This article brought to you—in full and free of advertising—by the generosity of my Patreon supporters. Please consider becoming one. Away with ideals. Let each individual act spontaneously from the forever incalculable prompting of the creative wellhead within him. There is no universal law. —D.H. Lawrence Working in projects is, without a doubt, a better, more artistic,... Continue Reading →
On Motivation, Creativity, and Personal Expression
Whatever you do to satisfy yourself will fulfill those in the world who are like you. What takes form within you will be felt outside of yourself. But if you try to satisfy someone else, you will serve neither that person nor yourself. Thus you will never know any peace. —Alfred Stieglitz Almost every time... Continue Reading →
The Condition of Music
This post expands on an article I originally wrote for LensWork Magazine. In this longer version, I incorporated some ideas emerging out of recent thinking about photography’s standing as an art form, relative to other media. These thoughts may lead to more writing on this topic in the coming weeks. As always, if you find... Continue Reading →
On Planning
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 →
Philosophical and Photographic Ramblings
We all agree that our senses and emotions are engaged when we look at art, but we do not readily appreciate the prominent role that knowledge plays in this experience. ~Arthur Shimamura Winters are hard in this desert. Hard for me, that is. I am a being maladapted to this environment: improperly equipped to survive... Continue Reading →
Photography as Distraction
If the remission of pain is happiness, then the emergence from distraction is aesthetic bliss. I use these terms loosely, for I am not making an argument but rather attempting to describe the pleasure that comes from recognition or rediscovery of certain essences permanently associated with human life. These essences are restored to our consciousness... 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 →
Recent Article and Podcast Roundup
In addition to this blog, I also write regularly for a couple of publications and sites, and on occasion I'm also invited to participate in podcasts. Here's a roundup of some recent publications. Publicly available: My article, The Introvert Game, has drawn some interesting discussions on Nature Photographers Network. I recently had the pleasure of... Continue Reading →