Archives for September 2011

Memories have a funny way of creeping into your life. It’s the most unexpected of things that stick. Little things, unplanned, unpredictable. People who you barely know, events you could barely conceive. Maybe it’s exactly that which makes it so memorable. Who, after all, ever talks about expecting the expected?

Enter Graham. Graham was one year my junior in high school, eyes prematurely sunken with a wooden expression – a frame draped in a t-shirt and jeans. A guy trying to get by, pretty much like most of us. We took Yearbook together – he did the layout for one of the sections. I don’t remember which, I don’t really remember too much about him. But of all things and … Read more...

Looking at other people’s photos is easy. You look. You react. You like it or you don’t. Simple. Looking at your own is like tasting with a blindfold on and no sense of smell. Try it, and you’ll know what I mean. Stripped of the initial reaction that guides us and influenced by our own biases, insecurities, desires, and hopes, editing our own images is anything but easy. If you’ve ever found yourself blind and senseless in a sea of ambiguity, overwhelmed by stars, flags, and color coded hints like bread crumbs in a forest on a wet and foggy day, here’s a thought to get you on the road to recovery. Editing may be a thick and murky world, … Read more...

Hello. My name is Spencer. It’s nice to meet you.

Welcome. If you’ve followed this blog, you probably already know a little about me, but I thought an introduction was in order after spending so much time writing here. First, a big, big thank you to everyone who has passed through this site. Truly and sincerely, I am humbled by the fact that so many have taken a moment to read my words. Agree or disagree. Love them or hate them. And doubly so to each person who has commented, shared, and contributed.

Staring out into the void (a.k.a. a glowing, blank screen) as I write, I am often more than a little bit curious about who you are. Post … Read more...

I recently heard that a true photographer understands how to use their equipment. That they know how to see light. That they know how to make things look pretty. That they don’t need to snap away relentlessly to create a good shot. Bunk. Total bunk. There’s no such thing as a true photographer, and there’s no one characteristic that defines or excludes someone. With regularity, I see better pictures from people’s iPhones uploaded to Facebook than I see from a lot of professionals. Not because the Facebook pictures look better. Some look like garbage. Because they feel better. They have something to say. And that’s something absent from the majority of actual practitioners of the field.

People who take pictures … Read more...

This is something for all of you out there who are frustrated that you’re not better than you are. I call it the curve of misery. Take heart if you’re not getting where you want to go. Take heart if you’re constantly pushing, and it feels like you’re making no headway.

The problem at the core of it is your skill trails your vision. You have better taste than you can execute on. And that’s natural. In fact, at first, you don’t really notice it, because as you start to learn, your ability improves so quickly that it outstrips any changes in taste and vision. You’re getting closer and closer to your target, because your target moves slowly and your … Read more...