Chase Jarvis is well known as a visionary photographer, director, and social artist. He is widely recognized for re-imagining, examining, and redefining the intersection of art and popular culture through still and moving pictures. While commercial work for brands like Nike, Pepsi, Volvo, Reebok, Apple, and Red Bull have earned him recognition from the International Photography Awards, The Advertising Photographers of America, Prix de la Photographie Paris, and numerous other industry buzz centers, his recent push into personal work and fine art has rapidly gained the attention of curators and art critics, mainstream audiences, and celebrity circles worldwide. The online hub for Jarvis and his work is at http://www.chasejarvis.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chasejarvis
A woman holds her wounded son in her arms, inside a mosque used as a field hospital by demonstrators against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen on 15 October 2011
This month, World Press Photo announced the winners of their prestigious annual contest…as usual, the images are astounding. Photojournalism’s Best for 2012.
Here’s a few some of my favorites from the bunch on the tabs above. Even though some of these images are heartbreaking, there is inspiration in them, call to action, awareness. They’re depicting real people, real lives–and also the really hard work of the people who chase down the stories.To be a great photojournalist, you have to be immersed. You can’t hide behind the lens…you have to actually GO. Meet people. Shake hands. Ask questions. Which is sometimes unthinkable in war zones and impoverished nations. These folks did it.
Want to know what your rights are as a photographer in the USA for shoot photos in public? All of us USA’ers do, as well as anyone who might travel here.
So…As a part of his hitRECORD project, kudos go out to actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (my best friend panel pal – here we are talking creativity…) for calling on the ghost of Ben Franklin to educate us via this cheesy–but very informative–cartoon by the ACLU and hitRECORD.
All images by Craig McDean, and courtesy of Fashion Gone Rogue and Interview Magazine
Fashionistas (and fashion photographers) love to play with gender boundaries. Too often IMHO that turns campy, like poorly-executed drag, or tasteless-pushing-offensive. These don’t.
Here’s a Monday morning kick for you – Craig McDean’s images of actress Chloe Sevigny, in character as a pre-op transgender assassin in an upcoming British show). And this, my friends, definitely avoids that glitzy, Hedgwig-impersonating trap. They take a high-fashion approach, where gender is more like an accessory. Fashion photogs out there, take note.
The provocative shots, featured in February’s issue of Interview magazine, are simply gorgeously composed. This is bold fashion done well. Bold outfits, styled by Karl Templer – courtesy of Fashion Gone Rogue.
In Seattle, we’re enjoying some pretty balmy weather (for February). But I’m headed to Europe this week and I’m well aware that hundreds of thousands of people are suffering through a bone-chilling freeze–with temperatures dropping waaaay below normal. Amid mountains of snow and icicles as long as my arm, people are panicking and trying to help each other.
And some people are photographing.
I’ve shot in temps so cold that my film (yes film!) snapped and cracked when my camera would attempt to wind it… Seems like Eastern Europe is in that sort of mode right now. Times of great suffering and pain are also often times when some of the most touching, haunting, and remarkable art is made. Click thru this handful of frozen images via Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria and beyond by clicking thru the gallery tabs above. Just scratched the surface grabbing these off news services, etc. But if anyone has/knows other deep freeze images – particularly arty ones- please share a link below. Love to see them.
Alright photo geeks. Indeed, Nikon just dropped another news bomb this week – the much-anticipated Nikon D800 is here. Not unlike the D4, I’ve known about its imminent arrival for some time. But there are some sorta cool curve balls….So let’s get into it.
Here’s some highlighted specs:
_36.3 megapixel, full-frame sensor (FX)
_up to 5fps still image shooting
_1080pHD video 24 or 30fps
_ISO Range 100-6400 (extendable from 25,600)
_Live View + External Monitor viewing for professional video applications
_Built in external microphone with audio monitoring capabilities via external headphones
_Twin card slots – one Compact Flash and one SD
_weight = 2 pounds 3 oz
The curve balls for me? The megapixels. There’s a lot of em. Also, this is geared a lot more toward video than I would have anticipated. But beyond that… Please note I HAVE NOT touched one of these cameras, and like the D4, NO I didn’t shoot the campaign. I haven’t yet spent time with the camera to tell you any gory details, although I’m assuming I’ll be able to chat more soon.
Aesthetics? Click thru a range of images of the camera via the above tabs.
So.. I (we) knew this was coming, but rather than me spouting off about having played with the system (I can’t – although some of you journalist types have I’m sure), or telling you what your feelings about this system should be (I won’t), I’m turning the tables on you.
What’s your take? Love, hate, indifferent? Insights?
[Reminder that Nikon plays close attention to this blog, so your comments on this post - glowing or otherwise - might help inform Nikon about what your thinking.]
When we gaze upon an iconic (or even just a really good) photograph, it’s difficult to think about the work or the passion behind it – we are seeing a documented scene or a crafted image and–unless you are a photographer–most people don’t wonder about the individual who was behind the camera. Sure, the majority of the populace will automatically recognize the photo of the Afghan Girl that was on the cover of National Geographic, but if you said the name “Steve McCurry” would the everyday person have any idea who you were talking about?
Photographer Tim Mantoani is setting out to change this with an ambitious project: He is photographing well known photographers with their most iconic, famous, or favorite photographs. He has collected 150 of these riveting portraits in a recent book – Behind Photographs: Archiving Photographic Legends.
Not only is he contacting and documenting these famous photographers, but he is also challenging his own photographical prowess by shooting on the legendary 20×24 Polaroid camera. These cameras are practically extinct (2 in existence), and the film goes for about $200 dollars a pop – per FRAME.
Click through the gallery tabs above to see a selection of this work.
Photos of dead mobsters lying prone, surrounded by articles of clothing and police chalk markings. The crime scene, the murder as art.
Equal parts photographer and old-school sleuth Arthur “Weegee” Fellig had a otherworldly guidance that lead him straight to fresh crime scenes, like the plastic thing on a Ouija board. Working the streets of New York City in the 1930s and 40s, he consorted with both the good guys and the bad guys, as he documented crime and street life in his neighborhood.
Ultimately, Weegee was an amateur photographer with a killer eye for detail and an interest in the macabre…a darkroom guy with a quirky passion AND penchant for making connections with shady characters. In this way, this work should be seen as uplifting and accessible. Romantic? Creepy? Your call on that, but here’s what I know…
The kicker (and if I could should it from the mountaintop right now, I would…) = There is all the merit in the world in our personal quirks, our obsessions, our internal oddities. A a photograph is all about the story and the image and less to do with anything else – including technical know how. It’s having a point of view that matters. Celebrate YOUR viewpoint, quit looking over your shoulder. If Weegee can photograph dead mobsters, then you can find something in you that is legitimately meaninful, moving, and powerful. So what’s yours?
Click through the gallery above for samples of Weegee’s work to see what I mean. And while you’re at it, if you have a chance, check out these legendary, decades-old black-and-white frames and others that are on display NOW at the International Center for Photography in New York starting now. Also check out his books of prints – found at just about any bookstore with a decent photography section or here at Amazon.
UPDATE: if you’re reading this post now…The no “Talent Imitates, Genius Steals – REMIX” edition of #cjLIVE with one of the world’s leading multimedia (audio + video) DJ’s Mike Relm is TODAY 11:00 Seattle Time, 2pm NYC, 19:00 London! Tune in here to the live page to unlock your creative mojo and realize that inspiration is all around you.
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There’s a saying that you should understand. It’s “TALENT IMITATES. GENIUS STEALS.”
Now before your undies get in a wad, I’m not saying steal work and pretend it’s you’re own. More deeply, I’m asking a question. Do you want to understand and set free your most creative work? Then pay attention here. And mark my words: the REMIX is the single most important artistic concept of our time [Go ahead and read that again. And read all the way to the bottom if you want to win a Polaroid Z340 instant digital camera...]
In truth, I didn’t really understand this until I met THE remix king himself, MIKE RELM. If you’re familiar with Relm’s work, then you’ll know why he’s the very important guest kicking off our 2012 cjLIVE season this Tuesday, February 7th on chasejarvis LIVE. Mark your calendars – you will not forgive yourself if you miss this episode, especially because (apologies in advance…) the performance portion of the show–Mike ripping it on the 1′s & 2′s–can’t be rebroadcast based on music licensing. (irony noted
Who: You, Me, Mike Relm & a worldwide gathering of creative people What: Q&A plus a LIVE PERFORMANCE remix legend Mike Relm When: this Tuesday, Feb 7th at 11:00am Seattle time (2 pm NYC time or 19:00 London time) Where: tune in to www.chasejarvis.com/live. It’s free – anyone can watch.
In the unlikely even you’re not familiar with Mike’s work, he is a director, a DJ, a producer and live performer like you’ve never seen and he’s perhaps more knowledgable about the Remix than anybody in my rolodex. He’s directed mashup music videos featuring Del the Funky HomoSapien, done commercials for Hollywood blockbuster films (like Favreau’s IRON MAN) and Google and beyond, he even performed live at the 2010 Olympics. This episode will slap you around and wake you up to the very real notion that talent really does imitate, while genius steals.
Ditch the idea of yourself as a lone artist out on the plains of oblivion. Throw away the notion that you are your own creative soul. Just like other no-BS, hard hitting episodes, this won’t be a about theories or what-ifs, this will be about how to specifically take stock of your inner dialog, fuse it with pop culture for inspiration, and then make kickass creative work.
***Lastly, two important things:
1. For some fun and to pimp this show, I’ll be giving away a brand-new Polaroid Z340 camera ($300 value) autographed by yours truly, to the the person who follows @chasejarvis and sends out the best tweet that contains the URL (or short url) to THIS post AND hashtag #cjLIVE, starting right now and ending at the beginning of the show on Tuesday. Enter as many times (tweets) as you want – we’ll be watching out for your shoutouts.
2. If you’d like to be a part of the live in-studio audience, meet me and Mike and our cjINC crew, sign up for our email newsletter on the cjLIVE page here AND send an email to production@chasejarvis.com with “Remix” in the subject line. We will invite 30 guests new to our email list to attend the show in Seattle.
See you on Tuesday Feb 7. Please spread the word! [some of Mike Relm's work, below]
Funny segue from yesterday’s political post… Got to thinking about politics and photography…. Though it seems otherwise at time, politicians aren’t actually celebs. Sure, they get their picture taken at press conferences, but–especially early on in their career–they’re not really used to having a photographer take a portrait of them like a rock star. They’re most often power nerds and people who do a job that’s -either wonderfully or catastrophically- public.
All this is hyper-evident in this series of photos by Washingtonian staff photographer Chris Leaman, assigned to shoot portraits of few from DC’s incoming class.
The range is entertaining–anywhere from delight to terror. The crispness and high contrast harkens a classic image from decades ago. The only indicators that these “un-moment” images were taken within the past decade are accessories, like paper coffee cups.
Click through to see more of my favs from this remarkably-wonderfully-awkward image set via the above tabs.
Yours truly pimping with Congressman Jay Inslee @ Seattle 100 launch - photo by pal Michal Garcia
The goals of creative expression are to make statements, to generate awareness, initiate reflection, feeling or action. We want the art to do work.
Such was the case with my Seattle 100 book & gallery exhibition. But, in truth, I had little understanding when I published the project how much or what kind of ‘work’ it would do. As it happened, the city appropriated the project as it’s own and generated a great bit of awareness on TV, radio – local, national, and all the proceeds went to charity. I thought the project was a success with simply that as the measure.
But today we’re celebrating a new milestone – something beyond my wildest dreams for the project… TheSeattle Mayor’s Office of Film & Music released a study that it has been quietly conducting for more than a year about the economic and cultural impact of the subjects of the Seattle 100 and their leadership by measuring the impact that art, creativity, and culture have on the economy of our city.
The results are very cool IMHO, having revealed that the personalities and their cultural categories we featured contributed more than $13 billion to the local economy as well as more than 170,000 jobs. While big numbers are impressive, what matters most to me is that it appears that results study of my creative project will directly inform, shape, and impact Seattle’s public policy. For, ultimately, the study reflects that creativity and culture drive business rather than the other way around – something that the Mayor has made clear that he will embrace in future decisions.
And while it’s not always–or even often–that art has such an obvious connection to social change, let the times like this remind us that creative toil is not lost.
From the foreword of the study…
The cultural identity of Seattle has long been appreciated for making Seattle a great place to live. But, as our economy has evolved over the years from traditional natural resource-based industries, our city’s cultural assets have proven to be an important factor in our current economic strength. This cultural identity now makes Seattle a great place to work.
As the Seattle 100 beautifully profiled leaders who are powering our city’s creativity today, I wondered about their measurable impacts to our region. Working to answer this question, I learned these individuals represent a substantial portion of our economy and form our vibrant identity to the world.
The Seattle 100’s impact demonstrates that innovation and creativity are Seattle’s new natural resources, fueling job creation and worldwide recognition. The results of this study position these cultural leaders in a new place, as an economic engine that drives our economy.
With this recognition comes an obligation to nurture our culture in order to continue enjoying economic prosperity. The result should be a commitment to understand and foster the value that the Seattle 100 and other cultural leaders bring to our city.
It is my hope that this uniquely presented information will be as useful to you as it has been to me in providing a heightened appreciation of culture as a true economic driver of the region.
James Keblas, Director
Seattle Mayor’s Office of Film & Music
In the even that you’re interested in reading the 52 page study, you can check it out here at the Seattle.gov.
Sarah Burke would light up a room when she walked into it. Actually more than that, she lit up an entire sport, and was bound to light up the world in the forthcoming Olympics, before she succumbed to spine injuries sustained while training in Park City on January 10. She passed away yesterday. The world lost an amazing skier and a superstar human being.
I had the amazing opportunity to know and work with Sarah over the course of a decade. During that time I, along with so many others, had the insanely good fortune to watch her change the face of women’s skiing and simultaneously watch her inspire all those around her. The image gallery above is the tip of an iceberg of images I was able to capture of/with Sarah. This tribute isn’t her best work, or mine. It isn’t meant to be. It’s rather a humble historical look back – in some cases looking back more than 10 years – at her first Freeskier skiing cover, her first Smith Goggle ad, her practicing runs at the X-Games, and that amazing smile. Working with her was pure joy. And she will be missed dearly. RIP.
My manager, Christopher Jerard, knew her even better than I did, as he was the publisher of Freeskier and Snowboard Magazine for many years before coming to work at CJinc. Jerard and I got the news of her passing while we were together yesterday. He wrote these words below about Sarah that I think we can all live by. The theme is ‘step up’. Step up to the challenges in your life. Step up for your friends, step up because it’s human to do so….
For my friend Sarah Burke – January 19, 2012
“Step up.”
I met Sarah when she was 16 years old shortly after I joined the staff of the brand new Freeskier magazine. She was already the “it” girl in freeskiing. Actually, in 1999 she was really the only girl in freeskiing. She was incredibly talented and fearless. And there was always that ever-present smile. She was shy early on -but before you knew it she was giving the editors at our magazine shots in the arm, still with that same great smile, and challenging us to get the shot, ski another run, or just have more fun. Her passion for skiing was evidenced by her athletic success – and her passion for life came through like the sun. She was a light for all of us. Just one of those people that is universally loved. For all of those who knew her only through the movies and photos – she was exactly as she seemed. Simply one of the best people you’ll ever meet. Pure love.
It’s impossible to deny, that by the time she was 20, she went from being a cute kid, to being simply drop-dead gorgeous. Suddenly she graduated from profiles in the ski industry standards Freeskier and Powder to being in Maxim, People and one FHM’s sexiest athletes alive. But she played it all off as no big deal with a humbleness rarely found at her level of success – an elegance and grace that was unique to her. And yet, even with all the beauty and the elegance, she was one of the toughest people Ive ever met. She once put me in a head lock. And I am not ashamed to admit I could not break out of it. And I tried. Hard. I think that memory would make her smile.
She could play with the boys. That is for sure. She had to for a lot of years in order to open up the sport for the women behind her. Her will and determination on and off the hill in this regard are legendary. Sarah was an innovator and a leader for women in skiing. Even as Sarah was an inspiration to so many people – but she was especially important for women athletes. She did more for the progression of woman’s freeskiing than any other single person – period. She was a founder of the Association of Freeskiing Professionals and was instrumental in helping to push the disciplines of skiing she loved, halfpipe and slopestyle skiing, into the Olympics for 2014. That will be a lasting part of her legacy forever.
She pushed her sport, her profession, to the next level. And even as she had to fight for women to be considered in competition with the men, when she took her hits, she always smiled through the bruise and the bang. Both on and off the hill. In 14 years of working with Sarah – I never saw her without a smile and a good word. Not once. Ever. No matter what. That smile on the podium, holding the X Games Gold four times? That was the same smile she would give 2 months later if you ran into her on the street in passing. So radiantly genuine.
Sarah will always be around us.Trennon Paynter, her coach and good friend to both Sarah and her husband Rory, sent a message out on twitter yesterday: “She’s in every snowflake, every ray of sunshine, every breeze. More than ever, now and always, #IBelieveInSarah.” She will always be there to remind us to “step up” and be better. No matter if it’s out skiing, at work, at the gym or remembering to smile and give your friend a hug. Do not hold back. Life is simply to precious and too much of a gift. Step up. Its such a powerful idea.
It was a dear friend of mine, Matt Harvey, the longtime Editor of Freeskier magazine, who reminded me of this playful challenge to step up that Sarah so often conveyed to her fans and those around her – with such obvious joy.
The news of Sarah’s passing hit in the middle of the work day and Matt was onstage hosting a Freeskier magazine sponsored event. He was a very close and personal friend of Sarah’s. To be in public and hurting, gutted with loss, was painful. But he remembered her words, “Step up.” She would tell him this, no matter if she was standing next to him on the hill taunting him to try a jump or rail slide or pushing him to go talk to the girl across the bar later that night – she was always nudging those around her to be better. And she led by example. So when it hurt and he wanted to hide – he smiled and remembered Sarah. He dug deep and stepped up. That’s what Sarah did when organizers told her that girls didn’t have a spot in competition and that’s what she did when she was battered from falls and that’s what she did when there was a line of little girls who wanted an autograph…hours after the last competition run of the day.
Sarah always stepped up. Always.
And that’s what we’re going to do to remember her. Step Up. Thanks Sarah. We will. And we’ll remember you’re smile when we do.
_____
UPDATE: Was just sent this beautiful video montage of Sarah being amazing. Worth the watch.
Picture Monica Lewinsky w a cigar, Hitler in a bunker, the Beatles w their lawyers. It’s all here. Or rather it’s all in your mind… So what does a book look like that is targeted at visual artists and creatives, yet has exactly ZERO pictures and isn’t a how-to? Well, it looks like well-known photo agent Frank Meo’s latest personal project called Mind Prints. A hardback book laden w typography. From the intro:
We all collect images we’ve seen in the course of our days. But there’s even more: how aout all the images we created ourselves, in our minds, mages of things we haven’t actually seen, and of which no photos exist, things that the paparazzimissed; images that we created based on media accounts, water cooler discussions. What if somebody curated those images, strung them up in a gallery show for you to walk through and see, clearly and consciously..?
The book is an amazing series of words, phrases, and ideas pulled from pop culture that will either blow your mind or get it racing. Click thru the 10 or so slides in the gallery above to get a sample – brilliant, simple, evocative.
The book is available here at Frank’s site. And, bonus here for New Yorkers…the Art Director’s Club of NY will be presenting the full collection in their gallery for a 6 week run. The opening is this Thursday, January 19th. RSVP to rsvp@adcglobal.org or go to Frank’s Facebook page (first come first serve) if you’d like to attend.
book is available 
