"No one want ordinary photographers anymore. No one wants regular photographers. They want someone that can bring some kind of special lens or special expertise to the conversation.""You have convictions, you have ideas. They may not be perfect, but just get them out there. Give them a shot."Want to make a living in commercial photography? The above quotes are my adaptions from some brilliant strategic minds within advertising. While I was watching this video, it... read more ›
Nov
24
Nov
20
Not Shooting Lights as in photographing with strobes, but as in a new SFEAD track from The Blakes.If you hang around these parts online, you know all there is to know about my Songs For Eating and Drinking project with my buddy Hebb. No frills, world class music, good vibes. Stills, video, audio. Here's another exclusive performance from one of those evenings this summer. Take a break from pressing your face against your camera... read more ›
Nov
18
Creating a strong emotional connection with the viewer is without a doubt the most important criterion in a successful image. Nothing will ever supplant that. Beyond that, however, there's a whole bunch of second tier, more "mechanical" techniques that we creatives can cook up to elevate our images and create visual interest. One such technique is compositional in nature: creating cool angles and unique perspectives. It's what makes P.O.V. shots cool, it's the mojo... read more ›
Nov
10
I can't help but think that somebody forgot to dot an i or cross a t somewhere, because yours truly has just been asked to give away $100,000 of somebody else's money. Yep you read that correctly. 100. LARGE. That somebody is Nikon, and I'm not alone in this endeavor. I've got some accomplices: Rainn Wilson (from 'The Office') and Justine Ezarik (iJustine). The three of us have been charged with choosing one winner in... read more ›
Nov
03
This one has been a long time coming. Today, I'm happy and proud to share with you my first foray into music videos. It's a video for The Blakes titled "Ramshackle Hearse." You may remember my love affair with the band. Ever since I put their track "Don't Bother Me" behind Chase Jarvis RAW: Advance Testing the Nikon D90, I've been enamored with their rough pop sound. It's after midnight now, and I'm holed... read more ›
Oct
27
Of all the behind the scenes stuff we've showed in recent vids, the one techie thing that far-and-away led to the most questions from readers was the part in this video where I'm photographing X Games uber-skiers Simon Dumont, Colby James West, TJ Shiller, Peter Olenick, and Nick Heine in New Zealand using strobes at 8 frames per second. That's right, all that stuff for the SanDisk campaign you remember reading about earlier. Rail... read more ›
Oct
23
I've been on the road almost non-stop since we shot the SanDisk campaign in NZ last month, but I'd promised that there was a bit more followup to come as we wrap up post production back at the studio. In this vid, for example (in the spirit of the oldie-but-still-relevant Chase Jarvis CURRENT: 32 Questions vid) I jam through a selection of about 30 questions I'd been asked via the online channels, from creative direction... read more ›
Oct
09
If you're a regular here, you'll know exactly want I mean when I say please enjoy some new SFEAD vids here on this lovely Friday, skip the next paragraph and head straight to the music.If you've not been around for a while then you should know I'm passionate about music. And you'll want to know (or be reminded) that SFEAD stands for Song For Eating And Drinking, a project I created with my pal... read more ›
Sep
29
Hopefully you were tuned in the previous coupla weeks to our play-by-play campaign shooting for SanDisk in New Zealand. Well, we're back in the states, digging out, editing and what not, and as promised, we've got more content from the trip to post. In this Chase Jarvis TECH, I'm responding to hordes of you who asked 1)why are you shooting so many frames? 2) why in the world are you shooting on a tripod?... read more ›
Sep
22
Today I’m really pumped to share with you the results of many months of hard work, a whole lotta fun, and--in many ways--a dream come true. It’s a trifecta of projects that I’ve just launched moments ago:Introducing:1. Best Camera = An iPhone photo app that allows you to shoot, add creative effects, and share your images more simply and powerfully than ever before. Virtually limitless creativity, and the ability to share photos directly from... read more ›