The year has started off with a smash... shot a handful of weddings, a bunch of actors and performers, and convinced my puppy that peeing outdoors is definitely the way to go. So all's good in the :e:hood.

There's something kind of incredible about spending a serious amount of time noticing the small subtle moments in people's eyes. Whenever I teach classes on shooting headshots and marketing material one the biggest points that I try and drive home is that fact that it isn't portraiture, it's journalism. The moments that you're documenting are on a much smaller scale and all happen within the confines of the eyes, but it's journalism. Marketing yourself is all about who you are, not what you are. I am eric. That's who I am - a unique individual with a distinct prospective and experience. What I am? I'm a storyteller... for the time being ;] I'll contend any day that who someone is will forever be so much more alluring and attractive that what someone is. Thoughts for the day.

seek the joy

eric

it's here. BOOYEAH!! 2009 was a wonderful year of headshots and working with actors, writers, photographers, producers, marketing execs, musicians, models... all sorts of great folks. That means we get an extra exciting crate contest this year. Don't know the background of the crate shot? head over to my headshot site and read up on the history as well as see last year's finalists. Good times.

Because if the volume of shooting I did this year, I was faced with the arduous task of culling down from 182 crate shots to the finalists you see above. It was pretty fun to revisit all the headshot shoots from this past year - and the selection process was extremely difficult... but I finally present to you the finalists of the 2009 Crate Contest! So now it's up to YOU, reader, to vote for your favorite... keep in mind, the rule of the shot is that it must be 100% the creation of the subject. No photographer input allowed. All I do is stand there, maybe move someone left or right, and then push the button. I encourage you to vote on the creative merit of the idea, not necessarily the technical execution of the photograph. Winner gets a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate! Voting ends at midnight on New Year's Eve [when I will undoubtedly be asleep.] HINT :: if you click on the image above, you can just use the arrows on your keyboard to navigate through them]