Vote for JPG Issue 7 Now
Just a thought from 5 October 2006 about JPG Magazine, Photography, Photos.

The submission period for Issue 7 of JPG Magazine has just ended, but you can still vote for another week. Get your vote on in Big, Self-portraiture, and Hometown! Here are my submissions.

And submissions are now open for the first theme in Issue 8: Tourist. Let's see your best travel shot!

New Photo Book: Apple Sweat
Just a thought from 8 August 2006 about Books, For Sale, Fray, Life, Photography, Travel.

What do you do when your trip to New York City just happens to coincide with the biggest heat wave since 1936? Make some photos, of course!

I took my favorite Lomo shots and put them together in a book I'm calling Apple Sweat: The 2006 Heat Wave from NYC Streets. Take a look!

JPG Issue 5 Published
Just a thought from 25 March 2006 about For Sale, JPG Magazine, Photography.

Tonight Heather and I published Issue 5 of JPG Magazine. This issue was a real labor of love for us.

The "Photography is Not a Crime" theme is very close to our hearts, and something we talked about a year ago when we were first starting the magazine. We left submissions for this issue open twice as long as usual, and it took twice as long to produce.

It's full of stories about photography, brushes with the law, and helpful information for photographers who get hassled. Most of the photos come with little stories of getting yelled at for shooting, or bending the rules to get the shot. Together, they paint a portrait of some of the darker corners of the life of a photographer.

Continue reading “JPG Issue 5 Published” »

My Flickr Top 20
Just a thought from 5 January 2006 about Flickr, Fun, Geek, Photography, Photos.

I try to be an intellectual. I try to an artist. But it turns out people just come around for the little dog photos.

This is a mosaic of the top 20 photos from my Flickr photostream, as picked by my fellow Flickrinos hitting that "favorite" button. Important stats:

10 little dogs
2 of my beautiful wife
2 zombies
1 famous bicyclist
1 unknown accordionist
1 favorite moment from our wedding (taken by the marvelous Katy Raddatz)
0 big dogs

The audience has spoken. More little dogs in 2006!

JPGs in the Wild
Just a thought from 4 January 2006 about JPG Magazine, Photography, Photos.

JPG Magazine Issue 4 has been out for a couple weeks now, and the contributors are just starting to get their copies in the mail. This week, two of them took their copies out into the wild and photographed their subjects again with the magazine. And, honestly, it's shit like this that makes this project so much fun.

By Deborah Lattimore

By Dockmaster

Wanna play? Submit to Issue 5 now! Also new in JPG, the Year One Box Set is on sale now. Rock!

New in JPG Magazine
Just a thought from 4 December 2005 about For Sale, JPG Magazine, Photography.

Heather and I just put the finishing touches on some great new stuff for JPG Magazine.

JPG Magazine Issue 4: No Theme is now available! For the final issue of our first year, we decided to take a break from the usual theme. We just asked for your best photos of 2005. And we got 'em!

Inside issue 4 you'll find 35 amazing photographs, an interview with Youngna Park and Zach Klein about their "Candy Cane for Your Portrait" project, and a set of brilliant lomos by featured photographer, Kevin Meredith.

We've also announced the theme for Issue 5: Photography is Not a Crime. In a post 9/11 age of paranoia and suspicion, public photography has become threatening, even criminal. And we here at JPG are sick of it.

For Issue 5, we're asking you to go out in public and take photos. Insist on your rights as a photographer. Shoot where people tell you not to. And, of course, send the best one to us. Submissions are open now until January 15, 2006.

Chawazek 2006
Just a thought from 1 December 2005 about For Sale, Photography, Powazek, San Francisco.

Heather and I put 12 of our favorite photos of San Francisco together and made a 2006 calendar. Here's a fun game: See if you can guess which months are hers and which are mine. Get yours today!

See also: The Bug Calendar!

I suspect that I am part of a teaser campaign
Just a thought from 10 August 2005 about Flickr, Internet, JPG Magazine, Photography.

Today I received two very special surprises in the mail. Inside was the first glimpse of the dream of every Flickr user with more than a few photos online: If only I could order prints. Well, it looks like, very soon now, you'll be able to.

(Full disclosure: My wife, the lovely and talented Heather Powazek Champ is Flickr's community manager. And Flickr was started by Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, who are dear friends of ours. I'm told that none of those things are why I received these surprises. They are, however, several of the reasons I consider myself a lucky, lucky man.)

The first surprise was a huge envelope with a 13x19 print inside. The print is a large grid of thumbnails from a seemingly random assortment of my Flickr photos. It reminded me a lot of the grid of photos I made of the first year of Ephemera, except with more whitespace.

The print quality is good - not as good as the prints I make at home on the Epson 1280, but nearly so. The paper is high quality and it looks great hanging on the wall.

Continue reading “I suspect that I am part of a teaser campaign” »

Pearls of Photographic Wisdom
Just a thought from 29 May 2005 about Photography.

I remember when I got my first camera, a 126 cartridge Kodak, my dad gave me my first shooting advice: Make sure the sun is at your back, and hold your breath before hitting the shutter. I still do that today.

Since then, I've come up with some of my own bits of wisdom to remember when shooting.

• Look behind you!
  This mental exercise is designed to remind myself to step away from the crowd, look in the other direction, and generally remember to not just shoot the obvious. Sometimes you're rewarded with a fabulous moment.
• Growl like a tiger!
  When you're shooting someone and they're just sitting there looking uncomfortable, say "Growl like a tiger!" The subject will either actually do it or crack up laughing - either way, you get a true emotion instead of a fake smile. It even works on dogs.
• Keep shooting!
  This one's simple math - the more shots you take, the better chance there'll be something decent in there. And now, thanks to digital SLRs and cheap compact flash, you really can just keep shooting.

Do you have any pearls of photographic wisdom? Share them in the JPG Group!

Heather and I on Lulu
Just a thought from 3 May 2005 about Fun, JPG Magazine, Photography, Photos, Powazek.

Jason took this fabulous photo of Heather and I to help promote JPG Magazine. It's currently in rotation on the Lulu homepage. Hooray!

Get Lost!
Just a thought from 11 April 2005 about JPG Magazine, Photography, Powazek.

The second issue of Heather's and my labor of love photo maagazine has been published!

Issue 2 of JPG Magazine, the quarterly of brave new photography, is here! Inside you'll find 43 photographic interpretations of the word "lost." Also includes a set of powerful portraits by featured photographer Ryan Keberly of Detroit's disposessed, as well as an interview with Adriene Hughes, who is using photography in her battle with cancer. This issue of JPG Magazine paints a new picture of what it means to be lost ... and found.

The magazine is 62 pages (ten more than last issue!) and looks a little something like this inside. More Info & Buy »

Heather via Flickr
Just a thought from 9 April 2005 about Internet, Photography, Photos, Powazek.

I'm really enjoying the crappy camera in my Sidekick 2 lately. You can see the results in my Flickr Photos Tagged Hiptop.

I am a salty old man
Just a thought from 2 April 2005 about Blogging, Geek, Photography, Powazek, San Francisco.

Heather and I are having much fun moblogging today. She has an excuse - she is participating in 24 in 48: A collection of 24 people posting photos for 48 hours for your enjoyment. Me? I just like to follow the cool kids.

Check our Flickr photostreams: his and hers.

Ephemera Recognized
Just a thought from 31 March 2005 about Photography, Powazek.

It's been a great week for my photo site, Ephemera.

On Monday, Justly Married, my record of the same-sex marriages that took place in San Francisco in February 2004, received an honorable mention in the NPAA Best in Photojournalism 2005 for News Picture Story. I'm told it's the first time a photoblog has appeared in the awards. It's quite an honor.

And on Wednesday, my pet photography was honored as "Best Animal Photography of a Photoblog" in the Photobloggies. Thanks to everyone who voted! I'd like to thank all the little people, especially the ones with fur and four legs....

Cameras For Sale!
Just a thought from 27 March 2005 about For Sale, Photography.

I'm doing a little housecleaning and I've decided to sell some cameras. Looking for a great digital camera? I've got two for sale: (UPDATE: They've both sold!)

• SOLD! Canon Digital Rebel / 300D: $599 A perfect camera if you've only ever used point-and-shoots and are thinking about moving up to a digital SLR. A little over a year old and in fabulous condition.
• SOLD! Nikon Coolpix 4500: $299 If you've never used a swivel camera, you don't know what you're missing. Great for casual shooting.

Continue reading “Cameras For Sale!” »

Vote Chawazek!
Just a thought from 21 March 2005 about Blogging, Internet, Photography, Powazek.

You know what never gets old? Shilling for votes. Really. It's a skill I've nurtured over my 10 years making web stuff. I'm still sore I never got in the Top 5% in the mid-90s. The ballot was totally confusing. Most of my votes wound up going to David Siegel.

Case in point: I'm honored that my humble photo site is nominated for two categories in the Photobloggies: Animal Photography and Photo of the Year. And The Wife is nominated for two as well: Best American (hah!) and Best Toy Camera.

So, please, if you cherish freedom, mom, and apple crullers, vote Chawazek today! We'd do it for you. And hurry - voting ends March 28.

UPDATE: Heather has recused herself because she wants to see the award go to a site that's not already on the Photoblogs Top 10. Isn't she the best? Answer: Yes. I vote for her every day.

Party Friday Night!
Just a thought from 23 February 2005 about Art, Event, JPG Magazine, Photography, Powazek, San Francisco.

Me and the lovely wife have some photos up in our neighborhood cafe and we're having a little wine and cheese opening. The event also doubles as a launch party for our new photo magazine, JPG. Please come celebrate with us!

When: This Friday, February 25, 6-8pm.
Where: Reverie Cafe: 848 Cole Street (near Carl).

Yes, there'll be copies of JPG Magazine avaliable. Also, cheese. And coffee. And wine and beer. And us.

Here's hoping you'll be there too!

UPDATE: It rocked! Thanks to all who attended.

Rockstar Treatment
Just a thought from 19 February 2005 about Art, Fun, Photography, Photos, Powazek.

If there's one thing better than having super-talented friends, it's having super-talented friends who let you participate in their projects. Today Heather and I went over to Robin's garage studio for the rockstar treatment, which consists of a white backdrop, a few lights, and a camera. All in all it's pretty low tech. The fanciest thing in the garage was the iPod playing the tunes. Whatta blast. Thanks Robin!

The Really Big Show
Just a thought from 31 January 2005 about Art, Cole Valley, Photography, Powazek, San Francisco.

For weeks Heather and I have been running the photo printer constantly, buying up lengths of wire and strange plastic bits, and having conversations like, "does this dog go with this ripped graffiti?" and "I dunno, the broken taillight or the billowy cotton candy?" And after two late nights with tape and levels and other implements of destruction, we're finally done. Our first joint photo show is up.

It's called "Local Color" and it's 42 color photos and a bunch of Polaroids of the San Francisco we know and love. Except for that one that Heather shot in Mexico, but shhh, that's a secret.

If you're in San Francisco, do stop by Reverie Cafe at 848 Cole Street sometime between now and the Ides of March for a look. If not, well, here's a glimpse of the Wall o' Pets (my contribution, natch).

JPG Magazine is GO!
Just a thought from 13 January 2005 about JPG Magazine, Photography, Powazek.

The first issue of JPG Magazine is out!

Ephemera Year One
Just a thought from 4 January 2005 about Photography.

Every photo I posted to Ephemera in 2004.

Ephemera 500
Just a thought from 29 November 2004 about Photography.

Ephemera hit 500 this weekend, and it hasn't even been a year yet. Rock!

Dog Crazy!
Just a thought from 2 October 2004 about Photography.

I love photographing dogs because they don't put on faces. They don't pretend to like you when they don't, they don't smile when they're really pissed, and they're not too cool to jump up and down when they're excited. And when they're happy, they're really, really happy. Can you think of a better photo subject?

I'm also blessed to live with two of the goofiest dogs around, and we live across the street from the neighborhood dog park. Combine that with a love of spontaneous photography, and, well, I have lots of photos of dogs. I've taken some of my favorites and made a few things. If you love dogs, too, you might like 'em.

Booked
Just a thought from 11 June 2004 about Books, Clips, For Sale, Photography, Powazek.

Speaking of books, eleven of my Justly Married photos have been included in a new book, We Do: A Celebration of Gay and Lesbian Marriage, published by Chronicle Books. It's a gorgeous book and such an honor to be included.

Yesterday was a little book launch party, where I got to meet the editors as well as some of the couples who were married at City Hall in February, a few of my fellow photographers, and even a local politico or two. There were speeches, there was champagne, there was cake, there were even goodie bags.

Continue reading “Booked” »