I'm taking with me some photographic tanzaku - or wind-poems, to leave in the prayer trees so they will dissolve in the rain and the wind and carry my images to the skies.

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This trip to Japan, I'm returning to the exact same areas I visited in the early 1990s - but with older eyes and newer technology.

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This year, if all goes well that is, my annual Winter Trees folio will be from images I make while photographing in Japan the last two weeks of November.

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While in Japan photographing, I'll be working on several projects. One of them is an experiment to make photographs with non-rectangular borders. I'll be experimenting with Japanese fan-shaped images in the style of woodblock prints. .

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When the project is so large as to be overwhelming, the obvious strategy to overcome hesitancy is to divide it into doable bits.

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It is a natural human reaction to freeze when you can't see the destination. Think about entering a totally black and unfamiliar room. When we can't see the end of our art project, the same kind of hesitancy can take control of our actions.

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It is very common at the beginning of an art project to experience a fear based in self-doubt. Such fears dissolve, however, when the inspiration comes from the right source.

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We can be so self-deceptive when it comes to getting in our own way and preventing ourselves from accomplishing what we say we want to accomplish.

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We are all born with the drive of the artist within us. What can we do to nurture that drive in the artmakers of the future?

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We all have photo albums that help us remember the times of our lives. But perhaps there is more we should do to make these artifacts meaningful to our progeny so the content of these photographs are not lost to future generations.

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There are so many ways we artists are discouraged in our creative pursuits, it is such a joy when encouragement arrives unexpectedly. Perhaps we can help one another by simply taking the time to say, "Atta boy!"

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I find I must guard against the accumulation of "potential" as opposed to the act of actually accomplishing something. A book owned but not read, a photography tool purchased but not used, a technique mastered but never employed in creation of artwork - these are all seductive in their potential, but useless if not used.

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I recently saw an advertisement for a new photography monograph for which the photographer charged an extra $5 for signing - a practice that I find odd, to say the least.

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Cameras are changing with mind-bending speed. But, images - that is, "image aesthetics" are not. What are the implications of this disconnect?

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We are not supposed to anthropomorphize inanimate objects, but I do wonder if work without an audience feels sad that it is unloved.

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When reading a novel, do you feel like you've stopped time for the characters when you set it down in mid-story? Do you feel that way with a photography book?

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The change in workflow relative to "previsualization" seems to offer us an opportunity to engage the world more deeply, rather than spending our precious field-time working through technical issues. What I tend to do now in the field is, therefore, considerably different than my old habits.

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Hand-in-hand with the new way of previsualizing in the field is a new mindset that helps this process: data gathering. Rather than capturing the final image in the field and merely processing it in the lab, we now gather data in the field and make the final artistic decisions back home.

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Working with film and a larger format camera, I previsualized in the field. Now, working digitally, I still previsualize, but not the same way.

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The most successful photographs are ones that are interesting from all three points of view - that is, the photographer's, the subjects', and the viewers'.

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I haven't retired my tripod just yet, but that old friend is giving way to some new tools.

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Warning: This podcast contains a tirade and strong opinions (but no bad language). If you have high blood pressure, please don't listen.

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Skype, Lightroom, and instant feedback. I still remember the days when it would take me months to develop the film.

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In the 1970s and 80s, when everyone needed printing skills, Zone System workshops sprung up like mushrooms. Here in the digital age when we are making images by the gigabyte, where are all the workshops that teach editing and sequencing?

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Knowing the classification of the thing is not the same as knowing the thing. Knowing what box it goes into does not tell you much about it.

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A book recommendation - The Five Faces of Genius by Annette Moser-Wellman

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Here is an example of the digital distribution of photographs that I discussed in the last podcast that is the type of change that truly revolutionizes photography.

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There is so much talk these days about the so-called "digital revolution" in photography. But, by that term, most photographers refer to the means of capture and printing photographs. As I look at it, it's not the means of production, but rather the means of digital distribution that is the revolution to pay attention to.

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Deciding what equipment to take with me overseas implies that some things will be left behind. I know that the implication is that I will set myself up for the "if only" game -- "If only I had that piece of equipment I could . . ." But, this is a trap of procrastination that is counterproductive for our creative process.

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Some comments from a podcast listener about excellence in the performances of Bonnie Raitt.

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With each new trip, I find I need to review what I carry in my photo vest so those things that I need with immediacy are handy. Over the years, I find there are some things that rise to the level of essentials. Here are the 10 essential items for my photo vest.

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I'm off to China later this year and starting now to develop my equipment list. But, in addition to equipment, there are a few other things that can help us prepare for a successful photography adventure.

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Another elephant in the living room is the cost of framing our photographs. We all know the buyer of our prints will likely spend more to frame them than they spent on the print itself. We need to address this.

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I was discussing an obvious principle of the creative process the other day, and was surprised to learn that a good portion of the audience had never heard of this fundamental idea. So much for "the obvious."

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Shortcuts have a cost. If we want artwork to enrich our lives, we need to allow ourselves the time to appreciate a photograph with the attention it (and the photographer) deserves.

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I am intrigued by my resistance to letting go of equipment, or techniques. Once acquired, letting go can be a touch traumatic as we plunge into the unknown future.

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It is said that the Devil is in the details -- but so is the excellence we artists search for with every piece we produce.

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It's all in our minds -- fun versus tedium, that is. And here is an opportunity to prove this to ourselves. Yup, spotting is fun, spotting is fun -- repeat after me -- spotting is fun. You are getting sleepier -- spotting is fun.

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From time to time, it's a good idea to examine our habits­ - just to see if there is something we continue to do, reflexively, that is no longer relevant to our creative process.

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We are currently in production on the LensWork Visual Workshops on Disc, the first of which will be available soon. In the meantime, enjoy this audio excerpt from our live PDF Workshop last summer.

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With every major technological change in cameras  has come an attendant technological change in output substrate -- from metal plate to paper, for example. Are we now witnessing the shift from paper to pixel?

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With the rapid rate of change these days, we'd better plan time in our creative life for learning new tools, new techniques, new equipment. It's not like the old days when we used the same equipment and products for decades.

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With every new lens and camera I buy, the first thing I do is test the lens apertures using the same PLI Lens Test Chart I've used now for 35 years. It's amazing what behavior-changing information you can learn when you gather a few facts in the form of test results.

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Do you spot out dust flaws? Blemishes? Power lines? Inconveniently positioned trees or mountain ranges? Where do you draw the line between acceptable and blasphemous Photoshop cloning?

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The old saying goes, "Practice makes perfect." But, as oft-quoted as this is, it's not entirely true. Better, "The practice of perfection makes perfect." And here are some ideas how this applies to photography.

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The old joke: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Tiger Woods and Fred Picker know exactly how to get there.

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Every project has its boundaries that are defined by the project itself. If the boundaries are too limiting, simply redefine the project by change the magnification of your thinking.

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There is a difference between projects that have a lot of repetitive prints but no depth, and those that add more information with each additional print.

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Comparison and contrast are our basic methods of developing understanding. But what about the interpretations, comparisons, and contrast our viewers bring to our work that are completely different from our life experiences?

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One of the lessons we photographers can learn from the world of music is that it is the gap  between the tones that is the really important aspect of creating movement and life.

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With today's digital emphasis on grainless images with smooth tones, I find that I am missing that grainy, 35mm look that is so effective in the right kinds of photographs.

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No, not a podcast about photographic kings and tyrants, but rather some thoughts on the language we use to describe tones and the generational challenges of speaking to one another with understanding.

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Not all photographs need a full range of tones -- and when done right, an image with a limited palette can be wonderful.

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Why did this photographer make this photograph? What does it add to the project? What does it tell us? Without answers - or at least clues -- in the form of context (titles, sequences, text, background) a photograph runs the risk of being meaningless.

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Where there is conflict between a deeply held myth and the content of a photograph, the myth will win. We see what we are trained  to see.

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One downside to photography is that it gives us the ability to postpone really looking at what's in front of us now. It seduces us to postpone life.!

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One of the websites I enjoy for images, interviews, and photography (as opposed to cameras) is www.lensculture.com. Just in case you haven't seen this one, check it out!

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What do you have in common with your peer group? Cameras? Or, artmaking and the creative life? Here is an idea I'm committed to try.

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Photographs, in my way of thinking, are objects that are intended to be touched as well as viewed. There is a physicality to a photograph that is denied to images encased behind glass on the wall.

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We still look at Weston's photographs today because they are relevant. They still teach us, they inspire us, because they are about  us and the way we use our eyes and cameras to see the world.

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Over my years in photography, I've owned and used a lot of cameras. I'll probably own and use more and different ones in the future. It's inevitable.

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I share this so my costly mistake can be avoided if you find yourself in the same situation. A.K.A., "lament for a tripod."

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There seems to be a direct -- and inverse -- connection between personal comfort and the quality of the photograph. At least there is for me.

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Photographers are explorers -- so facing our own fears is a part of our creative path. Here is an excerpt from my interview with Camille Seaman in LensWork Extended #81 in which she talks about managing fear.

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We all want a book of our work. Nothing wrong with that. But in the meantime, why not consider a low-cost, high distribution alternative that could easily be considered the cutting edge book of our electronic age?

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Each time we pick up a camera or enter the santuary of our darkroom, we would do well to remember how precious that time is and how special it is to be able to be creative with our photography.

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When money is tight and we can't travel or buy film or paper, there is always a lot we can be doing that doesn't require cash but can be very helpful in our creative life.

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My two-month old camera has already become the "older generation" as the hamster wheel of progress continues to spin.

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A pragmatic look at copyrights and our fine art photographs.

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If you have a little momentum to help you, it's so much easier to change direction, move into a new idea, or start a new project.

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The creative path is many things, not the least of which is learning to see through the other's eyes.

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There are many reasons to like Shakespeare, but there is one in particular that makes his work so brilliant.

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Manage BIG projects -- the kind that are overwhelming -- by dividing them into manageable bits.

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A 500th podcast celebration.

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Well, we busted iTunes -- or to be more precise, we now have more content than iTunes can comfortably handle. With over 450 podcasts now available -- and counting! -- the XML file that feeds all that to iTunes was getting too large for iTunes to handle. Some readers were reporting that it was choking on the file size. So, we've decided to remove the older back issues of our podcasts from iTunes. But, don't worry! All the back issue podcasts are still available on our website. In fact, we've created ZIP file collections so you can more easily download the entire collection without having to download each MP3 file individually. Visit our website for more details and for all the podcasts going all the back to podcast #0001. Have fun!

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