There's some fun and evocative smack talking going on over at Uproxx.com that caught my attention:"Granted, some of this is entirely the fault of the indie film scene itself, which is always rife with idiocy, and these days is basically celebrating incompetence because competence is just too Hollywood, man. The hot movement, mumblecore, seriously got its name from the fact that the filmmakers lacked the technical competence to point a microphone at an actor’s mouth.... read more ›
Jun
03
Jun
02
Seems like every week I'm reading another story of the rights of photojournalists getting stomped on. Today, no exception. In this Virginia case, the cops seized unpublished photos from the James Madison University newspaper using a search warrant that violates journalist's privilege under the First Amendment, the Virginia Constitution and common law. "The settlement ends a month-and-a-half long debate over the photos, which began when someone from the prosecutor's office called the student newspaper a... read more ›
Jun
01
Yes, I know you're a master of lighting, that you've used every light modifier known, that you've been going to PhotoPlus for ten years, that you were one of the first bloggers, you used Twitter before it was cool and you can gauge light temperature in your sleep. Yes, I know that you sit in front of your computer reminding other photographers that they're using the wrong gear for this job or that job. But... read more ›
May
26
Two short films. Two amazing people I'd love for you to meet. 1. Soren. You know TV's reality drama "The Deadliest Catch" about the world's most dangerous profession. Well Soren Sorenson has lived that hardcore commercial fisherman's life for 50 years, and he's lived it without an ounce of bravado or showmanship, despite his record-breaking catches and the fact that 6 of his boats have ended up on the bottom of the ocean. Now at... read more ›
May
25
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
