HT1828 - Why Black and White?
There's a fascinating philosophical question about black and white photography that pops up from time to time. If color photography had been invented first, would there have been a need to invent black and white photography at all? Set another way, what does black and white photography provide that is denied in color photography? What is your default - - color or b/w?

HT1828 - Why Black and White?

HT1827 - Beyond the Headline Heroes, Part 2
For some reason, I always seem to prefer the lesser known photographers rather than the headline heroes. I prefer the landscapes of Wynn Bullock over Ansel Adams, the portraits of Paul Strand over those of Annie Leibovitz, the daily life photographs of Josef Sudek over those of Dorothea Lange, and the reportage of Josef Koudelka over that of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

HT1827 - Beyond the Headline Heroes, Part 2

HT1826 - Beyond the Headline Heroes, Part 1
It's is our mission here at LensWork to publish the best photographs we can and to share that work with as many people as possible. Notice that sentence does not say, "famous or celebrity photographers." In fact, we specifically look for "ordinary folks" who are producing good work and are not plugged into the publicity machines of photography. Photography is a truly democratic art medium, but that's hard to see when so many publishers, galleries, museums keep publishing the same famous dead guys over and over. 


All 1800+ episodes of Here's a Thought . . . are available in their entirety to members of LensWork Online, our extensive resource library of our 30-year publishing history. Learn more about LensWork Online.

HT1826 - Beyond the Headline Heroes, Part 1

LW1391 - Letting Go Is Moving Forward
In the early years of my photography life, I practiced "photography by acquisition." I gathered to me gear, knowledge, techniques, an inventory of images, and occasional accolades. As I've grown older and seen things more clearly, I've come to realize that an important part of progressing in the art life is letting go of ideas and practices that aren't productive. As futurist Alvin Toffler once said, "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." In other words, letting go in order to move forward.


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.

LW1391 - Letting Go Is Moving Forward

HT1825 - Convenience Wins Most of the Time
Music and photography have a very interesting characteristic in common. The medium that tends to dominate consumption is almost never the one of highest quality but rather the one of most convenience. For example, in music real-to-reel tape recordings are much higher fidelity than the pops and clicks of records, but the convenience of records completely dominated the marketplace. There is a parallel in photography.

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 that looks at failures as a way to learn. 
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.

HT1825 - Convenience Wins Most of the Time

HT1824 - White Is Not a Tone
Certain subjects, snow and sand dunes immediately to mind, we describe as being "white." But there is a difference between white in nature and photographic white, a perfectly detail-less tone in a print. Photographic snow or sand dunes are actually gray, but that is the trickiest gray to achieve successfully without it looking dingy. Photographic white is not so much a tone as it is a description of visible detail.

HT1824 - White Is Not a Tone

HT1823 - The Soft Blacks of Matte Paper
Matte inkjet paper, like the paper used for platinum/palladium printing, has a lovely surface but cannot produce very deep black tones. Measured with a densitometer, the black of matte paper will typically top out at about 1.5, whereas glossy paper can easily reach a density of 2.2. Our eyes magically adjust for this difference, and thank goodness they do.

HT1823 - The Soft Blacks of Matte Paper

HT1822 - The Lovely and Awful Panorama Format
Some of my favorite work from the last dozen years have been extreme form panorama format images. Think aspect ratios of 8:1 or greater. For example, I have an image of Capitol Reef that is 8 ft long and 12 in tall. I love the image, and it's such an interesting thing to view on the wall here at the house. But framing such beasts is absurdly expensive and publishing such images is simply impossible.

Get Started

Download the App