pictures to prove it™

Cheryl Jacobs (Nicolai).

i stumbled onto Cheryl Jacobs’ website when someone (thanks Praveen) posted it to one of the many listserves to which i belong to. she photographs children primarily, but seems to dabble in photographing faces of all ages.

her work is… ummm… lovely. classic. beautiful. personal. soulful. joyous.i could add to the list for the rest of the afternoon, but i think she’d be better represented if you just took a look at her images yourself.

the images are simple and honest in a way that you know will stand the test of time. and that should be enough to inspire you to take a look at them, but the most powerful pixels on her site are the ones in this post that she used to launch her blog. i’ve copied them below.

(she and i dont really photograph the same things, but her ideas ring true in my ear. i think they are applicable for anyone who wants to use a camera, regardless of subject matter)

“What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know

These are my thoughts, nothing more and nothing less.

I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here’s my answer.

- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.

- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It’s like money; you only have it when you don’t need it.

- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus.

- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don’t fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you’re stressed and anxious.

- Learn to say “I’m a photographer” out loud with a straight face. If you can’t say it and believe it, you can’t expect anyone else to, either.

- You cannot specialize in everything.

- You don’t have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don’t have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.

- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don’t, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that’s tough.

- Accept critique, but don’t apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn’t not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business “Precious Chubby Tootsies”….but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

- Remember that if your work looks like everyone else’s, there’s no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you’re cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as “the cheaper photographer”.

- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

- It’s easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you’ve got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don’t spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you’ve outgrown your current equipment and you’re being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.

- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.

- Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive”. No one ever does.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacency.”

- Cheryl Jacobs

lately i’ve been hassling jay about his love of chrome and leicas. don’t get me wrong, i like film, tristan and i even broke out the 4×5s last week and i’ll be doing more of that, but i hope im never asked to shoot another roll of chrome again. i think im not convinced that the quality difference is significant enough for me to limit myself like that.
i was surfing around tonight though and i noticed a photographer (named dan bayer) who put himself to the test of using 14 rolls of kodachrome to document his inauguration experience. the images look really nice. when chrome is spot on it looks incredible and when it isn’t we still have this nostalgia for it. the look reminds all of us of decades of national geographic. it is a good look and i know there is something to be said for the zen experience of manual focus and 36 frames per roll.

dan also started a movement he calls The Kodachrome Project. congrats to dan. jay and all of you other chrome lovers need to get in touch with dan and unite. you’re kindred spirits.

Some of you may think my blog is getting off track, but let me assure you that it isn’t. it is just somewhat broad in scope. i like to think that is encompasses all and any aspects of visual storytelling. photography is what i do, but i love all forms of communication. so this morning when i got this video link in an email from my friend Chris Engelhoven, i knew i wanted to share it.

this is 102-year-old Ed Rondthaler’s english spelling reform lesson.

this film, made by House Industries, is incredible in it’s simplicity. it is 2 minutes in length and a single uncut shot. it’s message is easily conveyed and it hit home. i was reminded of every time i’ve had to open the dictionary when writing an email. why isnt the language this simple? i think this is the best argument for phonetics i’ve ever seen.

a quick breeze through any internet forum that includes teenagers will reinforce that this is the natural way that people spell words and envision them in their mind (not to be confused with the wealth of acronyms out there).

i was also very excited that this simple film encouraged me to find out more about the subject. Ed Rondthaler is a compelling and interesting figure. thanks to the guys at House Industries for making a historical document of this man who is a legend in typography and the sort of interesting and inspiring guy that i think all people should know a little about.

ladies and gentlemen, i’d like to introduce…

Mr. Chris Usher

i’ve known Chris since 2001. he was introduced to me by journale (which is now musarium. which though it hasnt been updated in ages, is completely worth your time. but that is a mystery for another post) founder Alan Dorow.

Chris (and Adrienne DeArmas!) was the founder of Apix, a DC boutique agency that was around before little agencies were the rage. I was a member and I’m happy to count Chris as one of my mentors. In this town where many people are protective about how they get things done, he has always been willing to explain how to accomplish something, whether it was shooting or business. i personally have learned so much from him and ive seen him share his knowledge with any other shooter that approached him.

Chris is a genuine guy and professionally i’ve only seen his humility and generosity matched by David Burnett and Stephen Crowley. That is good company to be in.

Over the past few years Chris has partnered with Kodak and field tested their film and digital products. they featured him in this episode of Kodak Close-Up.

Kodak also helped him publish his book “One of Us” which features three years worth of his Post Katrina images. All of the proceeds from book sales are being donated to the Gulf Coast Fund and the Southern Animal Foundation, relief organizations that continue to provide post-Katrina aid and assistance in the Gulf Coast. You can buy it here.

He has a ton of good work my personal favorites are any of the work he did in Haiti ages ago (it was all shot on chrome) and all of his manipulated SX-70 Polaroids. So good.

You can learn a little about him here, but nothing is as good as Chris in person. If you see him out shooting, do yourself a favor and introduce yourself. then buy him a beer (or a nice scotch). you’ll be glad you got to know him.