LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process

Here's a Thought… #2733 with Brooks Jensen

A Box With One of Ones

I recently ran across a box of prints from 1989 I'd almost forgotten about. That is to say, I remembered the project but had forgotten the images. Looking through the images, I fell in love with them all over again. What do I do with these 1/1 Polaroids? I've kept these secured and protected now for 37 years — and perfectly invisible to all but a handful of close friends. Have they fulfilled their purpose?

Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2732 with Brooks Jensen

Time to Get Off the Stage

I'm a baby boomer. My generation invented rock and roll music. I'm vicariously proud of that. I must admit, however, that it is time that some of my favorites need to get of the stage and enjoy their retirement. The fires of creativity still burn, but the remaining embers are a dim glow, and an off-key one at that. I wonder if we photographers need to take an honest look at ourselves, too? There is a time to retire our cameras, but will we recognize it when it's our turn?

Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2731 with Brooks Jensen

Universal Stories

Photographs, by their very nature, are specific. They capture a view of a specific place at a specific time. Stories, good stories anyway, have a sense of the universal about them. This is why vacation snapshots of landscapes often don't have much appeal; they are too specific, too personal. What brings a story (or a landscape) to life is when we can identify with the characters and can imagine ourself in their shoes, when we see ourself in the story.

Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

Here's a Thought… #2730 with Brooks Jensen

Bombs and Bosoms

There exists a trend in current photography that I struggle with. That trend is the exaggeration of reality to create an image that could never happen as depicted. Life is amazing enough. Why do we feel compelled to make our photographs more real than reality? I think of this as the "Hollywood Effect," aka Bombs and Bosoms.

Become a member of LensWork Online and have access to all 2700+ Here's a Thought… commentaries.

LW1520 - The Big, Big Problem of Repetition

I've been doing multiple image projects now for 45 years and reviewing submissions to LensWork for 34 years. One of the things I've learned is that nothing kills a multi-image project as fast as repetition. The instant a viewer thinks, "I've seen this one before," their interest starts to wane. Even if they haven't seen it before, but think they have, the damage is done.



All previous episodes of our weekly podcast are available to members of LensWork Online. 30-day Trial Memberships are only $10. Instant access, terabytes of content, inspiration and ideas that expand daily with new content.

Sign up for instant access!



You might also be interested in. . .

Every Picture Is a Compromise, a series at www.brooksjensenarts.com.

and...

"How to" tutorials and camera reviews are everywhere on YouTube, but if you're interested in photography and the creative life, you need to know about the incredible resources you can access as a member of LensWork Online.