LW1530 - Why I Prefer Projects

Here's a Thought… #2801 with Brooks Jensen Beware the Advice That Stifles One of my earliest examples of thinking outside the box involved five images matted in a single mat. I thought it was innovative and expressive. My well-meaning peers crushed this experiment and I never pursued it. Years later I tried black mat boards with the same discouragement. Feedback can be helpful, but it can also negatively influence your creative impulses. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2800+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2800 with Brooks Jensen Lawn Chairs and Other Photographic Necessities The older I get and the longer I practice photography the more I'm convinced that photographs find us. Chasing photographs is a fine idea in our youth when burning off excess energy is a virtue. I have discovered, however, that chasing photographs is not the best strategy, at least not for me, and my aging knees concur. The older I get the more I see that it's not taking photos nor even making photos. The key is allowing photos to reveal themselves to us. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2800+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Episode #1530 from our long-running, weekly podcast On Photography and the Creative Process Why I Prefer Projects Words alone cannot tell a story until they are organized into sentences and paragraphs. Said another way, groups of words make much more powerful expressions than words could ever do without the power of sentences and paragraphs. Similarly, individual pictures can be wonderful, but when they contribute to a larger whole by being part of a project they feel more capable of personal expression than the individual, standalone image. All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content. Sign up for instant access! You might also be interested in. . . Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com. and... "How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.

Here's a Thought… #2799 with Brooks Jensen The Field of Search You've managed to carve a little time from your busy schedule and have an opportunity to do photography. Where do you search for your next photograph? In The Great outdoors? On a busy urban street? In your still life studio? Or could it possibly be waiting to be discovered in your Lightroom catalog? Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2800+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2798 with Brooks Jensen Art That Is Not Pretty In this week's podcast, I was bemoaning the overload of pretty pictures we are surrounded with these days. A logical question then becomes What is an artistic photograph that isn't pretty? I think this question gets right to the heart of personally expressive photography. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2797 with Brooks Jensen Artmaking Is Problem-Solving I have a daughter who loves puzzles. Watching her attack a puzzle reminds me of the process I engage when working on art. The end can often be visualized, but the means to get there cannot. That could almost be the definition of a puzzle. To reach the end requires innumerable steps almost all of which are essentially trial and error, or perhaps I should say "educated and deduced guess" followed by new understanding which leads to another educated guess. We sneak up on the answer rather than pouncing on it. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2796 with Brooks Jensen Drive-by Misses The other day I was talking about my preference for base camp shooting rather than incessant travel. We've now been on the road for a month and I hate to think of how many things we've driven by that appealed to me photographically but were impossible to access because we're pulling the trailer. These drive-by misses are almost painful. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2795 with Brooks Jensen Megapixels versus Paper and Ink Some of you have unlimited budgets and can skip this thought. The rest of us have decisions to make. Do you buy expensive, high megapixel cameras that leave a smaller budget for paper and inks? Or, do you choose a moderately priced camera that allows a more generous budget for prints, better lenses, travel, faster computers, etc.? More lotto tickets is not the answer. Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2794 with Brooks Jensen A Visible Difference The jump from 35mm to 8x10 is immediately visible. Because of this, photographers with roots in film axiomatically believe that bigger is better. By extension, 60 megapixel cameras are better than 20. But is that true? Is it a visibly true? Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2793 with Brooks Jensen When the Project Picks You I'll readily confess that most of my best projects are not preplanned, purpose driven, and not the result of conscious searching. I stumble upon them. They whisper in my ear. They hesitatingly reveal themselves. They are less a declaration that commands me and more an invitation that seduces me. They arrive as a hint, a glimpse in the corner of my eye, a question that often begins, What if? Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.