One on One with Zack Smith: New Orleans filmmaker, photojournalist, and muralist Crista Rock! I have been knowing Crista for long time and it was only up until the last few years that I have seen her talent truly shine…where have I been! Well – consider yourself SERVED with creative angles, powerful stories and damn those Converging Lines! Look, Like, and Share!
I have always thought that storytelling through photography is the most powerful medium available to create change and connect with people. In the growing culture of Insgrammers, Twitter-photogs, and Facebook image makers we now have a shortened road from story capture to the audience ingest. The monetary barrier to entry in the digital photography space is getting lower and lower while the quality and resolution of the cameras are increasing. This momentum has leveled off in the last 3 years or so, but camera manufactures keep evolving camera ergonomics, internal image editing feature, wifi abilities and more things that don’t really make us “better” photographers.
As I see this trend continuing, what you don’t see is an exponential increase in talented, seasoned, and humble storytellers. And that’s just how the world works…it takes time to hone your skills, it take hours and hours (Malcom Gladwell says 10,000 hours) to create confidence and become an expert. I think what you have in Crista Rock is an expert in fields of listening, capturing, and delivering the truth. She’s been at it 20+ years and her work is one of a seasoned antennae collecting and delivering stories that help us see ourselves as we are. More please….
