I worry a lot that I am a hack. Let me be clear: I do not refer to myself as “master” anything, since I believe a claim of being a master is fraught with peril, particularly the peril of being a master of not being a master.

Example: Pete Myers. The home page of his web site claims, “Pete Myers is a master fine arts photographer residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico… Myers is known for his compelling works of the American West…” News flash, Pete. Your stuff just isn’t very good. Taking pictures of broken down cars next to windmills doesn’t make you a “master” any more than going to a museum makes you a scientist.

Look at my web site: nowhere will you see me refer to myself as a “master” of anything, other than maybe being a doofus. You can’t really ever correctly claim to be a master; it’s something someone else, and ultimately history, has to do for you.

I don’t know. Maybe Pete’s claims are really just a form of marketing. “Wow, I bought a picture in Santa Fe from a Master Photographer!”

Oh, and for what it’s worth, I am despising the new “HDR” (High Dynamic Range) photos I see coming out of some otherwise talented photographers. It was fun for about five minutes, but it got old before the inkjet was dry.