Blog by Photographer Justin Mott : Hanoi, Vietnam

Advice To Young Photographers: Visual Storytelling

2012-01-22T00:30:00.000-08:00

I ended 2011 teaching at the Angkor Photo Festival in Siem Reap and then teaching my own visual storytelling workshop in Kuala Lumpur sponsored by the US Embassy. After the whirlwind of several weeks of forced introspection about my views on visual storytelling, teaching methodology, and my own career, my photography mind was completely exhausted. For the last 7 years or so photography has consumed my life and I’m okay with that but I hadn’t really taken time to think about what I’ve learned along the way. Teaching forced me to stop and think about what goes into telling a story with images.
Upon returning to Hanoi I had mustered up the motivation to put these thoughts into a concise blog. I was on a tear that cold morning, ear buds plugged in at a café just typing away crushing my latte and pretty fired up writing as if I was giving advice to a younger version of myself. I was taking in all I was taught in school and at various workshops and retaining the good and filtering the outdated bullshit and nonsense. Then a friend walked in and sat down across from me and as his body touched down in the chair all those words died. For some reason the blog didn’t auto-save and the scripture was lost, just kidding I’m not that cocky. This moment did however spark me to write to Apple with an idea to have the Apple logo on the back of your computer light up Red for “Not Available” and “Green” for “Available” for all of us who call public places our offices and sometimes want to be left alone while we work.
So hear I am about a month later at my apartment on the eve of the Lunar New Year trying desperately to remember what I was writing. I truly enjoy teaching and I hope to have more opportunities to do so in the near future. So to my former and future students and anyone else who cares to read, here are my thoughts on approaching personal projects and photo-stories.
• Go after stories you have genuine interest in. Don’t go for stories just because you think it will impress the masses. Nothing wrong with doing a story about HIV but also nothing wrong with doing a story about what it’s like to be a stray dog in an animal shelter (more on that later).
• A photo story isn’t done in one day or one week. Take time to earn the space and intimacy with your subjects and give them the respect they deserve for entrusting you to tell their story.
• Stories don’t always have to be linear where you show the subject waking up doing what he/she does then going to bed. Be more creative than that.
• Patience will reward you with intimacy with your subjects. The difference between a nice set of pictures and a special story is moments.
• Stop taking pictures of children smiling looking directly into your camera. Well you don’t have to stop taking those shots but stop putting them in your portfolio unless you are doing a story about children smiling into cameras. These are the easiest shots to take, strive for better than that and for not being present in your images.
• Make the viewer care about your subject or subject matter. Think about when you watch a movie. If you don’t care about the characters you tune out. With still images we have even less leeway to draw in our audience.
• Show me don’t tell me. If you need to explain your story to me for 30 minutes because the pictures aren’t doing so, you have a problem. Your images need to tell the story that is why you are a photographer and not a writer.
• You have to give a shit about your story or else it will show and we won’t give a shit either. You will have ups and downs along the way and bouts with boredom but overall you need to care.
• Take cue from directors you admire. Think about how they crafted their stories and the journey they took you on. If you don’t know any directors off hand, think about what movies you really enjoyed why you liked them. Go back and watch it and pay attention to how the directed crafted the story.
• Sequencing is an art in itself. Pay attention to sequencing when you are showing your images in a slideshow. Give serious thought to how you weave your images together to tell your story. Do you want to create some mystery? Do you want to build up to a big ending? Do you want your audience to have to really think or do you want to be upfront from the first image. Sequencing is an art in itself. I know I keep beating home this movie director thing but they are building their story just like you are, so the parallels are endless.
• Stop and share your images along the way with like and unlike minds. Let people take in your story both photographers and civilians (non-photographers). I feel like too often we (myself included) focus (pun intended) too much on appeasing other photographers with our work instead of focusing more on the story itself. I’ve left out powerful images from my edits because I didn’t like the style of the image and it was a mistake.
• Don’t set things up. Life is beautiful and surprising all by itself so just let it unfold and be ready to capture it. When you set up scenes, in addition to many other reasons it’s wrong, you are setting things up based on your memory of perhaps another photograph you saw and you are losing originality.
• It’s okay to have influence in your photography but be careful of that gray line of influence and mimicking.
• Slow down when you shoot. If you are doing a personal project you have time to make errors and explore with your photography. Carefully think about why you are taking a photo from a certain angle or why you are shooting through something. Save your Rolodex of “Go To Shots” when you are on an assignment.
• Understand light and how to create a mood.
• Next understand why you are creating that mood, and give thought to what you are trying to say.
• More on perspective. Each of your lenses is a tool so try to give thought as to why you are shooting wide or tight or whatever. I saw way too many of my students sitting back at eye level with a 16-35mm shot at 16mm. Again nothing wrong with shooting wide but what are you trying to show at 16mm. Are you being lazy or gimmicky because your friend said one of your super-wide shots was cool or is there a reason. Choose the best tool for the job.
• Understand your lenses. Take them out on a date alone; leave the other ones at home. Spend a day with just a 50mm and get to know it intimately and understand how you like to use it. Not too intimately, I’m not endorsing getting it drunk and taking advantage of it.
• Practice the art of portraiture. A solid portrait can really add to a strong story. Also it will help you with your assignment work, I get loads of portrait assignments. I found a lot of my students were extremely weak at portraits.
• Don’t forget details. They are everywhere, so look around.
• Give your story serious thought on whether or not it will work visually. I had a lot of students come to me with grand ideas but they could only tell me they couldn’t show me. This isn’t to say you should just give up if your story isn’t obvious visually. You can be creative but do your research and give serious thought as to how spending a year with a particular story will progress and involve into something special.
• If you have a grand idea to spend a year following a family be up front with them about what you are doing and your expectations. Not everyone will want you in their life that often. It can be kind of strange having a photographer follow you around all the time, give it a try. Better to be upfront so you don’t get immersed in a story and then the subject doesn’t want you around after the first week.

A solid story can be a whole portfolio for a photographer or at least a key to an editor looking further into your work. Editors can learn a lot about a photographer by looking at their personal work and they get to know who you are. Personal work is also a way for you to explore your craft and expand your portfolio. You are competing with photographers who have put the time into a solid story and developing their style and vision so why limit yourself with a story you half assed and spent 2 days on.
That is all for now and of course I welcome more ideas in the comment section, just make sure they don’t contradict mine or aren’t more insightful than my advice, this is after all my blog. Obviously I’m joking, or am I, but seriously use the comment section to ask questions or post your ideas. I’d love to start a dialog from both newbies and veterans. Good luck on your next project.

My next blog will feature the work of the two winners from my two recent workshops.

Bunch O Travel Stories: NY Times

2012-01-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of the year the NY Times sent me to a couple gorgeous places for their year end Places To Go in 2012. I was sent to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam and to Koh Rong Island, Cambodia. Koh Rong Island is undeveloped and simply a gorgeous isolated island retreat that I can't wait to return to on my own vacation. Contrary to what people might believe(queue the violin), travel stories aren't anything like vacation. I work all day and evening stressing out about getting thoughtful images and dealing with walking up to stranger after stranger on the beach asking if I can photograph them sunbathing or swimming without trying to look like a crazy person.
Ha Long Bay is a beautiful back drop for images,but gray skies clouded us for both days until of course we pulled up on the docks to conclude our trip. I even had a few images from some work I did in Myanmar.
Here are the links to the slideshows along with some of my favorites, thanks for looking.

Places to Go in 2012
http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/45-places-to-go-in-2012.html?ref=travel

Koh Rong, Island:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/01/08/travel/20120108_kohrong.html?ref=travel

Ha Long Bay:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/01/08/travel/20120108_halongbay.html?ref=travel

LIMITED TIME HOLIDAY PRINT SALE: ON ASSIGNMENT MYANMAR SERIES

2011-12-19T18:34:00.001-08:00

Holiday Limited Time Print Sale From Mott Visuals - Images by Justin Mott

Geeking Out: Technology For Your Photography Business

2011-10-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm currently on a short trip back to San Francisco for some work. Of course my clock is way off so I'm up bright in early and the morning started with a tiny earthquake reminding exactly where I was. I haven't been blogging that much recently due do a hectic 2 month stretch of mixed assignments. I've got a small backlog of topics I'd like to spew into the digital world. How can I possibly remember these blog ideas in an organized way you ask, well this is just the blog for you.

Just before my trip home I had a meeting and location scouting day for an upcoming commercial shoot for a bank in Hanoi. I left my laptop at home and just went with the iPad for showing work using Extrafolio and taking notes with Notes or Things. I used Google Maps to find the location of the meeting. The client was "Vietnam on Time" which meant they were there 30 minutes past the agreed time so I played a few games of iBomber to kill time. Then I busted out the Iphone camera to take some location snapshots to help me plan out the shoot. For a series of executives portraits we were going to use natural light by a giant set of windows so I used the Sun Seeker App to compass out where the sun would be. Then I took out my Things App to jot down notes for the shoot and the client's comments. I then realized the ridiculous amount of Apps I was using for the day and thought it would make for a good blog so I made a reminder on Things to write a blog about this when I got back to SF and had some free time. I wanted to approach the portait session of the shoot in similar style to a recent shoot I did for Ogilvy Hanoi but I was having a hard time getting them to understand what I was talking about. I took the Ipad out but no internet service(dramatic music enters). What was I to do, my Ipad 3G was out of credit. I didn't panic, I took a deep zen breath and let the world of technology come to me. I had it, I turned my Iphone into a mobile hotspot and we were connected and all was balanced again.
The job was confirmed and noted into my iCal which automatically synced up with my laptop and Ipad and I even confirmed the deposit amount and info via email from the coffee shop where I started the day.
I've turned into a ridiculous tech nerd but I'm way more organized than before and that's a good thing.
Applications and Devices Used:
Devices
iPhone 4
Ipad 2
Apps
Sun Seeker Sun Seeker Lite is really all I need and it was free. Shows you the path of the sun throughout the day, great for scouting locations.
Things Awesome To Do App to get things(no pun intended) organized for the long and short term. It syncs across all your devices and I use it for my every day To Do List to ideas I have for long and short term projects.
iCal(included with iphone)
Calculator (convert dong to dollar) (included with iphone)
Google Maps
iBomber Addicting military strategy game, great for killing time especially in Vietnam where I'm one of the few on time.
Extrafolio I paid for way too many iPad portfolio Apps and finally settled on this one. I like the semi-customizable options and being able to add my branding info and look to the layout.

Evernote: I didn't use this App on that day but I love it for traveling. I use Evernote to keep all my travel documents for upcoming trips in one place and it syncs automatically to all my devices. Hotel booking, flight confirmations, flight and transfer info. Keeps it all synced so I never need to travel with loads of printed out papers.

Angkor Photo Workshop 2011: Winners Announced

2011-09-29T02:02:00.001-07:00

I'm excited to be a part of this year's Angkor Photo Workshop. I'll be working as a tutor and I can't wait to meet you all. I started my professional photography career in Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2005 as a part of Gary Knight's VII Workshop that use to run alongside the Angkor Workshop. I remember being the worst photographer in the workshop and receiving a swift kick in the ass from Gary. Since 2005 I've spent most of my time in Southeast Asia living in Hanoi, Vietnam. It's great to see so much talent and no better place to shoot than Siem Reap, the area is filled with possible stories.

Here is a link to the selected 2011 participants along with the tutors.

http://apws.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/apws-2011-selections.pdf

Talk Vietnam: Interview With Me

2011-09-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

I had a stretch of being on various TV shows this year. It's great to see Vietnam media so interested in photography and I'm happy to be a part of it.
Sorry, this is a really long interview with me posted mainly for my family who can bare hearing me talk this long.

Talk Live: Interview With Me from Mott Visuals on Vimeo.

Featured On The 37th Frame

2011-09-28T04:15:00.001-07:00

I'm honored to have some of my old work featured on The 37th Frame:

http://www.the37thframe.org/2011/09/legacy-of-horror-by-justin-mott/

Focused Project

2011-09-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to be 1 of 200 photographers around the world asked to be a part of this wonderful project:

Focuses Project
The Mission

"One camera. One click. One moment.

In an age where digital photography, the Internet, and motor drives have accelerated the process of image-making, the thought, vision and construction of the decisive moment gets lost in the rush. FOCUSED will bring a diverse group of photojournalists from across the world together one frame at a time towards a common goal: to rely more on our senses than technology.

One roll of film will hold thousands of miles of travel with photo subjects as diverse as the areas they are sent. Frame by frame, the viewer will get a glimpse of the thought process behind making one singular, thoughtful image. "

Read more here about the project: http://www.indiegogo.com/focused
Help @focusedproject send film cameras around the globe challenging photojournalists with only 1 click of the shutter. http://igg.me/p/38796?a=226169&i=twtr

Breaking Free From Our GTS(Go To Shots)

2011-09-09T23:52:00.000-07:00

On commercial jobs I typically come up with a game plan of how many days I need to finish a shoot depending on the client's shot list. For editorial work it's quite different, I'm told, not consulted on how many days I have to complete an assignment. As a photographer you are paid to produce and like my former professor use to tell me, "excuses don't show up in the captions." Freelancers are paid per day and budgets aren't the same so I understand the cap on days but perhaps there is a better system.

Lets use travel stories as an example. When I'm on a travel story assignment there is so much I can't account for before I arrive. The biggest factor is weather and of course in a region like Southeast Asia things never go as planned. I might get one day to shoot a travel story about a secret sleepy beach town or 2 days to capture the beauty and culture of a mountain village.

Sometimes the amount of time is spot on (not sure why I used that phrase, I think I've been around British people recently). Often, an extra day or 2 can make all the difference. When you are rushed on an assignment most photographers go to their mental Rolodex of making pictures (that references is ridiculously outdated who uses a rolodex anymore and yes I'm a little parentheses crazy in this paragraph back the funk off). Meaning the photographer will go through their standard operating procedure of images they were told in the past were good shots. We pooped outside and our owners told us good job and gave us a treat. Don't believe me? Look at wedding photography. You have one day to shoot a lot of happenings. For those of you that aren't too cool to admit they shoot weddings, look back through your take. Let me know if you took the following images.
-Bride shot through make-up mirror or standard mirror.
-Other people taking photos of the bride (you creative genius you)
-Off camera flash shutter drag dancing shot (no he didn't)
-Silhouette of the couple on the beach at sunset
-Out of Focus bride foreground parent or bridesmaid staring at bride background.
-Little kid or grandparent dancing (we aren't use to granny dancing so it makes it creative)

Excuse me Justin!!! What are you too good for these shots? Yes I am, my wedding portfolio consists of only out focus bride shots and slow shutter speed detail shots of wedding rings. Joking, I've got my go to shots just like anyone else, but now I only shoot through a minimum of three reflections.

This applies to all genres of assignments, you have to admit you've got your GTS. If you don't think so go back through your last few assignments and look for similarities. Nothing wrong with having consistency to your style, but I'm sure we've all got some snoozers in there.

Wait I thought we were talking about travel assignments and now you are talking weddings, what's going on?

For a wedding we have to be restricted by time and of course you have to take your "Go To Shots", that's why the client hired you. Let's acronym this to save me some time and go with GTS. Some photographer's GTS are better than others and some people take their GTS quickly and move on to experiment with new shots. We should always be seeking to capture more than our GTS or at least expanding on our GTS.

For a travel assignment there could be an extra day in their and that day or 2 could make all the difference. Our audience is more visually savvy than ever before. They will get to know the GTS system and the yawns will begin and they are back to YouTube, Youporn, Angry Birds, etc to tantalize their brains.

So what the F is the point of this rant? I have no idea; I was just hoped up on coffee and didn't want to write another GTB (Go To Blog for those of you not keeping up) consisting of just showing pictures I recently took on an assignment.

The point is it would be a nice world if editors gave us some leeway to use our judgment on staying an extra day or 2 on an assignment if the photographer felt the potential to get something special or just enough time to get creative. Often, assignments are rushed by a cap on days and the photographer doesn't have time to break their GTS. The burden lies not only with editors giving us some breathing room to get creative but also on the photographer to bust out of their GTS and experiment. If we don't we are going to bore our visually savvy audience and potentially lose them forever.

Prove it Mott?
I typically get 2 days for a travel story. The following images are from a story that I was given about 5 days to shoot. I'm not saying the following images are amazing or anything cocky like that. However, for me having the extra time to explore and be creative I was able to produce images that were exponentially better than my norm and most importantly break my GTS and hopefully further the imagination of my audience.

Behind The Beauty

2011-08-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in my brother's living room in San Francisco, just 2 days ago I was along the Vietnam/China border doing a story for The New York Times about human trafficking. The story focused around an amazing woman named Mrs. Mai and the co-op she started for victims of human trafficking.
Walking around and exploring the village I was greeted by curious locals with warm smiles. The small village looks like most in the province of Ha Giang, beautiful green landscapes filled in with villagers draped in colorful clothing working in the fields.
If I wasn't sent there for this story I could've never fathomed the dark atrocities that lurked behind the colorful façade. The authorities have cracked down heavily on this problem and the area is now relatively safe while the victims, with the help of Mrs. Mai, try to move on.
Here is a link to the written story and slideshow. I’ve also added some images that didn’t make the slideshow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/world/asia/17vietnam.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=justin%20mott&st=cse

Documentary Style Pictures Of Receipts

2011-08-16T06:42:00.001-07:00

My first big break in photography came from The New York Times in 2007 covering a series they were working on about how global warming was affecting the world’s food supply. I remember being called to go to Malaysia and was told I was going to be teamed up with one of their all-star staff writers. I could barely sleep the night before and made every effort I could to impress.
After all was said and done I received a nice email from my editor that we got the front page. I was so ecstatic and the nervousness washed away from my body. I could finally relax; well at least relax until I was told they needed more pictures.
Pictures of what you ask? I thought the assignment was over? Well, they needed scans of my receipts but without a scanner handy I had to rely on my trade and photograph them and send the jpegs. Why didn’t they teach me about this in school? I was truly on my own in the freelance world and I didn’t know what to do.
This would be the ultimate test. How should I approach these receipts, fly on the wall style or perhaps a portrait series? Should I go words and numbers in focus or more of an artsy 1.4 out of focus look? Individual receipts or group shots? My editor didn’t give me any specifics so I just had to go with my gut. Would access be a problem and would I need a fixer? They didn’t move at all on their own except with some wind or just a random person checking them out. I remember in school I learned to be the first one there and the last one to leave. Patience was key and I watched and watched the receipts waiting for the right moments. I went with a one lens one body set up to be more stealth and I’m a natural light guy so I just had to sit on the shifting sun.
I sent the images in after a few days shooting and while I never heard from or got paid for that assignment, I’m pretty sure the client was happy with the results.

For all you young photographers out there I hope this blog post makes you better equipped when this situation presents itself.

For all you people who took me serious please don’t read my blog anymore ☺. I have however always wanted to do this for revenge to any of those accountants that never pay in a timely manner. Not suggesting the NYT does so; they are really good about paying.

Oh Shit, No Really Elephant Shit

2011-08-12T00:36:00.000-07:00

I was sculpting my unfit body at the gym when I my phone rang showing a foreign number. Foreign numbers usually equate to work or a drunken friend back in the states who is calling me in the middle of the night. This time it was work, an owner of a private residence in Thailand was calling to ask me to take some images of her property in Phuket. She came across my hotel work and wanted me to do a lifestyle series of her property for a few magazines and also some traditional shots because she was about to put it on the market. She was a big fan of Vogue Living so we started to conceptualize some ideas.
After she approved my quote we talked on the phone about a few ideas we both had. She had an idea to hire an elephant. She had the largest pool in Phuket and wanted to have some fun with the images. Of course I was fired up, who can resist an elephant hanging out in a giant pool. Of course in the back of mind I was thinking about the mass amount of discharge elephants can produce but I loved the idea.
I arrived at her house and was just blown away at the shear size of this home. Her son was a photography buff and he acted as my assistant, a very good one I must say. I was using all natural light so it wasn’t child labor where I had him carrying lighting equipment.
The client also hired a model for a few hours and we timed it to cross over with the hour we had the elephant for. It was a bit odd for the fashion model and her make-up artist to get past the fact that I didn’t need her large in the frame and no pouty lips stare off into the future. She was going to be small in the frame to add scale and of course I just always like having people in my shots.
The elephant was late as I expected but his make up artist was easy to deal with and the elephant knew right away I didn’t need him giving me blue steel poses. We were losing light quickly as the mahout guided the elephant towards the pool. The elephant cautiously made his way to the steps and I was starting to get nervous he wasn’t going to go for it. The sun was still powerful enough and he could resist the cool water.
I had the model jump in and she was very cool and easy going about hanging out with the giant animal underwater. She was also damn good at holding her breath underwater. I’m not a big underwater photographer so I was using waterproof camera bag, cheap but not easy to work with. The mahout assured the owner that elephants don’t go potty in water, which I knew, was bullshit, literally ha ha.
I ripped through my SanDisk memory card (nice plug, sponsorships welcomed) not being able to see the images clearly through my bag.
I jumped out of the pool to change cards and right when I was about to jump back in I saw the pristine pool turn murky brown. Out of respect for the photographer the elephant waited until I was out of the pool but the deed was done. If you’re not aware of the size of elephant discharge it’s pretty damn massive.
The model couldn’t have been cooler and I jumped back in and we Matrix dodged our way around the brown water and finished up our hour with the elephant.
Like my old professor use to say “stay later then the next guy” and we stayed post-poop and I feel it paid off because I got those few extra shots I needed.

To see more of my Hotel and Resort work please visit: http://mottvisuals.com/index.php

I Still Believe In The Power Of Photography

2011-07-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

I'm sick of reading this headline "Is Photojournalism Dead?" It's not dead by the way and neither is the power of photography. Sure, things are changing, but when haven’t things changed. This is just the change for our crop of photojournalists. We are the social networking generation of catchy headlines and exaggerated predictions. We are the generation of self-promotion more than self-development. The generation of posting inspirational photography quotes and tweeting about how you had a long day shooting or that you are at a café editing. Not me of course I only tweet about the most important news in our business and I rarely self promote. For more info about me not self promoting please visit http://mottvisuals.com, reduxpictures.com, http://justinmott.com and of course visit my 360 helmet camera that faces me at all times on YouTube so you can get see my facial expressions while shooting myself through various reflections that I hunt for in our everyday life.

Photojournalism might have ended the first episode in what appeared to be sure death by molten lava but just before the credits came up we all saw the hand pop out and we know there will be a sequel. Assignments are shorter, staff jobs are rare, budgets are dwindling and does anyone care anymore about social documentaries?

The answer to the question in that last paragraph is, you damn straight people care, and now more than ever we can pinpoint our target audience.

Lets get back to that hand coming out of the lava and the part of about self-promoting. Crowd funding sites such as Kickstarter and Emphas.is seem to be catching on and are one way we can gain funding and awareness for our stories. It’s time to put all that self-promoting and the tools of social networking to good use. Documentary photography won’t make you rich but you should’ve known that before you started this career path. Making a sustainable living off of photography requires most of us to branch out and shoot a bit of everything. For that personal project that you might seem discouraged about, the present time is just as good as any time in history if not better if your goal is to make a difference or raise awareness about a particular issue. Use your social networking audience and all these amazing sites to engage your network in your story and make it personal.

Show us the money Mott, you’re all talk. Yes that is me arguing with a hypothetical person but please read on.

I’ve been documenting a story about a girl named Nu for a few years now. She is deaf, blind, and mute and I’ve been searching for a better life for her. I was so optimistic about being to help her through the power of photography. Years and hundreds of images later I was at a loss. No one wanted to publish the story and those helpful hands I thought would reach out rarely did. Was it the best story I ever shot? No. Did I do a story no one has ever done before? No. Am I asking myself questions on my blog? Yes.

Yesterday with the help of many others we brought Nu back to a healthy home where she will receive medical care and more nurture. How did this happen? Was the story on the front page of TIME or the NYT? Nope. I called upon my army of friends and acquaintances. I called upon the help of my readership, people that know me personally and many whom I only know online. The answer to the question “does anyone care anymore” was emphatically answered with a big fat YES.
We held a print exhibition and we raised thousands of dollars in one night. Combining old school tried and true ways such as an exhibition and more modern ways such as twitter and facebook to call attention and filter traffic to our event we kicked some serious ass. There is no way I could’ve done that without the help of others and without the help of social networking. We have to find different ways to get people to see our stories but I’d like to think people felt something by looking at my photographs. That leaves me a believer that photojournalism isn’t dead and the power of photograph most certainly is alive and thriving, it’s just a different way of finding an audience.

You might not make the latest Nat Geo spread and you might not get paid a ton for your next story but don’t let that discourage you. If you need money go shoot a wedding (just not one in my region) and if you want to tackle a story go do it. When it comes time to show your work get creative with ways to get it out there and tap into all those social networking sites you spend so much time on.

Next time you see a link to a story headlined “Is Photojournalism Dead” punch that link in the face.

Justin Mott is an editorial and commercial photographer based out Hanoi, Vietnam.
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Recent Tearsheet: Cover of American Lawyer Magazine

2011-06-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

The Hasselbad Is Off The Market And Into My Camera Bag

2011-06-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Over a year ago after a good month of assignments I did what any fellow photographer would do, put some money aside for a retirement plan. Well, I probably should of,but instead I bought more photo stuff that didn't necessarily need. I bought a film Hasselblad and always wanted to do a project with it. Time passed and the Hassy(not sure if that is the proper nickname but it sounds right) sat on my desk or in storage. I shot a roll or 2 here and there but I never really got into.
I recently went on a trip to the northern mountains of Vietnam with two fellow Hanoi based photographers. I went back and forth about taking film or digital or both. I decided on going with just film and off came the safety net of the LCD screen. I have a lot to learn and I made loads of amateur film mistakes forgetting which film I had inside and screwing up exposures. In the end I got a few frames that I dig and at least now I know what this camera is capable of. I'm eager to improve my skills with it and use it for a future project. As of right now the Hasselblad is off the market and is part of my photo arsenal.
Here are a few shots from the camera, let me know what you think.

TIME MAGAZINE: Killing Fields: Africa's Rhinos Under Threat

2011-06-08T06:11:00.000-07:00

I was asked a while back to photograph the consumption of rhino horn here in Vietnam for TIME magazine. I was told we could find the horn for sale on Medicine Street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. We asked around but every time I reached for the camera the horn disappeared. Word spread quickly on the street that I was a photojournalist and shopkeepers began to turn us away everywhere we went.
We took a trip to a pottery village where specialized bowls are made for grinding the horn to be mixed with water. We even found electrical devices made specifically for grinding the horn. People here believe it cures all sorts of things, even cancer. Shop owners even put a rhino decal on each bowl and told me they are producing a record number of bowls.
With the help of an amazing fixer I found a woman willing to let me photograph her grinding and drinking the horn. She didn't really see anything wrong with it and said she took it for her tumors.
The value of the horns and China and Vietnam's thirst for it are pushing poachers into high tech warfare threatening Africa's rhinos into extinction.
Please read this excellent story by Hannah Beech and see Dominic Nahr's disturbing photos. I had two tiny pics in the current issue of TIME so I figured I'd share a few larger ones on my blog :). It's an important story and I'm honored to play my part.

Hannah Beech's story in TIME: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2075283-1,00.html

Dominic Nahr's Amazing Photos: http://lightbox.time.com/2011/06/06/a-perilous-threat-to-rhinos/#1

One Million Homes

2011-06-07T20:20:00.001-07:00

This image keeps on grossing for me :). AFAR Magazine will be sending out 1 million mail promos to homes across the US. My umbrella image will be used on the outside envelope. Yes, I flipped the image upside down so you could see my image more clearly, pretty cocky.

Putting A Price On Touch

2011-05-30T22:37:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend at a small cafe I was interviewed for a Vietnamese magazine about my recent charity exhibition in Hanoi. The interview started light but a few questions by the reporter’s friend irked me. I’ve been documenting an autistic girl named Nu since 2007. Nu is also blind, mute, and mostly deaf. There has been a guilt hovering over me for years for telling her story but never bringing about much of a positive change to her life. Don’t worry this isn’t a blog post trying to tell people I’m a good guy, I’m not, if I was I would’ve done this years ago and I would visit Nu more often.
I had a simple idea to do a print auction of my photography to start a fund for Nu. The approach was simple, sell my photography and give all the proceeds to a fund dedicated to a better life for Nu. We raised a lot of money and the support and feedback we received was simply amazing.
As I sipped my potent coffee hoping to feel the rewards of a caffeine injection I answered the relatively light questions about my background and how I started my story about Nu. The reporter brought a friend with her who she introduced as a famous Vietnamese artist who does charitable work for children with cancer. At first I thought, cool I’d love to have a dialog with him about his experience and perhaps I could learn a thing or two. Instead as I answered my questions from the reporter I could see his skepticism stewing as he sipped his Heineken ripping through cigarettes.
He finally chimed in questioning the purpose of raising money for a child who can't understand what we are doing for her. I’ll get to how ridiculous I feel that question is later but I’ve heard it a few times. He proceeded to size up my charity resume by flaunting how much money he has raised and the value of the medical equipment they have purchased. I was happy for him and what he had accomplished but I started to get a little annoyed at this need to question something so positive. If this was just a one time thing I wouldn’t take the time to write this blog but it’s happened to me a few times so I wanted to address it.

Questions like why just her, why not help all the children? Valid question but the answer to me was simple. I’ve spent a lot of time at the Friendship Village and a lot of time watching Nu. I see the other children have each other. They have friendships, love and nurturing. For Nu, she has no one. My plan is to use the money to not only get her back into the Friendship Village but also to hire a person who is qualified to take care of her on a one on one basis. Someone who can give her a consistent touch in her life. For any human being have a human touch is vital. Now imagine if you couldn’t see, hear or communicate how vital that touch would be to you.

I can’t claim to be an expert on fundraising but I can say I have spent plenty of hours watching Nu’s life in isolation. I know there are loads of causes and people who need money and help but I know and understand Nu’s story so that is where I've decided to dedicate my focus. Asking me the purpose of “raising money for a child who can't understand what we are doing for her” has a simple answer. First off, the idea is to create a better life for Nu, not for her to recognize that I did so. Second, while of course I can see the benefits of medical supplies and things like that I am not qualified in this field and that isn't the solution for Nu. I am however qualified to see the necessity of providing Nu an escape from this:

and to provide her with more of this:

I don't mean to come off as angry and as a journalist I can understand questioning things. I just wanted to address these frequent questions that seem to stem from competitiveness and negative energy on a subject that shouldn’t be free of such things.

Daliy Orphans # 11

2011-05-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

Last month I was on an assignment for the IHT/The New York Times in Luang Prabang, Laos. We were there during Songkran(New Years Celebration) and the vibe was wild and playful. Unfortunately our assignment wasn't to cover the festivities but rather to do a serious story about the secret development of the Xayaburi Dam.
After a 5-hour drive and a few ferry crossings we passed by a sleepy guard on the rocky dam access road that was still under construction. We reached a point where the road collapsed and some construction workers told us to turnaround. Rather than backtrack 2 hours we decided to hike down a mountainside of loose rock and hire a small boat to reach the dam site. Not the best idea I've ever had. We walked through loose sand under the scorching heat and after a few hours I became severely dehydrated. Our guide kept telling us "just a bit further". Navigating our way along the side of the mountain my foot slid out from underneath the loose rock and I slid about 15 feet scraping up my arms and legs. The exciting life of a photojournalist, screw that, it was a pain in the ass.
I still didn't have the shot I needed and I was sent all the way from Vietnam to Laos so the pressure was piling on. On the boat ride back my leg fell asleep so when I got up to exit the boat I collapsed into the shallow water. I was having such a shitty day, cut up and dehydrated and without a solid image.
I stepped onto dry land soaked from the waist down and a group of Laotian fisherman where drinking beers. They rushed over to me and handed me a nice cold beer, all was good with the world after that.
Their kindness rejuvenated me and I set back out at sunset to make some images of a village near the dam. I made this frame and I liked it as a nice scene setter. It was never used in print so I figured I share here as a Daily Orphan.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/world/asia/18mekong.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=laos%20dam&st=cse

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

CHARITY EXHIBITION: SUNDAY MAY 15TH AT SOUTHGATE IN HANOI

2011-05-07T03:03:00.001-07:00

I met Nu 3 years ago while I was researching a story about 3rd generation Agent Orange victims in Vietnam. With the help of my dear friend Mrs. Thuy from Trung Vuong school I visited the Friendship Village 30 minutes outside of central Hanoi. I was greeted by a bunch of joyous children tugging at my hand and proudly firing off all the English words they knew at me.
After the novelty of a foreign visitor wore off the children went back to playing soccer, skipping rope, and joking around on the playground. I wandered inside one of the large plain buildings labeled simply T5. The building was dark inside and as I closed the door the laughter of the children faded and I was drawn to a soft consistent humming.
Underneath a staircase, alone in the darkness, a little girl sat with her head buried in her chest, humming a tune over and over again, unaware that I was there. That was the first time I saw the girl named Nu who was to become an important part of my life.
I found out she was autistic, blind, mostly deaf, and mute. Seeing this child in complete isolation left me empty. I knew that moment I wanted to tell Nu’s story and I was certain doing so would somehow ease her suffering.
I’ve been documenting Nu’s life for 5 years on and off. Last year her time at the Friendship Village came to an end and she had to go back to live with her grandparents.
Her grandparents are extremely poor and elderly and they aren’t able to take care of her properly. They have reached out for help and want her to go back to live in the Friendship village where she can received physical therapy, medical treatment, and more intimate care.
With the help of Mrs. Thuy and Truong Vuong School, we are trying to fund Nu to return to her life at the Friendship Village. And for that we need your help.

Please join us at Southgate restaurant on Sunday May 15th at 4pm for a photography exhibition of Nu’s story along with an auction of my personal work photographing SE Asia for numerous international publications throughout SE Asia for over 6 years.
All proceeds from the event will go towards funding a better life for Nu at the Friendship Village.

Here is a direct link to Nu's story:
NU'S STORY
Please RSVP to me by email justinmott@mottvisuals.com so I can gauge how many people are coming and thanks so much for your help.

For those of you not in Hanoi and who can't attend don't worry you're not off the hook :). I'm going to sell a small number of editioned prints that will be available to be purchased directly online.

Thanks again,

Justin

Recent Work: Conde Nast Traveler Room With A View

2011-05-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

At the end of every section of Conde Nast Traveler they have a section called Room With A View, we in the business call it RWAV obviously. So far for them I've shot in Singapore, Hanoi, Con Dao, and Koh Samui. Not a bad gig considering it's typically an amazing hotel and yes one with a great view. I've done a few other shoots for them along the way for various sections and for the last few months they've been a great new client. These assignments have spoiled me as I now have a taste for featherbeds, plush linens, and superb service at hotels even though I'm typically a $50 a night hotel guy. Here is the latest from The Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore, quite an exquisite hotel.
I've also attached a few other shots.

F-You-Pay Me

2011-04-12T00:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this on http://www.aphotoeditor.com/ today and it was an excellent reminder for me to organize my contracts to avoid future problems. Check it out:

2011/03 Mike Monteiro | F*ck You. Pay Me. from SanFrancisco/CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

Recent Tearsheet- Financial Times Magazine

2011-04-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

I just received a tearsheet from my editor for my shoot for The Financial Times Magazine. They gave the photo great play and I received a nice email from my editor, made today a happy day.

Shameless Self Promo

2011-04-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

I just found out I won a couple awards in the SFBAPPA Annual News Photography Contest. I'm honored and congrats to the other winners. Here are the images that received awards.

Finally Revealed!!! What's In My Camera Bag

2011-04-02T02:27:00.000-07:00

Over the years I’ve noticed photographers like to share what type of gear they travel with and how they pack it for assignments. The format seems to be to take a picture of your camera bag and then describe what everything is. For gear heads this is the ultimate way to see what kind of bags, lenses, cameras, gadgets, etc your favorite photographer uses.
I first noticed this trend when I was in college on the photography site www.sportsshooter.com and I must admit I was a fan. It’s sort of the equivalent to an action movie when the director wants to establish the hero is a bad ass. Hero accepts the assignment; smash cut to a wide-angle view of an old closet/secret room/bunker stockpiled with way too many guns for one person to carry. Smash cut to close up of bullets being loaded and guns being cocked.
Since I’m kind of a big deal people bombard me with photo questions. “Oh Mr. Mott (please just call me Justin by the way) what camera do you use? “ “What kind of gaffer tape is your favorite? “Who designs your scarves?” Over the years I’ve been pretty open with answering all photo related questions but one thing I have kept vaulted is “what’s in my bag”. I’ve struggled whether or not I should reveal such a thing. Would this give my competitors an edge and like a magician would I be shunned by my peers for revealing my tricks.
Why now after all these years like Deep Throat have I decided to reveal this information you ask? Well if you must know I narrowly avoided a head on crash returning from an assignment in Burma. Deep Mott got to thinking and I realized any day could be my last. So the hell with it, it’s time to let the cat out of the bag and in turn show you what goes in the bag when the cat isn’t in there. Okay no one has ever asked me any of that stuff but I felt like writing a new blog so here it goes.

This set up here would be for a standard less than one-week assignment in another country.

#1-Silk Khmer Checkered Krama. Breathable loose weave ideal for the humid climate of SE Asia. Not a shooting scarf by any means, meant for post shoot editing in public places such as hotel lobbies or cafes. It screams style and photographer.

#2- Oversized Cotton Utility Khmer Krama. Sells for about $2 to $4 at most markets in Cambodia. The utility scarf I call it. Justin why do you call it that? It can be used as a head wrap when you forget sunscreen, towel, camera wipe, camera wrap, lens wrap, portable ground tripod, dust mouth cover, tunicate, stylish scarf, etc.

#3-Singaporean Navy Blue Evening Silk Blend Scarf. Again very breathable meant more as an accessory and yes the Navy Blue accents my blue eyes perfectly but I haven’t noticed. Not to be used to shoot with, reserved for elegant evening appearances but can also double as an editing scarf in an emergency.

#4-Camera

#5-Oversized Vietnamese Cotton Scarf. Similar to the Khmer Utility Scarf with a hint of more style. This scarf says hey maybe he’s not on an assignment this guy could be doing a personal project that allows him to shoot film.

#6-Everyday Standard Sized Cotton Khmer Neck Scarf. It doesn’t have the versatility of its big brother the Khmer Utility Krama or KUK as I like to call it but it will get the job done. It says photographer without screaming photographer with it’s standard black and white checkers and says hey maybe this guy isn’t just a tourist, he possibly lives in this region and might be on a real assignment. Hides an unshaved neck beard perfectly and great for wiping away ridiculous amounts of sweat.

#7-Back Up Silk Khmer Checkered Krama (see number #1 for description).

#8-Silk and Lotus Weave Burmese Scarf. That’s right you heard me correctly I said lotus weave. “Justin a lotus weave would take forever to make, it must be ridiculously expensive.” The price a whopping $50 but worth every dollar. This exquisite scarf takes over a month to make and can only be found in remote parts of Burma. Don’t even try to go find this scarf, it will find you if you are ready for it but I seriously doubt you are. The light silk and textured lotus fiber blend in perfect harmony to delight the neck with its soft yet rugged feel. Don’t be thrown off by its appearance. It may look like a cousin to the #6 Standard Sized Cotton Krama but there most certainly is no blood relation. Don’t you dare insult this hand crafted gem and ever wear it for anything outside lecturing, global exhibitions, private screenings, and award ceremonies honoring yourself of course.

#9, #10, #11- All variations of the mid sized Khmer Utility Cotton Krama.

#12-Passport

#13- Burmese Oversized Lotus/Silk Weave. I would never dare call this honorable scarf a back up to anything but rather an alternative to #8. It’s larger than #8 but has less lotus weaved in so the price is the same. This scarf can be used at dinners that cost over $100 pr person plus lectures, awards ceremonies, exhibitions. This scarf isn’t just your identification card as a plain old photographer. This scarf says this guy is for real. He only does long term projects shot on film with rare cameras. He doesn’t take one-day assignments and he decides his day rate after the shoot is done. He definitely lives in this region and isn’t just a poser this guy is the real deal. Ideal situation for this neck dress is telling old photo stories by a fireplace with an audience of no less than 5 people sipping brandy from a snifter.

The bag is a Thinktank International Airport roller and they are an awesome company, check out their stuff here: ThinkTank

Recent Work For The Financial Times Magazine

2011-04-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I was hired by The Financial Times Magazine to shoot a portrait of Vietnamese astronaut Pham Tuan. The shoot was part of an ambitious project doing portraits of the first astronauts in space around the world. He was the first Asian in space(going up with the Russians) and is also credited with shooting down the first B-52 during the war. He is a decorated hero here in Vietnam so I took him to the Air Force museum to use his fighter pilot that is on display as our backdrop. I'm not a big lighting guy. I typically like to use natural light if I can make it work but this time I had to stay consistent with the other portraits plus we didn't have much time with him so I had to nail it quickly. He was a cool guy, very patient with me and with the help of fellow photographer Trongtung with the lighting I felt we did a good job in the short period of time we had.
I can't say enough about location scouting and how important it is to do a rehearsal beforehand. Even though these days most editorial clients won't pay you for a scouting day, it's very helpful. I'm not saying you shouldn't try to bill for it, but in my experience most don't want to pay for that. Here is a link to the story by writer Ben Bland along with a few outtakes from our rehearsal and a few shots that weren't chosen.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ae7c9470-5a70-11e0-8367-00144feab49a.html#axzz1ILKQvMbV

MADE IN VIETNAM

2011-03-03T23:30:00.000-08:00

I love shooting factories and living in Vietnam I get plenty of assignments that allow me to do so. I wish I could say through the years I've assembled a mass amount of knowledge about how things are made but unfortunately that isn't true. I'm always running around like a child trying to figure out where my next picture is and trying my best to be inconspicuous so I can get a few natural moments in the limited time I get.
Recently I was shooting for The Financial Times and we toured a factory that assembles LG TV's among other electronics.

Here is a link to the story: http://tinyurl.com/4mc6ofy

Bosch 125th Anniversary Shoot

2011-02-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

Last year I was commissioned by Bosch along with 124 other photographers around the world obviously not nearly as important as me but they played their part. All of us were asked to sync our cameras and take a photo at the same exact same second to commemorate their 125th anniversary. It was an interesting process, I did a scouting shoot and they picked the one they wanted me to do on the big day.
Not sure if they do it by where your IP address is but my photo popped up first :) It was a bit stressful, my damn watch actually broke a minute before the shoot how crazy is that. I was hoping the guy wouldn't get hit by oncoming traffic but he was a cool customer and we had a lot of fun that day. Congrats Bosch, please send me my power drill to my address in Vietnam.
http://www.125.bosch.com/

Here is a little behind the scenes video they made:

Stuff That I'll Co-Sign

2011-02-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

I’m not gear head or tech guy so if you’re looking for histograms, calibration thingabobs, pie charts, or any scientific type tests read no further.
I’m a practical guy and while I may seem rather complex from my scarfed and bearded profile pictures I’m rather simple.
I thought about doing a best and worst but I’ve been doing some blogs with a negative vibe to them recently so I figured it was time to do a positive one.
So here is some stuff I like with some simple reasons why. I would also like to add this isn’t a comparison review, it’s simply photography things and whatnots that I dig.

Me Like The Following:

Canon 35mm 1.4 L-Series Lens: I was definitely the first possibly the second person to use this lens without a doubt. I definitely started the trend of shooting at 1.4 and while the rest of you are still using this gimmick I have since moved on to shooting at F -4, which technically doesn’t exist yet. Basically nothing in the picture is ever in focus, just stuff behind you. Try and digest that and if you can’t you’re probably not ready for F Negative 4. Okay seriously I love this lens; it’s an instant classic and such a versatile piece of glass(for those of you not in the biz we sometimes call lenses glass, try and keep up). If I just want to roam around or travel lightly, one body and one lens, 35mm 1.4 without a doubt. You can do it all with this bad boy and it makes you move a lot because there is no gimmick to this lens. It’s not super wide or super tight, so you have to think and work for a thoughtful frame. The actual focus tread on mine is falling off so that definitely proves I was a pioneer with this lens, okay well maybe I got mine in 2006 but still it was pretty new at the time. It also may be true that I did a workshop early on in my career and all the other kids made fun of my zooms. I was sort of like the kid who was still wearing Z Cavaricci’s and Skidz a few years past the trend or the kid who was wearing inside out when it was no longer wiggity, wiggity, wiggity wack.
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_35mm_f_1_4l_usm

Think Tank Bags: Okay I’m not into the whole belt pack system because you look too much like a photographer super hero but I can see the benefits. They definitely aren’t the most stylish either, that award goes to Billingham. At the end of the day or the beginning of the day they are extremely practical and durable. They strike a sweet balance of not looking too nerdy but still being very ergo-photographer (I realize I invented a word here just go with it) friendly. While my Billingham looks pretty stylish while I’m doing my runway strut on the airport people movers with a little side glance to the mirror it isn’t very practical. It takes way too much time to open and close it dealing with belts, loops, and zippers, twist ties, satchel twists, mud flaps, etc. If you’re a prime lens user changing on the fly a Billingham can be a pain in the ass. My Billingham is in the doghouse by the way because while sleeping on a bus leaving Bangkok at 4am it failed me. I had about 1K worth of gear stolen from it while it was wrapped around my arm, it didn’t make a sound while the thief undressed it.
Specifically I love my Think Tank Speed Racer(I realize the name is ridiculous but they do only print it small on the bag and in a hidden location). I can carry enough gear for editorial and commercial shoots in one small bag and it’s durable and comfortable. It’s got the nice built in rainproof jacket, optional waist strap, and convenient pockets. It’s even urine proof, I had a dog pee on it 2 times in one day and I may or may not have washed it since, If I didn’t just let the 5 people that read my blog know it no one would ever know, no trace of urine there. Dear Think Tank how do I clean urine off one of your bags? I should add that one of the founders was in Saigon and took a group of photos out for a nice dinner and some beers which doesn’t hurt my vote of confidence but that is hardly the reason I like their company.
Even though I can still look badass donning this bag you probably won’t but you will love it’s practicality and you will have it for years.
http://www.thinktankphoto.com/

Noiseware Software: I discovered this Plug In about a year ago and it’s a game changer. Yes the Super Bowl just happened so I’m using sports references. Since I started doing more commercial work I need to manipulate my photos to please clients. I feel dirty saying the word manipulate I should say that I retouch them more, yes that sounds better. More retouching equals more corruption to the file. While I may not truly understand how the software it works, it gets the job done. I open Noiseware using its automated settings and bam; the photos lose all that ugly digital noise, amazing!!!
http://www.noiseware.com/

RAID Drives: Thank you Mr. Kevin German for the introduction to using RAID Drives. Kevin is awesome at consumer research so basically this is a two for one. I’m promoting bombarding Kevin with emails about gear and then just buying what he links you to. I use this system;
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/GM8QKIT0GB/
I swap in Western Digital drives, simple and efficient, thanks Kevin.

San Disk EXTREME Cards: I’m not sure what’s so extreme about them. I’ve never caught mine bungee jumping or heli-skiing but they do work well. I only once had a corrupted card and using their disk recovery software I got what I needed. Rainy season can be harsh here and they’ve always survived and one corrupted card in 6 years of shooting isn’t bad.
http://www.sandisk.com/consumer-products/camera

Canon 5D Series: Pretty Awesome camera series as most people know. I own both the 5D and the 5D Mark II and besides that the focusing sucks it’s an amazing all around camera. If you are just starting off in the pro game and you’re on a budget buy a used 5D, great value right now and you won’t be disappointed.
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/support/consumer/eos_slr_camera_systems/eos_digital_slr_cameras/eos_5d

Cambodian Krama: They cost $2 at most markets in Cambodia and they have unlimited uses. In extreme circumstances you can mold them into a tripod. For my thinning hair and pale skin they work wonders wrapping them on your head bandana style for sun protection. Just hypothetically speaking if you find yourself dating a Khmer woman and you happen to end up in her tiny home village taking an outdoor shower and half the village shows up to watch a foreign man wash himself they provide excellent cover. Riding a motorbike in a dust storm or you end up behind a sand truck, which happens to me way more than one might think, you’ve got a mouth cover. Works as a protective camera wrap as well. If you are ever in a situation where you want people to know you are a photographer just wrap it around your neck and without saying a word people know. Photo-MacGyver would love the Krama and so do I.
http://tinyurl.com/4ejpe9j

Neonsky Websites: Love love love them. They had a lull for about 2 years not making many updates but someone lit a fire under their ass and they ran. You now get 3 sites for the price of one. Shooting weddings, commercial, and editorial I like to separate my work and now I can afford to do so. Add to that they are now SEO friendly and you can link to direct pages. I’m shooting more video these days and you can now show video content on the site. Their navigation system is so damn easy, just drag and drop. They also have excellent customer service. Some photographers might complain that their template is too generic and now everyone has a neonsky site but while I love other photographers my goal isn’t to please them, they aren’t hiring me. Their sites look sleek and professional and it’s really easy to navigate.
http://www.neonsky.com

Photoshelter: Back in the day I was a Digital Railroad member, choo choo, but once they left the station there was only once choice. Since those days Photoshelter has blossomed into more than just a place to host your photos online. They are always coming up with innovative ways to keep up with the changing times staying up to date with social networking tools, and offering up fantastic blogs and forums about our business. I use PS various ways definitely getting my money’s worth. I use it on assignments as a safety net to store my favorite photos. I set up downloadable galleries for my wedding clients so they can share and download their photos easily and it also works for me to draw more traffic and potential new clients to my brand. I use it as a back up when clients have a server problem, setting up a gallery for them to download high res files. I’m about to use them for all my printing needs. Finally they are a great resource, I learned everything I need to know about SEO by reading their SEO cookbook and it’s worked like a charm.
Homepage http://www.photoshelter.com/
SEO Cookbook https://www.photoshelter.com/mkt/seo-kit-for-photographers?utm_campaign=blogconvert&utm_medium=marginlink&utm_source=seocookbook

Aphotoeditor.com: Dude is smart and understands our business. His site is beneficial to all genres of professional photographers. Not only is he in tune with what’s going on in photography he knows loads of people who are as well and does very candid interviews with them. Bookmark this site and check it every day.
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/

BHPhoto: I make almost all my major purchases from them. If you get a chance to go to their NYC mega store do it and geek the fuck out, it’s amazing!!!! If you can’t make it to NYC they are fast and reliable for ordering online. Every trip back to the US I’m greeted by my huge order waiting at my brothers apartment.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Lacie Rugged Portable Hard Drives: I’m not sure what’s so rugged about them, they are made from flimsy material and the orange rubber shell isn’t that rugged but they do work well and they are interesting to look at. I drew a 5 O’clock shadow on mine and tattoos, so they are a little more rugged I suggest you do the same.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/727804-REG/LaCie_301924_1TB_Rugged_Triple_Interface.html

Facebook and Twitter: They deserve separate posts but I’m getting tired and wanted to finish this blog. Ridiculous how awesome they both are for promoting your business and reminding people what you do. I’m probably an over user and I’m a bit addicted but it gets me more work and I love working.
I’m not going to disrespect them and put a link to their sites but if you don’t know you better aks somebody. Yes I meant to type aks Lianne so no need to spell-check me ☺

I could go on and on but I need to save some for next time. Thanks for reading and if you have any alternatives to these products, sites, and services you are probably wrong but feel free to post them in the comments section.

Oh my friend Brandon Thibodeaux said last time I mentioned him on my blog he got a lot of hits and he was fired up. So why not, here is Brandon's website even though it doesn't have anything to do with this post:
http://brandonthibodeaux.com/

Now What? Vol. 1: Why Being Busy Can Mean Being Broke

2011-02-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

I’m not some elder statesman and I’m a very youthful 32 years old with only about 5 years as a true professional. I do however get quite a few emails from photographers just getting started in the freelance business trying to figure out what their fist step should be. I’m going to start a column dedicated to them. It will be a mix of my thoughts, emails I receive, and just ridiculous rants that I need to get off my chest. Not sure what to call it but for now I’ll go with “Now What?” because I feel a lot of these photographers graduate and they aren't really sure what's next. I also welcome guest columnist so if you have any advice for the newborn freelancer please feel free to write to me.

Why Being Busy Can Mean Being Broke

When I first started off in SE Asia things were slow and when they finally picked up I went broke. So you save up (or charge) for the right set up of gear; macbook pro, one or 2 DSLR’s, L Series lenses, a sweet bag line up, insurance, website fees, etc. You are easily 10K deep before your first big assignment not to mention school loans.
Now you are ready to roll, but wait you need a solid portfolio add another few months finding the right story to explore so add some exploring debt.
Now you got your gear and your portfolio and your debt and perhaps the assignments start trickling in. Surely relief is right around the corner, your payday is here. Not quite and don’t call me Shirley (RIP Leslie Neilson).
By the way this upcoming bitchfest is mainly focused on photographers doing editorial work.
My first assignment out of the country was in Malaysia. Shortly after that came a shoot in Indonesia and not long after that I was off to Australia. Sounds great and it was but this is a cautionary tale so lets focus on the bad. In a matter of a few months I accrued over 5K in expenses for airfare, taxis, hotels, etc.
Being a freelancer doesn’t come with a company credit card for expenses. Okay no problem and yes I realize it’s annoying that I’m have a hypothetical conversation with myself but just bare with me.
I got to the point where I was maxed out and I was nervous about taking on any new assignments. I actually couldn’t afford to work, doesn’t make sense but it’s true.
Here is the cautionary part of the tale. I guess I was naïve or just thought perhaps I’d be treated fairly oh but I thought wrong. I figured a month tops to get my money, at least my expenses. Wrong I was again and wrong I still am.
The thing is getting the pictures on deadline is a must for us but getting paid in a timely manner is not a priority for them. I’ve learned over the years that we are not a priority and we can be extremely expendable.
A few things to consider when you enter the freelance world:
-Expect editors to respond to all things photo related at 1/8000th of a second for your assignment and to respond at all things money related at Bulb. That was an extremely geeky way to put that, I’m much cooler than that by the way.
-Don’t expect payment for your rate and expenses to be made until at least 45 days typically a lot longer.
-Expect your editor to blame accounting as if it’s not their job even though it’s the same company and they are your only contact person. Can we blame our assistant for not getting them the photos and get away with it?
-If you’re dealing with an agency or worse a partner agency of your agency you are looking at more like 3-6 months to get reimbursed. I should add my agency Redux Pictures is pretty awesome to me but I’ve worked with others that are horrible and I have loads of friends with horror stories.
-Expect to send really nice and friendly follow up emails once a week and never get a response or a short response saying, “I’ll look into it”
-Don’t ever expect an apology for late payments.
-Expect some sort of issue with at least 75% of your payments. Anything from "oh you need to fill out this WQX 90-42A form that we never told you about to Susan from accounting is on vacation this week so…"
-I once had to threaten legal action to my old agency for being over 6 months delinquent on a payment of over 5K so as a last resort get a lawyer ready.
-Be wary of special projects that will pay you upon completion. These are tough to gauge but I’m now over a full year being owed 2K and I’m just told, “the funding never came in so we don't know when you'll get your money”. They are nice guys and all and it’s a great project but I’m out 2K and that was money I counted on.
Lets dive in a little deeper and analyze this. As a freelancer we are constantly working for new publications and many times it will be a one shot deal. Perhaps some random German (nothing personal to Germans just an example folks) magazine is doing their once a year story about Vietnam. Since it’s the first time working for them you will need to complete paperwork to get registered into their system. Without a doubt that paperwork will have a problem with it that will only be brought to your attention when you follow up on why you haven’t gotten paid yet. Since it’s most likely a one shot deal the idea of them caring about a solid relationship with you isn’t a factor, they already got what they needed.
Also for these one shot assignments yeah the editor might like your work but in the end we are expendable and there is no shortage of willing photographers so it’s hard to send an email saying fuck you pay me or Joey Bananas is coming to collect tomorrow. Never good to burn bridges and paying Joey Bananas isn’t very cost efficient.

They system isn’t going to change and editors don’t want to deal with a whining photographer. For our field this is just the reality so after the ranting blog or coffee bitch session with friends what can we do?
Prepare yourself and don’t spend the money until you have it. Obviously having a low interest credit card is extremely important. Get your invoices out as fast as you can and while it doesn’t help much you can always add a little note at the bottom that the payment is due within X amount of days without penalty. The best thing you can do is save. Put aside some cash early on as your safety money knowing your payments will be late.
Do as I say not as I do. Right now I’m owed more money than I’ve ever been owed in my career.I’m not saying this to gloat but because the last 3 months is the busiest stretch I’ve ever had and I’m currently the poorest I’ve ever been. When I finally get paid all this money it will be nice but for now I’m tempted to call Joey Bananas as I wasn't prepared for this and I should’ve been.
*-I never really considered hiring a mafia guy named Joey Bananas to collect money for me, Vinny the Blade however.

Since I pointed out the bad I should point out the good.
- I should note my agency Redux is the exception. Marcel Saba is responsive and awesome to me and I’m just a contributor.
-NY Times automated system is pretty good and a lot faster than most at paying. More publication should use an automated system like this.
-Nelson Ching from Bloomberg News goes to bat for photographers against the accounting team, awesome to work for, but he is rare.

36 Hours of Bali for The New York Times

2011-01-15T18:45:00.001-08:00

I've now done quite a few of these 36 hour stories, love them. I get a big list of places to shoot, typically in a beautiful location, and i get to go out and shoot as many as possible. This latest assignment took me to Bali and in the end it was hard to leave. I absolutely loved it there, colorful, friendly, and visual euphoria everywhere I looked.
Here is a link to the story along with a few outtakes that weren't chosen for publication.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/01/15/travel/20110116-HOURS.html

Hilton Photo Challenge

2011-01-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

This Sunday I'm on the judging panel for the Hilton Photo Challenge. Come check it out, should be a lot of fun.

Party Congress-Vietnam

2011-01-11T09:03:00.000-08:00

I'm currently working on my second story about the build up to Vietnam's Communist Party Congress that begins this week. I've shot a lot of hammer and sickles and loads of red. The first assignment was for the IHT and The New York Times. I was excited to see they chose my 2 favorites for the print version. Check out Thomas Fuller's story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/business/global/10iht-viet10.html?scp=2&sq=vietnam&st=cse

My Sexy Pineapple

2011-01-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

I ended the year with a series of travel stories for The New York Times and Conde Nast Traveler taking me to Laos, Bangkok, Koh Samui, and last week Bali. Was great to end the year traveling to all these beautiful places.
For the NYT I was asked to shoot Samui for their special travel section "Where to Go in 2011". My editor asked me to look for evocative sexy shots for a possible vertical cover. It rained a lot while I was there and the sexy shot kind of escaped me.
However, I did find this damn sexy pineapple. Who would of thought, of 41 places to visit my pineapple shot made the cover. Made me happy and made my day to get the news.
Here are a selection of images from Samui, the rest of the locations haven't been published yet so I can't post them.
Thanks for looking,
Justin

MASTURGOOGLING: SAYING GOODBYE TO 2010 WITH SOME OBSERVATIONS

2010-12-28T05:17:00.001-08:00

Last year I did a little video reviewing my 2009. It was a lot of fun and I might still get around to doing one but for now I thought I'd pay tribute to 2010 with some observations.

I facebooked the shit out of 2010 and if you don’t know you better aks somebody. The year of social networking, damn who would’ve thought? I’m embarrassed at how much time I’ve spent self-promoting on facebook but the reality is you have to do it and it does pay dividends. I hope they don’t develop an application that calculates how many hours you spend on it.

Journalism is still alive; I got more assignments for publications than ever before so no we aren’t dead all you pessimists.

Cocky Photography-My blog about what’s cocky in photography has ironically made me the first person on a Google search for “cocky photographer”. How do I know that, because yes I’m guilty of masturgoogling from time to time. Extrapolate what you want from that word that I possibly just invented. Dim the lights low, light some candles and masturgoogle. I just linked my own blog on my blog, how cocky is that. I'm only a few steps away from having a blog about my blog.

The year of new collectives and talking about collectives. Luceo is kicking ass and taking names( I don’t really understand that expression why do you need to take someone’s name after you kick their ass, but hey it’s a popular saying). They are so active in our community and they too have facebooked the shit out of 2010 in a good way. Props to MJR as well and of course who can forget my favorite collective out there Razon, they are just killing it. If you aren’t part of a collective start or join one.

I feel like multimedia fizzled out a little bit, I didn’t see or hear much buzz about it this year and I rarely took audio on assignments this year.

You hear the acronym HDLSR a lot more and HDSLR rigs. Basically the reason you wanted to use a HDSLR, being it was a compact device, doesn’t make much sense anymore with these rigs because by the time you have a “rig” attached the camera is gigantic. I will probably own one mid next year so don't listen to anything I say.

Budgets are getting smaller and smaller. I’ve been lucky to travel for editorial assignments but diminishing budgets are making my coverage region a lot smaller and total assignment days are less. “Please cover these 40 locations extensively for our story, we can give you a day and half to do so and we’ll cover basic expenses of tap water and air.”

Ipad Portfolios-not sure how I feel about these yet so I’ll analyze in 2011 some time but my gut reactions is I like it.

Reading less on planes, buses, hot air balloons, etc and instead listening to podcasts. Not happy or proud about this.

Undercutting by the semi-pro photog with the prosumer camera. Nice digital cameras are so cheap now and budgets are smaller creating a saturated market of people who can take decent shots. I can only speak from my experience in Vietnam but wow I’m seeing work done for peanuts and that is driving down the market. Can’t bitch about it though (even though I just did), just now a bigger part of our job to sell our photography and sell clients on why we are more expensive.

The abbreviation Apps has officially been used more for referring to applications than for the food you eat before the main course. Sorry potato skins, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings may I suggest you promote Tiezzers? For the record I hate the word Apps being used in any situation and while I’m at it I’m annoyed when people call margaritas “margs”.

Taking pictures with your iPhone and adding a funky filter seemed to be popular but I’m not feeling it.

Less time on www.aphotoaday.org and more on http://www.aphotoeditor.com/. No hate at all, I still love APAD but the blog isn’t kept up like it used to be and aphotoeditor is always teaching me things I need to learn about our business.

More images request from major magazines. This isn’t a good thing, it means they don’t want to pay a day rate they just want to pay a fraction for images you might possibly have in your archive. Kind of sucks considering the time you put into looking for the images even if they don’t use it.

Way way less working directly with writers and less details about a story. I get briefs for some stories that are so tiny and occasionally I even get an assignment where I don’t even know the publication I’m working for. It might come through an agency I’m affiliated with sister agency’s cousin’s agency’s subdivision. The brief “ Photos of a factory that makes stuff in Vietnam, 1 day.” Okay that’s an exaggeration but I have been on a last minute assignment more than once where I didn’t even get the name of the publication, a little embarrassing when I was asked “who is this for.”

At 32 I’m starting to feel a little wear and tear on the shoulder from carrying a camera bag all these years.

I was a little late to the game but for me I got on the SEO train finally and I’m already seeing the rewards. Thanks to Photoshelter for their SEO Cookbook. Which reminds me by the way Justin Mott, Photography, Vietnam Photographer, Photographer in Vietnam, Photographer located in Vietnam, Editorial Photography, Compatible with gorgeous women, Best Photographer, Nicest Photographer, World Photographer, you get the picture. Please link this blog.

Probably late on this too but ditching Photoshop for Lightroom.

Last but not least back to setting aside time for a self funded personal project for me. This is something I've slacked at for 2 years, no more, I'm back so look out.

As always please feel free to share your observations about the photography community from 2010. I always love your comments.

Razon Collective Year In Pictures

2010-12-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

Check out our favorite pictures from 2010, much love to my fellow Razonians!!!

http://www.razoncollective.com/photographer-projects/year-in-pictures-2010-4/

I Was There Blog: Razon Collective

2010-12-20T21:52:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago I was asked to curate a blog for "I Was There" by Yumi Goto. Here are the stories from my dear friends and co-founders of Razon Collective. Read their stories and let me know what you think.

http://tinyurl.com/29rn28w

Double-Dipping

2010-12-09T08:52:00.001-08:00

Over the last couple of years the personal project has taken a back seat to paid assignments and keeping up with my online networking/marketing campaign. I shouldn’t complain, I’m working frequently but I need to explore a personal project in order to keep myself fresh and I feel I’ve recently I’ve gone a little stale.
The reason I got into photography was to tell stories and I haven’t told a deep story in a long time. I finally came up with an idea for a book that I’m extremely excited about and I’ve been eager to start shooting. When the project has progressed I will share more about the idea and hopefully find ways to fund it.
This project will require a lot of traveling and for now the budget is out of my pocket. Since I’m not a rich man and don’t have a sugar-mama (accepting offers) I had to figure out a way to fund all this traveling. I’ve noticed a lot of my editorial clients have stories that are months away from being published. I’ve also noticed budgets for travel for magazine and newspaper assignments are almost non-existent.
Recently I’ve been diligent about letting my clients know my whereabouts and it’s paid off. A few weeks ago I was headed to Thailand to start my project. I emailed the travel editor at the New York Times letting her know my whereabouts. Sure enough she had a food assignment for me. It was a story that they wouldn’t have flown me from Vietnam for but since I was going to be there already it was a go. I shot for two days on assignment and 3 days for my project, it was the perfect balance. Sure I’m paying for the travel but I’ve found planning and being diligent about politely letting clients knowing my whereabouts is a sensible way for me to make my project more affordable.

Harvard's Neiman Reports

2010-12-05T05:27:00.000-08:00

This was published a while back but my blog has had a small rebirth/make-over so I figured I'd re-post it now. I've also had a few more students send me emails recently asking similar questions that I address here so here it is. My editor made me sound somewhat intelligent at times which is extremely hard to full off so I applaud her work.

Taking Time to Rethink, Adjust and Move Forward

When I left San Francisco State University’s journalism department to move to Vietnam to begin working as a photojournalist, I carried with me a romantic notion of what my life would be. I envisioned myself as a full-time, scarf-wearing documentary photographer chasing down news stories wherever they happened—and making a living doing so.

From almost the moment I hit the ground, my vision was transformed by reality. Soon I had the good fortune of attending a weeklong workshop in Cambodia led by Gary Knight, a co-founder of the VII Photo Agency. That experience dramatically changed how I think about the work I want to do. Young and untested, I was by far the least experienced—and yes, I’d say the worst—photographer at this workshop. In the short time we had together, I neither developed my style nor figured out how to show emotion in my images. What I did learn is that I needed to do both.

As a student at San Francisco State, I had explored the work of great photographers—but all of them worked in a different era in journalism. They were paid handsomely for weeks or months of work and flown all over the world by publications in whose pages their pictures would appear. Even though some of our professors cautioned us that we’d be dealing with a changed and more competitive market, the true dimensions of what this meant were never made clear.

In 2007 when I leaped into photojournalism, I did so as a freelancer, just as most of my peers were doing. I decided to base myself in Vietnam, figuring that Southeast Asia would be a good place to launch my career. After settling in I experienced a harsh first year as the assignments arrived from time to time. Suffice it to say that my entry into the profession was not at all as I imagined it would be.

After making a few trips back to New York City in 2008 and doing some workshops and self-promotion, work started to trickle in. I had quite a few assignments for The New York Times, and on some stories they sent me out of Vietnam. That year I traveled to Australia, China, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. The writers I worked with were on staff, many of them with decades of reporting experience, and they expressed surprise when I told them I was based in Vietnam. It was rare these days, they told me, for a photographer to be flown in on a story; typically they found someone based locally.

For a number of assignments, I shot stills and video on the same story which in some ways helped to justify the expense of bringing me there. And even though my workload increased, I had the sense that I was living at the tail end of the time we had studied about in graduate school—when photojournalists hopped from country to country, their journeys paid for by the publication that wanted their work. To call my feelings melancholy doesn’t quite do them justice, but I did feel sad that I had worked hard to get these opportunities and to reach this goal, only to realize that it was about to vanish.

Sure enough, by the next year news organizations’ budgets dried up; no longer was I traveling for the Times or for anyone else. I was still getting the occasional assignment but always closer to home, which for me is Hanoi, and the days were always capped to just a few. To complicate my situation, more and more photographers were entering the market. All of this led to my shrinking workload. I was barely working even though I was getting more assignments than a majority of my friends.

Versatility Is Key

To survive meant changing how I was approaching my career. It was time to readjust my plans as a photographer and to market myself as a business. If I wanted to shoot a six-month project, for example, then I would need to do it on my own time. And I would need to bankroll it myself. The odds of a long-term story project being paid for—or even being commissioned for publication—were slim. So I created a commercial photography and video company, Mott Visuals, specializing in hotels and resorts. This means that I do commercial shoots for hotels and resorts that use my images to attract customers. As I end the first year after the launch of my business, I couldn’t be happier and my work is more fruitful than ever.

At the same time, I’m experiencing a comeback in journalism with the last four months being the busiest stretch I’ve ever had. I’m writing this piece from Cambodia where I am on a weeklong assignment for The New York Times. This on-again, off-again relationship is so different from what we heard about in school. Back then I had the sense that once you are in with a publication, you’re in and you would get a steady influx of assignments. But that hasn’t been my experience; with the Times, a lot of work in 2008 didn’t do anything to ensure me steady work in 2009.

A lot of young photographers ask me about being represented by an agency. I sense that the impression many of them have is that a photo agency will act as an employer—and provide something resembling a steady income. While years ago that might have been the case, it’s rare now. Many agencies have folded, others are struggling to adjust to new market demands, and while I enjoy being with my agency, Redux, I find that for the most part I’ve acted as my own agent.

These days the work comes from all kinds of different clients—journalistic and otherwise. This requires that I constantly remind people about me and where I’m based so this means hours are added to my workday as I update my commercial and editorial blogs. Then there are the trips to New York City to meet with editors, conference calls for commercial shoots, and e-mails to my agency along with Facebook and Twitter updates. I carve out time to apply for grants and to enter my work in contests. I attend events hosted by nongovernmental organizations; often they are looking to pay photographers to produce images that they can use to get their messages out. And I plan exhibitions to showcase my photographs. Oh, yes, I can’t forget the time I carve out to pursue personal photography projects—the stories that hold great meaning to me. In fact, as I remind myself, these projects were why I wanted to be a photojournalist way back when.

Versatility is the key. In the past two months I’ve shot for the German Red Cross, the United Nations, Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, three 5-star resorts, Microsoft, the World Health Organization, and the Smithsonian. I shot a wedding and I have been involved with a commissioned book project about Chabad communities in Beijing and Shanghai. I’m also working on my own book along with shooting a few personal projects. Two of those assignments came from my agency; the rest came from connections I’ve made though the years. Oh yes, I’ve also shot a few video assignments and I’m heading back to Vietnam tomorrow to shoot another one. Along the way I founded a collective group with four documentary photographers called Razon. Similar collectives are popping up everywhere as a great way for those of us working on our own to motivate one another and market each other’s photographs.

Today, how we divide our time and do our work and get paid for it has virtually no connection to how things worked for those who started out a decade or two before us. Only our mission remains the same and perhaps our contentment with the opportunity our cameras give us to transmit visual journalism about what’s happening in our world. While I’m still searching to find the right balance of assignments and meaningful personal projects, it’s been an awesome ride so far.

Justin Mott is a freelance photojournalist based in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Read the comments and article here:

Daily Orphans #10

2010-11-29T00:32:00.001-08:00

After covering the horrific stampede that recently happened in Phnom Penh I took a stroll through an old market with the writer I was working with. He's a veteran in the region and he always knows all these interesting places. We wandered through the moody center of the market where the beauty shops were closing and the restaurant stalls were opening just as day escaped us. I cam across this young teenager taking a nap next to one of the closed stalls.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

On The Search for Authentic Thai Food

2010-11-25T22:57:00.000-08:00

While I was in Bangkok shooting a personal project I picked up a food story for the NY Times. I love these kind of stories because it challenges me to shoot everything; portrait, still life, and documentary. Here is a link to the work along with some extra images that didn't get included in the story.

Link to the story

Cocky by The Justin

2010-11-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Over the years I’ve joked frequently with my best friend Marc and my brother about things that are cocky. We sort of have this ongoing dialog pointing out cocky things in the world, which in itself is pretty cocky of us. They’ve given me shit since I became a photographer about a few things here and there and I’ve noticed my share of cockiness in our field of work, myself included.
I figured it was about time to address these cocky aspects of photography. Of course there are always exceptions to the rules so I’ve pointed them out. If I offend you here please don’t take me serious. I’ve also consulted with some photography friends of mine here in Hanoi (Aaron Joel Santos and Jeff Holt) so my research is obviously thorough. So here it is, the cocky list:

Note: If you do these things you are not necessarily cocky but the act in itself is. I have to put this disclaimer out there because photographers are the most sensitive people I’ve ever met.

• Writing this blog about what’s cocky in photography.

• One-named photographers. The first one that comes to mind is Platon. His work is amazing and it’s obviously far superior to anything I’ve done but one name on your byline is cocky. He obviously is a regular reader of my blog so I hope he takes this light-heartedly. Less cocky going by a 3 letter initial but nevertheless still a bit cocky.
Exception-If you only have one name on your original birth certificate I will allow the one name usage so if that’s the case Platon my sincere apologies.

• Having a blog about your blog. I’m not sure if this exists yet but when it does happen it will be extremely cocky.

• Having the title of your blog involve something that implies you excel in the occupation. “The Shadow Chaser, Moment Hunter, Eye For Light (That’s right Brandon Thibodeaux I’m calling you out but you know I still love you), The Optictrician, etc.

• Scarves are cocky. Cockier is calling them by their local name such as a Krama (Khmer Scarf). My friend, Brandon Thibodeaux, whom I made fun of in the above mentioned Eye for Light, pointed out to me that I do it all the time so touché Brandon.
Exception-The originals guys from VII pull it off because they sort of made scarves and kramas cool so don’t worry Nachtwey you can still rock the scarf.

• Having your bio picture where you are posing with your camera action shot or non-action. We get it, we are on your website already and the giant picture portfolio lets us know you are a photographer.
Exception-If your specialty thing is some weird gadget camera or large format and that is what you are best known for I will allow it.

• Unsolicited singing and acoustic guitar playing at parties, bars, café’s, get togethers, etc. If you want to perform please do so in the proper environment and post it clearly that you will be performing so I can decide if I want to attend, don’t just bust out in song. I realize this has nothing to do with photography but I had to add it because it’s extremely cocky.
Exception-You were at one point in your life paid to produce a musical album.

• Email signatures that are so long that they require their own separate email.
Here is my current email signature, a bit ridiculous:

Justin Mott | Photographer
Editorial http://www.justinmott.com
Commercial http://www.mottvisuals.com
Collective http://www.razoncollective.com

Vietnam +84 97 2383 071
jmott.wpa@gmail.com
Current location: Hanoi, Vietnam but I was in Tanzania last week and then I went to Thailand oh did I mention I stopped in Japan for a shoot and next week I’m off again to San Francisco/Alaska.

Represented by: Redux Pictures
Contact Marcel Saba for assignments
New York, New York 212-253-0399
marcelsaba@reduxpictures.com
http://www.reduxpictures.com

• Nonchalantly throwing out a thread about flack jackets just to let people know you are going to a war zone.

• Having your assistant use your Billingham bag so it gets the worn out look. While I'm on that note Billingham is pretty cocky by itself but their bag called The Packington is the ultimate and hands down champ of cockiest bag name. (Thanks to Eddie for reminding me about this one).

• Gaffer tape. It was once cool but now overdone.
Exception-If you had your gear stolen off your neck or someone attempted to do so, tape her up. Friend and photography Brian Frank and myself had 4 dudes try to steal our gear in Caracas, Venezuela but we fought them off and nothing was stolen. Telling that story is extremely cocky and so is the fact I worked that story in as much as possible in social circles. If you shoot in the suburbs of Wyoming you don’t need gaffer tape on your camera.

• Iphoneistan (Not the project itself but the title is)

http://www.panos.co.uk/bin/panos2.dll/go?a=disp&_m=1&_s=1&_ml=Stories&_sl&_tlid=2&t=gl-loader.html&groupid=13&galleryid=1161&glbid=1667&page=1&si=26814A25AEA047AD992F8553F220F0&rnd=2079.22

(Thanks to Aaron Joel Santos who told me about this). I wanted to list something about people who do projects that lead off telling you what camera they used in the summary before even mentioning anything about the story and their subjects. This trumps that because the camera gimmick is right in the title.

• Behind the Scenes videos. I’m not saying I don’t watch them Chase Jarvis(he’s got really good ones actually) and they can be useful but they are a little cocky.

• The term Magic Hour

• Wearing a vintage camera to a photography exhibition. Cockier, wearing a vintage camera to your own exhibition. I may or many not have done this at one point in my life and I'm not proud o 27 year old Justin for doing so.
Exception-If you shot the work being exhibited with that vintage camera by all means wear that bling.

• People under 35 years old that need to tell you that that ONLY shoot film within the first 10 minutes of the conversation and scoff at the idea of shooting digital. It’s cool to only shoot film and much respect to you, it’s the looking down on digital that is cocky.

• Leica-great cameras but the brand is pretty cocky with their little velvet boxes and limited edition models

• Wearing a shooting glove.
Exception-Wearing the shutter finger sock, custom fitted for your shooting finger that I’m currently finishing up my patent on. http://www.fingershuttersock.com

• Did you really click on that link?
Exception-You believe anything I say because I’m a good guy.

• Making a rectangle with your fingers going around framing things and nodding to yourself while biting your lower lip basically showing that you found the shot.
Exception-Not a chance there is an exception it’s cocky no matter what.

• You show someone your camera’s LCD screen and nod to basically say that you got the shot.

I would love to hear any rebuttals or missed exceptions to this list and if you convince me perhaps I’ll make the necessary changes. I’d much rather hear additions in the comments sections so please fire away!!! I am guilty of a few things on this list so again please don’t take me serious any readers out there who get angry at things.

Recent Tearsheet from the New York Times

2010-10-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

Lucky to get such a generous layout in the print edition of the Sunday travel section, made my day.

Vietnam, Above the Clouds-For The New York Times

2010-10-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

I shot this a couple weeks ago in Ha Giang Province for The New York Times. Ha Giang is simply gorgeous and it feels like a place that wouldn't still exist in 2010. It was a long journey there, totaling 12 hours on buses. I went with my new fixer/assistant Khanh, who did a fantastic job and I look forward to working with him more. The land is mostly untouched my tourism because it's such a long journey, but it's well worth the snug bus rides and simple amenities.
After a long stretch of commercial work spending more time toning than shooting this story was a pleasant change of pace and a reminder of why I love doing what I do.

The story will run in this Sunday's Travel Section, I was told we got the cover so please check it out in paper if you get a chance. Here is a link to the online slide show, give the story a read the writer crafted a fun story.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/10/25/travel/20101031vietnam-hours-ss.html

It's always interesting for me to see how someone edits my work. I get attached to the images and have an edit in mind but you never know what's going to get published. All in all I like the editors selection but there are a few that I wish had made the edit. Here are a few images I preferred. I'd love to hear your comments on whether or not you think any of these should've replaced the edit online and if so why.

My 2009 Year in Review-Reposted

2010-10-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

I put this together a while back for my commercial blog http://www.mottvisuals.com/blog. Since my editorial blog gets a lot more hits I figured I re-post it here. I had a lot of fun putting this together.
In January I was going through my photographs and thinking about my 2009. I had such a fun year all around so I had the idea to put together a little slideshow with some text. Well I was almost done with it in January and then one trip led to another and so on and so on and I finally finished it 3 months later. Plus everyone does their Year in Pictures in December or January, I 'm starting a new trend here. I realize I have a lot of typos and grammar errors in the slideshow but I was using Photoshop to create the text panels and it was so too time consuming to go back through and fix them all. It's pretty long, I apologize, it was a long year filled with new experiences.

Thanks for watching!!!

Year in Review-2009 from Mott Visuals on Vimeo.

Letting my monks out of the closet

2010-10-23T22:43:00.001-07:00

Over the years I've participated in various workshops, portfolio reviews, contests, online threads, bake-offs, veggie hot dog eating contests etc. I've noticed civilians love pictures of monks and fellow photographers hate them. Photographers jump on you calling any monk images cliché, saying "a photo isn't good just because it has a monk in it." But can a photo be good that has a monk in it? I lived a few short stints in Siem Reap, Cambodia and guess what, monks are everywhere. I've hid my monk shots from all of you snobs for too long. I can't resist their colorful robes so shield your eyes if you're afraid of being clichéd. Here it goes, my monks are out of the closet don't judge me.

A Photo Editor

2010-10-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

I love A Photo Editor and I'm a regular visitor so I was honored to see him post something about my recent blog:
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2010/10/13/how-did-you-how-do-i-what-is-how-much/

Made my day!!!

Daily Orphans-9

2010-10-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

I took this on assignment for a story that was nixed because we got conflicting information and what we thought was our story. Sorry for being so vague but we might still be pursuing this story soon from a different angle and I don't feel right talking about the details out of respect for the writer. I always sort of liked this shot because of that funky green background.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Hanoi's 1000 Year Anniversary

2010-10-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

I will post more images soon but for now I just wanted to share our front page article in the IHT on Hanoi's 1000 year anniversary.

Friends and Competition: How much information should we share? Where do we draw the line?

2010-10-04T01:38:00.000-07:00

Before I dive into this topic and come off like a secret information hogging prick I should say a few things. I am absolutely honored that some people come to me for advice on photography. I also believe hardy competition is necessary and healthy for progression in our industry and personally to keep me from getting complacent. I should also state that just here in Vietnam a few of my best friends are photographers and also my biggest competition and we openly share. I debated addressing this topic for months but finally decided to write about it so here it goes.
Friends and Competition: How much information should we share? Where do we draw the line?
I’ve struggled with this question over the past few years as photography has become more than just a passion but it’s also the source of 100% of my income. When I first started building my career abroad as a documentary photographer I would share anything with fellow photographers, strangers and friends alike.
My first major published assignment came to fruition because Gary Knight gave me an editor’s contact at Newsweek and he was even kind enough to insist I drop his name in the email. People were wonderful to me as I started my career so I’ve always felt the need to pay it forward. I’m not saying I’m a success story or anything like that but I get a fair amount of emails about our business. I’m happy I can help but as the market shrinks and the competition increases I’ve noticed the questions getting more demanding and a bit more personal.
I’m as a competitive as the next guy maybe even more than the next guy, who is this next guy by the way he seems rather average at everything. It has always come natural for me to share, especially when it came to photography. One of the wonderful things about our photography community is it is filled with online resources littered with people who want to share and honestly I’ve tapped into it those resources numerous times, but where do we draw the line?
Being a freelancer is also being a business. Add to that many of us do more than just editorial work, we also do weddings and advertising shoots. Where do we draw the line about our livelihood? Should I answer the same question about pricing from a fellow documentary photographer if it was a wedding photographer asking the same question? Should it depend on if the person is direct competition or not? A fellow photographer might want to know the following?
What lens do you use?
How did you get access to that project?
How did you get a meeting with that editor?
How long did you take to work on that project?
How did you get that project published?
I feel all of these are fair questions and there are no big secrets here. Now how about these questions:
What is your contact information for the NGO worker who granted you access to that project?
What is the editor’s email for that magazine and how did you meet him or her?
How much did they pay you?
How do you tone your images?
A little more personal but not totally out of line. These are common emails I’ve received from friends, digital friends, and complete strangers. I’ve openly answered most of the above questions many times to people without hesitation. Occasionally I’ve been burned and over the years I’m become a lot more cautious about sharing editors contact info. I’ve personally asked a few editors I work with about how they feel about people giving out their contact information and most say if they need someone they will ask me. I respect their privacy so I don’t often openly share it so please don’t get angry at me or think I’m being a douche for not opening up my rolodex.
Within the online photography community there is a sense of entitlement to information and business practices. With everyone sharing so much people can think you’re an ass for not sharing everything about your business. What I mentioned above is more common but let’s consider some more extreme requests within the editorial world that surprisingly happen far too often.
I won’t drop any names here but the following is a true story and has happened to me quite a few times. I often shoot for a well-respected newspaper based in NYC; lets call them the The Blank York Times. I’ve shot many stories for them outside my home base of Hanoi. It’s not uncommon after the story was published to receive an email along the lines of:
“Dear Justin,
Great story in the BYT last week. really loved image 4(I’m awesome at taking image 4 by the way). I noticed you are based in Hanoi but shot the story in city X. Do they pay for the flight for you? How much do they pay you? I am based in city X and I’d love to shoot for the BYT, can you pass along your editor’s contact info?
Thanks so much,
Photographer X”
The way I translate that email is.
Dear Justin,
Blah blah random not well thought out positive comments about your photography because I’m about to be really rude but I’m trying to mask it with this sentence. I feel like I should be getting the work that you get in city X. I can save that publication some money and would love it if you could pass along their information so I can get the next assignment instead of you.
Thanks so much,
Photographer X
I’m not saying I should have a monopoly nor do I but seriously. If you feel you deserve the work that is fair enough but asking me to hand it to you is ridiculous. I’ve spent lots of my own money building my portfolio, entering workshops, building personal relationships, researching editors and publications, etc. Imagine someone doing this in the business world, they would be laughed at.
Over the years I’ve struggled with this because when it comes to documentary work I love to share and help and be helped. The problem occurs when these questions and helping out a fellow photographer spills into my business and into the commercial photography world. I feel like if you come from a documentary background people expect that same open book policy for your commercial work.
How did you get that hotel job?
Who did you contact?
What is their email address?
How much did you charge?
I no longer answer financial questions about my business because it’s just bad business. I spend a lot of time calculating my quotes and in marketing my business. I also spend a lot of timing researching new jobs and markets. I’m not saying I won’t share the contact info of the company that printed my business cards but asking me how much I bid on a specific project I feel is crossing the line.
I have a few photographers who read consistently read my blog and frequently ask me questions about the photography business. I don’t want any of you to get the wrong idea about this post. I love sharing my thoughts and answering your questions and helping if I can. I love blogging about the wonderful world of photography.
The point of this rant is to start a dialog about the gray areas of sharing and when helping a fellow photographer turns into helping a fellow photographer get your work. Some of you might argue that well in the end the best work will win out. That isn’t always the case, especially in the commercial market. Editors are schooled in photography but not all marketing VP’s are. I’m sure I’ve won jobs over better photographers because my bid was more sensible or because I did my homework on the company.
This is just another rant by me, don’t take me too serious or think I’m upset or annoyed. I’d love to hear people’s opinions so please feel free to agree or disagree with me in the comments section.

Daily Orphans

2010-09-30T03:42:00.000-07:00

I shot this last year in Angkor Wat when my brothers came to visit me. No home for this image in my portfolio but I always liked the way the orange robe pops out in front of the temple walls.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Great Homes Tear Sheet

2010-09-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

I shot this in Cambodia months ago but recently I received the tearsheet. I'm stoked with how the editor laid this out using so many pictures. I spent the entire day at Darry's beautiful home, it was a great day.

On a technical note, I don't typically use my 50 1.4 for these kind of shoots but this time I gave it a try and I'm thoroughly impressed with it.

Daily Orphans # I forgot what number I'm on

2010-09-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

I took this single in Udon Thani, Thailand last month. The story was about a region of Thailand with a high concentration of mixed(Thai women with foreign men) couples. This man sold his business in Germany to marry his Thai wife and run a farm in Thailand. I took this shot while we were waiting for his wife to return home. It doesn't really make sense for a single for this story but I still loved the colors and the light was so beautiful just after rainfall. Too bad she wasn't there yet because it definitely would've been a special image, but you can't win them all. I've also included the photo that made the front page.

Here is a link to the actually story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/world/asia/25iht-thai.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Evolution of a Portrait I Took Today

2010-09-18T06:07:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of keeping my blog more up to date here is a little something from a shoot I had this afternoon. The assignment was a profile editorial shoot for a Danish fashion magazine. My subject is a former model turned jewelry designer. I wanted to show the evolution of my favorite shot of the day. I started outside where I found this funky light seeping through a random blue plastic overhang. Then I pulled up the shade and took her inside the glass where I noticed some fun light reflecting off the glass.
My favorite is the last one, but I'd love to hear if any of you prefer the one of the other ones and why.
Thanks,
Justin

Recent Work for The New York Times-Pattaya Thailand

2010-09-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

Recent work for The New York Times. I had to go deep undercover to try to fit in with the strip club crowd because normally I look like such a conservative young man. Walking street and Pattaya in general is filled with street vendors and salesman off all kinds pitching various services to tourist. It was actually a comical experience as I tried to go up to people and ask them their names for my captions and they scurried away from as if I was a crazy man. I even had a guy say he didn't speak English then later after i explained what I was doing break out into perfect English and talk to me.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/09/16/world/0916-PATTAYA-1.html

My Niche is Versatility

2010-09-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

That title sounds pretty cocky actually but since I’m writing this semi-humorous line addressing the title I’m hoping I come off less cocky. If you don’t feel like reading this whole thing the cliff notes are basically; I’m saying that as photographers we should be proud of all genres of our work.

I always hear how important it is to find your niche in photography. On all the photography sites I have bookmarked I see portfolio reviews, editor Q & A’s, etc giving advice about this. Perhaps it’s documentary work, portraits, weddings, pet photography, documentary pet weddings, or whatever.

A certain, perhaps self-imposed, stigma exists for documentary photographers who also shoot weddings or do video (although video now is becoming cool with the intro of the HDSLR). I feel many of us love to even if unsolicited, mention our book projects but don’t want to mention the 3 weddings shot last month that financed them. I’ve been guilty of mentioning my work for “Insert Notable Publications Here” very proudly and then sort of sneaking in quietly if forced by knife that I also shoot weddings or that I had an assignment last week that consisted of photographing a sandwich.

Some think it’s taboo to have wedding pictures on your documentary site because editors will think less of you. I’m sure that is the case sometimes but I’d like to share a little story.

On my first visit to The New York Times before I ever shot one assignment for them I was passed around to different editors to check out my work. One editor asked me if she could see my wedding work. I thought she was kidding or perhaps making fun of me. She was dead serious and she ended up really digging my wedding portfolio. She later told me that she often looks at wedding work to see what a photographer can do under pressure because like news, wedding moments only happen once. That editor later gave me a whole series of assignments that took me to Australia and Malaysia.

I admit I got into photography to shoot social documentary work. Over the years I’ve realized I enjoy all genres of photography, yes-even weddings. Each shoot presents a challenge and I love a good challenge. At 32 I’m not embarrassed anymore that I shoot everything. I’m working hard to create a brand for all aspects of my photography and trying to implement my style into all my assignments. I’m sort of a photography whore if you will, wait that has a negative connotation, call me a photographer who agrees with plural marriage.

Living in a country like Vietnam you have to be versatile because it’s not exactly a news hub. The variety in my assignments has kept me fresh and they all serve a purpose for me both creatively and financially. To give you an idea of how I split my time shooting here is a list of my work for May and June of 2010.

May 8th-Wedding in Los Angeles, CA

May 15th-Wedding in Hoi An, Vietnam

May 16th-Shoot for MTV HIV Awareness Project in Hanoi, Vietnam

May 16th-Half Day Engagement Shoot Kelvin and Yi Ni, Hanoi, Vietnam

May 17th-Engagement Shoot Cynthia and Marcus in Hanoi, Vietnam

May 20th-Commercial Shoot for a global book project in HCMC, Vietnam

May 22nd-Portrait of Leather Tanning Company CEO for German Magazine in HCMC, Vietnam.

May 25th-Engagement Shoot Kim and Dennis in Hanoi, Vietnam

May 27th and 28th-Shoot for an NGO working with the Bamboo Industry in Mai Chau, Vietnam

June 1st-Commercial Shoot (rooms, lobby, interiors) for Hanoi Club in Hanoi, Vietnam.

June 6th, 7th, 8th-Assignment for The New York Times Great Homes Section in Chang Mai, Thailand.

June 10th, 11th, and 12th-Assignment for The Dallas Morning News in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

June 14th, 15th, 16th-NGO Shoot for Buckner Orphanage in Ba Vi, Vietnam

June 24th-Commercial Shoot for Hanoi Club (Exteriors)

June 25th and 26th- Poh Si and Mayank’s wedding in Penang, Malaysia

June 30th- Assignment for The New York Times Great Homes Section in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Here is an approximate breakdown of the percentages of income for these 2 months

Weddings and Engagements=45%

*Editorial/NGO’s=35%

Commercial=20%

*If I filed NGO’s under Commercial instead of Editorial the totals would switch significantly.

Weddings www.esianweddingphotography.com

Commercial and Video www.mottvisuals.com

Editorial www.justinmott.com

Fine Art Prints for Sale

2010-08-13T00:04:00.000-07:00

NOW AVAILABLE Editioned fine arts prints from yours truly sold through the Anastasia Gallery in NYC. Have a look:
http://www.anastasia-photo.com/artist.php?artist=justin-mott
Please contact them directly for purchasing.

Don't Forget Your Digital SLR

2010-08-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I admit to either currently owning or at one point in my life possessing a Holga, Leica, and a Hassleblad and I can not confirm or deny allegations that at one point in my life I’ve gaffer taped them all together to create one mega camera.

I think we can all admit the market for photographers is pretty saturated. Overall competition is a good thing, definitely fuels creativity if you are an ambitious person. I think it can also fuel misguided purchases and misguided attempts. It might be a new toning technique, using a vintage camera, tilting the camera, or only shooting with a tilt shift lens. Whatever it is many of us are trying to get our work to stand out.

Maybe you’re the photographer who only uses point and shoot cameras or works exclusively with high grain film or maybe you shoot only with a Holga with one arm tied behind their back. Me personally I’ve started experimenting with shooting a Holga through a Leica and out a trombone using a series of custom made prisms. I have to tweak a few things but it’s almost there.

Before anyone gets sensitive on me I believe in having a unique style that works for each individual or for a specific project. I also believe in experimenting and keeping your work fresh. I have the utmost respect for photographers who can pull off certain techniques and often jealous I didn’t think of it first. While it works sometimes over the past year I’ve been subjected to a lot of really bad project attempts using these novelty techniques so I decided to write about this. I'm seeing more novelty type work and less powerful stories. If you're not familiar with Brenda Ann Kenneally's work check it out. It's powerful and raw without using any gimmicks.

http://www.brendakenneally.com/

I’m not sure who appointed me the Sherrif on this topic but my point is don’t forget your Digital SLR. I’m not saying to give up experimenting, quite the contrary. I just want to remind people not to be ashamed of their normal camera and normal lens, just go take a good snap or tell a good story.

Canon didn’t pay me to write this blog but I will accept their money or sponsorship if they offer.

www.canonusa.com

Busy and Down Time

2010-07-31T00:13:00.001-07:00

A few months back I posted a lame status update on Facebook saying "Had a hectic week, shot X yesterday, Y today, and flying over to shoot Z (or Zed if you are reading this in Australian or other places that say that) tomorrow. I'm paraphrasing of course and the variables were actually filled in with real assignments. I’m too lazy to go back and find the details, but not too lazy to sit here and type a run on sentence explaining my use of variables in a sentence. Back to my point, a friend of mine who works for a large corporation responded playfully “oh you mean you had to actually work”. I loved that comment because it made me realize how different professional fields perceive one another.

Freelancers in any field can have big swings in work. They have hectic weeks (meaning yes we actually have to work) and boring ones. The office professionals probably see us mid-day lounging at a coffee shop in our casual attire tweeting sip by sip of our coffee and they think of us as slackers. We might also be guilty of over-tweeting, over-blogging, and just general over-updating the world with information that no one gives a shit about. By no means am I’m trying to say our jobs are grueling but we do have our 13-hour days of shooting, editing, and uploading and then repeat. We rarely get a pat on the back or even a digital pat on the back for our work. As for our over updating, well that can come from our lack of a real workplace, camaraderie, and lack of an actual boss. No one really wants a boss but we all crave attention or at least feedback in our work so social media has become a way for us to fill that gap.

As a way for others to understand our kind better I’ve created a pretty honest list of my daily occurrences during the busy and down times as a freelance photographer. I’d like to add that two things inspired this blog post:
1.) My friends playful comment.
2.) A different friend who is a writer told me that she liked my blog when it was more honest and fun and less corporate. Bailey, thanks for your honesty.

During Busy Times

-I haven't done laundry in weeks and I'm re-wearing shirts with oddly placed salt stains that I try and play off as part of the shirt's design.

-My camera strap has a potent odor only detectable to the user but inevitably I come across a subject or client who either wants to take my photo or they are just interested in photography. This results in some awkward excuse for them not to use my camera or the awkward moment where the scent reaches their nostrils.

-I mess up relationships

-My passport holder is packed with receipts in different currencies that I am dreading organizing and calculating.

-I find myself at the airport cosmetic store pretending like I'm interested in buying some new cologne but instead just spraying it on myself to cover the scent of a full day of shooting. I even go through the whole charade of looking at the prices and doing the pondering purchase pose. This is a result of many clients these days only being able to afford a day of shooting so I end up going straight from the shoot to the airport.

- I'm buying a $600 Billinghman bag justifying the purchase by categorizing the bag as my "commercial shoot bag."

-I’m wearing one of my cotton Khmer Kramas frequently. This isn’t a fashion statement, they come in handy as tripods, camera padding, head covers, dust buffers, etc.

-All my wires have some sort of tangle action going on and I think to myself how much I hate wires.

-Find myself in taxis a lot already pissed that the driver might try to rip me off.

-Referring jobs I can’t cover to other photographer friends hoping they do a good job but not that good of a job.

-Overuse my go to shots and overuse 1.4, which a great editor reminded me of.

-Pay $150usd for the second addition of pages to my passport, yes this comment was added to let people know I travel a lot.

-My social media updates are short but I have to remind people of how busy I am.

-Signed into instant messaging, but always invisible doesn’t make any sense I know.

-Part of my packing includes prepping my Adam Carolla, Bill Simmons, and NPR’s Fresh Air podcasts for the travel time.

During Down Times

-I write blogs like this.

-I spend a ridiculous amount of time outside my office at coffee shops bullshitting and complaining about other photographers copying my style or techniques.

-I find stupid excuses to email my agency or editors I’ve worked with before thinking they forgot about me rationalizing the email by telling myself when they receive my email they will in turn give me a glorious assignment. My sincere apologies editors, you know who you are and you probably aren’t reading this.

-I research personal projects and send out email feelers to potential subjects all fired up thinking I've got the greatest idea.

-I go back and look through my archive thinking I must have missed some portfolio worthy singles from a shoot ages ago.

-I'm re-toning old photos using new techniques. At first I think I'm on to something special then I eventually decide it's overdone and realize the original toned photo was better.

-Rip through a whole season of the The Wire in an about a week.

-Google myself way too much.

-Try to make myself feel good about not working the last couple days by calculating the amount of money owed to me from the busy time. I get excited about the number forgetting to recall a good chunk of that money is owed to my travel agent.

-Get annoyed by the whole wire-tangling problem but have more time to ponder a way to fix this problem but obviously I never find a solution.

-I’m entering my wedding photos into competitions.

-Price out Profoto gear for the 20th time.

-Find myself on Skype way too much.

-Have time to look through my accounts receivable and get annoyed at that client that owes me money from 6 months ago while trying to come up with an email with polite tones but aggressive undertones.

-My $2 Khmer Krama is replaced by my $10 silk Khmer Krama and yes this is a fashion statement that says yes I’m a man who perhaps has an artistic side to him.

-Explore Video with my HDSLR

-Hold photo meetings at my office

-Internally debate if Ne-Yo is better than Usher

-Workout, currently trying out P90X to try and get my ass in shape again. Hoping to add this line to my Busy section this year.

-Put together a good stretch of studying Vietnamese with my wonderful teacher Ha only to forget 90% of it during my busy time.

-Stretch to make photo essays out of single images I've taken over the years.

-Doubt myself because some other photographer got a gig in the region that I wasn’t asked to shoot, find that photographer and threaten them with a camera-off. Just kidding about the first part.

I encourage other photographers to please add anything I’m missing here in the comment section.
Thanks for reading everyone,
Justin

Journey back to Vietnam-Dallas Morning News

2010-06-21T00:02:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I received an assignment from the Dallas Morning News to go to Nha Trang to photograph a reunion. The reunion was of a group of former Vietnamese orphans, now living in the US, who fled Vietnam shortly after the fall of Saigon. The group had been planning the trip for 5 years. Many of them are now in their 40's scattered throughout the US with families of their own but they kept in touch over the years. 35 years after the war some were returning to Vietnam for the first time since they fled. One man, Ty Cope, was with his father John who adopted him in Dallas, Texas. John was a soldier during the war and later returned to volunteer at the orphanage in Cam Ranh where he first met Ty.
On this trip Ty, now in his 40's with a family of his own was to meet what he was told was his biological father. At a large reunion dinner Ty was surprised with a speech from a man who later revealed he was Ty's father. The resemblance was obvious but as I was crouched down on my knees trying to capture the moment Ty turned to a friend and whispered "how do I know this is my father." I can't even imagine all the emotions going through his body trying to process everything and the awkwardness of having this moment so public.
I had followed Ty around along with the other Cam Ranh orphans all day documenting their emotional reunion. It was just one day but it made me think about how unique my job can be sometimes. I started the day as a stranger to Ty and then a few hour later I'm right next to him during one of the most powerful moments of his life. Then the next day I'm off most likely never to see these people again.
I'd like to thank everyone from the Cam Ranh reunion for graciously allowing me to be a part of their day.

Here is the published story online:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/pt/slideshows/2010/06/pho_061210_vietnam/

Bangkok Revisited for 30 Minutes

2010-06-12T01:42:00.001-07:00

During the riots in Bangkok a few weeks prior I didn't have any assignment requests in Bangkok. I did think about going on my own dime but my commercial work was already booked so I couldn't make the trip.

On a recent assignment for the New York Times in Chang Mai I had some time to kill in Bangkok. I spent the entire day at Starbucks paying too much for internet access in the shopping district editing images for a commercial client. The evening before over dinner my friend writer Seth Mydans for the NYT told me all about his experience during the riots and it made me eager to see the aftermath.

After finishing up my edit at Starbucks I wandered around the shopping mall that was mostly burned down just in time for 30 minutes of nice light. I've been to Bangkok numerous times over the past few years so it was surreal to see the burnt shell and busted glass windows of Central World(Thailand's largest shopping center).

Things seemed to be back to normal with construction underway and consumers back to shopping. Here are a few pics I took of Central World and the surrounding area for my own personal experience.

My Office

2010-06-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

A while back I decided to remodel the office part of my studio. Thanks to the help of my friend Nguyen Qui Duc, I have an area I love to work in and we did it all really cheap. Duc knows where to buy everything in Vietnam and has a knack for livening up a boring space. Here is a before and after shot. I still have more to do but for now I'm taking a break.

Departures Magazine

2010-06-04T03:46:00.000-07:00

Always nice when an old image of mine resells from Redux stock. Love you Redux :)

All Things Bamboo

2010-06-02T01:27:00.000-07:00

The month of May was the busiest month of my career and it also happens to be the month I was born in. I'm pretty backed up with my editing and heading out to Bangkok for a couple shoots this weekend so my blogging has been rather lame recently. I finished the month up with this shoot for a development NGO. We spent 2 days in Hoa Binh province photographing the bamboo industry. Bamboo forests, bamboo chopsticks, bamboo flooring, bamboo mats, pressed bamboo, and bamboo bamboo. It's amazing how many things you can make from bamboo.
The images are a collection of diptychs I made for my client.
Thanks for looking, I hope to get back to blogging more soon!!!

Great Homes and Destinations- The New York Times

2010-05-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

I shot this a few weeks ago for The New York Times Great Homes section. I've done a few of these Great Home shoots, I really enjoy them. It's a nice change of pace photographing something that never moves and trying to capture an essence of someone's home. Thank you to Valerie McKenzie for her hospitality and for having such a beautiful home to photograph making my job much easier.

Here is the link online:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/18/greathomesanddestinations/20100518-location_vietname-slideshow.html#1

Daily Orphans-8

2010-05-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so the"Daily Orphans" series hasn't been so daily but I'm doing my best to keep it fresh. I just returned to Vietnam after 10 days in San Francisco.
I hope to use this image further down the road for a personal project but for now it doesn't have a home and sits in my archive. It was taken at the famous St. Joseph's Cathedral in Hanoi.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

I Was There

2010-04-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

My work was recently featured on the blog "I was there".

http://www4.atword.jp/reminders/2010/04/26/i-was-there-13-justin-mott/

Daily Orphans-7

2010-04-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

On my commercial shoot last year in Tanzania, I rarely had time to get a natural shot. While I was waiting for the stylist to put together a picnic scene for the luxury resort I was shooting for, I snapped this single.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Daily Orphans-6

2010-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I took this photo on assignment for the NYT Travel Section in Chang Mai, Thailand. The story was about a vegetarian festival that had taken place months prior. One of the restaurants was inside a Buddhist temple. I waited for 2 hours for a monk to walk through that exact spot. At one point I was testing the light and a group of monks were being polite so they walked behind me, arrrrrgh. Then finally this guy walked right into my light. The photo wasn't used in the final slideshow because the story was more about food but it was my favorite shot from the whole trip.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Daily Orphans-5

2010-04-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

I spent almost two weeks in China covering the Jewish holidays of Shabbat and Hanukkah for a commissioned global book project about Chabad. My job was to find stories within each community that related to the Chabad community centers in Beijing and in Shanghai. This single doesn't really fit into the stories but I always like it as a single detail image during Hanukkah.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Daily Orphans-4

2010-04-19T03:21:00.001-07:00

I shot this on an assignment in Mui Ne, Vietnam months ago. We finished up two stories in the region and the writer put this travel story on hold for the time being. It was a fun morning at the fish market and the foggy Barbara Walters look came from having my camera in an air conditioned hotel overnight. The lens fogged up but I liked the look to it so I fired up some frames before wiping it off. The image might find a home one day but for the time being it can live here.
Thanks for looking.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Daily Orphans-3

2010-04-18T03:39:00.000-07:00

I snapped this photo on assignment for the NYT while shadowing Mu Sochua, an opposition political leader in Cambodia. She was campaigning in a tiny village in Kampot in the evening and we were working on a profile of the politician. The homes lacked power so the villagers used lanterns to scan through her pamphlets and listen to her speak. This photo wasn't used as part of the slideshow but I liked the mood to it.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Daily Orphans-2

2010-04-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

I took this image on an assignment in Cambodia. This was the 3rd and final story that we did but we didn't have time to finish this one while we were there. I'm not sure if and when the writer will get around to finishing it so I'll leave out the details of the publication and what the story is about.

"This is a new series I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

CS5 Released

2010-04-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

Looks like some nice upgrades from CS4, like Content Aware Fill:

http://www.pdngearguide.com/gearguide/content_display/news/e3i682d2ee2ce2c8178377b4d602990476d

Introducing-Daily Orphans-1

2010-04-14T01:35:00.000-07:00

This is a new series I'd like to debut today that I hope will be a regular feature on my blog. I always hear fellow photographers(myself included) talking about how their editor didn't use their best picture, they should've used the one that....the client wanted something more straightforward, any many more reasons a photograph is often left unseen. I like to call these photos "orphans", and I occasionally come across them while looking through my archive.

Daily Orphans will feature photo orphans along with a small back story. The series is also meant to be an open dialog for photographers and non-photographers to comment on why they like or dislike a photo so please comment. Eventually I'd like to invite guest photographers to post their orphans but first I want to see how this series goes.

Here is Daily Orphans-1!!!

I shot this near a coffee plantation in Tanzania while photographing for a luxury Safari company. This wasn't on their shot list and to my knowledge they didn't use this photo anywhere. While I was waiting for the props for another shot to arrive I snapped this photo.

Photo by Justin Mott

Smithsonian-Stills and Video

2010-04-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here is link to the layout of my story about Pho in Hanoi for Smithsonian:

http://reduxpictures.com/justin-mott-in-smithsonian/

I ended up shooting and editong a video story on this as well. I'm finding more and more clients are looking for me to double up on assignment, which means more days shooting(always a good thing).

5D Mark II Video Users

2010-03-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

Download this:
New Canon 5D Mark II firmware is available, new features for video shooters.

http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos5dmk2/firmware.html

36 Hours of Phuket

2010-03-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

I've done a few of these 36 hour stories now for the Travel section of The New York Times. They are loads of fun, sort of like a scavenger hunt for photographers. I'm given a list of places to shoot, usually around 15.The Travel editor I worked for in the past left in December so I was working with the new one. I really wanted to impress her because the Times always has fun travel assignments. Most of the time the assignment is 2 days shooting and 2 days traveling so you have to hit the ground running. Phuket is a pretty big island so it required me traveling all over the place by motorbike trying to figure out the most visuals places and when to shoot them.
I raced around the island photographing Muay Thai Boxing, a gigantic Buddha statue, elephant trekking, waterfalls, ladyboy cabaret, sinful Patong nightlife, a $2,800 a night resort, local artists village, and much more.
All together it was a great experience and so much fun. Here is the final slideshow published today:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/03/21/travel/20100321PHUKET_index.html

Thanks for looking,
Justin

Written Essay Published in Harvard's Nieman Reports

2010-03-16T03:59:00.000-07:00

I get quite a few emails from young photographers entering the field of photojournalism with questions and ideas that are outdated to the current state of photojournalism. I was honored when I was asked to write an essay about this topic for Harvard's Nieman Reports.
Article Here

Please feel free to comment on the site, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.

Resolve-The Livebooks Photo Blog

2010-03-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

I was recently interviewed for the Resolve blog. I've been a big fan of this blog for a long time. Miki Johnson does an amazing job at covering a multitude of topics in our industry and they are always insightful. I am honored to be interviewed about my transition into commercial photography and video work.
http://blog.livebooks.com/
Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave comments.
Justin
http://blog.livebooks.com/
Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave comments.
Justin

My Goofy Year in Review

2010-03-08T01:21:00.000-08:00

Year in Review-2009 from Justin Mott on Vimeo.

Smithsonian Magazine Assignment-Photography and Video

2010-02-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

I've been getting more and more requests for video both in my commercial work and editorial. It started in 2008 for the New York Times but then my video work fizzled last year as I didn't really market myself as a videographer. Since the release of the Canon 5D Mark 11 I've really enjoyed taking on video assignments and I'm much more comfortable having an all in one camera. Their is so much potential with this camera and so much potential for work as more and more clients are asking for web video content. Here is a recent shoot I did for Smithsonian Magazine, both stills and video.

Video Story

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/multimedia/videos/The-Sights-and-Tastes-of-Hanoi.html

Stills Work

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/Searching-for-Hanois-Ultimate-Pho.html

Addiction in Cambodia

2010-02-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a slideshow of a recent story I shot for The New York Times in Phnom Penh with writer Seth Mydans. Read his story first then look at the pictures.
New work for the New York Times in Cambodia.

NGO Stock

2010-02-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

Clients don’t always have the budget to hire photographers to shoot new images for their promotional campaigns and are often looking for stock. As a photographer living abroad it’s important to market your archive and make it work for you. Just as it’s important to market your services to go shoot assignments it’s equally important to promote your existing archive and put it to use. Many documentary photographers have an extensive library that touches on all all sorts of topics.

Wherever you are based, let the NGO’s in your community know about your image library and make that archive work for you.

Here is a selection of images just purchased from my library by the United Nations for an upcoming marketing campaign.

Anthropographia

2010-01-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

I didn't win but I'm honored to make the short list for the Anthropographia Human Rights Photography Award and will have my work featured on Anthropographia.com.

NYT Lens Blog

2009-12-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

A little self promotion. I had 2 pictures in the New York Times Lens Blog's Best of Travel in 2009 :) I've received some great assignments from the Travel Section, thanks to Lonnie Schlein.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/showcase-99/

Chabad Jewish Book Project-Hanukkah

2009-12-27T00:13:00.000-08:00

A few months back I received an email from the producer of a book project about Chabad Communities around the world. I wasn't sure what to make of the project not knowing the producer or the much about Chabad in general.
After learning that a fellow Redux photographer was the Creative Director and part of the project I felt a lot more comfortable. We talked a few times and it sounded great. They commissioned me to shoot a few stories in Asia, basically giving me an open ticket where I wanted to go shoot.
The following are images from one of my stories over the Hanukkah holiday which I spent in Shanghai and Beijing. I met Aaron at the Shabbat prayers in Beijing. Aaron is a graceful young man fluent in Chinese. He agreed to let me follow him around Beijing for a few days. He is half Chinese and half American an observant follower of the Jewish religion. The Chabad Centers are all around the world and are there to server the Jewish community. Aaron is on a one year study program for his senior year of high school in Beijing. The Chabad offers a place for Aaron and other Jewish students to practice their religion.

Exporting Vietnam

2009-12-24T23:47:00.000-08:00

I shot this a long time ago for The New York Times and today it was finally published. We had one day to shoot this story so Hung(my friend and fixer) and I had to rush around the city. Hung kicked ass and we got everything done on time.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/12/24/business/global/exportslide_index.html?scp=2&sq=vietnam%20justin%20mott&st=cse

Thanks for looking,
Justin

Q & A with a Photojournalism Student

2009-11-22T01:08:00.000-08:00

Over the last few years I've been honored by having a some University students studying Photojournalism from all different places ask me questions about my career. It feels weird because it doesn't seem like long ago I was a student. Recently a student from Nepal sent me the following questions and I finally got around to answering them. They are great questions and it was a fun experience for me reliving the last few years of my career while I tried to not be so boring with my answers.
Here is the Q & A:
Questions:

Q When did you start taking photographs, and when did you realize you were in it for the long run

A I started taking photographs when my family bought me a small digital Canon point and shoot camera. It was my first digital camera and I had a blast with it. People told me that my photos were interesting so I stayed with it. I realized I was in it for the long run when I took my first photojournalism class at San Francisco State University. It was by far my favorite class because it challenged me creatively something I hadn't experienced before.

Q How did you train in photography, where did you study?

A I studied under Ken Kobre at San Francisco State University but I left school early to learn on my own.

Q Is getting work as a photographer about talent, or is it the connections you have with editors and art directors?

A It's everything really. Ambition and persistence are the biggest aspects of getting work. You have stay with it, like any job you're going to go through a rough patch in the beginning especially as a freelancer. You have to market yourself and network. You have to understand what you like to shoot and who would be interested in what you shoot. Being realistic is important too. I met a few photographers when I was just starting my career who expected to go to these workshops and emerge with staff jobs for TIME or Newsweek. Those jobs don't really exist anymore, you have to understand the market and be patient.

Q When did the first acceptance or rejection of your work as a photojournalist take place? What was your reaction?

A My first acceptance in school started by getting the cover of our school magazine. It was lame but I was so excited to get the cover, like a little kid. My first acceptance as a full-time professional freelancer came on a gig I had for The New York Times. I was living in Vietnam and was asked to shoot a story with one of their staff writers in Malaysia. I worked my ass off on that shoot and it was my first ever gig for The New York Times. When I was in college that is exactly what i wanted to do, shoot for the Times. We got the cover, I was really proud and felt like the time before that struggling to get by living in a $82 a month apartment in Siem Reap had finally paid off. My first rejection was going to a workshop in Cambodia run by Gary Knight of VII. I showed up early on in my career knowing very little about what I wanted to do and how to do it. Gary was upfront with me and tore apart my work. It was hard to listen to because I thought I was doing a good job but I looked around and saw the other participants work and he was right. My work was boring and I needed to get better. I felt really out of place at that workshop and I told myself I never want to be in that position again. It really pushed me to improve and i changed my ways of thinking about photojournalism and decided to dedicate myself to be a documentary photography. I sold all my huge lenses and gear for one body and one prime lens, best move I ever made. 2 years after that workshop Gary helped sell one of my stories to Newsweek, that was a nice moment for me.

Q How did you end up working in Vietnam? What opportunities has this offered you as a photojournalist?

A After the workshop in Cambodia I spent 2 months backpacking in Vietnam and Cambodia. I fell in love with Hanoi and left school to come back here to start my career. It has taken a lot of time but I stayed through the hard times and made a name for myself here. Now I get some great assignments not just in Vietnam but all over the region. I've had the chance to work with some amazing writers and I've learned a lot from them, especially Seth Mydans from the NYT.

Q How difficult is it to be an international photojournalist?

A I love my work, so like Confucius says "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." It's hard to make a name for yourself and to get a steady influx of assignments. For most photographers these days you have to be able to shoot everything, portraits, weddings, products, etc. Magazine are dying everyday and times are different so we all have to find new ways to get paid to press the shutter. I'm shooting a lot more video than ever, but I dig it. The work itself isn't hard but getting paid to do can be.

Q How important is the ability to adapt to differences in climate, food, and languages?

A The first two aren't a problem, but languages I don't have a knack for. I'm studying Vietnamese but it's a slow process for me. It is extremely important to be able to communicate in any job and just knowing a little bit of the language has gone a long way in getting access to stories or finding directions to my assignment. I often hire a fixer on larger assignments.

Q When you’re on assignment, do you go in blind or with a plan – a set of ideas and frames to take photographs with? When shooting a feature what would be your typical equipment of choice? What cameras, lenses and any other vital gear do you choose and why?

A I like to keep it as simple as possible. Small bag, Canon 5D Mark II, Canon L-Series 35mm 1.4, and a Canon L Series 135 f2. I have more lenses for commercial assignments but that is my favorite set up for editorial assignments. I bring a Canon 5D as a back up but I don't often shoot with 2 bodies at one time. As for going into an assignment I typically try to get as much information as possible beforehand but these days with less and less communication between writers, editors, and photographers I'm often given the bare minimum for details. You have to be able to make good pictures in any environment so I like the challenge.

Q Have there been circumstances when your presence as a photographer affected what had happened?Most definitely and it was the the point in my career I realized the power of photography.

A I was photographing TB patients in a hospital in Cambodia. I was working with Doctors without Borders. After my first 2 days i emailed the doctor in charge of the Chronic Disease Center some pictures of this man who was withering away. He called me for a meeting the next day to ask about this man. The TB patient was in a different part of the hospital not affiliated with his organization so he wasn't aware of this man. He sent a nurse over with me to get the man checked out. She was amazing and cut through all the red tape that exists like a razor. It turned out he was HIV positive and wasn't being treated for it. She got him on HIV meds right away and his health steadily improved. The nurse told me that he was surely going to die if he hadnt received treatment when he did and that the pictures struck the doctor's attention and made him act. I just took the picture , the doctors are the ones who saved the man's life but it was amazing to me to see how a photo could force a person to act.

Q Editing and doctoring of pictures has become quite a concern in photojournalism and in documentary work today. What are your views one this? Where do you draw the line?

A I strive not to change reality in photoshop, just to touch up my image. I tone my photos using a variety of tools in PS but it's different for every situation. The New York Times i just do some color corrections and some minor adjustment with levels where as my personal work I might do a little more. It's a touchy subject in many journalism circles.

Q You’ve worked a lot with challenged children – Legacy of Horror, Nu – a Child in Isolation. How did you get interested in these stories?

A I was looking at a book in Borders books store in San Francisco by Magnum photographer Phillip Jones Griffith on children who were victims of agent orange. His book was so powerful and the images made me weep, i was a bit embarrassed at the bookstore. I wanted to do that kind of work and help in my own way so i pursued similar stories and in fact even the same story. It's often more of selfish reasons I go after a story, i want to explore things I'm interested in. Also children are so fun to document, they are so natural after just a little bit of time.

Q How does shooting such stories affect you personally?

A Hard, very hard at times. Not sure how to explain it but I go through cycles every time i shoot of feeling good about what i'm doing to questioning myself and if I am actually doing any good. Nu's story is very important to me and I'm still at a loss on how to help her and improve her way of life.

Q Have you ever felt uncomfortable taking photographs of any of your subjects or of an event – for example while photographing a caged child – the first photograph in “Legacy of Horror”?

A Yeah I've felt really bad many times. Especially photographing children sometimes you have to ignore them or not interact so much in order to get natural photos but it goes against my nature. I want to play with the kids and be goofy. I also photographed a man dying of AIDS in Cambodia while his family was there. It just felt wrong and i left but their faces still sort of haunt me.

Q During sudden emergency situations – for example, a road accident with a lot of people injured – would you reach out to help, or would you reach for your camera first?

A Reach out and help if I am the first one there 100%. I don't shoot a lot of spot news and I'm not a wire photographer or newspaper photographer so it don't have to get that shot.

Q What has been the worst personal experience you have had as a journalist?

A Probably the story I mentioned above about photographing that man dying in the hospital with his family there, not probably it was my worst experience.

Q Do you feel good about the state of photojournalism right now?

A No, I feel it's in a horrible state. No budgets means not enough time to put into what it takes to get a good story, a true story. I feel good about more and more young photographers emerging and doing amazing work but it's sad most won't get paid what they deserve for it. Collectives are popping up all over the place and they are a healthy way for photographers to bond with each other and to push each other. We started up one earlier this year called Razon Collective. We need a bailout just as much as any other industry in the US, journalists keep those in power honest, or at least more honest they they would be if we weren't around.

U.S. Officer Revisits His Past in Vietnam by Seth Mydans

2009-11-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

I had another chance to work with writer Seth Mydans from The New York Times. We've worked together quite a bit now and each time has been better than the last. I am proud to call Seth a friend and I'm always learning so much about being a better journalist and finding the deeper story. We both really gave a lot to this story and in the end he produced a really special piece that is more than just a profile of a US Navy Commander to Vietnam. Please take the time to read his story, it's a special one.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/world/asia/10vietnam.html?ref=asia

Reflecting On a Recent Assignment

2009-10-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

The garbage lady was ringing her bell as she pushed her cart down my small neighborhood ally. I was packing my belongings and preparing to move into a new house the following day when my phone rang. It was a familiar number, a writer from The New York Times that I often work with.
He was in the country covering a recent typhoon that swept through the Philippines then hit Vietnam. The damage in Vietnam wasn’t as devastating so I wasn’t assigned to cover the story. The writer however decided to stay an extra week and do some stories.
He asked if I could get on a plane that night or the following the morning to Ho Chi Minh City. I love working with this particular writer and didn’t want to miss the opportunity so I called on some favors to have my stuff moved while I was away.
The next morning I was on a plane leaving Hanoi and headed to HCMC. He picked me up at the airport with his assigned government minder from the ministry of Foreign Affairs and I was briefed on our stories.
We were headed straight to an orphanage for children who are HIV positive. Our story was about an incident a month prior when these 15 HIV positive children started attending a public school. The first day they showed up the parents of the other children pulled their kids from the school.
I didn’t really have time to process the story as I read the brief on the 30-minute ride from the airport. We had plans for another story later that afternoon so I only had a small window to get enough pictures for print and for an online slideshow.
I’m a goofy person and it’s my nature to be silly around children, but I needed natural shots so I had to restrain myself and try to bore them enough so they would forget about the tall bearded white man.
I floated around the orphanage and did my best to capture a small part of their everyday lives in the few hours I had. Halfway through the shoot I felt really sad when I thought about how it must have felt for them to be turned away from school. They were probably so excited about their first day at a public school.
No child should feel like an outcast like that and it just saddened me. I sort of felt bad thinking that me being there photographing them would just be a reminder to them of their experience at school.
I tried to be silly and goofy with them after that and I just shot what I saw and we all had fun. We left after a few hours and my focus switched to our next story on golf course leases.
I’m not sure what to make of things but I must say I felt kind of strange looking through my edit a few days later before filing. I couldn’t help be afraid that I approached both stories the same way, looking for nice light, moments, and composition in the environment I was presented with and at moments losing a bit of my humanity.
For my long term projects I’m very attached and I’m really there mentally when I shoot. I guess it scares me that when I’m only given a short time for a serious story that I can turn off that attachment if only for a little bit.

HIV Chidlren Not Allowed Into School-For The New York Times

2009-10-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

I've been working more than ever and not posting as much as I'd like to. I'm also working on a new blog for my commercial photography so I've been busy doing that. Here is a story I shot last week for the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/10/14/world/20091014ORPHANS_index.html

Thanks for looking,
Justin

Our Collective is finally live!!!!

2009-09-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

We started this process months ago and now we are finally live with our collective.
Introducing Razon
http://www.razoncollective.com/
Jared Moossy
Sarah Elliott
Brian L Frank
Justin Maxon
Justin Mott

It's a pleasure and an honor to be associated with these dear friends and amazing photographers.

Join us on facebook and feel free to leave comments.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=130225118449&ref=ts#/group.php?gid=130225118449&ref=ts

The Italians Like My Work?

2009-08-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

An Italian web journal about art culture and photography took an interest in my NGO work and traveling exhibition in Italy. I don't understand Italian but I hope they had some good things to say. Hopefully my Italian friend can translate for me.

I can't say enough about how much of a true pleasure it was working with Barbara and her colleagues from the Italian NGO GTV Trento. I was inspired by her passion for her work and the projects GTV have created. I sat down with Barbara and she thoroughly explained their water project in a small village a few hours from Hanoi. It was a special and rare experience for her to give me full creative freedom in documenting their project. This happened by her not only trusting my ability to tell a story but also her trusting me to be graceful working within the community that she has built a strong relationship. This is so important for photographers to respect that trust and understand the privilege we are often give to document lives.
Thank you Barbara for trusting me, I hope I did your project justice. I'm so happy they have turned this into a traveling exhibition.

http://www.giornalesentire.it/2009/agosto/1228/justinmottraccontailvietnam.html

Mott Visuals Grows and Goes to Africa

2009-08-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

I've been shooting commercial photography at some level since I started my journey with a camera at San Francisco State in 2003(I think that was the year). My commercial work has always come second to my work in photojournalism. It was only this year that I decided to get my commercial business organized and I launched Mott Visuals.

I was sitting in my house in Hanoi with my laptop lit up and sort of sulking because I wasn't deeply involved in a project like I love to be. My friend Cam popped up on Skype and we began to chat. I needed someone to spark me and Cam was the perfect person. She's a wonderful human being and great listener. I always enjoy our chats. I miss the days of working as a team and as a freelancer you are always on your own. No one is really there to share the triumphs and pitfalls of your work. Of course you can always share with friends and family but there is something special about sharing with someone who is actual involved with the work.

Cam joined the Mott Visuals team and is our sales representative in Singapore; she is also my informal consultant on many aspects of the business. It's great to have someone to get excited about assignments and the whole process that goes into them; I'm truly lucky to have her.

Since our launch business has been truly amazing both locally and worldwide. From a referral we landed a great client in Tanzania and I spent most of July there shooting. I've been back in Hanoi 2 weeks and our work in Tanzania landed us another gig back in Thailand. I feel we have a great product and I'm proud of our little business.

I have a new office in Hanoi and I'm about to embark on another joint venture with my talented friend and photographer Tung whom I share an office/studio with. More about my venture with Tung soon.
Thank you for reading my blog and it feels good to be writing again if anyone is listening.

Working With a Great Writer

2009-08-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

I've worked with New York Times staff writer Seth Mydans quite a few times over the past year and a half and each time it's an honor. Seth is based out of Bangkok and covers SE Asia for the Times. He is a veteran writer with decades of experience yet he still approaches each story with a childlike curiosity. His energy is infectious and wherever we end up working Seth is full of story ideas and even listens to my inferior attempts to contribute with a polite enthusiasm. Seth's father was a quite a famous photographer for LIFE Magazine and he is always thinking about visuals for me. He is a true professional and genuine inspiration, thank you Seth.

Here is our most recent story about counterfeit art in Vietnam.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/arts/design/01copies.html?scp=1&sq=Vietnam%20art%20justin%20mott&st=cse

A Stranger in Singapore

2009-08-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I shot a wedding in Singapore for a lovely couple, Felicia and Rob. It's always odd and interesting doing destination weddings. I've typically talked to the couple beforehand on the phone but I'm usually meeting them for the first time the day of or the day before their wedding. It's kind of strange when you think about it. One of the most important days of their life and a complete stranger is shadowing them for all the intimate moments from start to finish. I'm there in the brides hotel room while she gets ready and then hanging out with the groom and his best friends while they wait for their cue.

I always have to feel out the level of interaction each couple is comfortable with and I adapt accordingly. While all couples are different, it always seems to work out. Rob and Felicia were extremely easy to work with and very accommodating. In fact Rob is a photographer as well and was actually a ham for the camera. It was a pleasure to meet another lovely couple and to be a part of their special day!!!

Proactively Marketing Your Archive

2009-07-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

Sales of your archive images here and there add up at the end of the year and I don't know too many photographers who don't need a few extra dollars. Whether you are represented by an agency or not it helps to be proactive in keeping up with current events and marketing your archive accordingly.
The photo industry is hurting which means less people in the newsroom or your agency to keep tabs on your stock so it helps for you to keep tabs for them. I've also noticed a big switch this year with more image requests than ever and less traveling assignments. Lets hope this trend doesn't last, but while it going on it can't hurt to be prepared.

When I worked with WpN (before their assignment division went under) I use to give them a heads up if I had images in their archive or sitting on my hard drive that went along with a current event. They typically featured it on their front page after my email. Now I'm working with Redux Pictures and the same model applies. I'm not a pest emailing them for every little story but I do keep mental tabs on my archive and the news and it pays off. I'm not saying your agency isn't trying to push your work but they have a whole roster of photographers with thousands of images to sort through, so a little communication can't hurt.

The attached image was published pretty big in Newsweek after the swine flu story broke. I took that photo in Hanoi years ago and all it took was a quick email to Redux. A few hundred dollars per image adds up to extra cash at the end of the year. Also, never underestimate exposure and keeping your name fresh and synonymous with region you are based out of.
I hope you found this helpful and good luck selling your archive.
Justin Mott

Working in Africa :)

2009-07-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

I'll be in Kenya and Tanzania from July 10th until July 26th, please reach me by email if you need me.
Justin

National Geographic Traveler

2009-06-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

I shot this a while ago for The New York Times and it was recently published in National Geographic Traveler.