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in Photography
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Today, it seems like I am reliving the past as I wake up in New York City. It is Photo Expo week and NewYork is alive as busy as ever. The familiar sounds of sirens are all around me day and night and riding the subway here make me feel like I never left.
I found myself comparing the subways in New York to the Subways in Tokyo last night. Both are always packed, but the glaring difference is that in New York you can always hear people talking to each other and making connections.
As I rode the subway last night I saw a woman with my old Lowepro roller bag and knew she must be a photographer. I told her I used to have the same case but just upgraded to the new Echelon line and we fell into a conversation about camera bags.
One of the things I love about New York and Tokyo is how people interact with each other. You find this in most big cities, but you don't have this in Los Angeles. My time in L.A. is coming to a close. I feel so inspired whenever walking around in a big city and yearning to have that every day again.
Time to walk the city!
Who's Your Hero?
Have you ever wondered what makes one picture stand out from another? This week, I will speak on this topic in New York during Photo Plus Expo.
What's inside your bag?
A few months ago I did a post about my gear but didn't mention the bags that hold my gear. With the amount of travel I've done over the years I thought it was time to upgrade to the latest and greatest.
I have always used Lowepro roller cases, backpacks and shoulder bags for my gear because they are durable and dependable. The roller I've had over 20 years is still in amazing shape but this year I thought it was time to upgrade all my cases. The Echelon series by Lowepro is better than ever and I'm taking my gear on its first trip to New York today. If you'll be in New York for Photo Plus check out Lowepro and the new Echelon series. The roller case is really incredible along with the shoulder bag and backpack.
I will be speaking for Nikon this week, so come by and say hi. In my off time I'll be walking the streets of New York with large Sandisk media cards in my Nikon and photographing the city day and night. I hope to see you soon!
Always dream big!
I'll be in New York next week. Join me!
Time flies by so fast. Last week this time we were on the edge of funding our Kickstarter or not funding it but thank God we made it.
Next week I will be in New York City speaking for Nikon during Photo Plus Expo. Come by and say hi. I will speak each day at 12:30 pm!
Oh, by the way, to celebrate the Kickstarter making our goal we are giving away a FREE video. To get your free video go to MatthewJordanSmith.com/FREE
Always dream big,
Photography Workshop in Los Angeles with Matthew Jordan Smith
Early bird registration for the Master Your Lens photo workshop has been extended until Saturday, October 24th, at midnight.
On Set
A lot of hard work goes into creating a great picture, It's more than just learning about a camera, fstops, shutter speed and lights. The most important parts are the things you can't see.
This afternoon, I will speak at Santa Monica College in Los Angeles, California. and then next week I will speak at Photo Expo in New York City. In November I will teach a workshop in Tokyo, and then finally we will end they year with the Master Your Lens photography workshop in Los Angeles. The workshop in Los Angeles is now open for enrollment. Early bird registration ends Saturday the 24th of October, so sign up today to reserve your seat.
Always dream big
LAST DAY!
in Family, Photography
Today is it! The 30th and final day of the Future American President Kickstarter campaign. To celebrate, we have a few things.
1) We have reduced the price of the Master Your Lens photography workshops to $1297.00 for the early bird registration, and extended the deadline until Friday, October 16th at midnight PST.
For the Kickstarter
If we hit 15k by Monday at 5:02 pm PST we will upgrade all our Future American President Kickstarter orders to include two special gifts.
2 Our original American Map poster which kids can refer to as they learn about America. The map shows the birthplace of each U.S. president, their order chronologically, and years served in office.
3) We will also include our behind-the-scenes pdf of the making of the book, which includes images from the Zendaya photo shoot, taken for the books foreword and much more.
4)If we hit 15K by 2:00 pm PST, we will REDUCE the signed Zendaya book package, which include the original poster she holds in the book and a special edition book signed by Zendaya with your child's picture on the front and back cover. We will reduce the cost from $1000 to only $100!
5) We will host a PIZZA Party for all supporters in the Los Angeles area. At the pizza, for every parent who has purchased a special edition book I will photograph their child for free! Date to be determined.
FUNDED!
THANK YOU!
We started this journey 29 days ago and tomorrow it will end at exactly 5:02 pm PST. We are now fully funded with over 100 supporters who believed in our project enough to vote with their wallets. I am eternally grateful for all who have joined us and even more excited about how our combined efforts will influence the children who receive these books.
Thank you for helping make this project possible!
Always dream big,
Matthew
Weekend Wisdom with Skip Cohen
Skip Cohen has been an amazing friend over the years and he is also the host of an amazing photography podcast.
I was fortunate to be featured on today's podcast. Take a listen and check out Skips podcast often for amazing information and inspiration regarding photography.
http://www.skipcohenuniversity.com/scu-blog/weekend-wisdom-with-matthew-jordan-smith-special-projects
Two FREE Photography Videos
in Photography
It's not every day that something incredible comes along, but today is different. Starting today and Sunday morning, October 11th at twelve noon. I am give two FREE video's to any photographer who pledges $2 to this Kickstarter campaign.
The two FREE videos will help you become a better photographer in many ways. The videos are
1) The secret to Making Creative Photographs
2) Creative Ways to Promote Your Photography
To receive these free videos we must fund this Kickstarter project successfully, so the more photographers who take us up on this offer the better for you as well. We are trying to get 5000 photographer to take us up on this deal so help us spread the word.
This offer will expire on Sunday at 12 noon, but act fast!
To
Gun Control and the Oregon Shooting
in Family
Did you hear what the Oregon shooter said?
"This is the only time I'll ever be in the news, I"m so insignificant!"
If a child grows up and feels they have no chance for success in life they can grow up and become our worst nightmare. On the other hand, if we make our children feel special it can have a profound impact on their lives and lead to greatness.
I know a lot of my friends are tired of my posts about Future American President, but the reason why I created this project is to help children feel important. In How To Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie speaks about the importance of feeling special. If a child feel special the gun issue would be a concern. I believe when a child grows up feeling special it can lead to a great future. The dangerous part is what can happen when a child grows up feeling worthless. Guess how the Oregon shooter felt about himself.
To inspire a child, it doesn't have to be our child, it can be a neighbor or a friend's child, but we all need to encourage kids to believe they have possibilities. I named my book project Future American President not because I was looking for children who want to become the president one day. I use the word president as a metaphor for greatness because if a child grows up believing they can become the president, they believe they can do anything in life.
To an adult, a picture of a child may just be a cute picture, but to the child it's a vision of themselves and endless possibilities.
Caption: Future American President
Caption: Future American President
If you believe in this message then please pledge 1 dollar today as a symbol to let others know this message is important and worth spreading. You can pledge here.
Caption: Future American President
Caption: Future American President
We have only 7 days left to bring this project to life. If it doesn't hit its 10K goal then this project will go away forever and no more books will be printed. However, we have a chance to make an impact on a child and keep them from feeling the way the Oregon shooter felt. Today you can make a difference. Please join us in bringing this project to life.
For each person who makes a pledge I will give a public thank you mentioning your name on Facebook, on my podcast and on my daily Periscope broadcasts.
Pledge here: http://kck.st/1UOLOn0
Make a child feel special here: http://kck.st/1UOLOn0
Always dream big,
Matthew
I CAN BE
I CAN BE
in Family
I CAN BE
in Family
I CAN BE
in Family
I CAN BE
Join me in posting this image on social media today for the beginning of the I CAN BE campaign. We will have a new image each day for the next two weeks.
Post the image below on your social media with the hashtag #FutureAmericanPresident.
People from all over the world are taking part in this today and posting the same image and hashtag.
Matthew
Let's do something amazing together
in Photography
We have the power to do anything together. Create change, inspire hope or simply send a powerful message.
Tomorrow at 9:00 am PST, I would be honored if you would join me in sending one powerful message to the world. The message is that every child has endless possibilities.
Here is how it works. Post the first image from the link on Tuesday morning at exactly 9:00 am PST on your social media platforms with the hashtag and words, #FutureAmericanPresident, or simply go to my Twitter and retweet or share from my Facebook accounts. Do the same with the second image on Wednesday morning at the same time.
I Can
Here's a link to the first two mages:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rw2w5kl5mrxw59r/AAA-NwTkCQw_zb_NYgHg0Cuha?dl=0
I have asked several celebrity friends to join me in posting this image and they have all agreed. Now, I would like you to join us in sending the message of possibilities to the world. We will post different images for the next two weeks with messages to inspire possibilities for any and all children.
If you would like to join us in sending out the other images please leave a comment on this blog post saying you want to be a part of this movement and will respond with a personal email that includes the other images to post.
Always dream big,
Matthew
The Game
in Family
In today's American Map Game, the Havens family has discovered something unique and beautiful. Join us, and take a journey across America.
The Amerian Map Game is Level 1: http://kck.st/1UOLOn0
Caption: From the American Map Game story
Always Dream Big
Want to run a crowdfunding campaign? READ THIS!
in Photography
It doesn't matter how many times you've done it before, running a crowdfunding campaign is STRESSFUL! Nothing takes stress away better than a little time on the beach, but even thenI have to stay in promotion mode.
The last two weeks have been hectic to say the least, with podcasts, periscopes, blog posts, TV interviews, updates to the Kickstarter site, and then preparing for speaking engagements. Still with all the hard work we are only 25% funded with 19 days to go.
Three years ago I was almost in the same position but we made our goal. This time, I am faithful that we will make our goal again, but we need YOU to make that a reality.
Today we are asking those who believe in this project to pledge your support with a 10 dollar pledge. With your pledge, you will receive the American Map Game and become part of our community. You will receive the PDF story with images from my travel to every state in America wrapped within a story and you'll receive updates of every step of the journey.
