May 22

4 Things I Learned About Failure

There’s a saying that goes: Plan for Success, Learn from Failure While I’d anticipated a demand for frequent updates of Best Camera if we succeeded—I’d baked it into the contract—what I had not anticipated was the possibility of such incredibly rapid success. I’d structured an agreement with the developers based on the idea that the app would take a while to achieve liftoff. The revenue split favored me once their initial investment was repaid. That... read more ›
833 reads
Mar 27

A Little Known Secret About Creativity

A little-known secret that shouldn’t be one: collaboration is the secret to creativity. It's not just about working with other people, it's about working with the *right* people. I look for collaborators outside my area of expertise, people who bring new kinds of expertise to the table. A designer, a developer, a retoucher—everyone contributes to the vision in a different way. This is how I stretch myself as an artist. The benefits of collaboration go... read more ›
1.1K reads
Sep 21

Everything’s a Remix – Podcast Experiment with Alex Hillinger

Alex Hillinger and Chase Jarvis in conversation while sitting on a couch at the Ace Hotel in New York
Experimenting with a new format with my pal Alex Hillinger. We're planning to do a few of these so you can hear a format where there is more banter and storytelling. A little sneak behind how the sausage is made. Let us know what you think.  A great idea is transformative by nature and what comes next either supports making it or breaking it. When a good or even great idea presents itself, it’s not enough... read more ›
963 reads
Jul 26

You Must Fail to Succeed

"Opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” -Richard Branson Friendly Reminder: Failing is necessary in order to succeed. If we are only focused on what could have been, we fail to see opportunities that are right at our fingertips. In this episode I recount the experience building “Best Camera,” a photo sharing app that gained global publicity and over 1 million downloads. Today's story begins with a barrage of texts and emails, and... read more ›
282 reads
Dec 20

iPhone X: The Quick Guide to Great Photos + Video

The Back Story If you’ve ever wondered how pro photographers capture great photos with their phone, I have something for you. Since getting the iPhone X, I've been working on condensing my best-learned lessons in mobile photography into my first ever class on CreativeLive.   What You'll Learn Using natural light to capture indoor and outdoor portraits Simple posing and light considerations for kids, adults,... read more ›
4.4K reads
Oct 11

My Biggest Failure: The Long Overdue Story I was Too Ashamed to Tell

Turn back your mental clock to April of 2012, when Facebook acquired Instagram for the eye-popping price of $1 billion. It was a big story, with headlines all over not just the tech press but mainstream outlets like CNN, Newsweek and the nightly news-- who could have imagined a company with barely over a dozen employees commanding a 10-figure valuation?! Like most of you, I watched the story unfold like some kind of tech fairy... read more ›
36.5K reads
Aug 19

100 Ideas that Changed Photography

Every so often, I am reminded of the tectonic shifts in photography that seem to skip under the radar in our exploding world of photography and photographers. No harm, no foul -- but it snaps my head back into place when pointing these out from time to time. Mary Warner Marian's book 100 Ideas that Changed Photography does a damn nice job highlighting some of these shifts. It's her personal take on the most influential ideas... read more ›
9K reads
Aug 13

LENSTOPIA Part IV — The Top 5 Lenses for Your Micro Four Thirds Camera (+ a few others)

The Voigtlander 17.5mm, 25mm, and 42.5mm f/0.95 lenses.
Data tells me that more than 100,000 of you caught my earlier Top 5 Nikon, Top 5 Canon & Top 5 Hasselblad lens posts, but it's intuition that tells me what many of you are really wanting is today's post on Micro 4/3 and mirrorless lenses. And yes, I rarely write about gear since there are entire websites dedicated to that pixel peeping universe... but my hope is that this makes the few times I... read more ›
237.2K reads
Jun 18

What Sustains Creativity? [Plus a 24-hour Photo Marathon]

My friends at the Photo Center NW are always showcasing new work and ideas that help progress the craft of photography. I'm a huge fan (and an honorary board member) of PCNW and this is a cool event they are putting on that I wanted y'all to know about... and it's happening THIS WEEK. A 24-hour photo marathon going down on the longest day of the year June 21 (that's in 3 days). Rafael Soldi... read more ›
719 reads
May 08

A Good Interview. Photography + Entrepreneur Stuff [ Tearing Down Walls – A Podcast with Jenni Hogan]

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 ›
508 reads