Category: Photography Blog

THIS JUST IN  


 
THE PARADOX OF CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS

1. Creative individuals often possess an unusual amount physical energy, yet they also value stillness and quiet reflection. They can spend hours in quiet contemplation, waiting for the right moment for creativity to arrive.

2. They tend to be intellectually sharp while maintaining a sense of childlike wonder, seeing the world in a way most people don’t. Continue reading “”

PHOTOGRAPHY ADVICE I’VE COME ACROSS LATELY

Most photo advice I see is overly simplified and often wrong. These posts from writer Alex Cooke at Fstoppers are worth reading if you are interested in becoming a better photographer in today’s world.

Mindfulness and walking meditation in photography

And now some hard truths from Cooke:

Ten brutal truths about amateur photography

10 ways social media destroyed photography

Want to make photography a business, but don’t have a trust fund?

5 fatal photography business mistakes

(Illustration: Author Unknown)

IT’S WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY WEEK

Make a photograph that’s surprising. One you haven’t seen before. That’s the challenge to give yourself every day. Just don’t be this guy.

Next week, a look at today’s “photography”.

CHECK EACH BOX TWICE

That’s what I do for everything. “Never assume anything” is my motto. The reasons for doing that could fill a book, but it would be a depressing read. So, I’ll just add, “Don’t fall down.” That’s probably easier to relate to.

AVOIDING THE CROWDS THIS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

The best way to do this is to avoid traveling during memorial day weekend altogether. I would say the same for most of the summer. However, we don’t all have that much flexibility in when we can get away.

There are a couple of spots I’ve found recently that are relatively free of tourists. That excludes all the National Parks BTW. That time in space is long gone. Yet, if you get up super early and get off the beaten trail (code for off-road), there are locations with incredible photography with no one around. Here’s one: Alabama Hills, CA.

CHOP WATER, CARRY WOOD

Image of a hot rod spectator walking alone at Speed Week 2018 at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, American Southwest by Randy Wells

Yes, I know, it’s “chop wood carry water”, but this version could work too. Especially if it’s ice your chopping in winter to boil on a fire, fed by the wood you carried in.

Thinking outside the box is why I get hired. I don’t go in search of photographs I saw on somebody’s website or social media. That’s been done to death. I’m looking for backgrounds, weather, and vehicles that have never been composed together in one image. Or I’m looking for a series of images that tell a story that follows the original text I wrote to reinforce what I’m wanting to say. Continue reading “”

EARTH DAY

Image of the landscape of the North Cascades in the fall, Washington, Pacific Northwest by Randy Wells

The boreal forest is dominated by coniferous trees like pine, spruce, and fir, and is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. It constantly releases millions of tons of oxygen to the atmosphere. It’s also the world’s largest land biome and a significant carbon sink, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide in its trees, soils, and peatlands. ATTENTION, YOU MIGHT WANT TO KEEP THIS AROUND.

R.I.P. JIM BRANDENBURG

National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg has died at age 79 in Minnesota. He was an amazing landscape photographer with integrity that is all but absent in todays world of digital scenic image capture. He once spent a month exposing one frame on a roll of film per day – un-orchestrated and un-manipulated. They were all great. Only Ernst Haas and Frans Lanting approached his ethics when it came to nature portrayal and conservation.

APRIL FOOL

My approach to finding new cars and car owner stories for my editorial clients has changed over the past ten years. There has been a significant increase in the frequency of encountering fake owners and/or fake cars that has put me on guard. Fortunately, so far, I have identified these problems early enough in the process that I haven’t become a part of their rouse. My goal as a writer will continue to be vigilant and committed to only bringing the best car stories to publication with integrity. I’m all for the underdog, but nobody wants to be a part of a scam, including my editorial clients.

THANK YOU PAT LONG AND PORSCHE 356 REGISTRY MAGAZINE

Porsche 356 Registry magazine editor Peter Bodensteiner was kind enough to approve an assignment I proposed to photograph and write about someone I’ve come to know over many years. Pat Long is a Porsche factory race car driver and co-founder of the Luftgekühlt brand. It was a blast riding along with him in his 356 and creating portraits at his favorite hang out, the Rock Store on Mulholland Hwy near Los Angeles. Good times!

Porsche 356 Registry Magazine

THANK YOU TO ALL THE AUCTION HOUSES

I’ve been keeping very busy this season photographing some beautiful cars going to auction. It’s not a big part of my work, which is commercial ads and editorial magazine jobs, but it’s fun and it keeps me flexible!

R.I.P. CONTANTINE MANOS

Constantine “Costa” Manos passed away peacefully at age 90 last week. He was a brilliant pioneer of color photography and a member of Magnum Photos. Along with Ernst Haas and Alex Webb, his color work influenced me deeply.

PERSONAL WORK 2024

Followers of my blog know that at the end of each year I post a series of three personal photographs made at a non-assignment single location. Here’s a selection from one evening last month on the east side of California’s Sierra Nevada range.