A different view of the natural world
I only recently discovered the potential of abstract photography. I knew abstract art existed, of course, but I’d never even considered it as something I wanted to spend my artistic time on. But about...
View ArticleUsing film in a digital world…not such a strange thing.
My mother-in-law, a wonderful person, has always enjoyed taking pictures. Her first camera was a Kodak Box Camera when she was a little girl. She’ll turn 89 this October. I’ve rarely seen her without a...
View ArticleWe can learn a lot from other artists
As a developing photographer, I found it very difficult to find advanced lessons in color theory, composition, and artistic design related to the art of photography. EVERYBODY seems to want to talk...
View ArticleVisiting great places near home
Wherever you live, I’ll bet dollars to donuts that at some point a visitor has asked you “..what’s there to see around here?” After you tell them about the most famous “sight” around, they invariably...
View ArticleFilm vs Digital: Insights from the High End
I’ve written already why I continue to shoot my landscapes with medium and large format film vs digital technologies. I want to share with you in this article some additional reasons why there...
View ArticleMyths About Scanning Film for Maximum Quality
Update 3/31/2016 I published this article back in 2011, and at that time I had 3 years experience personally scanning negatives. Add 5 years since, and probably 500 hours scanning, and well, you get...
View ArticleTravel Through History in Virginia
Introduction. One of my passions is historic preservation, acts of man that always requires SOMEONE to take an aggressive action and make a compelling argument for saving something of historic...
View ArticleTravel Through Virginia History: Bluemont and the Snicker’s Gap
The tiny village of Bluemont, Virginia has the distinction of being the highest community in Loudoun County at 680 ft above sea level. It has been known in the past as Snicker’s Gap, “Punkin Town,” and...
View ArticleTravel Through Virginia History: From Bluemont to Unison and the Battlefield...
Once among the most densely populated parts of Loudoun County, the many small towns in the Loudoun Valley fell victim in the mid-20th Century to the population migration towards the big cities. They...
View ArticleAre there limits to artistic freedom in photography?
Most people who take pictures use them just as they come out of the camera. But this is rarely the case with photographic artists. Artists may spend hours on the best images to transform the image...
View ArticleTravel Through Virginia History: Quaker Land from Philomont to Lincoln, Virginia
Today’s trip takes us to the village of Philomont, the southern-most of the three “Mont Villages” along Snickersville Turnpike, then to Lincoln, where Quakers established the Goose Creek Meeting in...
View ArticleTravel Through Virginia History: The Town of Purcellville
Article about the history and photographs of historic places in Purcellville, VA The post Travel Through Virginia History: The Town of Purcellville appeared first on Thoughts on the Craft of Fine Art...
View ArticleThe downside to the digital photography revolution
Update Oct 2019: I wrote the article below in 2012, and much has changed in the digital photography realm since then. Unfortunately, much has stayed the same. First, hi-end digital camera resolution...
View ArticleCreative Photography: Making Snow Look (and feel) Like Snow
I like photographing snow because snow can create settings that are absolutely beautiful and very photogenic. My favorite rendering of snow scenes is in black and white. I think the absence of cold...
View ArticleTiming is Everything
Timing is Everything When photographing in nature, success not only depends on where you are, but when you are. I’ve been thinking a lot lately how important timing is to my coming home with an image...
View ArticleA tool for taking better pictures, and it costs nothing
Back before the popularity of digital photography, almost all serious camera artists used a simple tool to help them evaluate composition before ever setting up the camera. Using film meant you only...
View ArticleSummer is the Season for Photographing in B&W
When everything in nature turn green, it's time to shoot black and white photography. This article from J Riley Stewart describes why. The post Summer is the Season for Photographing in B&W...
View ArticleWho likes art, anyway?
I admit I’m as a newborn when it comes to knowing about art and artists. I’m not professionally trained in the arts. I can’t draw a straight line. And for most of my adult life, I lived in the...
View ArticleBehind the “photographer’s eye”
“Falling Light, Grand Tetons” Cover feature for the February 2015 edition of Elan Magazine I sometimes hear “you have a good eye” when speaking to folks visiting in the gallery. They are being...
View ArticleWhy I never talk about my “photo gear”
As an art photographer, I’m continually amazed that so many of my peers think that everyone else must be as enamored with photographic equipment as they themselves must be. Why else would they make it...
View ArticleI’m not that interested in stepping into the 21st Century
If you still shoot film, what would you do if, for some reason, its supply suddenly dried up? What if film was no longer available at any price? I know it’s a small possibility, at least in the...
View ArticleWhere are the photography gurus today?
gu·ru /goo’ roo/ noun: 1) a teacher and especially intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern; 2) one who is an acknowledged leader or chief proponent; 3) a person with knowledge or...
View ArticleIn image-making, you need to know the story before you can tell it.
This article discusses the importance of previsualization to effective story-telling in photography The post In image-making, you need to know the story before you can tell it. appeared first on...
View ArticleUpdate on Dignan’s 2 Bath C41 Development
I’ve been using Kodak’s Flexcolor chemistry for 4 years with acceptable results, but have found the variability from day to day and batch to batch to be irritating. I thought it worthwhile to test a...
View ArticleWhat’s in a Name?
I want to share something that you may take for granted, or perhaps never even thought about, and that is “..where do art titles come from?” As art lovers, we’re accustomed to seeing titles on...
View ArticleA Short Trip to Amish Country
From northern Virginia, we needn’t go far to see a very different culture than we have in most of the United States. I found udder peace (whoops, my bad) in Amish Country. I recently spent 3 days in...
View ArticleEasily verify the focus on your flatbed scanner
This article provides a quick method to verify that your flatbed scanner and negative carrier are working together to ensure the sharpest scan possible. The post Easily verify the focus on your flatbed...
View ArticleDIY: Convert your flatbed scanner to a wet-mount workflow
Detailed instructions for converting a flatbed scanner to a wet mount workflow with easily purchased materials. The post DIY: Convert your flatbed scanner to a wet-mount workflow appeared first on...
View Article5 Helpful Gadgets for a Photography Darkroom
Darkroom: a place where where analog photographers go to play. If you take pictures using film, you need at a minimum some dark place (or some apparatus) where the film can be safely transferred from...
View ArticleUnlocking Your Scanner to Get Great Scans from Film
Why Scan Film? This tutorial covers how I manage my film scanning to get every bit of tonal information from a negative and avoid clipped shadows and highlights, which ensures I get great scans from my...
View ArticleVarnishing photographic prints as a way to present them distinctively
Varnishing photographic prints on paper is an alternative to showing them matted and placed under glass. There are many benefits to varnishing prints. Let’s go through them. But first, if you want to...
View ArticleWet Mount Scanning: The Undermount – Overmount Dilemma
Article discusses two different ways to orient film negatives on a flatbed Epson V700 and compares resolution for each, undermounted negatives and overmounted negatives. The post Wet Mount Scanning:...
View ArticleWhat makes a photograph “original,” and why does it matter?
This article discusses what it means when a photograph is described as "original", how to tell if a photograph is original, and what it means to artists and collectors. The post What makes a photograph...
View ArticleDo I Need To Drum Scan My Negatives?
This article compares image resolution and acuity from scanned negatives and makes recommendations about when a drum scan is helpful to photographic quality. The post Do I Need To Drum Scan My...
View ArticleThe Psychology and Aesthetics of a Toned Monochrome Print
Color affects our emotions. Whole volumes have been written describing these effects, and how artists and advertisers use color to best induce specific emotions. Color also has profound effects on the...
View ArticleScanning Software Matters
This is a quick comparison of how VueScan and Epson Scan produce high quality images from negative film. I’m not a scanning or film services vendor; I’m just a film user who tries to get the most from...
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