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Above: Image, Gina Milicia

“Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.” — James Stephens

In this video Albert Watson shares how he directed, posed and photographed his iconic image of Steve Jobs.

Above: Image, Gina Milicia

”Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” – George Eastman

The most important day in a photographer’s life is the day they start to see light The second most important day is the day they understand how to work with it.

The best camera, lens and location can be reduced to mediocre if you don’t have the right light.

Beautiful lighting can turn the most bland location into a magical wonderland. The wrong lighting can make a supermodel look like Super Mario!

The best way to learn about light is to start with daylight. When a photographer can understand the subtle differences in daylight then it becomes much easier to work with artificial lighting like flash or continuous lighting.

Regardless of whether you are a beginner or more experienced photographer the following simple exercise will give you a much better understanding of daylight and how to work with it.

This exercise requires about 5-10 minutes out of your day but will radically change . . .

Above: Image, Gina Milicia

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” – Rumi 

Above: Image, Gina Milicia

“Success isn’t owned – it’s leased. And rent is due every day. Every single day, someone’s coming for your job. Someone’s coming for your greatness. If you’re the greatest, someone wants to be the greatest, and so if you’re not constantly improving your game, somebody else is.” – J. J. Watt

The Adult Entertainment Industry is one of the most successful industries in the world.

Its net worth is roughly 100 billion dollars. Oh yes, yes, yes! So what does this have to do with photography?

Stylistically, not much.

If I was critiquing one of these videos my notes would read something like this:

What’s the backstory on the hunky plumber? Why is the lighting so flat? Replace saxophone soundtrack! More dialogue. Can you film at 24fps? Did the sink get fixed?

But there is one thing the Adult Entertainment Industry has implemented recently that we could all learn from.

Pornhub, one of the most popular porn sites on the internet, just added closed captions to their X-Rated content.

When I first heard about this I thought why . . .

Above: Image, Gina Milicia

“First move me, astonish me, break my heart, let me tremble, weep, stare, be enraged-only then regale my eyes.” – Denis Diderot

In this interview Avedon shares behind the scenes glimpses into the creation of some of his most iconic images and his thought process.

“And if a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it’s as though I’ve neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up. I know that the accident of my being a photographer has made my life possible.” – Richard Avedon

Above: Image, Gina Milicia

I’ve been binging comedy shows. I’m addicted. It started with soft comedy like the Seinfeld series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, then I moved on to podcasts, Netflix specials and now I’m into biographies.

I love the way comedians think. How they can take a small detail and spin it into something interesting. Good comedians can turn a trip to the mall into a hilarious hour of anecdotes.

The masters of comedy make you notice the little things in life and think about stuff differently.  I used to believe that being funny was something you were born with but the most successful comedians work hard to fine tune and hone their skills. There is an art to being funny, and the most successful comedians spend years and thousands of hours creating conversations and observations that look effortless.

Did you know that the best comedians in the world, the same ones that are paid MILLIONS to appear on Netflix specials or pack out auditoriums also perform for free in small comedy clubs around the world so they can refine and hone their skills?

The best comedians in the world regularly test out new material . . .

Above: Image by Gina Milicia edited using Rescue Remedy Preset

“Art reaches its greatest peak when devoid of self-consciousness. Freedom discovers man the moment he loses concern over what impression he is making or about to make.” – Bruce Lee

Above: Image, Gina Milicia

Always believe in the destination but enjoy the journey.

One of the reasons I love to walk or ride my bike is because it forces me to experience the journey rather than focus on getting to the destination.

When I’m in my car, life is comfortable. I’m warm, protected from the elements and can safely focus on “are we there yet?”. I’m all about getting to the destination as quickly as possible.

The same journey on foot or on my bike is completely different. I notice more, I feel more, I remember more, I experience more.

As artists we are constantly striving for the next destination, our focus on getting “there” as quickly as possible but in doing so we miss many of the valuable lessons learnt on the slow road.

When I first started out as a photographer I just wanted to hurry up and get “there” already. When I was a photography student I couldn’t wait to work as a photographer’s assistant. When I was an assistant I couldn’t wait to be a photographer. When I became a photographer I couldn’t wait to get my first image published. When I got my . . .