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...

Keeping track of your day
I was once told to look at the time in a day like a jar to fill. You fill them with the rocks, the pebbles, and the grains of sand. The rocks are the big stuff. Things like strategic initiatives. The medium ones are important things, but not core objectives. And the grains are like the little things, like sending an email or an invoice. It’s easy to fill your day with grains of sand, but if you do, it will leave no room for the real goals. But if you fill it with the rocks first, there will still be room in between for the pebbles and sand. Don’t pack your days with tiny … Read more...