Jeff Curto's Camera Position

Photographer’s Bookshelf #5 highlights a stunning and interesting reprinting of Robert Frank’s important 1959 book “The Americans,” a must-have for your photographic book collection. Also, a reminder about registration for the Tuscany Workshop May 16 to 23, 2009 – the registration deadline is Friday, February 6 – register now! Robert Frank’s The Americans at Amazon … Continue reading Camera Position 72 – Photographer’s Bookshelf #5 →

I am very pleased to announce that I will be leading a workshop to Tuscany this May. In Search of the Personal: Photographing Tuscany with Jeff Curto Saturday, May 16 to Saturday, May 23, 2009 For more information, visit www.photographitaly.com Enjoy a photographic journey where you will experience many aspects of Tuscany’s remarkable culture, landscape … Continue reading Camera Position Special Edition : Tuscany Workshop Announcement →

How to get really good at photography! Finally, the secret is revealed. Turns out, it’s not all that hard… just live a life in the world. And make pictures. Tractor, Sycamore Steam Fest, 2008 and Spring Grapevine, Tuscany, 2008 Photographs by Jeff Curto (click for a larger view) Books mentioned in the podcast: Photography in … Continue reading Camera Position 71 : How To Get Really Good at Photography →

Part two of our examination of the concepts of Gestalt in composition. Gestalt is a psychology of visual communication that helps explain how the mind works to make sense of the visual world. This episode talks about “similarity” and “proximity.” Photographs by Jeff Curto (click for a larger view)

We examine the concepts of Gestalt as they relates to composition. Gestalt is a psychology of visual communication that helps explain how the mind works to make sense of the visual world. This episode talks about “Closure” and “Continuance.” Photographs by Jeff Curto

Zoom with your feet! Zoom lenses can interfere with the creative process by letting you get lazy with where you’re positioning your camera. Switching to a “prime” lens of a single focal length can help your composition and your thought process. We also look at “The Poor Man’s Tripod” – a simple device for helping … Continue reading Camera Position 68 : Zoom With Your Feet! →

Photographers must love the act of photographing; the mechanics of making a picture. But, before that, they have to love the simple act of seeing the world around them. Some pictures are best made without a camera. Lunch – Still Life with Tomato & Basil Salad – Photograph by Jeff Curto “The camera is an … Continue reading Camera Position 67 : The Mind as Camera →

Human memory is a curious thing; sometimes it’s spot-on perfect, other times it’s altered by the passage of time. Photographs are a way that we can extend or enhance our memories and this episode is about a way that my memory was both rewarded and tested in the Italian mountain village of Scanno.

Photography is about doing, but it’s also about thinking… looking, seeing, appreciating. It’s possible to learn more about photography just by doing it, but it’s a lot easier when you pay attention to how others do it. This episode of Camera Position discusses the ideas of connoisseurship; the art of how we come to know … Continue reading Camera Position 65 : What Are You Lookin’ At? How do you Know? →

Those of us who work with traditional photographic tools sometimes wonder… will those things disappear in the face of the digital revolution? Will we be stuck in the middle of an island with no way to produce images? We consider those ideas in this episode. Links for this episode: B&H Photo – Great source for … Continue reading Camera Position 64 : Old Tools →

What is an “arts background”? Whether we know it or not, I think we all have one. Having a background in creativity is about synthesizing things that we already know and combining them with new things that we learn to come up with wholly new ideas. Venice, Sunrise – Photograph by Jeff Curto (click for … Continue reading Camera Position 63 : Beauty and Background →

Is beauty enough in a photograph? It’s an odd concept in photography, especially in today’s visual world where so many photographers seem to ignore it. Or… are they ignoring it? We take a look. Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Abruzzo, 2007 Photograph by Jeff Curto (click to enlarge) Links for this Episode: Robert Adams’ Beauty in … Continue reading Camera Position 62 : Is Beauty Enough? →

The Camera in The Cathedral: A Brief History of Photography of the Natural World In a bit of “podcast cross-pollination,” I’m presenting an episode of my history of photography podcast here on Camera Position. If you’ve heard the Photo History podcast of this same topic, you’ve heard this podcast, but for those Camera Position listeners … Continue reading The Camera in The Cathedral: Camera Position goes Historical →

A cold winter’s day prompted me to work on a warm-day photograph, then to make a cold-day photograph. Also, we celebrate Camera Position’s 2nd birthday and talk briefly about the Photocast Network and the Focus Ring podcast. Peach, Toscana, 2007 & Snow Apple, 2008; Photographs by Jeff Curto (click images for larger views) Links for … Continue reading Camera Position 61 : Summer Peaches on a Winter’s Day →

Camera Position goes back to basics with an overview of the essentials of photographic composition, including the Rule of Thirds, Leading Lines, Framing and Balance. Also, a mention of the work of photographer Ron Diorio. Tractored Out – photograph by Dorothea Lange Links for this episode: Slides for this episode of Camera Position Camera Position … Continue reading Camera Position 60 : Back to Basics – Composition →

After an insanely busy fall, I’m back in front of the podcast mic, talking about photography. In this episode of Camera Position, we go to the Midwest Society of Photographic Education conference in Flint, Michigan, where I presented a 40 minute talk about my photographs of Italy. This episode of camera position is that presentation, … Continue reading Camera Position 59 : Evidence of Hands on Stone →

Getting your work out there… how do you do it? We take a look at some responses to an exhibition I just had at the University of La Verne in California and see how that might fit into how you can show your work. Irene Carlson Gallery of Photography – University of La Verne, La … Continue reading Camera Position 58 – Pictures of an Exhibition →

Can you become a selfless photographer and reach a state of Zen with your camera? Fourth in an irregular series of “books for photographers’ bookshelves” is Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, where Herrigel’s works towards the “perfect shot.” Replace “bow” with “camera,” “arrow” with “shutter” and “target” with “photograph” and you … Continue reading Camera Position 57 : Photographer’s Bookshelf #4 →

Abruzzo Sheep – Photograph by Jeff Curto (click for a larger view) Photographers should always use the right tool for the job, right? But what if you’re stuck with the wrong tool in the right situation? You just wing it, that’s what, and sometimes something interesting happens. That was the case with me this summer … Continue reading Camera Position 56 : The Parable of the Sheep →

Montepulciano, Toscana, 1998 – Photograph by Jeff Curto Yes, it’s the age old question… does size matter? Does the size of the prints we make change how we view the images? Have you ever made a large print of your work? Here’s an image that I recently had The Print Lab print to a very … Continue reading Camera Position 55 : Does Size Matter? →