-
Read MoreAre You Making YOUR Photographs?
“Imitate. Assimilate. Innovate.” - Clark Terry, Jazz Trumpet Legend Always a concern for beginning and emerging artists. Where do we draw the line between inspiration and appropriation (stealing)? In our examination of what makes an image portfolio worthy, we begin to look for authenticity, and not merely a ‘me too’ approach to the art. Jan Klier, a friend and photographer in...
-
Read MoreWhat Makes an Image “Portfolio Worthy”?
That is the essence of a big source of discussion by photographers. There seems to be a lot of hype and ‘science’ bandied about regarding this question. I want to talk about what makes an image worthy of your portfolio today, and have you think about your work in possibly a different sort of way. What is your portfolio, anyway? It is the repository of the work you have made, and limited to be...
-
Read MoreA “Sign of the Times” – Project 52 Pros
The assignment was a brochure cover image for a brochure titled “Sign of the Times”… the P52 PROS hit it out of the park. Project 52 PRO is a group of photographers devoted to becoming the best they can be, while working in a real-world assignment venue. We keep the assignments ‘real world’ with everything from concept shoots to layouts with exacting dimensions. Food,...
-
Read MoreInterview with Texas Photographer Jennifer Boomer
I love Jennifer Boomer’s work. The first time I saw it I spent about an hour looking at all the images and loving the style, the point of view and the wonderful subjects. It was imagery that spoke to me. I decided to ask Jennifer if she would do a webinar with me and she accepted right away. We discussed her work and how an editorial and advertising photographer lives is a tiny West Texas town and...
-
Read MoreWell, This Cliff Jumping Thing Worked Out Well
On Jumping Over A Cliff… So this guy tells me… “You should jump off that cliff, Don.” I stare incredulously at the guy cause I am not good on cliffs. Not as bad as my bud Charles… but that is a different story. I am not crazy about heights. “Are you crazy”, I say… “jumping off a cliff can hurt, or even kill me.” “Nawwww”, this guy...
-
Read MoreFirst Be A Photographer
I follow a very nice group of people on a forum on Facebook. They are all trying to start their businesses with varying degrees of luck and success. One of the things that is emerging is that many of them are simply not ready to be professionals and in business. And that is a shame. It is not a shame they cannot be in business, it is a shame that they thought it was as easy as buy a camera, get some...
-
Read MoreOne Layout: Many Versions
Man these Project 52 PROS are really dialing it in. And that is making it more fun than a guy should have. The assignment was to shoot to this layout (furnished in PSD layers) and make sure it worked. I wanted them to put the images into the layout and show us what they came up with. This time I am not going to choose a sample, I am going to share all the images this assignment garnered – because...
-
Read MoreProject 52 Pros: Assignment Four
The assignment was called “The Tear Sheet” and it involved the students working through creating a “fauxtolio” to help them focus their energy on making images that they LOVED to make. The “fauxtolio” helps guide the sensibilities of the photographer as he or she begin to do all the assignments in Project 52 PRO. I hope you enjoy this random sample of images, and if you...
Recent From PROJECT 52
Recent From Rants & Raves
Recent From Going Pro
Most Recent Articles
Shooting Shiny Stuff at P52
Sometimes photographers have to shoot shiny stuff. Lighting works very...
Read More
OT Sunday: Eliot Carter, American Composer
Eliot Carter was my favorite contemporary composer. It was his first and...
Read More
An Open Letter to a New “Photography” Blogger
(from a recent forum post where a new blogger was talking about ‘getting...
Read More
The Fabulous Sandwich: Some Examples
Some shining examples of food shooting and shooting to layout from the Project...
Read More
Business Slow? Have You Tried These Ideas?
Today? I mean today… These are simple ideas, built to do quickly or...
Read More
“Fredericksburg Today” a New Book by Steve Collins
Steve Collins has been a friend for several years. We met at a workshop, and...
Read More
Trick or Treat… or Something…
My kids love Halloween. I can remember every trek through the streets with...
Read MoreLots of Posts to Explore
Glad you dropped by. This is my love and my muse. We talk about photography here, as well as the folks who make images. I am very focused on commercial and fine art photography, and we don't really spend all that much time on weddings and such. I have written 5 books - two I give away here, and two are for sale at Amazon, and the 5th one is being edited and designed right now! Thanks for visiting, leave a comment or join me the social networks...