This was legit. I couldn’t believe how easily I could get true, real film looks from my Canon 5D MarkII files. I’ve tried before to create my own “film” look from my digital files, but let’s be honest. I never “nailed” it. Well now I can nail it with one click. It’s ridiculous just how easy it is for me now.

Below is my first serious use of VSCO Film. Most of these shots are from a shoot I did just days ago of my friend and country artist, Laura Bell Bundy. I shot the album artwork for Laura Bell’s upcoming album the day before this shoot below. But we wanted to do another more intimate, honest photoshoot in Malibu. I figured VSCO Film would be the perfect editing solution for these photos cause Laura Bell wanted a vintage “Marilyn Monroe Beach” vibe.  Boy, was I right. I absolutely love the final outcome below. I will now be using VSCO Film a LOT more from this point forward.

I also snuck in some recent shots of Jill Wagner (from ABC’s “Wipeout”) and my friend Ryan O’Neal from Sleepingatlast.

Visit their site to learn more about Visual Supply Company and VSCO Film. You won’t be disappointed.

Happy New Year!

material connection disclosure

They said “What are some of your favorite photos and why?”

Pretty normal question I guess. So I scrolled through my computer and found a folder I had forgotten about containing what I simply call “powerful photos”.

Then I saw a photo I shot last year at Help-Portrait and I was immediately stunned. I was so stunned that I just sat there and wept for a few minutes. I had forgotten about this image. The power of it hit me like a wall and just wrecked me.

Last year I was doing Help-Portrait in Seattle and I noticed a woman standing in the corner with her 4 kids. She seemed very quiet and lonely. So I went over and spent some time with her. I quickly learned that she had just moved from Palestine to Seattle. Her husband suddenly passed away a few weeks earlier from a heart attack. Then someone tried to kill her son by driving over him with a car as a part of the Israel/Palestine conflict. She had enough, packed up her stuff and somehow moved her family to Seattle. She said she hadn’t cooked or cleaned for weeks since being Seattle due to her severe depression.

But she somehow found out about Help-Portrait and brought her kids over. In her broken english, she explained to me that while her husband was alive, they never ONCE had a family picture taken together. Not one photo. So she handed me a photo of her husband and asked if I could add him into the photo to create their first ever family photo.

So we spent a while shooting and I later asked “is there anything else you need? Money, food, shelter?” She said “Ive just wanted a day where my kids could be loved on and play with other kids. My kids have been smiling and playing all day. You have given me everything I need.”

Needless to say, it was a powerful, emotional day. We were able to create her first-ever family photo by photoshopping in her deceased husband to create their first family portrait.

So the other night in Chicago, I ran across this photo and just melted. I cried, then there was silence. I cried some more. More silence. Keep in mind, 120 people were sitting there watching me. I wasn’t expecting to find this photo. But all the emotions hit me at once. We all tend to forget how powerful photography can be for families and people who don’t have access to cameras. But in that moment, it all came rushing back and I was overwhelmed once again by the power of Help-Portrait. I’m so excited for tomorrow and to hear all of YOUR stories.

In 1994, Rwanda stunned the world when years of ethnic tensions exploded into one of the swiftest genocides the world has ever seen. Between April and July 1994, nearly one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered, many at the hands of their own neighbors. (To read the details of the Rwandan genocide, click here for the Human Rights Watch backgrounder.)

In 2003, Rwanda shocked the world again when President Paul Kagame decided to release from prison tens of thousands of genocide perpetrators who had confessed to their crimes. With an enormous backlog of court cases, Kagame opted to resurrect a traditional Rwandan method of handling community injustices called the “Gacaca” court. Upwards of 70,000 genocide perpetrators went through this community trial in which they admitted guilt to their neighbors and many were allowed to re-integrate into society. Since that time, Rwanda has been living out a great national experiment of reconciliation. The government, together with countless religious and community organizations, has sought to knit back together this country of 9 million citizens after nearly 1 in 8 people were slaughtered in the genocide.

I traveled to Rwanda in August 2011 with filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson to document survivors and perpetrators of genocide who have reconciled and are living life together peacefully in the same community. Inspired by my “Voices of Haiti” photo essay, the portraits in this series capture a number of Rwandans who have been impacted by the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative, (AWFRI) a reconciliation organization born out of Hinson’s documentary “As We Forgive”, about two Rwandan women’s journey to forgive the killers of their families. The AWFRI, which is entirely led by Rwandans, utilizes the power of film to facilitate discussions and workshops on unity and reconciliation in public schools, prisons, churches and villages across Rwanda.

The following portraits depict Rwandan survivors and killers of the 1994 genocide who I asked to write on a found object a joint statement to the world.

Message: “Love is a weapon to destroy evil”

Gasperd, 35, (pictured right) locks arms with Innocent (named after he was forgiven), 38, (left), the man who killed his older brother during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Gasperd and Innocent later reconciled while attending a workshop hosted by the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative and today work together in an agricultural association. They are pictured in the exact spot where the murder took place.

Bernard and Ernestine.
Message: “We are all Rwandan.”

Bernard and Ernestine married after the 1994 genocide in which nearly all of Ernestine’s family members were murdered. Ernestine later forgave the killers of her family and married Bernard, a former “Hutu,” the ethnic group that largely perpetrated the genocide. Bernard and Ernestine are members of an association of reconciled survivors and ex-prisoners with the As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative and are featured in Hinson’s upcoming documentary “Mama Rwanda” about women entrepreneurs in Rwanda.

Kaytani Senyana and Jean de Dieu Twizeremana.
Message: “Brothers in forgiveness.”

Kaytani Senyana, 60, (pictured right) lost 25 members of his family during the genocide, including his wife and seven children. Jean de Dieu Twizeremana, 41, the man who killed one of Kaytani’s brothers, begged him for forgiveness from prison and they have since reconciled.

Jean Damascene Nsengimana and Honore Karuranga.
Message: “Still best friends.”

Honore Karuranga, 31, (right) and Jean Damascene Nsengimana, 38, (left) were childhood best friends until the genocide erupted. Honore’s parents and five cousins were brutally killed. Later he discovered that Jean Damascene had participated in the murder of his cousins. Honore confronted Jean Damascene while in prison, and remarked, “Because I loved him very much, I wanted to forgive him. I wasn’t scared of him, but worried that he would be scared of me.” They are pictured at the scene of the murder. Jean Damascene is now helping Honore rebuild Honore’s farm and home that he helped destroy.

Jean Claude Nshizirungu and Anasta Kasieri.
Message: “Forgiveness releases fear.”

Anasta Kasieri (Pictured right), 45, survived the genocide by hiding in a banana tree while his entire family was chased by a mob into the lake (pictured here) and drowned. Jean Claude Nshizirungu (pictured left), 29, is the son of the leader of that mob. Although the father fled the country in fear, Jean Claude begged Anasta for forgiveness during the Gacaca trial, and Anasta, out of his Christian faith, forgave them all.

Rudoviko Niyongira and Francois Nshunguyinka.
Message: “Forgiveness is our greatest accomplishment.”

Rudoviko Niyongira (right), 59, fled his home in 1994 after receiving a death threat, only to return shortly to find his wife and three children already dead. His neighbor and friend, Francois Nshunguyinka, 73, was one of the culprits in the murder, for which he spent seven years in prison. Wracked with guilt throughout his incarceration, Francois begged Rudoviko for forgiveness and later started a community reconciliation organization. Today, the two men have become friends and their families frequently spend time together.

Ernest Burakigarama and Xavier Ngirumwami.
Message: “We restored our humanity.”

Xavier Ngirumwami (right), 48, survived the genocide by hiding alone in houses and forests to evade the killers. Ernest Burakigarama (Left), 48, was part of a group that murdered eight of Xavier’s family members. Afterwards, he quickly admitted his guilt to the local authorities and spent 13 years in prison, after which time, Xavier decided to forgive him. They are pictured outside the house where Xavier hid during the violence.

Chantale Umbereyimfura and John Nzabonimpa.
Message: “Shared past, shared future.”

Chantale Umbereyimfura (left), 39, never thought she would forgive John Nzabonimpa, 63, the close family friend who brutally beat her father to death. 14 years after the murder, Chantale and John agreed to attend a healing and reconciliation workshop together. A year later, Chantale publicly forgave John in front of their entire community, saying that her heart had been “set free.” John and Chantale’s story is featured in the student Academy Award-winning documentary As We Forgive. (hyperlink to www.asweforgivemovie.com)

Clementine Mukansanga and Celestin Munyampundu.
Message: “Hearts unburdened.”

Clementine Mukansanga, 31, endured years of rage after the family friend that live in her home, Celestin Munyampundu, 38, killed her mother, three siblings, an aunt and an uncle. During his seven years in prison, Celestin was impacted by various ministers who taught him about the need to repent and ask for forgiveness. Later, he begged Clementine for pardon but it look more than a year for her to agree. Clementine said, “When I finally forgave, I felt so lighthearted that I cried.” Today, the two remain friends and Celestin helps Clementine with household work.

Jean Baptiste Ngendananimana and Jeremy Hakizimana.
Message: “Truth is freedom”

Jean Baptiste Ngendananimana, 35, (right) did not discover until the middle of Jeremy Hakizimana’s murder trial that he, in fact, had killed one of his brothers. Jean Baptiste had lost both of his parents and seven siblings in the conflict. When the truth emerged, Jean Baptiste forgave Jeremy, 36, soon after, remarking that he felt such freedom in simply knowing the truth about how his brother had died. Today, Jean Baptiste and Jeremy live next door to each other.

Innocent Kagenza and Leonard Habimeza.
Message: “Working together united us.”

Innocent Kagenza, 54, (left) fled to Burundi after his wife, three children and father were killed in the genocide. He later testified against Leonard Habimeza, 41, (right), one of the murderers, sending him to prison for nine years. After Leonard’s release, both men joined a local reconciliation organization and slowly reconciled through working together to help rebuild homes that were destroyed in the genocide.

Charles Munyeshema and Emmanuel Ruzindana.
Message: “There’s a reason to celebrate.”

A decade after the genocide, Charles Munyeshema, 56, (right) made a deal with his former friend Emmanuel Ruzindana, 54: “Tell me how many people you killed and who they were, and I’ll forgive you.” Charles had lost his wife and seven children in the genocide, as well as numerous other relatives, and Emmanuel had been among the killers. The night that Charles forgave Emmanuel, their two families came together for a huge celebration. Now remarried with children, Charles recently named Emmanuel as the godparent of his son.

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I’m coming to see you!

So I’ve considered doing a traveling workshop tour for a good while, and I’m thinking now is the perfect time for it. Yes, I’ve done workshops before, but this one will look nothing like the others.

Here’s why: I want as many of you to come as possible, I want to teach you as much as I possibly can in one day, and I want you all to bring a friend along for the fun. Cool? :)

I will be doing a 8-hour seminar-style workshop and will be discussing a different topic every hour.

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Here is an outline of what we’ll be covering:

• My Story and Background – Discussing the steps that I took that got me up and running. It seems that people always want to hear how different photographers got their feet on the ground.

• Vision Toolkit - What exactly is it that makes me unique? What is it that makes you unique?

• Organization, Scouting and Libraries – How I use Evernote to run my life and how keeping libraries comes in handy time and time again.

• Lighting and the pressure of always having to be a magician- My approach to lighting and how I respond in the pressure situations.

• Post production – All my favorite tricks revealed. :)

• Inspiration and Staying Creative – I’ll be presenting the artists/ideas that inspire me and prove that not everything has been done.

• The Art of the Hustle – What does the current path in photography to a successful photography career look like? How do we continue to evolve and stay ahead of the game in this ever-changing industry?

• Personal Work - The importance of doing your own work in between the paying work.

• Giving Back - It’s not the talent that matters. It’s what you do with the talent that matters.

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The total cost for this seminar is $179.

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But here’s the part I’m excited about.  I want you to bring someone who needs this.

Maybe it’s a friend interested in photography or a creative friend in a different industry that just needs a break. They don’t have to be photographers, per se. I’m always intrigued and inspired by artists in different fields, so hopefully anyone who lives and works in the creative life will walk away with a fresh sense of inspiration.

There’s only one caveat… Please keep this about bringing someone who could use the boost, the information, the inspiration, the day off from their desk job, whatever. In other words, don’t just call your BFF and make a deal to split the cost. I ask that each of you pay full price and bring one other person who really needs this. There’s a difference.

Let’s make this a great day of learning for others who wouldn’t expect it.

So there ya have it. Two people for $179. BOGO deal of the day. Take that Groupon. :)

We will be all over the country and will announce our TOUR CITIES tomorrow. So CHECK BACK IN!  We start as early as mid-November so check your schedule, check your friend’s schedule, and join me between now and mid-December to help start your new year off strong!

I’m so excited to see you all. Looking forward to this!

jeremy