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CJ Chilvers

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Obsessed with the Ordinary

Even though I prefer to chase a story, I can't help but admire the photographers who would rather give us new views on the ordinary people, places and things all around us. There's stories in them as well. This is a different kind of minimalism. It&

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Chris Marquardt Reads from A Lesser Photographer

Photography Tips from the Top Floor [http://tipsfromthetopfloor.com] is the longest running photography podcast and one of my favorites. Host Chris Marquardt has read several chapters of the A Lesser Photographer book at the end of some of the episodes, much to my delight and honor. His listeners are

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Stolen Ideas

People steal ideas from me all the time. I fine with stolen ideas much more so than stolen words. The whole point of this blogging thing is to make your ideas available to the world for use. If you're afraid to release your idea into the world because

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Lessons for Your Summer Photo Trip

If you're hitting the road, or taking to the air, for a summer vacation, you're going to want to take a lot of photos and accomplish more than you possibly can with the time you have. Here's the lessons I've learned this

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You Don't Have the Time You Think You Do

You will always overestimate the time you have to complete a project. This is law. This is why your calendar is the most important tool you have to manage your projects and your life. Not your to-do list, not your GTD app. Your calendar keeps you honest. It's

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Why Frederick Douglass Loved Photography

From The New Yorker [http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/american-exposure?mbid=social_twitter] : > "Douglass was photographed a lot because he was famous, but also because he was fascinated with photography." > "Douglass believed photography would set his people free by telling the truth about their

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The Hierarchy of Photography Publishing

Explaining how to photograph is 99% of what's published about photography and it's 99% distraction. A step up from explaining how is explaining why. This is the 1% that really makes you reconsider your entire approach to the art. That's where I've

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Get the Suck Out of the Way

I took a new kind of camera out for a spin this weekend. I knew I would suck. I knew I would delete the images and sink into self-doubt about the projects I'm working on. I knew I would revert to all the old fears and limiting beliefs

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The Wrong Direction Couldn't Be More Right

Photographer Oliver Curtis spent four years photographing the most famous landmarks in the world, but in a very different way. He simply turned around [http://boingboing.net/2016/07/07/famous-landmarks-shot-from-t.html]. He made great photographs with the landmarks behind him. This technique is taught in a lot of photography

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Science Says Buy Everything!!

Fast Company has been looking at whether you get more out of buying experiences or things. First, they published The Science Of Why You Should Spend Your Money On Experiences, Not Things [http://www.fastcoexist.com/3043858/world-changing-ideas/the-science-of-why-you-should-spend-your-money-on-experiences-not-thing] , then followed it up with Scientific Proof That Buying Things Can