LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

Jaksot

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  HT2747 - The Complexity of the Medium 17.09.2026 2min

  Photography is a technology that includes many media. I grew up in the age of gelatin silver. Today I use inkjet printers. Is my earlier work "better" or more valuable because the medium was so much more demanding and recalcitrant? I've known photographers who engaged "alternative processes" because they thought it would make their work special, more valuable, more collectible. Yet another example of equating difficulty and worthiness.
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  HT2746 - Right On, Write On, Right On 16.09.2026 2min

  One of the great gifts we can receive from an artist is PERMISSION. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the late Duane Michals. By his example, he gave us all permission to write on our photographs. He understood — boy, did he understand!— that Art is about Ideas not just visuals. By marrying the photograph to the hand-written word he opened wide a door for all of us. The question remains, however, do we have the courage to follow his example?
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  HT2745 - Denied Access 15.09.2026 2min

  I'm convinced that the most valuable aspect in the creation of a good photograph is access. If we are denied access, we can't get to where we need to be to click the shutter. Since that's an undeniable reality, wouldn't it make sense that we need to develop the skill of securing permission? I learned this lesson in the 1980s when I was working on the Made of Steel project. I used one simple principle to gain access to the garages and machine shops where I photographed. My technique only failed me once.
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  LW1522 - Spray and Pray and AI 14.09.2026

  If you want to insult a photographer, accuse them of "spray and pray." It's a not so subtle way of saying they are relying on luck rather than talent. There are, however, two instances where I think spray and pray not only makes sense but is a pretty intelligent strategy: capturing a fleeting expression in a portrait, and using a long exposure time in a handheld composition. Besides, when your photograph succeeds, will anyone care how you arrived at that success?
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  HT2744 - Long-Forgotten Books 14.09.2026 2min

  Perhaps it's understandable that as a publisher I have a fond relationship with books. I weep over the fate of books (and the photographers who made them) when I see a great book subside into the obscurity of history. Newly minted books emerge from the bindery with such hopes and momentum. Then decades pass and that once-great book, like us I suppose, recedes into the dark corners of our book shelves or the dusty confines of the used bookstore. Or the local landfill or recycling center. I like to think that books are a first step toward immortality. In practice, I know better.
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  HT2743 - The Assumption of Effort 13.09.2026 2min

  When we see any accomplished artistic expression — regardless of the medium — we naturally assume that such excellence is the result of substantial effort and talent. Just think of the effort required to compose a symphony, write a novel, or carve a statue. With photography however, we are advised "f/8 and be there." Press a button and make a masterpiece. Art is hard; photography is a snap. We photographers know this isn't true. Worse, that perception is even more prevalent now than ever.
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  HT2742 - Dappled Light 12.09.2026 2min

  One of my favorite things to photograph is the dappled light that sneaks through the trees to create those soft shadows that dance so seductively. I've photographed those shadows my whole life. I've recently learned there is a Japanese aesthetic that celebrates that light and shadow. It's called Komorebi. Ko meaning tree or more specifically leaves of trees, more meaning leaking or leaking through, and bi meaning sun or light. More importantly, the term is associated with a state of mind, a mood, a moment of being, a transience that implies this moment.
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  HT2741 - Looking for Photographs 11.09.2026 2min

  One of the great mistakes of my youth was the assumption that going out with my camera was, at its essence, looking for photographs. That almost never works. Well, at least it almost never results in a photograph that's worth a damn. I can only speak for myself, but I've learned over the decades that the truly artistic life is the pursuit of experiences and responses that can then be interpreted through an art-making medium. Said another way, photographs don't come from cameras; they come from paying attention and experiencing Life.
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  HT2740 - Photographic Stupidity 10.09.2026 2min

  I suppose we've all made stupendously ridiculous mistakes in our creative lives. Please tell me I'm not the only one. Please. We are told that confession is good for the soul. In the hopes you can learn from my mistakes, here are a few of my greatest hits bonehead mistakes.
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  HT2739 - Your Basic Lens 09.09.2026 2min

  My first camera was a 35mm SLR. I was advised to use a 50mm lens because that would most closely match normal human vision. It took me 10 years to unlearn that bad advice. Or, maybe I should say that it took me 10 years to find my natural vision. Once we discover our natural vision, choosing our basic lens becomes so much easier.
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  HT2738 - Your Minimal Kit 08.09.2026 2min

  What is the least amount of gear you can get by with? This is an important question if you are traveling, have limited space, are concerned about weight, or want to simplify your choices in the field. What can you get by with? Two cameras plus three lenses? One camera plus one lens? Your iPhone? How do you make such decisions? Affordability? Complexity? The subject and locations? Looking back at past successes?
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  LW1521 - Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained 07.09.2026

  I'm proud of the fact that so many photographers tell me that appearing in LensWork is on their bucket list. I'm equally disheartened when so many photographers tell me they are intimidated to submit work because they are afraid of being rejected. I want to tell them quite frankly, "Toughen up, bucko. Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Here are eight reasonswhy you should submit work to us and others.
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  HT2737 - The Crack of Dawn 07.09.2026 2min

  All my photographic life I've heard landscape photographers preach the virtues of the early risers. Supposedly, the best photographs are made as the sun rises at the crack of dawn. Some even go so far as to insist that only bad photographs can be made in the noonday light. Hogwash! I'm of the school of thought that there is no such thing as "good light" or "bad light." Good or bad is not a characteristic of the light, but rather what you do with that light that really counts. So, go ahead and sleep in if you need it. Great photographs can still be found whenever you are ready.
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  HT2736 - Score and Performance, Again 06.09.2026 2min

  Ansel Adams famously suggested that the negative was the score and the print the performance. Is this still true for the RAW file and the Instagram image? What is the relationship between the RAW capture and the print? And where does the finished digital file fit in this simile? I think this is all tied to the idea of an original print.
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  HT2735 - Losing Faith in Photographic Truth 05.09.2026 2min

  With increasing frequency, I find myself looking at a photograph and immediately questioning its veracity. For example, every morning when I start up my computer I'm greeted with a lovely landscape thanks to the programmers at Microsoft. Almost without exception, they look fake, with punched up colors, unrealistic sky and water reflections, and a kind of computer generated pristineness that I find difficult to believe. These images are, however, very pretty. Should I care that they are not truthful?
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  HT2734 - Actions of the Creative Process 04.09.2026 2min

  There is a lot of buzz about "Creativity" in artistic pursuits. Books are prevalent; YouTube videos are offered by the terabyte; even here in LensWorkland find you'll find a lot of references to Creativity. Well and good, but what is Creativity? If we were to observe a person in the actions of Creativity, what would that look like? There is the part of Creativity that happens in our brain that is invisible, but there is also a part we can see, observe, and emulate. Creativity is often as simple as, What If? and rejection.