• John Knopf, an Emmy Award-nominated landscape photographer, was an early adopter of NFTs.
• He co-founded FOTO, a collective geared at training artists to work in Web3.
• FOTO has hundreds of members and has partnered with Time magazine on its own NFT drops.
John Knopf’s Journey With NFTs
John Knopf is an Emmy Award-nominated landscape photographer who works for National Geographic and was an early adopter of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). While he initially came into crypto during the heady days of the NFT bull market thinking he could make a „quick buck,“ he quickly became enthralled with the potential of distributed networks. Together with seven other prominent photographers – Alejandro Cartagena, Ben Strauss, Cath Simard, Dave Krugman, Isaac „Drift“ Wright, J.N. Silva and Ravi Vora – Knopf helped found FOTO, a collective geared at training artists to work in Web3.
FOTO Collective
The idea behind FOTO is to elevate digital art as it advances the art form and provide professional training for aspiring photographers and digital artists alike. The collective boasts hundreds of members of amateur and professional artists today. Knopf curates members‘ art to exhibit at sponsored galleries and events; however he makes „no money from the artists whether their work sells or not“. In 2021, Time magazine partnered with FOTO on its own NFT drops while Knopf’s work has also been featured at several esteemed galleries around the world such as Aperture Foundation in New York City as well as DoBe Art Fair in Los Angeles.
Minting NFTs At The Ends Of The Earth
Knopf believes that good photography requires both technical skills and artistic sensibility which makes it uniquely fit for experimentation with blockchain technology like minting NFTs which can be done anywhere on earth including remote locations where internet access may be limited or unreliable making them incredibly difficult to create but highly valuable due to their scarcity value. This process is also much easier than ever before thanks to modern technology such as smartphones that allow users to easily take photos from any location around the globe without needing expensive equipment or special software programs which can be quite costly especially if you are creating multiple pieces of artwork over time.
Digital Culture & Crypto Communities
Knopf believes that digital culture plays a major role in advancing Web3 technology through his involvement with FOTO by turning an industry into a community using crypto benefits everyone involved including photographers looking for new ways to showcase their artwork online but also collectors seeking out unique pieces they can invest in over time without having worry about traditional financial institutions getting involved which can have fees associated with buying or selling artwork through them versus using blockchain based platforms like Ethereum or Bitcoin where transactions happen nearly instantaneously without any third party interference..
Conclusion: Turning An Industry Into A Community Using Crypto
John Knopf is proof that good photography requires both technical skill and artistic sensibility making it uniquely fit for experimentation in Web3 thereby allowing anyone regardless of experience level or geographical location access exciting opportunities within this space through his involvement with FOTO by turning an industry into a community using crypto which benefits everyone involved including photographers looking for new ways to showcase their artwork online but also collectors seeking out unique pieces they can invest in over time without having worry about traditional financial institutions getting involved which can have fees associated with buying or selling artwork through them versus using blockchain based platforms like Ethereum or Bitcoin where transactions happen nearly instantaneously without any third party interference..