The Top Three Photographs That Changed My Art
In this video, I choose three of my images that changed the ways I think about my art and talk about them.
Plus, find out which one image I’d choose to keep if I had to lose all the others.
In this video, I choose three of my images that changed the ways I think about my art and talk about them.
Plus, find out which one image I’d choose to keep if I had to lose all the others.

THREE is a new series from The Crit House where photographers reflect on three images from their own archives—images that hold deep meaning, represent major bodies of work, or define their creative journey. Whether they choose their most iconic photographs, turning points in their careers, or images tied to unforgettable stories, each episode invites viewers into a personal and thoughtful exploration of what makes an image truly matter.
Our first guest in the series is renowned photographer, Pete Souza a celebrated American photojournalist known for being the Chief Official White House Photographer for Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, and the Director of the White House Photography Office. His extensive career also includes national photojournalism for The Chicago Tribune, freelance work for National Geographic, and teaching photojournalism at Ohio University. He has published several best-selling books, including Obama: An Intimate Portrait, and was the subject of the 2020 documentary The Way I See It.

“The best way to change white or black to color in Photoshop. Colin Smith shows you how to colorize white and colorize black and make both colors match.”
Find out more from Colin Smith at Photoshop Cafe.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

“If you look very intensely and slowly, things will happen that you never dreamed of before.” This Aaron Siskind quote neatly sums up the deeply contemplative discussion we had with landscape photographers John Paul Caponigro and Joel Simpson in this week’s podcast.
Find more about Joel Simpson and his book Faces In The Rocks here.

Photographer Phil Penman shares many of the ins and outs of publishing photography books.
The British-born, New York-based photographer Phil Penman has documented the ever-changing scene of New York City’s streets for more than 25 years In his career as a news and magazine photographer, with a large body of work in such publications as The Guardian, The Independent, The New York Review of Books, among others, he has photographed major public figures and historical events. In particular, his reportage following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center has featured on NBC’s Today show, as well as on the BBC, History Channel, and Al Jazeera, and his images have been included in the 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s archives. His work covering the pandemic lockdown in New York City has been acquired by the U.S. Library of Congress, whose collection holds work by such Depression-era documentarians as Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange. Besides showing at Leica galleries in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and London, Penman’s signature street photography has appeared in international exhibitions as far afield as Venice, Berlin, and Sydney. He also tours the world teaching workshops on photography for Leica Akademie. He was recently named among the “52 Most Influential Street Photographers,” alongside such legends as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Diane Arbus, and Garry Winogrand. Penman’s books, “Street” published in 2019, and “New York Street Diaries” published in 2023, both became best-sellers and were featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Enjoy this tour of seminal photographer Man Ray’s life.
“Man Ray’s image, ‘Le Violon d’Ingres’ helped redefine photography, at a time when it was still seen as a mechanical, documentary medium rather than a vehicle for creative expression. The image blurred the boundaries between traditional art forms like painting and sculpture, and helped to establish photography as a serious and innovative artistic discipline.”

Colin Smith demonstrates the new AI spot removal tool in Photoshops’ Camera RAW. It’ll save you hours.
Find out more from Colin Smith at Photoshop Cafe.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Photographer Rania Matar talks about her books with Jeff Larason (The Crit House).
View Rania Matar’s Top 5 Influences here.

Photoshop just released a powerful AI tool that lets you blend objects into any scene with 1 click. But if you rely only on the default result, you’re missing out on what makes this feature truly shine.
This step-by-step tutorial goes beyond the basics. You’ll learn how to combine classic Photoshop techniques with the Harmonize feature to achieve the best possible results. I will also show you a trick to bypass the 1024×1024 resolution limit!
00:00 – Intro
00:43 – How The Harmonize Button Works
03:36 – Working with People
04:20 – Compositing with Varying Levels of Transparency
07:06 – Composite Small Accessories to a Photo
10:10 – Head Swaps with Harmonize
12:10 – Compositing with a Transparent Object
15:05 – Get Around The Low Resolution Output Limit
Find more from Jesus Ramirez’s Photoshop Training Channel.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
I talk about my top five photographic influences with Jeff Larason (The Crit House).
It’s always useful to be familiar with a host’s sensibilities, so check out Jeff Larason’s Top 5.
At The Crit House, Jeff Larason has been hosting a fascinating series of videos in which photographers share their Top 5 Influences and the reasons why.
They’re informative and inspiring!
There are over 100 videos to choose from.
I’ve cherry-picked a dozen highlights for you.

