Lenswork - Photography And The Creative Process

Here's a Thought… #2710 with Brooks Jensen Your Best Is Often the Least Important An over-emphasized component of fine art photography is the assumption that "making stone-cold winners" is the heart of the pursuit. I would propose that super-winners are not the goal but can, occasionally, be the result. We make art for the process, not the accolades. There is a cultural pressure to be and produce "the best of the best of the best." (stolen from Men in Black) Far too often our very best work relies on a generous helping of luck. Take all the lucky ones you can get, but don't confuse luck with artistic accomplishment. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2709 with Brooks Jensen The Return to Film I think I understand why some photographers are returning to film and analog photography. There is a sense of accomplishment in the production of a wonderful gelatin silver print that is absent (or at least diminished) with an inkjet print or an Instagram post. What is missing from this debate is the source of the thrill. Does the thrill of accomplishment come from the successful command of the medium or from the depth of connection with the content? Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2708 with Brooks Jensen Better Than I Remembered With some frequency now, I find that as I look back at my older unprinted archives, I'll stumble upon an image with new appreciation. How did I miss this one? Is it that my processing tools are now so much better? Is it that I'm older and more artistically mature? Is it that the passage of time has made it easier to distance myself from the experiential memories of the moment? Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2707 with Brooks Jensen Blind Spots and Habits Now that I've been photographing for decades, there are some subjects and trends that have become more identifiable with a larger data pool to pull from. Evidently, I find walls irresistible. Chairs must be one of my favorite subjects if the count of how many photos of them I have is any indication. Trees and rocks rate high on the list. I have no interest in architecture, but you'd never know it by looking at how many photos I have of buildings. Sunsets, wildlife, urban streets, and sports events are almost completely missing from my archives. I'm wondering if a list of what I've never photographed could lead to something interesting? Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2706 with Brooks Jensen The Creative Life Is a Daily Habit Every waking moment is an opportunity to make a photograph — but we don't. Moments don't rise to the level of photographic importance until we sense them. Photography happens at the intersection of a particular moment and our sensitivity to perceive it. I'll pause for a minute for you to think about that. If true, doesn't it seem obvious that the limitation of creativity is our sensitivity, not the availability of moments? If so, the challenge of being an artist is all about developing our sensitivity to every moment, not the never-ending search for the special moment. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

HT2705 - Abundance Can Be a Curse I had a couple of weeks last fall to photograph in the San Juan mountains of southern Colorado. The weather was perfect, the fall colors at their peak, and I just kept shooting. I now have 967 RAW captures from that couple of weeks. What do I do with 967 perfectly focused, properly exposed, lovely images? They can't all be winners! If I toss half of them, I'll still have 400+. If I keep only the top 10%, I'll still have almost 100. I'm beginning to think that too many is a curse worse than too few. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

HT2704 - A Photographic 2-Minute Drill There is a situational strategy in football when the time runs short. It's called the "2-minute drill." Its essence is accomplishing a lot in very short time. We could borrow this idea for project-oriented photography. If you've only got 20 minutes or so to photograph, how do you turn that into short, multi-image project? How should we prepare ourselves for such opportunities? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2703 - Internalizing the Scene I assume that all of you are aware of the idea that a camera is a mirror, that every picture we make is a reflection of who we are. There is a kernel of truth in this idea, but I don't think it's automatic nor universal. To internalize a scene requires a conscious effort on our part. That moment is the seed of creating artwork. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2702 - When a Group Ceases to Be a Group One of the interesting things about a multiple image project is how the viewer assembles the collective idea that binds the images into a unified expression. Show three images as a group and the viewer will try to connect them. When the group becomes too large, however, it can be more difficult to see so many images as a group. I think this is one of the reasons "Seeing in SIXES" works so well. It's the sweet spot between the single image and too many to be a group This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2600 and counting! — are available to members of LensWork Online. Try a 30-day membership for only $10 and discover the literally terabytes of content about photography and the creative process. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

LW1516 - Beyond the Rectangle We photographers have quadrilaterals on the brain. Why? The world is not quadrilateral. Why not compose in circles, ovals, or other shapes? Is it because cutting round or oval mats is so difficult? Are we prisoners of the straight-edge ruler? Can we not learn from our lenses — which by the way cast round images onto our quadrilateral sensors? 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.

HT2701 - A Personal Pile I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this. I have a "personal pile" of prints that I rarely (often never) share with anyone. They are not embarrassing, nor obscure. They are ones that I'd just as soon not have my feelings about them diluted or polluted with other's opinions. To call them "spiritual" would be too strong, but they are moments that I treasure and would like to preserve. Maybe I'm being silly about these images, but that's the way I feel. This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2500 and counting! — are available to members of LensWork Online. Try a 30-day membership for only $10 and discover the literally terabytes of content about photography and the creative process.

HT2700 - Small Bites I wish my brain worked in a continuous straight line, but it doesn't. I bounce from idea to idea. For years I've fought this by trying to be creative in a continuous straight line. Why not take the easy path and develop an approach to project development and even image processing that uses a small bite strategy? This is not a creativity problem, it's an organizational problem. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2699 - The Creative Life Is a Daily Habit It's almost a cliché to suggest that a creative life is a daily thing. The truth is that it's true. A drop of ink in a gallon of water changes the entire gallon. A drop of creativity in an ordinary day changes the entire day. Does that mean you need to shoot pictures everyday? Might be fun, but for most of us that's impractical. The only thing I know that I can do every day of my life is think about creativity, about photography, about locations, about ideas. Thinking can go with me everywhere, fill a minute here or there, and introduce a drop of creative momentum into every day. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2698 - My Favorite Features of Digital Processing It seems that with digital processing we can do anything — and do it, if need be, at the pixel level. I find, however that there are a few tools that have dramatically allowed me to make images that were essentially impossible in the analog darkroom. These have become so integral in my image making that I can now barely imagine photography without them. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2697 - New Life for Old Ideas Over the last 50 years in photography, I've had a number of ideas that I thought were good at the time, rejected because they were too odd, and now realize they were pretty good ideas all along. I let convention rule my thinking, an attitude that I now realize is always a mistake. Never let convention get in the way of your creativity. Here are three examples. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!