Mike has had the pleasure of editing with these photographers and others, recently.

Rob Bennett's goal was to build a portfolio to show to potential clients in New York, where he works and lives.

Rob is a modest guy, a largely self-taught photographer who can and does make nice pictures. But he, like many photographers, is still figuring out that good art directors and picture editors hire you for the way you see, the way you make pictures.

Rob made this picture not far from his apartment. © Rob Bennett

What's the difference? If you're not making pictures that are true to your own way of seeing, the resulting images tend to be generic, center focused, nothing happening on the edges, oval pictures made mostly from the same distance to the subject.

Rob included many of these types of generic photos in the group of more than 300 he sent me. But also in that group were some magical images, ones that he had made either on his own or when one of the Times picture editors encouraged him to just see.

So many photographers can make better pictures than what they're making. All it takes is being told the difference between the magical and the mundane photographs and then getting encouragement to break free and guidance on how to make magic more often.

Rob is breaking free.