Callahan.: The Selby.

I received an email from my boyfriend saying that I would like this...it was a link to The Selby, it took me straight to a photo of Erin Wasson so I presumed as he knows I love her it was the photo I would love, then I read the about section and loved the whole concept of the website. Todd Selby is a portrait, interiors and fashion photographer and illustrator. His project The Selby offers an insiders view of creative individuals in their personal spaces with an artists eye for detail. The Selby began in June 2008 as a website, where Todd posted photo shoots he did of his friends in their homes. Requests quickly began coming in daily from viewers all over the world who wanted their homes to be featured on the site. The Selby's website became so influential with up to 95,000 unique visitors daily that within months, top companies from around the world began asking to collaborate. It amazes me how small personal projects just like this explode on the internet becoming recognised by thousands, these joint projects have included Nike, Louis Vuitton and Hennessy, a solo show at colette, an international ad campaign for Habitat and work for New York Times T magazine and Vogue. I think its so encouraging that people can start out on their own small little projects and by pass the process of shouting from the rooftops for the ideas and work to be seen or heard from the top companies, now we are at a stage where these companies are actively recognising this talent and reaching out to these people themselves, I think its brilliant when bloggers are given coverage in magazines, it seems a much more natural and free environment for creative people to collaborate eliminating the disappointment of not getting a certain job, instead they are being reached out to by these publications. This has now led Todd to be able to release his first book, The Selby is In Your Place and has recently launched Edible Selby in collaboration with NYTimes T Magazine in which he photographs the most creative and interesting people in food around the world. Todd's journey leading to his successful website was an interesting one, before working full time on this project he worked as a translator and Tijuana tour guide to the International Brotherhood of Machinists, a researcher into the California strawberry industry, a Costa Rican cartographer, a consultant on political corruption to a Mexican Senator, an art director at a venture capital firm, an exotic flower wholesaler, a Japanese clothing designer and a vermicomposting entrepreneur.....