Once or twice a year, I try to take a day or two and do something refreshing and inspiring.
Monday I had the privilege to attend Jeremy Cowart’s LifeFinder tour in New York City. When I heard he was doing this event, I jumped at the chance to attend, talking my wife into getting it for me as my Christmas gift. It was close, a chance to get to NYC for a few days and the price was right. I discovered Jeremy and his work a little over a year ago on Twitter and have been following him there. Jeremy is a professional photographer and “respected artistic voice in the industry. As his list of clients continues to grow, so does Jeremy’s desire to improve, share, teach, and give back to those around him.” His work is exceptional and it inspires me. I love his creative expression and his drive to create unique pieces of art. What lies beneath all of that is what is most unique; his humble heart and desire to use his skill to bless others.
My flame of passion for photography was stoked when I took a black and white photography class at Drexel University. My favorite part of photography has always been the way pictures impact us. I fell away from it while in school (my major was architecture after all), but that passion always dwelt deep down waiting to be awakened again. Last year, my wife bought me a Nikon D3100 DSLR for my birthday (she’s very supportive of my habit) and this wonderful surprise gift did just that. You can read more about it here.
As an architect, I have nowhere near the skill, background or training most of the other photographers have attending this tour. But what struck me most was Jeremy’s effort to tailor this session to his audience. He personally introduced himself to each attendee and asked a little about her/his background. When I thanked him afterward, he even followed up to ask if I felt it was still helpful to me as an architect. It was an amazing and inspiring day and even though some of the material discussed was more advanced than my skill level, I never felt I was in over my head or out of place. This is a real credit to Jeremy’s personality, attitude and teaching ability.
The session focused on a number of topics including Jeremy’s background and story, lighting, production and post-production, review and critique of attendees websites, originality and inspiration, the hustle, how he uses Evernote, and giving back, which covered his humanitarian work and Help-Portrait. He ended with a Q&A and welcomed any and all questions and hung around afterward to talk with everyone.
Highlights of the day:
1.) Jeremy’s stories of how he took the initiative to get a shoot and how this led to other things
2.) His commitment to trying to do new and innovative things despite the old adage : ‘it’s all been done before’
3.) His own continuous pursuit of inspiration by other artists/photographers
4.) Giving back: his projects in Haiti, Rwanda and his work with Help-Portrait are very inspiring and admirable
I highly recommend attending if you are near either of the last two stops of his tour: Nashville and Atlanta.
