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Photographer Spotlights
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Wabi Sabi and the Beauty of the Imperfect Photograph
Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection and impermanence. It is not a filter or a style. It is a way of seeing. And once you understand it, you will never look at a photograph the same way again.
Weekly News Roundup
A big week. Artemis II returned from the Moon with 10,000 photographs. The Salgado auction closed in New York. Lee Miller opens in Paris. And there is new gear and exhibition news worth knowing about.
Take the Cliché Photograph
The advice is everywhere. Do not take the same photograph as everyone else. Find a unique angle. Push past the obvious shot. It is good advice. It is also incomplete. Here is what it leaves out.
The Secret to Depth in a Black and White Photograph
A photograph is flat. It has no actual depth. Everything that makes a black and white image feel three dimensional is an illusion. Here is how to construct that illusion deliberately rather than accidentally.
What Sebastião Salgado Teaches Us About Making Work That Matters
Sebastião Salgado spent four decades photographing people the world preferred not to look at. This week those photographs are selling for six figures at auction in New York. Here is what that means and what it teaches us.
Photographer Spotlight: Robert Stacy
Robert Stacy has spent his career pointing his camera at the things the world would rather look away from. Reproductive rights, civil rights, homelessness, economic justice. Not because it is comfortable but because he believes photography can change things. We talked to him about dignity, spontaneity, and why he always walks back the way he came.
How to Think Like an Editor Of A Novel
A novelist without an editor is a photographer without a filter. The work might be brilliant. But without someone asking the hard questions it will never be as good as it could be. Here is how to be your own editor.
How to Build a Portfolio That Actually Gets Looked At
Foto's portfolio feature is one of the best tools available to photographers right now for sharing a body of work. Most people are not using it well. Here is how to change that.
Weekly News Roundup
A big week. Sony has effectively shut down its memory card business due to the flash shortage, DNG is now an international standard, and Annie Leibovitz was photographing soccer players in Atlanta. Here is everything worth knowing.
A Novel Way To Measure Progress
Last night at Open Studios someone asked me to tell them about a photograph on the wall. What came out of my mouth told me more about my progress as a photographer than any comparison of old work to new ever has.
A Photo Story: Dancing With Bears
Every December in the Moldavian region of Romania, men wrap themselves in real bear skins and march through the streets to the sound of drums. Armin traveled from Germany to document it. He did not expect to find himself there too.
The More You Practice the Luckier You Get
The more I practice the luckier I get. It sounds like false modesty. It is actually one of the most precise descriptions of how creative skill develops that anyone has ever put into words.