May 26

Two Short Films. Two Amazing People.

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

The Long-Ass Curvy Road

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 14

Sagmeister on Keeping It Real

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 ›
Apr 22

Choose Your Own Adventure.

If you wait around to read the email when it pours into your inbox, will you ever have time to take pictures? How many ideas will you miss by chasing the next best thing rather than finishing the project you've already started? If you continue taking those crappy gigs that generate dogpoop looking photos or films, will you ever have time to create the ones you want? What is the cost of doing things that... read more ›
Apr 21

Photographing Moby. Or Maybe Not.

One of the things I loved about learning to speak a decent bit of French a few years back was that just when you realized that you knew enough French to get by, THAT's when you realized that you had so much more to learn. Same goes with any second language, or flyfishing, or race car driving or laundry or medicine, yoga, or anything that you can really sink your teeth into. And the same... read more ›
Apr 14

A Conversation on Planning (and Inspiration).

I feel compelled to share with you my latest documentary short film in the series I've been commissioned to create for Russell Investments. This particular piece is about planning--a topic that bridges my client to the rest of the world's day to day endeavors--but it might as well be about inspiration. That's the primary reason I want to share it here... Not for the commercial message, but because Helen Thayer is one of... read more ›
Mar 26

The Price Of Admission

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 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

chasejarvis_5photoshootideas
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 ›