Innovation is defined, quite simply, as "the introduction of something new". In our business, this is essentially two fold: first the pitch to the client, and the delivery to the audience. Easy? Maybe not so much. Everyone likes to talk about creativity, how 'creative' an idea is, or how new and fresh it seems. There is a natural tendency to dumb down and label everything revolutionary as creativity. Unfortunately, creativity is most certainly not the key to success, at least not on its own.

The real key to successfully introducing a new idea, especially in the context of a paying project or client, is to actually apply creative thinking to the exectution: the actual real world innovation of the idea. Really, the only thing that separates a cool idea from a world changing or mind shifting innovation is in the execution.

The reality for most of us is that status quo is easy, status quo is cheap, status quo is timely. You don't have to work late for status quo, you don't have to think outside the box to deliver status quo. The challenge here is obvious: How do we take that amazing idea, and with a little effort, innovate it into something revolutionary, or (at worst) different? Can we turn status quo into mind shifting and game changing? Can we raise the bar on a limited budget and timeline?

Get innovative, make your next idea a revolution.

Moraine Lake, Alberta 2009



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Oregon Coast, Oregon 2009



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Wapta Icefields, Alberta 2007



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Wapta Icefields, Alberta 2007



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Now, its not that Pike place is boring, or a waste of time... quite the contrary, it was a fantastic day out in the sun/rain/sun/rain/sun/rain cruising around downtown, taking in the sights and culture. However, I think it was around this time (and maybe partially because of this trip) that I began to finally understand what all the greats mean when they say that "the best pictures, the best ideas, are made and not taken". It occured to me later on in my journey as a 'creative' that my whole purpose for bringing my camera was in hopes of "finding" a cool image. Sure, great intentions, but no purpose and completely backwards logic. It's something so many photographers and creatives find themselves doing. Traveling the beaten path, looking to capture our own version of, well, the same thing everyone else has already captured 1000 times over (anyone have a picture of Lake Louise or the statue of liberty to prove my point?)

Now, there is certainly something to be said for being prepared to capture inspiring places, events, and shots of opportunity. This is, after all, a dynamic and ever changing world we live in. Case in point: Just yesterday I looked out my window to see a girl hula-hooping on the roof across from my office, in the snow, in full view of downtown. Had my camera, got the shot, awesome. But aside from those little gems we occasionally find, it is seldom (maybe never) that we just randomly stumble across the best opportunities, and as a photographer, the best images. Want to take award winning photos? Step off the beaten path. Find a new viewpoint, something no one has seen before. Maybe even just a new viewpoint on something we've all seen a million times. Vincent Laforet nailed this fundamental with this fantastic capture of the Chrysler Building in NYC.

Maybe it's time to actively seek out that concept or emotion you want to capture. This time, try creating an idea that hasn't been created before. Spend some serious time contemplating the concept or message behind your next image before you ever pick up the camera. Only with this fundamental principle as your anchor will you begin to find that elusive creativity that all of us are looking for.

What does this look like? As a photographer, take a photo... tweak it to your liking, upload it to flickr or twitpic, and publish via facebook or twitter.

Seems like a normal thing for the modern internet savvy creative person to do... the simplicity masks the utter enormity of it all.... The fact that Twitter and Facebook have become, in many ways, the new face of publishing.

That's it... self publishing. You have an audience (friends and contacts), you have a medium of delivery with WIDE acceptance, you have the tools available to produce extremely high quality media for unprecedented prices (Canon 5Dmk2, a lens, a tripod and Final Cut Express for Less than $4000).

So whats stopping us from using this new medium to it's fullest extent?

A very good question.

It was also a great learning day... myself still a little fresh off the burner with model shooting, especially out of studio, and her a relatively newbie to modeling of any kind. But, in the end, the learning was all part of the adventure and the fun of the day.

Finding a location was probably one of the more difficult parts of the shoot. Without a real motive or product being showcased, we needed to choose a location that offered both shade and background interest. After driving around for a while, we settled on two locations.... the first being a parking lot behind some high-class condominiums on the waterfront, the second being uptown along a sidewalk overgrown with gorgeous trees, and offering some nice architecture to shoot with.

The first location was a no brainer lighting wise.... 48" shoot-through umbrella with the 580EX on full power blasting away @ F9 / ISO 100. I also chose 1/200 (max sync speed) to mash down the ambient light as much as possible. The result was a dramatically dark background, and a dramatically lit (one light up high) model. A bit edgy, tons of negative space on one side, and a full body profile to place the emphasis on the scale of the area.

Second location was a little tougher, but chose a slightly lower power setting (48" shoot-through / 580EX @ 1/2 power. I ended up shooting primarily at around F7.1 and ISO 100 with a shutter speed at 1/200 to darken the ambient.

Third, and final location was by far the most interesting and the most fun. By this time, it is starting to get very easy to create fantastic images being well into the swing of things. For this narrow divide between two houses, I chose the big 48" umbrella @ 1/2 power up high, yet as close as possible to the model's face without being in the composition. I also used a second flash this time on the ground facing the wall to create a nice highlight effect on both the wall, and the lower left portion of the model. This effect is easiest to see on the 4th picture above, a nice highlighted glow on the lower left side. I also dropped the shutter speed to 1/80 to try to boost the ambient just a little bit to create a softer image.

In the end, a fantastic day out, some great pictures with a good friend, and some great work for both my portfolio and her's. For all you photographers out there, if you know someone thinking about modeling, why not jump in and help them out with a little personal work. It's kind of like supporting your local indie music artist, but this time it's a different kind of artist.

To see some of Karlene's photography, check out some of her images on facebook

» Run the Red Light homepage «

Had an excellent evening out last night with the boys from Run the Red Light (Vancouver, BC). Super talented, and good guys all around, again I was literally blown away by their live show. A combination of high energy, a perfectionist approach to the overall sound of the show, and a very impressive array of LED banks made for one of the best small-venue experiences you could probably experience.

Again it makes me wonder what is up with the music scene here in Calgary. To me, what should have been a completely packed venue was littered with maybe 50 people in total throughout the night. Everyone seemed to enjoy the show, however it was really a bit disheartening that our local music scene seems so shallow sometimes.

So that being said, i would certainly put it out there that if you love music, and have a few bucks to spare every couple weeks, get connected with the underground indie scene, and get out there to support western local artists. For my part, I will do my best to post upcoming shows on my blog/website for good local and regional artists in Calgary, and try to post pictures from the shows as well whenever I can get listed for photography.

Hope to see you out there!

What I am talking about is two things: Personal work, and projects for people with influence. Personal work is a no brainer.... it might be helping your buddy shoot a skateboard video, or doing a photo series on a subject that means something to you personally. I have a variety of projects that I am currently working on that have helped me gain both exposure, and skill. The beauty of personal work is (as www.chasejarvis.com swears by) that you get a chance to shoot what you love, and what you want to shoot. Naturally, when you are doing work that you love, you are going to put heart and soul into it. This is the kind of work that you will want people to remember you for because it is the kind of work that you WANT to do. Honestly, visit chasejarvis.com for a much better writeup on this subject.

Doing 'charity' or opportunistic work for 'people of influence' is really the subject i want to put out there. I recently had an opportunity to do a quick photoshoot with a professional athlete who is also a good friend of mine. What started as a simple photo shoot ended up being a connection with a professional trainer looking for website work/photography, and the phone number and a handshake with the media relations manager with the team the fellow worked for.

Did i make any money on this project? No. But I wasn't intending to. It was simply a favor for a friend, that was returned without any effort on my friend's part. So, who is a person of influence? A person of influence is, quite simply, someone who you trust who isn't just abusing the opportunity for free work. Anyone with any ability to read people at all can tell the difference. A person of influence doesn't have to be famous, rich, popular.... a person of influence can be anyone at all...Influence is merely potential, because you never know who you might meet in the process. This is why I started this blog with the statement "never turn down anything". The value of such a project will never be realized until you do it.... simply by putting yourself out there. It's amazing how much potential work i've gotten simply by going out and doing simple projects for friends. Almost every time I step out my door i end up with a business card, or a phone number and a handshake for someone looking for a freelancer.

Have you ever done something for free that ultimately earned you another job? Did you discover some unforeseen influence that helped you gain exposure or a new project?