James Worrell Studio

Sugar the chicken, moment's before it tried to peck my daughter in the face.  From my ongoing series "Iowa"

sab·bat·i·cal

səˈbadək(ə)l/

- a period of paid leave granted to a college teacher for study or travel, traditionally every seventh year.

Paid?  Am I right? One can dream.  Best go with Hiatus - A period of time with something (such as an activity or program) is stopped. 

I started this blog in October of 2008, moments before the economy tried to "correct" itself. It has been a wonderful place to show work, talk about issues in the industry.  473 posts later, the blog went on hiatus in November of 2015.

I wasn't sure if I would start "blogging" again as it began to feel like work to come up with something that I wasn't sure anyone was reading.  For a self-congratulatory photo blog I do get a fair bit of traffic, but does it help my career at all?  Should my time be spent doing something else?  The answer you may ask? What wisdom can I impart on my fellow Gen Xer's, the hordes of Milenials and the unfortunate, non-creatively named Generation Z kids?  The answer?  

There isn't one. 

June Kiddie Pool, from on going series "Iowa"

The point, if there is one to this post, is that being a creative professional outside the corporate paradigm has plenty of challenges. Not least of which is the abundance of cheap technology and lots and lots of photographers. My advice, for what it's worth, is to do whatever it takes to remain connected to your work.  In an age obsessed with new, young and social, it is more important than ever to focus on what make your work yours.  Nobody cares that much unless it can directly help them, so make it matter to yourself first.  Does your work speak to you?  If it doesn't, then it won't matter to anyone else either. Selling your work to those who buy photography services is an all together different subject and post. However, you have to have something sell first.

I wouldn't suggest being completely self absorbed either.  For me, being busy is when the ideas come.  I can be busy taking my family to Iowa for vacation for instance, or I can be busy shooting for a client.  My kryptonite is inactivity. So, time to get busy.

The growth in the photography industry seems to me to reside with those who sell services to photographers, i.e. list services, sourcebooks, consultants, equipment dealers, etc. Don't get me wrong, they're important and I use them all, but the only real success I have had in this business has come from a handful (yes, handful) of extraordinary business relationships. I have always wanted to give those on this short list a trophy or a puppy, or some other token of appreciation because it out of these relationships that most of my other work has been made possible. For example, if you want an electrician what do you do? While some of us will Google "electrician" and our zip code, likely more of us will go and ask a friend "who do you use?" I am nothing but an overeducated, specialized electrician.  

Google Plus, for what it's worth, set it up correctly. We all have various circles from which a 2nd tier of relationships form.  I have circles of clients, vendors, friends and colleagues. Interesting things happen in the intersections, through referrals and recommendations.

I'll give you an example: I live in a funky little town outside of NYC that is home to a lot of creative people (I have always called it Brooklyn West). It consistently amazes me that so many of the people I meet here are in artistic fields. A few years ago I was introduced to an illustrator who often worked with a photographer friend of mine, Jim Bastardo. We ran into each other here and there and one day our friend couldn't help him with a shoot due to a scheduling conflict so he asked me instead. I can only hope Felix Sockwell is as happy with the photo I took of him for his promotional material as I am of the new logo he designed for me. I love it. I have since had occasion to work with him on other jobs, and we've gone out to sit and chat over coffee, discussing all sorts of things from the business to all of the daughters we have (he has 3, I have 2). The main point is this: Felix and I have gone from being colleagues and neighbors to good friends who sometimes work together. And that to me is success.

Mr Felix Sockwell, check him out!

Vertical logo for my JamesWorrell.net splash page

Horizontal version for my site and other parts of my identity

 "I'll Melt with You" by Modern English. Performed by Nouvelle Vague.

Edited and shot by James Worrell.

Here is aspecial 15 second stop motion we are calling March of the Pumpkins!

I love a good saying, a short, clever expression that usually contains advice or expresses some obvious truth. And in this day and age of short attention spans, if you can't fit it on a bumper sticker... I saw a good one this morning on the site of NYC advertising agency Wasabi Rabbit. "Our policy on assholes, we don't hire them." Makes sense to me.

WasabiRabbit.com

Another saying you hear a lot is regarding value, " Price, Quality, Service... pick any Two."  Think about Costco vs Whole Foods.  It is safe to say you will physically get more for your money at Costco but you will not experience great customer service.  Low prices are great of course, but according to Gallop it is good customer service that creates value and loyalty.  

Price, Quality, Service.  Cheap, Good, Fast.

So what did You do this summer?  I thought way too hard about Blogs and Photography.  Where is photography going?  And does anyone still need a blog? I have had this blog for exactly seven years, the first post being October 1, 2008.  And true to the psychological term that shows divorce spikes after Seven years of marriage, the blog and I entered into a trial separation earlier this year. My most recent post prior to this one was in January but I had been feeling the blog fatigue for some time.

Billy Wilder's 1955 Comedy

After much thought and too much coffee at my local coffee shop, the Able Baker, I have decided to relaunch the blog in more of an idea/macro view format. There will be a lot less of me going on about my personal work and more about ideas and tips. Photography has fundamentally changed and I am once again attempting to change with it.  I was really struck by this recent Time Lightbox article by Stephen Mayes,

The Next Revolution in Photography Is Coming

A multiple exposure by Stephen Wilkes

"It’s time to stop talking about photography. It’s not that photography is dead as many have claimed, but it’s gone." - Stephen Mayes

In his article, Stephen compares photography's shift from film to digital with puberty. I am not sure I agree completely with this analogy but Stephen is a smart guy and has clearly thought about this a lot.  ALL I KNOW is that I fell in love with photography in the black and white darkroom of my High School in Iowa.  I have watched my idea of photography change multiple times as well as been in the middle of one of it's biggest changes, the pubescent shift from film to digital.  I wonder what that makes all people in the "I still shoot film" subgenre?  Read the article, it's very thoughtful and well written.

So, are blogs relevant for photographers?  Is photography relevant?  We are literally standing on the edge of the unknown and we can either choose to go with the excitement of change or hang back with the familiarity of fear.  For me, it's a little of both.

We typically take a trip to visit the family farm in Iowa every summer as well as a trip to Martha's Vineyard in late August.  It has been incredible to watch my kids and their cousins grow up  in these two places.  Although I met my wife in NYC 18 years ago, we both have deep roots in Iowa, and the kids love it. 

This year, my daughter wanted to enter some artwork in the Martha's Vineyard Ag Fair, something we go to every year on our vacation to the island.  I am overjoyed to report that she won first place in "still-life" for her age group while I got 2nd place in the professional category.  She is thrilled of course and loves to say she beat me at my own game.  

I personally feel I could retire now, I have never been happier for a 2nd place finish.

Edie with her photo and blue ribbon on Martha's Vineyard.

I entered one of my cow photos from the farm.

My 2nd place ribbon.  

June "driving" a John Deere tractor with my Uncle Jim.

The kids jumping off the dock in Martha's Vineyard.

The cousins watch the cows.

Oblatory sunset photo from MV.

When I first started shooting some 20 odd years ago there was a marketing formula for photographers which consisted of sending out 4 direct mailing pieces a year and taking out a source book ad. We didn't have to worry about email marketing, web sites, SEO, blogs, social media, etc.  These are all tools that I use but nothing beats a printed card, portfolio or book in this photographer's humble opinion. This past year, I decided to go back to basics.  I have advertised in At Edge which puts out 5 books over the course of the year and recently I sent out my first direct mail piece in a while.  I have plans to do at least 3 direct mail pieces in 2015.  The big difference is that I still have to do a lot of the other stuff as well. I have spoken to many of my colleagues regarding these issues and the bottom line, as summed up by my studio mate Beth Galton, seems to be that you have to put yourself out there.  I think this mainly means putting a consistent product out on as many platforms as you can afford within your budget, target your efforts and follow up.  And keep shooting, always keep shooting.

My At Edge Microview 48 ad, which comes out in June of 2015. It is an ice cream collaboration between myself and food stylist Brian Preston-Campbell.

The winter direct mail folded card, we are sending this one out now.

Microview 47 due out in April. This shot styled by Jen Everett.

The Holiday card featuring my work for TUMI.  Styled by Molly Fitzsimons.

Microview 46, March 2015.  Styled by Jen Everett for Marriott.

Macroview 2015 due out this month.  As the name suggests, it's bigger.

And Happy New Year!  Thanks to everyone for a great 2014.

My videos and Posters are now in TUMI stores and displays worldwide. This is a quick loop shot with stills. @tumitravel @jaysoysal @johnmeese @djbauer @mmmdail @bigleoproductions @nicolecordier @miyeyesseethis #behappy #holidaytravel #snow #tumi #luggage #jamesworrell #mattwilliams see full video at https://Vimeo.com/worrellphoto/Tumi

A video posted by © James Worrell (@worrellphoto) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:55am PST

My assistant Morgan at the Tumi store in Soho NYC. She was part of the team when we shot back in June and it's always great to see your work realized. Thanks everyone! @nicolecordier @johnmeese @jaysoysal @djbauer #mattwilliams @mollywhistle #jamesworrell #tumi @tumitravel #holidayshopping #luggage #behappy

It's time to check in with what's been happening around here.

We did the cover for Matt Burgess's new novel on Knopf DoubleDay Styled by the Set Goddess Megan Caponetto from Apostrophe Creative Direction by Emily Mahon

Latest Cover for Shop Smart - They are the BEST! Karin Olsen - Stylist Karen Shinebaum - Photo Editor Art Director - Tammy Fernandez Melissa Plonchak - Creative Director

A couple of fun covers for Barron's Adrian DeLucca - Photo Editor

Kickstart video for Instagram

Let's just get this out of the way, everyone in New Jersey feels the same way about you as you do about them ;)  No, seriously,  I moved with my family out to New Jersey about 10 years ago when I realized how many square feet we could have there compared to where we were in Brooklyn. 2860 vs 680! Ha! In reality, when we decided to leave the city for the burbs, we looked west for the simple fact that it was closer to family in Philly.  But I must say, we love it!

I have two small kids making their way through the school system in our lovely town of Maplewood, so when this latest assignment from NJ Monthly came along I jumped at the chance to get involved. The new creative force behind NJM is Laura Baer, she and I have worked together for years at various publications.  She is one of my favorite collaborators, enjoy! 

Anyone who has followed my social media meanderings over the past year may have heard me talk about getting a studio once, twice, perhaps three times.  Well it finally happened!  As of July 2014 I have a shooting space in NYC on 27th St and 6th Ave.  I am honored to be sharing with the incomparable Beth Galton, who I have known many years.  Party to follow soon!

The back story:  A little over Eight years ago when my wife was pregnant with our second daughter I decided to take a break from commuting to be home a bit more.  I completed a shooting space/office in my three car garage and started to use that as my home base, renting in the city when needed.  Like anything, it worked great for a while.  And I was certainly happy to have a low overhead in 2009.  Oh lordy, 2009. Let's all have a moment of silence for 2009.  But I began to miss being in the city and you know what they say, change is good.  Having a studio in NYC is a much different prospect today than it was 20 years ago when I opened my first place.  Many photographers, like Beth and myself, have banded together to share space and resources.  There will always be a need for content, the struggle is to remain relevant in an ever changing landscape.  It is truly a great time to be an image maker.

I am continually grateful to be able to make my living doing something I love.  I hope to see you soon!

View from the north windows.

A full Kitchen!

Working for Pepsi.

A very nice and unexpected surprise came to me recently via email with a note that I was being highlighted on Feature Shoot's web site. They used work taken from my small, but growing collection at OFF SET images. OFF SET is a premium collection from Shutterstock and although I don't have that many images up on their site as of yet, I do like their aesthetic and design. Is it here where we talk about the death of photography and the falling rates, in part because of royalty free stock sites, the internet and the over saturation of imagery?  No! Today we just enjoy a little press, this is one of those moments where it feels really good to be a photographer. I also have been with Getty Images since they bought Photonica in the 90s and although I don't make as much as I used to, it still provides me with a guilty sense that I need to submit more images. I absolutely have to add a shout out to one of my favorite prop stylists, Amy Chin, who is always booked on some job in an exotic far away location, making beautiful things happen.  She did much of the styling on the cosmetic shots but not all, I did some myself.  I am a pretty good on set stylist but only pretty good. The Feature Shoot article talks about how I am based in Iowa, and as much as I Love Iowa, I left in 1990 to attempt a Master's at Cal Arts outside of Los Angles.  I have now been in the NYC area for 22 years. Time really does fly as they say.

Feature Shoot July 18, 2014

James Worrell OFF SET

James Worrell OFF SET

Getty Images

A couple of fun cover shoots so far this year, both of them on bargains. (I have another one coming up soon, a cover for the Washington Post Magazine).  I love my clients.  Seriously, working with talented, nice people is such a plus.  Don't forget to be good to your clients and your vendors.  The difficult "artist" type is a myth.

May cover of Shop Smart on the stands now! Muchas Gracias to: Melissa Paterno Plonchak - Creative Director Tammy Fernandez - Art Director Karen Shinbaum - Photo Editor Prop Stylist - Angela Campos

OK, another one of my favorite peeps in this silly business is Laura Baer, who is now Art Director/Creative Director at NJ Monthly.  We have worked together off and on for years at Prevention and Good Housekeeping.  Keep it coming Laura! The cover that made the cut is the grid on white below.  Although it's not my first choice, it's not my choice and I am happy for a cover.  It's my job to give the client what they need and I will use one of the others in my portfolio along with the opening spread below, which I love. Also thanks to: Susan Brierly - Style Editor and Stylist Karen Hoffsten - Susan's Assistant Deborah Carter - Managing Editor Susan made a blog post too, see it Here.

The winning cover.

You may or may not know that on a cover shoot we tend to spend the entire day shooting the cover and variations on the theme.  The NJ Monthly job was multiple days, the Shop Smart Job was one full day working through different constructions on the one set... we actually started on Yellow and ended up on light pink.

Here are the two winning shots, the one below made the cover.

A wee 6 seconds behind the scenes.  I used something like 9 lights

on this one which is unusual for me, but Fun!

The NJ Monthly shot was done in my home studio in New Jersey of course... actually it's my converted 3 car garage studio.  I split my time between here and shooting in NYC.

Found out last night that images from my FLAT SHIT series have been included in American Photo 30!  I am really excited about this of course, but the perfectionist within me wants to know why not the other stuff I submitted?  Typical free-lance response.  Thanks to everyone who has supported Flat Shit over the past year, it has been a pleasant surprise to me that people like it so much.  

There are about 20 copies left of the 250 limited edition booklet I published in January:  Buy it HERE or send me an email 

The spread of images picked for AP 30

FLAT SHIT

By james Worrell in James Worrell Photographs

20 pages, published 1/16/2014

Only 250 will be printed.

Only 10 bucks.

Go to MagCloud to purchase, or contact me @ [email protected] for a signed copy.

Thanks!

flatshit.org