On Tradition and Imitation

Those who feel guilty contemplating “betraying” the tradition they love by acknowledging their disapproval of elements within it should reflect on the fact that the very tradition to which they are so loyal . . . is in fact the evolved product of many adjustments firmly but delicately made by earlier lovers of the same... Continue Reading →

Art as Adventure

The photographs that excite me are photographs that say something in a new manner; not for the sake of being different, but ones that are different because the individual is different and the individual expresses himself. I realize that we all do express ourselves, but those who express that which is always being done are... Continue Reading →

Art and Science

The fine arts and the hard sciences have more in common than most people believe, because both are driven by dopamine. The poet composing lines about a hopeless lover is not so different from the physicist scribbling formulas about excited electrons. They both require the ability to look beyond the world of the senses into... Continue Reading →

Forgetting the Roses

It is unfortunate, to say the least, that the tremendous capacity photography has for revealing new things in new ways should be overlooked or ignored by the majority of its exponents—but such is the case. —Edward Weston Henri Matisse, known for his expressive use of color, was one of the most creative and prolific artists... Continue Reading →

The Value of Originality

I'm posting this article, originally published in LensWork Magazine, in response to Irina Drelciuc, who sent me this Ask Me Anything question: "have you ever felt like there is nothing new or fresh to be 'told' through photography, what is the use of doing it unless you come up with something striking different?" If you... Continue Reading →

Up ↑