I had the distinct pleasure of being a guest on Jenni Hogan's "Next Big Thing" podcast a couple weeks ago to talk a bit about my life path(s), pivot points and the way that creativeLIVE is systematically re-shaping access to the best education. For those who don't know Jenni, she's a super smart, sharp journalist who has a passion for connecting with like-minded people who impact, inspire and inform. Equally at home in the worlds... read more ›
May
08
May
07
A few months ago I was fortunate enough to be part of an expedition to bring greater awareness to the scarcity of fresh drinking water experienced by many countries around the world. Called Summit on the Summit, the expedition was a 60 mile hike up Kilimanjaro and included some artists, educators and guides who shared my interest in this awareness project, including Mark Foster, Justin Chatwin and Beau Garrett. I put together this... read more ›
May
06
A recent NPR story "Why Politicians Want Children to be Seen and Heard" spoke to the effectiveness of children as political messengers. Federal gun law supporters use images of children to play on the emotions of the masses. "Save Our Children" and all that jazz. Annoying as hell to get 'used'. But real. And effective stuff, no doubt. Children have long been the fodder of photogs. Back in January... read more ›
May
03
Thanks everyone for the overwhelming response and involvement in our Street Photography contest. We had a blast looking through the thousands of entries and have finally managed to wittle them down to our three favorites....plus five honorable mentions that we felt compelled to shine a spotlight on. Take a look! [Winners - congrats! We will be in touch with you about your ThinkTank prizes.] The Winners Wojtek Lesiak This photo embodies the spirit of street... read more ›
May
03
I'm grateful to have so many friends in the Seattle community who influence and inspire me. Among them - Ben Haggerty. Known to the world as Macklemore, Ben and his talented musical partner-in-crime Ryan Lewis have been on rocket-ship ride to hip hop stardom in the last 7 months. They have been touring non-stop and sold millions of downloads their #1 hit song Thriftshop from the incredible album The Heist. They have appeared on Jay... read more ›
May
03
I don't know what you were doing when you were 11, but I know I wasn't directing movies. Hell, I wasn't even standing in front of that pool. Trinity Anderson, on the other hand, has jumped into the deep end and seems to managing just fine, thank you. The 11-year-old and her father, Barry Anderson, are wrapping up production on her latest stop-motion film (a genre she's been at since she was 4) and have... read more ›
May
02
The phrase "Old school" can't do justice to New York photographer Matt Schwartz's methodology. Lugging around an 8x10 Polaroid camera to shoot stylized surf-themed pics (that are pretty easy on the eyes) that could pass as faded stills from unused Endless Summer clips, Schwartz has eschewed the conveniences of the modern camera and smart phone camera apps for an approach that has never let him down. That he does it without commercial motivation may be... read more ›
May
01
Creativity is the new literacy, and I've got an anthem brewing over here... But what fires me up is that I'm not alone. So many of us are feeling this anthem right now. Times are changing. The old methods of memorization and rigid exams for a diverse student body is not working for today's world. Those times were for the factory. But what now? The average US college student graduates with about $27,000 in debt.... read more ›
Apr
30
Although gear isn't even close to the most important part of photography, it's still important. And choosing the best camera for your particular needs can be a daunting task - which is why I often get new gear to bang around with and it's also why I associate with smart gear guys like my pal Sohail. In this review, Sohail puts the new Nikon 7100 through its paces in a way that I haven't got... read more ›
Apr
29
Update: It's official now, I'm dropping in as a guest on JoeyL's show TODAY at 10:45 Seattle Time (1:45 NYC; 18:45 London). Join us - ask questions. I just was sent over the topics he's going to grill me on and I haven't given an interview this in-depth about commercial photography in more than a year. Tune in HERE to watch... -- Occasionally I hand pick certain people that I'd like to see... read more ›