MOVED MY BLOG TO
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http://photonyc.blogspot.com/

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Sometimes its good to stick to basics.
But after these years of experience
It is hard to remember and realize that these great photographs
I took when I was learning the technique in school
were taken with a minimum of equipment en yes
often simply daylight.

A good image is not made by cables and packs
a good image is made in your head.
concept composition and vision.
And with this vision often comes the technical expedition.

Over the years flash and strobes created for me
this surreal look. These esthetics are conceived as beauty.
But the viewer doesnt realize that it is deception.
He simply doesn't see the world like the image viewed.
His senses get confused and he truly believes the image is great.
But he has been fooled by use of technique for techniques sake
and the sake of sensation.
When surreal becomes part of the concept
than we step in more mature grounds
then technique becomes part of this vision we behold.

So when I complained to a photographer's friend
about the lack of budget.
She reminded me of these basics.
A good image doesnt need a flash.
A good image needs my eye.

Sunday another shoot.
I got an email from this lady
she was a senior woman
and been stopped on the street numerous time
with the request to model
so now she decided
to give it a shot as a model
good for her

I know older people are often used
In commercials in day to day situations
I think of insurance brochures
selling medication
and lets be honest
the older generation is a huge market
to sell to
so shopping and business were other
situations to come to mind.

Again my life is made easy
a gracious woman entered my loft space
and a pleasant to have her around
I had assistance in styling and hair and make-up
which pretty much saved my shoot
without that good tasteful other eye
images can be a total failure

One thing I learned this day
This model is not experienced
the camera can be an intrusive thing
this gun pointing all the time
so I spend more time making her feel comfortable
people around me take often that task

Second
The black and white portraits
I took them at the end of the day
allways take the close portraits at the beginning
The model starts to get tired
and make-up wares off and has to be redone
you can see this and makes the job harder to accomplish
shoot the close portraits at first

Lots of daylight has been used
and ofcourse the little pop from the camera
often I simply bounced a flash against my white ceiling
wich gives great overall light for delicate skin

It is not really my style
it has a more free feel
sunny and commercial
but thats what I knew is desired
by the people this model is dealing with

Very productive weekend
And by surprise
A good photographer friend called me
asking me if she could refer me to someone who needed a photograph
a Dutch stand-up comedian
visiting NYC
had the idea of making a poster for her first tour in The Netherlands
and additional promotional images
she called me Friday
and needed to shoot Saturday her last day in the States

First thing I learned in NYC
Lots of people show interest
and lots of people want pictures
but there are only a few who pay
So I asked her to come by my apartment friday eve.
To make sure we are both serious
and also to see her in RT and get a feel of the person

Pleasant personality and a beautiful woman
always makes my life easy as a photographer
The day was a sunny day
So I could use lots of ambient
and a little pop from my camera
Outside I used a Lumidyne kit high above
plus a fill in light.

Its a challenge to work with a person
who knows what she wants
and we had to be aware
that the image for the poster was simple and catching
at first sight
so bright colors and a clean face

Make-up and hair is often more important then I want
Hair can make or brake an image
I had some assistance with this
but a pro make up and hair person
would have been a better deal
however there was not a budget for that

It still was a most productive and succesful day

So a call from FILMMAKER MAGAZINE
If I can shoot John Magary
emerging director
It is going to be a small image
in a series of like 6 portraits
of new faces in cinema
a yearly article in this magazine
I had contact with several of these faces
and postponed everything till after Cannes film festival
But John is flying to UTAH
to edit his work for a month
so he had to be photographed
the day he would leave NYC

I was given 30 minutes.
I found an excellent help
in location scouting
GOOGLE MAP STREET VIEW
unbelievable that from my desk
i am able to look at all different street views
to see if there are any interesting walls or backdrops
It had to be on the track of the A-Line
so John can come down from Harlem
jump out of the train
be photographed
and jump back to hurry to the airport

I arrived 40 minutes earlier
allthough I am very comfortable in photographing
at killer no time speed
it can only be successful if the image
is already set in my mind
and preparation is the only way to do this

I chose Canal street and 6th avenue
for the TRIBECA MOVIE THEATER is there
a quick guess that turned out right
A tree near a ball park
and a poster next to the THEATER.
He was dressed well
muted tones glad he didn't wear
some grungy white shirt with NIKE on it or something

lighting wise I had to simplify things
normally I shoot with a battery lumidyne kit
but without assistance on public streets
and especially horrible canal street
with its tourists I had to work
with a mounted flash on my CANON
together with daylight
A friend told me that yesterday
start getting used to shooting with basic tools
when budgets are tight

Before the shoot I asked him to sign a release form
and explained him that last year
too many directors thought
the photograph was common property
The release form stated that the copyright is mine
that permission has to be asked for promotional usage
and that using without written permission
would mean a contract with a fee.

3 location in 30 minutes
damn it must have been a record
and still the images look finished
It has been a while
after the shoot he shook my hand and left
to go underground
I felt complete
tired as fuck
but somehow it filled me with that good energy
that can keep the motor running

Yes turned 43.
And like I said to my mum
dont feel like it.
realizing that i do feel 43.
And it's a pleasant thought.
knowing which way to go
being secure in what i can do.
However its this age
where I realize how I change physically
yep quality is somehow fading

anyway
My birthday party was nice
Family and friends
new friends old friends
and the usual bunch of
"I dont know who you are
but you are welcome"

just cleaned up the space
washed 50 something glasses
and the bottle of wine flirting with me
for I am working from the house at the moment
email day today

Last friday at The Dutch General Director's for Cultural Affairs party
FOAM magazine was presenting itself in NYC
during the NY Photo Festival
Spoke to some nice people
stayed as usual until the end
when the closed bar was reopened again
and pizzas were being ordered
and we smoked and talked till late
a combined effort
to satisfy both the sake of business and pleasure

I have to admit
Madmen the show of AMC got me screen hooked
it was literally stepping back in time
and lord
did it open my eyes how office life had to be in these days
when nixon and kennedy were running against each other
where men were smoking drinking screwing around
where antisemitism and racism was an accepted institution
and where a talented woman was seen as a "dog who can play the piano"
So much still is
Such gracious styling, photography and writing.
candy for brains and eyes

This scene made me stand and saluut
Don Draper pitches a new Slide Projector to his client KODAK
before they visit other ad agency's
so beautiful

Scanning all the illegal download programs
to get somewhere "die zauberflote" from Mozart.

I can't explain why I love the sound of opera so much.
and I must say this aria must be truly exploring the borders
of what is humanly possible
what a voice and to be honest
this ERIKA MIKLOSA is a hot chick
which is rare in opera land



damn i wish i had a voice like that
I'd be evicted for sure.

Anyway
back to reality

I got an email from a lady
who inquires about my prices regarding headshots.
I hate the word head shot....

I called her and explained what she can expect
at least 4 hours of photography,
3 different set ups...regarding her mature age
i was explaining portrait, executive and lifestyle
plus for me at least 4 hours of post production
a special website so she can edit the complete shoot
and ultimately photo shopping a limited number of images
My pricing is not cheap nor expensive
no I will never be that $ 250 all-in head shot photographer

Like an opera singer
I sometimes are taken to the edge
and sometimes I have to say NO.
It is not easy
to maneuver between making money
and doing favors
giving a favor is done on business merits as well
it is all business yes
and sometimes the favor is given
with realizing after a while
that I will not get anything in return
Is that considered a business loss ?
guess so
but I also consider that an investment
a chance taken.
sometimes I do just give because I love a person
and when it feels the right thing to do.
Yes it happens: Giving for giving and nothing else
is it good karma when i project
to get something in return in the long haul ?
don't think so
Good karma is giving the person on the street
a cigarette and a light
without knowing his name
"cigarette karma" I call this

Here I go again
Cigarettes on my mind
which brings me to this :
4th day of NON smoking
Yesterday I found this cigarette in my leather jacket
a whole complete American Spirit !
I put it under my nose as if it was a cigar
and inhaled the smell of the tobacco
Put it on the kitchen counter and walked away
my wife took the cig...it is gone now
Allen Carr told me in his book
That I cannot make this one cig the ultimate loss
thats the wrong mind setting
frack that shit
I want a cig....

I am hiding
and the reason is simple
no cigarette for 2 days now
and avoid contact with store or smoker's friends

work is fracking slow
and it makes me nervous
because i cannot afford this

i do have an apointment with NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE friday
that was actually easy
i managed to open the door right away
by saying that my project is going to be published
by POWERHOUSE BOOKS in 2009

furthermore I have an apointment next week
with REDUX pictures
an Agency that I met like 4 years ago
I emailed the boss and got a very short email back
with date and time

Shot some emails out to Berlin and NYC
some galeries
And as expected totally ignored by all of them
It is impossible to open doors
without any introduction
in the art world

Well finishing my late late late taxes
and I will be punished for this by fines plus interest
fuck as long as I do not end up like mister Snipes.

Its kindof a hassle lately
but sometimes I do get my kicks
on 23rd street this time
for De Pers i shot Ed Hamilton,
Who wrote a book about the infamous Chelsea Hotel
The Hotel is a piece of shit
with grumpy rude people behind the counter
however the stories of the past
and the art
make it a special place
that soon will surrender
to new management rules
and the rules of modern $-making Manhattan

Work is slow
and am sending out some stuff
to a few magazines in Holland
Just keeping in out there
But I realize I am not working hard enough
well my landlord realizes this

Anyway
been away for a while
for I simply wasn't feeling
in the right place
theres a lot going on
but lets focus on the photo bizz
and the occasional episode
of BATTLE STAR GALACTICA