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I recently got a flood of questions via Twitter asking about developing a personal photographic style, which made me think about a million conversations I've had with my photographer buddies over the years… And I was wishing I had recorded those. And then I remembered that I DID have one that I recorded from an old chasejarvis LIVE with my pal Zack Arias. He's a fun guy, great shooter and very talented photography instructor. Here's a few nuggets from our banter (plucked from the middle of the conversation and transcribed…) about developing personal photographic style…

The best rule in feature writing is to observe no rules, aside from those of basic journalistic style and structure. The best lead for the feature story is a natural extension of the story - nothing forced or contrived without consideration to the tone or subject of the story. More bluntly stated, the best lead is the lead that is relevant, grabs the reader's attention and fits the mood of the story.

While journalists reporting late-breaking hard news don't have enough preparation time and copy length to include much background and description, writers of features have the space and time to evoke imagery in their stories and fill in details of the circumstances and atmosphere.

These are excellent stories told through the graphic art of Mark McCormick.

It's an irony of the Digital Age that, at a time when photography is more popular than ever, it's often difficult to find anyone who can explain why certain pictures and photographers are, quite simply, great. Here, LIFE.com offers insights from professional shooters, passionate aficionados, and LIFE editors on what, exactly, makes photos memorable and moving, and why particular photographers, past and present, really matter -- and always will.

To help photographers of all stripes take their skills to the next level, LIFE.com offers a series of "lessons" on photography, focusing on elemental aspects of picture-taking. Featuring advice from professional photographers, these galleries provide simple, straightforward answers to some of the most common questions about "how to make great pictures."

LIFE.com asked professional photographer Tyler Stalman to offer insights on the art of portraiture -- or how to take pictures of people that really feel alive. Of this classic LIFE photograph by John Loengard of the Beatles in a pool in Miami, Stalman says: "Most people, when taking group shots, want to line everybody up -- even putting them in rows -- but when you have a bunch of people it's great to put them in a new or unexpected environment. Like this Loengard photo: you get all this extra depth in the picture, and there's so much going on at once.

The only way to stop procrastinating is to simply start the task you've been putting off. Of course you're thinking: Thanks a lot, Captain Obvious. We all know that "just do it" sounds simple, but in reality, starting on a dreaded to-do can feel impossible. Some tasks are just so big and awful that you can't bring yourself to start in on them because the end seems so far in the future, and the journey there torturous.