HT2153 - Within the Necessary Requirements - Teleconverters vs Cropping

Any time we throw away pixels - - for example, in cropping an image - - we know we are limiting ourselves with that image. But, is it a problem? I was doing a little math about this and came up with some surprising results. As long as what is left is with the necessary requirements, we haven't lost a thing.

HT2152 - So-called Decorative Arts

I don't often hear people use the term "decorative arts" anymore. Is photography a decorative art? Or, is photography a medium for more personal artistic expressions? Or is it both, thereby confusing both producers and consumers?

HT2151 - Making Art Is Asking Questions

On the surface of things, showing our artwork feels like a declarative statement. We've addressed some subject and are presenting our audience a proposition. In all of this there are lots of statements and facts. The beginning of the process, however, that is to say the making of artwork, is always about asking questions. What can I do with this? Why is this significant? What do I want to communicate?

HT2150 - This Moment Will Never Repeat

The older I get, the more I realize that my photography is an accumulation of unique moments. The Japanese have a phrase that captures this spirit: Ichi-go, ichi-e. Photography provides us, no, it seduces us to become one with the moment. With this in mind, the purpose of our photography is not the product, but rather the experience.

LW1438 - The Target Audience

If you don't have a target audience in mind when you produce your work, then how do you know what to produce and how? Of course, for most of us, our target audience is ourself. Perhaps that's as it should be for all artists, but if we are the only target audience, doesn't that seem a bit futile?

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Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.

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HT2149 - Learning from Our Failures, The EPIC Series

With every press of the shutter release, with every processing step in Photoshop, with every action we take, we aim toward making a significant image. We strive for success. But curiously enough, an even better way to learn is to pay close attention to our failures.

HT2148 - Post-exposure Chimping vs Focus Peaking

One of my frustrations with current cameras has to do with checking the focus once I've captured the image. When I magnify the image in the viewfinder or on the screen, the image degrades to the point I cannot determine whether or not the image is sharp. The blue "focus peaking" markers are a much better gauge, but are not available on all cameras.

HT2147 - Completely Manual Mode

Just as a curiosity, I set my camera to completely Manual Mode to remember what it was like to be a photographer in my youth. Manual focus, manual aperture, manual shutter speed. I have no idea how we ever succeeded with all-manual cameras. I think "f/8 and be there" was not just a strategy, it was a survival mechanism.