LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

HT2382 - Amazingly Handheld The old rule of thumb I learned in my youth about shutter speeds advises that we should use a tripod unless the shutter speed is at least 1 over the focal length of the lens. For example, using 50 mm lens I should be able to hand hold at 1/50th of a second. The other day, I hand held a one second exposure with a 200 mm lens that is tack sharp. Seven to eight stops of stabilization. Amazing! Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1471 - A Case for Project Photography We all love creating that spectacular image that gets matted, framed, and hung on the wall. There is a real sense of accomplishment in a single image like this that we can be proud of. A case can be made, however, for project-oriented photography and the different challenges a project presents to us. A single image can be a lucky shot. A project always demands more of us as creators and as masters of the craft. All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content. Sign up for instant access! You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com. and... "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.

HT2381 - PBWA Is Not Luck On several occasions, I've mentioned that my favorite way of exploring photography is PBWA — Photography By Wandering Around. At first this might look like a dependence on luck, but I think there is more to it than random happenstance. It has to do with subconscious sensitivities Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2380 - Sometimes Easy, Sometimes Not During my travels to the West Coast, I've had a number of small projects that I've engaged with the hopes of developing into a Seeing in SIXES presentation. A few days ago I mentioned a project about corn. As it turns out, that project has been a challenge and I'm having to really work hard at it. Several other projects have fallen into my lap with almost no effort. Why is this the case? What's the difference between easy and hard? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2379 - Introducing Photographers on Photography I love a good quote that makes me think about the creative process and the art life. I'm just beginning my third reading of a great book edited by Nathan Lyons published by Prentice Hall in 1966 titled, Photographers on Photography. I first read this book in the early 1970s. It makes me think so naturally I thought I might share selected quotes and my commentary on them here as a sub-list in our series Here's a Thought. Let me start with Berenice Abbott. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2378 - Young Brooks I'm often asked how I got started in photography. Forgive my self-indulgence, but here is the short story that explains my initiation into a life in photography. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2377 - Why Not Everywhere? There are so many places that have become photographic hot spots. It seems that everyone rushes off to these iconic landscapes. But what about the landscape where you live, or where photographers don't seem to appreciate? I maintain that everywhere has photographic potential. I mean that, EVERYWHERE. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2376 - No Fall Colors A podcast listener has written saying that it's too bad my travels will not allow me to photograph the fall colors of northern Minnesota. True, but the creative spirit knows that every day, every moment, every location is an opportunity to express our vision if we can only be sensitive to what we find whenever we are out with our cameras. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2375 - Focal Lengths That Fit Our Vision Our photographic vision is often limited to the focal length lenses we own and carry with us. I don't remember a time I had no restrictions — until now. With me on this trip I have focal lengths from 16mm to 800mm (35mm equivalent) and three cameras. Is this too much? Or, will I find that having all these lenses opens possibilities I wouldn't ordinarily have? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1470 - About Workshops The workshop scene has changed since I attended my first workshops in the early 1980s. I discussed this in one of my podcasts that was posted in 2017. I know not all of you have been following my podcast since its beginning in 2006, so this week I'm reposting that podcast to whet your whistle about this upcoming workshop in Durango, Colorado. All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content. Sign up for instant access! You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com. and... "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.

HT2374 - You Can't See It All the First Time As we look for photographs, we can only look at one thing at a time. While doing so, what else are we missing? Knowing that's how vision and concentration work, doesn't it make sense that the first time we drive down a road, for example, we simply cannot see every potential photograph there is. I've found it productive to drive down a road, then turn around and retrace my steps to see things I might have missed the first pass. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2373 - Cameras and Lenses Which camera should you buy? In spite of all the technology changes over the decades, I still give same answer I did 54 years ago. Build your system from the lens up, not from the camera up. Lenses are far more important than cameras. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2372 - The One and Only Time Those of us who choose the art life are presented with a challenge to balance our life with friends and our opportunities to create art. Sometimes that requires some very strategic thinking to fit it all in. I find it useful to remember that for many of these occasions, we will have only one chance to photograph and area. These chances are precious. link to my BVJ Arts logo Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2371 - Curiosity I've often thought that the best tool we can cultivate for our creative life is curiosity. In fact, when I'm stuck in a creative rut, I find the best thing I can do is stop thinking about what I might photograph next and start thinking about the world. Let curiosity take over and photography always follows. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2370 - Our Global Audience Previous generations of photographers had a difficult time getting their work seen in the neighboring towns, let alone the neighboring states. Today, you and I live at a time where our audience is global. Photography's ability to be a language-less medium of communication would seem to be a tremendous advantage. But then, without a common language there arise difficulties that challenge us. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2369 - A Corny Idea Where do ideas come from? I suppose there are lots of different answers depending on who you ask. For me, ideas often come from something I see that might be a project. The question then becomes can I expand that idea to more images? Should I? Is it worthy of expanding to more images? How do I find out if it's worth expanding? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2368 - Photographic Realism Photography certainly has a reputation of being the most real medium for showing things. Every detail, every instance of light is so akin to human vision. Compare this to other visual media like watercolor, oil painting, dry point itching, linoleum cuts etc. All other media have an aesthetic that makes no pretension about realism. So is photographic realism its strength or is it the characteristic that separates it from the rest of the visual arts community? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2366 - We Are All Minimalists When I was out photographing the other day, it dawned on me that we are all minimalists, but perhaps to different degrees. The fundamental act of composition is the elimination of distractions. Even that is a form of minimalism. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2365 - Art, an Assertion or an Observation? When you make art, is it an assertion of your fundamental beliefs and philosophies about life? Or, are you a third party observer who simply shares what you've seen with others through your art? In other words, does your art say, "This is who I am" or does it say "This is what I've seen." link to my BVJ Arts logo Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2364 - The Myth of Accurate Color When it comes to photography, what does it mean to have accurate color? Doesn't the very concept of accurate color deny the fact that we humans see color differently, that color is a subjective sensation. Accurate color is not the same as emotional color. This way of thinking implies a new approach to color balance and color mixing. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2363 - Niagara Falls, Land of Selfies The waterfalls were impressive, but from what I could see, most of the people were even more impressed by, well, themselves. I saw very few people taking pictures of this nature's wonder, but almost everyone was taking selfies. Is this a cultural phenomenon? A psychological phenomenon? Or, a technological one? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2362 - Niagara Falls, Which Essence? I said on this trip I was going to attempt an experiment to see in sixes as often as I could. My first opportunity was at Niagara Falls. I started with a simple question: What is the essence of this experience? Surprisingly, it wasn't the rushing waters that plunge off the cliff. Instead, the overriding experience was the mist that rose from the chaos. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2361 - All Dressed Up and Ready to Dance Here on the first day of my 2-month travel adventure, I had a chance to stop at the Fenimore Museum in Cooperstown, New York for a second look at the Peter Federman show, The Power of Photography. I couldn't put my finger on what made some of these images so special, but they definitely are. The thought I kept circling back to was James Bond in a tuxedo. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1468 - There the Prints Set, Gathering Dust Because of my early training and the generation into which I was born, I'm still a print guy and think of my prints as the most desirable format for my work. That said, every time I look at my boxes of finished prints, sitting on the shelf, gathering dust, I come face to face with the reality of the advantages of the digital world in which we live. All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content. Sign up for instant access! You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com. and... "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.

HT2360 - Seeing in SIXES, Road Edition Road trips always require a lot of planning. There are routes to be determined, gear to sort out, and reservations that need to be made. Notice anything missing? No, it's not a determination of subjects to be photographed, but rather a plan on how to photograph. Are we on the search for those fantastic shots? Simply gathering assets? Perhaps there's another experimental strategy that's worth considering. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2359 - Heading Out for a Couple of Months Tomorrow (Monday, August 25, 2025) I'm head out for two months on the road. I'll be traveling across the country from New York to my old stomping grounds in Oregon and back. Along the way I'll be giving a talk in Portland to the Photographic Society of America and then participating in the Horizons workshop in Durango Colorado. The trip will involve some 12,000 miles and lots of road time. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2358 - Branding and Your Own Art Logo My early experiences in business and marketing taught me the importance of branding and logos. I could easily assume that a personal logo for my artwork is a bit pretentious, but then again it can grow into something meaningful. Here's the history of my Brooks Jensen Arts logo. link to my BVJ Arts logo Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2357 - What More Do I Need? In the back of my brain is an ever present nagging desire to go shopping for more gear. It's irrational, it's reflexive, it's ridiculous. Trying to think about this more deeply, I realize I already have everything I could possibly need for any picture I can imagine I might want to make. I find this ever so slightly intimidating. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2356 - Practice, Practice, Practice I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you have all heard the joke, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? " Answer: practice, practice, practice. Is this true for photography, too? And if so, how do we practice photography? Perhaps Yoda had the best answer, "There is no try, there is only do." Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2350 - Execution and Content When I look at artwork, it often involves two different types of response. I can admire a work of art because of its amazing execution, or I may admire a work of art for its emotive content. Execution involves a wonderment about how the artist did it. Content involves a dialog about why they did it. I've learned that I can't process both of these ways of thinking simultaneously. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2349 - Photography Under Glass I mentioned the other day that I had visited the Fenimore Museum near Cooperstown, New York. One thing that struck me as I wandering through the museum was that there was only one medium that was protected under glass — photographs. Also on display were paintings, sketches, etchings, prints of many varieties of media, but only the photographs were framed under glass. Is there a reason for this, or is it simply convention? This, in fact, was the topic of my very first Here's a Thought commentary back on March 1, 2019. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2348 - Photography Is a Personal Thing One of the most interesting photography books I've seen in a long time is by gallery owner Peter Fetterman and is titled The Power of Photography. Part of the reason this book is so special is that it is so personal. Federman reviews 120 images from his collection and tells us about it, not from its historic point of view but rather from his personal point of view. It reminds me that every picture is a story, every picture has a story, and every story is a personal one. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2347 - The Element of Surprise All drama involves a reveal of one kind or another. Audiences expect it and love it. The same can be true for photography. Why else would so many people get close to a photograph and look for hidden details? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1466 - The Questions I'm fascinated with the responses I hear when people look at my work. When I display photographs on the wall, I typically don't include a title for the individual images. This often generates questions, but rarely more than the two biggies — what and where. I can't remember anyone asking why I photographed that scene or photographed it in that way. Curiously enough, once I answer what or where, they almost immediately move to the next image. Does that say something about my work or about them? All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content. Sign up for instant access! You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com. and... "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.

HT2346 - Tiny Print, Giant Mat In one of my visits to the Art Institute of Chicago, I saw a display of photography that consisted of 35mm contact prints matted and framed to 16x20". These tiny prints were impressive and memorable precisely because they so successfully invited close inspection. The convention is to surround the image with white border, but how much is the right amount? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2345 - Print Metadata Digital photographs, we all know, have metadata that tells us a bit of the behind-the-scenes story of the image. Such information is useful for a variety of reasons including provenance and copyright specifics. As creators, such backstories can play an important role in our personal histories. But what about our prints? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2344 - The Edge of the Image Every rule in art has exceptions. For example, never use the rule of thirds because it's formulaic; use the rule of thirds because it's the strongest way of composing. On several occasions, I've mentioned the importance of eliminating those little pokies that are often distractions at the very edge of the image. Sometimes, however, using the edge to cut an object asunder is a great way to expand the frame through the viewer's imagination. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2343 - Signature Tools Signing your work is important. It communicates far more than the author of the work. Your signature denotes completion of the work as well as approval of its craft and content. Therefore, it's worth thinking a bit about how you sign your work and with what tools you use in signing it. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2342 - The Illusion of Detail As I sit here looking across the backyard at the edge of the wild, I know that if I walked closer and closer, pulled out my magnifying glass or microscope, that with every step along the way I would reveal more and smaller detail. In a photograph, however, if we get too close and magnify too much our image dissolves into ink dots or grains of silver. In photography there is no detail, there's only the illusion of detail. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2341 - Screen Versus Print I'm an old print guy from way back. I love the physicality of prints. I love the experience of handling a print up close, the texture of the paper, the smell of ink. That said, I often find I prefer the dynamic range and vibrance of my images on screen. The mistake I routinely make is trying to make my prints look what I see on my screen. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2340 - Note the Audience Reaction From time to time we all have a chance to show our work. Praise is nice to receive, but it's even more valuable pay attention to the reactions you get from the work. Each viewer will tell you something if you just pay attention to their body language as well as their comments. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1465 - The Original, Redux I was recently asked if I sell my original prints. In particular, this individual specified that they didn't want a reproduction, but rather they collect only original prints. It's been a while since I talked about this, so it may be a new idea to some of you. Here's what I said back on September 21, 2019 in my Here's a Thought comment of that day. All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content. Sign up for instant access! You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com. and... "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.

HT2339 - The Age of Enlargement The advent of enlarged prints from negatives or glass plates dates back to the earliest days of photography. Nonetheless, enlargements weren't a regular feature of fine art photography until the early decades of the 20th century. Even into the 1940s contact printing that produced prints the same size as the negative ruled the roost. Today, we take enlargements for granted, but there is something to be said for the tradition of smaller prints. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2338 - Preserved by the Few Time moves on and what was once popular becomes almost forgotten. Try today to find a big band music radio station. History is preserved by a few, and a tenuous thread it is that links us to the past. As a contemporary photographer, I feel an obligation, a compulsion, a duty to keep the work of our predecessors alive, at least in my heart Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2337 - File Management and Your Memory I would have never guessed that a huge barrier to my creativity would be as simple as finding the image I remember taking in the haystack that is my Lightroom catalog. It's worse than finding a needle in that haystack, it's searching for one specific needle in a haystack of needles. The best advice I've heard about this challenge is to assess how your own memory works and build your organization to fit your brain. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2336 - Photography and Media The digital divide has created a dichotomy I've never heard discussed. That dichotomy is a generational one, I think. Those of us from the previous generation found photography mostly in books, and occasionally in original prints. Today, most of us see images digitally and even more rarely in original prints. (Fewer galleries, etc.) I wonder how much of this is the result of phenomenal image fidelity in books and digital displays? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2335 - Find Your Own Path The Internet — indeed, the WORLD — is filled with creative types who all want to show you how they do it, whatever "it" is. Me included, I confess. The problem persists, however, that your path is your path and can only be revealed by you. Techniques can be taught, but creativity must be discovered, nurtured, searched for, allowed by you, for you. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2334 - The Opposite of Selfie We are supposedly taking trillions of pictures now according to experts who calculate such things. If we eliminate selfies from that count, I suspect the remaining images would total about six. I exaggerate to make a humorous point. Seriously, there'd be about eight. This tsunami of selfies exhibits a cultural narcissism that is breathtaking. I'm slightly frightened by the long-term implications of all these selfies. It seems to me the photography's greatest gift to humanity is its ability to concentrate our attention on others and the fascinating world we inhabit. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2333 - Learning from the Work You Don't Like I've made no secret that there are half a dozen master photographers whose work simply doesn't connect with me. Bill Brandt, Garry Winogrand, and Joel-Peter Witkin come to mind. Rather than ignore them, I found it very useful to spend time with their work exploring my disconnect. It's one thing to reflexively like work, but studying the work we don't like has an uncanny ability to clarify why we like what we do. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1464 - When Images Have a Mind of Their Own Every time you click the shutter you have some idea of what you hope the finished image might be. Even if you are just "gathering assets," you have some idea what the image might look like when finished. More than that, can we agree that every time we click the shutter, we do so because we think we have a winner? Why else would you click the shutter? But then something happens to dampen our enthusiasm once when we start to work with the image. If 100% of the shutter clicks are motivated by a winner, why are not all of your images eventually winners? Seriously, what happens to diminish our enthusiasm for an image? All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content. Sign up for instant access! You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com. and... "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.

HT2332 - To Tripod or Not I'm not fond of using a tripod. For 35 years, every picture I made had to involve a tripod because I was using view cameras. I've thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of handheld photography here in the age of image stabilization and ISO flexibility. That said, I can't deny that a goodly number of my images are better having used a tripod than they would have been had I tried to hand hold the exposure. More and more I find the first decision with every image it should I use the tripod or not. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!