Just a Good Conversation

A former Cal State Fullerton Division 1 softball player with a degree from the University had a couple tough years during that time. Family issues and some bad chooses in relationships put her in a low place. She found her way out through church and building strong relationships. She now works in sports ministry helping others found their path and work on being a better person.

Michael Der and I sit down to talk about AI and the photo industry. AI was built with the idea to help. The photo industry is on life support. Can I Ai help or hurt the photo industry is the topic. Michael hosts the podcast ARTrepreneurs which comes out weekly. It's a photography podcast that inspires photographers and visual artists to live their best creative lives. He talks business, art, about the chaotic journey through self-employment. Episodes every Friday. Hosted by Michael Der. www.artrepreneurspod.com. Instagram: @artrepreneurspod

International award-winning photographer Dave Sandford is best known for his dramatic collection, Lake Erie - Liquid Mountains.  Submerging himself into the freezing waters of Erie, Sandford’s striking images reveal the violent & breathtaking beauty of this Great Lake.

His viral waves paved the way for a lifelong dream, a meaningful career in conservation & wildlife photography.

Sandford, a native of London, ON. Canada originally established himself as a world class photographer around the ‘frozen ponds’ of the National Hockey League. During Sandford’s time at his Alma Mater - Toronto Metropolitan University, Sandford channelled himself into the world of professional sports photography. Sandford’s work in sports quickly grabbed the attention of others & he found himself with a rinkside seat at the professional ranks before he even completed his degree.

Sandford’s storied career in professional sports brought him international recognition & established Sandford early on as one of the leaders in the industry. With over 25 years of experience Sandford’s work has landed him roles with sports giants such as the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Sports Illustrated and Getty Images to name a few. While Sandford still has a foothold on pro sports, these days you are more likely to find Dave face to face with a polar bear on frozen tundra or dancing with whales under the sea.

Throughout Sandford’s career the call of the wild continually whispered in his ear.  Sandford’s passion for nature and wildlife led Dave down a path with strong ties to conservation. In 2015 when Sandford’s Liquid Mountain’s grabbed the world by storm, Sandford channelled that momentum at this pivotal point in his career, to make the shift into nature photography.

Seizing opportunities in wildlife conservation, Sandford quickly transitioned into this role, once again establishing himself as sought-after leader in the industry.  Sandford turned this into his opportunity to roam where the wild things are.

Canadian to the core, and similarly to his spirit animal, the polar bear - Sandford is right at home when the mercury dips well below the freezing mark. Making his first trip to the Arctic in 1997, Sandford now has over 20 expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica to his credit. With saltwater coursing through his veins, Sandford has also taken his photographic skills into the world’s oceans, swimming alongside natures gentle giants (whales) or finding himself face to face with another of Sandford’s favourite subject’s, the great white shark.

Claws, paws or jaws, wide open spaces or tiny places, Sandford enjoys showcasing the beauty of our natural world, blended with exciting and insightful storytelling from his adventures both near and far. It is Sandford’s hope that by sharing what he loves, others will share in that love - promoting positive change in the preservation of our wild spaces and those wonderful creatures who inhabit them.

Amanda Pitts is the Photography Services Manager in the office of University Communications at GVSU. She received her Bachelor of Science in Photography from GVSU in 2005, and her Master of Communications from GVSU in 2010. Amanda has been at GVSU for 15 years during which time on any given day she might be found on the tops of buildings, deep underground, on a frozen waterfall, in a helicopter, on a boat, underwater, flying a drone, and sometimes even in her office!
Amanda is also an active member of the University Photographers Association of America, currently serving her second term on the board as the Corporate Relations Chair. She has won numerous awards from both UPAA and CASE during her time at GVSU.
When she is not at work, she likes to spend time with her family participating in tickle fights, scootering, hiking, camping, and especially cuddle time with her son, two cats and dog. But Amanda’s most very favorite thing to do, besides researching random useless things on the internet, is to annoy her family by stopping to take pictures every five minutes while on vacation!

Motivated by climbing and adventure, Doug Murdoch started making gear for himself and friends at The Harness Factory, in Sunland, California. Doug later worked for Mountain N’ Air Sports, Adventure 16, and Lowepro, as well as being a design consultant. Dissatisfied with the pressure to lower costs by reducing features, Doug struck out to design products that out-performed the stripped-down, less effective offerings from other companies. The original founders of Think Tank. Steven Harrison, Brian Erwin, Deanne Fitzmaurice, Mike Sturm, Doug Murdoch, Pam Austin, and Kurt Rogers started the company in 2005. Check out the website thinktankphoto.com

Jay Cohen has been playing the trumpet for over 50 years, 35 of them as a racetracker. Known for playing the "Call to Post" before each race over the years at HollywoodPark and now Santa Anita Park he was recently stricken with Bell's Palsy and has had to battle back to his calling. "This 35 years has turned into who I am," he says. A truly beloved character to his fans, he's asked to play birthdays, weddings and even funerals because. Always ready with a smile, a joke, and even a magic trick, this is Jay Cohen. Mr. Cohen has performed the "Call to the Post" to signify the start of racing more then 100,000 times.

Bruce Chambers is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. Husband of Carole since 1981. Father of Ian, David, and Colin. Grandfather (“Dude”to them) of Delaney, Rhys, Braxton, and Isla. Community Pastor at VOX Christian Community, Orange County, CA. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, California (2013-present). Newspaper photojournalist (1979-2014). Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker (2001-2019). Avid gardener. Explorer of backroads. Boulder collector. Introvert. People pleaser (in recovery). Unemployed, yet not accepting the label of retired. In denial.

When Bruce was 25-years-old (1981), he moved across the United States to Rochester, NY, to work for the Gannett Rochester Newspapers. He worked on a staff of talented photographers, who had the task of providing images for the city’s two, morning and evening edition, newspapers. Since the papers didn’t want to run the same images, there was a strong need for fresh wild art and multiple strong images from the top stories of the day. My photo boss, Dick Sroda, told me he expected two pieces of wild art every day, in addition to my assignments. Being the rule follower, he was then, he complied. That discipline, learned early on, made my career joyful as I challenged myself, every day, to “find” images that would interest my readers.

Bruce Chambers is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. Husband of Carole since 1981. Father of Ian, David, and Colin. Grandfather (“Dude”to them) of Delaney, Rhys, Braxton, and Isla. Community Pastor at VOX Christian Community, Orange County, CA. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, California (2013-present). Newspaper photojournalist (1979-2014). Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker (2001-2019). Avid gardener. Explorer of backroads. Boulder collector. Introvert. People pleaser (in recovery). Unemployed, yet not accepting the label of retired. In denial. 

When Bruce was 25-years-old (1981), he moved across the United States to Rochester, NY, to work for the Gannett Rochester Newspapers. He worked on a staff of talented photographers, who had the task of providing images for the city’s two, morning and evening edition, newspapers. Since the papers didn’t want to run the same images, there was a strong need for fresh wild art and multiple strong images from the top stories of the day. My photo boss, Dick Sroda, told me he expected two pieces of wild art every day, in addition to my assignments. Being the rule follower, he was then, he complied. That discipline, learned early on, made my career joyful as I challenged myself, every day, to “find” images that would interest my readers.

Kevin Jones never expected to graduate from college. In fact, after graduating from high school in 1988, he made the conscious decision not to pursue higher education – even though his three sisters had all gone on to university studies.

“School and I were not friends,” recalls Jones. “All the way through elementary school, then in high school, I just wasn’t the typical kid. I was the nerdy type that wasn’t accepted. So by the time 1988 came around, I had made up my mind. I was done with school.”

Jones went so far as to hold a mock funeral in the backyard of his mother’s house, digging a hole and burying his textbooks in it. He had decided that the blue collar lifestyle suited him best, and spent the next three decades drifting from one job to the next. “Truck driver, security guard, nurse’s aide – I did anything you can think of that’s underpaid and undereducated.”

It wasn’t until 2014, when the Los Angeles native found himself unable to pay rent and ended up homeless on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia, that Jones decided to turn his life around.

“It was March 14, 2014,” he says. “I’ll never forget the date. That’s when I had the revelation that life was getting serious. All of a sudden, the light bulb came on. I asked myself, ‘What are you doing with your life? What happened?’ From then until now, I was on a path to change things. I didn’t know that the path would include about four and a half years of homelessness…” “I thought I would be stuck in that lifestyle forever,” he says. “And now I’m considering options for graduate school. It’s amazing.”

Upon losing his home in Atlanta, Jones drifted along, sleeping in his car or abandoned warehouses before adapting himself to living in local homeless shelters.

“I had to learn the system, because every shelter has one,” he says. “For example, you have to be in line for bed every day at the same time. You really have to figure out your life based on that system.” Jones moved from shelters in Atlanta to those in San Jose, Calif., before ending up on Los Angeles’ Skid Row.

It was while on Skid Row that Jones dedicated himself to self-improvement. “I told myself I had two options,” he remembers. “I can stay here at rock bottom or I can go in the opposite direction. I started working on a plan of growing up.”

While staying at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, Jones enrolled in a program there aimed at helping get clients off the streets. “They have a program for anybody that’s serious about not being homeless,” says Jones. “It’s a one-year program. If you go through the program, by the end of it, they guarantee you an apartment and a job. They don’t just kick you out and say, ‘You’re on your own.’”

He started working at the shelter while still living there. Within a few months of starting the program, Jones was able to move into his own apartment. Again, it’s a date he’ll always remember.

“I moved out of the Union Rescue Mission on June 18th, 2018,” he says. “I jumped in a taxi over to the apartment that they had for me in Compton. I’ve been off the street ever since!”

Jones’ return to school happened almost by accident. He was walking through Lueders Park in Compton while a career fair was going on. As he walked past the Compton College booth, the woman working there asked him if he wanted to enroll in school.

“I looked at her, and strangely, I considered it,” says Jones. “I walked over to the booth and I thought, ‘You ain’t got nothing to lose, right? I signed up, and the next thing you know, it’s Fall 2019 and I’m enrolled in junior college. Then I started seeing some good grades—grades that I wasn’t even getting in elementary school.”

“All of a sudden, my brain turned on and I could do the work. As I kept seeing those A’s and B’s coming in, I thought, ‘I can do this, and I’m going to keep working and see how far I can go.’”

Kevin Jones never expected to graduate from college. In fact, after graduating from high school in 1988, he made the conscious decision not to pursue higher education – even though his three sisters had all gone on to university studies.

“School and I were not friends,” recalls Jones. “All the way through elementary school, then in high school, I just wasn’t the typical kid. I was the nerdy type that wasn’t accepted. So by the time 1988 came around, I had made up my mind. I was done with school.”

Jones went so far as to hold a mock funeral in the backyard of his mother’s house, digging a hole and burying his textbooks in it. He had decided that the blue collar lifestyle suited him best, and spent the next three decades drifting from one job to the next. “Truck driver, security guard, nurse’s aide – I did anything you can think of that’s underpaid and undereducated.”

It wasn’t until 2014, when the Los Angeles native found himself unable to pay rent and ended up homeless on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia, that Jones decided to turn his life around.

“It was March 14, 2014,” he says. “I’ll never forget the date. That’s when I had the revelation that life was getting serious. All of a sudden, the light bulb came on. I asked myself, ‘What are you doing with your life? What happened?’ From then until now, I was on a path to change things. I didn’t know that the path would include about four and a half years of homelessness…” “I thought I would be stuck in that lifestyle forever,” he says. “And now I’m considering options for graduate school. It’s amazing.”

Upon losing his home in Atlanta, Jones drifted along, sleeping in his car or abandoned warehouses before adapting himself to living in local homeless shelters.

“I had to learn the system, because every shelter has one,” he says. “For example, you have to be in line for bed every day at the same time. You really have to figure out your life based on that system.” Jones moved from shelters in Atlanta to those in San Jose, Calif., before ending up on Los Angeles’ Skid Row.

It was while on Skid Row that Jones dedicated himself to self-improvement. “I told myself I had two options,” he remembers. “I can stay here at rock bottom or I can go in the opposite direction. I started working on a plan of growing up.”

While staying at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, Jones enrolled in a program there aimed at helping get clients off the streets. “They have a program for anybody that’s serious about not being homeless,” says Jones. “It’s a one-year program. If you go through the program, by the end of it, they guarantee you an apartment and a job. They don’t just kick you out and say, ‘You’re on your own.’”

He started working at the shelter while still living there. Within a few months of starting the program, Jones was able to move into his own apartment. Again, it’s a date he’ll always remember.

“I moved out of the Union Rescue Mission on June 18th, 2018,” he says. “I jumped in a taxi over to the apartment that they had for me in Compton. I’ve been off the street ever since!”

Jones’ return to school happened almost by accident. He was walking through Lueders Park in Compton while a career fair was going on. As he walked past the Compton College booth, the woman working there asked him if he wanted to enroll in school.

“I looked at her, and strangely, I considered it,” says Jones. “I walked over to the booth and I thought, ‘You ain’t got nothing to lose, right? I signed up, and the next thing you know, it’s Fall 2019 and I’m enrolled in junior college. Then I started seeing some good grades—grades that I wasn’t even getting in elementary school.”

“All of a sudden, my brain turned on and I could do the work. As I kept seeing those A’s and B’s coming in, I thought, ‘I can do this, and I’m going to keep working and see how far I can go.’”