Selecting your professional photographer - an alternative to that survey that looks so good.

Before you send that survey ...

A number of the wedding websites have surveys on them designed to help brides select their photographer. Seems like a good idea in theory. But before you cut and paste that survey glance through this... It may make you think twice.

Having looked through one of these so you can make sure you ask questions relevant to you and make sure there are no surprises isn’t a bad idea. But sending a long survey to a photographer you are seriously considering may be the best way to make sure they aren’t interested in you.

Questions about photographic style (and definitions of style).

Frankly the best way to understand a photographer’s style is to view their work. Almost all photographers today will work mostly in a style closely tied to photojournalism. They’re going to work in the background, try to be unnoticed and catch the moments that matter. It is nearly impossible to put anything else related to style into words. Their images and their style is unique to them (if they’re any good), but any words they’d use to try to explain what that is will more than likely confuse or diminish the power of the imagery.

Go and look at their work. Are there images of people and venues that look like you and yours and do you like them? Then you know their style works for you.

Questions about how many, or "all" of the images.

Most professionals will shoot somewhere between 1,000 and 3,000 images during your event (some shoot many more). You will have no idea that most are taken.

I know this sounds like crazy talk but I promise that you don’t actually want ALL of the images your photographer will shoot. No matter how great they are some will be too light or too dark, some will be out of focus. Some will include things you don’t want to see. (your cousin’s hand up your mother’s dress?) One of the things you are paying your professional photographer for is to send you a collection of images that tells your story without burying you with so many that you can’t figure out which ones you want.

The number of images they take and deliver has little to do with whether or not they are good photographers.

Questions about pricing (why does a pro cost so much?)

I know. Your uncle and your friend take great pictures. Why not have them there instead of a pro? They have a big black camera. Won’t the pictures be just as good?

Truthfully, some may. However, a professional photographer understands the best use of light, situation and equipment. They aren’t there for the party. They’re working. Most of them will have photographed events in your venues. There are few problems they haven’t already had to solve for someone else. When you hire a pro you aren’t paying just for the time they’re there. You’re paying for all of that training and experience.

You’re also paying for all of the editing time. As a rule of thumb, it takes about three times as long to edit an event as it takes to capture it. That is a process of first culling out the images that you don’t want to see and then going through the remainder on an image by image basis to make them look their best. That may be done with professional image organization and enhancement tools like Lightroom or Aperture and it will also likely include some use of additional tools like Photoshop. Professional photographers will see and solve a multitude of ills before you ever see the pictures.

All of this is going to be included in what the photographer is charging for time.

Now - why the prints cost so much.

You aren’t paying a professional photographer to capture just any day. You’re paying a pro to capture a day that matters. It is amusing, and sometimes deeply frustrating, to pros that their clients seem so interested in taking these images to the local drug store to have the 14 year old kid print them out.

When you buy a professional photographic print you’re actually paying for two things. One, the use of the image. When you hire a professional event photographer to shoot your wedding you are paying for their time. The images they capture belong to them. When you want to use one of those images, either in print or online, you must license that image. Many photographers will include these licenses with their packages. That’s fine. It is their prerogative to do so. However, the higher end photographers will not do this. Their images are their art. They want to make sure that when they are used they are used in the best possible way. So they maintain control over the image and the way it is displayed. This is part of the cost of a print when you buy the print from a pro.

The other portion of the cost is the print itself. Professional photographers use professional labs. You actually have to qualify to be a customer in one of these places. They don’t serve consumers. Why? Because a professional understands that green is not green and black is not black. They’ve taken time and money to make sure that the screen they are editing on is calibrated to the printers in their chosen lab. Ever get a print back and look at it and wonder why the green dresses are teal? Or why what looks so bright on your Mac looks so dark on paper? This doesn’t happen in professional situations. The colors you chose for your day will be the colors you see. The photographer and the lab technicians spend a lot of time and energy making sure that this is the case.

Further, the materials used are a step above those found in the online sites or other sources. Archival quality papers ensure the colors are as vibrant on these images 50 years from now as they are today (and many labs provide lifetime guarantees).

Ok - So why are albums so expensive?

Any professional photographer has access to lots of different companies that can create books and albums for you. These are expensive for two reasons. One, they are a collection of the photographer’s images. (see above). Two, depending on the process and style (and this is particularly true for Albums) there is a lot involved in producing them.

Albums are actually still handcrafted. An album is a combination of archival quality photographic prints, a cover (usually leather, but sometimes metal, or other materials), and substrate (the material the prints are adhered - or glued - to). Someone actually has to go through and glue the prints to the substrate and then the prints and substrate are bound together to create the album. All of this then needs to cure - or dry - to prevent it from warping. There is very little automation in the album creation process. They are expensive to produce and are therefore expensive to purchase.

Digital, Film or both?

I have to admit that I almost laughed when I saw this on a survey. These days almost any professional photographer will predominantly shoot in digital. With this said, there are photographers who’ve made a niche of shooting some work in film. These photographers may employ older 35mm or square format cameras (such as Hasselblads) to capture some of their images. They may also use toy or plastic cameras, such as Holgas. In any case, know that their choice to shoot in film is a choice they’re making because they like that look for whatever it is they happen to be shooting at that moment.

When you are speaking to a photographer, asking them if they ever shoot in film may yield an interesting discussion. Whether or not they do will tell you nothing about the quality or level of experience of your photographer, but it is something all photographers think about and either do or don’t do for interesting reasons. With all of this said, if you are looking for someone to shoot in film these days, expect to pay a healthy premium.

Negotiating pricing and packages.. Some do’s and dont’s.

It is natural to want to negotiate pricing and a package that makes sense for you, and frankly almost any photographer is more than willing to do this with you. They want you to get exactly what you want at a price that makes sense as much as you do. The best way, by far, for you to do this is to simply call them, request a meeting, etc. But only do this if what you want to pay is within reason when compared to their published pricing.

The photographer’s packages are based on the amount of time they know they’ll spend on your day. Better photographers are in demand and they will command higher prices. Ultimately their business is entirely based on them and their skill, so once they’re hired for the day, that commodity is gone. There isn’t another. For this reason if a photographer has a published shoot fee, or booking fee, of $5000 (which is not at all unusual) you can expect that once you’ve negotiated, that’s about what you will pay.

Going to someone who has a fee of $2500 and telling them that someone else will do your event for $500 will almost always ensure that they will not call you back. If you want to pay $500, find someone who sells for around that price and negotiate with them. (But first, make sure you LOVE their work).

A photographer can generally substitute a book or some prints, or provide a slightly modified version of their coverage. As an example, if your event is on a Thursday night and it is only going to be three hours, they may give you a break on the coverage. However, if your event is a Saturday night and it’s only three hours the same will not likely hold true (because someone else will have wanted them for that whole day).

Cancellations

Most photographers will give you a full refund if they have to cancel for any reason. Additionally, most will also refer you to another photographer who they know can provide a very similar style and package to their own. (They are perhaps unique in their willingness to work and refer to each other).

However, if you cancel - and cancellations happen for all kinds of reasons - know that you will likely have to pay some amount, and perhaps all of the initial amount, for their time. The reason is that once they’ve committed to you they have taken themselves off of the market on that day. Most good photographers are busy, so this means they will likely have turned down events that they would have taken had they not already committed to yours.

Some photographers will offer you alternate uses for the time you pay for such as portrait sessions, etc. and these can be a lot of fun. (Doing a fun portrait session with your friends and family if the wedding is called off for instance). But they are usually under no obligation to do so.

Make sure you read carefully through the cancellation clauses in their contracts so you have a full understanding of your rights and theirs.

Selecting your photographer.

Ultimately selecting your photographer comes down to three things. Decide which order you want to put them in and then use these rather than a complicated survey and you’ll likely end up with someone who enhances your experience, both while it’s happening and in your memories.

1. Photographic style. No two photographers are going to be the same. Make sure you look at many and take some time over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee to really immerse yourself in their imagery. Are the people you see real? (Watch out for models). Do they look like you and your friends and family? Does the venue look like yours? Do you love what you see? This will matter a lot more than the way they may describe their style. You want to love what you see when your day is long past. (for me, this is the most important thing).
2. Personality. Once you find a photographer who’s style you love, spend some time getting to know them. Almost all photographers have a blog. Read what’s there. Many include personal tidbits with the rest. Here’s the thing. This person is going to be with you for your whole day - and these days aren’t always easy! Are you going to want this person with you while you’re getting dressed? Are you going to want them there when you’re stressed and losing it? Is their face the one that’s going to make you smile when you’re tired and getting cranky? You can learn a lot of that online, but when you think they are, meet with them and spend some time. This is nearly as important as style.
   
3. Price. As previously mentioned. If a photographer’s packages start at $3,000 they’re not going to work with you for $1,000. Asking them is a waste of their time and yours. Ultimately this comes down to how important great photography is to you. For me, it was very important, and 20 years later I am so glad that we had such a solid photographer as we still cherish our album and the images of that day around our home. For you, the cake may be more important. Just remember this; the only thing you will have in 20 years is your pictures. Everything else will be gone. That may be worth a little extra sacrifice, so when you see them you’ll smile and remember the day and if you’re lucky, the cool person behind the camera who shared it with you.

Hope that helps.

Beware of Fraudulent Photographer Ads posted on Craigslist and SEOing on Google

This is mainly for photographers. There appears to be a well coordinated quasi phishing expedition using a series of established photographers and bogus URLs all registered through enom and hosted on the planet. The URLs are all cityname photographer dot com. A partial list is below, there are many, many more. We have attempted to contact most of the affected photographers. By searching the following text block on google you can find the fraudulent sites (and I'm sure the one that the original text came from).

Text:

A photographer is often known for the type of subjects they take pictures of. Most obviously a family photographer is a professional photographer who takes pictures for one or more families during special family events. A family photographer will often spend a while developing a familiarity with his clients that allows him to take surprisingly candid shots of family members. Because of his rapport with his subjects he is able to capture all the cute and endearing idiosyncrasies of family members which are the fabric that holds families together.

The sites are all basically the same, stolen business names, etc., forms to fill out and phone numbers to call. We have contacted local authorities to investigate the fraud and are also contacting FBI internet crimes to investigate.

If your site is affected immediately notify your local authorities and also notify Craigslist, Google, etc through their fraud reporting departments. We have notified ThePlanet where the sites are hosted as well.

What a pain in the ass ...

JC

Partnercon Speaker Preparation

I thought it might be interesting to have this out there on the ether ... (or however we categorize this now). This is the speaker preparation and expectations memo that is issued to all of the speakers at Partnercon. Frankly, I think it should be the speaker preparation memo distributed to all speakers at all photography conferences, but if I said that you'd need to forgive me for overstepping...

It's out here for two reasons. One. I think it shows a little tiny piece of what goes on behind the scenes in conference preparation. Putting these things on is no small task. Two, it creates an element of accountability between the attendees and the speakers and teachers at Partnercon. So, here it is ...

Speaker Memo 1 - PartnerCon, 2010. November 9-11. New Orleans, LA.

Hey Y’all,

It’s hard for me to believe that Partnercon is already less than two months away. We’re headed down there in a week or so to check out the venues and meet with the hotel and that will bring it all home for me for sure. Last year we did conference calls for speakers ahead of time but I know these are hard to fit into your schedules. This year I’m going to try to impart the same information here, so this is for you.

I’ll say up front that this is truly a “big boy pants” communication. (If you know me at all you’re used to these but if you don’t some of the tone may come as a little bit of a surprise. Rest assured that I love you, but I want to give you every chance for success).

Many of you speak a lot. Believe it or not, this is just as much for you as for the folks who are speaking for the first time. Maybe more. In my experience, and I’ve heard many of you speak, many of you are resting on your laurels. For this conference in particular I strongly encourage you to consider branching out and approaching your subject in a fresh way. You may be surprised at what YOU learn in the process.

That’s a tough statement. I get that. What gives me the right to say this? Well, two things. One. Before we had officially announced the speaker schedule for this conference there were over 200 registrations. These are people who simply trust Pictage to make this week great. In many respects, that actually increases the pressure for us and we take their trust very seriously. Two. Every single person who is coming has paid their way to be there (including all of you!). Folks spend real money to be there and I believe we ALL owe it to these people to do everything we can to honor their trust and sacrifice and to give them our best in everything we do.

Now. You’ve been chosen to speak at this conference and that’s meaningful. We had over 150 abstracts submitted. The community team and yours-truly spent hours (quite literally) going through all of the options and we’ve chosen you. In case you’re wondering why, there are two reasons. One. We know you. We’ve seen you speak and we know what you can do. We know you rock. Not a single speaker was chosen this year because of their fame. Every single person who is speaking has a passion and a unique perspective and a level of professionalism that causes us to trust that you won’t just fill the time, you’ll actually knock the ball out of the park. In truth, we’re incredibly excited about this year’s slate of speakers. We strongly believe that for actual content value you represent the best the industry has to offer.

With all of this said I am offering the attached guidelines to successful presentation preparation. I offered the same guidelines last year. Some people took advantage of them. Some didn’t. It was clear who was who. (some of those who didn’t did just fine because they took the gist to heart and did their own thing.)

Understand that I send this because I really, really want you to succeed. There are few things that I am a real stickler about. This is one of them. I take preparation for my participation very seriously. I’m just looking for you to do the same ...

Enough preamble! Here goes:

1. Your presentation needs to have an introduction, content, and an end. It should tell a story. There is an old public-speaking saying, “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.” Over the years I’ve learned something about old sayings, they’re usually right. So, make your first slide an agenda and your last slide a conclusion. (Hint - I actually make these first when I’m building a presentation as they keep me on track).
   
2. Never do the same presentation twice. The reason is that while it may be fresh for the audience it won’t be fresh for you. That will come across. Even if you’re just freshening some images, etc., make sure you are making the presentation new enough for you that you’d enjoy hearing it even if you’d heard it before. This applies in this space as there are lots of people who’ve heard you speak. They’re coming back because the liked it last time, but they’re hoping for something new. (BTW - this was the most common complaint in our after surveys last year... “so and so just keeps doing the same old presentation.” Don’t let that be you.)
   
3. Give them very practical takeaways. Presentations with Five rules for this and Ten steps to that are VERY effective presentations. (these rules and steps are also GREAT blog posts and if you tell the folks who come to your presentation that you’ll be putting them on your blog later that day you’ll be amazed at the interaction you drive).
   
4. This is a presentation, not a slide show. Most of you are photographers. I strongly encourage you ALL to intermix images into your presentations. Your images bring continued connection and credibility to what you’re saying. They provide a place to connect. But make sure you have very strong and specific content wrapped around any slideshows. To make sure this is the case, embed your slideshows into a Keynote presentation. This will keep you on track. If any of your slideshows are longer than 3 minutes they’re too long. Attendees have exceptional “filler meters” and they will see long slide shows as ways to fill speaking time.
5. If you’re leading a shooting workshop you need a plan. New Orleans is a veritable cornucopia of backgrounds. Many who came last year have said they got some of their best portfolio work all year just goofing around outside at Partnercon. But there are secrets to success ... Know how many attendees you have and how long you have and make sure your plan takes all of that into account. Walk the route and plan impromptu shoot locations along the way. Take someone you know and trust- another photographer, helper, along with you to work with attendees while you are busy. Know what shots you want where and make the attendees put their cameras down while you are instructing. Then, make sure they have time to shoot!
6. Mind your internal clock. (and if you don’t have one make sure you have an external clock somewhere you can see it). In most cases you only have an hour. That time can fly be and it can crawl by. The best method to making sure your presentation works in the time allotted is to practice it. Find a local PUG and use it there. Ask for feedback. Listen. If you do this one thing you will be prepared.

That’s it for now folks. If some of what I’ve said here is offensive to some of you I’m sorry. I have enormous respect for you all, both as individuals and as photographers. If I didn’t you wouldn’t be on the dais. I want to challenge you all to be better, both because I think our attendees deserve it and because I think it’s more fun to take a risk and do something new than to simply do the same old thing ... And that’s probably the best reason of all!

Onward,

JC

Adorama Rocks! Lens and Learn just got a big shot in the arm!

Hey all ...

Buy camera gear from Adorama. Heck, get prints from them too! Pictage needed a partner to make equipment more accessible as we've had demand from Boys and Girls Clubs around the country. I reached out to everyone I could think of and then someone reached out to Adorama on our behalf. Joel Meisel (twitter @adoramaused) and I met in NYC. He came to the UberPug we did there with Joe Buissink and then I met with he and Brian Green, their VP of Marketing the next day at Adorama. They were able to do a deal for us on the cameras that made it possible for us to just go ahead and buy the 20 we needed. We're looking for a road case and some other gear, but this will mean that we can take our Lens and Learn program across the country, essentially anywhere there is a Boys and Girls Club that wants to do it and anywhere there are photographers who can help. (which in my experience is just about everywhere!).

We'll also be using these cameras for other functions involving teaching disadvantaged folks how to use them in fun and rewarding ways. While we were prepared to go it alone, it is a real thrill to have a partner like Adorama. These guys are the real deal.

Twitter thanks to them @adorama! They deserve a real pat on the back!

Thanks so much!

JC

Inspiration at Ground Zero for America's Economic Condition

This is all Joe Buissink’s fault. I don’t know if you all remember, but way back in February or early March Joe twittered that he wanted to do a free seminar to give back to the photography community he loves so much. I was at my desk early and I saw the tweet go by. I thought - ok - this will be interesting. Within minutes he had requests from people all over the country. I think it was a shock to Joe. (which is why we love him so much). When I called him later that day he had settled on Detroit and he’d called some friends, including me, to see if we’d pitch in. How could we not.

So I arrived in Detroit yesterday afternoon, picked up my rental car and came to my hotel in the New Center area of Detroit. Directly across the street from GM’s old head quarters, “The Cadillac Building,” and down the street from Henry Ford Hospital. Fellow Pictage Employee, and Community Chief, Scott Anderson picked me up at the hotel so we could drive downtown to the Detroit Institute of Arts (built and funded entirely by the Ford family in the 20’s and an architectural wonder to behold) where “GetCandidDetroit” will take place later today.

On the way downtown it started to sink in. There was something strange about the landscape. It’s a big city, but it didn’t feel like it should. It took a while, but then I noticed it and it registered. There is no one here. The buildings are boarded up. Many buildings are quite literally windowless. Not ramshackle streetside huts or single family residences, although I’m sure they are too. 25 or 30 story apartment buildings, empty to the concrete core, loom over deserted streets. On one, hauntingly, a “Move in Free” banner, probably hung ten years ago, sways in the beautiful afternoon breeze. Welcome to Detroit, ground zero for America’s current economic condition.

Even more hauntingly, in the middle of downtown at 5PM there is no traffic. No signs that a city’s lifeblood of commerce runs through its veins. GM’s new headquarters on the river is a towering complex, but those who work inside vacate the city when the days fade in evening light. It’s a lovely city and the architecture, and in particular the deco architecture is quite stunning. It’s a place you have to see, but if you see it now it’s going to haunt you.

The speakers, all deserved luminaries, Bambi Cantrell, Jim Garner, Ken Sklute and of course, Joe’s good friend Denis Reggie, arrived yesterday evening and we drove through downtown together for an epic meal at Detroit’s own Opus One and we all saw these things together and I think it had an impact on all of us. These folks are here on their own nickel. No one is paying them a dime. They aren’t selling anything. They aren’t promoting seminars or hocking products. They’re here to listen and to share and hopefully to provide a breath of much needed inspiration. They’re here because they care. They’re here because they’ve been a big part of building an industry that is different because it’s participants, even in the middle of competition are willing to help each other. They’re here because Joe called, but they’re also here because of who they are.

The price of admission for the attendees was a question. People who registered for the conference had to submit a question, something they wanted these people to answer. The questions themselves are a stark reminder of the challenges faced acutely here, but around the country as well. Over 7 hours today these folks will attempt to answer most of the questions we heard.

There’s one more thing about Detroit. There’s a warmth here and a friendliness that penetrates the veil. Every single person I’ve met, from the folks who run the Institute, to the folks at the restaurant and the hotel and even passersby on the street has said a friendly hello. They may mourn the passing of what was. They know the challenges. But somehow their spirit is there. They’re figuring it out. They’re moving forward. Frankly I’m not sure they even need our help, though they’ve indicated their gratefulness. Here’s the thing folks. There’s a lesson we can learn from them. If they can do it, in the middle of all of this. If they can pick themselves up and move forward and support each other and work toward a better tomorrow... Then we can too. What’s next is what’s important.

Onward.

Time for a change in the gulf.

“Please Mr. President, take over and make things better.” While I sympathize with this quote from another blog on the gulf oil spill, I have to say that the thought of the government stepping in is chilling to me at best. Why? Because the government stepped in on the Exxon Valdez disaster years ago and the Alaskan shores still bear too many sad reminders of what was then the worst oil related disaster in history. The government also stepped in to make things better in New Orleans after Katrina and one has only to drive a few minutes from the French Quarter to know that all is most definitely not better. There’s a better solution ... and it’s a workable one.

The government should step in and this disaster should be taken away from British Petroleum’s now financially failing hands, but the answer is not a full take over, it’s a blue ribbon commission that oversees a repair and recovery effort funded by all of the major US Oil Companies who drill off the coast. Over the last several years, while Americans have suffered through a painful financial collapse, petroleum sales revenues have created sickening profits on the part of the major oil companies. Each quarter we hear about the billions in profits these companies bank. To make us feel better they create beautiful mini-movie commercials to tell us that they’re exploring to find new clean energy sources or that they’re providing healthcare around the world. While I laud these efforts, I can’t help but see them as a little ironic in the face of one of the worst disasters an industry has ever perpetrated on the environment.

This is no longer BP’s problem. Sorry fellas. According to the ‘Journal’ you’re probably headed out of business because of what is happening here, but you yourselves said right from the start that you didn’t have the resources to deal with it. If out of business is where you go that’s fine with me, but I don’t see this as your problem anymore. This problem has rocked worldwide confidence in ALL oil companies. While you all may work hard to avoid mistakes, your history of dealing with it when you do isn’t great. In this case you need to step up, pool your resources and a share of your ENORMOUS profits (tax free if need be) to not just cap this leak, but invest in the years worth of rebuilding that will be necessary to make what you’ve ALL done here right. BP may have been leasing this platform, but if they hadn’t been one of the rest of you would have been and instead of pointing fingers and talking about a competitor’s irresponsibility it’d be your face on the evening news saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ and talking about how the latest fix didn’t work.

The people of the gulf coast have had a rocky few years, first from Katrina and now from this mess. Do I want Uncle Sam to fix it? No. He/She has enough on his hands at the moment and I’d rather not see my tax dollars pouring into solving a problem that the oil companies are much more likely to be able to fix. But would I feel just a little better about the rest of you if you stepped up, pooled resources, capped this leak, made sure the rest of the platforms are rigged with the proper fail safes, and then funded a grass roots effort among the very people who’ve been put out of work by this calamity to restore the gulf coast to it’s pristine, beauty? You bet I would and I wouldn’t even change the channel when the ads that say you’re doing that come on TV.

That’s my two cents.

Heroes Aren't that Hard to Find.

When I was younger I thought that governments were comprised of people whose self determination was made up of a desire to so what is good in the world. At least I thought the “good” governments were. There was a time when that was actually true. While the ideologies of the founding fathers may have been different, they all struggled to achieve a common good and in some sense they have succeeded. Today though, to find the common good we have to look away from governments. We have to look at people who have been called. People who are compelled to find ways to move obstacles great and small in trying to improve the world. Sometimes it would seem like they’re just not there, but if you look more closely you can find them.

Greg Mortenson is one of those people. Many years ago, before most of us really knew where Pakistan and Afghanistan were, after the ravages of the war with Russia but before and courageously during the reign of the Taliban, “Dr. Greg” (a nurse by training) has been waging a war of peace through girls and women’s education in some of civilization’s farthest reaches. With the help of local tribal and religious leaders, Mortenson’s schools for girls have given nations cause for hope in civilization’s darkest times. With his team of local helpers, whose workloads border on the miraculous, Mortenson’s “Central Asia Institute” a non-religious NGO, has built schools all over Pakistan and Afghanistan. Bolstered by the financial support individuals and organizations and from his two books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, CAI continues this battle today. He is one man. For the cost of one tank he can build 100 schools. His patience and sacrifice have earned him the trust and respect of these people and he is changing the world.

There are great examples of this in our own backyard. Jim Davis Hicks is a good one. Struck by the realization that people were dying around the world for lack of clean drinking water, Jim started Thirst Relief, a charity that funds and facilitates the development of fresh water supplies through various means in places without the resources to help themselves. This fresh water is more than life support. In fact, once the village has access to fresh water a myriad of resources are freed to help it advance its sustainability. The rate of disease retracts, educational opportunities are created when the men and women no longer have to trek long distances carrying water and villages can start to think about rudimentary economies. Jim Davis Hicks and the photographers he has motivated to go along with him are an inspiration and they are changing the world.

Justine Ungaro and Justin Lyon are just two of many photographers I know of who decided they could help in Haiti in a way that few others could. Through their talent and their respective lens they could capture the challenges Haiti faces and bring them home so we could have a clearer view. Here are links to their videos; Justin's & Justine's. For taking the risk, and the time and for using their resources in this powerful way, Justin and Justine are heroes and they’re changing the world.

Sometimes it seems that all is bad around us. Sometimes it seems that there is no one who is doing anything for the right reasons. Sometimes in a cracker box of pessimism it is easy to lose sight of what would be easy to see if we just remember where to look. In the places served by the people mentioned here, and in so many others at home, New Orleans being a good example, there are people soldiering on today for no reason other than that they have figured out that they can make a difference. We tend to forget the Lower 9th Ward and the ravages of Port O Prince. The news does little to share with us the good stories that are happening every day in the farthest reaches of Pakistan and Afghanistan and someone whose whole world is about clean water doesn’t seem interesting enough to matter all that much, but these people don’t forget. Their passion carries them and they’ll do it alone if they have to but I think we can help and all we really need is a reminder. Here it is. Get involved. It’s up to us.

Onward.