This week, you’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. Spoiler: Not all of the answers are good. Great questions about motivation, focus, growth, the business side, finding balance and more. Plus a new assignment and Josef Hoflehner is our Photographer of the Week.

On Taking Pictures – Community – Assignment: #lookingup

Champions of a Monster Polaroid Yield to the Digital World – The New York Times

Limited Editions are a Useless Floodgate: the ocean of images cannot be tamed. — infinite industries — Medium

Storytelling on Vimeo

Vision Is Better | David duChemin – World & Humanitarian Photographer, Nomad, Author.

Q&A@F+B No. 5: Bill Wadman – Faded & Blurred

POLITICO’s 2016 Nerdcast | Free Listening on SoundCloud

220/221 Volts Whatever it takes? – YouTube

David Foster, episode #270 of Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show on Earwolf

Hasselblad to Release a ‘World’s First’, Posts Second Teaser Image

Josef Hoflehner Photographer – Portfolios

Josef Hoflehner: Retrospective

Somewhere in Time (film) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

40th Birthday | National Air and Space Museum

This week, are 10,000 hours alone really enough to be great at anything? Maybe, but the real answer is likely more nuanced. Experience does not necessarily equal expertise. Intent and purpose — not to mention innate ability — also play a role in chasing perfection. Plus, can analog tools make digital processing more efficient? Jim Brandenburg is our Photographer of the Week.

On Taking Pictures – Google+ – Assignment: #community

10,000 hours to become an expert? Sorry, that number is off. / Boing Boing

The Right Way to Practice

Palette Gear: Hands-on Control of your Favourite Software

Jim Brandenburg Gallery

Jim Brandenburg

Chased by the Light A Photographic Journey with Jim Brandenburg – YouTube

The Donut Pub

This week, a discussion around the work of painter Jeremy Mann, via the documentary A Solitary Mann by Loic Zimmermann. How much does happenstance figure into your creative output? Is your current style intentional or the result of a “happy accident” that you now continue to refine? The recent killing of an NPR photojournalist in Afghanistan sparks a conversation around photojournalism and the multiple areas where importance figures into making. Plus, remembering Muhammad Ali through the incredible photographs of his life and career. Nick Brandt is our Photographer of the Week.

On Taking Pictures – Google+ – Assignment: #dirty

a Solitary Mann_trailer on Vimeo

Derren Brown – Svengali Speed Painting Effect – YouTube

Official Website Of Syd Mead 2015

Syd Mead, Still Designing The Future After 50 Years : NPR

Gerhard Richter | artnet

HBO: Documentaries | Witness: Juarez | Home

David Gilkey – Photographing Haiti – YouTube

’70s High School Art Project Mistakenly Valued At $50K On ‘Antiques Roadshow’ : The Two-Way : NPR

Muhammad Ali was the greatest in one of sports’ most iconic photos, too – The Washington Post

The King and I: Neil Leifer on Photographing Muhammad Ali | GQ

Muhammad Ali, 1966/1970 – Archive – The Gordon Parks Foundation

Muhammad Ali: SI’s 100 Greatest Photos of The Greatest

2014 Samsung Flexible OLED Display Phone and Tab Concept – YouTube

Muhammad Ali, 1966/1970 – Archive – The Gordon Parks Foundation

ROBB KENDRICK

Nick Brandt: Photography

NICK BRANDT | Inherit the Dust: Nick Brandt Photographs

Nick Brandt: Photography

Look3 Conference

Ask Bill & Dan Episode 15

© Clayton James Cubitt

This week, baseball and theater inspire a discussion around making things that can’t be made and how the conversation between maker and audience is sometimes the exact context that is lacking. Also, a discussion around landscape photography prompted by a listener email. Plus, a wrap up (for now at least) of the current Steve McCurry snafu. Clayton James Cubitt is our Photographer of the Week.

On Taking Pictures – Google+ – Assignment: #energy

Grant Achatz – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Netflix Documentary Series: Cooked | Michael Pollan

Modernist Cuisine | The Art and Science of Cooking

Modernist Cuisine on Amazon

Cry room – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CHRIS FRIEL

El Hokkaido de Michael Kenna (subtitulado en español) (Parte 1) – YouTube

The Diane Arbus You’ve Never Seen – The New York Times

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cheltenham (typeface) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harvey Wang

aSolitaryMann-HD – A Solitary Mann – Don’t Come Knocking

Mann Volume 1 – 827 INK

Clayton Cubitt Tumblr

Clayton Cubitt

Clayton James Cubitt – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup Recipe : Paula Deen : Food Network

This week, we’re talking about memories, specifically the culling of photographic memories. If forced to choose, how do you decide which memories to keep? What single shot best captures your childhood, your wedding, your parents or children? In the deluge of photographic imagery, how you choose the right lifeboat? Also, Cindy Sherman has released her first new work in five years, but without any context, is it any good? Hiro is our Photographer of the Week.

The Making of Amadeus (2002) – YouTube

Samuel Pepys: Diary, Letters, Family Tree, Maps, Encyclopedia, Discussion and more

Which Rock Star Will Historians of the Future Remember? – The New York Times

Google made an insanely high-res camera to preserve great works of art | The Verge

Life’s Little Adventures: Avedon Years

Artist Series :: Laura Wilson | The Art of Photography

Cindy Sherman Releases First New Work in 5 Years – Feature Shoot

Facebook Removed This Father and Son Photo Twice – Bokeh by DigitalRev

Medium Format Misc YASHICA MAT 124G | KEH Camera

Rolleiflex Rolleinar 1 Close Up Lens – Dave Carroll

Hiro (photographer) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indelible Images From a Fashion Photography Icon – The New York Times

Hiro (Yasuhiro Wakabayashi) on Pinterest

Photographer : Hiro (yasuhiro wakabayashi) on Pinterest

Hiro: Photographs on Amazon

We’re a day early and all over the map this week, with topics including rating photographs in a changing aesthetic, online vs offline creative communities, making vs. sharing and a continuation of last week’s discussion about post-processing — specifically, how much is too much? Michael Kenna is our Photographer of the Week.

On Taking Pictures – Google+ – Assignment: #crunch

New York Botanical Zoological Photography Society NYBZPS

PARK WEST CAMERA CLUB

Torpedo Factory Art Center

The WFMT Studs Terkel Radio Archive | A Living Celebration

See the Dramatic Differences Between Identical Twins Over Time | TIME

There Will Be GoPro Cameras Built Into This Year’s Grammy Awards Trophies

The Online Photographer: A Very Important Distinction in Post-Processing

Michael Kenna (photographer) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michael Kenna

Michael Kenna – YouTube

Michael Kenna : A 20 Year Retrospective on Amazon

Michael Kenna: Images of the Seventh Day on Amazon

Welcome to the ILFORD Lab Direct

The Darkroom – Film Developing | Develop Film by Mail for $11

This week, we talk about the continuing evolution of photography from the perspective of seeing how genres are blending into one another and how so much of contemporary photography can fall under “lifestyle.” Also, two sides of a Photoshop discussion around retouching — one from the point of view of a model and the other from an icon of photojournalism. Plus, how do you feel about narrative in photography? Do you want to be told what a photo or body of work means, or do you prefer assigning your own narrative and/or backstory to the work? Bruce Davidson is our Photographer of the Week.

This week, after a quick teaser of next week’s show, we’re taking your questions and attempting to answer them. Topics range from gear to legacy to what makes a great photographer. We love doing these shows and if you didn’t get a question in this time, keep an eye out for the next one. Maurice Tabard is our Photographer of the Week.

On Taking Pictures – Google+ – Assignment: #Stilllife

Leica’s M-D is a digital camera for manual purists

Bugge Body Parts — Bill Wadman

Million Dollar Photographer

Pricing Guides | American Society of Media Photographers

Cradoc fotoSoftware

Control Freak Passive Volume Control | Emotiva

Tabard, Maurice : Photography, History | The Red List

Maurice Tabard – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maurice Tabard | MoMA

“Faking It” on Amazon

This week, the unexpected passing of Prince has us starting the show discussing art from the perspective of both ownership and influence. We talk about priorities (artistic and otherwise) and to what degree our presence in the world allows us to experience the world. Plus, we discuss some of the differences between opinion and critique and how who you ask can be just as important as what. Alex Prager is our Photographer of the Week.

On Taking Pictures – Google+ – Assignment: #transition

Susan Rogers Reflects on Her Work with Prince | Berklee College of Music

Purple Rain’s sound engineer remembers Prince: ‘A very rare bird’ – Home | As It Happens | CBC Radio

The Moment with Brian Koppelman – Gabrielle Hamilton: 3/29/16 | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand

Aperture Anthology: The Minor White Years

Eric Clapton Opens Up About ‘The Very Real Way’ Prince Brought Him Out Of Depression

Sarah Oliphant – Conversations with Artists — Jonsar Studios

EO Hoppé’s portraits – in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian

2The.Impressionists.Painting.and.Revolution.2of4.The.Great.Outdoors.PDTV.XviD.AC3.MVGroup.org – Video Dailymotion

Peter Capaldi: ‘A lot of surrealist art is about sex’ – video | Art and design | The Guardian

Unlock Art – Search results | Tate

Alex Prager – Photography & Films

Alex Prager: Crowd Control | NOWNESS

MoMA | New Photography 2010 | Alex Prager

Sign ‘O’ The Times [Outtake] – YouTube

This week, Happy Anniversary to us! We talk a bit about four years of On Taking Pictures, which leads to a discussion on the value of output. There’s the idea of getting better with practice, which we’ve talked about several times, but also the value of the body of work as an object, independent of anything else. We also talk about meanings we associate to objects and share a wonderful email from a listener called “The Mythology of Things” in which he works through some reasons that objects become more to us than their component parts. Also, is the Photo Renaissance over or are we in a New Golden Age of photography? Former Baltimore Sun photographer A. Aubrey Bodine is our Photographer of the Week.

How Ridiculous – YouTube

Cardboard Junkie: Virtual 1982 Topps Sticker Album – Front cover and page 1

Titanic sinks in REAL TIME – 2 HOURS 40 MINUTES – YouTube

George Hurrell photos and prints

Crit Wall : Sahidus Maximus

Crit Wall : Lance Harshbarger

A. Aubrey Bodine – Baltimore Pictorialist

The photos of A. Aubrey Bodine – Baltimore Sun

Bodine’s Industry: ‘The Dignity of Work’ by A. Aubrey Bodine

A. Aubrey Bodine: Baltimore Sun pictorialist

Bodine – Man Blowing Glass

Aubrey Bodine books on Amazon

On Taking Pictures – Google+ – Assignment: #cycles