On Taking Pictures

Latest Episodes:

196: Mind-field of Obstacles Jan 26, 2016

Show notes

This week, an experiment we proposed on the show a year ago yields some terrific results for a listener. Also, is the bigger problem getting beyond a plateau, or realizing that you’ve reached one in the first place? Plus, Instagram has grown beyond food photos and into a robust platform for discovery, particularly for photojournalism. Alfa Castaldi is our Photographer of the Week.

Links for this episode:

195: Everybody’s Eating Oreos for Breakfast Jan 19, 2016

Show notes

This week, is art just a shell game of semantics? Do the names and labels matter at all as long as you’re making mistakes, making work and moving forward? Why do we get so spun up over something so nebulous? Also, do you buy photobooks to enjoy, or simply to leave them shrink-wrapped on a shelf, hoping that they will appreciate in value? Are collectors screwing it up for the folks who want to enjoy the work? Plus, Tyler Shields is a genius...or is that just what he wants you to think? Richard Mosse is our Photographer of the Week.

Links for this episode:

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

194: Asking for Real Estate Jan 12, 2016

Show notes

This week, a discussion partially prompted by the passing of David Bowie on living your art. Does the work/art you create exist apart from you or is one an intrinsic part of the other? Also, a conversation with Gregory Crewdson about his new body of work. Plus, is there such a thing as “the perfect size” for printing and displaying your photos? How do you determine what’s too big or too small? Belgian photographer Marc Lagrange is our Photographer of the Week.

Links for this episode:

193: Not Starting From Zero Jan 05, 2016

Show notes

This week, we’re taking a look back on 2015 and discussing what worked, what didn’t and what we’d like our respective 2016s to look like. We’re also responding to a listener question around changes in the industry and what the career of a maker may look like moving forward. Plus, you asked for some of our favorite Lynda tutorials, so we’ve each picked our top three. Jing Huang is our first Photographer of the Week for 2016. Welcome to the new year everyone.

Links for this episode:

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

192: Find Another Cliff Dec 29, 2015

Show notes

For the last show of the year, we’re doing a Q&A show and taking a stab at answering some of your questions. We can’t thank you enough for not only listening week in and week out, but also for helping to build a community of makers that we are both extremely proud of. We are very much looking forward to 2016 and can’t wait to see what all of you are up to. If you have ideas, comments or suggestions, or you just want to say hello, email us at podcast@ontakingpictures.com. Happy New Year everyone!

Links for this episode:

191: Gardiner Used All the Saturation Dec 22, 2015

Show notes

This week, is boring art bad? Then again, who is to say whether any art is either good or bad? That said, do we miss part of the conversation if we don’t “get” a piece of art from the start? Or, should expecting to connect aesthetically to a particular piece or body of work be enough? Also, is there such thing as taking a perfect photograph and would you try 720,000 times to take it? Plus, we discuss a couple of your Crit Wall entries. Arthur Meyerson is our Photographer of the Week.

Links for this episode:

This week's OTP is sponsored by Lynda.com - Learn software, creative, and business skills to achieve your personal and professional goals. Join today and start learning. Get your free 10-day trial!

190: One Big Bundle of Bias Dec 15, 2015

Show notes

This week, we’re discussing a letter from a listener who offers observations on the intellectualizing of modern art and how we tend to find it difficult to relate when we look at it emotionally. Also, another letter from a listener sparks a discussion around what to do when a shoot (or a project) doesn’t turn out the way you wanted it to and how we gauge success or failure. Next week, we’re looking at an NPR article that asks whether or not it’s bad if art is boring. Check the show notes. Roy DeCarava is our Photographer of the Week.

Links for this episode:

This week's OTP is sponsored by Younity - Stream and share all the media on your computer from your iphone or ipad for free at GetYounity.com/Pictures and by Squarespace - Get 10% off with offer code 'OTP'

189: An Analytical Gamble Dec 08, 2015

Show notes

This week, we discuss what to do when you feel like you’ve said all you want to (or can) say creatively, including some recent examples of creators who have decided to make dramatic changes to both what and how they create. Also, TIME has updated their contracts, which looks to have a dramatic affect on how freelance photographers are able to monetize their work. Plus, David Bowie has a new album and video that’s full of cultural references and surreal imagery...and isn’t that exactly what we’ve come to expect? Kevin Russ is our Photographer of the Week.

Links for this episode:

This week's OTP is sponsored by Lynda.com - Learn software, creative, and business skills to achieve your personal and professional goals. Join today and start learning. Get your free 10-day trial!

188: A Facsimile of a Facsimile Dec 01, 2015

Show notes

This week, we discuss a terrific NPR article on how people prefer to consume and contextualize information. It may offer some insights into how we as creators present our own work and how and to what degree a given audience may respond. Also, what do you do when what’s popular isn’t the way you see? Do you try to bend your own aesthetic to fit in, or stay in the familiar and let them come to you? Plus, we tease up a few items for next week, so be sure to check the show notes. John Chiara is our Photographer of the Week.

Links for this episode:

187: A Cultivated Fantasy Nov 24, 2015

Show notes

This week, we’re talking about leaps—not leaps of faith, but rather those unconscious leaps in process, technique or vision that serve as lines of demarcation for the work that came before and after them. Also, a listener writes in for advice about how to position the services he offers. Plus, a couple Crit Wall selections and a teaser for next week’s show around the stages of an artist’s life and career. Brigitte Lacombe is our Photographer of the Week.

Links for this episode:

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

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected