LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

Some work just reaches us deeply. Why? What can this tell us about us, and what our next steps might be in our creative life? You might be interested in . . . "How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online. LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me and Why. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com. And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. The most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.

There is an inverse relationship between the side of a print and the size of the audience. In an ironic way, the larger the print the smaller the audience.

As a way of including and remembering those whom I love, I'm taking with me on my road trip a token from each of my family members — something they've touched, something that has physical connection to them. Strangely enough, I think it's the same dynamic that makes signing prints or even personalizing them so important.

In last week's podcast I was discussing the difference between searching and finding and I think it's one of the most important concepts I've discussed in my podcast series. Here's another way to think about that issue about purposefully setting out to photograph what we preconceive versus simply being open to accept what we find.

For 30 years, my only camera was a used ARCA Swiss monorail view camera that came with no instruction manual. I never needed one. I knew how to use a view camera, so I never missed the fact that my used camera didn't have instructions. Now, I don't go anywhere without my digital camera's instruction manual. Not anywhere.

My new life on the road has begun! And with it, I can get back to / establish new routines that support my creative life. You might be interested in . . . "How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online. LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me and Why. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com. And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. The most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.

I often hear landscape photographers describe the subjects they photograph as being so impressive because of their enormity. The Grand Canyon and storm supercells come to mind. This doesn't always come through in the photograph, however, because big is a description that begs comparison.

As strange as it may seem, the weather can have a significant impact on which focal lengths I use. A long focal length on a hot day isn't a good combination because of the heat waves that come off the surface of the landscape creating distortions. Extra windy days, I tend to choose shallow focal lengths because it minimizes movement and I can take advantage of all that dust in the air to create atmosphere.

Yesterday I was discussing the need for occasional rest days, but the same idea pertains to the importance of a mid-day 10 minute nap. Being creative consumes oxygen from our brain, and I've often thought the 10-minute nap is a great way to recharge your brain cells for the next few creative hours.

As the better weather gets closer to us this spring, it's a common thing for photographers to start planning their extended photographic vacations. I often hear from photographers who have gone somewhere for a week or two to photograph. I'm not sure this is a universal feeling, but I know that whenever I go out for an extended period like that I have to have a day, somewhere in the middle, that's a rest day. A day's break in the intensity brings me back refreshed and ready to be creative again.

One of the most interesting ways I've ever seen an original photograph presented was at a show of Mark Klett's work in Arizona. He used a floating mount technique which I thought was simply spectacular. I've used it a couple of times in my own work, and it's a very interesting way to emphasize the artifact nature of an original print.

Fine art photography can either be a path of searching for what you want, or one of finding what you weren't looking for. Both are valid, but they are definitely different. You might be interested in . . . "How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online. LensWork Online includes hundreds of hours of audio, video, and downloadable content - literally terabytes of content, content, and more content. All 1200+ of Brooks Jensen's podcasts, the complete Here's a Thought... video library, Looking at Images commentaries, Creative Labs and new channels for 2020 including Finding the Picture and Those Who Inspire Me and Why. We add new content literally every day. You can learn more about memberships to LensWork Online at www.lenswork.com. And don't forget that all members can download the digital versions of LensWork for your tablet or computer. The most content-rich resource for ideas and inspiration you'll find anywhere on the Internet.

With photographers whose work is highly collectible, having a clear provenance is important. For you and I, it may be less important, but it doesn't take much time or cost anything for us to supply a provenance for our work should somebody, someday want to collect it. Why not provide them with the three important dates?

Book publishing and magazine publishing don't provide a very satisfying solution to presenting panorama images. Too bad, because panorama format is such a lovely way to see in the landscape.

Beginning a project is filled with excitement. Half way is a benchmark of accomplishment. Finishing is a point of joy and pride. Three-quarters is the danger zone.