Here's a thought…

HT2336 - Photography and Media

The digital divide has created a dichotomy I've never heard discussed. That dichotomy is a generational one, I think. Those of us from the previous generation found photography mostly in books, and occasionally in original prints. Today, most of us see images digitally and even more rarely in original prints. (Fewer galleries, etc.) I wonder how much of this is the result of phenomenal image fidelity in books and digital displays?

HT2337 - File Management and Your Memory

I would have never guessed that a huge barrier to my creativity would be as simple as finding the image I remember taking in the haystack that is my Lightroom catalog. It's worse than finding a needle in that haystack, it's searching for one specific needle in a haystack of needles. The best advice I've heard about this challenge is to assess how your own memory works and build your organization to fit your brain.

HT2342 - The Illusion of Detail

As I sit here looking across the backyard at the edge of the wild, I know that if I walked closer and closer, pulled out my magnifying glass or microscope, that with every step along the way I would reveal more and smaller detail. In a photograph, however, if we get too close and magnify too much our image dissolves into ink dots or grains of silver. In photography there is no detail, there's only the illusion of detail.

HT2343 - Signature Tools

Signing your work is important. It communicates far more than the author of the work. Your signature denotes completion of the work as well as approval of its craft and content. Therefore, it's worth thinking a bit about how you sign your work and with what tools you use in signing it.

HT2344 - The Edge of the Image

Every rule in art has exceptions. For example, never use the rule of thirds because it's formulaic; use the rule of thirds because it's the strongest way of composing. On several occasions, I've mentioned the importance of eliminating those little pokies that are often distractions at the very edge of the image. Sometimes, however, using the edge to cut an object asunder is a great way to expand the frame through the viewer's imagination.

HT2348 - Photography Is a Personal Thing

One of the most interesting photography books I've seen in a long time is by gallery owner Peter Fetterman and is titled The Power of Photography. Part of the reason this book is so special is that it is so personal. Federman reviews 120 images from his collection and tells us about it, not from its historic point of view but rather from his personal point of view. It reminds me that every picture is a story, every picture has a story, and every story is a personal one.

HT2349 - Photography Under Glass

I mentioned the other day that I had visited the Fenimore Museum near Cooperstown, New York. One thing that struck me as I wandering through the museum was that there was only one medium that was protected under glass — photographs. Also on display were paintings, sketches, etchings, prints of many varieties of media, but only the photographs were framed under glass. Is there a reason for this, or is it simply convention? This, in fact, was the topic of my very first Here's a Thought commentary back on March 1, 2019.

HT2350 - Execution and Content

When I look at artwork, it often involves two different types of response. I can admire a work of art because of its amazing execution, or I may admire a work of art for its emotive content. Execution involves a wonderment about how the artist did it. Content involves a dialog about why they did it. I've learned that I can't process both of these ways of thinking simultaneously.

HT2351 - Square Pegs and Round Holes

As a creator, I like to think that if I work hard, think deeply, and apply my best efforts with perseverance that I will be able to connect with people through my artwork. As much as I want to believe this, my experience tells me that sometimes that connection is simply impossible.

HT2355 - Copying the Masters

One of the worst things you can be accused of is copying a master's photograph. Have you ever tried to copy a master's photograph? It's impossible to do! Instead, we're supposed to find our own voice. But what if our response to the world is the same as others?

HT2356 - Practice, Practice, Practice

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you have all heard the joke, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? " Answer: practice, practice, practice. Is this true for photography, too? And if so, how do we practice photography? Perhaps Yoda had the best answer, "There is no try, there is only do."

HT2357 - What More Do I Need?

In the back of my brain is an ever present nagging desire to go shopping for more gear. It's irrational, it's reflexive, it's ridiculous. Trying to think about this more deeply, I realize I already have everything I could possibly need for any picture I can imagine I might want to make. I find this ever so slightly intimidating.

HT2358 - Branding and Your Own Art Logo

My early experiences in business and marketing taught me the importance of branding and logos. I could easily assume that a personal logo for my artwork is a bit pretentious, but then again it can grow into something meaningful. Here's the history of my Brooks Jensen Arts logo.

link to my BVJ Arts logo

HT2362 - Niagara Falls, Which Essence?

I said on this trip I was going to attempt an experiment to see in sixes as often as I could. My first opportunity was at Niagara Falls. I started with a simple question: What is the essence of this experience? Surprisingly, it wasn't the rushing waters that plunge off the cliff. Instead, the overriding experience was the mist that rose from the chaos.

HT2363 - Niagara Falls, Land of Selfies

The waterfalls were impressive, but from what I could see, most of the people were even more impressed by, well, themselves. I saw very few people taking pictures of this nature's wonder, but almost everyone was taking selfies. Is this a cultural phenomenon? A psychological phenomenon? Or, a technological one?

HT2364 - The Myth of Accurate Color

When it comes to photography, what does it mean to have accurate color? Doesn't the very concept of accurate color deny the fact that we humans see color differently, that color is a subjective sensation. Accurate color is not the same as emotional color. This way of thinking implies a new approach to color balance and color mixing.

HT2365 - Art, an Assertion or an Observation?

When you make art, is it an assertion of your fundamental beliefs and philosophies about life? Or, are you a third party observer who simply shares what you've seen with others through your art? In other words, does your art say, "This is who I am" or does it say "This is what I've seen."