Remember in the hilarious scene in the mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap by Rob Reiner when Nigel is being interviewed about his guitars and amps and he points out that his amps are better because instead of stopping at 10, where other bands' amps stop, "these go to eleven..."?Or from the Farrelly brothers' film There's Something About Mary, where the guy decides he could make a mint on 7 minute abs instead of 8... read more ›
Nov
10
Nov
03
Check out the Accidental Creative podcast to re-focus your creative energy. I've reference the AC before, however Episode 36 is particularly good because it offers a simple reminder to pay attention to the things that matter in the rhythms of our professional lives. I recently found myself at odds with my creative rhythms, so the timing of this episode was particularly effective in getting me back on track. Being a good creative professional and being... read more ›
Nov
01
Friends. Please take the time to read a touching story by Jill Waterman entitled "Off the Map" about a fantastic student I met while speaking at the Brooks Institute of Photography. Her name is Michelle Nolan. When I speak publicly, I often refer to the importance of giving back to your community. Michelle's story and how she affected the life of a young boy undergoing cancer treatment, Rusty Cwiklis, is truly inspiring. If you're looking... read more ›
Oct
15
Argh. It seems that so many in our profession are worried about the future of the industry. I'm shocked really. First, it was paranoia by many that the digital age was somehow "harming" photography. That was true only if 1)you were a stuffy codger unwilling to embrace change and the opportunities that the digital age could bring, and 2)you were overly pretentious and in the dark about the intersection of art and commerce that is... read more ›
Oct
03
In true Seth Godin style (perhaps long before Seth was really cranking) Puma turned the tables on the sneaker industry. Now listen up people this is universally viable: if you're trying to make big steps in whatever you're doing, don't chase people around trying to be them! Innovate. It's the key to survival and growth, especially when the going gets tough. Fast company has a great piece online right now about turning the tides and... read more ›
Sep
27
So my good friend Ben Winters, VP at Uppercut Images sent me this response to my Aesthetics: Knights of Cydonia post at 2am after we missed connections at the DJ Krush show at Neumo's in Seattle. He wasn't down with using the 'comments' unfortunately, and wanted this off-list. I have subsequently negotiated his letting me post his sleepy 2am rant-but-on-point note here:Chase,As I sit awake now reading my email at 1 am after sleeping through... read more ›
Sep
26
Holy crap. I was reminded today in a strange way that good art is about vision and intention. It's less about the components and, ultimately, more about the process of DOING--the putting together of concepts. My good buddy Ben Winters from Uppercut Images turned me onto this brilliant video for the track 'Knights of Cydonia' by the band Muse. What I loved about it is that until I'd reflected on it properly, I didn't know... read more ›
Sep
26
As many of you photo industry enthusiasts know, the huge yearly Photokina Trade Show is happening this week in Germany. While trade shows don't really blow most people's minds (mine included), it's worth noting that manufactures often unveil their new offering at these things. That said, Nikon today previewed their new N 80 "semi-pro" camera. A link to the release can be found here. If you're an aspiring pro or a serious amateur and you're... read more ›
Sep
23
I'm a huge fan of documentary films. Sometimes I like really weird obscure ones, but I'm also greatly satisfied by commercially successful (relatively speaking) and well done documentaries like Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Scratch, and Winged Migration to name a few.Anyway, if you dig documentaries, you might want to check out this great link for 100 favorite documentaries I nabbed from BoingBoing and buy Kevin Kelly's PDF book featured therein.
Sep
23
News from 1995: Apple is going to be lucky to make it to the end of the year. Lot's of web traffic today on NY Times columnist David Pogue's brilliant and hilarious reminder here that know-it-all's are regularly known to be very wrong. Congrats to Apple for, well, giving them the finger. And all of us, take a lesson: critics are often angry, tired, cynical people living in dark apartments. Don't pay them the attention.
