The creative life used to be the domain of the muses, those astonishing Greek Goddesses responsible for inspiration and creativity. If they showed up, our work in these areas would go well, ideas would flow, and creativity would abound. Lucky us. But what if they didn't?The Problem with Muses, one of 28 essays on the creative life from which this book gets its name, is that we could wait forever for them to appear (there were only nine of them!), and most of us have work to do. Thi...

The poet Goethe is credited as saying, "What you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it, and the work will be completed!"If only it were that easy.In any creative effort, the beginning is the hard part, filled with fears and procrastinations, and-often most of all-the paralyzing desire to get it right on the first try (which almost never happens). Creativity is evolutionary; it begins with bad ideas and crappy first efforts...

Photographers often look at an image—one they’ve either already created or are in the process of making—and ask themselves a simple question: “Is this a good photograph?” It’s an understandable question, but the truth is that it’s profoundly unhelpful. How are you supposed to answer that? What does “good” even mean?What if you were equipped to ask better, more specific questions of your work so that you could answer them more directly, and in doing so, bring more specific action an...

In The Soul of the Camera: The Photographer's Place in Picture-Making, photographer David duChemin uses photography essays accompanied by beautiful black-and-white photos to inspire photography with a human connection.As both an art form and a universal language, the photograph has an extraordinary ability to connect and communicate with others. But with over one trillion photos taken each year, why do so few of them truly connect? Why do so few of them gr...

A book about the craft of camera-using and the creative struggle of picture-making.Learning how a camera works is not difficult. Once you understand how to focus and expose, the rest are details. So why is it such a challenge to make photographs that feel like they do what we hope for? Could it be we're asking the camera to do the work that all along has been ours to figure out? Is it possible we've been thinking too much about the camera and not enough about our o...

A Beautiful Anarchy is a vulnerable, honest, and insightful book about the human longing to create, whether you’re creating a family, a business, a book, or a photograph. Your greatest creation can be an intentional life lived on your own terms. What is our life but a chance to make the greatest art of all?If you already identify as a creative person, this book is an invitation to more intentionally explore your creative process. If you've ever said, “But ...

NEW RULES FOR A NEW BUSINESS WORLDThinking about starting a photography business? The first thing you need to know is that the rules have changed. Yesterday’s business models have collapsed. Creating a successful business in today’s "Digi-Flat" era requires a sharp new approach, one that Dane Sanders has practiced successfully and taught at Fast Track workshops and seminars all around the world. Some of the things you'll learn in this book:How to turn the very technologies ...

When Within the Frame first published in 2009, it received high praise for both its practical teaching and its humanity. Ten years later, it is a best-selling modern classic and a must-read.Author David duChemin’s masterful and balanced emphasis on both the head and the heart—craft and technique on the one hand, passion and vision on the other—mirror the process of creating compelling, meaningful photographs that convey one’s vision. Filled with engaging photography, thoug...

Become the professional photographer you were meant to be.Competition in the photography industry has never been fiercer. But in this empowering guide, acclaimed photographer and speaker Dane Sanders reveals that the key to success is to stop worrying about what everyone else is doing and start focusing on your most powerful resource: you. Discover how to:· Use your unique skills and talents to carve out a niche all your own.· Avoid the mist...

Selling Your Photography is the road map to help photographers find their way through the complexities of the marketplace and get their images published! This insider’s guide examines magazines, newspapers, books, posters, greeting cards, calendars, brochures, print and Web advertisements, annual reports, and more. Chapters cover how to: Break into diverse markets Shoot and sell stock and assignment photography Find advertising, corporate, editorial, and merchandise segment clients ...

For many people, photography serves as a form of meditation; a way to separate themselves from their stressful lives. In this book, Torsten Andreas Hoffmann explores an approach to artistic photography based on Japanese Zen-Philosophy.Meditation and photography have much in common: both are based in the present moment, both require complete focus, and both are most successful when the mind is free from distracting thoughts. Hoffman shows how meditation can lead to ...

Now aspiring wedding photographers have a comprehensive guide to building a profitable wedding business! Drawing from her twenty-three years of experience in the wedding photography industry, author Elizabeth Etienne helps readers reduce the growing pains both in shooting a wedding and in dealing with wedding clients. Unique features include prep sheets such as: couple’s questionnaire, shot list, photo timeline, helpful hints, contract, and package rate sheet. With an introduction written ...