Click here to view the video on YouTube.

click the play button above or click here to watch it on youtube.

i’d love to hear your thoughts and hope you enjoy it!

it’s official! my latest book, people pictures: 30 exercises to creating authentic photographs, is now shipping!!! so far it has made a great start right out of the gate and is currently the #1 best seller on amazon.com in the category of portrait photography!  click here to check it out. right behind it in spot #2 is a humorous book titled awkward family photos. perhaps amazon should offer the two books as a bundle, kind of like a ying and yang, hot and cold, sweet and salty, awkward and authentic combo… what do you think?  ;)

if you have received your copy, i’d love to hear your thoughts! and thanks to all of you who have helped spread the word and especially to those of you who have picked up the book – i hope you enjoy it!

the people pictures book companion website is now live – click here to check it out!

Introduction

Overview

Book Q/A

in collaboration with adobe, i’m giving a free presentation in san francisco at adobe’s two week
“photoshop and you” event on thursday august 4th at 4pm!

if you’re interested, here are some links:

• main event link: photoshop.com/events/550sutter
• photos from the event – click here.
• post on scott kelby’s blog – overview and video

using my two most recent books as a springboard, i’ve put together a brand new presentation on photography and how to create more compelling photographs! i’m really excited about the event! if you live near sf and can swing by – it would be great to see you!

on another note, it has been a few years since i have had the chance to make pictures in san francisco. i’m looking forward to wandering around the city with camera in hand –  anyone have any tips or ideas on where i should go? thanks!

in case you didn’t catch it, last week i had the privilege of writing a guest post on scott kelby’s blog.
i wrote about photography, creativity and being fully alive!

click here to check it out!

i was recently shooting a video for a new lynda.com training course on how to create better portraits. (the course is coming out in a few months – i’ll keep you posted.) for one of the movies i filled up a crit rack with a handful of books related to the topic of creating people pictures (click on the image above for a larger view). this selection is in no way exhaustive, rather its more of a representational sampling of the books that i enjoy.

i’ve always found photography books to be a great source of inspiration. this got me wondering about which books have influenced other  photographers. what are the books that you enjoy or that have made your top 25 list?  i’d love to hear your thoughts.

in need of a little photographic inspiration? be sure to sign up and catch my peachpit photoclub presentation on tuesday november 16th from 5-6. the presentation will include 30min of ideas/tips/concepts/assignments to help you take more compelling photographs and 30min of q&a. i’m really looking forward to the event and hope to get a chance to dialogue with you on tue! thanks!!

click here to sign up!

the tedx conference was amazing! there were so many highlights …more on that later.
for now, i wanted to let you know that my presentation “the poetics of pictures” it is live on youtube!
i hope you enjoy it and be sure to spread the word! :)

>> click here to check it out!

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on another note: click here to view some photos of the event that were taken by my good friend erin feinblatt.

above is a recent pic jeff johnson for the current issue of surfer magazine (pictured below). jeff is a climber, surfer, writer, photographer, deep thinker and all around super inspiring person.
click here to read the beginning of the article.

jeff is one of the main characters in the film titled, 180 south. i have to say, its one of the best films i’ve seen/experienced in a long time. the film tour is just beginning. if you haven’t see it, don’t miss out.
click here to watch the trailer and to find out more info.

today i walked into borders’s and was surprised and stoked to see that the latest issue of triathlete magazine hit the stands! (i snapped the above pic with my iphone). for this issue i shot the cover and interior photos for an article on uber triathlete and good friend chris lieto.  it sounds goofy but it is always so fun to see your photos in print. and plus, my mom even called me from barnes and noble where she saw the issue and she told me she was proud :)

>> click here to check out the article

after looking around at some of the other magazines, i noticed another friend todd glasser’s cover photo on surfer magazine. the whole thing brought another big smile to my face.  knowing that i needed to seize the moment, before i left i rearranged the magazine racks to make for a better show  ;)

i’ll have some more photos to post from these issues, yet for now thanks for sharing in the joy of it all. cheers.

last week triathlete magazine posted a behind the scenes video of the cover shoot i did with 3x ironman champion and good friend chris lieto.

click here to check it out!
(our part begins at about 3:38)

this week i had opportunity to photograph chris lieto for the cover of the april issue of triathlete magazine. chris is a world class athlete, 3x ironman champion and someone who never gives up. at the ironman world championships in kona hawaii last year chris finished 2nd! he is a force to be reckoned with!

even more, chris is one of my closest friends.  in fact, a number of years ago chris saved my life while we were rock climbing… then later, at another time in life when i had to use a wheel chair for a couple of years and didn’t think i would run, bike, surf again… chris was a brother throughout that time and he played a key role in my recovery and revitalization. needless to say, chris is someone i value, admire and respect very deeply.

the shoot was epic! we had some intense rain but that didn’t stop chris cycling up gibraltar rd (one of lance armstrong’s favorite rides). while chris rode i hung out of the back of a truck snapping pics or sometimes i would jump out and run alongside him to get some shots. the photo above was captured on gibraltar by the photo editor of the magazine nils nilsen,  a top quality photographer and all around cool guy.

we also shot at the beach, up on some rocks, around town and we did some work in the studio (photo below captured by one of my assistants, i’m not sure which… either way thanks a ton mattia, miles and lara!). in sum, we had a ton of fun and i can’t wait to see what photo the editors pick to put on the cover.

in closing, it was unreal to blend many of my passions – friendship, athletics, weather, outdoors and photography. and for me photography has always been about more than the picture. it is about getting more out of life and that is definitely the case anytime i spend time with chris. for more than anyone i know, chris’ words, actions and life remind me of the truth of what he often says, “anyone can accomplish anything if you never give up.”

if you’d like to learn more about chris lieto - click here to view his website or even better click here to watch this recent trek commercial!

i am incredibly excited to announce that this thur nov 12 at 10am (pst) i will be giving a live 1 hour webcast presentation in regards to my latest book, “visual poetry”. the presentation will be a mixture of inspiration, anecdotes and photographs + some time at the end for questions.

if you’re looking for a creative boost, be sure to join in on the fun – click here for the more info!

above are some of the photos from the book (click on the image for larger view)

chris jordan’s photography is haunting and thought provoking. he recently released a set of photographs of albatross chicks that were made on midway atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the north pacific. the nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. on this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

the images are difficult, yet if you haven’t seen his work click here

this last week i had the privilege of spending some time with acclaimed humanitarian photographer  david duchemin. above is a pic of david from when we went shooting in the neon graveyard.  if you aren’t familiar with him or his work – it’s inspiring! click here to check it out.

his most recent book is titled within the frame (shown below) and it is one of my all time favorites – great images, strong words and inspiring ideas. after hanging out with david this week i’ve decided that when i’m back home i’m going to read it again.