Photography Archives - John Paul Caponigro

Color! – A Conversation With Eric Meola – Dec 10 @ 8 pm EST

Photography - Talk Comment

0 Likes

Wednesday, Dec 10 @ 8pm EST

Creativity Continues at Santa Fe Workshops with a conversation about Color!
Savor a deep dive with two photographic masters, Eric Meola and John Paul Caponigro.

Our hour of inspiration will begin with a short presentation of images.

Next, Eric and John Paul will share and discuss their insights about color. After hearing their insights about how other artists use color and how they use color, you’ll leave inspired to explore how you use color (even if you’re a black and white photographer).

Finally, we’ll finish with a lively question-and-answer session open to all participants.

Color is such a deep subject, and these artists’ passion for color is so strong, it’s sure to run long.

Join Santa Fe Workshops’ worldwide community of photographers and writers as Creativity Continues.
_

Photographer Eric Meola’s new book, BENDING LIGHT: The Moods of Color, showcases his use of light and color throughout his career. In a five-decade career that deﬁnes the use of color as art, Meola examines the history of color and redefines it in the medium of photography. In dozens of stories and anecdotes, he recounts his journey using color, its symbolism, and how it affects our moods. “Light and color are my subject as much as the subject itself. They resonate with our moods, reﬂect our emotions, and deﬁne the way we see.”

Eric Meola studied photography at the Newhouse School of Journalism at Syracuse University and graduated with a B.A. in English Literature. Meola’s photographs are included in the archive of the American Society of Media Photographers, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the International Center of Photography in New York, and the George Eastman Museum. His previous books include Last Places on Earth (GRAPHIS, 2004), Born to Run: The Unseen Photos (Insight Editions, 2006), INDIA: In Word & Image (Welcome Books, 2008), and FIERCE BEAUTY: Storms of the Great Plains (IMAGES Publishing, 2019). He has received numerous awards, including “Advertising Photographer of the Year” in 1986 from the American Society of Media Photographers, a “Power of the Image” George Eastman award in 2014, and, in 2023, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Photographers of America.

Register Now

View 12 Great Photographs by Eric Meola

Read 14 Great Quotes By Photographer Eric Meola.

Read our short Q&A

Read our extended conversation.

Discover more by Eric Meola.

12 Great Photographs By Eric Meola

Photographers - Photographs Comment

0 Likes

Read our conversation here.
View 12 Great Photographs Collections here.
Read more in The Essential Collection Of Photographers’ Quotes.
View more in The Essential Collection Of Photographers Videos.

20 Questions With Photographer Eric Meola

Photographers - Q&A Comment

0 Likes

Enjoy our video Conversation Color!

View 12 Great Photographs by Eric Meola

Read 14 Great Quotes By Photographer Eric Meola.

Read our short Q&A

Read our extended conversation.

Discover more by Eric Meola.

Eric Meola provides quick, candid answers to 20 questions.

As an undergraduate at Syracuse University, he studied color printing and color theory at the Newhouse School of Journalism before graduating in 1968 with a B.A. in English Literature and then moving to NYC in 1969 to work with Pete Turner as his studio manager. A Canon “Explorer of Light,” he has lectured extensively, including at Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Brooks (Santa Barbara), the Art Center at Pasadena, Parsons, the Academy of Art College (San Francisco), the George Eastman House, and venues including PPA., WPPI, and A.S.M.P.

What’s the most useful photographic mantra?
Never stop looking.

What’s the best thing about photography?
Mistakes.

What’s the worst thing about photography?
Mistakes.

Man Ray – Photographer Or Painter? On Great Art Explained

Photographers - Video Comment

0 Likes

Enjoy this tour of seminal photographer Man Ray’s life.

“Man Ray’s image, ‘Le Violon d’Ingres’ helped redefine photography, at a time when it was still seen as a mechanical, documentary medium rather than a vehicle for creative expression. The image blurred the boundaries between traditional art forms like painting and sculpture, and helped to establish photography as a serious and innovative artistic discipline.”

Join Me For My Free Artist Talk Online Tonight Aug 15 @ 08:30 PM EST

Event - Talk Comment

0 Likes

I’m giving a talk (for the Chicago Photo Forum) online tonight at 8:30 EST.

Lasting about an hour, it’s really several short talks in one.

I’ll share images, talk about key themes, discuss how writing works with my images, and then share a little bit about how I make my images, without getting technical.

I think you’ll leave inspired, and you might even think about photography a little differently.

It’s free.

The replay will be available to anyone who registers.

Register here.

June 18, 8 PM EST – The Nature of Photographs – Stephen Shore & John Paul Caponigro

Photographers - Conversations Comment

1 Like

Wed, June 18, 2025 > 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST

Santa Fe Workshops collection of free online events, Creativity Continues features a summer evening with fine-art photographers Stephen Shore and John Paul Caponigro. In this special hour of inspiration, Stephen and John Paul take a deep dive into perception, addressing what’s special about photographic vision, how it influences everyday seeing, and how intention and awareness make dramatic differences for creators, their creations, and the people who view them.

Stephen says, “A quote that I like very much comes close to explaining my attitude about taking photographs – ‘Chinese poetry rarely trespasses beyond the bounds of actuality… the great Chinese poets accept the world exactly as they find it in all its terms and with profound simplicity… they seldom talk about one thing in terms of another, but are able enough and sure enough as artists to make the ultimately exact terms become the beautiful terms.’”

Stephen and John Paul conclude their conversation with a lively Q&A session with the webinar audience. Even if you can’t make the live event, a recording of it will be available for all those registered.

Creativity Continues is a program that collectively develops creative voices by offering connection and encouraging expression. Because the goal is to engage all within our creative community, we encourage you to extend invitations and share Santa Fe Workshops Creativity Continues events with anyone who expresses an interest.

View 12 Great Photographs By Stephen Shore.

Read 13 Great Quotes By Photographer Stephen Shore.

Listen to Stephen Shore here.

Explore Stephen Shore’s books here.

Visit Stephen Shore’s website.

3 Books To Help You Get To Know The Mind Of Photographer Stephen Shore

Books - Photography Comment

0 Likes

The Nature of Photographs

The Nature of Photographs provides a framework for understanding the visual language of photography by analyzing the fundamental elements that contribute to a photograph’s form and meaning. It aims to help readers understand the mechanics of how a photograph functions visually. Shore explains how the qualities of a photograph, such as the collapsing of depth, the relationship between lines and the frame, and the duration of exposure, create tension and meaning.

Shore suggests that photographs can be viewed on multiple levels:

Physical Level: Recognizing the photograph as a physical object, a print with specific characteristics like size, paper texture, and printing process.

Depictive Level: Understanding how the 3-dimensional world is transformed into a 2-dimensional image through techniques like flatness, frame, time, and focus.

Mental Level: Acknowledging the mental process of apprehending the image and its interaction with the depictive level. This involves the focus of the lens, eye, attention, and mind.

The Nature of Photographs features a wide range of photographs from various eras and genres, including iconic images, documentary photography, and everyday snapshots, illustrating Shore’s concepts.

Shore’s writing is described as lucid, perceptive, and thought-provoking, offering clear explanations and insightful observations delivered in a concise, even poetic, style.

Now a classic, it’s considered an indispensable tool for students, teachers, and anyone interested in taking better photographs or looking at them in a more informed way. It teaches viewers how to see through the eyes of a photographer.

Modern Instances

Modern Instances: The Craft of Photography (MACK Books) is a memoir by renowned photographer Stephen Shore. It offers insights into Shore’s career and creative process, drawing on his decades of teaching and exploring the influences that have shaped his work. The book is a blend of essays, photographs, stories, and excerpts, functioning as an “impressionistic scrapbook” that documents the touchstones of his journey.

Modern Instances reveals Shore’s artistic vision, stylistic leanings, and the inspirations behind his images. While containing some of Shore’s images, the book features reproductions of other art forms like paintings and movie stills. Shore contrasts photography with painting, describing it as an “analytic” process where the photographer brings order to the world through framing and other decisions. Shore encourages readers to find inspiration in the everyday world by paying close attention to their surroundings.

The Mental Image

Stephen Shore is hard at work finishing his latest book The Mental Image (MACK Books), which takes what he’s done in his previous books even further. We’ll discuss key the ideas in it in our upcoming conversation.

June 18 – Join us for a Conversation online with Santa Fe Workshops.

View 12 Great Photographs By Stephen Shore.

Read 13 Great Quotes By Photographer Stephen Shore.

Listen to Stephen Shore here.

Explore Stephen Shore’s books here.

Visit Stephen Shore’s website.