The Exposed Frame

Analyzing iconic photographs, learning from our own mistakes, and the ongoing work of becoming a better photographer.

Latest Stories

V-J Day in Times Square (1945) - Alfred Eisenstaedt

Jan 9, 2026

•

18 min read

V-J Day in Times Square (1945) - Alfred Eisenstaedt

Alfred Eisenstaedt ran backward through a crowd of thousands, chasing a sailor who was kissing every woman he passed. Four frames. Four seconds. The photographer chose one based on a single criterion: balance.

Eric Brown

Dec 21, 2025

•

14 min read

Migrant Mother (1936) - Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange almost drove past. After a month on the road photographing migrant workers for the federal government, she was exhausted, her film cases full, her mind on home.

Eric Brown

Milky Way Planning: Lessons from Too Many Failed Nights

Dec 13, 2025

•

7 min read

Milky Way Planning: Lessons from Too Many Failed Nights

I've blown more astrophotography sessions than I care to admit. Here's what I learned about Milky Way planning after too many nights watching clouds roll in or showing up when the galactic core was nowhere near where I expected.

Eric Brown

Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare (1932) - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Dec 8, 2025

•

18 min read

Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare (1932) - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson shoved his camera through a gap in a construction fence, blocked his own viewfinder, and fired blind. The resulting photograph became the defining example of what he would later call "the decisive moment."

Eric Brown

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico (1941) - Ansel Adams

Nov 29, 2025

•

20 min read

Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico (1941) - Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams nearly missed this shot: no light meter, fading light, and only one sheet of film. What he captured in seconds took over forty years to print.

Eric Brown

ALL POSTS

Explore our archive of posts.