The Perceptive Photographer

Episode 372 I think one of the more interesting aspects of photograph is what it represents to different people. When I am taking a class or teaching a class, I often have engaged in a spirited discussion with others about the nature of photography and good photography. If I was to ask you what your photograph is about, you might often tell me what type of photographs you make by subject, subject...

Episode 37 1 This week’s podcast talks about the conditions that arise when we are left with too many choices and the impacts on our work If you want to participate in the Photoshop Virtual Summit 4, you can register for your free pass using the link below. Get your Free Pass Here One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a var...

Episode 370 Some people hit it out of the park from the very first day. Others, many of us others, seem to be on a long road to success. Rather than having a jump start right out of the gate, it can feel like we are forever climbing the hills and dropping into the valleys on our photographic journey. The shinny light of success always seems just over the next hill. This week’s podcast talks about...

Episode 369 Photographers can learn a lot from bird watchers. Bird watchers don’t worry about what other birds someone has seen. Do you think a bird watcher says, “Oh well, someone has already seen a great flamingo? So there is no sense in me seeing one of those. That boat has sailed. No bird watchers watch birds because they love birds. Photographers should be more like bird watchers. When we fir...

Episode 368 I was looking at some images I recently took on a hiking trip. As much as I wanted to like the photos, there was just nothing for my eye to land on in the image. It was a chaotic mess of lines, shapes, and textures. Everything was sharp, but nothing was in focus too much of everything. That image got me thinking about when approaching the making of an image. How do we decide on the poi...

Episode 367 I have been preparing for several classes and workshops these past few weeks. One theme that has come up, again and again, is the principle of what defines interest in a photograph. Not good, flawed, sellable or not, but interesting. As I got to looking at many different images, I began to think about some of the common elements that make a photograph interesting to view. Again, this m...

Episode 366 In this week’s podcast, we dive into how blurry and sharp are both important elements to have in making successful images. One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a variety of equipment in the years that I have been recording, but here is the current list of equipment that I am using. Also as an FYI and full...

Episode 365 One of the biggest mistakes I see when I am working with a critique is the use of statements as facts in an image. Statements such as that person looks angry, or that is a interesting color choice. The statements are put into the context of the photo as if the photo is responding. Rather than focusing on what the photo is doing, it is important to focus on how we are responding to the...

Episode 364 Well I started this podcast seven years ago. I didn’t have a clue then how to make a podcast, and some would argue I haven’t learned much about it in sevens years. I know for me it has be been a grand adventure sharing what my everyday work and struggles are as a working photographer. No matter if you only listen once or every week, I am truly touched that you would come al...

Episode 363 When you approach your photography do you do it from a sense of awe and wonder or obligation for making new work. In this week’s podcast, we take a look at the difference it can make in your images when you do them because you are in awe of the subject. One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort of equipment do I use to record my podcast. I have used a variety of eq...

Episode 362 This week on the podcast is about two big challenges for your photography work. They are both super easy to take on, but each offers up a chance to learn about your work and build a connection to your community. So take a listen to this short episode and see if you are up for the challenge to be thankful and create more than you consume in your photography. One of the questions I get a...

Episode 361 So much of how we talk about photographs is fact-based. We talk about the accuracy of an image, the correctness of a composition, or the ideal settings to use. The risk of talking about photographs as facts is that it can cause us to fall into bad habits and traps. It can also lead us to miss out on the most important part of a creative journey which is sharing our experiences, emotion...

Episode 360 There is something to be said about how you spend your time on things. While not always the case, the more time you spend on something can be an indicator of what is important to you. Or, maybe the outcome of that time is what is important to you. For example, you might spend a lot of time working so that you can have the outcome of a paycheck. The work might not be important but the p...

Episode 359 One of the biggest challenges many of us face in our photography is sorting out where and who to show our work. Finding our peeps or audience can be a challenge. That challenge can be clouded by ego, confusion, and misidentification. However, once we understand who our audience is, our shared photography can reach and be appreciated by our community. In the podcast this week, I talk ab...

Episode 358 A friend of mine recently told me about how he approaches journaling each morning. He starts off by writing about where he is today. Doesn’t matter if good or bad. He just notes how he feels. He then writes down how he wants to be that day. Maybe he writes about being open and receptive, or creative or sad. Doesn’t really matter what he writes, he just notes how he wants to...

Episode 357 In this episode of the Perceptive Photographer podcast, we dive into a new way of approaching the deletion of our images. I was asked by a friend how I approach deleting my images. We chatted about deleting the bad ones, duplicates, etc. In the course of that conversation, it occurred to me that these things that I was deleting or gear that I was selling all had value at one point. May...

Episode 356 With the turn of a day, it is now 2022. I hope you are having a good start to the new year. This week’s podcast is a quick chat about something that I hope we can all do in 2022 for our own work and the work of others. I don’t think it will always be easy, but I do think it can make us a better photographic community. One of the questions I get asked frequently is what sort...

Episode 355 As we close out 2021 and look forward to 2022, we close out the podcast talking about a few listener questions that have been sent in over the past few months. As you will hear, in many cases, I think oftentimes we are asking the wrong question to begin with. How to pick photographers to follow? How do I get in a gallery or what galleries should I focus on? What is the right way to set...

Episode 354 In our adventure as photographers, there are so many little twists and turns. Some of them are good and some are nothing more than a distraction. In this week’s podcast, we talk about five little things to consider as we approach the end of the year that might make a difference in our photography in 2022. Pick your head up and see where you are going Celebrate something you did o...

Episode 353 A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses his feelings through words. A poet is somebody who feels, and who expresses his feelings through words. This may sound easy. It isn’t. A lot of people think or believe or know they feel — but that’s thinking or believing or knowing; not feeling. And poetry is feeling — not knowing or believing or thinking. Almost anybody can learn to thin...

Episode 352 Related connected by reason of established or discoverable relation Relation quality that connects two or more things as beloing or working together In this episode, I talk about how to approach your photographs as a group of interconnected elements focusing on not just what the object is or looks like but how it relates to everything else in the frame. Many times in photography, we ca...

Episode 351 In this week’s episode, I dive into the importance of understanding your purpose when making a photograph. There are a host of reasons to take a photo, but understanding the reason you are making one will help you critique your images, organize your images and be successful behind the camera. Just like making sure you have the right lens on the camera for the images you want to m...

Episode 350 There are so many ways to think about grouping photographs and programs like Lightroom or Capture One can make it easier. Although those programs sort of force a method for looking at times, there are other options for grouping and associating our work. In this week’s podcast, I talk about some of the approaches to grouping your images that might open up some creative ideas or co...

Episode 349 I recently got emailed a question about finding and shooting unique things in photography and if that is important. I, of course, think that uniqueness in photography is essential, but not the subject matter or subject. At this point, most of what is photographed has been photographed as a subject, subject matter, or concept before. However, I believe that this sort of problem isn&#821...

Episode 348 Sometimes you get a great image. You print it and hang it on the wall. Other times, you have a collection of images that you want to pull together for a collection, show, or book. Anyone who has tried to pull multiple images together knows that there is an art to that process. It seems easy but never is. In this week’s podcast, I talk a little be more about how to think about seq...