For the last 6 months, there has been a low rumble in my brain to present an annual award to a photographer or photography teacher who universally inspires us all to be better photographers, perhaps even be better human beings. In my mind, it had to be a person who goes well beyond the ordinary – shares her/his knowledge openly, invites dialogue and challenges us to elevate our craft and vision.
You probably already know some them. You've attended their workshops, hung out with them at parties and chatted with them one-on-one about your photography work and or business. You've come away after each encounter feeling energized and enthused about your calling – photography. They have rekindled that fire in your belly and you know that today and tomorrow are going to be great days because of the time you spent with him or her yesterday. Ever feel that way? It's time to celebrate them.
2011 Awardee
The list of friends, and they have become just that over the years, is long. Choosing one among all of them for this first Tiffinbox Award was no easy task.
The photographer whose name I kept seeing again and again – thanks to his awesome Twitter presence, his phenomenal feat of writing 4 truly amazing books in 3 years, his workshops, his thought provoking blog posts and his positive spirit as he faced life-threatening challenges – is David DuChemin.
So, David, congratulations. On behalf of all the photographers who have been inspired by your spirit, your hard work as a photographer, teacher and mentor, I am honored to present you the 1st Annual Tiffinbox Award. You'll receive a real Tiffinbox in the mail, filled with goodies you can munch on as you embark on your next trip with Jessie.
Craft & Vision
“Gear is good. Vision is better,” is his mantra. This simple, yet profound philosophy to photography and business has been my guide for the last few years. Perhaps it has been for you as well. So, instead of buying more gear, David suggests expanding the way you photograph your subjects. To that end, David began publishing beautifully designed and written e-books for photographers. At $5 each, these won't break your bank. Want to know more, check out Craft & Vision. [affiliate]
The Giveaways
If you have been influenced or inspired by David's blog posts, Tweets or even the e-books he produces, let me/us know in the comments section below. Be as descriptive and specific as possible. How has he helped you? What steps did you take with your photography after reading one of his e-books or blog posts? Which particular blog posts spurred you into action? Feel free to show us “before & after” images via links to a post on your site.
If I receive a 100 comments under this blog post between today and August 31, I'll select 4 of the best comments to each win one of 4 of David's awesome books (yes, shipped anywhere in the world) on September 1. So, hurry!
UPDATE: I've reconsidered the 100 comment requirement and I am pulling it. The deadline will be the same. You want to win 1 of 4 David's books, then comment away. I'll read through each of them and pick 4 winners. Deal?
Here are the four books I will be giving away:
Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision
VisionMongers: Making a Life and a Living in Photography
Vision & Voice: Refining Your Vision in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Photographically Speaking: A Deeper Look at Creating Stronger Images
By the way, the annual Tiffinbox Award will always be presented on August 23. I'll let you figure out why. Also start thinking of whom you will nominate for next year's award.
WINNERS ANNOUNCED: This morning I chose the following to win 1 of 4 David's books – @kristaphoto @LaraWhite @nine9beans and @BelindaOlsen. Congratulations! Please contact me with your mailing address by September 7. All but one book will be shipped in September. David's latest is in process of going to print. If you already own one or more of his books, please let me know which one(s) so that I don't send you something you already have.
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100 is a lot of comments.
Congrats to David…
Yes,
David,
Congrats! Break a leg… oh sorry…
Best,
John
Congrats to David! well deserved. David inspires a lot of photographers everyday. I had the privilege of traveling with him to India and besides being a very funny companion David is a great teacher !
Well deserved. Can’t think of a more fitting recipient. Nice one Seshu, and felicitations to David.
I started with David’s podcasts, then Jessietrip, then the collective gasp from Pisa. David is one confident, honest, outrageously articulate guy. His feet are on the ground (oops, odd metaphor, although true again, yay) and he can articulate what so many of us know but can’t quite say as clearly. But, since Pisa, the dude has insinuated himself into our hearts and minds. I almost feel guilty that I seem to get so much out of his difficult experience through his blog entries. But obviously he is getting a lot out of it too because he works it. Good choice.
I laugh that the award will probably be quite useful on the road. Not many awards can claim that.
David is an incredible inspiration to our community, and I can’t think of a more deserving photographer.
David’s blog really inspired me to stop looking to photographic “milestones”, ie “the shot,” “that ONE moment,” – and instead towards looking at photography as a concept that one has to continually practice to improve at. Photographic vision comes from within, he says – and I’m taking a semester off from my university explore a foreign country and indeed pursue these dreams of mine. Thanks, David for being so inspiring.
Face it, David is a blessing to our community. He not only produces stunning images, but he chooses to help others through his words and actions. His books and blogs are insightful and inspirational. And he deserves all the kudos bestowed on him … he rocks.
Huge congrats to David. I have loved following him on twitter. It’s been very motivational to hear his perspective after his accident and all of the things he’s been doing. I love how honest and direct he is. I really admire David and his desire to help the industry and make his knowledge affordable! There are no walls or secrets, it’s about trying to improve the industry.
Thanks Seshu for the generous giveaway!
Fortunately for me I have all of David’s books … even if it wasn’t for his insights into photography I’d still buy the books just for the photographs :)
I believe you couldn’t have made a better choice for the award. The man is truly inspiring in regards to both his craft and his attitude towards life. It’s refreshing to see an artist that is so humble and positive about his approach to life, and more specifically to photography. What’s more, David makes us see we are also capable of achieving as good results as his as long as we, besides having good technical understanding of what it takes to make a good photograph, keep shooting what we love and care about in order to express our own vision.
Congrats to David for his awesome work in both writing and photography! This is a well deserved award.
Absolutely the right person for this award. I’ve read Visionmongers and Within the Frame and these books have basically shaped me into the photographer I am today. WtF I read just as I was starting to care more about gear than vision and it turned me right back onto the right path. Visionmongers I read just as I was starting to take photography more seriously and starting my own business. I owe David a lot, and after his accident in Italy and his fight to recover, there is no person who deserves this award more. Congrats David and I hope you’ll be able to run a marathon soon :)
David is a great choice for this award. His book Vision Mongers literally affected every aspect of my life. Its made me a better photographer, a better architect and most importantly a better person. His Books and Blog has influenced my life so much that even my wife (who does nothing related with photography) follows David on Twitter and reads his Blog. Congrats David and Thank You for everything that you do for the photography community.
Excellent choice, Seshu! I love David’s work and am totally inspired by his blog posts! There’s more to life and to photography than creating a successful business, and I appreciate so much how he (and his work) remind me of that.
It’s great to see such a photographer who is active on many fronts- always working to help countless others improve. He is such a great resource for photogs-amateur to pro. *fingers crossed* it would be amazing to win one of his books!
David duChemin is awesome, and I wish him the best in his recovery. I’ve bought 4 of his e-books and will be buying more soon.
I’m thrilled to be a winner of the Tiffinbox Contest(!!!), and I can’t wait to receive a Craft & Vision book by @pixelatedimage:disqus from @PicSeshu. David is such an amazing inspiration, both in his photography and his business.
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