Guy Tal | Photographer, Author
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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 →
A couple of days ago I've had the pleasure of spending a day with Brooks Jensen, photographer and publisher of LensWork Magazine. We've had many good conversations, and even recorded one of them. Hope you enjoy it! Of course, if you wish to order autographed copies of my books, I would appreciate it. They are... Continue Reading →
Sometimes, the only way to discover who you are or what life you should lead is to do less planning and more living—to burst the double bubble of comfort and convention and just do stuff, even if you don’t know precisely where it’s going to lead, because you don’t know precisely where it’s going to... Continue Reading →
I would prefer by far to write music which has something fresh to reveal at each new hearing than music which is completely self-evident the first time, and though it may remain pleasing makes no essential contribution thereafter. ~Roger Sessions I love music. My musical taste is diverse, and I almost always have something playing... Continue Reading →
Every instance of stepping outside your comfort zone won't lead to an incredible sense of discovery and liberation. But it may happen when you realize that what you thought was your comfort zone is, in actuality, your compliant zone—where you've learned to behave in ways that you were expected to behave, perhaps by your parents,... Continue Reading →
In my teaching, I wish to promote the concept of expressive photographs—photographs that are not just original or appealing in themselves, but that also communicate some subjective thoughts and feelings form the mind of the photographer.
I believe that such an implicit contract in photography exists (or should exist) only in some contexts, and that there is no such contract that applies unequivocally to all photographs, and certainly not to all art.
The following article is based on one originally published in On Landscape Magazine. It is my hope that readers who appreciate high-quality content, hand-picked by photography-savvy editors, and free of advertising, consider subscribing to independent, subscriber-supported publications of this kind. Unfortunately what we call progress is nothing but the invasion of bipeds who do not rest... Continue Reading →
We recognize that someone has found their voice when their distinctive spiritual or emotional core becomes an inseparable part of their art. Reaching that threshold means letting the concerns and influences of others fall away, so that your own voice is heard clearly. It takes a whole lot of dedication and conviction and hard work... Continue Reading →
I recognize that sometimes viewers may assume about my work what lawyers call, "facts not in evidence," namely that I push the boundaries of (to borrow a term from Ansel Adams) "departure from reality" to a greater extent than I actually do.