Wow, this is so exciting!  Introducing our new digital download from DEDPXL and Zack Arias.  Ta Da!  I spent 3 days with the DEDPXL crew last Fall filming this video.  We put together some great shoots ranging from simple portraits to some conceptual work with a set build.  This video series takes you through my personal life, career, failures and triumphs and also takes you on-set, behind-the-scenes to see some of my methods, gear and techniques as well as a full day of shooting.  It could not have turned out any better, and it’s on sale for just $50 this week only.

This short trailer gives you a good idea of what to expect.  Thanks for taking a look.  Head on over to DEDPXL to download the full video now and enjoy!

Huge thank you to Zack Arias and Bernard Brand for all of their hard work on this.  I am really proud, and happy to be a part of it.

When I first got into photography, I was still in college, desperately trying to figure out what to do with my life.  I wanted some sense of control over whatever it was I was going to do, but that was all I knew.  When I first picked up a camera, it was for no other reason than to take pictures of my friends jumping off swings, and long boarding down the steep 16th fairway at night.  It was something I enjoyed, but I never imagined that it could actually translate into a career.  Thanks to the kind words of a drug store photo lab manager named Kolene Potter, I decided to become a professional photographer.  All I knew is that she said I could be good at it, and that some people make a living taking pictures.  That was all I needed to know, and I never looked back.  The world of photography was completely unknown to me, and from my perspective, there were no limits.  That was what made it so exciting.  The opportunity to explore and experiment.  The thrill of the chase, and trying to figure out just how to make money doing something I enjoyed.

This took place just as digital cameras were coming into existence, and also when I was still finishing up college, so I didn’t have the financial pressures that exist on me today.  Looking back, it was the best possible scenario for me to begin a career in photography.  But not only was the timing right, there were several people who came into my life and gave me amazing advice.  They shared their time and knowledge with me, helped me with my portfolio, and maybe most importantly, taught me how to bid on jobs.  Every one of those lessons and moments has stuck with me, and I will carry that knowledge with me forever.  I never would have had the opportunities I have today if it were not for those generous people.

In 2013, I taught my first workshop.  It was called the Un-Workshop.  We were trying to break the mold and do something a little different.  The first day was filled with marketing and business lessons, numbers, stories, and goals.  It was everything I could think of that has been helpful to me in my career as a freelance artist.  The second day was all about lighting and production, and if I had to guess, I would say a majority of the people who attended were lured by the lighting.  It just sounds way sexier than learning about business.

I have continued to teach the Un-Workshop over the last couple of years, in Dubai and the Bahamas.  It has been a good workshop, but after collecting feedback from over 60 people who have attended, I have come to realize something.  People always comment that they have fun with the shooting and lighting.  But what they really spend time talking about is the business and marketing content.  To hear things like, I keep the workbook on my desk at all times and always refer back to it, and I just landed my biggest client, and I just won a bid on the biggest job of my career, and Business is better than ever...  That feels really good.  There are so many places to learn about lighting these days.  And lighting is really important for a photographer, don’t get me wrong.  But if I can offer information that can change the direction and stability of an artists career, that is what gets me really excited.

I was with a group of professional photographers recently, and I was really struck by the number of times I heard them say things like, “I’m not business-minded”, “I’m a starving artist,” “I just want to create, I don’t want to deal with self promotion…”  I get all that.  Those feelings are totally valid, but it doesn’t have to be like that.  I know artists are not often considered savvy business-people.  It might be a right brain, left brain sort of thing.  But I also happen to know many amazing business people who are also wonderful artists.  I think what seems to be more the case is that artists are never taught about how to run a business.  How to pitch an idea to a potential client.  How to understand the needs of a client or potential client, and what to actually charge for all of the many different services artists provide.  Over time the artist’s creative drive is locked down in trying to understand the nitty gritty, and the excitement begins to fade.

This is why I love teaching, and why my team and I have created a new workshop called “Survival Guide”.  I believe I have a responsibility to pass on what has been given to me over the years, as well as lessons I have learned from my own journey.  I also believe that with a solid plan, and some basic guidance, any artist can learn to thrive and create work they are passionate about.  It doesn’t have to be a big struggle between creating and business.

Find out much more and sign up at our new Survival Guide page.  See you soon.
Oh, and this awesome illustration for our poster was created by Derek Sullivan.  Thanks Derek!

2014 was a big year for me.  It was the year I began directing professionally.  I intended to start off with a series of self-produced shorts to build up my reel, but just after completing Glory Days, things took off.  First I directed a series of commercials for the Sounders 2014 season with Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins, and DeAndre Yedlin.  Next up was a little music video for Fences + Macklemore called Arrows.  Then I was off to Cincinnati for Vita Coco with Giovani Bernard.  Which brings me to this video, the final project of the year.  It was a labor of love, and well worth it, I might add.

My friends at Hammerquist Studios came to me with the idea of doing a pro bono video project for the 2015 International Children’s Film Festival Seattle put on by Northwest Film Forum.  We had a blank slate, and the opportunity to create something great for a good cause could not be passed up.  The first thing we did was get writer Jeff Siegel on board.  He came up with about 6 really awesome ideas, but there was one that jumped out at all of us right away.  Rather than read about it, you should really just watch how it turned out.  There were over 50 people who generously gave their time, materials, creativity, and money to this project.  I wish there was time to detail and describe the many amazing things each person did to make this happen.  The energy on set was amazing because everyone was there because they truly wanted to be.  Thank you to my amazing team, and thank you, Hammerquist and Northwest Film Forum, for trusting us to make this awesome video.

Directed by John Keatley
Written by Jeff Siegel
Agency / Hammerquist Studios
Starring Rachael Kevin and Everett Moss
Spencer Norris / DP and Editor

Produced by: Lillian Brunner, Taylor Reed, Nichelle Keatley, John Keatley
Art Direction: John Lavin, Becky Mohrlang
Cast:  Sara Coates, Kathleen Boyle, Kunwar Singh, Julie Ellis, Aiden McCoy, Hallee Olsen, Cadence Whittle, Anthony Herrera, Etri Ajbour

Sound Designer: John Buroker
Sound: Sam Martinez
Music: Wesley Slover
Colorist: Kevin Adams
Voice Talent: Dave White
Gaffer: Scott Jonas
Costume Design: Ron Leamon, Gerard Parr
Hair & Makeup: Haley Olsen, Akemi Hart
Wardrobe Stylist: Alexis Steinman
PA: Jonah Kozlowski
Casting Agent: Tami Wakasugi
Set Builders: Becky Mohrlang, Stephen Klineburger, Natalie Hammerquist, Sean Tully, Jeff Aitken, Adam Hunt
Special Thanks To: Vince Klimek, Kaleo Quenzer, Dave Drummond, Fremont Studios.

Spontaneous getaway anyone?  Yes please!  My team and I got to work closely with the folks at Instagram and Hotel Tonight on this amazing ad campaign called “Tonight I Am“.  Hotel Tonight is a hotel booking app that let’s you book a great hotel from a curated list of hotels in just 3 clicks.  No matter where you are, or what you are doing, you can book a great hotel without spending hours researching and comparing prices.  To show this, we came up with 6 scenarios from daily life, and styled the subject in each scene as if they are already in the place they want to be.  Travel is just 3 clicks away, and mentally they are already there.  The campaign has done really well so far, and has received a lot of great press, including this article by AdWeek.

Big thank you’s to Hotel Tonight and Instagram.  Let’s do it again soon.
The six set’s we shot on were designed and built by Adi Goodrich and her team (we both have the same great rep – Redeye!).  High five!  Retouching by Ryan Cleary.

Behind the scenes pictures by Olivia Lazer and Taylor Reed.

I’m not sure if it get’s much better than this.  You know that old joke about the photographer in the doughnut shop…  well, it’s true.  The joke goes, you can’t have too many doughnuts, when a photographer…er, uh, tries to eat…with cameras.  Anyway.  I have no will power, and I really like doughnuts.  You get the point.  And if you know me, you know I am addicted to Top Pot old fashioned doughnuts.  Keep your camera close, and your old fashioned doughnuts closer.

Aside from eating my favorite Top Pot doughnuts all day on set, this was a very exciting campaign for us because we got to develop and produce the creative.  Top Pot came to us wanting to create something memorable for their marketing and advertising efforts.  This is something I have been moving into more and more in recent months, but this was the project that really set things off.  Top Pot is an institution in Seattle, and their slogan is “Hand Forged Doughnuts and Coffee” and the logo is a blacksmith hammering away on an anvil.  We thought it would be fun to bring that idea to life with three images depicting bakers hand forging doughnuts and coffee on an anvil.  To keep things authentic, while having a bit of fun, we shot it all in the actual bakery where Top Pot makes all of their delicious doughnuts in Downtown Seattle.

Thank you so much Top Pot.  You were wonderful hosts and clients!

Behind the scenes pictures by Zoe Rain, and retouching by Gigantic Squid.

Here is a little something we cooked up just for fun.  I find that is often the best reason to create.  Just for fun.  Directing has gradually become a huge part of my creative process in addition to photography.  When I was in high school, I bought my first video camera.  I took it everywhere with me.  Video was actually a passion of mine well before photography.  Somehow, along the way as my photography career took off, video was something I lost sight of.  Thankfully directing has come back to me in the last couple of years.  In the past, I would go through my journal of ideas and think, “How do I want to make this a photograph?”  Now, as I am thinking about a possible project, I am able to ask myself, “What is best for this idea?  A photograph, a video?”  Or maybe something else completely.  Whatever it is, as long as I am creating, I am happy.  Below is a still I also shot on set.  I just couldn’t help myself.

A very big shout out and thank you to our amazing crew for making this video come to life.  I can’t thank you enough!

Taylor Reed, Sara Coates, Isla Keatley, Andrew Franks, Kort Havens, Spencer Norris, Jonathan Houser, Jon Anderson, Nate Taylor, Alexis Steinman, Jennifer Popochock, Dennise Larson, Mikie Magnusson and Zoe Rain.

Behind the scenes images by Zoe Rain.  Thanks Zoe!

Food Lifeline is a great organization that is fighting to end hunger in Western Washington.  ”Working with the food industry and its surpluses, we come up with creative solutions to stopping hunger, including redirecting good food from manufacturers, farmers, grocery stores and restaurants that might otherwise go to waste.” – Food Lifeline website

There are some pretty staggering numbers on food waste in America, so it was especially gratifying to work on a project like this that I know is going to have a positive impact.  For example, did you know nearly 40% or 170 billion pounds of the available food supply at the retail and consumer levels in America will go to waste?  - via Food Lifeline website

I worked on this ad campaign with the folks at Green Rubino, who I also shot The Recommendeuer with last year.  Big shout out to my friends Joe Quatrone and Dennis Budell who I love collaborating with!

Here is a fun little post production fact I thought you might enjoy.  I photographed each of the subjects bare arms and legs, and those assets were used to make the arms and legs on the apple and carrot.  Gigantic Squid did a fantastic job retouching these, and you can’t help but feel happy that the apple and carrot found good homes.

Here is the first behind the scenes video of Arrows by Fences featuring Macklemore. This is so fun to watch for me because the last 2 months have been such a blur. As you can see, all of the sets were built in a warehouse and shot on green screen. Ian Hubert, Nate Taylor, and Ian Goode did such an amazing job bringing this to life with stunning imagery and VFX. I hope you enjoy it.

If you haven’t seen the actual music video yet, here it is: Arrows – Fences feat. Macklemore

“Arrows” by Fences featuring Macklemore and produced by Ryan Lewis.  Directed by Jason Koenig and John Keatley.  It’s hard really to put into words what I am feeling right now.  We literally just finished working on this video and I haven’t had time to clear my head or process what has just happened.  It has been 2 solid months of hard work for so many talented people, and I am incredibly proud of what we all created.  First and foremost I want to thank Fences, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, my co-director Jason Koenig, and my wife Nichelle and our kids.

It goes without saying, but this has been an amazing opportunity that I am very grateful for.  I also made some wonderful new friends along the way.  It is worth mentioning that the sets for Arrows were all built in Seattle.  Pre-Production, casting, filming, and all post production was done in Seattle.  Seattle pride!  I hope you enjoy the “Arrows” music video as much as I enjoyed working on it. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for lots of behind the scenes pictures and videos.

I have directed a few small film projects in the past few years, but what a project to get thrown into the ring on.  I wouldn’t have had it any other way.  This is just the beginning.  John Keatley – Director / Photographer.  I like the sound of that.

It’s official!!!  Jason Koenig and I directed a music video for the song “Arrows” by Fences featuring Macklemore and it comes out this Monday!  Holy Smokes I am excited about this.  You will be able to see it on Youtube, so get ready.  More soon.  Thanks for watching!