nowhere IS somewhere {snapshots as art & finding a lost iphone}

posted September 15, 2011 in Photographer Resources

Sitting at 30,000 feet, I wonder if I know where I am. We could be in the middle of a OR surgery case saving a life. Or lost in translation in Japan. Or just a photographer returning from a trip. We could be quietly sitting back, looking around at snoring families… wondering if the exact latitude or longitude or elevation matters. While no fan of precision, place still matters. While my iPhone video captures amazing snippets of Iife, I’ve come to appreciate those glimpses more and more with the passage of time.

The Art of Being
Chase Jarvis reminds us the importance of the Art of Being… quintessential for creative living. Watching this short video shared an incredible collective meaning to me. I felt he was talking directly to me.
[youtube width=”640″ height=”390″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76NL-fAR13s&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

Chase’s Golden Nuggets:

You have to take a picture that no one in the world can take.You have to be making things no one can make. If you are taking pictures of your life, you are constantly creating snap shots… those are images no one has ever seen.
Celebrate the snapshot… it has become some of the most important photography of our culture.
A snap shot is much more personal, intimate. A mirror of life. It is that much closer to the moment.
Thinking clearly is a HUGE component to creating good art (for me).
Carve out time to create and separate yourself from a normal routine and you will be rewarded.

Keep in mind this comes from the same guy who hung a gallery show of images shot with an iPhone. I’m with Chase: The Best Camera is the One that’s With you (check out The Best Camera world-wide hub and order the book.).

Those snap shots of reality bring me back to somewhere special which is now. Here are several snap shots from a recent trip to Hawaii, nothing worth artistic merit, yet reflect an art called lifestyle.

Being in the waves, a sea turtle ‘waives’:
[youtube width=”640″ height=”390″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP6u0_EUp94[/youtube]

A good morning at sunrise from Kailua, Hawaii:
[youtube width=”640″ height=”390″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JElG_VxVL4w[/youtube]

Location scouting for wedding shoot in Hawaii:
[youtube width=”640″ height=”390″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W1s1CMtalU[/youtube]

Riding to wedding ceremony with couple:
[youtube width=”640″ height=”390″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzXH8tEfUwc[/youtube]

My brother’s surgical loupes:
[youtube width=”640″ height=”390″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axAkZwcLLLA[/youtube]

A personal favorite, watching my bro hit a (fake) hole in one, from an earlier trip:
[youtube width=”640″ height=”390″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E6fxESYl5k[/youtube]

Why share these videos from last week?

They were almost but gone, had I not uploaded them hours before. I would have paid at least $100 to get just these videos back (since they were backed up, they are gold). That’s the funny thing about stuff and stolen stuff… it is just stuff. It is replaceable. However, the photos, videos, and text messages saved on said devises, vanish, too.

Last night I dropped my cell phone while on a family portrait session. A not-so honest individual chose to take my iPhone. After Googling “How to Find Your Lost iPhone,” I was able to use Apple’s MobileMe to track it by reading this article. Turns out, said individual chose to drive 45 north of where I lost it. Fortunately, I paid the extra few dollars per month for the Verizon iPhone insurance. Within hours of filing the claim, a new one was on it’s way via UPS next day air. So much for my anticipated tech diet. I was also able remotely to wipe clear all my personal information on the phone and discontinue service moments after I knew someone stole it. Thank you, Apple, for the peace of mind!

Create something today…. just do it! And while it might not be special now, those memories will appreciate at a rate more than any home (nowadays) will. Don’t forget to back it up!