I asked Jamie Kripke to share some thoughts on his photo essay “Building Ello,” a behind the scenes look at the creative minds at Mode Set.

“Mode Set is a group of creative technologists who built Ello.co, a brand new, rapidly expanding social network. The work Mode Set does involves lots of thinking, some talking, and some typing. I couldn’t help feeling like I was watching chess: study the board thoroughly, consider options, make a move, see what happens.

There was some some serious 12th degree black belt thinking going on, probably involving calculations and moves that would crush my tiny brain like a walnut.

It was very cool to see the team that built Ello, working on Ello. These are the makers that enable the next level of makers.”

Thanks Jamie, it is very cool to see Mode Set through your lens.