Good design IS sexy. Why can’t function always be sexy too?

Well, it can be, but very few companies actually understand that concept like Apple does. I thought about this concept again today as I painfully walked to the running store. After the shoot I did for Nike Running in Latin America, I was inspired to run. Yes, Nick Onken now likes running. Two words that never co-existed in the the same sentence now does. After seeing these amazing pro athletes with perfect form through my lens, I figured I’d give it a try. What does this have to do with design you ask? Well, I’ve been running on average every other day since April with my lovely Nike running shoes and Nike + gadget. At this point, the insides of my shins have started to hurt. So, I walked myself to the local running store, they took a look at how I walk/run and prescribed a new shoe for me to eliminate the pain. Since I have flat feet, I’m stuck with my one and only ugly option made by Brooks.

My point(besides get the right running shoes for your feet)? Why can’t the make a functional shoe aesthetically pleasing? There are many products in this world that are functionally amazing, but the creator forgot to hire a designer. This parlays into graphic design as well. Many people think they can design a website or print piece on their own without any sort of design background. Don’t do it people! Design is a subconscious nuance that not everyone is consciously aware of.  Most photographers think they can design their brand/website/promo materials themselves, and unless they were a graphic designer in a previous life, it shouldn’t be done. Design creates perception, and perception creates reality. Use a great designer to create you a great reality to your clients, a reality that appeals to them subconsciously and visually tells them who you are.

Hire a designer to put beautiful form into your function!

Chase Jarvis has been a great friend/mentor to me. In addition to his mad photography skills, his business skills are highly impressive. We’ve had some great photography talks over playing ping pong in the parks of Paris in my Parisen residence days a couple years ago. (say that 10 times fast). He just did an interview podcast on studiolighting.net and in it he talks about Stylized Authenticity, something I’ve thought about that I could never put into words.

Stylized Authenticity- taking something normal and putting your own style or twist to it. It’s an inspiration to when shooting put your style tweak on the image, whether that be in camera or in post production. In any case, you should always be striving to find and create your own personal style, not just shoot what everyone wants. If you stick true to your visual style and photographic vision, in the end, clients will hire you just for that. That in itself is a rewarding feeling. It takes takes a lot of time and perseverance when starting, but it’s more rewarding in the end. Show and shoot what you want to ultimately be shooting.

My brand new (RED) Converse arrived in the mail today. I’m pretty stoked on them. You can design your own Product (RED) Converse on the Converse website. You can now spend money on shoes for a cause, and on top of that you can create your own custom shoes.

Design is progressive and inspirational. The Product (RED) campaign was inspired and created by Bono. A hip way to give back to the world. Sometimes I wonder if giving back has gotten too hip. Doing it just for the sake of being cool leaves me with the question: Is it better to give out of hipness than to not give at all?

All in all, I think the Product (RED) and the One campaigns are great.  Either way, it’s inspiring to see design helping to change the world. 

Ellen Von Unwerth is by far one of my favorite all time photographers, with such a unique vision. She was one of the original photographers that shot the guess campaigns, which is where I first discovered her work. She has a beautiful grittiness to her images, and her colors are bright and poppy. I saw her in action last year when I was working back stage at the fashion shows in Paris. Amongst the many other photographers with their massive digital cameras and funky self made flash contraptions, Ellen walked around with a glowing smile and a small 35mm film camera. Had to be a Leica or small Nikon. Completely inspiring. She has kept photography at the grass roots and to me that is impressive. She brings an intriguing sexuality and energy out of her subjects. Naturally everything she shoots is film. It makes me want to find an old Leica and start shooting film.

You can view the whole catalog of her work here.

One of my favorites is this Interview article she did of Brad Pitt in Morocco.

I can truely say she is one of the most influential photographers in my world. It’s so raw, intimate, and grass roots.

A lot of times I get people asking what gear I have, amongst other things. You can get some of this info on the original ShopTalk website. On the topic of lenses, I will say I’ve fallen in love with the 35mm F1.4L. It’s wide enough to get a person full body in the frame, and still crop the image down to a 8.5×11 crop ratio. I’ve also started shooting at f2.0 instead of f1.4 to makes sure I’m safe on having the right things in focus. The 20mm f2.8 is another one of my favorite lenses. It gives a great dynamic, and natural vignette around the edges.

Both of these recent shoots were primarily shot with the 35mm F1.4L:
I used my new Mini Cooper in this shoot. Some really fun lifestyle:
http://www.nickonken.com/Stories/MiniRoadTrip/

Rob Dyrdek is a pro-skater and has a show on MTV. We shot some PR images for him. Him and Big, were funny characters!
http://www.nickonken.com/Stories/Rob&Big/

Music is definitely inspiration in art. A good friend of mine showed me this website called Pandora. You can basically type in a band or a song, and it will create a radio station based on similar music, and it’s free! I love internet radio for the fact of finding new music and great bands. Check it out!

http://www.pandora.com/

There’s nothing like a good camera crush. I think it’s one of the most inspiring things about this line of work. In talking amongst some fellow photographer friends, we’ve been trying to come up with an explanation of the feeling, and have decided to define it as that.

For me, when I’m shooting a girl that is really photogenic, there’s a creative chemistry or feeling… that’s very similar that high school crush feeling when you like someone and can’t get enough of just seeing them. It’s an inspiring energy that I think transcends into whatever I shoot that inspires me to keep shooting more. Creative energy where you feel those butterflies in your stomach because the chemistry of the visual elements synergize together.

My camera crushes of the weekend in a Nike Body By Dance shoot.