JPG is back.

As many of you know I've been a professional photographer for quite a while now. And while there are a thousand magazines out there offering up contest galore ever week for your email opt-in. However, there's one that shines supreme – http://www.jpgmag.com and is unlike the others.

JPG Magazine came out of the camp that it's fun to have an assignment. So each week the present a theme "Twins, Color," or of recent "Plastic Fantastic."

What seperates http://www.jpgmag.com from other photo websites is it's Threadless.com-like community of like-minded photographers that add, vote and discuss all the imagey. Most aspects of this style of community are what you've come to expect, a profile area, gallery and WOMish invite tools. Here's the kicker though, if your photo is selected it's published in JPG's own monthly print magazine, and you get $ome do-ray-meeps. If you want drop by and see me: http://www.jpgmag.com/people/JusticeMitchell and yes I'm well aware I need to get more photos in the mix!

Web SOP

Just got back from meeting with a client who has a very interesting service driven website. There seems to be a disconnect on what is the best process for starting a website. First, the rules have changed. The current preoccupation with social media has over shadowed the need to make sure your advertising is properly delivering its message. It's Nano-Darwinism and it happens too fast we over look the fundamental development processes.

Not to get too "creepy, pantsless, drunk, uncle at the family reunion" on you, but the website is story as well. All the other things that you do...television, print, outdoor, online and social media are still fish hooks hoping to draw you ever closer to what you have in your reservoir. With that said, nothing sucks more than having a great campaign lead you to a crap website – it's like movie trailers. Half of the time you don't even see the clips you saw from the trailer. "BUT WHERE'S THE PORN STAR WITH THE BAZOOKA!?" This is where brand management comes into play. You're so far out in left field in your thinking that by the time you pay it off the concept looks like road kill.

The Art of the Reel

I'm in the equivalent of cutting room floor hell. What should stay and what should go? With over 15 years of interactive, print, video, social media and a myriad of business cards (some mine...some I've designed), it's hard to focus on what the best representation of my work is.

I'm an avid fan of eclectic portfolios. Someone that can show me they have their own style and then can attach themselves to a new look like a remora are the one's that impress me the most. Show me art, show me photos, show me how you think. People forget that there's a foundation to design, core principles that make and break a layout – line, color, font, weight tonality. How to light a scene. How to compose a shot. But I digress. Looking back on this, I'm more critical of my reel than ever before.

Spring Cleaning 2009

Updating your portfolio site is like digging in the garage. There's a ton of stuff that you forgot you had and when you see it you remember why it escapes your memory. Conversley, there's a few boxes that have these beautiful gems in them. There's always some crazy story attached to the work like "the dude had two GIANT German Shepards in his office!" One that felt content with nuzzleing the business durning my pitch no less. That was Steve Wynn and that was totally – true.

Well, let's see what we have, shall we?