LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process Brooks Jensen

Which comes first, the idea for a photograph or the action of taking the picture? Does anyone take a picture before they have an idea of what they hope to capture? If ideas come first, then isn't it possible to "practice photography" everyday by being aware of our ideas and jotting them down so we don't forget them?

We are told that money is the measure of success. I'm not so sure. In the world of selling art, money might be the measure of fulfilling expectations. But, in the world of artmaking, the cutting edge of creativity is rarely where the paying customers are comfortable.

It seems to me that what a camera can do is not nearly as important as what you actually do with it. Come to think of it, the same can be said of photographers. Results always trump capabilities.

The more we know something, the more we work with something, the more subtleties and variations we both see and understand. Thirty years ago I would not have differentiated between grand landscapes, landscapes, and intimate landscapes, but now I can't imagine thinking about all these landscape types as being indistinguishable from one another.

I first heard someone refer to a high thin cloud cover as "God's own softbox" years and years ago. Because I never spent any time as a studio photographer, I didn't know what a softbox was. I did know I loved the soft shadows and lovely contrast that high, thin clouds create. It's an almost perfect lighting for landscapes.

This week (as I record this), it was announced that DPReview.com is closing down. For most of you, I suspect this won't be much of a loss because you may not be in the market for a new camera. For some of you, it's a concern. Here are a few random thoughts about this news.