I am very sad that my friend Kirk Tuck closed the door on his wonderful blog The Visual Science Lab. I sent a hearfelt note urging him to reconsider, but he has very strong and equally heartfelt reasons why he felt it was time to let it go.

And I know that feeling. I have on occasion thought about folding up the blog and doing something else. But they are usually fleeting because I do the blog for me. Sorry – I know that sounds selfish, but it is true.

Truth be told, I rarely even check my stats. I do know that when I had it as a website, I had nearly twice as many views as I do as a blog. Yes – I am going to change the site to a dual website / blog this fall.

I was/am a reader and fan of Kirk’s blog, and found it entertaining, full of information and with the right mix of ‘wonkish’ gear talk.

But the best posts were the ones on the aesthetic nature of photography – the ethereal stuff you can’t put your finger on and define with black and white frames. The insight of a photographer who has been doing this stuff for many years is, I believe, invaluable.

That loss will be felt for those who are trying to find their way in a far different landscape than that which Kirk and I and most photographers with a little gray at the temple had.

What has changed?

The path from the beginner photographer to the skilled pro has been altered more than most photographers know. We had mentors, and photographers who would take us on as assistants, to nurture our lighting knowledge, show us how to work with clients, how to bill, and how to get and cultivate work.

I can tell you that there are a lot fewer full time assistants out there. Photographers I know who used to employ 2 or more full time assistants (me for one) now only use assistants on gigs where they need them. There is freelance assistant work out there, but the steady day in and day out stuff has declined.

The way people and clients think of photography has changed. It was once a domain of view cameras and 8×10 film – professional level cameras like the F3 and F4’s, the Hasselblad’s and Mamiya’s, the freezers full of film with the photographers tested lot number. I bought film by the case – several at a time – when I found a lot number that I liked.

Now, with the exception of the digital Hasselblad, there are no ‘professional’ cameras. If you believe the hype, there may be, but in reality you simply cannot buy a new DSLR that is not capable of making an image that can be reproduced into a fine 8×10 or full page ad. Even the entry level cameras can make an image that rocks for a magazine.

(I did ‘double trucks’ on a 10D, and the clients were very happy, so don’t try to tell me different – I DID IT.)

So the gear changed from pro level and amateur level to all the same. That is a sword with two edges. We have no more large and medium format cameras, and we lose that measure of skill that working with those cameras and films required. And that can also allow photographers who have a great and new vision to flourish faster.

While it is certainly great that photographers can enter this wonderful career without the long learning process, it is also disquieting to some of us who see that lack of skill transferring into a plethora of ‘sameness’, mediocrity and sloppy image making.

Kirk brought that ‘insight’ to the screens of photographers who may have never had the ability to pick the mind of a pro – a real pro – who had been around long enough to KNOW how important some of this stuff is. And I for one, am grateful for the AVSL’s run. If Kirk goes into that blog, there are probably at least three books waiting to be edited down.

Having that look behind the curtain is very important for photographers who cannot even find a curtain to look behind.

What remains?

The truth.

The reality of the photography business as Kirk described it. It remains a difficult, terrible, wonderful, incredible, stinking-sucking, exciting, and exhilarating business. And which of those you choose, it will deliver. In spades.

Photography remains. Making images that mean something to YOU. Making images that YOU want to make – in the way you want to make them. Kirk was adamant about that, as I am. Fitting in to the fads of photography will never make you more than one in the crowd.

To stand out, you must do what you love. In the way that you love it. And look, if that means you must make those three point lighting shots that we see everyfreekingwhere – OK – do that. But do it from the heart. Do it because YOU FEEL it.

Shoot the truth.

Shoot what you love, the way you love to shoot it. And do it often.

Making photographs has always been a major part of my life, and it always will be. Of that I am as sure as I am of anything. It is in my DNA, I suppose – the same way that I love my family.

Finding what you want to do with photography is a personal journey that is helped along by those who love it and believe in it.

Passion remains.

You have to be passionate about what you do, and that is one last thing that Kirk brought to every post he did. From swim meets to those weekend ‘walks with camera’ there was always a passion of the love of photography and the still image.

That passion for the image drove Kirk to write about photography and is one of the driving forces for his decision to move on – at least for a while – from his blog adventure. It was his passion that provided the catalyst for his best posts – the ones on business and why photography matters and how photography brings joy to his life.

If you haven’t been reading The Visual Science Lab, you will be able to go back and read the posts. He will be leaving it up for at least a while.

I wish him well on his decision, and hope that we see his insights and ideas again soon.

Kirk is the one who called me and said “you should write a book – call this guy…” I look forward to going to Austin in the Spring and hanging out with him and probably do some shooting. And we have some plans for another workshop together.

So thank you, Kirk.
Kirk Tuck Photography

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