STATE LEADERSHIP CONF.
I was lucky enough to attend the Connecticut State Leadership Conference on Friday at Wesleyan University. I had an awesome time and met some awesome people (shout out to group #4)!
I enjoyed myself even after the hours of bullying talks, which made everyone either drowsy or irritated, simply because we had breaks to hang out. And things got better yet when the sun came out and the outside temp rose to 70. Hurray Spring!
I’m already looking forward to the National Conference on April 1st. It’s just a bummer that everyone from the State Conf. isn’t going. And before that I’ll be going to the Waterbury Soup Kitchen on Monday. Student Council trips have really been pulling through for me lately 
. I’ll post some pictures and stories from the soup kitchen next week.
JASMINE STAR @ THE CTPPA
I’m so excited to say I met Jasmine Star today. Really, she’s just the coolest. The iJustine of photography as far as bubbly energy goes, and the Francis Bacon of business as far as logic and practicability go. In her four hours CTPPA talk this afternoon, which felt more like four minutes, she taught me a whole bunch of stuff.
Jasmine talked a lot about transparency. That is something until today I thought I had just about mastered. I share entire layer pallets out of Photoshop composites, I explain all of my exposure information and blog a lot of behind the scenes posts. But now I realize this is trivial. Valuable, sure. There are loads of photographers who could be aided by this type of exactly-how-I-did-it writing. On the other hand, I’ve never shared anything really personal. No stories about my dogs, or expressions of the thoughts racing around my head. Turns out it’s not very dorky, it’s just human. Now I have a better grasp on transparency, and now it allows readers and viewers to not only learn technical information, but to learn about me as a person.
Transparency goes even further. When talking about setting goals, Jasmine said she wants to “keep it real.” .I liked the things she said about keeping it real when interacting with prospective clients. If you read my blog and love me, that’s great. If you don’t, that’s just as great. If you don’t want to hire me because I mention God sometimes, that’s fine because you were never going to be a client anyway. I love the what-you-see-is what-you-get attitude. I feel the same way sometimes. People pressuring me to go to a photography school often say, there will be clients who won’t hire you if they don’t see the credentials that you went to a photo school. That’s fine because they were never going to be a client anyway. If a college degree is a deal breaker for someone, then I’d rather not work with them. Simple as that. Keep it real.
Titling the story is the last step. If I remember correctly this was actually mentioned in Jasmine’s intro video but it hit me. The basic idea is that if you title a story before you write it, then that title becomes the definition, and the boundary of sorts. Don’t let your title define your story. Let your story define your title. This can be applied literally, as in wait till you’re about to click publish before titling your blog post, or more figuratively. Instead of letting your name or situation or history define your story, let your story define your name and situation and history future. At least that’s what I got out of it.
I’m looking forward to sitting down tomorrow to go through my notes and begin applying all of the great information and lessons I learned. To sum it up I had a blast at the CTPPA and am now super inspired. I want to thank Jasmine Star for sharing with everyone.
(You’d think when you hand your camera to the guy next to you at a photography convention he could take a decent pictures. I guess we can blame it on the light. )
TOP FIVE: 2010
A final goodbye to 2010. Here lies a list of my five favorite books, blogs, photo blogs, and ideas that I stumbled upon this past year. Enjoy.
Top 5 Books:
- Linchpin (Seth Godin). I have already written about this book here, so to make a long story short, Linchpin offers a focused perspective on the modern economy. No matter what field you are in, you cannot afford to go without reading it.
- VisionMongers (David deChemin). Got this one for Christmas this year, having wanted it since Christmas of last year. A great read for anyone looking into a creative profession. It covers not only how to find unique vision, but also how to let people know you found it, through marketing skills, and maintain it, through business and finance skills. Packed with information and stories of the industry’s top professionals to demonstrate there is no map or how-to guide. There are different paths for different people.
- I Am The Messenger (Markus Zusak). A bit different from the others, this fictional work leaves you wanting to help anyone and everyone. It combines Godin’s idea of giving gifts with Abani’s idea of compassion. A great read that will inspire you to extend a hand.
- Decoded (Jay-Z). To be honest, I haven’t exactly finished reading this one yet. I am however, about halfway through and can already tell this one is a keeper. Decoded offers a multitude of insight. Not only does it reveal the meaning behind references, phrases, and slang in Jay-Z’s music, it also includes captivating stories about his childhood in New York. You don’t have to be a rap fan to appreciate the culture represented, or the perseverance practiced by the author.
- Seattle 100 (Chase Jarvis). This fine art photo book is different from most. It is cultural and consistent and modern and educational as much as it is great people photography. The books features full spread portraits of 100 of Seattle’s greatest people through a variety of professions and cultures. Plus, all of the author proceeds go to charity.
Top 5 Blogs (Any Subject):
- Seth Godin. Already mentioned as the author of Linchpin, Seth’s blog provides a daily extension to the ideas found inside the books along with many economic and work ethic observations. A good candidate for a daily read via RSS.
- The Onion. More of a news source than a blog but terrific nonetheless. The Onion publishes articles, art works, polls, and videos that are sure to get you laughing. They recently (last night) began airing a TV show as well.
- iJustine. I have to admit, I <3 iJustine. Her blog is really a vlog, which holds everything from music video parodies to iPad purchases. She’s sure to perk you up due to her level of exuberance with whatever she is doing.
- Clients From Hell. A blog that will have you laughing instantly on a bad day. Each post is a story between a professional and his or her client that goes a bit sour.
- Mashable! This blog combines news with social media. It will keep you up to date on what is trending (in technology especially) without you having to stare at your twitter page. It goes into more depth and offers articles with a news publication’s feel about each topic.
Top 5 Blogs (Photo):
- Chase Jarvis. Already mentioned as author/photographer of Seattle 100, Jarvis’ blog holds a mass of behind the scenes video and textual posts. They inspire projects and techniques for photographers all over the world and continue to build relationships through-ought the photography community. He practices his belief in transparency both as a professional and as an artist.
- FStoppers. Speaking of behind the scenes, FStoppers.com was created for the sharing of behind the scenes video from photo or video shoots. They find some great stuff to teach other photographers and also hold contests and meet-ups to unite the community.
- Photojojo. This is simply the funnest photo blog. Yes, the funnest. It combines art & crafts with photography and boasts an ever-growing online store of some of the coolest photo accessories around. They also have a book.
- A Photo Editor. This blog is unique in its niche of content. It keeps photographers informed of modern trends in commercial and editor photography from the business and marketing side. A must read for anyone looking to impress an editor.
- Calikartel. Here is a photo blog that is literally a photo blog. Each post is a different photo shoot (usually of a female model). These high fashion images keep me checking back often for inspiration.
Top 5 Ideas:
- TED Award + JR. This may be cheating but I am combining the TED award with this years recipient of it. In their own words: “The TED Prize is designed to leverage the TED community’s exceptional array of talent and resources. It is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and, much more important, “One Wish to Change the World.” After several months of preparation, s/he unveils his/her wish at an award ceremony held during the TED Conference. These wishes have led to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact. I just love the idea of this. As for the recipient in 2010, JR, well you really need to check his website out for yourself. He combines photography and street art and community and cause. Super inspiring.
- The Creators Project. thecreatorsproject.com is part blog, part project showcase, and part innovative social network. It features some of the most amazing creatives from around the world and allows their productions to be viewed in one place.
- charity: water. One of the coolest charities around. Make a donation and 100% goes to building wells for communities without water around the world. An estimated one billion people do not have access to clean water and through corporate sponsorship and public donation, charity: water aims to shrink that statistic until it reaches zero.
- Kickstarter. Kickstarter.com changes the way creatives fund their projects. With a successful run on this funding site there is no longer a need for advanced payments or exploiting investors. Personal projects can have the same budgets as commercial ones. Donors are paired with artists and new things are made. Simple as that.
- creativeLIVE. Founded by Craig Swanson and Chase Jarvis (previously mentioned for blog and book), creativeLIVE.com offers free, live education by some of the world’s best instructors. I blogged about this around the time it was announced here.
WORLDWIDE PHOTO WALK
Scott Kelby’s third annual worldwidephotowalk was Saturday the 24th. It was the second I have been to–last year in New Haven, CT and this year in Greenwich Village, NY. According to sign-ups over 33 thousand people went out shooting in over 11 hundred cities around the world. How cool is that? Millions of photographs were taken that wouldn’t have been otherwise, as Scott points out.
It could not have been hotter in NYC this past weekend. The exhaust filled wind tunnels which barreled through the streets didn’t help the already simmering 105 degree air. Washington Park, where we met for the photo walk, is home to a large fountain where kids were experiencing relief from the heat. If I had only packed extra clothes, I would have joined them.
On the outskirts of the park there was a group of chess players. I asked the player above for a picture. He said I had to play him for it. Five minutes and two games and ten dollars later I got my pictures. I love the smile that came over his face when I pulled out my camera. Maybe he was just laughing inside about kicking my ass twice in a row.
IPHONE FASHION SHOOT
Lee Morris of fstoppers.com proves you don’t need a pro-level camera to produce incredible photographs.
One of the coolest behind-the-scenes videos around. To read more hit up fstoppers.com/iphone & strobist.blogspot.com/its-lighting-stupid.
YALL ARE INVITED…
To the Art Benefit Haiti reception on Friday night.
If you haven’t heard, Mr. Primo and I have collaborated and somehow managed to pull off a student art show. This Friday the 23rd will be the last day of the exhibit and your last chance to purchase work and/or make donations.
Art Benefit Haiti Reception
Friday, April 23rd
6:30 to 8:30
@ The Litchfield Historical Society
7 South Street Litchfield, CT 06759
The idea came in early February. Jeremy Cowart of Help Portrait sent a mass email to photographers around the world asking them to host local art shows and donate the proceeds to Haiti relief efforts. Cowart urged everyone to hold their show on February 14th, Valentine’s day, so it could be a worldwide event. That allowed about two weeks to prepare and I could have done that. If I ordered some of my pictures to be printed that night and they would be on my door step in two days. If I made calls that night logistics for the show could have been figured out in a week or so. I would have been ready with a few days to spare.
But, in an attempt to stop myself from an excess of self promotion through charity, I wanted to involve the local art community. It is funny that with all of my event planning expertise I thought I could do that with two weeks. February 14th rolled by and only a few local painters had contacted me. Mr. Primo brought up that a number of staff from LHS are artists. We still didn’t have enough work. When we met with Julie and Cathy of The Litchfield Historical Society they suggested a student art show. They said it would be easier to collect work and market. Sure, that sounds good.
We collected of 30 pieces of established student work which are now on display. I hope to see you Friday night.
take a picture and look at some art work,
jack pope
CREATIVElive.COM
Last Wednesday, Chase Jarvis announced his latest endeavor: creativeLIVE.com. The site promises free, live, creative education on topics from lighting to fine art painting. Although live video streaming has been a growing trend in social media/networking for a while now thanks to Ustream and similar technologies, this is the most important and ground-breaking use of it I have seen thus far.
Craig Swanson has been toying around with this idea for what seems to be quiet a while. Jarvis helped make it into a reality by offering a great amount of photography-themed “classes”. Some of the best photography instructors in the world are going to be streaming live throughout this quarter. Names include Art Wolfe, David DuChemin, Scott Bourne, Vincent Laforet, and Zack Arias. You can check out the calendar to see when the live shows will be streamed.
If you aren’t available for a showing or want to see something again you can purchase the digital recordings for what are IMO, very cheap prices. The two prices that are displayed so far are for the Ten-Week Fundamentals of Digital Photography Class which is $79 and the Five-Week Photoshop to HTML Class which is $39. These prices are fractions of what it would cost to attend a traditional workshop or seminar and make it move convenient because you will have a digital copy of the class to watch on any desktop computer or portable device you choose.
I am super excited to experience as many as these broadcasts as I can. Next Tuesday at 2PM EDT, Art Wolfe will air with “The Creative Eye” class… count me in!
take a picture,
jack pope
DISAPPOINTED
A few recent events have caused me to question the virtual community I have always sworn by. The leaders of this community are pumping out amazing blogs, videos, and images. The current problem is that the people viewing the content have become quite obnoxious.
On Jan 28th, Chase Jarvis announced via blog that he was going to broadcast a photo shoot live. Is that great or what? I thought to myself “what an amazing community this is where people enjoy spending their time and resources to bring people together just because they all enjoy photography.”
Somehow my mother agreed to letting me stay home from school to watch the live shoot. As I sat down to my computer at the start of the broadcast I found the chat room under the video feed and logged in. Fortunately, more good than bad came out of the chat. People were able to give feedback to the team and answer Chase’s questions.
The more bothersome comments came as the models were being introduced. Some users continuously messaged about the sex appeal of the models as if they had to be reminded it was not a porno that was about to be produced. Chase Jarvis Live is not about attractive women but about pictures, inspiration, and the community.
Another instance of a poor audience came recently on Scott Kelby’s blog. When Scott wrote about his feelings towards the iPad. People got into obnoxious arguments on his comment section. Scott handled it well reminding everyone he did not recommend the iPad, but simply stated he plans to buy one. Scott also referred to the engadget blog shutting off their comment section.
Since these few events I have not heard of anymore obnoxious comments. We will see during tomorrow’s Chase Jarvis Live.
take a picture,
jack pope
