Aug 26

Assignment: Portraits With NO Communication

BackgroundOK. My last post was about how good verbal communication skills are important for success in commercial photography. It was a quick diatribe highlighting how communication is essential at every step of the way while making a good photograph. If you missed that post, go read it now. If you've already read it, then you know that communication is an important part of being a good photographer.So that's all good, but we're past that. More... read more ›
Aug 21

Ironically, Good Verbal Communication = Success in Photography

I really enjoy connecting with aspiring, or student photographers way more than I do with old school, jaded pros. There's usually a good spirit in there, even if some of the questions or attitudes are naive - they're at least fresh and, well, bouncy. I often rap with students from The Brooks Institute, Art Center, Santa Fe Workshops, Parsons, Seattle Central, RIT, etc. Sometimes I'm mortified with the b/s they have to endure (instructors, keep... read more ›
Aug 05

One Camera That Money Can’t Buy

I was just reading/responding to a great discussion from an earlier post herein about buying point and shoot cameras (43 comments and rising), when an intriguing video clip I saw a while ago popped back into my head. I figured the older post with all its techi-ness and commercialism (it features nearly every brand including Nikon, Canon, Leica, Pentax, Rioch, Panasonic, Fuji et al) would juxtapose nicely against this post featuring a new, entirely different... read more ›
Apr 29

Words of Wisdom from Avedon – And Why I Save Every Picture

Occasionally, when the timing works, people from my staff head off to attend or lead Photoshop or digital asset classes. This past week a representative from our office, Dartanyon, attended a Santa Fe Workshop put on by guru, Jerry Courvoisier. This post isn't about all the great things that Jerry said or did. I'm sure there were plenty of both. Instead, this post is about something Jerry said to the class that I don't agree... read more ›
Mar 19

Rollin Street and Stop Action Video

If you've seen the video clip advert thingie I was hired to shoot called "Rollin Street", in collaboration with Flying Spot Seattle, you might guess that it's trendy (but cool and fun!) to make a movie using still images (and video) sequenced together. Some are intentionally cut roughly (like the Rollin Street piece we did), whereas others are more smooth (requires more shots lumped together). Strangely, although the Rollin Street "story" has been here on... read more ›
Mar 11

Don’t Listen To Doubters. I’m Guessing Banksy Didn’t.

I'm not shy about my liking the UK graffiti artist Banksy (see my earlier post here if you missed it). All you artists out there should take a lesson from this: one of his graffiti, stencil style paintings sold last month at a Sotheby's auction for 102,000 British Pounds, or around $200,000 USD, a new high price for a piece of his art. Read the BBC article here. Why I'm bringing this up is to... read more ›
Mar 05

Slow Down – Carl Honore on Chilling Out

I recently gave an interview and the questioner, like many others before him, asked about my busy lifestyle. "Absolutely," I said, "crazy busy all the time. Fast paced. Happy. BUT crazy busy." I'm sure you know what I mean. We're all doing everything so quickly. Saving time here, efficiency there, etc. Our lives are faster than every before. After the interview, I wondered to myself how many times I've replied with that answer when asked.... read more ›
Feb 20

The Dichotomy of the Photographic Portrait.

Portrait Not as View of the Soul, But as Personal Advertising?What is the relationship between portrait as collaboration and portrait as unbiased recording? If the eyes are windows to the soul, and if in advance of a portrait sitting you’ve basically had the windows washed and lined up all the furniture inside and put on your favorite clothes for an open house, are the photos that result from that sitting any less “real” than a... read more ›
Feb 07

Entertaining Video Highlighting Changes From Pen and Paper to Web 2.0 And Beyond

The nicest thing about the web these days, beyond email spam, file sharing, lovelygirl15, porn, and access to the latest NASDAQ numbers, is obviously the huge transfer of relevant information. I've written a fair bit on the somewhat-controversial (that's another issue...) term coined by Tim O'Reilly, Web 2.0, and what it means to the photography industry. I was happy to have been quoted or tracked back in some great blogs, by some talented journalists: Jay... read more ›
Feb 04

The Black Box of Advertising Photography Meets Business 101

This is not a rant. It's a page out of Business School 101.If you've ever seen/heard one of my speaking engagements, you've probably heard me talk about the Black Box. It's the name I've given to "what the world of advertising photography looks like to a new or aspiring photographer." Something goes it one end of the box (the request, the pitch, the job offer, etc) and something comes out the other end (finished images,... read more ›