Guy Tal | Photographer, Author
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Those who have only a superficial knowledge of the possibilities of our art contend that the photographer is a mere mechanical realist without power to add anything of himself to his production. Yet some of our critics inconsistently commit themselves to the statement that some of our pictures are nothing like nature. This is giving... Continue Reading →
Some photographic movements have had a following in America, but none has ever held sway for any length of time. The Photo-Secession, documentary photography, photo-journalism, f/64, all made valuable individual contributions, but they all had to give way to the self-assertive individual photographer. Of course, individual photographers do bind themselves to certain limiting systems of... Continue Reading →
We do not long remember those artists who followed the rules more diligently than anyone else. We remember those who made the art from which the "rules" inevitably follow. ~David Bayles and Ted Orland, Art and Fear In the previous installment, I explained why I feel that intuition is a much more reliable way to... Continue Reading →
I don’t know a thing about the rules of composition. I make my own. The subject is very difficult to write about, and perhaps can never be explained in words, since it is so involved in personal experience and growth. Words, "art criticism," and explanations are the curse of today so far as art is... Continue Reading →
Nourish yourself with grand and austere ideas of beauty that feed the soul. You are always being lured away by foolish distractions. Seek solitude. ~ Eugène Delacroix Shortly before the Christmas holiday I arrived at my campsite in a remote region where the Mojave Desert transitions into the now-frigid highlands of the Colorado Plateau. It... Continue Reading →
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Mike Pach, host of The Photo Show podcast. You can listen to our conversation here. Or, click on the podcast image below. Be sure to also visit Mike's website, 3 Peaks Photography & Design.
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing with the We Talk Photo podcast. You can listen to our conversation here. Or, by clicking on my picture below (photographed by my friend, Jack Graham, during a workshop we led together).
Whether a photograph is art is less important than whether the photographer is an artist.