Energy and Photography by John Wimberley

It's a special treat to have John Wimberley join the family of Visionary Photographers. John is a photographic purist in the finest tradition of the art. His dedication to technical excellence and the spiritualism that guides his imagery results in black and white works of art with a vibrancy, clarity and insightfulness that moves the soul.

John makes his home in Ashland, Oregon and remains a very active photographer with personal photography projects, numerous exhibits, a new book (Evidence of Magic) and an on-going series of "Sight and Insight" fine-art workshops. Let John's words, wisdom and stunning imagery renew your photographic passion.

Cathedral Gorge 1984 by John Wimberley

Among the visual arts, photography is unique in that each picture is usually conceived and executed within a few seconds. Unlike painting or drawing where an image is constructed over time, a photograph has all of its elements perceived and integrated virtually simultaneously. Even with all the image modification options of digital photography, the click of the shutter fixes for all time the essential characteristics of the photograph.

The integration of visual elements into a meaningful picture requires energy. Thus, the artist in photography needs to have clear access instantly - in the moment - to all the perceptual energy a painter might expend on a work over days or weeks. If sufficient energy is lacking, the resulting photograph is very unlikely to attain the level of visual organization that carries it beyond the sum of its parts. In other words, the picture won't achieve its full potential as a work of art.

Descending Angel by John Wimberley

Energy is the indisputable basis of life and awareness; and each person's degree of aliveness and awareness is intimately related to the amount of energy that he or she possesses. In addition, the person who has more energy, who is supremely alive and "turned on", perceives a world that possesses greater coherence and structure, offers an increased number of options and, most importantly, manifests deeper insight and meaning. The deeper and wider the photographer's awareness, the potentially richer the work of art. Awareness is energy.

When working, the photographer chooses a subject, conceives a picture, and then gives the conception form as a print, transparency or digital file.

Mesquite Flat #48 by John Wimberley

The primary external sense involved is, of course, seeing. Internally, making a picture is far more complex. In the ideal situation, intuition ascertains what to photograph, feeling selects a rendition of the subject and intellect chooses the technical procedures. In addition, conscious dreaming may be employed in the form of previsualization of the final image. Memories of previously seen photographs may come to the photographer's aid to help guide the process. Every aspect of this process, internally and externally, requires energy.

The lightning-like burst of perceptual and conceptual energy that lifts a photograph above mere recording has its source not only in the photographer himself, but in the universe at large. If the photographer alone had to supply this energy, within a few exposures he would be exhausted. Because of this, the true art of photography has much less to do with mechanical or aesthetic technique, luck or equipment than is commonly supposed. Instead, it lies in cultivating the ability to spontaneously channel enormous amounts of energy through oneself into each photograph as it is composed and exposed.

Racetrack Valley 1981 by John Wimberley

Wreck of the Ranga by John Wimberley

For the past 43 years I've examined the relationship between photographic creativity and energy while exposing more than 40,000 large format negatives. In addition, I've studied such fields as Jungian Psychology, been an Iyengar Yoga teacher, and had a professional practice as a psychic counselor. I believe that the ability to open oneself to the transpersonal energy necessary to create memorable and moving works of photographic art is available to anyone who is willing to invest the necessary time, effort and trust. My Sight & Insight workshops present a distillation of the most essential and reliable techniques that I’ve learned.

by John Wimberley, 2009

Visonary David Saffir Publishes New Book

Looking for that unique gift for the photo fanatic in your life? Then Visionary Photographer David Saffir's newest visual stunner -- "The Joy of Discovery" -- should be at the top of your list. This "celebration of my journey in photography" vividly illustrates David's keen eye for capturing the photographic art that's hidden within every location. Finding those image "treasures" may be well planned and require extreme measures, like being on location at 4 a.m. to catch a moonlit scene at a cliff's edge, or it may be the happy coincidence of timing.


For any photographer who believes that travel to exotic locations is a fundamental requirement of successful photography, you need only browse David's images to realize that beauty is found everywhere. It's the exercising of imagination, craft and style that should be your focus.

Some of David's images may look familiar, but they all have his special touch that make them uniquely Saffir images. His mastery of lines, tone and mood is evident in this book's broad range of subjects and is a delight to any viewer's eyes.

Be sure to include David's "The Joy of Discovery" on your photo bookshelf. Visit his website to see several preview pages and for ordering details.

White Balance, Optimum Color and Workflow by Rob Sheppard

Outdoor and landscape photography require exceptional photographic skills, the eye of an artist and the patience of a saint. These are the hallmark traits of our latest Visionary Photographer, Rob Sheppard. We are honored to have Rob join the community of Visionary Photographers as his creative work has become legend and his gift as an educator an inspiration to the next generation of outdoor photographers.

Rob Sheppard is the author/photographer of over 25 books, a well-known speaker and workshop leader, and is editor-at-large and columnist for the prestigious Outdoor Photographer magazine. As author/photographer, Sheppard has written hundreds of articles about photography and nature, plus books ranging from guides to photography such as The Magic of Digital Nature Photography and the Kodak Guide to Digital Photography to books about Photoshop and Lightroom including Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 for Digital Photographers Only and The New Epson Complete Guide to Digital Printing.

Please visit Rob's website and his blog.

In this first contribution to Visionary Photographers, Rob addresses that most elusive and confusing of subjects, White Balance. Rob's views on Automatic White Balance can play an important role in your own nature and outdoor photography.


White balance is a new technology for most photographers. It was not part of film work. It is, however, a very important part of the craft of the digital photographer.

White balance comes from the video field. I worked in video through the 1980s and 1990s. A standard part of our working procedure was to set white balance for every set up, meaning every change in the light. There was no such thing as auto white balance. You had to literally balance your camera’s electronics to make the light neutral by using a white sheet of paper.

Yet this was a tremendous help over shooting film. You no longer had to use special filters or worry about bad color on your subject. I remember the pain of doing photo shoots for businesses then. For example, I did work for a client who had a manufacturing facility. The lighting conditions were all over the place. I used a special color-temperature meter and color correction gels – they mostly worked, but had to be changed for every shot. Plus they colored and darkened the view through the viewfinder. All in all, a big nuisance. But with video and white balance, you could get great color with almost any light, do it quickly and get excellent color (lights that do not have a complete spectrum, such as sodium vapor lights, still cannot be white balanced because there are not enough colors in the light to do it).

Now white balance is a key part of digital cameras and a tremendous benefit to all photographers. It is well worth learning and understanding as a new part of the craft of photography. Yet, in my classes at BetterPhoto.com and my workshops across the country, I find that white balance is still not well understood. Most photographers are using auto white balance, and while it can work, often it is giving them less than the best color or workflow in the computer. I can frequently recognize that a photo was shot with auto white balance before I even see the metadata. This is because auto white balance often gives a compromise for colors, and while convenient, it either makes more work in post processing or you are stuck with less than optimum color.

First, let’s look at why auto white balance, or AWB, can be a problem:

• AWB is an automated compromise, and as such, rarely matches real-world conditions. It is an automated process based on engineers in Japan trying to cope with a huge variety of scenes taken by people from all over the world, scenes those engineers will never see.
• AWB is inconsistent. It is common to shoot a subject with a zoom at the wide setting and then with the telephoto setting and get two different white balances in the resulting photos. That may be fine for snapshots, but for really good color work, AWB rarely gives fully accurate or consistent color.
• Outdoor AWB shows a consistent compromise in color, usually from blue contamination of all colors. This causes a problem in the computer because photographers will often adjust the image based on what is seen on the monitor (compromised color) rather than what was accurate or appropriate for the scene. All adjustments are then biased based on what you see in that AWB.
• AWB typically makes outdoor photos have colors with less saturation because of the blue contamination in the colors and a blue cast to neutral tones. This is what is so common that I recognize it and bet on it even before seeing the metadata.
• AWB typically takes some of the drama out of sunrise and sunset because it doesn’t “know” that such conditions are supposed to have a color cast to the light.

©2009,Rob Sheppard
AWB setting


©2009,Rob Sheppard
Sun setting


©2009,Rob Sheppard
Cloudy setting

These three photos show the power of setting white balance. This is a sunset scene in the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge in Florida, a northern part of the Everglades ecosystem. It was shot with AWB, Sun and Cloudy settings. The AWB shot is the least sunset like. Some of the color has been removed.

The Sun setting gives the sunset a very natural and believable appearance. Cloudy intensifies the warmth of the sunset colors. I believe there is no arbitrarily correct setting for this shot as we all see sunsets differently – color is not an absolute but is highly interpreted by our minds in reference to other colors nearby, our expectations for a scene, memory colors of certain subjects, and more.

Many people expect sunsets to look like the one in the Cloudy scene because it is a lot like images shot with Kodachrome and Velvia slide film, the most common films used for nature in the past. Paul Simon didn’t write his song Kodachrome because it gave real colors! The point of these three images is to show how much color is affected by your choice of white balance and how poorly AWB can do.

It is easy to forget that when you are adjusting in front of a monitor, the only reference you have is what is in front of you, i.e., the AWB scene. You are not adjusting to a "standard reference", but to a subjective visual reference based on how your eyes see the image -- this has nothing to do with calibration of the monitor but about "calibrating" your internal sense of color. So just because you calibrated your monitor does not mean you will get accurate color. Calibration doesn’t “care” if your colors are originally accurate or not – it only wants to ensure your colors display “accurately” based on what is actually recorded in the photo, which could be the “accurate” display of an inaccurately captured color.

Calibrating a monitor is very important, but has little to do with white balance. You can have a perfectly calibrated poor white balance or a perfectly calibrated great white balance and your monitor and calibration won't care. Calibration gives you a consistent, predictable work environment, which is important.

It is possible to adjust an image visually to a better white balance even with AWB by always using a standard image with good clean color as a visual reference. Put it on your screen, study it, then go back and forth to the photo you are working with. You will then start to see color issues better, but this sort of thing is a nuisance for most photographers.

In my experience with a lot of camera brands, the preset, preloaded white balance settings of a camera consistently do a better job in matching real world scenes when they are set to match the conditions they represent. This would be using a Sun white balance setting for sunny conditions, Shade for shade, Tungsten for indoor lights and so forth.

©2009,Rob Sheppard
AWB setting

In the picture above, we see a shot of a waterfall with a wealth of neutral tones. I would never shoot such a scene with AWB as it will almost always make the neutral water look bluish. That just never looks right to me and weakens the shot. Shooting with Shade or Cloudy white balance will help remove the blue color by more accurately balancing the camera’s response to the light with the actual color of the light. I have sometimes found this type of shot to be a challenge even for these settings because of all the green light from the trees and nearby foliage. In that case, I have found that setting a custom white balance can clean up the colors quite nicely.

Many photographers experiment a bit and choose a white balance setting that actually warms up the scene because this is how we always used to shoot with film – warming filters were often recommended. In addition, Fuji, Kodak and Agfa films all had warm biases. Whether this is "accurate" or not is less relevant than this is what people expect in photographs. Research has shown that people prefer photos with a slight warmth to them.

©2009,Rob Sheppard
Cloudy setting

This is a photograph of Otter Cliffs in Acadia National Park at sunrise. It has a nice warm color to it. AWB will usually destroy such lovely colors. As a nature photographer, I feel the color cast of the scene is important because it is bathed by a very colored light right at sunrise. This was shot with a Cloudy setting to ensure that this color was captured by the camera.

©2009,Rob Sheppard
Shade setting

Shown above is an image of a child being carried by his mother in Peru, with traditional blanket wrapping technique. It is important that the skin tones are clean and accurate. This type of shot, where the skin is in the shade, will frequently be captured by AWB with a blue cast. That means work correcting that color as skin tone with blue in it is not very appealing. Shooting with a Shade white balance can ensure better skin color in this sort of situation.

©2009,Rob Sheppard
Cloudy setting

One reason why cloudy day shots often look unappealing is because they look gray with a slight blue cast, they look dingy and lack color. That slight blue cast can really take away saturation from colors, yet it is so common with AWB. I can’t imagine shooting an image like the street scene with anything other than Cloudy white balance or a custom white balance. Changing the camera for specific conditions is no harder than adjusting a shutter speed or f-stop once you acquire the habit, and the results can be definitely worth that slight extra effort.

Frequently, I hear, “but I shoot with RAW, therefore I can change my white balance.” That is true, you can change the white balance, but not the word “change” – that implies more choices and an increased workflow, not necessarily a good thing.

When you set a specific white balance, that white balance is interpreted by your RAW program when you open the RAW image into it. The program also interprets and gives a specific white balance based on the white balance "set" by AWB. The problem with the latter is inconsistency, less optimum colors to start with, and an added step in workflow.

I rarely change my white balance in RAW because I set it at the camera. I therefore rarely have that step or decision to make in the computer, or even to worry about. And there must be a decision with white balance. What is the correct white balance? If you have several variations due to AWB, which do you choose?

Some photographers will shoot a gray card and use the white-balance eyedropper on it to neutralize color casts. This works (and works well) if you are shooting in a studio and have totally controlled light from flash or quartz lights. When you are outside, this does not work since the color of real-world light is far more complex than that.

For example, at dawn and dusk, we expect to have a color cast to the light. At midday, we don't, but if a photo is "purely" adjusted to a neutral gray, it visually often looks blue to the average person. In addition, if you have several photos of a person shot with different focal lengths, you will very often get different skin color with AWB. Which is the correct color? Now you have that decision to deal with and an added workflow.

Custom white balance, where you set white balance by actually using a white or gray card, can be an acceptable way of getting good and consistent color for a scene. For people who like to totally control their entire photo process, this may be the best way for them to work. When I was in video production, as I noted, there was no such thing as AWB or preset white balance. We white balanced every scene, every subject by putting a white card into the scene and using the camera's electronics to balance the light out to make that card neutral. You can do the same thing with a white or gray card and custom white balance in your camera.

Unfortunately, camera manufacturers do not have a standard way of setting custom white balance. While the principle is the same (make something white or gray neutral) from camera to camera, the specifics are different, so I can’t tell you exactly how to do this. You must check your manual. Once you have done a custom white balance, you can keep the camera set to that as you continue to photograph in that same light. When the light changes, you need to perform another white balance.

This is a critical issue to me and to much of my work. When I was editor of Outdoor Photographer and PCPhoto magazines, I used to spend a lot of time with the art directors looking at proofs of pages to see where photos were on or off color.

Now when I submit images to publications and for books, I don’t want the folks there to have to do much work (publication folk tend to be overworked these days). And I want them to know that if there is a color cast in the image, it belongs there. I find that it is impossible to have this degree of control over the image if I shoot AWB, plus it always makes more work for me in the computer.

Bottomline: Don't rely on automatic white balance. Explore other built-in setting and custom setting options to optimize white balance for "the look and feel" of your scene -- in the camera.

- Rob Sheppard

The Importance of Destination Photography - by Mark Alberhasky

©Mark Alberhasky

Professional photography includes dozens of significant and unique categories. Each type of photography has given rise to its own community of Visionaries. Travel and Destination photography is no exception. High on the list of Destination Photography luminaries is my friend Mark Alberhasky. You have heard from Mark in a previous Visionary article, but here, in his own words, are the reasons for his personal passion for Destination Photography.

Author, inventor, physician and photographer with over 45 years experience behind the camera, Mark's perspective on the world is somewhat unique. In 2004, he became a contributing photographer for Nikon, was featured in Nikon World Magazine and regularly shoots for Nikon advertising. His work has received international awards and appears in placements as diverse as commercial ads, medical journals, sports magazines, and corporate installations.

His unique eye and love for travel combine to produce stunning images, with the four corners of the map as backgrounds for his inspiration. Mark's website and photo blog are "must visit" Internet locations for lovers of the photographic art.

©Mark Alberhasky

Having returned from my first trip to Africa (Kenya), I am basking in the afterglow of the adventure. It was a rewarding experience on multiple levels, and post-processing for this shoot goes well beyond the mere "digestion" of the 10,000+ images that were made. As the dust settles and memories sort themselves out, the significance of the journey has clearly become something much greater to me than merely the images produced.

One of the satisfying endpoints for my travels is sharing the experience, so a slideshow for family last week was standard procedure. My nephew and his ten year old friend were in attendance (at the request of a parent, "to get exposed to some culture"), and when a Kenyan town image of a muddy street with a young Kenyan boy in weathered sandals came up on the screen, his response was priceless. "You went THERE for three weeks ON A VACATION?" All the adults got a good chuckle from his insight, but it does provoke consideration as to why destination photography is important for photographers at almost any level.

Why should a photographer go halfway around the world on a trip?

I think there are lots of important reasons...

Go to "see the world", but as important, go to "experience" the world.

You'll come home and appreciate what you are lucky to have, and you'll gain a new appreciation for what others have, and don't have.

Going through the motions of planning and executing an international trip will challenge you, and challenges are good. Every time a photographer writes to me and asks, "How do I get to the next level?", my response in one form or another is, "Find a new challenge and don't back away until you've achieved your goal."

International travel, much more than domestic travel, forces you to deal with a dozen new, unique aspects of life, every day. Things as simple as choosing your next meal become a reality that demands your attention. Along the way you learn that you can survive without Starbuck's or Best Buy, and that the richness of the cultural experience is memorable, even when not all goes according to plan.

As a matter of fact, learning to deal with EVERYTHING when it doesn't go according to plan is a big part of why you need to go.

Ever wonder what it is that separates the professional photographer from the talented amateur? Does the amateur make images of professional quality? Absolutely. But statistically, the professional is more likely to succeed with a given subject. Why?

• Better equipment? Yes and no. Plenty of amateurs have equipment equal to (or better than) a given professional.
• Better access? Yes and no. Anyone with a camera and the right attitude can get to where amazing shots can be made.
• It's their hands-on experience. Professionals do many of the same things the amateur does, but they do them over and over and over, UNTIL they see what works and what doesn't. They do so much of everything that it becomes instinct, not a choice or a decision they have to make consciously each time.

I'd have thought that having been a photographer for 45+ years, I knew an awful lot about technique. I understand ISO and shutter speed and aperture. But there is a difference between understanding these principles and managing them in the field, on the fly, so that the result is not only intentional, but exceptional.

I know that you need a faster shutter speed to freeze action, but until I shot birds, for days on end, at rest and in flight, I didn't have the specific shutter speed number in my head that was going to ensure razor sharp images worthy of species you travel 3,000 miles to see. I know that as you choose a faster shutter speed, all things being equal, you have to increase the ISO to compensate. But I didn't have the ISO range in my head for the cameras I was using that would guarantee exceptional file quality.

Chew on this.

Each day, I'd shoot anywhere between 500 and 1000 images, download and sort them, and make selects based on content and quality. I'd see potentially great shots fail, because although I'd recognized the creative moment, I hadn't understood the parameters of the scene I was shooting well enough to make informed choices.

I might make that mistake during the morning shoot, but you can be sure that as I went out that afternoon, I was smarter than 3 hours earlier, better prepared to pull content, technology, and opportunity together. By the end of the trip, I could feel a difference in how I was shooting. Instead of thinking, "This ISO should probably work...", I was playing the camera more like a musician, and the images became a performance that I savored at each download.

©Mark Alberhasky

Most of us will never match the experience of a professional who has been shooting year in and year out as a career. But, I can assure you that taking a week, or even better, two weeks (or more depending on the level of your photo addiction), and traveling to an international destination JUST TO PHOTOGRAPH, can be a talent changing milestone in your photographic timeline.

What stands between you and exceptional images may just be "experience", and there is only one way to put that in your camera bag.

Find a destination and begin your journey as soon as you can.

Hub's Visionary Photographers' Table of Contents

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The Joy of Discovery by David Saffir

David Saffir is possibly one of the most open and approachable people I know. His willingness to help aspiring photographers is inspirational. I have had the pleasure of working along side David at several seminars, workshops and trade show events over the years, and he never fails to draw and excite an admiring audience. David's also a little nuts. He once led me down a steep embankment that would have challenged a veteran mountain goat, just to get the right angle for his "stream at sunset" picture in Zion Park. On top of all of this, he's not a bad photographer either. In fact, David is truly a Visionary Photographer. Aside from spending time at his craft, he can be found around the country conducting seminars that have become "must attends". Click here to see David's hectic seminar schedule. Visionary Photographers is proud to introduce you to the thoughts and images of David Saffir.

"David Saffir is an internationally recognized, award winning portrait, commercial, and fine art photographer and printmaker. He lives near Los Angeles, in Santa Clarita, California. He is past President of the Santa Clarita Valley Professional Photographers Association. He is the author of the book Mastering Digital Color: A Photographer's and Artist's Guide to Controlling Color, published by Thomson."


Discovering new things is one of my primary joys in life. I felt this way even as a toddler (long ago, but still remembered!). It is also one of the key elements that drive my personal photography.

We all know that the camera can show us things that we might not, or cannot see with our unaided eyes. Some of the obvious things are stopping motion, macro/close-up photography, and astronomy. The camera can also preserve a moment or a gesture that is fleeting and perishable – a feeling that perhaps lasts a minute or two, and is gone. The camera can also gather light over time, and reveal things in the shadows that we might never see otherwise.

During the past year I must have driven up and down Highland Ave (here in LA) about 50 times – on my way to a camera store I like in that part of town. And when I go down that way, I usually have to park the car unattended, so I leave the big camera at home, and take my peanut point-and-shoot with me. Image quality, at 8mp, is just good enough for an 8x10, if the planets line up and I hold the camera steady.

Waiting at a traffic signal, I noticed this man sitting on a bench at a bus stop. The combination of his posture, the ad on the bench, and the surroundings make for an image that tells a story – perhaps many stories. A few seconds after I shot the photo the signal changed, and I drove on.

The little camera I used is all beat up, the screen is cracked, it's scratched, it's been rained on and stepped on – and some of my most memorable candid shots still come from using it. The old cliché “f/8 and be there” still applies.

In a completely different situation, I had an opportunity to go to Horseshoe Bend, which is on the Colorado River. I had seen many photographs of this place, all taken in daylight. I wondered what it would look like under the moon.

So around 4 in the morning I went across the flatland with some friends, and came to this unbelievable precipice at the edge of Horseshoe Bend. The nearly full moon, which was on its way to setting, cast some light, but there was not enough to illuminate the entire scene.

Long story short, I set up the camera on a tripod and in a great example of the triumph of hope over practicality, I began shooting some frames of the scene. Using a wide-angle lens, I really couldn’t see much through the viewfinder. I set focus at infinity, guessed at the exposure, and took several frames ranging from a few seconds exposure to almost a minute. I didn’t really expect a good result.

I was just amazed when we got back to our motel, and I had a chance to see these on my laptop. Around frame three, the entire scene came to life in a blue glow. Every detail could be seen, from small boats on the river, to campers’ tents, to a line of clouds on the horizon. Whenever I show this image to a friend or colleague, they start looking deep into the image – the strong blues, and the other subtle colors in the scene are quite unusual.

In both cases, I didn’t pre-plan all that much. As often happens, I was looking for that new angle, time of day, or story that’s maybe gone unnoticed until now. And if I can capture it with my camera, and it speaks to me or someone else – well, that makes my day.

- David Saffir's website

Becoming A Hub "Rising Star of Photography"

Thanks to all of the visitors to Visionary Photographers for making this blog a "must see" location on the internet for photographic inspiration. It has become apparent from the comments that many aspiring photographers are at the point in their young careers of making the "jump" to full time photography. Recognizing the passion that drives these emerging photographers and the uncertainty that accompanies starting a new vocation during these troubling financial times, Hub's family of photo blogs is in the process of launching a new, non-commercial blog project to support and promote the art and talents of these courageous photographers.

Hub's Rising Stars of Photography project will launch in November to showcase and freely market the talents of emerging photographic artists. As a companion site to Hub's Visionary Photographers, this unique project serves as a central source for viewing the art of tomorrow's photographic luminaries. Designed to provide a showcase and stage for aspiring photographers whose work is destined to blaze new trails in creative photography, Rising Stars is dedicated to fostering the art form and nurturing the enthusiasm inside tomorrow's Visionary Photographers.

Visitors to the Rising Stars site -- from lovers of photography to photographic agents, from students to potential employers -- will experience the visions and youthful wisdom of artists who are pushing the boundaries of photography to make their voices heard in the photographic conversation.

Applications for Rising Stars of Photography consideration are now being accepted. Each applicant's form, photographic samples and references are evaluated for entry into this prestigious family of future photography luminaries.

To apply for entry into Rising Stars send an email to hub@hubbardcamera.com. You will be sent an overview of the project, a site address to preview the template being used to feature your creative talents and a formal application. There are no fees required at any time from anyone. No ads. No pop ups. No manufacturer endorsements. No cuts by the site owner. No rights to your valuable images is requested or being sought No kidding.

Being Satisfied by Joseph Cartright

I've had the pleasure of getting to know and appreciate Joseph Cartright and his ground breaking digital images for the past three years. Joseph is not only a gifted photographer but a much sought after educator in all things digital. I am proud to present Joseph to the followers of Visionary Photographers. I encourage you to visit his radically re-designed website for some mind-blowing and, of course, visionary commercial images that are setting new industry standards.

Joseph Cartright is an acclaimed New York City-based photographer specializing in Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle Photography. Joseph has been at the forefront of digital photography since its inception in the late 80s. His artistic background and technical education provided the much needed expertise to “Go Digital”.

©Joseph Cartright

The creative process is a funny companion.

For me the creative process is also frustrating! It’s a tug of war between my day’s perspective, emotions, and life’s relentless disturbance. I would imagine, like most photographers, once a creative idea seeds itself the world takes a backseat, much to the disappointment of my immediate life, and not to mention the person I was speaking with at the time. Such was the concept for the image above.

I was chatting with a client on the production for our upcoming shoot when I zoned out. I knew I had zoned out because the client, who luckily happened to be a friend as well, looked at me like I occasionally look at my two year old – with total disbelief and amusement. Apparently, I was making facial expressions that really did relate to what we were discussing, while he was talking directly to me. He was amused and I was frustrated – all I wanted to do at that moment was figure out how to make the idea take shape.

©Joseph Cartright

Truth be told, it took a long time to get here from there. The idea was sparked from passing by one of those infinite repeat mirrors – a two-way mirror boxed in with a regular mirror. The idea was an opportunity to flesh out another ball that was bouncing around in my head – flower petals. The two-way mirror created an infinite repeat receding pattern which was not what I was envisioning - what I wanted was a flowering pattern on the same plane – so that the image sprawled instead of crawled. So, I had some work to do.

I tried various techniques and set designs. There were obstacles to consider, deal with and design around. Eventually this idea and the images it created joined the league of series that people generally liked but I didn’t. Not because the images were bad but because they were not great and not what I wanted to create.

©Joseph Cartright

It took several failed attempts, and many disappointing results before I felt proverbial “love”. Throughout the process I learned many important lessons both personally and technically. It’s my – “dude, you don’t know jack” project. And, it's still evolving and taking me along for the ride.

©Joseph Cartright

For me, satisfaction in my photography is a fleeting sensation that invariably sparks my next visual journey.

-- Joseph Cartright

Unknown Heroes - by Phil Borges

The power of photography to emotionally move and focus society's attention is clearly evident in the work and art of Phil Borges. Phil's latest photographic achievement is now a milestone publication, Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World. It is a testament to this Visionary's sensitivity and craftsmanship as well as visual evidence of the slow and often painful emergence of women's rights in developing cultures. We are proud to share Phil's telling images, his personal thoughts and his heroes in this article.

For Phil's complete bio, be sure to click here. Better yet, you should meet Phil, experience his passion and see his work in person. Click here for Phil's complete calendar of lectures, exhibits and workshops.


For more than 30 years, I have lived with and documented indigenous and tribal cultures around the world. When I first enter a remote village, I’m usually greeted by the children. My photographic equipment gives me the perfect opportunity to interact without having to use words.

Phil on location in Ethiopia
© Jason Sangster

Typically the young boys are the bold ones, wanting to help or hamming it up for the camera. The girls, with few exceptions, are more hesitant and remain at the edge of the group. Over the years I came to accept this difference as normal. I thought this was an inherent quality of “girl-ness” and “boy-ness”, because it was prevalent in so many cultures.

Then I began to realize that these differences are learned as part of a pattern of discrimination against women and girls. While the women’s movement in the West has made great progress, I continue to be shocked by how women’s rights are compromised in the developing world. It occurs in every arena: education, division of household labor, political representation, access to credit, available health care . . . the list goes on.

As an example, in most of the rural communities I visit, girls are responsible for collecting firewood and water – tasks that can take several hours a day. They also help their mothers with the washing, cooking, farming and child care. One reason given for sending boys to school and not girls is that their domestic work is critical to the family’s survival and their time cannot be spared for education.

So, while most women serve as the primary caretakers in the family, they have no chance to learn even basic skills, like reading or math, that would allow them to carry out their roles more effectively. It is common for women to have little or no say in community decisions and to have marginal access to land or other assets.

In 2004, I began documenting CARE’s humanitarian work. The cornerstone of their program to eliminate global poverty is empowering women and girls. After a year and a half visiting dozens of CARE projects and meeting hundreds of participants and staff around the world, I, too, came to believe that the most efficient way to alleviate poverty and reduce population pressures in the developing world is to empower women and girls through education, economic opportunities and open discussions about rights.

I witnessed what’s possible when a woman no longer struggles each day to survive in the face of hunger and disease. I have seen the spark ignite when a woman realizes that she can create lasting change for herself, her children, and her community. When women are free to make the most of their skills and ideas, they create a rising tide that lifts all boats.

Here are a few of the extraordinary women I have met who have broken through a cycle of repression or cultural tradition that limit the well-being of their communities - women heroes, remote and unknown, on the vanguard of a global shift toward gender equality.

Fahima, 39 in Kabul, Afganistan
© Phil Borges
Canon EOS-1DS, 24mm, F/2.5 @ 1/125, ISO 200

Fahima, a teacher since 1985, was one of thousands of professional women who lost their jobs when the Taliban came to power in 1996. In defiance of the Taliban and at great risk to herself, Fahima opened a clandestine school for young girls. At one point, 130 girls were coming to her home each week to study math, science, and the local language, Pushto. When the girls were asked why they were going to Fahima’s house, they said she was their aunt. Although harassed by the religious police and threatened with beatings and worse, Fahima continued operating her school for girls until the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Abay, 29 in Awash Fontale, Ethiopia
© Phil Borges
Hasselblad 503CW, 80mm, F/11 @ 1/125, Tri-X film rated at 200 ISO

Abay was born into a culture in which girls are circumcised before age 12. When it came time for her circumcision ceremony, Abay said, “No.” Her mother insisted: An uncircumcised woman would be ostracized and could never marry, Abay was told. When her mother’s demands became unbearable, she ran away to live with a sympathetic godfather. Eight years later, Abay returned to her village and began work as a station agent for CARE, supervising the opening of a primary school and a health clinic and the construction of a well. After five years, she finally convinced one of the women to let her film a circumcision ceremony. She showed the film to the male leaders. They had never seen a female circumcision and were horrified. Two weeks later, the male leaders called a special meeting and voted fifteen to two to end female circumcision in their village.

Ahki, 32 in Tangail, Bangladesh
© Phil Borges
Canon EOS-1DS, 24mm, F/2 @ 1/1250, ISO 250

At age 13, before she had even begun menstruating, Akhi was sold into a brothel by her aunt. After working for several years, she became highly depressed and attempted suicide. Her failed attempt brought about an epiphany: Her life could be used to improve the lot of her fellow sex workers. Akhi accomplished the near-impossible task of gaining support from religious, political, and social groups to create an organization to advocate for sex workers’ rights.

Despite being arrested three times, she prevailed and, in 1998, formed the “Nani Mukti Sangha” organization. Since the group commenced, condom use in the brothel has increased from near zero to eighty-six percent, and the number of 12- to 13-year-olds recruited into the brothels has decreased. Today, she continues to fight tenaciously for sex workers’ rights, and is said to have such a forceful personality that even the police are afraid of her.

-- Phil Borges

In Search of Greener Grass by Mark Alberhasky

Mark Alberhasky is not only a Visionary Photographer, but also holds the singular distinction of being our only physician. (Every distinguished group should have its own doctor.) Photographer, author, inventor, and physician, Mark’s passion for all things photographic leads him down uncharted paths all over the globe. Mark is a Nikon mentor for the Mentor Series Worldwide Treks. His award winning photography is distinctive for its graphical strength and bold use of color. By all means, tour Mark's website and experience his eye. And whenever you have a chance to attend a seminar conducted by Mark, sign up. Our thanks to Mark for sharing his unique perspectives and art on Visionary Photographers.


We all know the quote so I won't even waste the space.

I'm also pretty confident that we've all been guilty of searching for something better than what is at hand. From a photographer's perspective, the attraction of greener grass can be especially alluring. "If only I had that 22 megapixel body. My images would really rock."

OK. Reality check. You can make images that rock with a 4 megapixel camera.

Yes, it's true that higher end equipment can make getting great images easier, but the serious hardware for making images is between your ears. (Well sort of, I mean having done lots of autopsies I can tell you that the cerebral hemispheres are closer to soft, but you get the idea).

We usually don't think about the "grass is greener" quote in reference to taking photographs in the field. At least most people don't. Vincent Versace did in his book Welcome to OZ.

"The grass is greener on the other side because it's backlit."

Spoken like a true photographer.

But the idea that a better subject or better lighting may be just down the road is a temptation with a wicked propensity to warp the space time continuum. If you're anything like me it goes like this...

You're driving down the road in photo mode, suddenly intrigued by what appears to be unfolding around you. The light starts to get magical so you begin looking in earnest for a subject worthy of the fleeting moment. Your inability to find the necessary subject manifests itself as increased pressure on the accelerator. "Surely within the next mile I'll find that break in the trees and get the unobstructed view". There is a Nature's Best award winning shot out there! You spend the next 10 minutes in hot pursuit of the unknown, and then realize, "Damn, the light is gone."

It's not always a 10 minute fling down the road. Sometimes the feeling builds for hours, because you know you are in an area of real wonder and you do have some time to invest in finding just the right place to capitalize on good light. But the end result can be the same. You waste so much time looking that you're not making images. Don't get me wrong, it IS worth the time to find the best possible combination of subject and light. But don't fall prey to the search in and of itself. At some point it is important to realize what good photography is all about. A good photographer can look at a scene or subject and because of his experience and expertise, craft a powerful vision from what is at hand. Under conditions that may not be ideal. Even with equipment that may not be optimal for the situation. Anyone can take a great photo when everything falls into their lap. Good photographers "take the lemons and make lemonade".

Recently I had the pleasant fortune of visiting Oregon to teach at a photo event. At the conclusion I made arrangements to stay in the area and explore. One day was spent visiting Crater Lake National Park. I couldn't get there until about 2:00 in the afternoon. Realizing the best light was hours away, I decided to take in the scenery at a leisurely pace and find where I really wanted to be late in the day. It takes quite a while to drive around the rim of the crater and vantage points with good views are scattered, separated by a lot of hillside blocking everything. I was getting a little antsy as the sun began dropping toward the western horizon. Just as the angle of light cast serious shadow into the crater I found my spot and made a satisfying panorama.

Moments later the crater was in shade and over for the day. But there was still a good hour before sundown, and lots of western view with forested landscape that could yield compelling vista. I just needed to get in the car and find it. That's when I heard the siren's call.

"You'll have a better view around the bend, hurry up."

Before I knew it I was a third of the way back around the crater getting into a bad angle for anything productive. Fortunately, I calmed down and decided to head back to where I'd come from, park, and walk around where there was at least some vista to see.

As I was standing there waiting for the sun to drop low enough to backlight clouds, and bring out the good colors, I realized the sun was in my eyes, bothering me. So I stepped into the shadow of the single tall tree in my field of view, and thought, "Hmmm. That's kind of interesting." Since I had my tripod and wasn't rushed I decided to play with HDR (high dynamic range) technique and shoot multiple exposures to deal with the harsh lighting conditions caused by the sun still somewhat high in the sky.

As time was passing I noticed the cloud coverage building and thought backlighting might not be too far off. I happened to shoot another quick HDR sequence with the sun still near the edge of the clouds.

Two minutes later it was completely behind the clouds and everything went flat. I had hopes that as the sun reached the "cloud crack" near the horizon there might be at least one more image. I tried this with a longer lens just before the globe of the sun actually dropped into the narrow space of cloudless sky and became uselessly bright. A totally different feel.

So now the show is pretty much over, and I'm thinking about the 2 hour drive back to my hotel and dinner at 9:30 because I stayed for the end. As I turned to head toward the car, I see the moon over a tall tree silhouetted against the dimming sky. Who knows how many miles away, an airliner was rising into the night, leaving amazing rust colored contrails in a perfect diagonal right across the moon. The camera was still on the tripod. Now that's my idea of a photo finish!

Be critical. Take a judicious amount of time to find and plan your images. But don't become a victim of looking for "greener grass" when there might be great shots right where you are.

I'm reminded of a line I heard from Bob Krist, "Never leave good light, looking for better light."

Spoken like a wise photographer.

-- Mark Alberhasky

The Irrepressible Black and White Image by Jon Canfield

Jon Canfield, a true Visionary and friend in photography, took precious time away from two book projects to provide this compelling article on the importance and eloquence of black and white photography.

Jon Canfield is a photographer and writer with a love of nature, macro, and landscape subjects. Jon is a frequent contributor to PC Photo, Outdoor Photographer, Digital Photo Pro, and Shutterbug magazines where he writes on a variety of subjects, particularly in the digital output area.

A popular instructor with NANPA and the Lepp Institute, Jon is also the author of several books on digital imaging, including the best selling RAW 101, and The Digital SLR Guide. Prior to moving full time into photography, Jon worked at Microsoft on digital photography projects. Jon’s clients include Pantone, Canon, HP, Microsoft and Inkpress, among others.

I find it interesting, and in some ways amusing, that black & white photography has become more popular than ever. With so much of the world focused on bright (often artificially bright) color to grab your eye, black & white imagery has a simpleness about it that is refreshing. What I find amusing is that many of today’s fans of this medium have never shot film and seem to view it as a new discovery of sorts.

For me, black & white has a special place because of the way everything is reduced to its essentials. Reducing a scene to shades of gray allows you to focus on textures and shapes and the way light interacts with shadow. A quality monochrome image needs to be stronger in composition and more precise in exposure than the equivalent color image that might get by with a weaker composition. For me, this need translates into a slower, more thoughtful approach to image capture, and one that I find relaxing in our all too hectic world.

One of my main influences growing up was Ansel Adams, who obviously knew a thing or two about creating a compelling image in shades of gray. It was through Adams’ images that I discovered Yosemite and a love of photography. His iconic scenes have been shot by thousands of photographers trying to reproduce what he captured so masterfully. While some of these images have been very successful, and I confess that I’m guilty of doing the same at times, I think the real value here is to learn what makes the image, whether it’s “Clearing Winter Storm” or “Moon and Half Dome”, or any of the other classics, so successful, and applying that to your own imagery.

I’ve made it a personal project to capture many of Yosemite’s waterfalls in black & white, but not with the intent of reproducing anyone else’s compositions. In a heavily photographed area like Yosemite, this isn’t as easy as it might sound, but there are still unique images to be found by stepping off the marked trail (and for many visitors, just stepping outside of the parking area). As an example, the photo shown here, Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls, was shot from near the top of Sentinel Dome, across the valley and a fair hike with a bit of scrambling.

Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls
Canon ID Mark II, 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/60th, f/11
Copyright, Jon Canfield

Since I shoot digital, all black & white work is done in post processing. But, when shooting, I try to see in black & white, planning ahead to visualize what the end result will be. As an added benefit, I find that this type of visualizing has helped my color photography as well and made me much more aware of what is in the frame. It may sound like basic stuff to many, but it opened my eyes and gave me a whole new insight into what makes for a successful photograph. And, in the days of six frames per second, it’s refreshing to go back to the slow composition style of large format photography.

Bridalveil Fall and Leaning Tower
Canon 1D Mark II, 24-70mm @ 32mm, 1/50th, f/9
Copyright, Jon Canfield

This particular project is going to keep me busy for years. Yosemite has so many waterfalls, and from one day to the next you can capture a completely different image of the same subject that I doubt I’ll ever feel truly finished with this subject. And in the meantime, what I’m learning is helping to shape my entire photographic style. While I have no delusions of becoming another Ansel Adams, I’d like to think that by studying his work, and other great masters of black & white photography, I can learn and apply the concepts to my own work to become a better photographer.

-- Jon Canfield

Collective Thoughts by Andrew Darlow

I have had the pleasure of spending time and working with Andrew at several photo events during the past 3 years. On each occasion, I found Andrew to be not only a digital photography guru, but an insightful photographer who has the talent to connect with and inspire his audiences. Andrew's upcoming seminar and workshop page can be found here.

Andrew Darlow is a photographer, author and digital imaging consultant based in the New York City area. He is editor of The Imaging Buffet, an online resource with news, reviews and interviews covering the subjects of digital photography and printing. His new book, "301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers" (Course Technology, PTR), covers tips and techniques for prepping, printing and displaying prints using inkjet printers. For more information, and free chapter downloads, visit www.inkjettips.com.

This image from the exhibition, entitled "Ryokan Highway," was a handheld exposure of six to eight seconds, photographed on 35mm transparency film. This image was shot at the end of a long day of temple and shrine exploring in Kyoto, Japan. The lights are coming from a taxi moving from right to left in the frame. A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. I've had the opportunity to stay at many Ryokan over the years, and every one was an unforgettable experience.

Over the years I've been fortunate to live for extended periods of time in Japan, Germany, Hawaii, and my home state of New Jersey. Living in New Jersey, and having a father who worked in New York City, I often found myself on school trips or family outings in the big city. The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Museum of Natural History were all familiar to me from a young age. Once I started to pursue photography in my early teens, The International Center of Photography's midtown gallery (and the uptown gallery on 5th Ave) became favorite destinations.

What I realized after visiting many museums and delving into photo books and magazines (especially Aperture magazine), was that most exhibitions and books have a single theme that is chosen, and then discussed with words and pictures in a way that helps bring cohesiveness to the collection. The "story" can be a single artist's work or a compilation of the works of many. I think that at its essence, this underscores our desire to share stories with a specific focus.

In many ways, a theme can bring a seemingly disparate group of images together like a quilt sewn together in small sections from the individual efforts of hundreds or even thousands. A show named "Hope Photographs" from 1997 at The National Arts Club in New York City is just one example of how a theme can attract a very wide range of imagery. I've had the honor of being a juror for shows with themes that helped make the shows very strong. Two examples are "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," and "People, Places, Things," both held at The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO.

After living in Japan and traveling from the southern island of Kyushuu to the northern island of Hokkaido at different periods from 1988-2000, I thought a lot about ways in which I could bring together a few exhibitions of my work. After much thought, and after being invited to do a show at The American Buddhist Study Center in New York City, I produced a series of 20 framed pigment inkjet prints. The show was entitled: Approaching Nirvana: A Modern Day Look at the Influence of Buddhism in Japan, and it was on display from October 19-December 10, 2000.

Shown here is one image from the Approaching Nirvana: A Modern Day Look at the Influence of Buddhism in Japan exhibition. Click Here to see all 20 images in the exhibit.
Copyright, Andrew Darlow.

While the show was up, I gave a series of guided tours in which I talked about both about my experiences in Japan, as well as the Buddhist-related history and meaning behind the places I was photographing. Since I was and still am not an expert in Buddhist history, I researched the history and specific locations I photographed, and I also consulted with the priest who presided over the New York Buddhist Church, housed in the same building as the American Buddhist Study Center.

While the show was on display, I also gave a slide presentation, followed by a tour of the show. I also produced a 5.5x8.5-inch printed catalog with information about each photograph. The catalog was a lot of work to produce, but it was worth the effort, and I recommend anyone who is planning an exhibition to seriously consider producing a show catalog. It can help you to get additional publicity from journalists who may not be able to see the show in person, and it can also help with sales because people will often not remember their favorite images unless they have a visual reminder of them. Today's on-demand printing options make it even easier to have exhibition catalogs produced. For example, Blurb.com is a company who produces many on-demand photo books, and they also make it easy for artists to sell their books/show catalogs through their Blurb Bookstore.

For another show I recently had the honor of being a juror, within a few weeks of the images being selected, a full-color book featuring the selected work was produced. The show is entitled "Urban Legends and Country Tales," and is on exhibit at the Bonita Museum in San Diego from Oct 4 to Nov 15, 2008.

The more I think about collections, themes and stories told with pictures, the more I realize that each of us has many stories to tell, and many experiences to share. A group of images can be so powerful, and I encourage you to find the thread that pulls together your images and life experiences.

"On knowing when and where..." by Joel Meyerowitz

Having the pleasure know and work with Joel Meyerowitz during my years at Time-Life and since has been inspirational. Joel's fame is much deserved and derived from his sensitivity to the world around him, his unique perspective, his passion for life and his ever present openness. I am truly honored to call Joel my friend. You can personally experience Joel's work in museums and exhibitions around the world.

Joel Meyerowitz is an award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in over 350 exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world. He was born in New York in 1938. He began photographing in 1962. He is a “street photographer” in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank, although he works exclusively in color. As an early advocate of color photography (mid-60’s), Meyerowitz was instrumental in changing the attitude toward the use of color photography from one of resistance to nearly universal acceptance. His first book, Cape Light, is considered a classic work of color photography and has sold more than 100,000 copies during its 25-year life. He is the author of 15 other books, including Aftermath: The World Trade Center Archive, Bystander: The History of Street Photography, and Tuscany: Inside the Light. Click here for Joel's complete biography.

1966 Malaga, Spain, copyright Joel Meyerowitz

I'm often asked how I know when and what to shoot. You feel it out. It's like walking on ice. You have to feel your way and use your intuition.

For me, I know when I'm there. Simple human terms are the motivation and the response. It's like conversation. When you go to a party and you talk to somebody, you may at first stand at a social distance, or, if there's some opening from that person, and you feel connected, you may get slightly closer and speak in a more intimate way. Or if you dance with someone, you may dance close or you may dance at a social distance. You feel it out. That's what it's like when I'm photographing, I move in and out as I get called into what's happening and I try and find the right relationship to it, of course this is all happening in an instantaneous way. After all the camera has a thousandth of a second on it which means we can react and relate in those minute fragments of time. One learns to live in those here and now and then vanished moments.

It's all about seeing the things only YOU can see. After all you see everything every day, and most of it seems boring, right? But then, every once in a while you see something and it makes you have a little 'gasp', isn't that so? Just a little intake of your breath when you are startled by that small thing, or that brief moment when something in the world says, "look at me, pay attention to ME!" Well, that's it! That's when you take the picture and when you have done that for a while you will have lots of picture that will look only like pictures that you can see, and not like anyone else's pictures. And that's the secret. there are no rules to follow, there is only your 'instinct'.

Wherever I go, the camera is on my shoulder, and it's been like that for more than forty years. I am just there trying to be present and conscious. And at some given moment I sense that I've walked into a zone of energy that awakens me. I suddenly lose my forward momentum. There's no reason to go forward. It's not something I eyeball. It's not a bunch of red flowers, or an obvious object, it's some thing that's giving off energy. It's a force field that I enter and in it there are relationships that come together in a way that strikes me as meaningful .

Sometimes for example, when you walk on the streets of New York, and you walk under construction scaffolding, you step out of the daylight and into the shadow, and as you pass that place where the door leads into the site you smell the presence of wet concrete, of acetylene torches, and the dust of construction. It's a very palpable, powerful smell. You step under the scaffolding and there's nothing; you hit the door and there's a smell of everything; and then you take one more step and there's nothing again. You've left the zone. All that's happened is that a current of air has rushed across the path that you're on. Photography is like that; a sliver of sensation that becomes visible in some way and then is gone, but when you were in it it was total.

I don't mean to be mystical, but when I hit that space I say, "Whoa, something is here. What's here?" The first thing that's there is me. I take the opportunity to see what it is that's defining me. And every time I do that I make a picture that has some special meaning to me. When I look at them afterwords, I know I was in the right place and the right time. I use that beat to allow it to come into being, to stop myself from pushing through it. Because the easiest thing is to be blind, and to keep right on rolling until you get to someplace that's a familiar, observable reality. But this is not only about an observable reality; it's a sensory reality. I trust that now, more than any other form of approach.

My central premise as an artist is to connect to my own feelings, and by so doing, when I'm really close to them, I may be able to make something that transports people back to the experience through the openness of the photograph. That's what I do, I try and disappear and let the image do the work of transmitting the experience. I've come to understand this over 40+ years of shooting, that the heart of my work is conveying what I felt while I was briefly awakened by the moment. These 'glimpses' of reality are powerful calls to consciousness.

-- Joel Meyerowitz

Click here to be magically transported to Joel's website. Joel also maintains an online store where you can purchase his works and books. Definitely a must see and a "must collect".