Blog on N. Becker Photography

Farewell, St. Louis

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0600

In March of this year, I wrote:

… the default path is the one of least resistance. That the easiest choice is usually the most predictable one, the one where you can see several steps out.

I didn’t explicitly say this in that article, but my motivation for writing and sharing those words was to remind myself that the fear I felt about accepting a new job (the one I started in April) was normal, expected, and would pave the way toward personal growth. My lizard brain resisted the change, but my human brain knew that making myself uncomfortable in the short term would be worthwhile in the long term.

Why (and How) to Make a Zine

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Late last year, I decided to push myself outside of my creative comfort zone by creating a photo zine. The zine’s title is Rhythms of Leaf and Stone, and it contains a brief introductory essay followed by 36 small scenes created within Missouri between the years 2018 and 2024.

Poetic Visuals, Volume 2: Resonances

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0600

The second issue of Poetic Visuals is here!

Volume 2: Resonances was created with the same collaborative, experimental spirit as Volume 1. Murray Livingston and I recruited Saikat Chakraborty and Brad Carr to explore the idea of resonance in photography with us, a concept that is foundational to how we all make images.

Friday Night Dinners

Sun, 18 May 2025 00:00:00 -0600

The universe flickered earlier this month as my grandma took her last breath.

She was quiet, smart, and spunky, with a sense of humor that would catch you off guard. She was resilient in the face of adversity, especially when my grandfather died in 2002. She had a soft spot for animals. She adored dogs and always had one. She loved birds, especially cardinals, which adorned plates, needlework, paintings, and photographs on her walls of her home. And she was one of my biggest fans: when we were cleaning out her room after she died, we left with seven of my photographs in frames (two of them featuring cardinals that immediately made me think of her when I made the images back in 2015).

Just Me, The Human

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Years ago, I wrote a blog post where I attempted to clarify my stance as a creative on photography tools that use artificial intelligence (AI).

Reading that article again, I don’t think I was especially successful in making my point.

Beware the Path of Least Resistance

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0600

A couple weeks ago, I had a Friday off work and decided to spend the morning hiking at a favorite nearby haunt. It would be a later-than-usual start to such an outing because I was on daycare drop-off duty that week, but I was in no hurry. I was just happy to get some fresh air.

Introducing Poetic Visuals

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0600

I am excited to share the inaugural issue of Poetic Visuals, a journal that explores the poetics of photography through the intersection of language and images. Volume 1: Intersections can be downloaded for free using the download button at the bottom of this page.

Winter Print Exchange 2025

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Welcome to the 2025 Winter Print Exchange!

This is the third instantiation of this exchange. As usual, the purpose is to build community and facilitate introductions among artists around the world. It’s also a fun way to share your work with others (with the added benefit of getting a nice print from a stranger in the mail).

Winter Print Exchange 2024

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0600

Welcome to the 2024 Winter Print Exchange!

This is the second iteration of this exchange, the first of which took place in December of 2022, and in my opinion was a lot of fun. I had all but written off hosting it again this year, but after reworking the timing (and receiving some friendly prodding from a couple of last year’s participants), I decided, why not?

Mud And Wood: Afterward

Sun, 30 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0600

I credit my pinhole camera for being a creative life vest on my recent trip to Badlands National Park. I have discussed its role in my process before, but few times has it been more apparent than on this trip. My pinhole camera focuses my creative eye and kindles my curiosity. It helps me to let go of my inhibitions and nurture my creativity.

Mud And Wood

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0600

In May of 2023, I had the opportunity to revisit one of my favorite places: Badlands National Park.

Unlike other recent trips, this wasn’t a family trip. Though I had originally planned on a solo adventure, my good friend (and talented author) Josiah agreed on short notice to meet me there.

Introducing Colortools

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0600

ColorTools is a Python library and command-line tool that can compute the dominant colors of an image. This enables several different ways to automatically sort the images, including sorting by hue.

While there are many approaches one can use to order the images in a collection (subject matter, season, date, composition, aspect ratio, etc.), some of my favorite photographers sort collections of images by color (or at least heavily factor color into the sequencing of their collections). I’ve always found the results of this approach logical and aesthetically pleasing. When viewing the collection at a distance, it conveys a calm sense of order to my eye.

Winter Print Exchange 2022

Sun, 27 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Welcome to my Winter Print Exchange of 2022!

The purpose of this exchange is to build community and help facilitate introductions among photographers across the country. I also thought it would be a fun way to share your work with others, and who doesn’t love getting a nice print in the mail?

Waypoints 2021: Behind the Images

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0600

This article is an evolution of the notes that I jotted down while deciding which images to include in the 2021 installment of Waypoints. I thought it might provide some insight into the thinking that goes into my selections for this series.

Silver Linings

Mon, 30 May 2022 00:00:00 -0600

I recently applied to an artist-in-residence program. As you might’ve guessed based on the title of this article, my application was declined.

It isn’t the first time I’ve had an AiR application rejected. And truthfully, I’ve never been surprised by this outcome, as they’ve always felt like a stretch for me. But this time felt a little different. It’s been a few years since my last attempt, and I feel like my work and intentions have matured in that time. I’m a little more thoughtful about my photography than I used to be. I am beginning to better understand myself as a photographer.

The Way Home, Part II

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0600

Note: This article is a continuation of The Way Home, Part I.

Discovery
#

When my now-wife and I moved away from the DC area, bound for her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, I was filled with conflicting emotions.

The Way Home, Part I

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0600

What is home to you?

On first consideration, a particular place may come to mind. But I think of home as a feeling, one that is difficult to describe but unmistakable once you experience it. It is a sense of familiarity. Comfort. Belonging.

The Experience is Everything

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0600

In July, I posed a question as a poll on my Instagram story:

Process or results?

I presented this question with a photo of my pinhole camera, which I was just learning how to use. The process of using a pinhole camera is different from using modern mirrorless or DSLR cameras: there is no viewfinder, and once film has been loaded, the only variable is shutter speed, which is controlled manually. The resulting images have a unique look that is a bit less representational than typical images produced using modern cameras.

500 Miles

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0600

In January of 2021, I decided to set a goal of hiking 500 miles before the end of the year. While I normally spend a great deal of my free time hiking, with or without my camera, my hope was that this goal would provide some extra incentive to push myself physically, especially during those moments throughout the year when I knew I would need a little extra encouragement.

Don't Fear the AI Overlords / Finding Your Creative Rhythm

Sat, 12 Jun 2021 00:00:00 -0600

The initial topic for this article was the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in photography. I had planned to lean on my background as a software engineer to dispel what I see as common misconceptions about AI and make the case that technology isn’t the enemy of art.

What Neuroscience Tells Us About Creativity

Sat, 21 Nov 2020 00:00:00 -0600

In my last article, A Higher Standard, I shared some thoughts on photographic plagiarism (“comp-stomping”) and among other conclusions, proposed that as artists we should focus on holding creativity to a higher standard, particularly with regard to composition.

But what is creativity? What mechanisms in our brains are responsible for creative thought? What happens when we find ourselves creatively stuck, and how can we break free? These are the questions that I will address in this article. My goal is to clarify the concept of creativity by consolidating perspectives from psychology and neuroscience, then apply these perspectives to some advice of my own on breaking out of creative ruts. At the end of this article, I’ve provided interested readers with plenty of links to further reading.

A Higher Standard

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 00:00:00 -0600

This article is the first in a series that I have planned about the role of creativity in photography. While this deep dive covers a few different topics broadly related to creativity, I am beginning with a reaction to two articles with similar messages:

Death Valley Reflection

Sat, 04 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0600

In early February of this year (before I had ever heard the phrase “social distancing”), I had the great pleasure of attending the “Death Valley Small Scenes & Personal Expression” photography workshop led by Sarah Marino, Jennifer Renwick, and David Kingham. I hesitated for a long time before deciding that the time was right to invest in a workshop experience, but I’m happy to confidently report that it was just what I needed to push my pursuit of photography to the next level.