Of course you remember the famous scene of Keanu Reeves in the Matrix, dodging bullets by inhumanly leaning backwards, and you got to study the moment from all 360 degrees. Pretty darn cool. And you know how they did it? Still cameras. A whole bunch of them. And powerful computers, spiffy software, and patience. It […]

Last night at the M+B gallery in Los Angeles a new exhibit opened called BARACK OBAMA: THE FRESHMAN. The photographer, Lisa Jack, a fellow student at Occidental college, photographed our future president at 20. This single roll of film, comprises this show and give a tiny, fleeting, glimpse of the man would make history. © […]

Every year I fly up to the Academy of Art to join a group of professionals in reviewing the photographic graduating class’s portfolios. We sit in a room and it is a bit like speed dating: the director of the program puts each student with a different reviewer, and shortly thereafter, calls time and they […]

While attending an event at a local museum, The Hammer, we made sure to get there early to wander around and catch up on the exhibits that we had missed. One in particular struck us, not as much for the art itself, but for the concept. To wit: “The Darker Side of Light: Arts of […]

Patrick Hoelck is a well respected commercial photographer, artist and now, film director. He is the creator and captain behind a new online magazine, Pilfered. Now in the world of advertising, photographers and directors are asked to present a visual interpretation of how they would approach a concept or creative brief. This, in addition to […]

Let’s walk over to the fun side of town. That place where you can take your snaps and play around with them right on your phone. Yep, the movie hasn’t started yet, or the doctor is making you wait way too long, and you want to be productive. Or creative. Or not go to Facebook […]

Somehow I’m always reminded of the scene from Animal House when they get ready to have a Toga party. It’s a chant for sure, except instead of getting wasted and wearing sheets, we’re talking about the cult classic Holga cameras. These little plastic cameras have garnered the most amazing following with Flickr sites, fan clubs, […]

This man has a special mission and he is completing it with his photography. Perhaps you are familiar with his work as a documentary photographer and his book “Workers”. You may have just come to know him through his most recent work, “Africa” The intensity of the images included in these tomes is matched by […]

This article is being reprinted from a posting last year. Today, as it’s Mother day, I felt it was a fitting post in her honor. And remember to honor your mother, in what ever way you see fit.

Back in the 70’s, the hot culture in Los Angeles was full of music, celebrities, parties, and wannabe’s. Wait….whats different? OK, not much. However, photographers get to archive and represent for their time. If they are good, they can tell a story of what it was like “back then”. He calls himself a paparazzo, but […]

We are on a hunt. Oh, sure, we love the DSLR and the glass. Huge files, big zoom, lotta sensor, and technology that can shoot an assignment using algorithms used to make mathematicians weep, in the firm grip of your hands. mmmmmmmm…… But life won’t always let you bring that tool into play. Circumstances may […]

We met this guy over cocktails in the south of France and knew from his incredible energy, he had a definite point of view of the world. A very intense one. In the night heat of the June coast of the Riviera, you could easily sense that this photographer/director, was just about to burst out […]

As a photography student at Ryerson in Toronto, one of our textbooks was John Szarkowski’s “Looking At Photographs”. C’mon. I know what I see, and how I feel about it. Either I am affected or not. I look at photographs all the time. Right? Au contrere, this arrogant, young, student found out. Grasshopper needed a […]