On Taking Pictures

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236: The Next Switchback on the Plateau Nov 01, 2016

Show notes

This week, we’re talking about the ups and downs we go to when we just can’t seem to connect with what we make. How do you keep moving forward when it feels like your wheels are just spinning in the mud. It’s not the feeling of being stuck because energy is still being expended — there’s just the feeling of not moving. Plus, does innovation happen by committee or does there need to be a single vision that the committee then supports? Shin Nogouchi is our Photographer of the Week.

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This week's OTP is sponsored by Squarespace - Get 10% off with offer code 'OTP'

235: Layering It Up Like a Cake Oct 26, 2016

Show notes

This week, how do you know — or can you know — when a piece of work will be more than what you thought it would be going into it? Can you predict greatness or is it only available in hindsight? At what point do you call the game if you’re not going to win? Also, a discussion around how appreciating art can often be affected by the room or the way it’s displayed, using the newly reopened East Wing of the National Gallery of Art in DC as an example. Plus, Erin Margaret Allison Rambo is our Photographer of the Week.

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234: Measure Twice, Cut Once Oct 17, 2016

Show notes

This week, Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize for literature and it inspires a discussion around boundaries as they pertain to art and creative pursuits. Does Dylan winning this re-define what qualifies as literature? How does this discussion pertain to photography? Is portraiture more valid than street photography? Is shooting wildlife somehow “better” than shooting weddings? Also, how much does creative efficiency figure into your own creative process? Are you looking for the shortest line between to points or do you prefer the more scenic route? Jonathan Mannion is our Photographer of the Week.

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This week's OTP is sponsored by Squarespace - Get 10% off with offer code 'OTP'

233: Live Up To An Impossibility Oct 11, 2016

Show notes

This week, we’re discussing changing directions creatively inspired by both new gear and a new environment, which raises a couple questions for us that we’d like to also ask you. To what degree does what you use affect what you make? Aside from tools, how does the environment you create in contribute to the work you produce? Also, once you make a dramatic shift and have the necessities locked in, how do you decide what comes next? Fred Lyon is our Photographer of the Week.

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232: Solid Steel Walls of Reality Oct 04, 2016

Show notes

This week a few thoughts around the new National Museum of African American History & Culture and how photography was sourced and is used throughout the museum. Also, rock and roll photography — has increasingly limited access to the band and performances limited the resulting quality of the work? Sails Chong is our Photographer of the Week.

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This week's OTP is sponsored by Squarespace - Get 10% off with offer code 'OTP'

231: I Look Forward to Looking Back Sep 27, 2016

Show notes

This week, we’re in a few different directions and we begin with a discussion around the Smithsonian’s newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture. Specifically, do you feel an obligation to visit places like these - places that are as much a historical record as they are a cultural cautionary tale? Also, a followup to the gear discussion that we started last week. Plus, a terrific email from a listener inspires this week’s G+ group assignment. Claude Cahun is our Photographer of the Week.

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230: Full-On Artistic Telephone Sep 20, 2016

Show notes

This week, we begin with a discussion around how we actually discuss art, including some of the collective meaning of the terms we use. Also, can concepts like “commentary” and “criticism” be as effective if they are non-verbal? For example, is a jazz improvisation an appropriate response to a particular work of art? Also, we spend some time talking about gear, from Hackintoshes, to the slew of new cameras announced (or “pre-announced”) at this year’s Photokina. Alexey Titarenko is our Photographer of the Week.

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This week's OTP is sponsored by Squarespace - Get 10% off with offer code 'OTP'

229: Almost to the Shipping Point of Shipping Sep 13, 2016

Show notes

This week, we’re talking about getting work out the door, and some of the difficulties that can arise around trying to figure out how and why to make the changes necessary to do it. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to take a step back from the thinking and the strategizing and just make. Also, we discuss the Documerica project and how differently a similar project might look today. Jacob Riis is our Photographer of the Week.

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228: The Giant Pachinko Game in the Sky Sep 06, 2016

Show notes

This week, we’re doing another Q&A show and, as usual, you all sent in some terrific questions that we had a great time going through. Topics include: how often to update your website, whether or not to shoot DNG, how to get more engaging street shots, whether or not to print in-house and a bunch more. Marc Riboud is our Photographer of the Week.

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This week's OTP is sponsored by Squarespace - Get 10% off with offer code 'OTP'

227: Psychologize That Up The Wazoo Aug 30, 2016

Show notes

This week, a discussion around photojournalism inspired by the Netflix series Conflict that raises a few questions for us to chew on. Would you ever put yourself in harm’s way for a photograph? If you already do, why? Is it for the photograph or the thrill of the shoot? Or some combination of both? Is a photograph more valuable than the life that is potentially lost capturing it? Also, does taking photos at important or milestone events enhance or take away from your ability to enjoy/remember said event? Plus, a teaser for next week in the show notes: what do you see when you look at art? Richard Tuschman is our Photographer of the Week.

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