Cutler cites week 12, “Duct Tape,” as an example of a sketch that turned out differently than he
expected. After covering a Porsche 356 and a set with silver adhesive tape, Cutler lit the scene like
he would any other car shoot. “It looked too fussy, it just didn’t make sense,” Cutler explains. “So I
bagged the lighting after six hours and just placed a flash on top of the camera and that was it—
one shot, done.”
That flexibility sums up CC52: Keep shooting, try new stuff and, once you get what you want,
move on. Cutler notes, “I’ve always said that for every four things a photographer shoots, maybe
one is pretty good and that goes for my project too. I’ll be the first to say that I’ve liked some
better than others; it is what it is.”
What becomes clear after seeing new CC52 work every week (at the time of this writing, 49
weeks were complete), is that you don’t need fancy lighting set-ups, action-filled scenes or expen-
sive products to make compelling images. Many of CC52’s subjects are inexpensive, everyday items:
Styrofoam containers, eggs, crackers, copper tubing and cactus plants. The uniqueness comes in
the composition and execution of the shot. Cutler also made portraits and videos for the project.
Collaboration, Cutler says, has been the key to CC52’s success. Throughout the project he’s
called on a select group of friends, colleagues, and current and former assistants to help bring his
