The Site
PhotoArtMag exists because I believe photography is one of the most accessible and rewarding creative pursuits there is. You don't need expensive gear or a fine arts degree. You need curiosity, a willingness to experiment, and maybe a bit of stubbornness when your first hundred shots don't turn out the way you imagined.
This site covers two things I care deeply about: the practical craft of making photographs and the artists who have shaped how we see. The technique articles come from my own experience behind the camera, from setting up a home studio on a kitchen counter to wandering the streets of Austin with a borrowed Leica. The artist profiles are my attempt to understand what makes certain photographers' work endure, and to share that context with anyone who finds themselves drawn to the same images.
About Chris
I'm Chris Duesing, a photographer and writer based in Chicago. I grew up in the suburbs of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and I've been drawing and making things for as long as I can remember. Photography came later, but it stuck harder than anything else.
My path to photography wasn't a straight line. I spent years as a developer and serial entrepreneur, building technology startups. That career taught me to think systematically and to explain complex things clearly, skills that turn out to be surprisingly useful when writing about f-stops and shutter speeds. But it was street photography that really changed how I engage with the world. There's something about walking a city with a camera that forces you to pay attention in a way nothing else does. You start noticing light, gesture, the way strangers compose themselves without knowing they're being observed.
These days my work spans street photography, still life, and more experimental approaches that blend traditional photography with digital tools. I shoot with both Leica rangefinders and Sony mirrorless systems, depending on what the work demands. I've attended workshops with photographers like Thorsten Overgaard, and I've spent time with systems ranging from smartphones to the Phase One IQ3 medium format. I believe in learning by doing, which means I've made every mistake in these articles before writing about how to avoid them.
You can see more of my work at chrisduesing.com.
Get in Touch
If you have questions about any of the techniques covered here, want to suggest an artist profile, or just want to talk photography, you can reach me at chris.duesing@gmail.com.