography, beginning with the question “what is a photograph?” Does that definition change depending on your entry point into the medium? Also, a reprint of a collaboration between Richard Avedon and James Baldwin inspires a dis...

This week, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If you could recreate any single photograph, which one would it be and why? Does everything in a museum really “deserve” to be there or was Sturgeon right and 90% of everything is just crap? Plus, with modern cameras so dependent on software, should camera makers turn to the open source community? Virginia Thoren is our Photographer...

This week, happy Halloween! What constitutes a cultural experience for you? A museum? A gallery? Going bowling? Also, what motivates you to look at art? Plus, we talk about managing expectations of creative endeavors when they are just outside of your comfort zone. Four-time Pulitzer Prize winner Carol Guzy is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: OTP G+ Group - Assignment: #Scary...

This week, when do great cameras (or any other tools for that matter) cease to be great? Many of us chase the latest and greatest, but even the older version was great once. Also, some thoughts on photos as objects, courtesy of Wim Wenders and his collection of thousands of Polaroids. Plus, managing expectations about what we put out into the world. Taryn Simon is our Photographer of the Week. As...

This week, the amount of new post-production tools (including the newly announced Lightroom CC) inspires a discussion around workflow and the potential need for evolution in how we catalog and process our photographs. While some photographers (ourselves included) tend to prefer the “old” ways of doing things, tools seem to be making a shift, both in capability and in target audience. Also, we begi...

This week, how do you approach a new project or body of work? Is the making more important than the potential juice? Or is potential monetization always a component? Also, a discussion around creating work vs. seeing work, using photojournalism as an example. Plus, a spoiler-free discussion of the making of Blade Runner 2049 from the perspective of practical vs CG environments. Lynn Gilbert is our...

This week, have improvements to the gear side of photography affected the overall craft of making pictures? Or are we now able to simply pick and choose the pieces of the craft that matter most to us? Also, a listener asks about what motivates us to make, the love of doing it, money, or something else? Larry Burrows is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures - Goog...

This week, we’re addressing some of your feedback from email and the Google+ group, including the impact that mobile photography has had on how we take and share pictures. Also, we talk about the iterative nature of creativity and how sometimes starting over on a project can be a good thing. Maris Svarbova is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures - Google+ - Assi...

This week, does having tools at the ready make you more likely to actually create? Or is preparing to create a necessary part of your process? Sometimes creativity shows up messy, if it comes at all. Also, is the perception/representation around women in photography changing, both in front of and behind the camera? Depends on where you look. According to Getty, yes. But, based on something that re...

This week, we’re attempting to answer some of your questions that range from our desert island photo choices to whether or not ego affects how we take pictures. There are also questions on how to recognize when a project is done and whether or not it’s possible to change your photographic style. As usual, we got some questions that really stumped us, and some that we’re going to have to come back...

This week, can creatives have concrete long term goals or is the nature of making such that clarity beyond a certain point is elusive by design? Then again, if you can’t define a specific goal or end point, how do you know whether you are getting closer or moving further away from where you want (or need) to be? Ruth Orkin is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures...

This week, does progress take the place of craft, or can things simultaneously move on while still staying the same? Or is the romance and nostalgia of “the way things used to be” just a manufactured memory? Also, how intentional are you about the colors in your photography? The colors you choose (and choose to leave out) can have a dramatic emotional effect on how your work is received. Plus, Sar...

This week, how do you know when you’re making good work? There are so many factors that contribute to the success of a project that worrying about a subjective definition of good ends up getting lost. Is just doing the work — any work — more important than whether or not you call it good? Marvin Newman is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures - Google+ - Assignme...

This week, we’re discussing order vs chaos and how each of us feels most productive. We also talk about how some forms of chaos can actually act as a motivator to help you focus and get more done. Plus, a follow up on last week’s discussion around purpose. John Vachon is our Photographer of the Week. Links for this episode: On Taking Pictures - Google+ - Assignment: #electric MightWeb | Pure SSD H...