LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

HT2478 - Photography As a Spiritual Practice Photography and spiritual practices would seem to be worlds apart. I'm not so sure about that. Do we need to know the photographer's foundation in order to appreciate their work? Are we aware that our appreciation of artwork is a function of our spiritual foundations? This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2400 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!

HT2477 - Your Philosophy of Photography The mechanical, chemical, and technical aspects of photography do not need a philosophical basis as their foundation. Science is needed and perhaps a certain intuition about the processes will help us develop our craft. The aesthetic aspects of making images do employ a philosophical foundation, even if we're not aware that we do so. Why do you make pictures? Is it to share the truth? Is it to promote beauty? Is it to attain a measure of immortality through the artifacts you leave behind? Do you hope to contribute to culture or history? Or are you fully satisfied with having fun with your photography and that's as much as you hope for? However you think about it, you do have a philosophical foundation for your efforts in photography. This RSS feed includes only the most recent seven Here's a Thought episodes. All of them — over 2400 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.

HT2476 - The Balance Between Doing and Finishing These last few months have been a particularly busy time for me photographically. I've been doing lots of work, processing images, organizing files, keywording, brainstorming ideas, getting to know the 3,500 captures I came back with from my trip to the West Coast. I've been doing a lot, but I haven't accomplished a thing. That is to say, I haven't finished anything. This exposes one of my failings as an artist; I can so easily confuse activity for accomplishment. I've been known to spend an entire day working on my to do list but not actually doing anything from that list. It goes without saying that without finishing, no artwork is made. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2475 - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor I suppose everyone listening to this commentary would, to one degree or another, describe themselves as "a photographer." But how we define ourselves and how that creates our self-image can be helpful or hurtful to our creative life. Self-image and the psychology behind it can be a powerful influence on how we think and what we produce. By the term "photographer" do you mean someone who makes images to be framed and displayed on the wall? Do you define yourself as a seeker of truth? Do you define yourself as someone who does photography to make money? If asked, how would you describe the kind of photographer you are? Has that been consistent through the years and decades of your involvement in photography? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

HT2474 - Validation via Publication Last spring, I had an opportunity to show some work to a new acquaintance. They were complimentary and then asked where the images had been published. I found that a curious question. When I told them the work had never been published, they expressed a visible dismissal as though without publication the work was unworthy of their attention. How and when did publication of a photograph become the high water mark of accomplishment in the eyes of the public? I found it doubly curious when I later realized they had not asked if the work had ever been exhibited. Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!