LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

I rarely watch a movie twice - once one knows the outcome of the story, what's the motivation? But, with the movie Nebraska, the instant I finished it, I watched it a second time just because the visuals were so spectacular. I wish I had three thumbs I could "thumbs-up" this one.

Hard to believe, here at Podcast #842, that it's been ten years since I started podcasting my thoughts on photography and the creative process, but it has been. Thanks, everyone, for listening this last decade. I can't wait to see what comes up during the next ten years! Did you know that all 800+ podcasts on photography and the creative process are available for free listening and/or download for members of LensWork Online? Plus, you'll find the entire content of all of our video workshops, eBooks, Creative Labs, over 300 interviews with photographers, and so much more. Visit www.lensworkonline.com to learn more about this incredible online resource with content, content, and more content!

Photography rises to its highest form as an art when it is least about photography and most about life.

I cannot tell you how many conversations I've had with photographer who express their confidence that someday - some far distant day in the future - they are certain there will be an audience for their work. This assumes - does it not? - that one's work will pass the test of time.

Do you own any photographs that you purchased some time ago that now seem, well, questionable? Not all work wears well over time - and there are implications about this that might seem worth considering.

I would recommend the new Sabastião Salgado book to all of you, but with one important caveat. It may not be in print what you see on screen. In fact, you might find the print quality somewhat suspect, depending on your point of view and expectations about landscape photography. If you haven't seen our blog, LensWork Daily, we invite you to come see what's new. We call it LensWork Daily because we have so much content to share that we post every day. Posts include our podcasts, Looking at Images, Alumni News, News & Info, Random Thoughts by Brooks Jensen, and technology. Come check it out and sign up for the RSS feed at daily.lenswork.com.

I would recommend the new Sabastião Salgado book to all of you, but with one important caveat. It may not be in print what you see on screen. In fact, you might find the print quality somewhat suspect, depending on your point of view and expectations about landscape photography. If you haven't seen our blog, LensWork Daily, we invite you to come see what's new. We call it LensWork Daily because we have so much content to share that we post every day. Posts include our podcasts, Looking at Images, Alumni News, News & Info, Random Thoughts by Brooks Jensen, and technology. Come check it out and sign up for the RSS feed at daily.lenswork.com.

I'm willing to admit that my relationship with photography books may be different than yours because I am, after all, a publisher. But when it comes to reading - I'll use that term for what we do with the content of photo books - I suspect my experience is not different than most. Photo books are consumed differently than almost any other kind of publication. So what are the implications of this - for our projects, for book design, for how the images are delivered to the ultimate reader? We are delighted to announce that the next LensWork Monograph, Photographs 1979-2013 by Stu Levy, is headed to the printer soon and will ship to Monograph Subscribers in a few weeks. Because we only produce enough copies to fulfill our current Monograph Subscriber mailing, if you'd like this new monograph of stunning black and white landscapes by this accomplished photographer, subscribe to the LensWork Monographs now. Issued 4 times a year, each monograph is 72 pages devoted to a single photographer or project. You can learn more about the LensWork Monographs at www.lenswork.com.

Before you criticize a body of work as poorly made, it might be worth taking a moment to ask more deeply why you find it unsatisfactory. Perhaps it is exactly what the photographer intended. We are delighted to announce that the next LensWork Monograph, Photographs 1979-2013 by Stu Levy, is headed to the printer soon and will ship to Monograph Subscribers in a few weeks. Because we only produce enough copies to fulfill our current Monograph Subscriber mailing, if you'd like this new monograph of stunning black and white landscapes by this accomplished photographer, subscribe to the LensWork Monographs now. Issued 4 times a year, each monograph is 72 pages devoted to a single photographer or project. You can learn more about the LensWork Monographs at www.lenswork.com.

Getting an audience to engage our work is similar to the challenges of other artmakers, for example novelists. Perhaps there are some lessons we could learn from their experience - like working in series.

The idea of working in "projects" has become all the rage in photography in the last 30 years (probably prompted by the rise in art book publishing and popularity), but what is a photographic project? Here are some observations about the kinds of projects we commonly see in books and in the submissions to LensWork. Brooks Jensen will be the keynote speaker as well as a workshop leader at the upcoming 11th Moab Photography Symposium in Moab, Utah, May 1st-4th, 2014. For more information about this exciting week of connecting and photographing with others who love the desert landscape, visit www.moabphotosym.com.

I've always found it useful to think about what I am producing in three separate, yet integrated arenas - the photographic qualities, the emotive content, and the physicality of the print. Only when a project succeeds in all three areas do I feel it has reached its best potential. Did you know that all 800+ podcasts on photography and the creative process are available for free listening and/or download for members of LensWork Online? Plus, you'll find the entire content of all of our video workshops, eBooks, Creative Labs, over 300 interviews with photographers, and so much more. Visit www.lensworkonline.com to learn more about this incredible online resource with content, content, and more content!

I was recently thinking about the rapidity of gear changes I’ve been through in the last dozen years or so - all of which are a result of my needs rather than something demanded by the artwork I’m making. Did you know that you can schedule a personalized, live, one-on-one e-consultation session with LensWork Editor Brooks Jensen? Portfolio reviews, project discussions, help with photo software - it's always great to have an expert pair of eyes to help overcome the hurdles in your creative path. These 40-minute or 60-minute sessions are conducted via real-time Internet screen sharing using your phone or Skype. January appointments are filling up now so book your appointment online.

I don't ever hear Miles Davis being played on a New Age station, nor Katy Perry being played on a Jazz station. Just as the world of music is really a plethora of genres, so is photography. There is not much value in comparing our work, success, or audience to that of Annie Lebovitz or Steve McCurry - not when our aesthetic is so different from theirs. Did you know that you can schedule a personalized, live, one-on-one e-consultation session with LensWork Editor Brooks Jensen? Portfolio reviews, project discussions, help with photo software - it's always great to have an expert pair of eyes to help overcome the hurdles in your creative path. These 40-minute or 60-minute sessions are conducted via real-time Internet screen sharing using your phone or Skype. January appointments are filling up now so book your appointment online.

It's often said that "Cameras don't make pictures; people do." If that's true, then an honest appraisal of ourselves can be one of the best exercises to help improve our artwork.