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Showing posts for 'Inspiration'.
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Who’s Afraid Of The A.I. Wolf?
August 10, 2023 -
Fear is a powerful thing, and it has a useful purpose in our survival. That said, it can best be utilized as a guide, an...
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A.I.? D.I.Y.!
July 15, 2023 -
When it comes to creating (*generating) images using Artificial Intelligence tools, I ask students (really any photograp...
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A.I. and Ethics
July 11, 2023 -
Are there any moral or ethical considerations to be calculated when using Artificial Intelligence to “create” Art (or is...
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A.I. and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
June 29, 2023 -
So what is all the uproar about Artificial Intelligence and the creation of images/artwork? I have a few thoughts 💭… No...
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It’s the LUT Life for Me!
June 23, 2023 -
A while back I did a video tutorial on how I create LUTs using Affinity Photo to color grade images and import them into...
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One Lens to Rule Them All!
June 21, 2023 -
Now let me start by saying I am NOT by any stretch an optics engineer, nor do I fully understand the physics of lens cre...
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I’m A Skipper
May 03, 2023 -
I am a “Skipper”. No, not the boat kind, I skip software versions, and hardware upgrades on a regular basis (but not eve...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Post 1
November 06, 2022 -
This is the first in a series of 11 blogposts in the “Used Film” series describing the thought processes, creative decis...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Post 2
November 06, 2022 -
This image of a ram’s skull was fairly simple to photograph, it was in the “processing” that the qualities really brough...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Post 3
November 06, 2022 -
If you are following this Used Film series in order, you’ll recognize the technique I used to get this second ram’s skul...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Part 4
November 06, 2022 -
This image titled, “Feather, Stone, and Light” was inspired by the title track from the collaborative album of the same...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Part 5
November 06, 2022 -
Ah, now this image I feel was truly inspired! What is it? Technically it was created as a background only for a watch ad...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Part 6
November 06, 2022 -
This image was originally created for an editorial cover illustrating the human senses. This one turns up the notch on c...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Part 7
November 06, 2022 -
Orchids are beautiful subjects to photograph whether in color or Black & White. For this one I chose to photograph it us...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Part 8
November 06, 2022 -
This image, unique from the others in this series, comes from a 35mm Black & White infrared film negative re-photographe...
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How I did It :: Used Film Part 9
November 06, 2022 -
So, you have to make a course to teach students about all the creative fine art possibilities of various Polaroid films.
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How I Did It :: Used Film Part 10
November 06, 2022 -
So now we get to the place with Polaroid film where I spent the most time to master, the famous Polaroid Transfer techni...
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How I Did It :: Used Film Part 11
November 06, 2022 -
This image I’ve titled “When Picasso Met Josephine” is the last in the Used Film series, and another example of using th...
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Zen and the Art of Aperture
October 16, 2022 -
I love beauty and beautifully designed things. The adage that “form follows function” is true, and when both are in perf...
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I’ve Never Been Married… To The DSLR/SLR Camera Format
September 11, 2022 -
I’ll be honest, I’ve never been married to the traditional 35mm film camera format, the SLR (Single Lens Reflex) and now...
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Aperture :: Iterations and Variations
May 16, 2021 -
Picasso was asked, "When do you know a painting is 'finished'?," to which he is reported to have replied, "When it is si...
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The Perfect Pairing :: Aperture and Exposure X5
May 05, 2021 -
Sometimes, once in a great while perhaps, you come across a pair of image editing softwares that play so well together y...
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Aperture :: And The Unsupported Image Format
April 05, 2021 -
If you are an Aperture user (I know, we are a very small but dedicated and scrappy bunch), this is the one thing you hop...
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The Continued Case Against Software Subscriptions
April 03, 2021 -
Grabbing a warm, steamy cup of Joe, I thought I would settle in and wax on with a few more thoughtful insights against s...
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Tools Too :: Photography Gear Matters ~ Or Does It?
January 31, 2021 -
A few years ago I wrote a post called "Tools:: On Why Gear Really Does Matter" and I have wanted to do an update, or at...
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What I Want ~ Aperture '21
January 12, 2021 -
This post is part fantasy, but more importantly a really close look at a beautifully designed program for RAW image, and...
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Photo Editing ~ The State of the Art
January 09, 2021 -
As we stroll into 2021 I want to take a peek into the current state-of-the-art of photo editing software. What I won't b...
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Aperture, Noise and Film Grain:The Quest for a Filmic Portrait
December 20, 2020 -
This final portrait edit was created entirely in Apple's Aperture software here at the end of 2020. Yes, I'm still runni...
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Black & White Done Right!
October 22, 2020 -
Exposure X5 (NIK Silver Efex Pro 2 vs.True B+W Conversion LUT) As an artist and photographer I'm not one to go by numbe...
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It's 2020 and Adobe Is Finally Catching Up with Color Grading
October 08, 2020 -
So, it's 2020 and Adobe has finally started catching up with the color grading world of still photography. Catch this re...
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Creating & Using Custom LUTs in Affinity Photo and Exposure X5
September 06, 2020 -
Creating and using custom LUTS for still photography is easy and fun using Affinity Photo and Exposure X5. (the above vi...
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The Case Against Subscription Software
April 24, 2020 -
This is the third and final post in a series on photo software. A lot has been said and written about the whole Adobe mo...
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Back To The Future ~ Taking The Zen Path
January 12, 2020 -
A funny thing happened on the way to the future... I decided to go back. No, not back to 1985 but more like 2014. Since...
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"He Of The Darkroom Eyes" ~ On Mentors, Teachers, and Senseis
December 13, 2019 -
"Sensei: Portrait of Jerry Uelsmann" "You can do that?!" That was a revelatory question a young photography student nam...
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Got Film? ~ A Part Two Update
August 08, 2019 -
Almost five years back I wrote a blog post called "Got Film? Digital Photographers Now Have Choices" on the state of the...
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I Was Dark Mode Before Dark Mode Was Cool... Or A Thing
July 24, 2019 -
Way back in November 2007 I started this site to showcase my work, and eventually find a home for my blog. My goal then...
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"Are You A Right-Eye Or A Left-Eye Photographer?"
February 07, 2017 -
Some time ago I posed that very question to about twenty of my students. Do you shoot with the camera to your left or ri...
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Going Forward After Aperture :: The Future Looks Bright
July 07, 2014 -
Some time ago, I wrote a post about the demise of Aperture being premature when the interwebs responded to the Aperture...
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Aperture Closing :: Apple Stops Development On Aperture Photo Software
June 30, 2014 -
It's official: On Friday, June 27th 2014, Apple announced it would cease any further development on its professional pho...
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Learning To Love Layers
April 30, 2014 -
Ok, I love layers! I'm not talking about the Photoshop Layers feature, although that is great and how most of us think o...
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On The Streets :: Notes From The Unknown Lens
April 27, 2014 -
You could blame it on Vivian Maier, or Jay Maisel, or Cartier-Bresson. French photographer Robert Doisneau would be anot...
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Tools :: On Why Gear Really Does Matter
April 25, 2014 -
So you think gear doesn't matter? Or maybe you are on the side of those who are all about the supremacy of gear at the e...
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Paint The Fence :: Lessons I've Learned From Mr. Miyagi
April 18, 2014 -
Mr. Miyagi was a great teacher, albeit a fictitious one. If you are not familiar with this inspiring teacher of karate,...
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On Perfectionism And Craft
March 30, 2014 -
"Do a good job, Trace, but not too good of a job." I was told that once, from a photographer I had worked with many year...
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Creative Healing :: Of Horses, Memories And First Loves
March 24, 2014 -
I remember the first time I saw her. I remember the first time we spoke. It's said we never forget our first love, the o...
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On Teaching Photography, Teaching Life
March 14, 2014 -
“We could teach photography as a way to make a living, and best of all, somehow to get students to experience for themse...
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Torn Between Two Lovers
January 27, 2014 -
I've always smiled at the thought of American Poet Robert Frost's epitaph, which reads, "I Had A Lover's Quarrel With Th...
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We Were Mod Once :: Last Of My iPhoneography Books
January 19, 2014 -
Feeling nostalgic for things we grew up with is as natural to humans as breathing. We're simply wired for nostalgia. Som...
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On Resting Places
January 14, 2014 -
Sometimes it seems like this techno-photo-centric world we are in is racing along at a break-neck speed. Newer cameras,...
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Reflections :: A 2013 Look Back And A Look Forward
December 18, 2013 -
As this is the last post of the year, I can't help and do some reflecting on this past year, and looking forward to 2014...
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Why Zenfolio Matters
December 10, 2013 -
Why have I chosen Zenfolio for my website as opposed to any other portfolio hosting solutions or a Wordpress site? Essen...
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Are You "Seriesous"?
November 26, 2013 -
Creating a new body of work can start with a whiff of inspiration from anywhere, and that inspiration can come to you at...
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"But It's Not A Portrait"
November 12, 2013 -
These two images of my mother's hands are part of a new project I'm working on; a long term project to create portraits...
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Create Custom Textured Brushes For Unique Portraits
November 07, 2013 -
Creating a completely unique and customizable look to your images can be as easy and fun as painting with textured brush...
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Got Film? Digital Photographers Now Have Choices
November 04, 2013 -
To answer the question above, it can now be argued that "yes, indeed", digital photographers have film. Or rather "film...
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Forget About Finding A 'Style', Cultivate A 'Sensibility' Instead
October 31, 2013 -
So what exactly is " style", and why are so many photographers looking for it? Put a group of photographers together: pr...
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Why Pixelmator Matters
October 27, 2013 -
This post could be subtitled: " How's that working out for you without Photoshop?" All said, I have to say I'm only scra...
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The Fine Art Of Texture Overlays For Creative Portraits
October 20, 2013 -
This two part tutorial on creating fine, textured overlays and backgrounds for creative portraits, is a companion piece...
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When Good Lenses Go Bad
October 08, 2013 -
So, what to do when a good lens goes bad? Let me explain: The other day I was on location shooting portraits when my 17-...
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iPhone Tintype For Creative Portraits Tutorial
October 03, 2013 -
This tutorial on creating tintype textured backgrounds and overlays for creative portraits was inspired by a recent crea...
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On Jobs, Apple, And The Pursuit Of Excellence
September 23, 2013 -
Apple Wallpaper Some two years + since Steve Jobs passed on, his legacy for the pursuit of sheer excellence is still...
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Nothing To Teach, And No One To Teach It To
August 12, 2013 -
I heard this phrase once in an Alan Watts lecture he had recorded years ago. " I have nothing to teach, and no one to te...
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"Excuse Me, Do You Know The Way To Paris?"
May 08, 2013 -
Ah, Paris! City of Lights, City of Love, City of Culture, City of Photography. The history of photography, relatively sh...
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A Day At The Museum With Maggie Taylor :: Certainly No Ordinary Day
May 06, 2013 -
I believe I fell in love this past April 20th, on the last day of Maggie Taylor's exhibition at the Polk Museum of Art....
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A Navajo Rose For Rosa :: And An Artists' Reply
April 26, 2013 -
This post is a reply to a very well written response to my earlier blog post, "Who Is An Artist?" My friend Cedric says...
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Who Is An Artist?
April 15, 2013 -
For as long as there has been Art, there likely has been debates about what it is, and isn't. Not as often debated is th...
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Navigating A Life Photographic
March 27, 2013 -
Navigating a life photographic, finding your way from first love to a life-long relationship of creativity is one of the...
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Every Photograph You Create Is A Self-Portrait
March 18, 2013 -
If we really think about it, every photograph we create is a self-portrait. Notice I use the word create. Every image in...
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Feminine Ripples :: A Wealth Of Images By Female Artists
March 06, 2013 -
It may be an old nut, the question of how "good", or how talented female artists are compared to their male counterparts...
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What Is In Your Photographic Kitchen?
February 20, 2013 -
What is in your photographic kitchen? What herbs, seasonings and flavours do you most use? Like cooking, photography is...
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If I Were An Artist
February 18, 2013 -
"If I were an artist... " how many times have I heard that from friends, and students and just folks in everyday convers...
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Why creativeLIVE Matters
January 28, 2013 -
What is creativeLIVE? In short, it is a worldwide, on-line classroom for free while live, and during re-broadcasts, for...
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A Poet's Place
October 26, 2012 -
What inspires you? What encourages you? Do you know the difference? Words are important things, what they mean, and what...
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Autumn's Focus
October 22, 2012 -
This time of season, many of us turn reflective and look back over the year, contemplating accomplishments and thinking...
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Dead Photographers Society
July 05, 2012 -
Taking inspiration, and ripping out a page from the Peter Weir film "Dead Poets Society ", this is a follow up to my pre...
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An Open Letter To A Young Photographer
June 27, 2012 -
Photography is an art that captures all of us at some time in our life. Whether we are six or sixty when it happens is n...
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Create Something! :: Notes From The Unknown Lens
June 18, 2012 -
Shell Study I Every once in a while, hopefully not too often, we creative folks find ourselves in a place of deep funk,...
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Zen And Creativity :: An Homage To A Mentor
May 31, 2012 -
I recently created a small series of composited photographs, collectively called " The Bodhi Lands" that were originally...
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The Photo Blog :: A Gallery With Benefits
May 30, 2012 -
Palm Study II What are you going to do with new images, or a series of images that in themselves are every bit as compe...
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Ten Polaroids :: Creating Images With Malleable Materials
May 25, 2012 -
The Navigation Legend:: Polaroid SX-70 Film I've created a new, one-off series called Ten Polaroids to showcase work cr...
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10,000 Hours or 10,000 Photographs?
May 22, 2012 -
Ever wonder what 10,000 hours really looks like? In terms of days, weeks, months, etc.? How about in terms of actual art...
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Note To Self #1
May 03, 2012 -
Ever wish you could meet up with your younger self and offer some sage advice at a crucial point in growing up? Aside fr...
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Writings On The Walls
February 17, 2012 -
When I started exploring the fine art aspect of photography, and imagined my first solo show of photographs, I liked thi...
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Recent Posts
Who’s Afraid Of The A.I. Wolf?
A.I.? D.I.Y.!
A.I. and Ethics
A.I. and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
It’s the LUT Life for Me!
One Lens to Rule Them All!
I’m A Skipper
How I Did It :: Used Film Post 1
How I Did It :: Used Film Post 2
How I Did It :: Used Film Post 3
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