In his book, Within the Frame, David duChemin suggests “the first thing to realize is that the creative process is not so simple that it can be reduced to a formula – go here, wait for muse, shoot brilliant image. It is not a reactive process depending on a magic fairy appearing and beating you with an inspiration stick. Creativity is something you can actively work at, and the more closely you know your own process, the more reliably the muse appears.” This got me to thinking. . . What is my own process for capturing a creative image? Continue reading
“How to” Articles
These articles have been published in local publications.
Choosing your subject for a remarkable photograph.

Who is it? – Eguisheim, France
Why do we shoot what we shoot? Our personal preferences and interests most likely defines what images we capture. We probably saw something that caught our eye and our interest. But do our viewers have the same interest? Maybe, maybe not. We can’t please everyone, but our goal for remarkable photographs is for a majority of our viewers to find our images interesting to look at. So how do we pick a subject that pleases most of our viewers? Continue reading
Discovering remarkable pictures where you live
In her book, Extraordinary Everyday Photography, Brenda Tharp challenges photographers to develop a “fresh approach and vision” by going someplace where you have been before but try to see it differently. Her point is that you can find interesting things to photograph anywhere if you develop a new approach to seeing with new vision. Even in those places we have been many times before. Continue reading
Pack your shot list along with your underwear
Let’s see, what am I forgetting? Packing is not my favorite thing to do in the whole world, but traveling may be. Of course camera gear is the second priority right after underwear and socks. I love photographing almost everything, but travel photography is probably the most enjoyable, especially when it’s a new destination. So I tolerate the packing chore to make sure I am ready to explore a new world. Continue reading
A remarkable image is a remarkable story
“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.” ― Ansel Adams
This Ansel Adams quote echoed in my mind for days after reading it several years ago. I always loved photography even as a young boy but I had never thought of photography as an expression of how I feel in the “deepest” sense. As I looked through an old photo album, I began to realize that every photo I have ever saved in an album or shared with others were photos expressing feelings about what was being photographed. Continue reading
Capturing your most remarkable moments
I don’t know about you, but I find the most remarkable photos I enjoy seeing over and over again are those with friends and family enjoying our remarkable times and places. Capturing our feelings and the remarkable scene is sometimes very challenging. Continue reading
Seven tips for remarkable smart phone photography
According to Yahoo!, 880 billion photos will be uploaded to the Internet in 2014. Facebook suggests that over 6 billion photos are posted every month on this popular social media site. With all this photography going on, all of us should be experts by now! But have you seen some of these images? Not always a pretty picture. Continue reading