Stage Light Demonstration

What if I did my talk like this? 
(stage lights go out)

Or this?
lights behind me are on
”Eh, too ominous.”

Or this?
Soft, romantic light
”No, this isn’t a christmas eve service”

Or this?
(Only under lighting is on)
”Nope! That’s a hard pass.”

Or this?

(It finally lands on the perfect combination of stage lighting)
”Ahh that’s it.”

We chose this lighting because this is what we wanted you to see.

Light shapes what we see, how we feel, and the way we perceive the world.

Light is powerful.

Light is my day job.

I know, because I work & play with light every single day.

Light is quite literally my day job. I love it.

This year alone, I’ve done over 3,500 photoshoots of individuals like yourselves. I have a brand new studio in Franklin called The Portrait Lab where I’m now doing 60-second photoshoots of the public. I shoot over 150 portraits of them… each photo being unique because the lighting, backdrops, and projections are constantly changing.

It’s basically ADHD in physical form.

I even invented something called a “Lightograph” which I describe as the evolution of light through a still portrait. It’s a video but the only motion is the light itself.

That’s my daughter by the way. When we were making this, she said

“Wait, you just get to play with light all day?!”

“Indeed.”

Auras

Last year I had the opportunity to take that “playing with light” mentality to an extreme level.

Apparently my ADHD wasn’t satisfied, so I pushed the boundaries into a performance art project called Auras, where I shot 10,000 self-portraits in 20 minutes in front of a live audience. 

It was wild, take a look.

Hundreds of images projecting onto me, around me, behind me, all the lighting changing…

as I sat there, absorbing all the light hitting me, I realized something:

You are a camera.

(Wearing a camera around my neck)

When it comes to light, the human body and a camera body work exactly the same way.

Let’s pause here for a second.
When you think of “Light”, what do you think of?

There’s the obvious definition of visible light… I can see you & you can see me because of the lights in this room, right?

But what if the idea of light went beyond the physical, scientific, visible aspect we all understand, what else could be considered light?

I think light can ultimately be anything that we let enter our senses… ideas, experiences, moments… it’s all light.  

Now, let’s take a quick walk through the components of a camera to get a better understanding of the correlation… 

I promise this is not an ad for Canon by the way. All cameras matter, I promise.

First, we aim our lens to what we want to capture and light travels through the lens and then hits the sensor.

Every camera has a sensor, a perfectly clean slate behind the lens, super sensitive to light. Dust and dirt can forever damage a sensor, so you protect it at all costs. Otherwise the image won’t turn out the way you want it to, if it turns out at all. Once light hits that sensor, it sends a signal to a computer to process, and out comes an image.

The same thing happens with us. Light — ideas, experiences, emotions — enter through our lenses… our eyes, ears, and senses. It hits our sensor, which is our heart — the most fragile part of us that we must protect. Our heart sends a signal to our brain to process, and out of us comes an image.

Whether it’s a camera body or a human body, light passes through to form an image.

And the higher the quality of the light, the higher the quality of the resulting image. That’s true for cameras, and it’s true for us.

What do I mean by image? Well, what does your daughter think of you? What do your parents think of you? How do you make your friends feel? Do your colleagues like you? Do your followers enjoy following you?

The light entering your sensor, your heart, forms your image.

My Image

I gave myself a brutal image as a kid. I told myself “I can’t” to everything. I thought I was stupid.

My parents redefined that image. I should. I can. Anything is possible.
So I listened to them.
I nearly failed college photography and made a D but I still listened to them.
Much to my photography professor’s surprise, it worked.

Literally, my first year of being a photographer, I went from 0-60 and landed an agent in Hollywood and it’s been a wild ride ever since. Over the years I’ve photographed Kardashians, Emma Stone, Mark Cuban, Stan LeeI toured with Britney Spears and yes, I even photographed Taylor Swift.

A couple years later I was named the most influential photographer on the internet by Huffington Post. There were all kinds of other accolades coming quickly.

But that image being formed wasn’t me. I didn’t want to be known as the rockstar photographer guy. So I started pouring myself into humanitarian projects.

Wildfire relief, earthquake relief, a rwandan genocide proejct .. I did a project with former child soldiers… I even launched a little initiative photographing the homeless, which then became a worldwide movement of photographers giving back.

Thankfully, I was able to shape the my image that was being formed.

These days when people ask me about my work or when I do podcast interviews, it’s rarely about the celebrities. It’s mostly about the humanitarian projects… and bringing light to the stuff that matters like poverty, and homelessness, forgiveness after war, hope.”
(humanitarian slide)

And by the way? I take no credit. I give credit to all the quality light in my life… my parents, my kids, my siblings, the community I was raised in, my friends… crazy high quality light.

Types of Light

Back to literal lighting… as a photographer, the most important decision I make is the type of light I’m going to use based on the end result I want.

Gobo, strobes, projectors, light painting, constant light, natural light, fiber optics, ring lights, lasers… each light creates a different mood, a different image.

Similarly, we have our own types of light in life… family, friends, loved ones, co-workers, social media, TV, Netflix, the news.

Light

Gobo
Strobes
Projectors
Light-painting
Constant Light
Natural Light
Fiber Optics
Ring Light
Lasers

Life

Family
Friends
Loved ones
Co-workers
Social Media
Internet
Netflix
News
TV

Quality of Light


After I decide on the type of light, then I have to think about the quality of light.

Do you know the difference between hard and soft light?

The best way to think about it is a sunny day versus an overcast day.
The sun in a clear sky is a tiny dot of light in the sky far away.
It’s harsh, unflattering and reveals our shadows.

On an overcast day, the clouds diffuse the harsh sun and turn it into one, huge soft light that’s up close and personal. It smooths out imperfections and softens the scene.
(Maybe use flashlight and umbrella in this case)

(Btw it’s also why everyone shoots their selfies in the car - it’s super diffused, soft, flattering light)

Have you ever had a major fight over text with a loved one?

Like, it’s bad bad. Things are said that might mean one thing, but the intentions get lost in translation. Then you’re swirling in regret cause you realize how much you love that person and you just wish you could have had that conversation over coffee?

You can’t hear tone and see facial expressions over text.
It’s far away and harsh. It’s unflattering. It reveals our shadows.

But resolving conflict over coffee is just like soft light.
It’s up close and diffuses the harshness. The shadows vanish.

I’m sure you’ve heard by now of people’s lives being changed after they take an extended phone break. It’s really simple… they’re quality of light changed. Everything went from hard light to soft light.

this reminds me of one of the funniest tweets I've ever seen. I forget who said it be he said "every once in a while I"ll stop looking at my phone, I'll look out the window and I'm like woah."

Social Media

I want to talk about social media for a second, because it’s dominating our lives more than ever— would you agree? Most everyone has an opinion about whether social media is a good thing or not.

I personally think social media is neither good or bad. 
It’s all about the accounts you follow.

I recently went on Instagram and went through all 1,700 accounts I follow and attached an emotion to every single account. It went something like this: Joy, rage, humor, fear, inspiration, lust, envy, hope, entertainment, inspiration, heartbreak, lust, wisdom, humor… you get the idea

Crazy that envy is verified.

Guess what. We’re NOT DESIGNED FOR THIS.

Question:
It’s kind of like eating every type of food at once. If we sat down for dinner and I gave you a burrito full of grapefruit, sauerkraut, mayonnaise mixed in with some wasabi, black licorice, pop rocks and habanero peppers, would you eat it?

Absolutely not!!
(Some of you are saying yes and that’s just disturbing)

Or how about this?

Let’s try listening to hip-hop, country, pop, classical, edm and jazz all at the same time.

I’m going to go on record and say that’s the worst sound ever heard in the schermerhorn.

Now let’s listen again while trying looking at images of things you can’t afford, puppies, houses bigger than yours, parties you weren’t invited to, soldiers coming home, people more in love than you, simone biles, every opinion you disagree with, talents you don’t have, fail videos, cats, thirt traps, recipe videos, donald trump, tatoo ideas oh and throw in some motivational quotes.

Then we try and fall asleep. : )

But this is exactly what we’re doing to ourselves on social media.
We can’t possibly process every human emotion at once all day, every day.

Young people, this is why we talk so lovingly about the 80s and 90s, the days before the internet…

BECAUSE THIS WASNT HAPPENING.

It’s no wonder depression and suicide are at an all-time high. It’s no wonder they’re warning of an epidemic of mental illness coming.

So what do we do? Of course one idea is to quit social media.
But I’m not the quit social media guy. I love it.
I used to hate it but here’s how I changed that.

As a test, I went on Instagram and just muted or unfollowed all the accounts that triggered negative emotions. It took a minute, but it’s been so worth it. Now Instagram is wonderful. It’s now abstract paintings that inspire me, sports highlights, adhd memes, dogs, cats and panda bears being idiots. I love it.

Did you know that pointing a laser at a camera sensor can really hurt it by shining light at a high intensity in a focused beam.

Talk about high intensity and a focused beam… what are we doing to our sensors? What are we allowing to happen to our hearts?

Please, unfollow or mute the individual accounts that are not good for you. For your peace of mind. For your sanity’s sake. For the love of all things good and great. Mute or unfollow the negativity. 

But the good news is we’re in control.

The algorithms are not out to get you. They’re learning from you. You get to tell them what you like. YOU are the curator of the light entering your sensor.

So now that you know how to curate the accounts you follow, take that same approach to the rest of your life. The people you hang out with, your netflix que, your job, your diet, your schedule…

As Jim Rohr famously said “You’re an average of the 5 people closest to you”

I would add to that: “You’re an average of the 5 social media accounts you follow closest”.

it’s all light entering your sensor and thus, creating your image.

Shutter Speed

And now let’s chat shutter speed. 
Are you familiar with the term shutter speed?
It’s how long the shutter of the camera opens and allows light to hit the sensor.

Your shutter opened the moment you were born, and it will close the moment you die.

When our shutter finally closes, that image is complete, our legacy set. There’s no going back, no retakes. The life we’ve lived, the light we’ve allowed in, will be the final picture we leave behind.

Geez. (said laughingly)

Image test

Do me a favor and just for a couple seconds think about…

Your Mom
Your Ex
Your Dad
Your crush

Isn’t it interesting how an image forms instantly—a visual, a feeling, a memory?

Now consider the lifetime of light that entered their sensor to form the image you see.

I lost my Mom in 2020. When I think of her, I see her face and I just sense this sweet, warm hug and the word selfless is what comes to mind.
And gosh did she have a damaged sensor. For her to love me like she did after all she’d been through?? Strongest. Woman. Ever.

The Big Picture - 45 Million

Let’s look at this image of my Dad. My hero.
This man poured all the most defining light into my sensor.

I created this image with a Canon R5.
I promise this is not an ad btw.
The R5 has a 45-megapixel sensor. Mega means millions.
That means the sensor produces one image made up of 45-million pixels aka squares.
Watch this, I’ll show you.


Let me zoom in. And in. And in. And in. Do you see all the squares now?

You’re literally looking at 45 million squares.

Each one of those is essential.
They’re tiny, almost invisible on their own, but together they create something complete, something that tells a story.

Recently, out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT: “how many years is 45 million minutes?”

I couldn’t believe the answer: 85 years. That’s a lifetime.

The same number of minutes in a long life as there are pixels in this image.

Think about that for a moment.

45 million pixels of light hitting a sensor to form one image.
45 million minutes of light… experiences, emotions — each one a pixel — hitting your heart to form your image.
Just like the pixels in this photo, each minute of your life, no matter how small, contributes to the larger picture.

Some of those minutes are highlights - the day you got married, held your child for the first time, the goals you achieved.

Then there’s the minutes in between… the interactions, the social media scrolls, the meals, the driving… those are equally important in the bigger picture.

Then of course are the dark pixels - the losses, the failures, the regrets, the loneliness… but they are just as important. They add depth, contrast, meaning. Without them, the image would be flat and lifeless. The light needs the dark to truly shine.

We point our lens at the light we want to hit our sensor… our heart, our soul.
This light develops our image, our brand, our reputation, our vibe, our presence, our style, our essence, aesthetic, our identity, our essence, our character, our legacy…
for others to see

My question is… what do we want them to see?

Thank you.

Lighting Ratios

Live, on-stage demonstration

This would be good for corporate conferences

”What’s your key light?” What are the supporting lights?

Editing - graphic design, writing, marketing

Bounce Light

Where the light is just bouncing between buildings and everything is just interesting and beautiful? - It’s kind of like a conference - where everyone is in the right mindset and inspired and sharing ideas and wants to collaborate, etc.

Mixed Light

It’s confusing. You don’t know what to think.

More analogies

Camera body - human body

Sensor - heart

Shutter speed - lifespan

Processor - brain

Lens - senses

Aperture - mindfulness 

Accurate - authenticity


Highlights - wins

Shadows - losses

Overexposed - fake, posing

underexposed - negative, sad, dark

Composition - choices

white balance - emotional balance

ISO - Sensitivity

Bokeh - joy

hard light - distant communication 

soft light - up close and personal

Histogram - life’s balance

Crop - Priorities

Resolution - clarity

Post-processing - learning and adjusting

More analogies

Focus - Priorities: What you focus on determines the clarity and importance of aspects in your life.

  1. Depth of Field - Perspective: A shallow depth of field represents a narrow focus, while a deep depth of field represents a broad perspective on life.

  2. Composition - Choices: How you arrange the elements of your life, deciding what’s in the frame and what’s left out.

  3. White Balance - Emotional Balance: Adjusting how you perceive and respond to life’s situations to maintain emotional stability.

  4. Exposure Compensation - Resilience: Making adjustments to cope with life’s challenges, either lightening up in dark times or calming down in overly bright situations.

  5. ISO - Sensitivity: How sensitive you are to your environment and experiences, with lower ISO representing a calm, less reactive state and higher ISO representing heightened awareness or sensitivity.

  6. Bokeh - Joy: The blur or softness in the background, representing the moments of joy that blur out the noise and stress in life.

  7. Histogram - Life’s Balance Sheet: The distribution of light and dark moments in life, where a balanced histogram represents a well-rounded life.

  8. Crop - Boundaries: The act of setting limits or focusing on what’s important by cutting out the unnecessary parts.

  9. Resolution - Clarity of Purpose: How clearly you see and pursue your goals and dreams.

  10. Time-lapse - Memory: Capturing the essence of long periods in a short sequence, like how we remember highlights of our past.

  11. Framing - Context: The way you position yourself within the larger context of your environment and life circumstances.

  12. RAW Format - Authentic Self: Living life in its purest form, without filters or enhancements, being true to yourself.

  13. Post-Processing - Reflection and Growth: The process of learning, adjusting, and improving based on life’s experiences.

The dark pixels

Talk more about my own journey - brain disease, adoption, financial stress, being a creative, the hotel journey, marriage, 4 kids, etc, etc.

Aperture - Open or close minded

JJust like photographers love a lens like F1.2, we seek open-mindedness, wide open heart, game to learn about others, experience new things

Close mindedness is like a lens that only goes to

Accuracy = Authenticity

Just like photographers want an accurate exposure, we want authenticity… not too sad or dark but not fake. We crave real, authentic people and real experiences.

Talk about a histogram here?? Perfect exposure?

Digital Family Tree

And if you’re alive right now, that means you’re the beginning of your digital family tree.

When is the last time you googled your grandparents? Great grandparents?
You probably don’t because you know the internet wasn’t around. Even your parents might just have a few links… maybe their linkedin or facebook and an email address with their name in ALL CAPS.

But most of us are leaving a MASSIVE digital legacy behind… jobs, tweets, tiktoks, reels, blogs, websites, articles, videos, the sushi we had for lunch last Saturday.…

Then there’s AI. Just to see if it was even possible recently, I had ChatGPT write my bio. Then I would have it do it again, over and over. Each time, it would tell a completely different story about my life but scariest of all, it was ACCURATE. I was both amazed and horrified all at once. And I’m not a celebrity! I’m not even an influencer!

It just proved that I have far more of an online image than I ever realized

For generations to come, your entire world will be able to explore your life, your thoughts, your experiences.

You better be sure those car selfies are inspiring.

(Show ridiculous car selfie and say “You’re welcome”.

Alternate ending idea - I can’t decide

Do I flip the script and talk about how not only do we remember to protect our sensors but also know that we are light in other sensors?? Copy ideas below:

As you carefully curate the light that enters your life, shaping your own image, remember—you’re also a light in others' lives. Every DM, every email, every interaction, every smile, every word you share impacts someone else’s sensor, contributing to the image they’re forming.

Just as a camera needs the right light for a beautiful image, people need quality light in their sensor. Your light influences their journey. So, as you move through life, be mindful not just of the light you receive, but of the light you give. After all, you're not only shaping your own image—you’re helping to create the images of everyone around you.
What kind of light do you want to be?

(Something like that)

Add in Politics - dark light dark image

Eyeball - Sensor

We’re so quick to judge people aren’t we? We just assume the light that’s entered their sensor is the same as ours. But just like our fingerprint is vastly different from theirs, so is our light.
(slide - fingerprint)

YOU are also light.

• It illuminates - brings knowledge and understanding

• Light provides growth - just like a plant growing, personal growth comes from enlightenment and learning

• It guides us - establishes morals

• It gives us hope - sunrise represents a fresh start, a new day, a redo, a reset

• It gives clarity - insight into complex situations

• It reveals - hidden truths or potential

• It gives energy - like a source of energy for the earth, light can inspire and enthuse us to take action

• Light gives warmth - love, compassion, kindness

• It’s used to celebrate - Like fireworks or holiday lights, we need to celebrate our collective wins far more than we do

• It can provide focus - just like a spotlight, light can help us focus on a goal or task that leads to success

Below are all ideas for later and longer versions of this talk

Susceptible to Damage

All these things can literally block light from reaching the sensor, resulting in permanent spots or blemishes on images.

Sensors

Impact
Pressure
Abrasions
Debris
Water
Dust
Dirt
Heat

Hearts

Toxic Work Environments
Loneliness
Addiction
Bullying
Stress
Abuse
Debt

Quality of Light


Other random, discarded thoughts:

the entire internet is really hard light - it’s all from a distance, harsh, nothing personable, no context

that’s why we crave authenticity, events like this. We want to touch, feel, smell, etc. That’s all soft light.

Like, is there anything better than being outside in the grass with a dear friend, good food and real authentic conversation? That’s soft light yall.

Story about the 80s - watching old videos, everyone was just so happy - it was ALL soft light

Recently I walked through my same high school and I couldn’t get over the sadness and seriousness from all the kids

The exercise of light

Have the audience take out their phones and light each other’s faces while I discuss the power of light
(Careful though people get distracted and check their phones)

community group story / comparison

bad quality light

eleanor roosevelt quote

Healing your sensor

The only one who can fix your sensor is the one who made it

Who are you? And who are you going to be?

More light thoughts

But here’s the thing: while you’re busy curating the light that enters your own sensor, shaping your own image, remember—you’re also a light in someone else’s life. Just as you protect your sensor, being careful about what you allow in, others are doing the same. And you… you are light in their sensor.

Think about that for a moment.

Every interaction, every word you speak, every smile you share, every moment of kindness or indifference—you’re not just receiving light; you’re giving it. You’re shining into someone else’s sensor, contributing to the image they’re forming.

Picture it this way: you are the sun in someone’s sky. You have the power to be that soft, warm light that makes them feel safe, loved, understood. Or, without even realizing it, you could become a harsh, glaring beam that casts shadows, revealing insecurities, doubts, fears.

When you walk into a room, your presence illuminates others’ lives. Are you the kind of light that uplifts, inspires, and brings out the best in those around you? Or are you the kind that leaves them squinting, searching for the shade?

You see, just as a camera needs the right light to capture a beautiful image, people need the right kind of light to create a life filled with joy, hope, and love. And you’re a part of that process. Your light is being reflected in the eyes of your friends, your family, your colleagues—everyone you meet.

We’re all walking around, carrying our sensors, carefully crafting our images, but we’re also photographers in each other’s lives. We’re shaping the images of those we love, those we interact with, and even those we barely know.

So, the next time you’re with someone—whether it’s a loved one or a stranger—ask yourself: What kind of light am I bringing into their world? What kind of image am I helping them create?

Are you softening their shadows, or are you casting more? Are you highlighting their strengths, or are you exposing their flaws?

Remember, the quality of the light we give is just as important as the quality of the light we receive. And sometimes, being the right kind of light in someone else’s life can change their entire image.

So as you go out into the world, be mindful not just of the light you let in, but of the light you shine. Because in the end, you’re not just curating your own image—you’re helping to create the images of everyone around you.

And what do you want them to see?

Thank you.