Ep145 Is photography best when discussed like a sound byte

Hosted by Daniel j Gregory

December 18, 2017

Episode Number:

What the heck is this week's podcast about?

I have really taken noticed recently that a lot of our information is provided in quick, easy soundbites. And, it seems some people prefer to get their information that way. You can hear it in conversations and see it in how we relate online. So many small statements supported with very few facts we hold to be true. I started to wonder, if consuming information in small bites with something that could impact our relationship to photography.

As I started looking at my own images and thinking about how I work with others, I began to realize that when you only think of your photography as soundbites, you end up, in many ways, not necessarily understanding the depth and meaning of your work. Can you always understand the complexity of what you are doing with little effort, insight and understanding? In this week’s podcast, I spend some time looking at how engagement with photographs and understanding photographs develops. Sometimes to fully understand the photograph you need to spend the time to create a deeper understanding of how composition, theme, subject, visual story all relate to our abilities to fully engage with the image. Just like with our news and information, not everything should be summarized in 140 characters.

Affiliate Links

This website may use affiliate links. This means when you purchase something through links marked as affiliate links (usually noted by a *), I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services that I personally use or have tested.

Gear used in the podcast

Rode Boom Arm
Rode PSM Shockmount
Rode Podcast Mic
Focusrite Scarlet 2i2
Adobe Audition (part of creative cloud subscription)
Macbook Pro
OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock
Headphones

Books for the giving season

n this episode of The Perceptive Photographer, I talk about book ideas for the holiday season, especially for photographers and creative folks. Thanks to a listener, David, I once again share some of my favorite reads or books for giving ranging from creative practice and photography theory to memoirs and photo books. The goal of this week’s episode (561) is to hopefully help you find meaningful books for yourself or the photographers in your life.

read more

Working With What the Photograph Wants

This episode explores the idea of working with what the photograph wants rather than forcing our intentions onto it. Once an image exists, it carries its own visual logic, weight, and rhythm. By slowing down, noticing what the photograph is already doing well, and letting accidents or imperfections remain, editing becomes a conversation instead of a correction. When we listen to the photograph’s internal voice, we discover a truer, more honest final image than the one we first imagined.

read more

Interpretation and translation

In this episode of the podcast I explore the idea of editing as translation. Rather than treating editing as technical cleanup, I look at how it becomes a way to interpret the lived moment of making a photograph. The camera captures facts but not the emotional truth, so editing bridges that gap. By shaping color, tone, and atmosphere, we translate experience into visual language and create images that feel honest, expressive, and connected to our intentions.

read more