Lessons of haiku, and their applications to photography — After decades of studying and shooting photographs, I found my favorites from history had certain hard-to-describe attributes in common. My own photography adapted that style. A few years ago I began investigating haiku and other Zen arts, and found the attributes, rules, and ambitions were shockingly aligned with what I…

The expression is misunderstood, and the correction. — The photographic master Henri Cartier-Bresson made some key observations about photography, translated as “the decisive moment” which is often (incorrectly) characterized this way: capturing an event that is ephemeral and spontaneous, where the image represents the essence of the event itself. Much is written about the psychophysical…

Recognizing the Differences; Overcoming the Problems — The photographer Dorthea Langue once famously said “A camera is a device that teaches you to see without a camera.” I always loved this quotation. Once you get good at shooting, you start to see the world like a photographer — you notice things, you notice light, you look slower…

My First Rule in Picture Taking — I drove 5200 miles around the country after my junior year in college. And I brought 20 rolls of film — 720 images in all — which was a lot in 1984. I felt like a pro, traveling with a “brick” of Tri-X. When you shoot film you try hard…

10 Reasons (and None are Nostalgic) — One of the more divisive positions that I find in photographers is their rationale for, or dislike of, black & white photography. “I love color,” I hear often. “I’m all about the colors.” Absolutely, color is cool. But I think the arguments in support for b&w are strong (some better…

The Essence of Photography — I was struggling through Caesar in 10th grade Latin class when I first heard the term “synecdoche” (although the term is from the Greek)— it’s a figure of speech where a part of something is used to represent the whole. Today, familiar synecdoche include “threads” to mean clothing, as in…

Guidelines and Tips to Improve your Photos — My particular interest in photography aims for hitting certain notes in the image, regardless of content. So whether I’m shooting landscapes or my garden, friends at a party or my kids on vacation, I’d say the approach is consistent. Whatever content interests you, it’s possible to…