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I believe that taking control over the creative process as well as the technology is very helpful when learning to create better photographs. It’s ironic… once you’ve got everything under control, you can really let loose creatively. The results can be profound.

If you think about the work as its own entity and evaluate it as objectively as possible you will learn from your previous work and your future work will be better for it. Learn to separate yourself from the photograph. Learn more from mistakes than successes.

One way to do this: Do a critique of your image. Take a couple of minutes and write about a photograph. Describe it, as if you were telling someone on the phone about it. Include as much technical information as possible. Describe the photographics. Describe the feelings the photograph conveys to you. Describe what you like and what you don’t like about the image.

For example, the photograph of the windows below, by Cari de la Cruz:
5 windows with white frames on the side of a blue wooden-sided building
In the closest widow is a reflection of a distant shore with buildings and palm trees

Photographics:
Overall well-balanced, center of interest is well-positioned
Strong converging lines
Picture space divided equally into 3 large triangles
Smaller triangles and trapezoids/distorted squares throughout
Low key image, overall low contrast
One small bright area of high contrast
Soothing blue tones

Nice, calm mood… but geometric boxes like this can create sense of being closed-in, claustrophobia etc.
The long vertical rectangles at frame right and left create a stable, almost “locked in” kind of feeling
The scene in the reflection creates an oasis, a glimmer of hope… the “light at the end of the tunnel”. This comes across as the main subject and theme of the photograph.

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The past couple of evenings I’ve really enjoyed drinking great wine and chatting with George Jardine, Lightroom Evangelist at Adobe, and Seth Resnick, renowned photographer and imaging instructor, whose D-65 workshop came to Denver. Their hospitality was boundless, and Seth and his wife Jamie ran a fantastic 4-day workshop. Thanks to all of you!

These days the Epson R1900 is getting a lot of publicity and Epson is offering discounts.

One of my consulting clients sent me the following email:

“I’m interested getting up to speed with a good-quality printer at home. (Am planning to use you for higher-end printing.)  You mentioned some new technology is coming out.  When I see promotions like this, I figure new capability must be in the pipe soon.   I generally like to buy technology at then beginning of its lifecycle. Do you have any insight”

My response:

This printer is still at the beginning of its life cycle and represents Epson’s latest efforts/improvements; I don’t expect any newer technology advances from them in at least this calendar year.

Right now Epson’s latest offerings are the addition of orange and green inks on “prosumer” models and Vivid Magenta on “professional” models.

But neither represent a huge leap forward in color reproduction.

If you’re ready to take the next steps toward more “serious” printing this would be a good solution; even better would be the R2880.

I suspect the aggressive pricing in the R1900 is in response to market threats from Canon and to a lesser degree HP. I haven’t really kept tabs on these other printers; I’m sticking with Epson for the time being.

Click for more info about the Epson R1900

These days I’m doing a lot of “giclee” reproductions of original fine art in a variety of media including pastels, watercolor and oils.

I’ve found that Lightroom is an ideal environment in which to work up my master images. In particular, the HSL panel is an extremely useful tool when it comes to matching colors in the original paintings.

I begin with a digital capture, either a raw image from a Canon 1Ds Mark III or a scan of a transparency (from  my Epson 750M Pro). Whether working with a raw capture or a TIF scan, I’ve found that I can match colors much more easily in Lightroom than in Photoshop.

For color management on my Mac, I use a LaCie 319 display, X-Rite EyeOne and Pulse. I’ve found that I really can trust what I see in Lightroom to match the print (of course, this also involves soft-proofing for the chosen media in Photoshop prior to printing.)

If you do fine art reproductions, consider integrating Lightroom into your workflow. It’s made a world of difference in mine.

*I will be publishing a white paper on Fine Art Reproduction with Lightroom this summer… stay tuned!

This photograph was made in Bisti Badlands, New Mexico, May 2008.

Click here to visit my photography web site

I’ve made a 10-minute video tutorial showing how to create an HTML Web Gallery in Lightroom.

Click here to download (9.3 MB)

A few days ago I posted an article about the importance of writing about your work in order to improve it and to be able to more easily talk about your work to others.

Another suggestion: look deeper. Closer. Harder. More intensely. And then back off again. Control it, plan it, then let it flow. Create a rapport with your environment.

Try these writing exerciseswhen you’re out in the field making photographs:

1. Get a pen and paper ready. Find a comfortable spot. For 5 minutes sit with your eyes closed. Listen. Feel. Smell. Hear. Do everything but see. Then, open your eyes. Pay attention to your reactions. After a minute or so, jot down a few impressions of the experience.

Then, for 5 minutes, make photographs that reflect your impressions of what you saw when you opened your eyes.

2. No pen and paper necessary for this one. Select a spot (different from #1) that you find photographically intriguing.

For 5 minutes, take as many pictures as you can. Different compositions, different exposures, depth of field, etc. Don’t review anything, just shoot.

In the next 5 minutes, make only one picture. Find a subject and look closer. Then from another angle. From farther away. Consider artistic/creative intentions. Plan your photograph. When you’re ready, make the exposure.

Always keep a pen and paper to jot down ideas, thoughts, notes, impressions. Review your notes periodically and apply what you’ve learned to your photography.

A question from a client:

“Doing your Photoshop course has told me it is time to get an SLR. I was wondering a) if you had any recommendations or b) if you could recommend a good photography shop in the area that I go in and find out some options.”

My answer:

Your choice of DSLR depends largely on finding the right balance between budget and the features you absolutely need. For me to make a recommendation on a specific camera I’d need that info. You’ll want to consider how you will use the camera and what lenses/accessories/features you will need for the kind of shooting you do.

But generally speaking, you’ll get great results with any of the consumer- to prosumer-level SLRs from Canon or Nikon. You get a bit more for your money with Canon; Nikon’s quality is also excellent though; just a bit more pricey.

Canon: 30D, Rebel XTi
Nikon: D80

You might also want to check out at DSLRs from Pentax, Sony and Olympus - they are very good, too, and you get a lot for your money.

There’s an excellent online resource at DPreview

And you can go to local camera stores to hold them in your hands and see how they feel and how the controls work.

All modern DSLRs have essentially the same features and capabilities; the main differences are in the feature specifications, resolution and image quality and build quality. It’s worth shopping around a bit before purchasing.

When you’re ready to buy, I highly recommend B&H Photo.

Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California, USA, February 2008

Click here to see more of my photography

Many of my students as me how they can make their photographs better. Usually, my answer is “put it into words”.

When you write words about your photography it lets a different part of your brain engage in the creative process. Jotting down notes about your creative process, documenting ideas, making sketches, etc. can really solidify a creative concept and help get rid of the clutter, resulting in stronger, more well-conceived photographs. Plus, when asked, you’ll be able to easily describe your work to others.

Language is essential for people conveying complex concepts to one another. A picture is worth a thousand words? Most photographers want to make pictures that people can talk about.

In the same way, when you write about your photography, you are communicating with your self, and the work becomes a third party. (I believe the work needs to have “a life of its own”.)

Writing makes the creative process easier to understand; ideas become more clear and concise. And you may even learn new things about yourself.

Writing while shooting in the field or studio can really energize a session. Writing about your work at other times, such as during editing or after waking from sleep, creates stronger connections in your mind and allows you to more quickly generate ideas.

The real point of writing is to learn to think about your photography more frequently and in ever-expanding ways. Actively participate in the creative process; be the director. Integrate writing into your photography and I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the effects on your photography.