You have all the talent in the world. You've landed some great gigs. You are the hardest working photographer you know. But you can't figure out why you haven't "arrived". Well, first thing's first. Have we ever really "arrived"? I have been at it for more than a decade. I can make a case for some measure of success, but I can say for sure that I haven't "arrived" at anything but a little more... read more ›
802 reads
May
25
May
24
The votes are in and the jury is out. The 2010 PDN Photo Annual is in the mail and live over at PDN online. Go check it out here. My fav category this year was the books. My least fav was the advertising. Go figure. Overall some really great work. I'm especially excited about books by Martin Parr, Mario Giacomelli. The shot above from Ambroise Tezenas also caught my... read more ›
308 reads
May
20
The most powerful images in documentary photography projects are rarely the ones on the surface of the issue, they're the ones that go deeper. Australian documentary photographer, Mark Tipple, has taken this concept quite literally in a new series called "The Underwater Project". I've always been intrigued by what happens below the surface, like what's happening where we can't see. Coming from a surfing background I used to wonder what happens when we're duck-diving, like,... read more ›
1K reads
May
16
I recently kicked off the world's first live, FREE creative classroom and it's growing every week. We had a blast hosting my pal Vince Laforet for a 3-day workshop on HDdSLR Cinema 2 weeks ago (amazing downloads here). And now there are two more photography classes you should know about over at creativeLIVE.com... First: want to edit and manage your photos, view video, and combine them all using one software? Starting tomorrow, Monday 5/16 at... read more ›
492 reads
May
14
Whereas in ancient times a big waistline was an indication of prosperity, today it's not. The same goes for your creative business. “The conventional wisdom in our business is that you have to grow and keep moving to survive. We never grew, always stayed tiny, and it serves us very well over the years, allowing us to pick and choose projects, and keeping our financial independence from our clients. We actually have a rather good... read more ›
391 reads
May
12
[UPDATE: The criminal charges against him have just been dropped and the judge issued a court order for the release of his camera equipment. Good news for sure, but the points remain: 1) we need documentary shooters shooting the entire gamut, legal and not. 2) we need public defenders who understand this need and are prepared to help us defend it.] This is nuts. LA photographer Jonas Lara has been arrested and faces up to... read more ›
4.4K reads
May
11
If you were like me, then it wasn't long ago that you were prophesying that "before long" we'd have implants or cameras on us at all times that recorded everything we see. Well, welcome to the the future. They're not implants, and of course you look like a Cylon if you actually sported these suckers, but the spectacles pictured here are getting closer to the future of 24/7 coverage of human life. There have certainly... read more ›
739 reads
May
09
Friends: It's the weekend and I'm focused on some personal stuff that could use your help if you're willing. I'm trying to help my favorite non-profit win a $125,000 grant to make emergency repairs to their building, and I'm willing to incent you with about $500 bucks in gear for your help in doing so. If you are interested, please read on. [NEWEST update: in what the sponsoring group, Partners in Preservation, called "an unprecedented... read more ›
411 reads
May
07
Thanks again to everyone for throwing down your thoughts on how I shot this photo. Lots of good ideas presented in your answers, and lots of you nailed several components of image. Overall, I think Derik got the closest to detailing how we did this, so if Derik will ping us offline, we'll send him a signed copy of TBCITOTWY. In the meantime, here's the debrief of the soccer shot from my portfolio. 1. Environment.... read more ›
566 reads
May
05
You know I love to deconstruct a photo. And I know from your previous feedback that you love it to, so let's dig into another one. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. It's always been one of the most helpful technical exercises throughout my career to try to dissect the images of others, and so here I am encouraging you to take your shot at this image today. (If you want to... read more ›
554 reads
