How your abandoned photo projects still matter, and why they’re shaping you more than you think. We’ve all been there. A brilliant spark of an idea. A photo series that felt like the one. A half-shot concept still sitting in a Lightroom folder named something like “FINAL FINAL_2.” But then… life, self-doubt, boredom, or clientContinueContinue reading “On Not Finishing Projects: What Happens to All the Half-Made Work?”
Tag Archives: photo essay
The Image and the Essay: How to Pair Words with Photos Without Overexplaining
Practical tips for writing captions, essays, and zine copy that supports your images. There’s a delicate art to combining images and words. Done well, the right sentence can open a photo like a doorway, adding context, emotion, or resonance. Done poorly, words can flatten mystery, interrupt the mood, or worse: explain something that didn’t needContinueContinue reading “The Image and the Essay: How to Pair Words with Photos Without Overexplaining”
Your Hard Drive Is Not Your Portfolio: The Art of Curating Your Work
On selecting, sequencing, and killing your darlings to find your strongest images. You’ve shot hundreds, maybe thousands, of photos. Your hard drive is full. Your Lightroom catalog is organized (or… not). And yet when someone asks to see your portfolio, you freeze. Because deep down, you know the truth: Your best work isn’t what you’veContinueContinue reading “Your Hard Drive Is Not Your Portfolio: The Art of Curating Your Work”
How to Create Your First Photo Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide
Creating a photo essay is one of the most powerful ways to grow as a photographer. It pushes you beyond single “standalone” images and into the world of storytelling. It’s where each frame builds on the next, and feeling and flow matter just as much as composition and light. If you’ve never made a photoContinueContinue reading “How to Create Your First Photo Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide”
MELISSA MARTINSEN 