1-Thoughts & Photographs
The Thoughts and Photographs series is a collection of essays each focusing on a specific aspect of professional landscape photography.  These essays are based on my personal experience as well as on the experience of my students.  Each essay features a specific photograph either as illustration or as point of departure. A number of essays are written by students or contributors to this site. Each essay features an introduction by myself.

These essays focus on challenging photographic situations, concepts or ideas as well as real-life experiences. This series does not have a specific focus or limits in regards to what can be addressed in each essay.  I set it up that way to be able to address areas that I may not discuss in my other article series.

If I dare compare my writings to music I suggest that we consider the essay in this series as fugues and my longer essays as operas.  While the later sets a stage and proceeds to display an elaborate performance, the former responds to the whim and desires of the moment in a spontaneous display of character. 

2-Craft & Technique
This second series focuses, as its name implies, on the craft and technique of digital photography. This series is quite different from the first series in that its focus is pracical rather than philosophical. In a way, these two series follow my belief that photography, as a whole, is a combination of art and science. In this view, the Thoughts & Photographs series focuses on the Artistic aspect of photography, while the Craft & Techniques series focuses on the scientific aspect of photography.

3-You can become a contributor to this series
Many essays in this series have been written by contributors, either students who attended our workshops and seminars or photographers who want to share their experience with others.

If you wish to contribute to this series simply email your essay, or a short description, to alain@beautiful-landscape.com. After reviewing it I will email you personally to let you know if your essay was selected for publication. There are no particular subjects that can or cannot be addressed. We simply enjoy learning about your personal experience and "take" on photography: where you are coming from, what you have experienced, and of course your personal approach to photography, be it from an artistic or a technical perspective since this series addresses both aspects of Fine Art Photography.

List of essays in both series:

Thoughts & Photographs: Craft & Technique:

1 - Lemons & Lemonade I 1 - Transformations 2 - Lemons & Lemonade II 2 - Extreme Image Enlargement 3 - Lemons & Lemonade III 3 - Canon 1DsMk2 and Better Light Digital Back 4 - I & I: Inspiration and Imagination 4 - Using WhiBal as a Lens Shade 5 - You can't have your cake and eat it too 5 - Arctic Butterfly 6 - Literal vs Expressive Representations 6 - Raw Developer Review 7 - Becoming an Artist 7 - DxO Optics Pro 3.5 Review 8 - Why attend a Workshop? 8 - Raw Converters Comparison 9 - The Learning Process 9 - Cropping and Composition 10 - A Once in a Lifetime Experience 10 - How to calibrate your monitor 11 - Tools of the Trade 11-The Master File 12 - Emotional Light 12-New Lands Night 13-Generating Income from your Passion 13-Raw Conversion in Adobe Lightroom 14-Being an Artist in Business -with audio excerpts Marketing - Part 1 - 14- Marketing Photography 15-The Desecration Panel 15- The Digital Summit 16-Art and Facts 16- Art, Elegance and the Fine Art Print 17-Art and Freedom 17- Composition 1: Hoodoos 18-Visualization Realized 18- Composition 2: Antelope Swirls 19-Opening a Fine Art Gallery 19- Composition 3: Monument Valley Afternoon 20-Notes on Photographing a Nautilus 20- Composition 4: Comb Ridge Clouds 21-From aboard a Russian Icebreaker in Antartica - Part 1 21- Composition 5: Totem Pole 22-From aboard a Russian Icebreaker in Antartica - Part 2 22- Composition 6: Clearing Spring Storm 23-My First Show 23- The Artistic Process A Four-Parts Series 24-Briot Speaks CD-1 24- What is a Fine Art Photograph? 25-Reflections on Studying Photography 25- From Raw File to Master File 26-The Coso Range Marketing - Part 2 - 26 - The importance of Marketing and How to price your work? 27-PhotoEidolo 1 27- Antelope Canyon before and After 28-Beautiful-Landscape Podcast 28 - Why am I taking these Photographs ? By Steve Zigler 29-Becoming a Music Producer 29 - Western Brocade. By Brian Pawlowski 30-Studying Photography Marketing 30-Phase One P45 collages 31-A Response to Of Cameras and Art 31-The reluctant artist by Steve Pope -- Part 1 32-Photography & Poetry 32-Leo Ridano: selling photographs in Patagonia 33-Introduction to Paradigm Shift 33-Jim Scott: DxO and Panoramic Stitching 34-Introduction to Artist in Business - Part 2 34-Tony Sweet Interview 35-Phot'Art Magazine 35-The reluctant artist by Steve Pope -- Part 2 36-Introduction to Artist in Business - Part 3 36-Setting up a Home Studio 37-Pure Dumb Luck 37-Setting up a Home Gallery 38-What Makes your Work so Special? • 38-Photographic Knowledge ? 39-The Best Answer 39-The reluctant artist by Steve Pope -- Part 3 40-Photographing a Shooting Star 10/100/1000 40-The Numbering Affair Workshops Seminars Consulting 41-Testimonials 41-From Good to Really Good 42-Phot Art Portfolio 42-Image Enhancement by Ronny Nilsen Reader Comments 43-Reader Comments Audience & Artist 43-Finding the Personal in Art 44-Personal Style: Michael Regnier 44-The 2008 Bryce Canyon Fine Art Printing Summit 45-Two and 3/4 Years 45-Video Print Reviews 46-What do you do ? 47-PMA 2007 48-It's About the Art 49-Spring 07 Testimonials

All text and photographs copyright © Alain Briot 2008
and Copyright © the respective photographers who are contribuing to this series.
Credits are provided in each essay written by contributors.
All rights reserved worldwide

If you wish to contribute to this series simply email your essay, or a short description, to alain@beautiful-landscape.com

Thank you to all the photographers and students who are contributing their work to this series.