Blog
When the Right Tool for the Job is Wrong
Designing a website for my wife has me thinking about this essay from from a while back, It's OK Not to Use Tools [https://m.signalvnoise.com/it-s-ok-not-to-use-tools-f39fbb9b6995] by Jonas Downey, a designer from Basecamp. Jonas abandoned his fancy tools when he created a website for an animal
Family Photography
The snapshot is the king of all photographs [https://www.cjchilvers.com/the-snapshot-is-king/] and the family is the king of all subjects. Before becoming a dad, I would've said that photojournalism was more important, and the master printers of the zone system age owned the gallery wall. But,
This is a Real Writer
I've just received several congratulations for winning a Pulitzer Prize. No, I didn't win a Pulitzer Prize. CJ Chivers did (no "l" in the last name). He's a real writer. In fact, Esquire called him the "Best War Reporter in a
What Can't Be Taught in Photography
Brooks Jensen on the LensWork podcast [http://daily.lenswork.com/2017/04/podcast-1012-what-can-be-taught.html] argues that the most important part of photography can't be taught. You can flood Youtube and blogs with information about tools and technique, but when you try to learn about what comes next, there&
My New Business Cards
No one could be more shocked than I when I ran out of business cards at an event recently. Who still uses business cards, right? Well, lots of people. And lots of people wanted to know how to keep in touch and find out more about the things I was
Completionism is a Disease
I admit it, I am a completionist. I read every tweet in my Twitter feed. I read every blog headline in my RSS reader. I listen to every episode of my favorite podcasts and at least read through the notes of the podcasts I half-like in case there's
Thank You
The proper response to a compliment is "thank you." It took me over 30 years is to learn this. Also, the proper response to "thank you" is "you're welcome." I'm still trying to learn this.
Something We Can All Agree On (Wisconsin Supper Clubs)
You don't need to take a political or artistic stand to make a huge impact with a photo book. When people ask about what photo book made the most impact recently, I have a suggestion they usually never consider, because it's not for photography nuts. It&
Independence Day
The bank I write for, and have worked at for 16 years, is finally calling it quits. My last day is May 31st. I'm lucky to have options as a writer. Not many in finance do. Automation has killed a lot of their jobs. We've heard
Billionaires Who Blog
Whenever I hear someone decry the state of blogging, I think about the billionaires who blog from Mark Cuban to Mark Zuckerberg. Their time is worth so much at that level, each blog post could potentially cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to create. So why do they do it?