Welcome to “Between the Lens and Me”
A Journey toward a personal MFA in Photography
What is a "Personal" MFA? More importantly, why would you, and how do you do it?
MFA programs are the path to success, of a sort. They allow you to learn craft and do your work in a critical environment with your peers and experienced professors, and most importantly, I think, meet the people who can make your career.
But what if you can't spend the money or take the time for an MFA? I decided to create my own MFA! While, the actual experience is not replicable, the rigor of learning is, particularly when supplemented with workshops (I happen to live not far from the International Center for Photography, which offers both online and in-person workshops).
So, I developed my own curriculum, which I've been working on for nearly two years. This site is a place for me to share it and some of my journey.
My curriculum is organized along the following lines and I will post more about them in the future:
- Art & Appreciation
- History
- Science & Craft
- Thought
Of course, beyond the books that this site covers, I have a daily practice of making photographs, editing and printing my work. I'm taking workshops so to avoid working in a vacuum.
At the end of each article I will list, as I’ve done here, the books mentioned for easy reference.
A note on the name
“Between the Lens and Me” is at once a nod to Ta-Nehisi Coates’ wonderful and meaningful book and that sense of something deeply personal about having a camera in hand.
“…the big distinction between good art and soso art lies somewhere in the art’s heart’s purpose, the agenda of the consciousness behind the text. It’s got something to do with love. With having the discipline to talk out of the part of yourself that [can love] instead of the part that just wants to too be loved.”
— David Foster Wallace, as quoted in Tim Carpenter’s To Photograph is to Learn How to Die
Books Mentioned
Tim Carpenter