The Price Of Admission

Mar 26

I had a mini-epiphany after receiving some comments and re-reading a post I wrote earlier this week called Bet on Hard Work Over Talent.That epiphany is pretty simple. I forgot to include one or two key sentences: We shouldn't celebrate or over-dramatize that we work hard, because no one cares. If you're a professional creative, then working hard and being good at your job is the price of admission.We don't hear PGA golfer Phil Mickelson... read more ›

Mar 24

Chase Jarvis RAW: Cameras at Risk

Even after years of doing this stuff, I still get excited watching $70k worth of camera hanging 30 feet in the air off a couple of measly bolts.Last week I posted two 3 minute films that I've been commissioned by Russell Investments to create exploring the topic of 'risk'. In these vids (please check them out here if you missed them), our crew hauled a RED One digital cinema camera and a handful of... read more ›

Mar 22

Bet on Hard Work Over Talent

"If I’m going to be in this industry, I’m going to want to be the best at it. And yet I couldn’t guarantee is that I was going to be the most talented in this business. But one thing I could guarantee is that I was going to work harder than anyone else." -David Droga, Founder of droga5 AgencyCreative talent has always been a wispy thing, although you may know exactly where you fit in... read more ›

Mar 19

5 Photoshoot Ideas Worth Stealing

Running dry on ideas to push yourself and your photography portfolio? Here's 5 ideas worth stealing. Perhaps one might catch your attention, or inspire to you do something similar. Or very very different. 1. Photograph one of your grandparents extensively. Might sound boring, but I assure you it will be profound. If you're lucky enough that your grandparents are still with you, spend an entire day--or better, a week perhaps--photographing your grandma or grandpa. 1,000... read more ›

Mar 17

Exploring Risk: Conversation Yields Innovation

The times they are a changing. We're finally breaking into a new era, one that's much less about companies filling formulaic advertising buckets like single page ads and 30-second spots, and much more about finding new approaches to connect meaningfully with an audience.As a professional creative, this is a huge breath of fresh air for me. It’s with that in mind that I’m excited to introduce some of my latest work: two short films... read more ›

Mar 16

Creativity Alone is Not Enough

There was a time when good advertising photos and commercials stood out because they were creative. When just having a picture in your ad could set you a part. But those times are long gone. In today's crowded, noisy world good advertising photography and video must transcend just 'creative'. Arguably, everything that is made is creative. But if you flip through any magazine or browse any interesting site, there are images that engage you and... read more ›

Mar 12

Deconstruct This Photo 2.0 – REVEALED

It was good fun poking through all the great comments as hundreds of y'all deconstructed the advertising image I posted on Tuesday. Tons of great insights, lots of great ideas I didn't use (but might next time) and, while it was a tough choice, I think J. Harrington was the first person who most accurately pulled apart the technical aspects of this image. We'll send him a signed book or something fun. In the meantime,... read more ›

Mar 09

Deconstruct This Photo 2.0

Deconstructing the work of others has been--and continues to be--one of the most influential things in my technical development as an artist. I’ll always bring my own vision, but I’m constantly asking myself, how in the hell was this, that, or the other photo made?That said, we’ve dug into this before on a similar post that proved to be quite popular and--according to feedback--fun and helpful. As such, I’m interested to hear how YOU think... read more ›

Mar 04

The Best Photo + Video Locations in the World

In the era before blogs really hit the mainstream, it was very unpopular in photography circles to share thoughts, techniques and insights about the craft as well as the industry/trade. It was taboo. Well, the monopoly on information has obviously crumbled and, while it upset a handful of ivory-towered folks in the photo, film and video industries, we've broken out of that paradigm to a new era of more democratized creativity. Let's consider doing the... read more ›

Mar 02

Making Old Spice Sausage with Wieden + Kennedy

Ok, I promised a follow up to Friday's funny video post about making sausage. If you missed it, my point was largely that shooting ads and making commercials is much like making sausage--you love the taste of it, but you'd probably risk losing your appetite if you watched it being made.That last part of that statement is of course tongue-in-cheek, since learning more about how we make this sort of stuff--as it relates to... read more ›