Who we are & what we're about

Most photographers like to talk about their work, and a few even like to talk about the work of others. Count us among that latter group. The principal contributors to this website have been taking pictures for dozens of years—color slides, black & white images, Polaroid prints, and now digital images. We have spent countless hours in the darkroom making silver, platinum and palladium prints as well as C-prints. None of us has ever made an albumen print, a Daguerreotype or a tintype, but we suppose we could if we wanted to. The major thing we have in common is that we think photography every day. Whether looking at a magazine or just walking around, we see in terms of making an image and we think about where we would stand (or place our tripod, for those using a larger format camera), when the light would be better than it is now, how we would compose a scene to avoid a distracting element, and how we would print the image.

It is not something we have to force ourselves to do—it just comes naturally, automatically. Every time we walk around Paterson, New Jersey, we are composing images that George Tice might shoot; when in the Four Corners area of the southwest, we think of where William Henry Jackson and Timothy O'Sullivan set up their tripods; we are consciously alert to how Eugene Atget, Paul Strand, Walker Evans, or David Plowden might have photographed a scene. That goes well beyond what we mean to suggest when we urge young photographers to think like a photographer, but it’s not a wrong idea. Much of ancient Greek and Roman education was based on imitation rather than the fabled Socratic dialog. Imitation does not have to stifle creativity—it may encourage it by providing the seeing skills that enlarge one’s vision to additional possibilities. Our orientation will be on exploration and experimentation, but we will probably make repeated reference to how some of the masters (of other arts as well as photography) approached a similar subject. A study of such works is rewarding in its own right, of course, but there is the additional benefit that an intimacy with those works can inform the photographer's own vision.

This site will offer examples (some good, some not-so-good), commentary, images from the past, suggested activities (OK, we'll refer to them as“assignments” now and then, but you know they are optional) and other resources, such as a section on 19th century photographs drawn largely from the author's collection). Time spent looking at some of the remarkable images from a hundred and fifty years ago is never wasted.The information and observations in that history section have been modeled after John Szarkowski's, Looking at Photographs, surely one of the best places for any photographer to spend a few hours. Our own images are copyrighted and permission to use them must be obtained from the photographer, but all of the text on the site may be copied or reproduced by anyone for any purpose, provided only that credit is given. We are interested in helping people make better photographs, not in protecting the specific language of these suggestions and opinions.

Policies
Right to edit submissions
We encourage submissions of photos and articles, but reserve the right to edit any submissions (queries, annotations, guest reviews, responses to queries) for accuracy and relevance.

Privacy
We appreciate that many readers do not feel comfortable providing their real address due to the high incidence of junk mail and other security concerns. Our privacy guarantee to you is that we will not sell, barter, share or trade your confidential information with anyone, under any circumstances, except in the case of legal proceedings.

Advertising & Commercial support
We do not accept advertising or any commercial support at this time. That is a policy we may revisit, but for the moment, any links to other sites or mention of products, such as books, seminars or services, are done as a convenience to readers and for which we receive no remuneration or financial benefit. Limitation of

Liability
The proprietor of the site disclaims any liability for any use of the contents in a manner that could result in harm to anyone. That simply means that you read, discuss and forward any of the contents here at your own risk. We make every effort to make certain that all materials are not libelous, do not infringe on anyone's copyright and are unlikely to invade anyone's privacy; we will immediately remove or edit any materials upon receipt of a valid complaint.

Linking to this site
Notification
Please e-mail us to let us know you are establishing a link to this site, and include in your e-mail address, the URL of your home page, and the URL of your page on which the link to our site appears. We grant you permission to use on your site the title or headline of an article or photograph you are linking to. Attribution should be given to Think Like a Photographer and/or the photographer in a manner consistent with your site's editorial style. Here's the e-mail address to use:
                   

We do not permit framing of any pages under any circumstances.

The text here is under an attribution only license. (All images are protected under U.S. copyright, and this form of license does not apply to them.) The single requirement that an attribution license imposes is that subsequent disseminators give credit to the source. This is an important, but slight burden, and because the license is perpetual, the attribution only license is quite close to a public domain dedication.

Frank Greenagel is the primary author and developer of this site. He is a former college professor, industrial psychologist and book publisher, as well as the author of a number of books and scholarly articles on the religious architecture of New Jersey. He uses a large view camera (mostly) and until recently has worked only in black & white. His other websites: NJChurchscape.com, which covers the 18th and 19th century religious architecture of New Jersey. At wiredseminars.com Dr. Greenagel outlines and explains how the newest multi-point communication and collaboration capabilities of the web can be used to improve the learning experiences of students and corporate trainees.His own corporate site is guidedlearning.com, where clients will find information about proprietary computer-based training programs on a range of compliance issues.

And, yes, the above photo was taken with an inexpensive webcam.

    

Alison Jones' work concentrates on threatened wildlife, ecosystems, cultures and architecture; she writes photo essays, lectures, and gives workshops on photography and her travels. Her images represent 20 visits to Africa as well as other developing nations; she is a consultant for those who wish to see Africa, Argentina or other areas from the inside out.   
 
With an Honorary Masters Degree in Photography from Brooks Institute of Photography, Alison is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers. She has exhibited in galleries from New York to California, and is a member of North American Nature Photography Association, American Society of Media Photographers, The Explorers Club, and TechnoServe.
 
To learn more about Alison and see her work:  www.alisonjonesphoto.com

Bill Woodall is an accomplished photographer as well as the technical consult on all matters relating to programming and the 'Net.He is a member of the adjunct faculty at Raritan Valley Community College, where he teaches courses on hardware, software and multimedia. Woodall has recently created a website on the old railroad terminals of New Jersey NJRR.net, which he is gradually populating.