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Understanding histograms is the key to getting a good exposure in digital photography. In this podcast, I walk you through the basics of the histogram. I show images of histograms (and scenes I have photographed.) Understanding histograms is the key to mastering exposure, which is at the heart of good photography.
18
Jan 12
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I spent an afternoon talking with people at a minor league baseball game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, asking them what they liked about minor league baseball and this is what they said…
19
Oct 11
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To share my reaction to afternoon traffic in Providence, Rhode Island I made this brief podcast.
16
Aug 11
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Nostalgia, photography and pablum
Because it is summer, my recent blog entries have been shorter (and I am hoping sweeter.) This week I am writing something equally short but maybe not so sweet. I will be exploring a weird convergence of marketing, nostalgia and photography that I recently came across. What I read got me pretty agitated, but I wanted to “sit on my anger” for a few weeks, to see if my initial reaction was still appropriate. Now I can say that what I thought back when I first saw the offending passage is what I still think, a few weeks later.
22
Jul 11
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During a recent trip to Italy, I was captivated by many things from the food, to the culture, to the landscape. I was also struck by the pace of the trip itself, which was a mix of frenetic periods interspersed with calm days. With that in mind, I made this podcast, exploring my complete experience.
13
Jul 11
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In Jerusalem, I was intrigued by the motion of the Orthodox Jews praying at the Western Wall, the holiest shrine in the Jewish faith, so I made this podcast, exploring their movement.
23
Jun 11
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In Hanoi, Vietnam, my attention was captured by the small things I saw (and photographed) as well as by the energy of the city in the background, so I made this podcast, exploring both of those experiences.
12
May 11
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In Trang An, Vietnam (in Ninh Binh Province) I enjoyed an amazingly peaceful rowboat ride. I took my camera along with me, so I could share the experience.
11
Feb 11
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One morning, as I rushed to meet my class in Singapore, I took my camera along with me for the ride.
12
Jan 11
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The making of a grumpy old photographer
When I was first starting out as a photographer, I spent a lot of time with a few “grumpy old photographers.” Since I was the “young whippersnapper” back then, I was the butt of many of their jabs and barbed comments. I generally took it all in stride because I knew what I was learning from them was incredibly valuable. I also secretly hoped that I would survive long enough in the business of publication photography to become a “grumpy old photographer” too. As I have slowly earned the designation of “older,” I often wondered what was going to make me as “grumpy” as those guys. That finally happened recently and it surprised me when it did.
19
Nov 10
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My daughter and my niece spent the summer of 2010 volunteering at the Parikrma school in Bangalore, India. This short movie explores their experience living and working in India.
17
Nov 10
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Going pro vs doing photography for love, not money
I make my living as a professional photographer. I initially believed that the designation “professional” meant that my photographs were so good that people would part with their hard-earned money to own, publish or see my work. Digital photography has prompted me to rethink that idea a good bit. Today, millions of new images are created weekly and the perceived value of those images is spiraling downward. A couple recent e-mails from student and the democratization of photography caused by the digital imaging have contributed to that reconsideration. The thought process that I went through as I pondered this question is the heart of this week’s blog entry.
17
Sep 10
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The thinking and tools behind “Carnival, time”
In this podcast, I explain my thinking and the tools that I used in making the podcast (time-lapse image animation) that I call Carnival, time.
08
Sep 10
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In this podcast, I share a multi-media piece that I made in India. Then I explore the inspiration that motivated me to make that piece.
25
Aug 10
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The word “Akka” rings through the halls of the Parikrma schools in Bangalore, India. It pours out of the mouths of Indian school kids as it is directed at their female teachers.
11
Aug 10
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I generally write (blog) as way to organize the jumble of activity in my head. I am writing this particular entry after six weeks in India (and what seems like an equally long flight to get home.) The flight was not really six weeks of course, but the intensity of how experienced the two flights left me thinking about how we initially encounter and later remember experiences. Photographs often facilitate this process. Some discussions with family in India prompted me to think further about the intertwined relationship between images, family stories and memory.
09
Aug 10
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Why I am not a big fan of the Gorillapod
A student, who will be in my next class at the Maine Media Workshops, wrote me with a question about buying a tripod. She had already viewed my podcast on the table-top tripod that I use and she wanted my thoughts on that on that tripod as compared to the Gorillapod. This was not the first time I have been asked this question. For me, a question asked more than once usually merits a blog post and so here is her answer (and today’s blog post.)
02
Aug 10
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By relocating to Asia for much of the summer, we are undertaking something new to us. Some of the work I am doing here is specific to being here, whether researching an upcoming assignment in India or teaching a class in Singapore. Much of my time is spent on work that I could do anywhere, whether blogging or creating new podcasts. Since my life here is more slow-paced than back “home,” I have been enjoying the opportunity to ponder a few ideas that have been piling up in my “blogs-to-be” folder.
19
Jul 10
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This podcast offers the viewer a whole new perspective on an adrenaline-filled motorcycle ride through the streets of Providence, Rhode Island.
14
Jul 10
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I have been in Bangalore, India, less than a week and I can already see a lot of changes. Some of those are in the urban landscape and the culture. Others are in my own thinking and the way my mind’s eye processes what I encounter. I suspect that these collective changes will make this an especially interesting time to be in India’s so-called Silicon City.
02
Jul 10
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preserving memories, sound or sight
I blogged (and podcasted) earlier this spring about the discoveries I made during my in-depth spring-cleaning. I explored what I learned about my own photography as I reviewed, edited and purged thousands of old photographs and transparencies. More recently, I have been similarly reviewing, editing and purging other old recordings, documents, files and papers. Some were personally poignant and others were professionally compelling. The entire process is worthy of at least a couple more blog entries.
21
Jun 10
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This podcast takes you to see a beautiful twilight, amidst the neon lights of the carnival rides at the Union County Fair in Union, Maine.
16
Jun 10
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02
Jun 10
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This, my first blog-cast, explores the intersection between a blog entry and a podcast.
19
May 10
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Pictures, purges and process (part two)
As of late, I have been writing about the massive spring-cleaning I have undertaken over the last few weeks. I am pretty much done with this archival edit and purge. I have also been thinking how much fun it was looking through thirty plus year’s worth of work. In all, it was a good starting point to reconsider the evolution of my style as a photographer. If I had to give that journey a title, as I went from a beginning photographer to an established professional, the best phrase would be “moving the goals posts.”
03
May 10
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This podcast takes you to Yosemite National Park in California, to explore one aspect of the spring season, in one of the first wilderness parks in the United States that is best known for its waterfalls
21
Apr 10
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This podcast takes you to Tucson, Arizona, to experience the energy and activity at the annual Tucson Rodeo.
24
Mar 10
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The sweet spot for dramatic shadows
This podcast shows you how to find the ’sweet spot’ for making dramatic shadows in your photographs.
10
Mar 10
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Using the best tripod, which is a table-top tripod
This podcast shows you why the the best tripod for many situations is a table-top tripod. It also explores how to use that tripod in far more ways than just on top of a table.
24
Feb 10
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10
Feb 10
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Using shutter different speeds to show motion or stop action
This podcast explores how to use low shutter speeds to show motion as compared to using high shutter speeds to stop action.
28
Jan 10
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Vietnam as a war, Vietnam as a country
When I told my seventeen-year old daughter I was going to Vietnam, she was very impressed. I ostensibly went to visit a friend who lives there and to try to see the country through his eyes. I also went to photograph (and scout locations for a potential photo workshop.) I am pretty sure my daughter thinks of Vietnam in connection with the TV show, the Amazing Race and maybe the musical, Miss Saigon. For American men of a certain age (like me,) Vietnam conjures up something very different.
18
Jan 10
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This podcast takes you on a journey through India. The brief video is an adventure in sight, sound and motion.
13
Jan 10
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How do we think about the “age” of a photograph?
I have been thinking/writing a lot recently about how photographs “age.” I do not mean physically, though that is an important question. I mean in terms of how we experience them as old or new. Recently, I blogged about my wife’s current project, photographing three or more generations of Indian women and turning those portraits into animated, multi-generational family portraits. Last week, I wrote about the importance of making actual, physical prints in order to preserve important memories. More recently, I was corresponding with a friend about his images, which were made decades ago. We were trying to figure out when an image changes from something contemporary (even if not recent) into a historical document. Since most photographs capture a moment in time, all this pondering makes some sense. On the other hand, it may just as likely be that I am extra sensitive to the passing of time, having just had a birthday.
11
Jan 10
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Technology as artistic opportunity and aesthetic hurdle
My wife, who is a photographer, has been producing some compelling animations / videos based on multi-generational portraits of Indian women. In the process of making the work, she went through a series of hurdles, just like any creative person would. She first struggled through the process of conceptualizing and defining the project. Once she knew what she wanted to do, she then applied for and had good luck getting a grant to fund the initial photographing and the post-production of the work. Over time the project evolved. She has recently completed the creation of the finished pieces. The work uses some of the latest digital technology to raise some interesting questions about time, memory and photographs. In the process of making the work, it seems she got a little too far in front of the existing technology. So much so that one of our current projects is to figure out what existing technology can be used to present her work in the exact way that she wants it be experienced.
07
Dec 09
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A new look at complaining about the “good old days”
I was exchanging e-mails with Bob Krist, a freelance photographer who works regularly on assignment for National Geographic Traveler. Our dialogue started with the idea that when we were younger, the older photographers we admired complained about the good old days. I wondered if, today, when he and I are no longer young and are more prone to complain, are we just being nostalgic or is something really being lost in today’s photography market/climate?
04
Dec 09
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04
Nov 09
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Seasonal rhythms in motorcycle riding and photography
The arrival of autumn, my favorite season, brings a number of changes to my life. On a larger level, the school year begins, defining much of my wife and daughter’s schedules until the next summer returns. The looming colder weather also means it is time put my motorcycle away for the winter. Thinking about all of that lead to some thinking about photography. (Are you surprised?)
05
Oct 09
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This photography podcast uses audio, images and animation to take the viewer to the mountains of Guatemala.
09
Sep 09
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Impact of changing your focal length during long exposures
This podcast explains how to change the focal length of your lens, to “zoom” during long exposures, in order to get interesting effects.
01
Jul 09
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Kodachrome is dead, long live Kodachrome
With the announcement that Kodak is discontinuing its legendary color slide film, Kodachrome, I find myself frequently humming Paul Simon’s song about that film. Then I got to thinking about the film, which I once used in VERY large quantities. Finally, I came to consider the film’s successor(s.) Just like when the ruler of a country dies, he (or she) might be gone but the next leader is soon in place and most importantly, the institution lives on. That is how I see Kodachrome’s and photography’ continuing forward.
29
Jun 09
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20
May 09
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Basics of capturing images for a time-lapse animation project
This enhanced podcast introduces the viewer to the basics of capturing images for a time-lapse animation project, in this case while photographing a flower market in Bangalore, India.
06
May 09
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I am writing today about a variety of resources for photographers. Of course, the major one that I am thinking about is The Wells Point web site. Yes, this could easily be interpreted as a shameless self-promotion. I prefer to think of it as an information-advisory about all the valuable things on the site. Read the whole post and then you decide.
24
Apr 09
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Call center workers in Bangalore, India
This podcast explores the experience of call center workers in Bangalore, India
22
Apr 09
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From “mad cropper” to full-frame perfectionist
I almost never crop the photographs that I make. For me, the best images are captured by careful composition in the camera, and not ‘saved” by cropping after the fact. I will be the first to admit that I was not always so disciplined. In tracing my evolution from mad cropper to full frame perfectionist, I realized the idea of not cropping went from technical objective to moral imperative to aesthetic goal and now is a philosophical mission.
20
Mar 09
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The Wells Point after six months
The Wells Point site is now over six months old. I am still going strong, having written 65 blog entries and posted 13 pod casts. I have learned much along the way, about myself, the folks who visit The Wells Point and a bit about where this enterprise will be going in the future.
09
Mar 09
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The use of time, shutter speed and panning in photographing action
This podcast explores the use of time, shutter speed and panning in photographing action. It explores the important photographic technique of panning through photographing race cars at the Seekonk, MA speedway.
14
Jan 09
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“Hitting the wall” when it comes to learning new technologies
I was having a conversation (via e-mail) with a friend/photographer in California, named Michael. It quickly grew from a personal discussion to something much more philosophical. It started on photography but ended up being about much larger issues.
12
Jan 09
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This enhanced podcast takes the viewer on a visual journey through India while riding on an auto rickshaw, a traditional mode of transportation.
03
Dec 08
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The history of photography of California farmworkers
In politics there is the so-called “Washington read” which, according to Word Spy is: “The perusal of a book in a bookstore that consists of checking the index for references to oneself and reading only those parts of the book.” I never thought I would live to see the day when I did my own version of the “Washington read” of a book, but that happened recently.
01
Dec 08
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The podcast, “The Wells Point,” gives you an important tool that will change the way you photograph.
24
Sep 08
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This video photography podcast, “a market moment,” is an animation of a series of images at an Indian flower market.
10
Sep 08
