The Lakescape Photography Podcast

Your Reality, Your Art: Editing as Expression with Blake Rudis
In this episode of the Lakescape Photography Podcast, Nick sits down with Blake Rudis. Professional photography educator, landscape photographer, and founder of F64 Academy, for a deep, practical conversation about artistic vision, editing as translation, and why your photos deserve more than "driving north" with no plan in post-processing.
Together, they unpack the tension between "purism" and creative expression, how our brains actually see a scene versus what a sensor records, and why the final image is often a gift of experience to the viewer, not a literal document of reality. They also tackle the modern landscape: AI accusations, authenticity, ethics, critique, jealousy, and how to stay grounded while still making work you're proud to share.
If you've ever looked at your RAW files and thought, "This doesn't match what I felt," this one's for you.
Resources & Links Mentioned
F64 Academy (Blake's education + newsletter): https://f64academy.com

F64 Academy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@f64Academy

F64 Elite (Blake's community + critiques + roundtables): https://f64elite.com

Recommended Ansel Adams books: The Camera, The Negative, The Print

 
Connect With The Host - Nicholas Albert👋🏼
Website 
YouTube 
Instagram 
The Lakescape Photography Podcast 🎙️
Great Lakes Photo Collective - Discord 
Support the Show
Website
Instagram 
Email

Finding Your Photographic Voice with Craig Blacklock (Lake Superior, Style, Composition & Creative Freedom)
 
Please don't forget to rate and subscribe! 🙂
Blacklock Gallery (books / store): https://www.blacklockgallery.com 
Craig's fine art prints: https://www.craigblacklock.art 
Singulart profile (search his name): https://www.singulart.com
Season Two kicks off with renowned Minnesota-based landscape photographer, author, educator, and gallery owner Craig Blacklock, a lifelong photographer of Lake Superior. Craig shares the throughline of his 50+ year career (from large-format landscapes to intimate projects and modern abstract work), and breaks down what it actually means to develop a photographic voice, separate from "vision," separate from trends, and often separate from what performs online.
This conversation is packed with practical field and creative guidance: how to spot your patterns, why constraints make you more creative, how to slow down and refine composition, and why social media engagement is a terrible measuring stick for meaningful work.
In this episode, you'll learn
The difference between photographic vision (what you want your work to do) and photographic voice (how your work sounds/feels).

How Craig's long-term Lake Superior projects evolved:
Lake Superior Images (4x5 transparencies + kayak circumnavigation writing)

A Voice Within: The Lake Superior Nudes (metaphor, humanity, emotion)

North Shore / Apostle Islands / Pictured Rocks work

Horizons and the shift toward minimalism and abstraction

Light Waves and the current abstract "resistance arts" direction


Why your best work may get less engagement online, and why that can be a good sign.

A compositional approach that helps complex scenes read clearly: separation of elements (the "loose jigsaw puzzle" idea).

How to stop shooting "14mm panic photos" and start making wide angles work.

 
Next Episode
Next up: "Your Reality, Your Art." A digital darkroom conversation with Blake Rudis about interpretation, style, and creating work that reflects your experience (not the internet's expectations).
 
Connect with the Host - Nicholas Albert 👋🏼
Website 
YouTube 
Instagram 
_____________________________________________________
The Lakescape Photography Podcast 🎙️
Great Lakes Photo Collective - Discord 
Support the Show
Website
Instagram 
Email

Season 2 Kickoff: Great Lakes Landscape Photography, YouTube Adventures & the Great Lakes Photo Collective
Season Two of the Lakescape Photography Podcast is officially here, and it's bigger, more visual, and more community-driven than ever. In this season opener, Nick shares the incredible growth of Season One, explains the biweekly Thursday release schedule, and announces two major expansions: a YouTube companion series (Nicholas Albert Photography on YouTube) and the launch of the Great Lakes Photo Collective (free Discord community).
You'll also learn how the new "From the Collective" segment works, where listener images and stories get featured on the podcast and on Instagram.
New episodes every two weeks on Thursdays through November 19, 2026.
YouTube Companion Series
Channel: Nicholas Albert Photography

Great Lakes Photo Collective (Discord)
A free community focused on Great Lakes + Midwest landscape photography (open to anyone who connects with the show).

Great Lakes Photo Collective - Discord
_____________________________________________________
CONNECT WITH THE HOST NICHOLAS ALBERT 👋🏼
Website 
YouTube 
Instagram 
_____________________________________________________
THE LAKESCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY PODCAST 🎙️
Great Lakes Photo Collective - Discord 
Support the Show
Website
Instagram 
Email 
_____________________________________________________


All Content © Nicholas Albert Photography & The Lakescape Photography Podcast - All Rights Reserved.
The Lakescape Photography Podcast name, artwork, logo, audio and associated content are property of Nicholas Albert Photography & The Lakescape Photography Podcast. Reproduction, modification, or any use of the podcast name, artwork, logo, audio, and associated content must receive prior written authorization. For inquiries, please reach out: [email protected].

The Lost and Forgotten Waterfalls of Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula with Jake Ring
Jake Ring joins us for a discussion on his journey to finding 1,000 waterfalls in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and shares details about his newly released book, The Lost and Forgotten Waterfalls of Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula. 
Please don't forget to rate and subscribe! 🙂
CONNECT WITH JAKE RING 📸
Website | Instagram
Purchase Lost & Forgotten Waterfalls of Michigan's Western Upper Pensinsula 
Wow Creek
Andrew Morrissey (Kayaker over Tahquamenon) 
Geology Books
Geology of Michigan
Geology and Landscapes of Michigan's Pictured Rocks
_____________________________________________________
CONNECT WITH THE HOST 👋🏼
Website | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Threads | Email
_____________________________________________________
THE LAKESCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY PODCAST 🎙️
Website | Patreon | Instagram | Email 
_____________________________________________________


All Content © Nicholas Albert Photography & The Lakescape Photography Podcast - All Rights Reserved.
The Lakescape Photography Podcast name, artwork, logo, audio and associated content are property of Nicholas Albert Photography. Reproduction, modification, or any use of the podcast name, artwork, logo, audio, and associated content must receive prior written authorization. For inquiries, please reach out: [email protected].

Shoulder Seasons and Landscape Photography
This week, I share some takeaways from my recent shoulder season trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Autumn met winter, and it was a beautiful thing!
Please don't forget to rate and subscribe! 🙂


CONNECT WITH THE HOST 👋🏼
Website | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | Threads | Email
_____________________________________________________
THE LAKESCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY PODCAST 🎙️
Website | Patreon | Instagram | Email 
_____________________________________________________


All Content © Nicholas Albert Photography & The Lakescape Photography Podcast - All Rights Reserved.
The Lakescape Photography Podcast name, artwork, logo, audio and associated content are property of Nicholas Albert Photography. Reproduction, modification, or any use of the podcast name, artwork, logo, audio, and associated content must receive prior written authorization. For inquiries, please reach out: [email protected].