The Perceptive Photographer
Episodes
Improv and the value of yes, and
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, the lessons of improv and focusing on using the yes AND can make a huge difference in your mental approach to taking new and m...
Comfort food verse new food as an approach to your photography
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, I talk about how always ordering your comfort food when taking a picture can result in you taking uninspired and boring images...
Value of forgetting things
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we take a look at how forgetting can shape our approach to making more meaningful work.
The lure of instant gratification
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Carrie Fisher has a great quote, "Instant gratification takes too long." In this week's podcast, we dive into the impacts of instant gratification on ...
Research to make more meaningful images
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the podcast this week, we focus on the importance of research in making more meaningful images.
Listener questions on how to improve quickly and when the subject is the light
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the podcast this week we focus on two questions from listeners.
Can we tell if you are upset?
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, I discuss the importance of making sure your conflicts, passions, and things you stand for appear in your work.
Conversation starters
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast is focused on the importance of conversations in our photography, and how those conversations can change the way we see and experi...
You can’t please everyone
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast takes a look at these two quotes and how they impact our approach to our photography and our creative living.
The making of a one hit wonder
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I was rocking out to the car radio the other day. A few songs came on back-to-back. They were huge songs when I was in college. They were one-hit wond...
What is photography about?
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast dives into the topic of what photography is about. By looking at some of the key elements that make up a photography or concepts i...
Dealing with choices
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 371 This week’s podcast talks about the conditions that arise when we are left with too many choices and the impacts on our work ...
Instant successes decades in the making
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s podcast talks about how sometimes an instant success to someone can seem like a long slow journey to the person making it. It is better ...
Lessons from bird watching to improve your photography
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s podcast talks about some photographic lessons learned from listening to bird watchers
Pick one thing to focus on in your work
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the podcast this week, the focus is, well, focus. I talk about how we approach our work and what it can do to our process when we get a handle on b...
What makes a basic photograph interesting?
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the podcast this week, I talk about the importance of seeing and framing elements in your images to make them more interesting both at first glance...
Blurry and sharp in your photography
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we dive into how blurry and sharp are both important elements to have in making successful images.
Why you need I statements in your work
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, I talk about how one single change in your language can make a huge difference in the conversations you have about your work.
Well it has been 7 years since this all started
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, in addition to talking about a little podcast history and the importance of photography in our lives, I also detail out some o...
Sense of wonder or obligation
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we take a look at the difference it can make in your images when you do them because you are in awe of the subject.
Two task challenge week
14 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the podcast is about two big challenges for your photography work. They are both super easy to take on, but each offers up a chance to le...
Are facts destroying your creativity?
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the podcast this week, the focus is all on how focusing on facts of your photography might be limiting your approach to your photography.
Where do you put your time?
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the podcast this week, I dive into the areas where you might spend your time as it relates to your photography and photographic process in an effor...
Who is your audience?
24 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
ne of the biggest challenges many of us face in our photography is sorting out where and who to show our work. Finding our peeps or audience can be a ...
How am I today and how do I want to be?
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the podcast this week, I talk about how approaching our photography by thinking about how I am and how I want to be can make a difference in the ty...
Taking a moment to honor your images before you delete them
10 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Perceptive Photographer podcast, we dive into a new way of approaching the deletion of our images. Maybe there is a better appr...
A wish for all of us in 2022
03 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With the turn of a day, it is now 2022. I hope you are having a good start to the new year. This week's podcast is a quick chat about something that I...
Some listener questions to end 2021
27 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As we close out 2021 and look forward to 2022, we close out the podcast talking about a few listener questions that have been sent in over the past fe...
On our photographic journey a few little things to pick up along the way
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In our adventure as photographers, there are so many little twists and turns. Some of them are good and some are nothing more than a distraction. In t...
Feeling verse knowing is huge in your photography
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
nd ours is our feelings and how they relate to the things we photograph. Doesn't matter if we love it, hate it, or are unsure about it. Whatever it is...
Meaning relationships and the impact on the photograph
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I talk about how to approach your photographs as a group of interconnected elements focusing on not just what the object is or looks ...
What’s the purpose for the picture?
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, I dive into the importance of understanding your purpose when making a photograph. There are a host of reasons to take a photo...
How you group images can really change things
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 350 There are so many ways to think about grouping photographs and programs like Lightroom or Capture One can make it easier. Although thos...
It’s all been done before…
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, I spend a little time talking about the importance of appreciating that what we are doing when we photograph is extending the ...
The notion of sequencing images
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
s week's podcast, I talk a little be more about how to think about sequencing your images into an essay or story. What sort of considerations to make ...
Thinking about the defining moment
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, I talk a little about how recognizing your defining moments in photography might be more important than your decisive moments ...
What do you collect?
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We all collect stuff. In this week's podcast, I discuss the impacts of what we collect in our photography and photographic processes. For many of us,...
Memory is a powerful thing in photography
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we jump into the notion of memory and how it can impact our understanding of how we view an image. I also talk about how to fi...
Revisiting the contact sheets
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 344 If you haven't taken the time to make a contact sheet, you should. They are worth their weight in gold. Many people think the contact s...
Subtle Nuances
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 343 Have you ever had a good glass of wine where you could taste the subtle notes of flavor? Maybe it was in a cup of coffee or something y...
Clarity is not just a slider in Lightroom
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 342 This week's podcast takes a look at how clarity can impact our photography from before the shutter clicks to after the print is made. ...
It is time for a reboot?
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you turned it off and on again? In this week's podcast, I talk about how rebooting parts of your photography can help you let go of the past and...
Listen to tell a better story in your photography
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Much of photography is about telling a story in our images. If we start telling a story before we know what we want to say, we might make uninterestin...
Increasing your satisfaction with your images
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Having a plan and idea of what matters, awareness behind the camera, and organizing around multiple concepts can all lead to better success in our ima...
The process is part of your inspiration
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
have heard, more times than I can count, that inspiration is a magic gift from the beyond that moves and shakes up to create amazing things. I am on t...
If your settings on your camera are “correct” does that mean all the other options are incorrect?
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, I take a leap off the high bar and discuss the impacts of how our language of correct or incorrect can have on our seeing, pho...
Can I quote you on that?
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There was a game we used to play back in at a company I worked at. Several of us worked in a common open area. Work was slow at times, so we would hav...
Art of the metaphor
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we take a look at the notion of the metaphor to understand our work and find more meaning in the images we create, share and s...
Everybody loves a parfait. Peeling back the layers on a meaningful conversation
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
is week's podcast, I talk about how asking questions to questions, not in an arrogant annoying sort of way can help move the conversation in a more in...
Footnotes and endnotes Episode One
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
are trying out a new segment for the podcast called footnotes and endnotes. This segment is a collection of small random thoughts I have in my noteboo...
Being more successful by doing nothing
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we take a look at the ideas around success and how doing nothing might make you the most successful photographer you can be.
Why do you care what other people photograph and why bash on them?
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I have heard over the past several weeks other photographers talking about other people's photographs. What caught my ear was how critical these photo...
Change your thinking not your settings
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I often hear people talk about or suggest the proper settings for your camera to make good photographs. You might also find people who are suggesting ...
What’s the rush?
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 329 Often timed I find myself in a rush to do something. When that happens not much good comes from it. In this week's podcast, I talk abou...
How do the spaces we work in and frames we create overlap?
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We all have places we work on editing our photographs. It might be a dedicated studio or room in the house, and for others, it might be a shared desk ...
Focus on the ripples in your pond
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, I talk about how the work we make is all about the small details and impacts. Like ripples in a pond you never know how big of...
Does our style shift when working on different photographic projects
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we take a look at the question of does our style change when we change what we photograph or is our style consistent. I was as...
Stuck in neutral and the sense of going nowhere
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are times that everyone faces in their photography when you feel like things are going nowhere. Maybe you are spending more money The longer we...
How important is accuracy in a photograph?
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, I take a quick look at the notion of accuracy in a photograph. Each photograph has a given set of attributes that we respond t...
The value of ideas that are both easy and hard
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we talk about the duality of many of the concepts and ideas that we might face when making photographs. We look at how ideas c...
Of course, you shouldn’t know that…
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast takes a look at how we learn things and the language we use to describe ourselves when we don't know something and the impact of m...
How to tell better stories in your photographs
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we talk about the way to tell a better story in your photographs and how to approach storytelling in your images.
Are Cliff Notes the way to go to learn photography? (you can likely guess my answer)
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are many ways to learn things—some things in life we pick up pretty quickly, others not so much. In today's podcast, I talk about how most o...
The loss of sight and photography
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I got to thinking these past few weeks about what would happen if I lost my eyesight. What would that mean for my photography? What would it mean to ...
Not everything has to be the same
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I have heard from several friends how every day in the pandemic seems to run together. Sort of a Groundhog Day effect. In this week's podcast, I dive ...
Our reactions make the difference
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast takes a look at the impacts of how we react to events and information. When you hear someone talk about your photography, do you f...
Reading is fundamental
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you ever take one of my classes or workshops, you will listen to me talk about reading the photograph. The idea of reading a photograph is just lik...
Importance of Spring Cleaning
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast breaks out the dustpan and broom. It is spring cleaning week. It is important to keep yourself organized and with sufficient space...
Listener questions about new tech, inspiration, and finding one thing that matters
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast is all about answering questions from podcast listeners. We tackle five questions that really got me thinking or were asked more t...
Staying with something good or evolving to something better
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes when we are working, it is easy to stick with what we are good at. We tend to think that we are meant to be doing it if we are good at somet...
Nice photograph, but is it personal?
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast takes a look at why we create. I believe that art, and by proxy photography, is best when it is personal. It is born out of our cu...
How long to wait?
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 311 Each one of us has a different level of patience when it comes to time. I think each of us has to answer how long I am willing to wait ...
It’s always something
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 310 For many photographers I work with, one of the consistent pieces of feedback I hear is that there is never enough of something to do th...
Edges or overlaps in your approach to photography
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When we think about approaching our photography, we often put things in buckets or bins. These classifications can help us identify areas of the image...
Is it poor taste or a bad photograph?
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I work with a lot of different people on different aspects of photography. One of the big areas that I help people with is developing a deeper connect...
Who’s your photo buddy?
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout our lifetime, we have a lot of friends and acquaintances. Some people are around for a short time, and others might last that lifetime. I h...
What are you missing and the one thing approach
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I have been working on some images in the studio recently and some start of the new year cleanup work. As I bounced back and forth between those two p...
How do you feel about photography?
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast is a chat about how we feel about photography and photographs. In my teaching experience, I have found that many people think a lo...
The start of a new year and celebrating the good
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast is a quick chat about setting goals for the new year and the importance of looking back at the past year and celebrating what was ...
30,000-mile tune-ups
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast topic came about because of some maintenance on the car. That maintenance got me thinking about how scheduled maintenance to keep ...
Do you have photographic traditions?
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast is about the importance of having traditions in your photography. No matter how big or small traditions are something we can look ...
How to figure out your good photos from the bad
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast is all about homework. One of the areas that I think all photographers could improve is understanding what makes a good photograph...
It’s Episode 300 so we are talking about celebrating milestones
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks the 300th episode of the podcast. So first off, thank you to everyone who tunes in and listens to the podcast. It really means the wor...
AI and Computational Photography-When is it no longer a photograph?
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I have been asked a lot recently about what I think about some of the new tools digital photographers have at their disposal. Many programs now offer ...
The rules and repeatability of composition
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the end, I think we all want to make interesting photographs, and the composition and framing are so much of that experience. The more you can be a...
The joy and pain of muscle memory
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we look at the impacts of muscle memory on our photography. Muscle memory, or the body's ability to do something without think...
How do you approach knowing when enough is enough in your photography?
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we look at a possible photographic approach and discuss how you approach knowing when enough is enough when creating the image...
How do you value your images? Is it more than just a 1-5 star ranking?
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After reading a brief snippet about how Forbes creates its top 200 most brand valuable companies, I got to thinking about what formulas do we use in o...
Seeing the whole from the parts and a reminder to vote
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Everything is connected. When you photograph a leaf, it is part of a tree. A leading line doesn't just start and stop in your frame. It extends beyond...
Can you answer the question Why do you care?
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I had a conversation with a friend a while back about photography and at one point, relating to photo editing, I asked him, Why do you care what someo...
This isn’t personal. It’s just business
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When I was younger, I worked for a high-tech startup that had to lay most of the company off in order to survive. They didn't do anything but prolong ...
A mile in someone else’s shoes
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes when we look at a photograph, we just don't get it. We move on and don't give it another thought. However, assuming the photographer was att...
Questions to ask yourself and others about photographs
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a follow-up to last week's podcast on the value of interviewing others and yourself about photography, this week we talk about some possible subjec...
The power of the photographic interview
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of my favorite exercises I use to teach photography and learn about my own work is called the interview project. This process involves you doing e...
The value of small changes you can make even in a year of crazy to boost your photography enjoyment
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes it is the little things that can make all the difference. In a photograph, it might be a shift in POV or depth of frame. In our printing, it...
How do you define photography and the impact of non-photographer based photography
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I often think of photography as an active verb. It is something that we do, see, and respond. There is, however, a whole set of photography that is c...
Don’t blame the viewer, except……
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes I hear someone say something and it gets me thinking about my approach to my photography. I recently overheard someone say don't shoot the m...
Lessons learned from software release notes in my photography
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast dives into how to think about your photography and ideas to approach your editing using some of the concepts and sections you find...
How do you define a photograph?
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast dives into how we define a photograph and photography. For me there are three key aspects of a photograph. They are time-bound, i...
Creativity exercises and new workshop announcements
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast introduces my two new long-format workshops and also an exercise, called 10x10, which will help you better understand your approac...