Tumblring on photography

“But I would argue that much of art is interesting on an intellectual level that has very little to do with whether you (or I, or anyone else) like it or not. The problem is that in order to appreciate art on this level, you have to: a) study art history, whether formally or informally, e.g., through books, b) have access to a lot of an artist’s work and have the time to study it and develop an independent sense of what characterizes the artist’s work and what they were trying to achieve, or c) get the artist to explain what she or he was thinking.” The Online Photographer: Approaching Art

“Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? What’s your goal? Amazingly, many of the photographers I talk to—both amateur and pro—don’t really know the answer to that question. So let me ask it a little more specifically: what’s your photographic goal?” What’s your Goal? by Thom Hogan

“I guess the point of this rant is that if we wait for things to be perfect, we are on a ‘fools’ errand’ and could be missing some good images while waiting for perfection. Further, previsualization not withstanding, we can’t know everything about an image before we work on it and giving ourselves a series of images, each as good as we can make it under the circumstances, instead of waiting for a single image which we think is perfect (but might not turn out to be) is a better strategy.” Behind The Lens: Compromises and Perfection

“The “energy” required to pursue a way of producing images until it becomes a style, and the energy needed to keep going in that style indefinitely or for some long productive period, is driven by this inner need on the part of the artist that I’m talking about.” The Online Photographer: The Elements of Style

“It occurs to me that there are probably a lot of photographers out there who really haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about what their goals are, and more specifically what their priorities are for those goals, since it may not be possible to achieve all of them and either stay married or employed or at least have enough money to put food on the table.” Behind The Lens: Do You Know What Your Goals Are?

“Do you have a strong enough visual style that someone who’s familiar with your work can come across one of your pictures cold and know who took it?” The Online Photographer: How to Succeed as a Photographer

“Should you get a better camera body today and wait for a better lens later, or should you get the lens you want today and wait for a better body? Easy and timeless answer: always put your money into your lenses. This is because lenses have far more to do with picture quality and ease of use, and because lenses retain their monetary and photographic value indefinitely while camera bodies become worth little in a few years.” Ken Rockwell - Lens or Camera: A Guide for the Budget Minded