What separates a photographer who makes important work from one who just makes good photos? It might not be talent. It might not be gear. It might be something harder to name and harder to fake.

This week I walked into an APA Peer-to-Peer Photo Book Critique in San Diego with six copies of my own book, a smug attitude, and some assumptions that didn't survive the first thirty minutes. What I saw that night from two photographers, Michele Zousmer and Andrew Hertel, forced me to sit with a question I keep asking about other people's work but rarely ask about my own.

Who is this for? And what drove you to make it?

This episode is about obsession. What it looks like when it's real. What it costs. And what it means when you've been swimming in borrowed obsessions long enough that you stop noticing.

People and work mentioned in this episode:

Michele Zousmer, documentary photographer. Her Irish Travellers project is some of the most honest and important photography I've seen in years. Website: michelezousmer.com Instagram: @michelezousmerphoto

Andrew Hertel, fine art nature photographer based in San Diego. His Japan book White Silence was made in a single day in Hokkaido. It shows. Website: andrewhertel.com Instagram: @andrewjameshertel

This week's clip is from @dishcreates on YouTube, talking about choosing a new artistic obsession. Worth your time.

Lessons From A Terrible Photographer is available now on Amazon. Get your copy here: https://a.co/d/0aqcL8Rq

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Photographer on Instagram: @terriblephotographer Patrick Fore on Instagram: @patrickfore

Podcast written, produced, and hosted by Patrick Fore.
Music licensed through Epidemic Sound and Blue Dot Sessions.
Episode photography from Adobe Stock
Recorded from my garage in San Diego, California.