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Photographers On Photography – Conversations

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I have been fortunate to have had a number of wonderful conversations with many remarkable photographers. As a peer, I share a common experience and speak a common language that many people who speak with artists do not and this is reflected in the kinds of questions and answers that guide our way deeper into seeing.

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Photographers

Amy Arbus
Richard Barnes
Richard Benson
Barbara Bordnick
Gary Braasch
Christopher Burkett
Harry Callahan
John Paul Caponigro
Paul Caponigro
Keith Carter
Brad Cole
Tillman Crane
Robert Farber
Lee Friedlander
Adam Fuss
John Goodman
Emmet Gowin
R Mac Holbert
Ryszard Horowitz
Jim Hughes
Gordon Hutchings
Kenro Izu
Christopher James
Stephen Johnson
Michael Kenna
Sean Kernan
Julieanne Kost
Eric Meola
Arthur Meyerson
Richard Misrach
James Nachtwey
Elizabeth Opalenik
Olivia Parker
Moose Peterson
Chris Rainier
Edward Ranney
John Reuter
John Sexton
Craig Stevens
Jock Sturges
Joyce Tenneson
George Tice
Jerry Uelsmann
Cole Weston
Huntington Witherill

Video Conversations

Sean Duggan
Steve Johnson
Sean Kernan
Arthur Meyerson
John Sexton
Joyce Tenneson
Huntington Witherill

 

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Photographers On Photography – Q&A

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In Q&A
photographers share their answers to
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20 questions;
10 Core Questions
10 Optional Questions
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Answers are kept short and sweet.
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Core Questions

What’s the best thing about photography?
What’s the worst thing about photography?

What’s the thing that interests you most about photography?
What’s the thing that interests you most about your own photographs?
What’s the thing that interests you most about other people’s photographs?

Who were your early photographic influences?
Who are your photographic influences now?
Who were your early non-photographic influences?
Who are your non-photographic influences now?
What’s the most inspiring work of art you saw recently?

What’s the best thing about gear?
What’s the worst thing about gear?

How do you know when an image doesn’t work?
How do you know when an image is good?
How do you know when an image is great?

What’s the most useful photographic mantra?

Do you practice another art form? (If so, which?)
What benefits do you get from (this/these) other art form/s?

What was the most significant visual moment in your life?
Which was the most important image to you that got away?
What failure did you learn the most from?

What accomplishment are you most proud of?
What’s the thing you most hope to accomplish?

If you had to do it all over again, what would you change?
If you had another life to live a completely different life, what would you choose to do?

What are the most important questions to you?

Optional Questions

What’s photography really all about?

How did photography change the world?
How did photography change your world?

Who were the most important photographers?
Who are the most important photographers working today?

What’s the best thing about influence?
What’s the worst thing about influence?

What’s the best thing about our times?
What’s the worst thing about our times is?

What keeps you up at night?
What gets you going in the morning?

What’s your favorite movie?
What’s your favorite book?
What’s your favorite piece of music?

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
What is your greatest fear?
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Who is your favorite hero in fiction?
Who are your heroes in real life?
Which living person do you most admire?
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
What is your greatest extravagance?
What is your favorite journey?
On what occasion do you lie?
What do you dislike most about yourself?
What is your most marked characteristic?
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
What is your greatest regret?
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
What’s your most treasured possession?
What is your favorite occupation / past time?
What do you most value in your friends?
What’s your motto?
What other talent would you most like to have?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What is it that you most dislike?
How would you like to die?

 

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Photographs On Photography – Photographs

You’ll be inspired by these great photographers and these collections of their classic photographs.

 

Sam Abell

Ansel Adams

Robert Adams

Richard Benson

Christopher Burkett

John Paul Caponigro

Paul Caponigro

Harry Callahan

Julia Margaret Cameron

Keith Carter

Edward Curtis

David DuChemin

Elliot Erwitt

Walker Evans

Rober Frank

Lee Friedlander 1 & 2

Adam Fuss

Emmet Gowin

Lois Greenfield

Gregory Heisler

Kenro Izu

Stephen Johnson

Michael Kenna

Sean Kernan

Josef Koudelka

Jay Maisel

Eric Meola

Joel Meyerowitz

Arthur Meyerson

Duane Michals

Richard Misrach

James Nachtwey

William Neill

Arnold Newman

Olivia Parker

Irving Penn

John Pfahl

Eliot Porter

Chris Rainier

Sebastiao Salgado

John Sexton

Charles Sheeler

Aaron Siskind

Fredrick Sommer

Edward Steichen

Alfred Steiglitz

Paul Strand

Jock Sturges

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Joyce Tenneson

George Tice

Peter Turner

Jerry Uelsmann

Brett Weston

Edward Weston

Gary Winogrand

Huntington Witherill

Minor White

 

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Photographers on Photography – Quotes

 

We can all learn a lot from the photographers who make the classic photographs.

They’re inspiring!

Sam Abell 

Berenice Abbott 

Ansel Adams 

Robert Adams

Diane Arbus

Richard Avedon

Richard Benson

Ruth Bernhard

Bill Brandt

Christopher Burkett

Harry Callahan

Julia Margaret Cameron

Keith Carter

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Chuck Close 

Wynn Bullock

Edward Burtynsky 

John Paul Caponigro

Paul Caponigro 

Harold Edgerton

William Eggleston 

Alfred Eisendstadt

Elliot Erwitt

Walker Evans

Andreas Feininger 

Robert Frank

Lee Friedlander

Adam Fuss

Emmet Gowin

Ernst Haas

Gregory Heisler

Kenro Izu

Stephen Johnson

Michael Kenna 

Andre Kertesz

Josef Koudelka

David La Chapelle

Jacques-Henri Lartigue

Annie Liebovitz 

Jay Maisel

Sally Mann

Robert Mapplethorpe

Joel Meyerowitz

Arthur Meyerson

Duane Michals

Richard Misrach

James Nachtwey

Olivia Parker

Irving Penn

John Pfahl 

Eliot Porter

Chis Rainier

Sebastiao Salgado

John Sexton

Cindy Sherman

Stephen Shore

Aaron Siskind

W Eugene Smith

Fredrick Sommer

Edward Steichen

Alfred Steiglitz

Paul Strand

Jock Sturges

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Joyce Tenneson

George Tice

Jerry Uelsmann

Andy Warhol

Edward Weston

Weegee 

Minor White

Gary Winogrand

 

Photographers pick their favorite quotes by other photographers

 

John Paul Caponigro

Sean Duggan

David DuChemin

Mac Holbert

Sean Kernan

Jay Maisel

Eric Meola

Arthur Meyerson

Chris Orwig

Seth Resnick

John Sexton

Joyce Tenneson

Vincent Versace

Huntington Witherill

 

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Photographers On Photography – Videos

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Learn about the classic photographs from the photographers who made them.

It’s inspiring!

 

Sam Abell

Ansel Adams | View 1 View 2 | View 3 | View 4

Robert Adams

Diane Arbus

Richard Avedon

James Balog | View 1 View 2 | View 3

Richard Benson

Ruth Bernhard

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Phil Borges

Bill Brandt

Chris Burkett

Edward Burtynsky

John Paul Caponigro

Paul Caponigro

Harry Callahan

Keith Carter

Henri Cartier-Bresson  | View 1 | View 2  | View 3  | View 4  | View 5

Chuck Close

Anton Corbijn

Gregory Crewdson

Bruce Davidson

William Eggleston | View 1 View 2

Alfred Eisendstaedt

Walker Evans

Andreas Feininger

Robert Frank

Adam Fuss

Ralph Gibson

Laura Gilpin

Nan Goldin

Emmet Gowin

Lauren Greenfield

Lois Greenfield

Gregory Heisler | View 1 | View 2

David Hockney | View 1 | View 2 | View 3

Kenro Izu

Chris James

Bill Jay

Chris Jordan

Ed Kashi

Michael Kenna

Sean Kernan

Andre Kertesz

David LaChapelle

Frans Lanting

Jacques-Henri Lartigue

Annie Leibovitz | View 1 | View 2

Jay Maisel | View 1 | View 2

Sally Mann | View 1 | View 2 | View 3

Arthur Meyerson View 1 | View 2

Eric Meola

Duane Michals | View 1  View 2

Mary Ellen Mark

Steve McCurry

Joe McNally

Joel Meyerowitz

Richard Misrach

Cristina Mittermeier

Tina Modotti

Sarah Moon

Edward Muybridge

James Nachtwey

Arnold Newman

Helmut Newton

Elizabeth Opalenik

Gordon Parks

Martin Parr

Eliot Porter

Chris Rainier | View 1 | View 2

Eugene Richards

Sebastiao Salgado | View 1 View 2

John Sexton | View 1 | View 2

Cindy Sherman

Stephen Shore

Aaron Siskind

Eugene Smith

Rick Smolan

Fredrick Sommer

Edward Steichen

Alfred Stieglitz

Paul Strand

Jock Sturges

Hiroshi Sugimoto

John Szarkowski

Joyce Tenneson | View 1 | View 2

George Tice

Pete Turner

Jerry Uelsmann

Nick Veasey

Jeff Wall

Andy Warhol View

Weegee

Edward Weston

Kim Weston

Garry Winogrand

Dan Winters

Huntington Witherill | View 1 View 2

Art Wolfe

 

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Photographers On Photography – Q&A

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Photographers answer 20 questions.
10 Core Questions
10 Optional Questions
Answers are kept short and sweet.

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Core Questions

What’s the best thing about photography?
What’s the worst thing about photography?

What’s the thing that interests you most about photography?
What’s the thing that interests you most about your own photographs?
What’s the thing that interests you most about other people’s photographs?

Who were your early photographic influences?
Who are your photographic influences now?
Who were your early non-photographic influences?
Who are your non-photographic influences now?
What’s the most inspiring work of art you saw recently?

What’s the best thing about gear?
What’s the worst thing about gear?

How do you know when an image doesn’t work?
How do you know when an image is good?
How do you know when an image is great?

What’s the most useful photographic mantra?

Do you practice another art form? (If so, which?)
What benefits do you get from (this/these) other art form/s?

What was the most significant visual moment in your life?
Which was the most important image to you that got away?
What failure did you learn the most from?

What accomplishment are you most proud of?
What’s the thing you most hope to accomplish?

If you had to do it all over again, what would you change?
If you had another life to live a completely different life, what would you choose to do?

What are the most important questions to you?

Optional Questions

What’s photography really all about?

How did photography change the world?
How did photography change your world?

Who were the most important photographers?
Who are the most important photographers working today?

What’s the best thing about influence?
What’s the worst thing about influence?

What’s the best thing about our times?
What’s the worst thing about our times is?

What keeps you up at night?
What gets you going in the morning?

What’s your favorite movie?
What’s your favorite book?
What’s your favorite piece of music?

What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
What is your greatest fear?
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Who is your favorite hero in fiction?
Who are your heroes in real life?
Which living person do you most admire?
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
What is your greatest extravagance?
What is your favorite journey?
On what occasion do you lie?
What do you dislike most about yourself?
What is your most marked characteristic?
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
What is your greatest regret?
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
What’s your most treasured possession?
What is your favorite occupation / past time?
What do you most value in your friends?
What’s your motto?
What other talent would you most like to have?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What is it that you most dislike?
How would you like to die?

 

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Creative Composition

Download your free Preview now!

 

Use these compositional strategies to strengthen your unique style.

 

Tools Not Rules | Coming

How To Uncover The Soul Of Personal Composition | Coming

Repertoire | Coming

Use Gestalt Psychology To Make Stronger Compositions

Abstraction

3 Great Books On Abstraction

Why Defocussing Your Images Will Help You See Them Better

 

How To Use An Image’s Frame Effectively & Expressively

How To Control The Proportion Of Your Images’ Frames Expressively

How To Think Outside Your Photographs’ Frames – It’s Not Just For Panoramas

4 Ways To Divide Your Images’ Frames Expressively

 

3 Ways To Crop Your Images – Crop, Distort, Retouch

2 Ways To Crop Non-Destructively – See What You’re Missing

7 Tips To Help You Crop Your Photographs Better

4 Alternatives To Cropping Your Photographs

 

5 Powerful Ways You Can Use Space In Your Images

Point, Line, Shape, Plane, Volume  | Coming

Simplicity / Complexity | Coming

Pattern | Coming

Accent / Counterpoint | Coming

Balance / Imbalance | Coming

Flow | Coming

Proportion | Coming

Number | Coming

Position | Coming

Scale | Coming

Alignment | Coming

Perspective | Coming

 

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Photographs By Great Photographers

 

You’ll be inspired by these great photographers and their classic photographs.

 

Sam Abell

Ansel Adams

Robert Adams

Richard Benson

Christopher Burkett

John Paul Caponigro

Paul Caponigro

Harry Callahan

Julia Margaret Cameron

Keith Carter

Edward Curtis

David DuChemin

Elliot Erwitt

Walker Evans

Rober Frank

Lee Friedlander 1 & 2

Adam Fuss

Emmet Gowin

Lois Greenfield

Gregory Heisler

Kenro Izu

Stephen Johnson

Michael Kenna

Sean Kernan

Josef Koudelka

Jay Maisel

Eric Meola

Joel Meyerowitz

Arthur Meyerson

Duane Michals

Richard Misrach

James Nachtwey

Arnold Newman

Olivia Parker

Irving Penn

John Pfahl

Eliot Porter

Chris Rainier

Sebastiao Salgado

John Sexton

Charles Sheeler

Aaron Siskind

Fredrick Sommer

Edward Steichen

Alfred Steiglitz

Paul Strand

Jock Sturges

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Joyce Tenneson

George Tice

Peter Turner

Jerry Uelsmann

Brett Weston

Edward Weston

Gary Winogrand

Huntington Witherill

Minor White

 

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Black & White Mastery

Download your free copy now!

 

Explore the wonderful world of black-and-white, a special form of color.

Seeing In B&W
What’s unique about black-and-white, and how to best adjust and print it.

What’s Unique About B&W
Black-and-white is special in so many ways.

Expanding The Definition Of B&W
The term “black & white” is not as simple as you might think.

How Gray Is Gray ? 
Both context and personal preference make this a surprisingly challenging question.

Why You Need To Understand Color To Get The Best B&W Images
Color affects the exposure, processing, and printing of black-and-white images.

An Overview Of Color To B&W Conversions
My preferred workflow for color to black and white conversions.

Optimizing Files Before B&W Conversions
Prepare your color images before conversion to black-and-white to gain maximum control.

Why Desaturating Is The Worst Color To Black & White Conversion Method
Simply desaturating reduces tonal separation.

A Dozen Ways To Convert Color To B&W – And Why You Only Need Two (Coming Soon)
Simplify your workflow.

Lightroom / Camera Raw  – B&W Conversions (Coming Soon)
When global conversions are enough.

Photoshop  – B&W Conversions
When you want to localize conversions.

How To Create The Best Color To B&W Conversion Previews
Exploring your options before you commit to a final solution is time well spent.

Simulating Infrared | .99
Create the look of infrared with Adobe Photoshop (all versions)

Enhancing Local Contrast In B&W Images
The best ways to dodge and burn detailed.

5 Strategies For Adding Color Back Into B&W
Why and how to add color back into black-and-white photographs.

Top 5 Ways To Add Color To Black & White 
By adding color to your black-and-white photos, you can enhance their expressive qualities.

Hand-Coloring B&W Photographs (Coming Soon)
How to achieve complex and convincing effects with this compelling palette.

Black & White Signature Styles 
Like so many other artists, you, too, can learn to craft a unique black-and-white look.

5 Photographers With Signature B&W Styles 
Study the masters to find new possibilities in black-and-white photography.

Why B&W And Color Don’t Mix
They’re two different realities; unless you use them as a code for that, present them separately.

Epson Driver – Advanced B&W Photo
Use the Epson driver to make the best black-and-white prints.

Watch The Essence Of B&W Mastery

 

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12 Useful Test Files

Download your free copy now!

 

A little testing upfront can ensure that you get the finest results possible.

Use these test files to confirm color management is working properly.

 

1. Using Gray Gradient Test Files | Coming

2. Test File – Gray Gradient Smooth | Download

3. Test File – Gray Gradient 10% Steps | Download

4. Test File – Gray Gradient 5% Steps | Download

5. Test File – Gray Gradient 1% Steps | Download

6. Test File – Spectrum Gradients | Download

7. Test File – RGBCMY | Download

8. Test File – RGBCMY to Black Smooth | Download

9. Test File – RGBCMY to Black Posterized  | Download

10. Test File – RGBCMY to White Smooth  | Download

11. Test File – RGBCMY to White Posterized | Download

12. Test File – Line Pairs | Coming Soon

 

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