Pharrell Williams. Photo by Erik Madigan Heck for Fast Company, December 2013 issue.

Photo by Erik Madigan Heck for Fast Company.

Photo by Erik Madigan Heck for Fast Company.

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Art shot in New York City, working with design director Florian Bachleda and director of photography Leslie dela Vega. Here’s a look…

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Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham on the front cover of the February 2013 issue of Fast Company. Photo by Art Streiber.

And on the back cover. Photo by Art Streiber.

The inside shot. Photo by Art Streiber. Click to view larger.

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To read the feature, go here: “How to Talk Good.”

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Art—who also made a portrait of Ben with Pinterest cofounder Evan Sharp—worked with Leslie dela Vega, Fast Company‘s director of photography, and Florian Bachleda, the magazine’s design director.

As for Ben, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be an Internet pioneer, the 30-year-old CEO sums it up neatly in the feature story: “I’m tired.” Full article here.

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Ben Silbermann. Photo by Art Streiber for Fast Company, October 2012 issue.

Ben Silbermann (left) and Pinterest cofounder Evan Sharp. Photo by Art Streiber.

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Fast Company‘s Co.CREATE blog this week posted an interview with Nadav Kander about “How to Create an Unforgettable Portrait.” Staff writer Jeff Berkowitz asked Nadav about his thoughts on props and background, how he approaches working with vastly different subjects, translating the skills of portraiture to directing, and his “Bad Guys” portfolio and short films for the June issue of GQ.

“[For the GQ shoot], the idea was that these people are the villains of Hollywood,” Nadav tells Berkowitz. “The magazine wanted them to not be banal, Hollywood, over-lit pictures. I didn’t spend very long with the actors and one of the reasons is that I always light before the person arrives. I always have some sort of idea of how I think they will look interesting, according to who they are or their face structure. Then, even before they get dressed, I like to do one or two quick pictures to see if I’m on the right track. After that I get the lighting to really feel right and look great on them. Generally, I don’t spend that long. It could be 10 or 15 minutes with a person. Sometimes longer, but not much longer: 20 minutes, half an hour. Once a person settles down and becomes comfortable, it’s almost too comfortable. So the first 10 minutes are incredibly important, which is why I try to get my lighting right from the go.”

Read the full interview here.

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Conan O'Brien. Photo by Matthias Clamer for Fast Company.

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If only more companies were like Zynga, where you can bring your dog to work with you each day. Fast Company commissioned Art Streiber to photograph Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of the San Francisco–based maker of online games such as FarmVille—and home to more canine coworkers than you can shake a chewy toy at—for the cover of its March issue. For the inside pages, Art put a furry twist on his trademark group portraits, photographing Pincus among a cavorting crew of pooches. He also took individual portraits of the dogs—because, let’s be honest, they’re who we really want to see more of.

Here’s a look:

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Marc Pincus and friends. Photo by Art Streiber for Fast Company.

Portraits by Art Streiber for Fast Company.

The March 2011 issue of Fast Company. Photo by Art Streiber.

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The March issue of Fast Company. Photo by Art Streiber.

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In its March issue, Fast Company names its picks for the “Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Advertising.” Who’s at no. 1? Wieden+Kennedy, “for its nimble, novel Old Spice campaign.” Click here to see the full list.

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“In a few instances,” writes Fast Company‘s Tyler Gray in the introduction to the package, “they also reminded us of important fallout from the stories and how the photos took on new meaning as the various exposes and profiles evolved in the news throughout the year.”

Among the selections was this portrait of actress Felicia Day by Jeff Lipsky…

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Felicia Day. Photo by Jeff Lipsky for Fast Company.

Jeff Lipsky photographing Felicia Day for Fast Company.

To see all of the picks in Fast Company‘s Photo Issue, click here. And to go behind the scenes of Jeff’s shoot with Felicia, see below:

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Earlier this month, I noted that the September issue of Fast Company features a 15-page photo essay by Lauren Greenfield on Dubailand, but at the time, we weren’t able to post the images. The embargo has passed now, though, so I’m reposting the item, complete with links to the article.

Dubailand is a $66 billion project that—instead of being the world’s largest collection of theme parks and mixed-use development, as intended—has been decimated by the economic downturn. Lauren takes us on a kaleidoscopic journey through this manmade wasteland in a series of portraits and evocative environmental photographs that demonstrate both what might have been and what the developers’ dreams have become.

In both cases, there’s a surreal quality to the images. Actual snow skiing at the mall. A sagging palm tree that has put its parched head down in defeat. An abandoned Porsche covered in a thick layer of dust, in which someone has drawn the word “Loser.” So-called “debt refugees” in despondence and a clutch of ex-pats loading up on bubbly as if fiddling while Rome burns.

Fast Company’s story is called “Exodus,” with the subhead, “Not long ago, Dubai emerged as a symbol of crazed civic ambition, a once-quiet desert burg suddenly superheated by cheap capital. That’s over.” Fast Company has posted a slide show here, and Lauren has posted the entire article at her website, along with tearsheets from the July 2009 issues of Das and Zeit magazines, which also featured her Dubai photos.

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