M.H. Rubin

35: Zen Your Photography

2 December 2018  |  15 mins 50 secs

So much of what we see is unconscious. This is generally a good thing, but being able to be present with what is around us is an important skill. As Dorthea Lange said "a camera is a device that teaches us to see without a camera."

34: Composition Lessons from Louis (Stettner)

28 November 2018  |  18 mins 55 secs

and what, exactly, is "PhotoYoga"? Stettner is currently being featured at the SFMOMA, and I have a few take-aways from that exhibition.

33: Interview about F64

25 November 2018  |  16 mins 25 secs

Concluding our Thanksgiving family series of episodes, this is an interview I did with my parents Mel and Lorna in 2001 about their art collection of photography.

Thanksgiving Special Edition - The Rubin Bros.

24 November 2018  |  37 mins 37 secs

art, crafts, creativity, photography

The Rubin Brothers enjoy a lively conversation about our various interests; photography, magic, media, film and family. While the turkey was cooking, we retreated to his studio for a chat.

32: Exploring Time, with Danny

21 November 2018  |  26 mins 19 secs

Danny Rubin is not only the writer of the movie "Groundhog Day" but as my brother, he was subjected to many of the same creative influences as visual artists like my sister and me. And yet all of us think a lot about time.

31: Photo Collage, with Gabrielle

18 November 2018  |  17 mins 14 secs

Sometimes the magic of photography is in how images are juxtaposed with other images -- either on a wall, in a book, or sometimes assembled by the artist, like Uelsmann (in a darkroom), or in Photoshop, or just cut up.

30: Learning from Looking

15 November 2018  |  18 mins 53 secs

Mastering your camera is fundamental, but the way to become good at photography is largely about looking at lots of photographs. By great photographers. A range of them. So how do you look at old work and what's the take away?

29: Filters and Post Production (Great Photos are Made, Not Shot)

12 November 2018  |  16 mins 54 secs

Ansel Adams famously said that photographs were made, not taken. And while he invented the Zone System and "pre-visualization" his secret was to make images in post production. To paraphrase Adams' musical metaphor, the taken picture is the written song; the printing is the performance.

28: Constraints and Photographic "Games"

10 November 2018  |  15 mins 4 secs

art, crafts, creativity, photography

There's nothing worse than a blank canvas. And being told you can take pictures of anything is actually a bit paralyzing. So here's some ways to break the jam and play creatively.

27: The Annual Thanksgiving Show

8 November 2018  |  14 mins 20 secs

holiday, photos, thanksgiving

The holidays are picture-taking days! Tips and thoughts on shooting your festivities.

26: Creating Personal Projects

6 November 2018  |  15 mins 50 secs

If you shoot enough, at some point someone will ask "what do you take pictures of?" and it's a surprisingly difficult question.

25: How NOT to be an Amateurish Amateur

4 November 2018  |  13 mins 53 secs

What are the things we do as beginners that are good to work through...

24: Establishing Trust

2 November 2018  |  16 mins

Perhaps the most important attribute of the photographer isn't technical, it's the ability to engender trust in people....

23: Are Your Pictures Any Good?

31 October 2018  |  12 mins 56 secs

So you've taken a lot of great photos. How do you determine which are "really" good?

22: Walking Around with a Camera

29 October 2018  |  17 mins 31 secs

It's good practice to take your phone/camera out, and go for a walk. Pay attention to what catches your attention...

21: On Reading Susan Sontag

27 October 2018  |  17 mins 4 secs

art, artists, photography

Two books almost universally recommended for photographers...