Levison Wood: Photo Encounters With Strangers
by Levison Wood— I have spent the majority of the last ten years in the wild and on the road, travelling in more than a hundred countries. It has been a time of great and rapid global change, and I have been lucky enough to witness many of these changes at first hand and document them in images that preserve these moments in time. For me, every single picture conjures a memory of an individual, a family or a whole community,...
46 Photogs + 3 Years = 10,000 Images of NH
By Peter E. Randall— How many photographers does it take to document life in New Hampshire? According to the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists (NHSPA), the number is forty-six. At least that is how many professionals and advanced amateurs participated in a unique three-year shoot which will result in a full color hardbound book and exhibits in eight New Hampshire institutions. The book, New Hampshire Now, A Photographic...
How Photography Helped Save My Life
By Michael Blanchard— I was arrested in February 2010 in Maine for drunk driving while attempting to drive to Boston to talk to my wife and try to repair the damage from our constant fights. I was the COO at a company in Maine and my wife was living in the city. She was my whole world, and I was losing her. With no other support system I fell apart, with only vodka to hold me together. When I was arrested a second time, in March, for...
Pros Tell How To “Get The Photos Others Can’t ->”
By Michael Freeman— When you know in advance that a situation forbids photography, you first need to have a very good reason to flout authority, and then you need to plan how to shoot surreptitiously. This is the serious end of investigative photojournalism, and while you’re not likely to be facing the same challenges as Hazel Thompson, there are plenty of valuable lessons to be learned from her remarkable shoot of kids locked up in...
A Great Read: “Photographers On Photography”
By Henry Carroll– Let’s consider the visionaries, the groundbreakers, the original thinkers – those influential figures from past and present who pushed photography forward and continue to do so today. How did they – how do they – approach their craft and what matters most? Here we have a selection of quotations, photographs and interviews that offer telling insights into the minds of masters. Serving as brief introductions to the big...
Jack Delano’s Greatest Photo Assignment
by Arthur H. Bleich– Jack Delano’s fascination with trains began when he was eight, but it wasn’t until he was nearly 30 that he got a photographer’s dream assignment: Document the nation’s railroads in time of war. The year was 1942. Delano (pronounced de-LAY-no) was born Jacob Ovcharov on August 1, 1914 in the small village of Voroshilovka in the Ukraine. His teacher father and dentist mother exposed him to music and art at an early...
New York In The Snow
by Vivienne Gucwa– I wish I could say that there was one photo that started it all. It would be the one photo that somehow ignited my passion for snow photography in New York City. The one that people could look at to understand why I might walk up to eight miles through snowstorms at night. But there isn’t. That’s because my passion for New York in the snow began at a very early age. I grew up in a financially challenged household in...
The Appeal of Black & White Photography
By Michael Freeman– There is now a significant and growing reverse flow in photography, towards the new black and white. It’s new because it’s created from colour with processing software that makes the experience a delight, which means that you don’t even need to decide at the start that it’s a black-and-white image you’re after. You can even trawl your archives with a reconsiderate eye and look for images that might work more...
Three Photography Book Gems For Under $10 !
by Arthur H. Bleich– Now that we’re into the holiday season, I’d like to recommend three photography books that are stand-outs and would make great gifts or be worthy additions to your library. All are currently available at Amazon in used (but mostly like-new) condition at about $10 or less. Some are going for as little as a penny which makes them an excellent bargain. Here they are: Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by...
Exploring Light
By Bryan Peterson– You can do one of the best exercises I know near your home whether you live in the country or the city, in a house or an apartment. Select any subject, for example, the houses and trees that line your street or the nearby city skyline. If you live in the country, in the mountains, or at the beach, choose a large and expansive composition. Over the course of the next twelve months, document the changing seasons and...
Photos To Art Prints In Eight Simple Steps
By Brady Wilks– A digital inkjet wet transfer print provides a look that no other process can achieve. Due to the variations that an artist can use to manipulate the print and its unique visual aesthetic, this alternative photographic process is a powerful and viable option for an artist’s expression. The process is simple and your supply list is short. You will need an inkjet printer; wax paper or a pack of printer labels (address,...
The History of Photography in 5 Minutes
I came across a gem of a video the other day and thought I’d share it with you. But to digress a bit, its title brought back some great memories of Don Novello, a comedian whose character, Father Guido Sarducci, made millions of viewers laugh in the late 70s and early 80s when he appeared on Saturday Night Live and many late-night talk shows. The good “Father” spoke with an Italian accent and purportedly was a reporter from a...
“Pure Images” are a Myth
By Bryan Peterson –As the years have gone by, I have been pushing myself further and further away from the “obvious” photographic opportunities and more toward the “unseen,” as well as toward creating images from “scratch” (i.e., using props and/or models, and creating compositions that are in fact inspired in part by observing the world around me or simply writing down those ideas that seem to pop...
Photographs versus Fine Art Photographs
By Bruce Barnbaum– Throughout my photographic career, I have been asked, “What is the difference between a fine art photograph and a regular photograph?” This question was asked explicitly at the last workshop I taught before completing the text for The Essence of Photography. It’s an excellent question, one that deserves thought and discussion. My first answer is, “A lot of it is just pretentious bullshit.” It is pretentious on the...
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