Meet the members of our first-ever CreativeLive Honor Roll! After pouring through all of your nominations, we selected these 12 brilliant individuals based on their hard work, creative vision, and dedication to learning. Hailing from Finland to Colombia to London to San Francisco, each of these 12 CreativeLive students have their own unique success story. Without further ado, meet the inaugural CreativeLive Honor Roll:
Adrian Farr — Before he discovered CreativeLive, London-based Adrian Farr was taking what he calls “mediocre pictures” as a nights and weekend hobby. Today, Adrian is a full-time photographer whose life purpose, he says, is to “create images that I can leave behind to inspire others and help them remember special moments in time.” And his self-described “mediocre” phase is long-gone; Adrian recently won a number of photography competitions, had his images featured in international fashion magazines, and has already started to attract the attention of magazine editors attention, as well as major companies like Samsung and Sky TV.
Check out Adrian’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Antti Karppinen — Antti Karppinen is not just a talented photographer; the Finnish artist also boasts a strong background in composite photography, art direction, and retouching. Antti, who specializes in portrait photography, sums up his creative mission: “I don’t just take images, I make them. I’m a creative, out-of-the-box thinker. ‘Imagine everything’ is my motto.”
Check out Antti’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Daphne Chan — Daphne Chan is a boudoir photographer living and working in Canada. After taking several CreativeLive courses, and working hard to apply every technique and strategy she learned, Daphne was able to turn her failing commercial studio into an awe-inspiring success story. Today, she runs a thriving boudoir photography studio dedicated to inspiring women to reclaim their own confidence and learn to love themselves through radical self-acceptance.
Check out Daphne’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Daniel Cely — Daniel Cely always wanted to be a photographer, but never believed he could make a living taking photos. After discovering Lara Jade’s Fashion Photography 101 course, Daniel dove deep into our photography catalog and found a number of mentors — including the inimitable Brooke Shaden. Now, after just 8 months as a CreativeLive student, Daniel is starting his own photography business, has a long list of portrait clients, and is already attracting attention from small galleries and fine art publications.
Check out Daniel’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Emily London — Emily London is makeup artist, designer and photographer. The Utah resident was nominated by fellow CreativeLive student Victoria Volk, who had this to say about Emily: “There is no other photographer I know of who has taken everything Sue Bryce has given, shown, and provided, and applied it to their business BETTER than this gal. She shares a wealth of her own knowledge on her blog. She’s invested money and time in developing her brand and has done it in such a short amount of time. This is one photographer I see going places.” We can’t wait to watch this rising star!
Check out Emily’s work on Facebook and Instagram.
Alex Hanse — Alex Hanse is the CEO of Foolies Limited Clothing, which he created to provide stylish, functional attire to driven individuals working to change the world. Alex says, “Every single day I work towards empowering and pushing my customers to the next level. Every single say CreativeLive is doing the exact same thing. We push and motivate people to change the world, and that is the only goal and mission that matters.”
Check out Foolies Clothing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Tara Gill — Tara Gill is a photographer and digital media designer. Her unique style of botanical photography has received an incredible number of awards, including first place in a continental contest held by Ilford. Tara’s creative mission is reflected in the dynamic, luminous images she creates. “My work serves to illuminate the relationship we have with plants, not only for food and air, but for beauty,” Tara explains.
Check out Tara’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Danny Rotondo — Street photographer Danny Rotondo was nominated by CreativeLive student Meryl Wieder, who had this to say about Danny’s work: “He has produced an outstanding body of work worthy of a gallery display and/or book. You would think that street photography is easy just looking at his pictures, but I know that it isn’t. His portraits are mixed with well-composed architecture shots that capture what is often a drab environment and transform it into something more interesting: Photojournalism.”
Check out Danny’s work on Flickr, and follow him on Twitter.
Zoe Noble — Zoe Noble is a full-time photographer and retoucher in Germany. She has shot for clients such as Harper’s Bazaar, Topshop, Future Publishing, Global Blue, and worked as a full time product/interior photographer for a homeware company. And she’s done all of this in just three years! “I was 30 when I realized the career I’d carved out for myself wasn’t making me happy,” Zoe reveals. “Without sites like CL, I would have been forced to try and go back to school and spend thousands of dollars to learn my new craft.” Zoe dug deep into CreativeLive’s photography channel and found the career — and life — she wanted. “I’ve always been a firm believer in self-teaching,” Zoe says. “If you have the dedication and determination, you can learn so much with amazing platforms like CreativeLive.”
Check out Zoe’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Zoe Hiigli — Zoe Hiigli is a newborn photographer living and working in New York City. She has taken over 50 CreativeLive classes in just two years — all while working full time and being a single mom! “I am proud to say I was educated by CreativeLive and I tell everyone about you and what I have learned, especially my photographer friends that are in the struggle too,” Zoe says. “I firmly believe that artists should learn business and I spread that belief everywhere. It is my passion to kill the ‘starving artist’ title and the belief that there isnt room for one more photographer.”
Check out Zoe’s work on Facebook, and make sure to follow her on Twitter!
Shandi Kay — Shandi Kay is a photographer who started watching CreativeLive while attending the Art Institute of Colorado. “Art school was a great experience and helped me to develop the discipline to study and pursue photography in a way I’m not sure I would have done on my own,” Shandi says. “As I neared graduation I realized there were still some major gaps between what I was being taught and what I really desired to know.”
Check out Shandi’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Rodney Bedsole — Rodney Bedsole started watching CreativeLive a few months after he got his first DSLR, and he’s now a working photographer — shooting everything from food to portraits to events to weddings. His food photography has been published in a number of magazines, and he is also now an event photographer for Morgan Stanley.
Check out Rodney’s work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Each week we will be featuring one of the Honor Roll members right here on the blog. Stay tuned for in-depth profiles every week as we interview each of these 12 bright lights to find out what inspires them, what challenges them, and what drives them.
