For this month’s macro / close-up competition, Terry Popkin reprises his role as judge. With the perceptive eye of both a scientist and an artist, Terry brings unparalleled insights into views of small universes.
Terry has been creating elegant images for at least 30 years, and his photographs and articles have been published around the world. He believes that creativity is the basis for both fine art and fine photography and that the two are inseparable. As a result, his passion for both has led him to produce beautiful images that elicit feeling about people and about the environment.
Some images, Terry notes, are captured by photographers out of impulse. However, he encourages us to learn to expand our vision. He advises that we look further, and then take great photographs when we know the light is perfect and the composition is well thought out. In a practical vein, Terry notes that if we are limited by a selection of lenses, or even by a particular camera, we should plan our photographs around our equipment. Sometimes, all we have with us is a 24mm-70mm lens, but that can be enough to create a significant image, full of feeling.
Most camera club members, according to Terry, have wondered what it would be like to become a professional. What is it that separates the professionally made photographs we have admired, that make us say WOW, from images we might have taken and shown in a camera club competition? Usually, it’s the basics. Terry advises we should take the judges’ critiques to heart and learn to improve our images. Besides good technique, we also need talent if we want to move ahead and consider going pro. But, he adds, that’s something we can all sense intrinsically. To really operate at a successful pro level, Terry recommends going to business school and learning how to market one’s work. Bottom line, says Terry: “Once your creations have sold, work becomes play!”
Terry Popkin earned his BS in chemistry and physics and his MS in microbiology at Pennsylvania State University. For about 25 years, he was an NIH research chemist-microbiologist and an electron microscopist. Since 1972, he has been a professional photographer. In addition, he has been the president/CEO of The Children’s Learning Center since 1994.