How do you consider yourself as a photographer in terms of the work you do? Is it important to tell your viewers how you define your work as being a particular kind or made with a particular camera, or does the work you make define you instead?

If I make more images, like the one in this post, am I a #lunarphotographer or a #GreatLakesPhotographer? If I shoot it with #film or with #digital, how does that change what the image says? I think my intent as a photographer matters more than the label or the gear and if you make photographs that are genuinely yours, your own personal hashtag will write itself.

Rather than think of myself as this kind of photographer or that kind of photographer, I prefer to think of myself as photographer – I’m interested in subject matter as it presents itself to me, or as I think of it relative to things I’ve read, music I’ve listened to, places I’ve gone…

Rather than pigeonholing yourself into a particular genre of image-making, or that you use a particular kind of camera, think rather of how the work you make defines who you are and let that be your “hashtag.”

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Links for this Episode:

• PhotoPlace Gallery in Vermont
  • Composed Exhibition
  • Jeff’s essay about the work
• My Instagram Feed – Follow me and I’ll follow back
• Podcast Facebook Page

This episode covers some practical details. I go over the places where you can listen to Camera Position and list a number of online resources for you to explore photography that go beyond the “usual suspects” of Instagram – Flickr – Facebook.

– Sources –

Where to Listen to Camera Position

Apple Podcasts	Google Podcasts	iHeartRadio
Spotify	Stitcher	Amazon Music
iOS App (free!)	YouTube	Android App

Play Podcast:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe and Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | RSS | More

– Resources –

Where to Find Quality
Photography & Photography Inspiration Online

LENSCRATCH – “an online platform dedicated to supporting and celebrating the photographic arts and photographic artists through exposure, discussion, community collaboration, and education.”

LensCulture – “LensCulture is one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching resources for discovering contemporary photography talent around the world.”

Artsy – “Artsy features the world’s leading galleries, museum collections, foundations, artist estates, art fairs, and benefit auctions, all in one place.” – Over 1,000,000 artworks online

Museum of Contemporary Photography – “The MoCP is the world’s premier college art museum dedicated to photography. Our mission is to cultivate a deeper understanding of the artistic, cultural and political roles of photography in our world today.”

The Griffin Museum – “The Griffin Museum of Photography is a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the art of photography. Through our many exhibitions, programs and lectures, we strive to encourage a broader understanding and appreciation of the visual, emotional and social impact of photographic art. “

The Eastman Museum – “The George Eastman Museum is located in Rochester, New York, on the estate of George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography and motion picture film. Founded in 1947 as an independent nonprofit institution, it is the world’s oldest photography museum and one of the oldest film archives.”

The Center for Photographic Art – “The Center for Photographic Art inspires the artist and the audience by nurturing the personal growth essential to creating and appreciating art. CPA works to increase understanding of and respect for photography and its important role in contemporary culture.”

The Center for Photography at Woodstock – “Through its programs, CPW fosters opportunities to create and explore photography, and celebrate its role in contemporary culture.”

En Foco – “En Foco is a non-profit that supports contemporary primarily U.S.-based photographers of African, Asian, Latino, Native American, and Pacific Islander heritage.”

Behance – Adobe’s new-ish image sharing platform. I’ve been impressed with the work I’ve seen on there – check it out.

I can’t think of a time in my life that has been more disconcerting than this last year. The pandemic and the disruption to our daily routine. We don’t work the same, we don’t socialize in the same way, we don’t go out or see friends or family. We are certainly in strange and uncertain times, a situation that brings anxiety to many.

I’ve discovered that for me the disquiet of our time is calmed by the camera. I’ve learned that spending some time exploring some part of the world through the lens takes me away from the chaos and uncertainty and brings me back to center. It doesn’t matter if I just take a walk around the kitchen in the warm morning light or grab the camera and spend a few minutes just outside the front door seeing what the siding looks like in the rain, if I take some photographs, it helps push disquiet away.

Moving my cognition over to the right side of my brain – the creative side – lifts the weight of the world from me. How about you? Do you find that raising the camera to your eye is a component of helping you create balance in your life? Let me know what your routine is below or on the podcast Facebook page.

Play Podcast:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe and Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | RSS | More

Links for this Episode:

• My Instagram Feed – Follow me and I’ll follow back
• Podcast Facebook Page