A photo I shot of Jordan Richter in action is featured on the GREENISSUE website:

GREENISSUE

A photoshop technique I use to break up a portrait into tiny particles.

Sometimes my creative aspirations lead me to the always exciting realm of abstract photography.  Rules were meant to be bent and broken. Its not about thinking outside the box, its about not having a box to begin with.

Madinat Jumeirah :: Dubai, UAE

[Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to an undefined, large group of people or community.]

Amazon announces the first online Hollywood film studio.  Is  crowdsourcing the end of true art forms as we once knew them or the beginning of something greater?

Hollywood screenwriter John August argues that we are in a battle of quantity over quality and that what we will be left with in the end is an abundance of amateur art and watered down tastes when it comes to true art.

With the influx of self propagated artists on the social networking platform, I’m wondering myself if we are losing more than we are gaining. It is now commonplace to praise art and artists whose work would not have been noticed in the past… not because they lived in some sort of artistic obscurity, but rather because their art was not at all noteworthy or deserving of praise.  Then we have other examples of crowdsourcing bringing to life real talent that may have been passed by had they not been given the opportunity to shine.

Nonetheless, This will be an interesting era for the world of art. It is and always has been the taste of both the public and the connoisseur that determined the success of an artist. Will our tastes be watered down by the influx of garbage being presented to us, or will we rise to occasion and create some of the greatest art we have ever known?

FULL ARTICLE HERE

KID ROCK performs at the Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear event in Washington D.C.  Event photography can be tricky because its not realistically unique since you are often shooting alongside hundreds of other photographers.  What will set your work apart from the rest is being able to capture “The Moment,”  that one brief blink of an eye that tells a a story that might not have been captured if you did not take the photo at that precise moment.  This photo captures Kid Rock in a moment of sincerity. Its unique because its a departure from his typical flamboyant ways.

BROTHER ALI

I took this photo in Chicago at the Taking It To The Streets Event earlier this year.  To me this photo truly embodies who Brother Ali is, showcasing his infectious smile, with mic in hand.  I’ve been a fan of Brother Ali the musician for several years and after meeting him I’m also  a fan of Brother Ali the person.

Brother Ali hosts a live videocast on his website: WWW.BROTHERALI.COM

Also, check out his Facebook page for upcoming shows: FACEBOOK

CAPTION: John Michael  aka OZZY OSBOURNE and Ahmir Khalib Thompson aka QUESTLOVE  jam out in pre-show rehearsals with Cat Stevens aka YUSUF ISLAM (off camera).

They were rehearsing for the Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear event hosted by Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart in Washington D.C. on October 30, 2010. In this musical skit YUSUF (representing sanity with his song ‘Peace Train’) and OZZY (representing fear with his song ‘Crazy Train’) fight one another for stage time as Colbert and Stewart root for their artist to win the battle between sanity and fear.

Yusuf and Ozzy met for the first time in over 30 years and the camaraderie and respect they showed for one another was beautiful. At one point during rehearsals Ozzie turns to Yusuf and says, “My daughter Kelly wanted me to tell you that she loves all your music” and immediately turned back to his mike and shouts “ALL ABOARD” beginning his song “Crazy Train.”

Questlove and The Roots back both artists on stage in the musical showdown.  Questlove suggested that during the portion of the skit when Yusuf and Ozzy play at the same time (in a chaotic musical mash-up), that half of the band play with Ozzie and the other half play with Yusuf while Questlove keeps time on the drums for both artists.

Watch the Youtube clip of the actual performance here:  OZZY & YUSUF

Stephen Colbert talks to Mavis Staples backstage at The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear.