Postcards from the Creative Journey

871 To Vintage or Not to Vintage; That is the Question.

The virtue of the “vintage print” is that it reflects the original conception of the artistic thought made in close proximity to the image capture. To some collectors this makes the vintage print quite valuable because it was the first take on the artistic thought.

There are a couple of things to consider. One is the artist’s visualization. Sometimes the first blush is just that; a blush. It may not be the best articulation, but it is the first. Further consideration might be a more refined vision and a more complete thought.

Technology, especially today, is another major consideration. With the rapid improvement in software and the learning curve of the artist, a future version might contain both a more refined vision as well as well as technological improvements that make the newest version better looking than the vintage print.

870 - The Habitual Photographer, First Published 9/14/2014

I always have been a photographer. That’s not like I was born a photographer, it’s just that I can’t think about the time I wasn’t involved in photography. It’s an (almost) fifty year habit I acquired and (happily) I have been unable to break it. It has caused both joy and heartache in my life and because the former has outweighed the latter, I have continued this dalliance with the love child of science and art. It’s part of my life that I can’t see myself not doing

869 Technical Merit is Transitory. Artistic Merit is timeless.

The technology we use to create is a function of the time we live in. What and how what we do with that technology is timeless. A few years ago, I went to see an Ansel Adams exhibition. When I looked at the prints, they all seemed a bit soft and flat. My initial disappointment gradually faded with a bit more consideration.

My disappointment was simply a failure on my part to consider the presentation of the images. Film and gelatin silver prints are soft and flat when compared to digital images printed on a modern ink jet photo printer. In but a few years, my eyes forgot what a great silver gelatin print looks like. I was comparing two separate mediums, each which has their own limitations. I almost forgot about the content of the images. Forgetting about the content is the gravest of sins a photographer can commit.

By concentrating on the medium rather than the message was a huge error on my part. The content of the image, regardless of the medium, is still spectacular and timeless. How it is presented should be of secondary consideration.

We don’t evaluate writing based on whether the work was handwritten or done on a word processor. A great story is a great story. Likewise, a great photograph should be judged on its content and emotional impact.

868 Grainger Pipe Cheer, First Published 7/28/2019

Grandpa loved to smoke his pipe at the end of the day. He’d sit by the stove, take out his tobacco pouch and go through the ritual of cleaning the bowl, the stem and then packing tobacco just right so the tobacco would burn evenly. After, if I was good, he would twist the pipe cleaners into little animal shapes for me. I had my own little pipe cleaner animal farm and grandpa would watch me play while he smoked. I still remember the aroma of Grainger Pipe Cheer.

867 Reflections on the Blog

And reflections on the water, too. 

Twelve years ago, this endeavor first appeared in the blogosphere. Every Sunday morning since then, (and now on Thursdays, too!) some of my photographic musings have appeared in this little corner of the internet. Thank you ever so much for stopping by and reading whatever I happen to write about photography and the creative process in this little space. Of course, there is a photograph that sometimes relates to the words, or sometimes it’s just a nice photograph to add some beauty to your day.

No matter the reason you stop by, thank you very much, your readership is the reason I continue to share my thoughts about photography on a weekly basis.

While I’m at it, if you are also a visitor to my web site and Daily Photograph blog, thanks for visiting those sites. If you haven’t visited those sites, there is a link to them at the top of this page.

Next week, I go back to my thoughts on photography and the creative process. I already have something nice for you to read. Please come back to see what’s new.

866 - RTFM* (Read That Fine Manual)!!!1!! First Published 9/15/2019

This was among the first photographs I made with a new digital camera. I looked at the two hundred page manual and figured I only needed to learn about twenty pages because I was not going to use all the functions of the camera. I figured out what I wanted to learn and felt confident in the use of the camera.

After making this photograph, I accidentally touched some unknown combination of tiny buttons on my camera and the camera came alive. The EVF began a slide show of my recent photographs, playing some very nice synthetic guitar music. I started laughing. What else could I do? I had no idea how to stop the slide show. I turned the camera off and hoped that the show wouldn't continue when I turned the camera on again.

I guess you have to learn how to use all the functions of a camera.

*As an IT veteran I know there are other interpretations of this Acronym.

865 That Critical Point in a Project

Of the several waypoints on the way to a project there is that point when it finally dawns on you that the only thing left between you and the successful completion of the project is a lot of hard work. All the fun and enthusiasm for the project are in the past and it’s time to buckle down and work your way to the end. I hit this critical point with a recent issue of The Lipka Journal and without too much thought, I wrote the following sentence in an email. “Overall, I'm happy with what I've done so far and now the task at hand is to complete the project with the same level of excellence.”

I think this sentence speaks to the effort required to maintain dedication to a level of excellence right through to the completion of the project. It is something we need to acknowledge and work through until we reach the designated end of our project.

864 - Mystery Photographs (Further thoughts on Reality through the Viewfinder) First Published 11/11/2012

“Who took that photograph with my camera? I don’t remember making that photograph, so who did?” Don’t we all have some of those photographs? The surprising thing is the mystery photograph is an exceptional effort. It is either exceptionally bad, or exceptionally good. The fact that you cannot remember making either the good one or the bad one is really puzzling. My theory is the exceptionally good one is made in a Zen-like state of mindlessness when you have cut loose your creative inhibitions and are creating art on an intuitive basis. The exceptionally bad photograph comes from the empty headedness of carelessness and stupidity. The difference between having an empty mind and an empty head is truly dramatic.

I have also noticed that these mystery photographs have a higher likelihood of becoming enduring favorites rather than the ones you “know” are good the minute you take them. I think that might be because the mystery photographs are closer to your soul than ones that are closer to your intellect

863 Ya Gotta Have Some Friends

Most of my photographs are made when I am alone. I do accompany my friend Brooks Jensen on our inter-galactically famous Photo Safaris. While we travel together and go to the same places, when it is time to photograph we separate ourselves and pursue our photographs individually. Our images offer two radically different approaches to any given location.

Where friends (and I mean good friends) are invaluable is they will look at your photographs and give you honest feedback on your efforts. Your friends will see things in your images you can’t see, tell you about them and help you resolve issues with your photographs and projects.

We make our photographs by ourselves. We need others for feedback, comments, support, and camaraderie. It is through others we learn to see what we have done and how it could be improved.