Jeff Curto's Camera Position

As photographers, we know that there is a fairly wide range of options available to us that change what was to what we show the world in our images. Every photograph is a composite of the choices we make as the person who eventually presents the image. Every photograph is an interpretation of the way … Continue reading Camera Position 193 : Is It Art? →

An early influence on my ways of thinking about photography on a deeper level was the great writer John Berger.  A poet, novelist, artist screenwriter and more, Berger,  born in 1926, and died just a few weeks ago, in January of 2017 at the age of 90. A read of Berger’s work gives great insight … Continue reading Camera Position 192 : John Berger, Looking and Seeing →

Walt Whitman’s poems in his opus Leaves of Grass mirror the actions of the photographer by beginning with facts and transforming those facts into ideas. I explore how both photography and Whitman’s poetry use simple language to convey complex ideas, giving any object or experience new importance by recording it on a previously blank page. Play Podcast: … Continue reading Camera Position 191 : Walt Whitman, Poetry and Photography →

“You can observe a lot just by watching.” – Yogi Berra I like to see photographers out in the world and watch them photograph. Observing how photographers photograph can be a great aid in helping us make better, more informed, more personal photographs. Play Podcast: There are still a few spaces left in 2 of … Continue reading Camera Position 190 : Watching Photographers Photograph →

What drives and motivates photographers to do the work they do? I think that our unifying motivation is curiosity – an unrelenting, never-ending curiosity – an “itch” to know more about something and to learn about that thing through photographing it. I was prompted to think about how we should cultivate the itch – our … Continue reading Camera Position 189 : Cultivate The Itch, Not The Scratch →

Do you take time to be creative each day? The creative act is worth taking the time for. It’s worth making the time for. It’s what holds us up and keeps us going. Thousands upon thousands of creative people are forced to make the time to create. It’s worth it because of what we give … Continue reading Camera Position 188 : You Are Worth The Time →

If you see a picture that you think you may have photographed before, take it. Both the subject and the photographer may have changed since the last time you photographed it. Regardless of the reason, you should always make the photograph. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: University of Georgia Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, … Continue reading Camera Position 187 : Always Make the Photograph →

Among the many things that make photography such an interesting pursuit are its qualities of objectivity combined with subjectivity. In the end, photography is an objective medium with a subjective soul. Play Podcast: Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List – Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops.   Each one of these … Continue reading Camera Position 186 : Objective and Subjective  →

In addition to the phrase “Less is More,” the great architect Mies Van der Rohe also had another saying that relates to making creative work, and that is “God Is In The Details,” suggesting that attention to each and every detail of your process, from conception to execution, is integral to making the best work … Continue reading Camera Position 185 : God Is In The Details →

Whether it’s a stack of dishes in the sink, moving forward with your photography or climbing up a steep mountain, looking at the path that you’re traveling is usually the easiest way to the top. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List – Planning is underway for the 2017 … Continue reading Camera Position 184 : Look At The Path, Not The Mountain →

The difference between a conscious and an unconscious photographer is that the conscious photographer produces better work by thinking more and photographing less. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Sign up for the Workshops Mailing List – Planning is underway for the 2017 Italy Photography Workshops

In a few past episodes, we’ve looked at alternate ways to get your work in front of an audience, and here’s another one: ‘Zines.  This “low-fi” type of publication is a great (and cheap) way of getting your work into others’ hands. I use my former student Michael Jarecki’s ‘Zine “Just Make Pictures” as an … Continue reading Camera Position 182 : The Art of the ‘Zine →

The great architect Mies van der Rohe is famous for the phrase “Less is More” to describe his approach to simplifying his designs. That philosophy can be applied to photography as well, as it is often better to make fewer, but more thoughtful, images. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: The Mies van der Rohe … Continue reading Camera Position 181 : Less Is More →

From aperture and focal length to shutter speeds and focus points, our modern photographic tools give us a wealth of information about our photographs. We can use that information to learn about the way we approach photography and what strategies lead to our greatest successes. JUNE 28 Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Julieanne Kost’s … Continue reading Camera Position 180 : Mining the Data Set →

All of us make photographs that, for some reason, don’t quite work, even though we had high hopes for them. If we embrace those photographs that almost worked, but didn’t, we can find some tools to help us improve and grow. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera … Continue reading Camera Position 179 : Embracing the Almost →

When you face something you think you can’t possibly do and then go ahead and do it anyway creativity is the tool you use. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Using Virtual Copies in Lightroom – a great way to experiment Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr – Share … Continue reading Camera Position 178 : Everyday Creativity →

A lot of people who are “into” photography seem to think of the “doing” of photography as the end unto itself. While the mechanical act of making photographs can be pleasurable, I think of photography as a medium for self-examination, not a pursuit unto itself. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook … Continue reading Camera Position 177 : It’s Not a Pursuit, It’s a Medium →

The American abstract expressionist painter Richard Diebenkorn (1922 –1993) is noted not only for his great work, but also for his thoughts about the creative process. Diebenkorn’s “Notes to myself on beginning a painting” is a list of 10 things to think about as we begin any creative work – we can think of them … Continue reading Camera Position 176 : 10 Rules Rules for Getting Started →

There’s an old adage in photography: “inside every 8×10” print, there is a really excellent 5×7” image waiting to be found.” That old saw is the foundation for an exercise that I’ve used for myself and in my classes over the years; take an image that you’ve made and search for alternate cropping choices that … Continue reading Camera Position 175 : From One, Many →

A listener asked where the logo for Camera Position came from, which gave me an impetus to talk about that photograph and the concept of the Lone Tree image – a compulsory photograph for nearly every photographer. Play Podcast: Links for this Episode: Camera Position on Facebook – Share your images Camera Position on Flickr … Continue reading Camera Position 174 : The Lone Tree & The Logo →