My friend Charles had one of those dads. You know the type. Stoic. Pensive. A little surly with a furrowed brow and an impenetrable stare. I remember when we were all in high school, his favorite saying was “The poor craftsman blames his tools,” much to his son’s consternation. Charles would inevitably fire back, “Yeah, well you can’t build a space shuttle with Tinker Toys!”

Maybe it was my fondness for Tinker Toys. Maybe it was the simple truth of the statement. Whatever it was, that always stuck. Of course you can’t. But what can you do? You can shoot weddings with iPhones. That’s been done. And Ben Lowy can shoot conflict photography with an iPhone. And we know … Read more...

Looking for Friday inspiration? Here are some places to look.

IN WEDDINGS
Each of these photographers brings a beautiful comprehension of artistry, mood, and feel that bleed into their images. Versatile with both created and found moments, their images show vision and craft.

Fer Juaristi (ferjuaristi.com/blog)
Nordica Photography (nordicaphotography.com/blog)
Nirav Patel (www.niravphotography.com/blog)
Ozzie Garcia (ozzygarciablog.com)

 

OUT OF WEDDINGS
Hellen Van Meene – Beautiful, mysterious, surprising, delicate, her pictures capture an uncommon intimacy.

Sophie Calle – Intriguing and daring, she blurs the distinction between herself and her subjects. This is work about the work and the creator itself, transforming the creators and the viewer’s relationship to photography.

Mark Morrisroe – A contemporary … Read more...

I never went to art school. Always wished I had, always glad I didn’t. Wish I had, because, what an experience it must be to spend time dedicated to something you love around others who feel the same. Energized, excited, in it. To have time to do nothing but be creative is one of the best feelings in the world. Glad I didn’t, because I wouldn’t be able to give everything else up. Who could? Changing your past would be like amputating part of your soul.

Only in a hazy fog can I imagine the might-haves and maybes. All the uncut perforated lives float an arm’s length away. But that mop of ideas running through my head – all those … Read more...

How would you sell your work if you knew it was average? What if you couldn’t even show your pictures at all?

If there’s nothing to talk about other than numbers, you’re losing out. And a good logo or nice packaging won’t cut it, either. The thing to remember is more often than not, the big idea isn’t really the big idea at all. It’s usually a small idea with large implications. Quite often, something simpler or even even worse than what’s out there, but something attached to big benefits. Think MP3. Think TOMS.

Great products aren’t the best of their type. They’re the ones that best address the needs of the market. You don’t have to hear an MP3 … Read more...

Hot damn, that was a performance! Look at those legs! For 10 minutes between lights out and lights out again, you could forget you were in the Superdome and imagine yourself living in an MTV video, if MTV still had videos. It was mesmerizing, as layer after layer of sizzle was heaped on itself. All those dancers! All that booty! And Destiny’s Child!

But did anyone hear the music? Did anyone seriously stop and say to themselves, damn, this girl can sing! I don’t think so. Yeah, she’s got talent. But yesterday wasn’t about craft.

So it’s no wonder that everyone wants to put on a show. That the first link I saw was about the Rubin Singer’s warrior woman … Read more...