Viewfinder

Color photograph of a painted mural with the word "Love" in the center.

Gratitude and joy: Everything* I love about making art

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(*an incomplete list, 2023 edition) Previously, we talked extensively about the “work” of artwork. We talked about “finding your work” and “putting in the work”. Showing up, making art again and again, maybe for the rest of your life. This all sounds like so much… work. Isn’t life already filled up with work? Why would you want more of it? Because there’s work, and then there’s your ✨WORK! ✨. Workohol addiction The Oxford dictionary defines work (noun), among other things as, “… something a person… has to do.” Yep, pretty much how I feel about it too. Thanks, editors at … >>

Color photograph of a forest scene using a multi-exposure technique.

Finding Your Artwork: unbelievably simple truths about art making

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Wherein I share my youthful ignorance and what I (finally) understood about art making. One of the biggest sources of consternation for art school students (and young artists generally) is the need to “find your work”. Finding your artwork is art school speak for, “what should my art be about?”. Alternate versions of this include: “finding your voice”, “finding your style”, and “finding your niche”. It’s a declarative statement about the content, and the subject, and the form of your work. It’s your succinct response to the prompt that you’ll hear again and again… “Tell me about your work.” Young artists … >>

Image with the text "The Greatest Camera in the World" superimposed over a photograph of several camera arranged on a white background.

Revealed: the greatest camera in the world

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Film or digital? Small, medium, or large format? Leica? Hasselblad? Canon? Nikon? Discover the definitive answer, once and for all. Photographers are a weird bunch–they can be strangely tribal about the tools they use. Having worked at multiple camera stores in my early life, I’ve been privy to numerous, completely unnecessary arguments about Canon vs. Nikon, or Kodak film vs. Fuji Film. I never really understood the motivations behind these arguments, as I wanted to own all the cameras and to use all the types of film. Maybe because photography is expensive, people want to feel good about their choices? … >>

Black and white photograph of a field at sunset. In the midground, a thicket on the left balances a stand of trees on the right. Fog is just beginning to appear.

Overcoming inertia: how to kickstart your art making practice

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Everything starts somewhere. Here’s a few starts to consider. It’s been often said that starting is the hardest thing. Overcoming inertia, getting the ball rolling, making the first mark–this can be hard. Isn’t not-doing something so much easier than doing it? You can always do it tomorrow, after all. Not doing means you don’t have to think, you don’t have to commit, you don’t have to expend energy. I’m not sure it’s always true. To paraphrase a statement attributed to Mark Twain, “Starting is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.” Of … >>

A mocked up photograph of an issue of Viewfinder by StartPhoto magazine sitting on a table. Next to the book is a glass with flowers, a cup of tea, and a camera.

🚀 It’s the start of something new.

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Introducing Viewfinder by StartPhoto, an email newsletter about art making, photography, and reigniting creativity. Hi, I’m Ron ‘RonJohn’ Johnson, the creator of StartPhoto. I’m writing this newsletter/blog/podcast (whatever it ends up being) for you. And to be honest, I’m making it for myself, too, because I have needed, at one point or another, all the things I plan to share with you. I’m still figuring out Viewfinder as I go. To use a phrase that comes up a lot in my life, “I’m flying the plane while still building it”. Viewfinder might end up being highly personal, but hopefully not … >>

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