Thoughts On Photography

In this podcast, I discuss the one year anniversary since I started Thoughts on Photography (October 15th actually), why I started the podcast, and some of my New Year resolutions for the podcast going forward for 2009.

In this podcast I pull together a list of my favorite photography books published in 2008. The book list includes:Saul LeiterHelen LevittAmerica by Zoe StraussCuba: Campo Adentro by Susan S. BankPlanet Shanghai by Justin GuarigliaFading Hutongs by Julio De MatosIdeology in Paradise by Hiroshi WatanabeInterior Exposure by Jessica Todd HarperDomestic Vacations by Julie BlackmonA Certain Alchemy by Keith Carter

Howard Zehr is known worldwide for his work in transforming our understanding of justice, particularly restorative justice, and is a faculty member at Eastern Mennonite University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. He is also the General Editor of The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding series of which The Little Book of Contemplative Photography is a part. Zehr is also an accomplished photographer (particularly in creating the documentary-style photographs for his books) and teaches workshops on contemplative photography which promote "mindfulness" in photography.

In this podcast I discuss the current resurgence in interest in the work of William Eggleston. An retrospective exhibition of Eggleston's work on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art along with a new book/catalog of the exhibition. Coincidentally, a new DVD documentary is also available as well. There has never been a better time to get to know the work Eggleston than now.

Ibarionex Perello is a California-based photographer, writer, and educator. Ibarionex is a contributing writer for Shutterbug Magazine, PC Photo, and Digital PhotoPro. He is co-founder of Alas Media, a studio dedicated to telling stories through a variety of media, and is the host of the Candid Frame, a podcast focused on interviews of photographers across the wide spectrum of the photographic world, and FotoBoy, a blog on photography.

Getting known as a fine art photographer, that is getting your work out into the photographic public and gaining some name and photographic recognition, is not easy and there isn't a magic solution. This podcast discusses some things you can do though to increase your exposure and help you build a career in fine art photography.

In this episode, I explore the philosophy, reasons and rationale behind sharing your photography both as a way of completing what I call the "cycle" of photography and as a way of living the photographic life.

This episode of the Focus Ring (a round-table discussion featuring podcasters from the Photocast Network) features Boris Nienke (nSonic), Rolf Steinort (Meet the Gimp), Chris Marquardt (Tips from the Top Floor), and Paul Giguere (Thoughts on Photography). In this episode, we discuss lots of new developments and announcements from Photokina 2008, some philisophical questions concerning the new video capabilities being introduced into DSLR cameras, and more. We also mention various products and web sites during the show which are listed below:Schnellkapplung MiniConnectSubjectiv Creative Lens SystemCarl Zeiss Lens for Canon EOSLensbaby's New Line of LensLeica DLux-4 and G1 CamerasSigma DP2 CameraPhotokina 2008 Report

Meg Birnbaum is a photographer based in Massachusetts whose photographs evoke a certain modern sense of nostalgia. From her botanical photos to her scenes from county fairs to her almost fantastical world in the "Fly by Night" portfolio, Meg's work stimulates our imagination and our memories of events both lived and only dreamed of. Some photo reviews mentioned in this episode include:FotoFestReview Santa FePhotolucida

I recently picked up a book by Philippe Gross and S.I. Shapiro called "The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing." Ignoring the overused "Tao of Whatever" as a part of the title, I found this book to be excellent and the advice useful at all stages of your photography.

I recently attended a photo workshop at the Center for Photography at Woodstock in Woodstock, NY with Constantine Manos. Photo workshops can be fun, invigorating, and yes, expensive and even unsettling but I think they are one more thing we can do lead a photographic life.

Lorenzo is a New York City based street photographer who began using digital cameras just a few years ago. His use of the digital cameras as a part of his work flow has liberated him and has allows him to achieve new creative (and prolific heights) with his photography including several self-published books through Blurb.com. Lorenzo's intense passion and interest in photography helps him to lead a photographic life in the truest sense.

The German book publisher Steidl is in the process of releasing reprints of photography books by Robert Frank (some of which are in newly edited editions supervised by Frank himself). The titles include:The Americans (50th Anniversary Edition)Robert Frank - PeruRobert Frank - ParisZero Mostel Reads a BookAlthough I'm extremely happy to be re-exposed to Frank's work, of particular interest to me is the Zero Mostel book which I found to be a delight. All of these books are not only worth your attention but should be on your bookshelf. More books by Frank are promised in the coming months and year.

Although digital cameras have been with us for quite awhile and the quality of images produced with digital cameras can equal or are better than film-based cameras, the issue of film versus digital continues to permeate our photographic discussions. This podcast attempts to re-frame the issue as not one of quality but rather process (or how we like to work). I know this can still be a hot button issue but hopefully my thoughts add, in a constructive way, to the decision-making that some photographers still grapple with when contemplating film or digital in their photographic life.

In this podcast, photographer Aline Smithson and I have a conversation regarding her approach to photography, the creative process, and a wide range of topics related to the photographic life. You can see Aline's work and read more about her at her web site. Aline also maintains a blog called Lenscratch where she frequently discusses work by other photographers and news of interest to the fine art photographer.

Sometimes our photographic comfort zone (the typical subjects, tools, and places that we are most comfortable with in our photography) can be our biggest barrier to making creative leaps in our work. Finding the courage to occasionally leave your comfort zone behind can lead to the "next step" in your photographic life. This episode references the book "Art and Fear" by David Bayle and Ted Orland and is highly recommended.

In this podcast, photographer Gordon Stettinius and I have a conversation where we discuss Gordon's approach to photography, his creative process, and a certain philosophy of photography. You can see Gordon's work and read more about him at his web site.During the course of the discussion, we also make mention of a web site called HolgaMods which is Holga camera modification and enhancement business run by Randy Smith. Since we mentioned it in the podcast, I just thought it would be good to make the link available here.

This podcast discusses some of the essays of Susan Sontag, which can be found in the collection "On Photography", and in particular the idea that a camera can be viewed as a weapon. A controversial thought to be sure but one that I hope elicits a conversation about how photographers view their tools and the role they play in the creative process.

In this podcast I discuss the 20X200 photography and fine art print sales site hosted by Jen Bekman of Jen Bekman Gallery in New York City. Their whole approach to limited edition sales of prints involves pricing three different size prints (small, medium, and large) in different quantities (200, 20, and 2 respectively) at varying prices ($20, $200, and $2,000 respectively). This could be a whole new approach to limited editions and pricing in general for most photographers that allows the average person the ability to purchase a photograph based on their budget and their motivation as a collector of photography.

In this podcast I discuss juried photo exhibitions, what they are, how they work, and the pros and cons of entering them. I also provide some helpful tips should this be something you wish to pursue for your own fine art photography. An excellent resource for finding out when and where various exhibition opportunities are and other great advice for marketing your fine art photography is Mary Virginia Swanson's book "Marketing Guidebook for Photographers." Ms. Swanson also maintains a blog that frequently list exhibition opportunities as well.