It all started a few years ago when Marco finally succeeded in making me click on one of the many links he’d sent me in regard to this guy over in Seattle who’d record his photoshoots live. And broadcast it on the internet. The guy was Chase Jarvis and he opened my eyes to something I initially dismissed as a crazy idea.
Before you give me a hard time over not gracefully accepting each and every link Marco shares with me, let me explain! It’s not that he doesn’t show me great things, he does. It’s not him, it’s me. I get very easily distracted and usually find myself going from reading this one blog post about how to organise your bathroom cabinet to clicking on one link after another to suddenly finding myself reading a wikipedia article about the Peloponnesian war at 3 am. When I really wanted to be in bed reading a book by 11pm. Now I try to minimise the amount of information I need to look up online. Hence the link screening.
Back to this crazy idea and Chase Jarvis. The whole concept of sharing information and knowledge freely online was so foreign to me that my first gut reaction was to simply find it stupid. Everyone would just take what he gives them and go do it themselves! And thus become major competition! Plus no one would ever hire a photographer after you see all the things that can go wrong in a 12 hour live photoshoot? But the more I saw and the more I read about it the less crazy it all seemed to me. Here is someone who believes in giving. And giving freely. Because it will all come back to you. There couldn’t be a better example of that theory than Chase Jarvis himself.
And then he goes and takes it even further by setting up Creative Live. It’s a beautiful thing. They provide free online workshops in photography, video, web and graphic design. All broadcasted live for free and if you miss it or want to keep it in your little pocket, you can download them for a fee. I’ve watched quite a few of them and have to say that with the guest speakers and instructors they have that fee is more than reasonable. For us Europeans the live events may be a little inconveniently timed but on the positive side watching them won’t interfere with your work. Unless you watch it all night long and won’t get enough sleep.
I am a firm believer in the whole concept of sharing and giving and collaborating. It will open doors for you, make your life easier and even make you feel less bitter about everything. Plus there may be some receiving happening as a result of it.
For now I give you these completely unrelated photos from last summer as I have 4 rolls of undeveloped film staring at me accusingly and therefore nothing new to show you.
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You please must tell me what that title quote is from or my brain will overheat from searching itself for the answer it knows it already knows.
one of the best things ive seen in a long while was the creativelive wedding shoot they did with jasmine star.
they followed her around with cameras for 3 days in the lead up and the shooting of a wedding. it was so great to watch her in action.
i think it’s a fantastic concept.
have you seen framed? http://www.framedshow.com/
it’s a similar “giving” photography concept.
Megan. Words do not express how much I love you for recognising it as a quote. Even though you clearly are more embarrassed than me to admit that you know perfectly well where that quote is from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTd-zEyRYiQ
Actually, now I am upset I got it totally wrong.
Manda – I know! I watched this live right after photographing my first wedding in August and was simply amazed. What a brave thing to do. That course is invaluable for all the information in there.
Looking at framed now!
Oh, Ann, I thought the answer was going to be much more embarrassing (80s romantic comedy or similar).
I love reading your stuff and I’m really glad to know you in person as well!
Thank you! :)
because i am also rather slow to click links, i only just read this. i love the idea of professionals sharing their secrets, because i’ve never thought very highly of the idea that this somehow creates competition. i think it was bobby flay(?) who said he has no qualms about giving away his recipes verbatim, because everybody cooks a different way. and even if you follow his instructions perfectly, it’s going to come out differently, because you’re the one cooking it.
i like that idea. that we simply can’t help but have our own voice.
in that vein, i’ve been enjoying these lately lately:
– onelouderphoto.com
– imagedeconstructed.blogspot.com
-f
I checked back here as I too was going to ask about the quote, though I’m sure I already know. The video has moved but it was Joey in Friends planning what to say at Monica and Chandler’s wedding, right? Please tell me I am right :)