Iama a professional photographer who has shot campaigns for many of the world’s top brands, including Nike, Apple, Red Bull, and others. I am also the founder of CreativeLive, an online learning platform for creatives + entrepreneurs

If you could get any person (living) to teach a class on creativelive, who would it be and why? If you could get any person (dead) to teach a class on creativelive, who would it be and why?

Great question. Living - would be either Richard Branson or Elon Musk. Both guys are insanely creative from a 'pure Creativity' (capital C) standpoint, but they're also both amazing, bold, entrepreneurs from whom the world could learn. It's 2 parts 'huge vision' but another critical part around execution. Both guys could also teach people how to think huge/big…. People say ‘shoot for the stars and you might hit the moon’…. and that’s the thing both Branson and Musk - they both mean it literally (virgin galactic + space X!)

Dead - probably Davie Bowie. His recent passing was a crusher to me personally…in that he’s alway been a huge inspiration. Film, music, directorial, performance, etc … again his ability to think so big across a variety of media / art types, and yet still execute so well on the discrete projects…would be a force in the “classroom”. Learning that guy’s secrets would be a huge win, not just for CreativeLive students, but for the world.

I'm also inspired by Amelia Earhart. Could you imagine her as a teacher! Her ability to calculate risk, to avert it, and to creatively fly in the face (pun intended ;) of naysayers would be chock full of lessons for anyone. Plus I think she was actually a professor later in life. She would have been incredible.

What was your favorite shoot and who was it for?

Samsung once paid me to shoot an image of a recurring dream I had. Huge budget, whatever I wanted... It was a dream I have/had around floating / flying in a sea of colorful clouds... Here's a link to my behind the scenes story / video there http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2013/05/color-photograph-samsung-series-9-monitor/

Another one that comes to mind is a shoot for Brooks Sports (running). I shot in 10 countries in 14 days, completely circumnavigating the world...all in cities that had hosted Olympic marathons. It was a marathon shoot about shooting marathons ;)

I'm excited about CreativeLive. What got you interested in education and how did you get involved?

I became obsessed with learning when I realized that we can all learn just about anyting, give time, resources and access to great teachers. I bailed on several careers and traditional 'school' paths (bailed on med school, dropped out of a PhD program in Philosophy) to teach myself how to become a photographer...and in doing that (and ultimately reaching my goals there) it occurred to me that I had in a sense deconstructed something and learned to master it. I then did that again with the release of my iphone app Best Camera which was app of the year (Wired, MacWorld) in 2009 and helped kick off the global photo sharing craze that we are in now... Those two experiences made me want to help others do this...which resulted in building the CreativeLive learning platform. Its a huge area of focus for me now. 1500 classes from the world's top experts at your fingertips ;)

Thanks for this comment. I too feel like I have a ton of diverging interests and wish I could study them all. Do you think you'll "bail" on photography eventually and try something new again?

I love learning new things. So it will never be bailing on something in favor of something else, but rather adding to my skillset, pulling forward experience into a new and higher stakes effort... In short, it's about learning how to learn. I "learned" how to be successful in the photography and professional creative worlds (what to know, how to do it, with whom to work, etc) and then I have leveraged that into an additional world...the world of promoting creativity (one of our greatest human assets) via entrepreneurship with CreativeLive. The content I needed to know re: how to succeed in the startup world with CL was different than photography, but the method - deconstructing to discrete parts and figuring those out - was the same process as photography. I believe this is a method for learning (captured here http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2015/09/chasejarvisraw-03-how-i-learn-any-skill-how-you-can-too-plus-get-me-to-review-your-photos/)... so in summary, my next "gig" will be related but new to me, but equally exciting ;) years away, but that's my thought process.

Hey buddy, two questions:

• 1) What is something you make sure you do every single day?
• 2) What's the most popular class on CL? Why do you think that is?

1) Meditate. It's been my single biggest personal and career trajectory changer.

2) the most poplular class on CL... hmmm. Depends on whether you mean all time or trending.

All time is I think a class on 28 days of Portrait Photography with Sue Bryce (Australian portrait photographer of the year). it’s 28 lessons - meant to be one each day - teaching you all the things you need to be a world class portrait photographer (and of course people normally binge watch that like a netflix series ! 😉 https://www.creativelive.com/courses/28-days-portrait-photography-sue-bryce

Second behind that is probably Fundamentals of Photography (2016, just refreshed from 2015) by John Greengo - he is an amazing teacher who’s ability for taking the complex and making it very very simple is - I think - his unique gift and why this class is a huge win...and it's a win for damn near anyone. https://www.creativelive.com/courses/fundamentals-of-photography-2016-john-greengo

If we’re talking most popular “trending” it’s probably Storytelling class with the legendary radio host Alex Blumberg, host of This American Life, Planet Money, and Startup. Stories are how humans remember things, so the ability to craft narrative / story is hugely valuable in creativity https://www.creativelive.com/courses/power-your-podcast-storytelling-alex-blumberg

What's the biggest things you'd advise me to focus on while searching for one international investor for my new company? I need someone who has great contacts and great experience. I've already gotten investors, but I need one BIG investor who can help us go global. Or in general what to focus on when looking for investors? :)

Good question - often overlooked. IMHO its super important / critical to look at investors NOT just as a checkbook, but as business partners...people who you will be working closely with to realize your biggest dream. So choose carefully. Also, it's helpful to consider that they are just as hungry for / require great investment opportunities as you are to get your idea funded! ie, it's not just you pandering for someonen to write checks. You should be interviewing them, not the other way around. What do you NEED for your business? Investors have specializations, just like restaurants or auto-mechanics. They have things they are great at and others areas not so much... find you match with what you need. You can see how it becomes important to have a great idea, with a working prototype and traction in order for you to stand out from all the other entrepreneurs out there... but when you get to that point, remember that people will be clamoring to invest in you when you have those things. I'm honored to be working with Greylock, Social+Capital, Comcast, Branson, others top folk in US / Europe and a long list of angels... but it's only because we met the conditions i listed above AND did a lot of work vetting potential people to let into our deal against others who wouldn't have been the ideal match. It's definitely alchemy...equal parts art & science when choosing investors.

This one is kind of oddly specific, but I'm a big fan of Social Capital (even before Palihapitiya built an org around himself).

Can you share your experience raising that round and how they've been to work with? Maybe versus other experiences/rounds. A story would be awesome.

Thanks for doing this.

Social+Capital partnership (led by Chamath who previously led growth at Facebook) have been a great force in helping us get CreativeLive really cranking. Specifically my board member Ted Maidenberg from SC has been critical in helping us think from a data standpoint. I'm a big gut / brand / feel leader, but adding in a robust data layer has been an important win for us...in a sense most often validating or sometimes usurping my 'gut'.

Secondarily helping us understand paid advertising on Facebook - obvious tie in there ;) In general - they are a young, aggressive and hungry VC firm - and have played a great counterbalance to our other lead investor Greylock (who I also love).... I would recommend them - if entrepreneurs can get their attention ;) They are a 'hot' and popular firm in the Valley for sure.

What book or books would you recommend a recent college graduate read?

I recommend you read a lot about creativity - in part because it fascinates me, but moreso because it's a characteristic that can be leveraged into any work, any life. Here are a few books I love on the topic... http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2015/03/books-to-make-you-more-creative/

Hey Chase, longtime fan and so glad that you show the life and process behind photography. It's not just making the photos, but getting the business side of it down too.

I'm feeling burnt out from shooting so much professionally. I try to separate my work and personal shooting as much as possible, even to the point of leaving all camera gear at the office and just using an iPhone. Will only bring home my gear for planned personal shoots, or special occasions. Any insight on what else I/others could do that need creative downtime, but also hate to miss spontaneous moments in everyday life?

The best camera is the one that's with you...so don't worry about missing serendipitous moments. You'll have your phone (or at least your eyes) to get that shot saved or burned into your memory. But burnout is a real thing that you should deal with IMHO by stepping away and getting into adventures. Living life is the only way to keep new, fresh material pouring into your brain. That, plus a daily lightweight and creatively fun exercise like journaling or https://www.creativelive.com/courses/28-to-make which is free and has 20,000 other creatives creating work along side you everyday, just for fun.

Here are a few additional resources for you. One in particular to unlock your most creative work: http://cr8.lv/1TxfKGL

Also, do something that’s different can recharge my body and mind. My pal Lewis Howes also has some great advice that I try to do, which is to develop a vision, then break that down into daily, if not hourly tasks. We talk about it here: http://cr8.lv/1ozAEcJ and I went more in depth in my daily schedule here: http://cr8.lv/20TlDPg

Do you think there is still a place for film photography in the digital world? And if so, how do you still make use of film in your work?

I make use of film as a practice to get me to slow down and look around...and because I love the experience of shooting film for my subjects...but this is always for personal work, not professional. It's nostalgic and heartwarming, but doesn't transform the work in an of itself. (be wary of chasing this idea). Film could be thought of as analgous to oil paints... do people still use it / them? yes. is it popular or practical? less so, and usually for a very particualar look, experience, or practice. Not for utility.

I still love shooting my Polaroid 600 SE... portraits of famous people who are my friends who can tolerate the slowness of the medium ;)

Hey Chase!

I loved you on DigitalRev TV's Cheap Camera photographer. I would like to know how you approach shooting street photography (do you stop for several minutes to get a shot or just never stop moving?)

Love the Digital Rev guys ;) (if you're new to them, here's a segment i filmed w them w 1 million or so views... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX76k-chflo)

Ultimately, I tend to keep moving when I'm shooting street stuff...stopping and connecting with individuals i see (rather than being 'sly') to get the shots I want. There's an art to making people feel comfortable in pointing a camera at them - and street photography is great practice. I wrote about it here: http://cr8.lv/24nzEcu Hope this helps!

Im currently trying to break into the creative field, if the work I am producing is not where I know it can or will be, should I still post it to social media to show the progression of my work or should I only post what I am 100% happy with?

Definitely do the work, show the work, repeat. It’s rare we’re ever 100% happy with what we do. There’s always the voice in your head telling you what you can do better. I share a little about that here: http://cr8.lv/1XKXmee… but basically, perfection is a myth. Check out my man James Victore on this: https://www.facebook.com/chasejarvis/videos/10152574634805978/

How did you learn photography, self taught, school taught?

Self taught! and also learned by building a community around those ideas as I learned... That ultimately became all my online / sociall communities (facebook, youtube, twitter, etc... /chasejarvis on all channels) and... CreativeLive.com. CL is a huge resource you should def check out.

Hey Chase! Would you mind sharing your thoughts on Instagram and how to best use it as a platform for a young photographer? Also, why you don't use Instagram yourself?

Instagram is great. Best way to use it? Post great work there everyday. (so simple, yet so hard, right? ;)

I AM on instagram, and you should follow me there, https://www.instagram.com/chasejarvis/... but there reason I have not posted anything (but will start in the next 60 days) is because of a lawsuit I was in around my old app - the first app ever to share photos direct to social networks called Best Camera. Its a long story, but i will tell that story publicly soon --- and will then be posting on IG like a madman. So thank for asking - and for your follow.

do you see a lot of professional work disappearing in the low-to-mid end of the market (where they would presumably use amateur work)? What are your thoughts on more and more professional media outlets using CC-licensed work by amateurs for free rather than paying for professional photos?

The work is disappearing from the MIDDLE of the industry, actually. The top of the industry and the bottom are both thriving. Top = people who have done big work and are dependable pros continue to get big $ work. The low end of the market is flooded with a lot of people working for low $ or doing it 'on the side'. But the people who have been in the middle, trying to cobble together some low-mid price point work...they are really feeling the pinch. Not 'big' enough to go up market, and can't afford to work for super cheap / free. I see this trend continuing.

Hi Chase, I'm a big fan of yours and you inspire me to stay focused. I saw you recently did a for the CommLead program in UW, would you recommend that program as launchpad into your industry?

I wouldn't necessarily bail on it, but I wouldn't have recommended it if you had asked me this question before you joined the program. It surely will be helpful, but I'm more a fan of living the work, starting small and building a career and a life in the line of work you want instead of trying to make some random leap from traditional edu to a dream career for which there is no "proscribed" path. See other questions here in this AMA for ideas. And keep pushing! Your classmates and professors there will always be helpful as a part of your community going forward whatever path you choose ;)

Chase, love watching your content - CJRAW provides plenty of great insights!

I know you've spoken about your change in career path at a young age but what advice would you give to someone looking to break into photography and make a career change, from marketing background? (mid twenties) Appreciate your time on the AMA!

Spend as much of your time as possible (ie your 5-9, not 9-5) focused on your side hustle. Ultimately you'll need to "jump ship" but so many people do this foolishly before really knowing that they truly want to live their 'new' life. it's far better, smarter, and safer to pick up momentum and follow your heart / head in all the off hours (or quit your 'big' job and get a waiting tables, bartending job that has flexibility w decent / passable wages). Make the transition, earn money on the side and when you can't possibly make both lives work together (ie your side hustle gets too successful) THEN you make the jump.

What in your opinion is the most effective way for a budding photographer to get into commercial line? Online classes or apprenticeship where one gets to learn things while assisting a pro at work.

Both. You need to be great at the craft (that's what you get from the classes...plus a lot of practice)...but also seeing how the industry works by working alongside the top pro's working today. If you can get an internship with a world class shooter, that will be an massive accelerant to your career (if you don't get 'stuck' in the rut working for them--be wary)... but don't let the internship replace your quest for being a great photographer yourself.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to follow a dream and failed and is now unsure, lost and full of self-doubt?

My secret weapon to getting out of a funk (after failing) or stalling is... get into adventures! Do something different to jump start your world view and start creating — anything to get the juices flowing. Here are few techniques to unlock my most creative work here: http://cr8.lv/1TxfKGL. I also have a great number of videos on the topic with my video series cjRAW: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL29mIqPacBTLU3CLGIrgyhj5r2VrOOM2f … and you can start working on daily creative project ideas with this: http://cr8.lv/1mVsdr5. Great question.... and btw, the self doubt never fully leaves you. It's there all the time, but you've got to keep pushing and creating. If you have those voices inside your head it means youre probably doing it right (ie pushing yourself). Trick is to keep those voices at bay as much as you can...

Hey Chase! Was about to ask you for any must-read books but then I saw the other question! :-)

In that case, any must-see documentaries?

I LOVE documentary films and could go on for 10 hours on this prompt. But becuase time is short-ish here, I'll list a few you might not be familiar with / obscure but v v cool.

Mistaken for Strangers by The National (band). Sounds weird - but WATCH it. Great twists. http://www.mistakenforstrangersmovie.com/

Fast Cheap & Out of Control by Errol Morris http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119107/

Style Wars (graffiti). Super old but classic http://www.stylewars.com/site/

Infamy, more on graffiti) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po_hM90TgD4

Bones Brigade - skateboarding history by Stacy Peralta http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2129928/

Fog of War by Errol Morris http://www.sonyclassics.com/fogofwar/

God...I could go on forever ;)

Hello chase, coming to you from New Zealand. I want to upgrade to a professional kit. I currently use a canon 600d and a couple of lenses. You are getting the Nikon d5 which I'm looking at. But so many people are raving about the new canon 1dx mark II? What do you think of these 2 cameras?

Either one of those would be great... just depends on if you've invested in other glass (lenses) and want to stay with the same platform. It's like choosing between Mercedes or BMW. Both are top of the line / classic, but it's all in the prefs. You will be happy with either. If you lean toward video too, choose the Canon. If you're a purist still shooter, go Nikon.

Do you think that in order to be a successful photographer you need a degree?

On the contrary, I do not think you should get a degree if you are pressed and want to be a photographer...

Start with CreativeLive. Volunteer in the industry, get to know people. Build a network. Do not sink yourself with student debt. If you want to be a doctor or a lawyer or other thing which requires a 'license' - go the traditional route. Otherwise, think differently.

Here's a post about should I go to photo school.... http://blog.creativelive.com/go-back-photo-school/

here's another: http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/07/should-you-go-to-photo-school/

Hi Chase - I'm just finding out about you and CreativeLive today because of this AMA :-) What would you say are the top problems that creative entrepreneurs face (either self-created or external) when they go into business?

Thanks for the new connection ;)

In short, I think people chase 'market opportunities' too much instead of a blend of something they LOVE that has meaning...PLUS a good opportunity. I call it scratching your own itch. Here's a video I made with some other great entrepreneurs for Entrepreneur magazine http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253916

Chase me again from New Zealand. Would you be up for a challenge. People see you as you are today, they see your success and your accomplishment. However they didn't see the struggle to get there.

I know why you use the gear you use, I understand as a professional you need that gear. But when you say gear doesn't matter a lot of people can't relate when they see the gear you use.

Would you be interested in a challenge where you go back in time to when you first turned pro. Use similar gear, and go and shoot how you did back then? You could record it and use it for content. I would love to see you running around with an old film camera shooting some skiing again.

Would be a welcome challenge...but already done that ;) Here's proof - me with a lego camera shooting skateboarding.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX76k-chflo

That said, being a pro photog for 15 years turns you into a problem solver, especially a location based action sports photographer as I was early on (my roots)... So I can take almost any camera these days and make something happen. I still get a rush from both solving the problems AND the creating of photos...so it's no longer stressful as it was when I was less experienced... But I love your concept!

What are some beginner editing tips for new photographers?

Great question - especially now that we all have so many photos! In short, I like to be really methodical in editing for my best work. And I do this by cutting out low quality work in a series of passes, using the star system build into editing software like lightroom or apple photos. Here's a tutorial I created just for that question / problem. I come at it from a professional perspective (huge numbers of images) but it works just the same for lower image counts too! Check this here http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2011/03/photo-editing-101/

I’ve never taken photos other than with my iPhone. What’s the best camera to start with and the best way to learn to take good photos? I’d like to get better at photographing my animals

If you want to step up from your phone, i recommend an entry level DSLR (one of those things with removable lenses). You can do pretty much anything with a DSLR. There are number of different models at varying budgets starting from ~$500. Start with a baseline Nikon or Canon and pair it with a zoom lens to get close up on your animals (70-200mm) ... or a wide angle lens in the 16-35 range.

Here's a class on CreativeLive.com about how to choose your first DSLR: http://cr8.lv/1Qec9w8

I also shot a short video on the latest Nikon releases at https://youtu.be/cgN2xp-GIVQ but that's for high end pro camera$$$ ;)

Hey Chase! I've been following you for years. What's the worst reaction you've gotten in a street photography situation?

I've had someone ask me to delete a photo of them...which wasn't really about them. It was a photo of someone else just behind them :). I politely showed them the photos on the back of my camera, highlighting that there were no photos of them and went about my business.

Another time I was shooting an there was a federal building in the background of my scene. The guard came over and told me to give him my film, that what i was doing was illegal. I promptly shared with him that i was well within my rights, I referenced the law, and went about my business. I completed the shoot a little prematurely so as not to be a total dick, but also always like to reference this when anything gets weird. http://www.artslaw.com.au/info-sheets/info-sheet/street-photographers-rights/

Also here's my thoughts on street photography http://cr8.lv/24nzEcu

Are you still shooting campaigns now?

Also, how do you recommend going about getting hired for work these days, with art directors and photo editors bombarded to the point they are ignoring all new photographers? It's almost as if the gates are closed now, because there is just too much talent.

Thanks CJ!

Yes I'm still shooting campaigns...but very selectively. In order for me to be excited about something it needs to be a topic that is truly interesting or challenging, usually working with incredible talent, partners, or brands where there is a lot of creative freedom. I'm proud to be able to be this selective in my career, although I don't take it for granted and I happily throw myself at these truly amazing opps when the perfect job comes along. If I was a 'new' photographer, I would (assuming you have great fundamentals and a sound biz mind) concentrate on being 'different' not just better. What are personal projects you can do that get noticed on big scale by art buyers and agencies that have influence. They look for wildly creative stuff...not just 'another good photographer'. The gates are never closed. Never. Great vision / art will always be needed / desired. And people will pay high prices for great, differentiated work.

/u/thechasejarvis - I've been following you since you first posted the Road Warrior laptop case video. Huge Fan!

EDIT: Dasein was amazing, btw. (See my username ha!)

My question is this:

Do you have any plans on getting back to "your roots" with your video content? DIY's, BTS stuff?

Don't get me wrong, Creative Live is AMAZING, and I love all the CJLive... But I am I huge fan of YOU. You and your videos have gotten me through some real shit during my career, and I'd love to see you inspiring a new crowd.

Thank you, appreciate that. Definitely charging hard on new content in a big way again... WhenI first start putting out content, I was sharing information that no one was really talking about (the videos you ref) And now, today, most major shoots will have some sort of BTS element...but when that is everywhere and I've been doing it for 10+ years...it's less interesting to me. What excites me - and most importantly where I think I can add disproportionally large value these days is talking about the things in between the big shoots, the mentality, the hustle, the daily grind it takes to get there. I put a lot of that into my new video series: cjRAW. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL29mIqPacBTLU3CLGIrgyhj5r2VrOOM2f

And I've been vlogging a bunch in that series too...showing the less polished but real struggles / solutions I find. IMHO that's a way that I can really help people through the tough stuff... way beyond camera settings and tutorials (CreativeLive has everything you'd want to know on that and more....)... so I'm wanting to go deep on the things I've realized actually add a ton. Creativity. Health. Vision. Staying ahead of trends. Negotiating. Routine. Work ethic. All that stuff is 10x more important than what camera to use.

And BTW, If you’re a fan of chasejarvisLIVE — definitely stay tuned. Some big stuff coming very very soon. 😉

What is a good backup strategy for an amateur GoPro photographer who is always on the go? I currently have about 1TB of photos backed up on an external HD, my favorites on my SSD in my MacBook Pro, and a time-machine backup of that. I know its not enough and I can replicate to more external HDs but I would love your thoughts on a clean and simple strategy. Thanks!

People ask me all the time if I have an update to my old workflow video+article, but the truth is that it’s stood the test of time: http://cr8.lv/1VCkolS and is a good place to start. It's overkill for your current workload, but the core elements are there for you to pickup / learn.

Ultimately, the amount/kind of backups you have is directly proportional to the amount of risk you’re willing to take. On commercial shoots we keep 3 copies - because it's how my reputation has been built over decade of shooting for top brands. There can be no data mistakes when huge budgets are in play - it's a big deal. By contrast, as a one or two-person team, you could look at uploading your dailies over the internet or making 3 copies on different drives, shipping one of those drives back home, carrying one with you, and giving another to a partner (if you have one). If you start getting a lot of material, look at getting a larger server/disk you can backup to. Having a lot of external hard drives around can lead to a big pain later.

But again - get the fundamentals of WHY and HOW to backup here...http://cr8.lv/1VCkolS