The Pursuit of Cool

As a photographer you always strive to stand out and really create something that is meaningful, unique, and cool. There are only so many of the typical flowers, kitties, and converse shoes photos one can take. When I run out of ideas or inspiration I tend to look on the web for an injection of cool. So what is cool? I asked one of my good buddies what he thinks the definition of cool is. He says “Cool is something you can’t really put a description on. You just know cool when you see it.” Well, that was helpful. So to really dive deep into the cultural phenomenon that is the cool, I decided to visit the most creditable source known to man, the Urban Dictionary. Here is their definition: “The best way to say something is neat-o, awesome, or swell. The phrase “cool” is very relaxed never goes out of style, and people will never laugh at you for using it, very convenient for people like me who don’t care about what’s “in.”

In my mind the founder of TheCoolHunter.net has created a website that embodies cool. Launched in 2004, Bill Tikos has this site into the world’s most read culture and design site. TheCoolHunter spots and spotlights all things that they deem as “thoughtful, innovative and original”. These are all mostly captured in images and shared to worldwide viewers. One of the points that the website emphasizes is its focus on style that is outside of trends and fads; the site delights its audience with “what is beautiful and enduring”.

The site’s success comes from the community that it has fostered through Facebook and Twitter. Every day, there are new images for its followers and fans to comment on and like. Topics and images range from architecture, ads, and transportation to treelife so needless to say TheCoolHunter offers a wide variety of creativity and humor for everybody. My advice to you is that if you have a photo block then check out TheCoolHunter,net. I guarantee that you will at least like an image or two.