Seriously, all I want is my stuff back, finish a few projects and go home. Sounds simple, right? Especially the getting my stuff back part. Apparently it’s not.
I stored 4 prints and 10 A2 sized framed images at Museum Gallery in Cape Town at the end of 2010, with the promise to get them back when I was next in town. I was part of their opening show ‘The New Landscape’ and had a good working relationship with them. I blogged about the show here. When I left CT, I asked if I could store some of my work at the gallery while I was in Europe. They said yes, no problem. Fast forward 15 months. I am back. And I have been *trying* to get my work back since April 5th and obviously still haven’t got it.
First thing I did was to simply go to the gallery. There was no one there. In fact, half the gallery seems to have been closed. So I wrote an email instead, asking for an appointment to come fetch my prints & frames. I got a swift reply from the owner/manager saying that he was out of town, but that he would look for my prints and get back to me as soon as he returned to town. That’s cool. I did not hear from him again. So I sent another email. And another one and another one. And, in fact, another one. I phoned and left a voicemail message. Finally, an email reply. He was on holiday, but he would get back to me a.s.a.p. “Asap” again, eh? I am sensing a theme here.
As to be expected, nothing happens. I phone again, I email again. I went down there again. We speak on the phone, again. I offer to come help look for the prints. “No no, you don’t want to be down there”. He will look for it, and will get back to me tomorrow morning, or this afternoon or whenever.
Anyway, you get the idea. There is always an excuse; he’s out of town, the electricity is out and he can’t see anything, they are taking down one exhibition and building the next, but once that’s done, sure ‘I’ll get to the archive’. Best of all was when he suggested it was my fault because it took me more than a year. What are we, in high school?
You are running a business, I made a deal with you guys that it was ok to store my stuff there, now I want it back. All you have to do is set up an appointment and keep your word. I am not your ex-girlfriend asking for an old t-shirt back. This is my work and frankly, returning it is your work.
Anyway, you get the idea. I am being strung along, given the run around, lied to. But, I still want my work back.
And this sucks.
I had the pleasure of interviewing South African photographer Jodi Bieber a while back. The interview was published on A Photo Editor and Visi Magazine.
Jodi Bieber (1966) is a South African photographer mostly known for her highly publicized portrait of Bibi Aisha; the young Afghan woman who had her nose and ears cut off by the Taliban after seeking rescue from her violent husband in her parent’s home. It was this photo that won Bieber the World Press Photo Award in 2011. She has won no less than 8 other World Press Photo Awards, as well numerous other prestigious awards such as first prize for the series “Real Beauty” in Picture of the Year International Competition and Winner of the Prix de l’Union Européene at the Rencontres de Bamako Biennale Africaine de la Photographie in 2009. Bieber is currently rounding off a hectic year of constant traveling, meeting people, being on juries and lots of public speaking. It is on this last leg of the World Press Photo exhibition, in Cape Town, that we find ourselves sitting in the gardens of the Castle of Good Hope. A place with a symbolic name as this is where Bieber is teaching a 3-day masterclass to 17 aspiring photographers organized by World Press Photo in cooperation with Iziko Museums.
How did you get into photography? Jodi Bieber: I originally studied Marketing because an aptitude test said I would be good at studying Law. I couldn’t picture myself doing 7 years of studying and chose Marketing because it was only 4 years. While I was sitting with a friend during a lunch-break, a piece of paper fell into my lap. The piece of paper advertised photography courses at the Market Workshop in Johannesburg. And that is how I got into photography.
After completing several short courses at the Workshop, I did a three month internship at The Star under Ken Oosterbroek in 1993. My job as an intern was to develop everyone’s film and print their work. I still found time, though, to go out and shoot on my own and scored my first front page publication on the third day. I was invited to be part of a select group of 10 photographers for the World Press Photo Masterclass in Amsterdam in 1996. I’ve always done my own projects such as ‘Between Dogs and Wolves’, ‘Survivors’ and ‘Soweto’ but have also done work for Time Magazine and Médicines Sans Frontières.
Can you tell us something about the way you work? For example, how much directing do you do?
JB: When I go out on a shoot, I am there for hours. I exhaust my subjects. As far as shooting goes, I start with framing the photograph. I will tell the person I am photographing where I want to do it, but I will not tell someone how to pose. And in case there are two or more people being photographed, I will not tell them in which order to stand. I feel you can tell a lot about their relationship from where they chose to stand. Once I have framed the image I will direct, I will maybe ask someone to move a leg or hand.
I was never motivated by the money, I was motivated by photography. I chose my projects because a subject interested me. I came to ‘Real Beauty’ after seeing the Dove billboard which showed normal women as opposed to models and I thought that was amazing. Then I met a model soon after that, who told me a lot of dark secrets about the fashion industry, and that yes, for instance, she does have bags under her eyes but that will be photoshopped out. That made me curious about what real beauty is. When I started that project a lot of women were a little apprehensive at first, but I soon received phone calls from women asking to take part. And I accepted everyone.
You speak a lot about the importance of editing well. What makes a good editor to you?
JB: Editing is absolutely crucial. Everyone is a photographer these days and where you can make a difference is with interpretation. As a good editor you have to be true to yourself but not be too emotionally attached. If you let someone else edit your work, you have to make sure you put your point of view across well and work with someone you trust.
Where do you think a lot of photographers go wrong?
JB: They rush too much. You have to take the time to edit. Don’t add photos because you think you need a certain number of photos, less is definitely more. Create piles while you’re doing it; have a ‘Maybe’ pile, as well as an ‘In’ and ‘Out’ pile. If you have difficulty saying goodbye to your photos, then keep the ‘Out’ pile in your view so you feel like you can always go back to it. And do not do it on the computer.
And when you are building your portfolio it should be like music – made up of highs and lows but not weak.
You often find yourself in quite dangerous situations. How do you cope?
JB: I believe that my openness about what I am doing is my protection. I create relationships quickly, little circles of people around a bigger situation that may be dangerous.
You mentioned during the workshop that photographers bring themselves to the shoot as well. Where do we see you in your work?
JB: I don’t know, I am not the right person to ask. My choice of subject matter will probably tell you a lot. I also think that I am pretty direct and you can see that in my work as well but it is not “what you see is what you get”.
I once heard someone say that a profession is a vehicle for something deeper. Assuming that is true, what is it that you are searching for through your photography?
JB: Photography has been a vehicle to discover things I didn’t know before. When I go out shooting, I am learning something new. I am connecting with other people; and I feel a responsibility towards them.
Speaking of responsibility, there is the age old dilemma and debate, that photographers go into a situation and take something, prey on the weak while the gain nothing. How do you feel about that?
JB: I do feel responsible, and sometimes I do feel it is a bit unfair. You get your shot but the community will never benefit. That is a difficult thing.
I really do believe that it is important to be very clear about what it is you want and what the photo will be used for. If you leave out a detail just so you can get the photograph, that detail will come back to haunt you. And if someone has a problem with what you are trying to do, then simply don’t shoot them. I make sure that the people who do agree to take part in a project get one of the Artist Proof prints (ed: out of two) that I have. It is up to them to either hold on to the print or if they want, sell it. That is my way of giving them something back.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
JB: Well, being a photographer is a lonely profession and you sacrifice one thing for another. All I ever did was photography and I am only just learning that there are thing like shoes, make-up (laughs).
After winning the World Press Photo, you must have led a very hectic and different life this year. What has been the biggest lesson?
JB: I have learned that photos speak very loudly. Not all and not all the time but when they do, then can create change. And I have learned that when you have a voice, you have to use it. Photographers can be very powerful.
What is next for you?
JB: I will be starting a new project and I have a big show coming up in Ulms, Germany.
Any last advice?
JB: Just go out and do it. You have to get out there and create the work, put in the hours, develop your own style. And don’t be where the pack is. Do your own thing. And, when you are about to take a picture of what I like to call ‘The Stare’, reconsider it.
TheWorld Press Photo exhibition had not been to Cape Town since 2007, but this year the city got lucky when the exhibition reached its final destination at the beginning of February. In order to celebrate this event, the World Press Photo organization hooked up with Iziko Cape Town Museums and together they organized a summer school, full of Masterclasses, lectures and panel discussions. As part of the program, award-winning photographer Mike Hutchings spoke about his work to a captivated audience. Mike Hutchings (London, 1963) is an established photo-journalist coming from South Africa. As a photo journalist, he also covers sporting events, and it was one of his powerful images taken at soccer World Cup in 2010 that won him first prize in the World Press Photo Sports Category (photo of Demy de Zeeuw being kicked in the face). Mike studied Social Anthropology at the University and began working as a freelance photographer after his graduation. He covered political unrest in South Africa during the 1980’s and as well as the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990, conflicts in the Democratic republic of Congo, Kenya, Madagascar and Zimbabwe as well as global sporting events such as the Olympics and the soccer World Cup. He became a photographer for Reuters in 1991.
Can you tell us something about how you got started and how you got involved with Reuters?
Mike Hutchings: The thing to remember with newspapers is, that it is not what you can do, but what you can do for them. I had been taking pictures for a number of years and the people at Reuters knew my work. You also need a dose a luck, of being in the right place at the right time, you need to build connections. I used to work for UPI (United Press International) which was bought by Reuters.
I believe that it is important for photographers to talk to other photographers; sometimes your work doesn’t translate as well as you think it does, talk to others, listen to opinions – you need honest and constructive criticism. My support came from advice from friends, various people like Leon Muller, Garth Stead, Eric Miller. It is stimulating talking to other photographers. Cape Town photographers are not a cut-throat breed, it is not that difficult to connect to fellow photographers.
What is your role with Reuters now?
MH: It is a fine balance between working with stringers across Africa, organizing all that, and actually going out taking pictures.Can you explain what “stringers” are?
MH: Stringers are freelancers or contributors that we work with occasionally or on a more steady basis. There are quite a few big stories in Southern Africa right now, such as obviously the World Cup in 2010, but also Mandela himself, political disasters such as in Zimbabwe or natural disasters such as in Mozambique. Sometimes Reuters can not send someone into a situation and that’s when we use stringers. Which is different from sending in someone from Reuters itself, where someone comes into a situation, does what he is supposed to do and leaves as soon as he’s finished. Those photographers are also known as “firemen”. Stringers are locals and they can access a story differently which can be an important difference in how you cover a news story or event.Do you own the copyright for the work you do for Reuters?
MH: No, Reuters owns it. One-sided contracts can be a problem, but I find working with Reuters very satisfactory. There are different contracts for the stringers as they get a commission when the photo gets sold and that is quite unique is the world of photo-journalism.
What can you tell us about the standard of photography of photographers in Africa?
MH: Well, that’s where it gets complicated. There is a huge range of skills here. In Kenya, for example, there is a really high level of skills unlike that in, for example, Angola. We were very happy to see that one of are stringers, Feisal Omar, in Mogadishu also won a World Press Photo (ed: Omar won first prize in Daily Life Singles) We have 5 stringers in Somalia. I was the editor of that certain photograph. As an editor you are responsible for fact checking (Reuters is very strict about accuracy), writing captions and occasionally cropping.
Fact checking can be a difficult thing in certain countries or situations, and you want to make sure all the facts are correct. Sometimes someone or an NGO sends in a photograph and it they often have their own agenda. So what you do as an editor is ask the photographer specific questions, check the Internet, discern between gossip, conjecture and facts.
How much post-processing do you do?
MH: I am not a fan of over-using Photoshop as you can reach vastly different results. I try to limit Photoshop to less than what I would do in a dark-room. I do crop slightly, mind you in Sports photography you have to crop as you are to far way and you are shooting for the crop. I used a 400 mm fixed lens on the winning photo. Using Photoshop can cause too many problems too easily as you are putting something into an image that you didn’t see. And as a news agency or photo-journalist you want the public to be able to rely on your honesty and not have it question if what you publish is the truth.How do you keep the resolution?
MH: You can sharpen, but you can only go so far before it looks stupid. The image has to be sharp before you start post-processing. As a sports photographer you can not shoot in RAW as it is too slow. Although a magazine like ‘Sports Illustrated’ does work with both RAW and Jpegs. But with newspaper work you have to be faster as the turn-over is faster. It is uploaded into a remote editing systems where the editor will pull it out. The photo of Demy De Zeeuw for example was part of a sequence, and I didn’t see the photo until 3 hours after.Shooting sporting events means you need to be “ready” all the time.If you can actually see the photo through your lens, you are too late. But you don’t want to just push your finger down either. I guess you just follow an instinct for where the action is going to be, you learn to anticipate the moment.
There are things you can do, naturally. You need to be technically ready. I preset the exposure, but not the focus as I’d like to be adaptable that way. I bring several bodies and a variety of lenses depending on what kind of sports I’m covering. For boxing, you need a shorter lens than you do for soccer. Some photographers will use a wireless remote while they shoot; they set up a camera behind the goal for example while they stand somewhere else. I prefer not to shoot that way, but you never know what you are getting exactly. You only know exactly what you’re getting when shooting with light-boxes in a very static shoot.
Can you tell us something about how you view photography on the digital high way?
MH: It has gotten a lot easier now. Before you were shooting 36 frames on film that had to be developed, printed, scanned. Photographers were shooting less. Nowadays people sometimes shoot 1,000 frames. With the number of frames photographers take these days, you just need to edit more. I think that photographers were more critical about what they shot as there was a limited amount of film and were therefore possibly more instinctive. The cameras have also gotten bigger which can be a disadvantage especially in social documentary. Shoving a huge camera in somebody’s face can be very intimidating and it puts something between you and your subject. There are ways around that though, it just means you have to engage with your subject more. But I find that good photographers will always engage a lot.You mentioned that Cape Town photographers are not a cut-throat breed. Can you tell us a little about the competitiveness in photo-journalism?
MH: I have always backed away from it, but you sometimes see it in others. There is a lot of heightened tension that comes with this profession, but photo-journalists realize that if you can’t vent verbally and get over it in 5 minutes, you are in the wrong business. We also have to rely on each other in dangerous situations.Do you think that “something” has been lost with digital photography, meaning it has become less physical, less tangible?
MH: I don’t really think so, a photograph maybe changing as an entity, but you still have all your files.
Any advice to photographers?
MH: Back up your files at least twice on external hard drives and keep them in separate places.
Happy new year, everybody! It’s been quite some time since my last blog post which is pretty much due to me not having anything to say. If, professionally speaking, 2011 felt like wading through mud with a heavy backpack on, 2012 looks to be very different. There are some definite changes on the horizon, better still, changes are here. and I am super stoked.
The year started off good with a couple of guest blog post at Lost At E Minor, which is one of Saatchi & Saatchi’s ‘Lovemark’ brands so that’s quite cool. I’ve also been interviewed by South Africa’s Creative Network which you can read here. Things are only getting more exciting from there on. At least for me:) I booked a flight to South Africa and am flying to Cape Town on February 6th. I plan on staying there for about 4 to 6 months depending on how things go.
I posted a little wish-list on Facebook the other day and lo and behold, one of them came true the very next day:) For you see, I have been a huge World Press Photo fan and have wanting to do a masterclass of sorts for a long time. And hooray, I just signed up for a 3-day masterclass by World Press Photo Winner Jodi Bieber. Oh yes. I signed up for two other lectures as well – one by Mike Hutchings whom I actually know already and the other by Sean O’Toole. Mike won 1st prize in the Sports category and Sean is the editor of Art South Africa, amongst other things.
The prospect of learning is just so exciting to me, I can feel my brain itch as it were:)
I totally should have called this post “How Kate Got Her Groove Back”, ’cause Stella ain’t got nothing on me:)
And rather randomly – I watched Cameron Crowe’s PJ 20 – I can’t help it, I haven’t listened to them in years, but I do still love that song. I had just forgotten that I did:)
In case you were wondering about what else is on the wish-list, here it is:
“live in Cape Town, live in Seattle, visit Zim, China, Vietnam and the arctic, study film, find a mentor, work for Rolling Stone, make a documentary, fall in love, speak 10 languages, see the world, meet everyone.”
Seeing how CultureBox blogged about me, I figured I’d blog about someone else in return. And blogging about one of the most talented and quite possibly one of the nicest people in the South African music industry seems like a good idea.
I first ‘met’ Guy Buttery when the Greenhairmermaid took me to one of Guy’s shows at Monkey Valley in Noordhoek, some time in 2010. I had heard of Guy Buttery but had never heard any of his music. Needless to say, I am glad I went. Guy creates a musical landscape, occasionally looping his music as he plays, with just one guitar to mesmerizing effects. His version of Joanna Newsome’s ‘The Book of Right On’ is seriously awesome. Anyway, I’m crap at describing music so I’ll take a quote from the Mail & Guardian instead:
“… his music has a subtle grace and power all of its own. Though his technical prowess is also bewildering, Buttery immerses himself entirely into the soul of his guitar, coaxing sonic shapes and forms of such startling originality from it that his instrument acts as a kind of lightning conductor for the sound of another realm.”
Impressed with his music, I wrote him pretty soon after the gig asking if he’d be willing to take part in my project ‘Swimming Upstream’. He said yes:)
Originally from the Durban area, Guy made his way to Cape Town in 2009. Having studied jazz and classical guitar at the University of Kwazulu Natal as well as under Nibs van der Spuy, Guy soon found himself opening for Nibs in front of crowds up to 2,000 people. And at only 18 year of age, he was the youngest ever SAMA nominee for his debut album “When I grow Up”.
We met up a while later at his house. I had asked him about places in or around Cape Town that he finds beautiful and inspiring, and he chose Klein Plaas Dam as the backdrop for our shoot. We made our way up Red Hill in his car; packed with a guitar, camera, some clothes and snacks. In case you’ve never been to Klein Plaas Dam, it’s a very quiet and peaceful reservoir surrounded by these bleached white alien-shaped rocks. The sun was out and I struggled quite a bit with the harsh light reflecting off the rocks but managed by moving into the shade for a while.
When asked what the biggest challenge has been so far, Guy replied:
“The music industry itself. South Africa doesn’t have a very big infrastructure; there are not a lot of venues, promoters or publicists. The shortage of all this has been a challenge. You have to get your name out there. And my music is quite “niche” so that has made it even more difficult.”
Releasing his second album ‘Songs from the Cane Field’ in 2005, it was his album ‘Fox Hill Lane’ that eventually won him A SAMA award last year for best instrumental album. Quite recently his Joanna Newsome cover was included on a covers album called ‘Versions of Joanna’ which was released on Drag City. Guy will be touring with Dan Patlansky later this year (June).It seems to me that guy has made “niche” work for his quite successfully.
It’s time to head home and we make our way down hill in the late afternoon sun. The light has gone from harsh to a soft warm glow. While we stop to take some last photos and Guy plays the guitar, I can’t help thinking I’ve got the best job in the world. Seriously, eh.. to be in splendid company, be outdoors and listen to beautiful music all day long while doing exactly what you love. How cool is that? All I’m thinking is why stop at “all day long”… I think I’ll continue for a while to come yet, at least until I grow up:)
If you like Guy Buttery you may want to check out Cabins in the Forest (even if they don’t exist anymore their album is still ou there), Gary Thomas or Andrew James.
Napoleon Sarony. Almost ashamed to say that I had never heard of him until I opened the morning paper just now. This time time around my post won’t be a love song on someone’s photography, but rather regarding a photographer’s battle for copyright.
Born in Quebec, Canada in 1821, Napoleon moved to New York City at age 15 where he soon set up a business as a lithographer. By the time he was 46 he left his own firm and established a photographic studio on 37 Union Square. Napoleon photographed amongst others Sarah Bernhardt, William T Sherman, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) and Oscar Wilde. Celebrity photography was all the rage at the time, and apparently photographers would pay their subjects to sit for them and retain full rights to sell the photographs. Which brings me to why I am almost ashamed of not knowing about Mister Sarony.
Napoleon Sarony took several portraits of Oscar Wilde and one of those photographs became the subject of a very important American Court Case in which the Supreme Court upheld the extension of copyright protection to photographs. Lithographer’s studio Burrow-Giles had marketed unauthorized lithographs of a portrait taken by Sarony called “Oscar Wilde no 18” in order to show off their lithographic skills. Sarony took the company to court claiming copyright infringement. Burrow-Giles, however, claimed there was no copyright infringement as there was no copyright to begin with. According to them, photographs could not qualify as “writings” or as the production of an “author” and thus were not subject to Copyright Law.
The whole affair went to trial court and Sarony was granted over $610 dollars (equivalent of $12,000 nowadays).
Regarding the interpretation of “writings” in the Constitution, the Supreme Court wrote that Congress has “properly declared these to include all forms of writing, printing, engraving, etching, &c., by which the ideas in the mind of the author are given visible expression.”
Contrary to other visual works that could be copyrighted, Burrow-Giles argued that photography was merely a mechanical process rather than an art, and could not embody an author’s “idea”. The Court accepted that this may be true of “ordinary” photographs, but this was not in the case of Sarony’s image of Wilde. The trial court had found that Sarony had posed Wilde in front of the camera and suggested his expression, and selected his costume, the background and accessories to create a particular composition of line and light. This control that Sarony exercised over the subject matter, in the view of the Court, showed that he was the “author” of “an original work of art” over which the Constitution granted him exclusive rights.
It’s interesting, and still relevant today. Is photography just mechanics or an art form? Isn’t everybody a photographer these days? And with such fierce world-wide competition, it is necessary for your work to “get out” and to be seen. If it takes unauthorized use for a photograph to achieve that, should the maker just take one on the chin and be grateful as some have suggested?
I asked Cape Town graphic designer and dj Toby2Shoes about his views on copyright and file sharing and he said “I think you just need to realise that the Internet is just getting bigger and bigger, and it gets easier and easier to steal or copy someone´s work. It is just the way it is, you need to adapt and move with it.”
Sooo… is copyright still useful these days then?
According to author Lauren Beukes it definitely is “You need copyright to protect yourself from plagiarism and from other people stealing your work. However, there’s a difference between lifting wholesale and remixing. In my novel Zoo City, for example, I wanted to quote two lines from Paul Simon’s and Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s ‘Homeless’ and I have a character saying “phoneless, phoneless…” and it would cost me $4,500 to license that lyric. I eventually took it out. I am a big believer in remix culture, sharing, copyleft and Creative Commons.”
Lauren continues with “If someone wants to use a quote from my fiction in a song, please go ahead, just credit me and share-alike (meaning if someone wants to take that song and turn it into a poem or an animated short, they’re also allowed to use it). Commercial plagiarism, where you make money off someone else’s labour, whether it’s selling pirated DVDs at the traffic lights or passing off someone else’s writing as your own in a best-selling novel is not okay.”
I think she’s right, unauthorized is never the way to go. The word itself should be a clue.
All images by Napoleon Sarony. Top one of Evelyn Nesbit and the second one is photograph no 18 of Oscar Wilde.
Fuck – I can say that right? seeing how this is my blog? – well fuck:) My mind’s a mess. A distracted, unfocused, bordering on happy, mess. Everything I do, read or see makes me want to do something else. There is one overwhelming desire and in order to make that happen my mind is open to every thought, from every angle. If I can’t think of it myself, ideas handed to me by friends are just as interesting and appealing. Right now every thought, every conversation, every email makes want to check out something else. Desire, need, possibility.
I submitted my work to Foto Festival Naarden yesterday. I ended up choosing three images that I think are basically stand alone images yet work as a series as well, with the right explanation to go with it. The images are of Hendrik Vermeulen, Tshepo Moche and Tristan Waterkeyn. The theme of these photos is a sub theme of Swimming Upstream (I just made that up but it works) being “pressure to succeed”, be it professional, social or psychological pressure.
Tshepo. I should edit more images from the shoot we did. Same for Hendrik. Haven’t done a shoot in ages. I should set some up. Oh right, I still have to reply to that one email. And write those publishers, one in England, two in the NL. It reminds of that sailing trip. Should edit those as well.
Back to FFN. The other 3 images I had chosen were a different one of Hendrik Vermeulen, Monishia Schoeman and Donovan Copley. They looked quite good together and more cohesive in a way, but on the other hand I felt the images were more about their profession, location and inspiration than the more emotional charge the first three had. Plus, and that was the decisive argument for me, they were so obviously not taken in the NL and I didn’t want to be thrown out of the competition on first viewing. The theme of ‘Portraits’ was heavily influenced by the Dutch masters such as Vermeer, Rembrandt etc and I am not entirely sure how Dutch everything should be. The first three were taken in SA and my subjects are all (South) African yet there is something Dutch about the use of light. Dutch Light. Remember the documentary ‘Hollands Licht’ by Maarten en Pieter-Rim de Kroon?… hey, that could be the subject of my research paper “Dutch Light overseas”.
Wait. Research paper? Weren’t we talking about FFN? Yes, we were. And this is why I said fuck in the beginning…
A few friends sent through links to useful websites (thanks Katinka, Mathijs, Lieve and Femke. Please keep them coming:)) and I check each and everyone, excitedly. I flick through them fast, finding it hard to focus and distracted as always by the sub story, odd detail or story and how to make it work for me.
One of the links was for SIP (Sphilman Institute of Photography) who are putting out general calls for submission to research proposals for photography projects. Crap sentence… Point is, there are $5,000 and $10,000 grants to be won. All you have to do is write a research paper on anything “photography”. I could totally write about Dutch Light in contemporary photography. Or Dutch Light found abroad. Is it a cultural thing or a skill that we take with us as we travel ? Or is it a geographical thing? Then why is there a hint of Dutch Light in my portraits taken in SA?
South Africa. Swimming Upstream. I should re-write all the interviews into a more general and coherent article in order to make it more interesting for magazines here in the NL. Magazines. I should get back in touch with Andy from Mahala. It would be a waste to let a possibility die like that. Possibilities. I have to follow up on the phone conversations I had with photo agencies Infidels and Shine. (Done while blogging) Oh and I should check the Shapeshifters site again. Sites. Right. I should register on Randstad (Dutch temp agency) and find a job. And update my LinkedIn profile. Look for those groups people tell me about.
Images from my project flash across my mind’s eye in the mean time. Locations, atmosphere. Now that reminds me of the Bouw in Beeld prijs. This year’s theme is “Playground”. Can’t I find a way to fit the Donovan Copley, Monishia Schoeman, Hendrik Vermeulen pictures into their rules? And the Lauren Fowler one? Lauren Fowler. W.I.C. Word of Art. Berlin. Wasn’t there a call for artists on the transartists site in Berlin? I type in www.transartists.nl and flick through their site quickly. Wait… what? Cape Town.
As I read the words Cape Town my heart jumps to another beat straight away. I am seriously missing my Cape Town life & friends. I’m pretty much thinking non stop of all the cool people in CT I still want to photograph or chat to, stuff I want to do see and do there. I see myself doing it all. But it brings me right back to reality here as I need money to get me to CT. Money. Work. Ah. Remember to write to so and so. Send out quote. Keep logging hours. Make appointments. Register on Randstad. But what about re-writing your interviews? Anything to get me back where I want to be. Be where I want to be.
I am not a mess. I should just focus. Joy was right, lists are the way to. Put pen to paper and just work your way down that lists. Ah. Lists. Ass kicking last year. Joy. Capri. Makes me think of all sorts of things:) See my problem? How could I possibly fit in a 9-5 job? 🙂
I hate all the music they’re playing on Kink today… Fergie and Slash? *cringe*, makes my teeth fall out. Saybia? Yawn. Not my favorite video but a beautiful song by The Dears from a couple of years ago and awesome title… worth stealing:)
Last week was a cool, networking, kind of week. Had to finish the selection of photographs for the new Strato website on Monday as well as fetch a new car somewhere near Kirstenhof. The guy told me that when the police first found the car, the car was perfectly fine besides a small dent in the fender yet when they came back to tow it to the pound it had been completely and utterly stripped. Ai. Kinda makes you wonder *who* stripped the car exactly.
Met with the Grand Daddy guys and the girls from The Imaginarium late Tuesday morning and that was very cool. Looks like we’re going to co-organize an event… Overtone and Instant Grass may also be getting involved. Stay tuned all:-)) Had lunch with the lovely mermaid in Newlands and then went to opening of the Visiting Artists exhibition at Greatmore. It should be called GreatNoMore… seriously… Or Gratemore.. grating away at something, patience maybe. Quoting Desmond Tutu on a canvas. Seriously? Hell, what do I know. Suffice it to say that I think most works were easy, superficial and finished in a sloppy fashion and not very exciting at all.
Wednesday saw us going to Museum to have a look at the 2nd year Varsity students which was cool enough. Met with Magdalena (Overtone/ZuMedia) to chat about the Swimming Upstream exhibition and how to push it out there more on Thursday after which we went to the launch of a new events company called Colligo. They had a free whiskey tasting and did a cool shout out about my exhibition. Thanks guys!
(copyright: Roger Ballen)
Friday was the best, starting with a visit to the Woodstock Industrial Centre where Word-of-Art had organized an exhibition of and talk by photographer Roger Ballen. I love going there and yes, this time was just as cool as always:-) Exhibition in one room, wooden benches, bar and projector in another. The shop was open as well. Free champagne, fabulous snacks and gorgeous people. I must admit that I had never heard of Roger Ballen but I am so glad I went. I first had a look at his work from ‘Boarding House’ and then listened to the man talk about his work. It was very inspiring and cool to hear some background stories about the photos and to have him point out the elements that make a certain picture to him.
‘Boarding House’ somehow reminded me of Robert Frank’s work. Subject matter is very different but maybe the connection to me lies in a certain intangible yet very present psychological charge to these photos. We kinda rushed into Ruth Prouse at the last moment to check out the graduation projects. I was most impressed with two installations: one made out of gauze and resembling a large wound. The artist was interested in the transformation of wound to scar after undergoing serious brain surgery. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief were also used as an inspiration. The other one that I liked, basically for the sheer size and determination it must have taken, was a massive white room where everything was white white white. Cool though. After this we went to Long Street to check Hot Water on the rooftop but we were too late and headed off to Club Voom Voom instead where Babu performed later that evening. After uhm, a few drinks and several chats later we headed home. Happy tired inspired:-)
(copyright: Roger Ballen)
I bumped into Mister Ballen at the National Gallery on Saturday where I managed to say something to him but most likely did not leave much of an impression on the man:-) You see, there’s something John Cleese-esque about his posture and the way he walks and I keep coming up with the most unfortunate things to say or ask but then remember it is Roger Ballen so all I managed was a stumbling mumbling aren’t you… yes, yesterday… beautiful… hi… bye:-) The National Gallery hosted an opening that evening showcasing 5 different exhibitions: Roger Ballen, works from the African Biennale, young designers (including the awesome Anna Richerby) and more that I can’t remember. There was so much to see and so many people to watch that after about 2 hours or so I was too tired to watch and just headed to the bar. Bumped right into Ronan Skillen who was part of the band that night. Awesome. Cape Town:-)
Lump Sum – From Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago… beauty.
Yesterday’s was an awesome day of shooting. A long day but an awesome day. I met up with Verity late morning and just made our way to the Hip Hop clothing factorystraight away. I had never been to Hip Hop and had no idea what to expect. Turns out the factory is above the {field office} in town. Cool. I like that place.
The pink curtains didn’t make me feel very confident about what we would find *inside* but man, as soon as you go inside it’s like you falling down the rabbit hole. Clothes, clothes, clothes. Green, red, black, yellow, grey, purple, checkered, stripes, flowers, embroidered, sparkly, see through, petty coated, long, short, shiny, it’s all there. It’s awesome. There were four racks of clothing we could freely chose from and if we needed any help, just say so. That’s another thing about Hip Hop, everybody is super friendly, helpful and enthusiastic about what they do. See, it really like falling down the rabbit hole and being twirled around by a smiling hare offering you a hoompa-loompa accompanied trip down the yellow brick road.
After about an hour or so of trying on outfits we made our way down to the {field office} for some coffee and a sandwich and we were good to go.
The idea was to shoot at Oude Molen in Pinelands, find that hippie, trippy car or some broken down wall and just start shooting. While driving around the place we spotted some old beat up bus in a vegetable pad and that seemed way cooler than the hippie, trippy car which also happened to be covered in shade and wasn’t nearly as cool as I remember. Beat up bus it is then. Or so we thought… The darn thing was behind a closed fence… Off we went trying to find somebody who could let us in. The bar lady? Nope. Some random guy? Nope. The horse guy then? Aaahhhh maybe. The horse guy could at least lead us to The Guy Who Could Let Us In If He Like Us. As soon as I heard the Guy Who Could Let Us In was also known as Opa Jono I knew we were in. And yup, we were.
So off we went, pretty dresses in our arms and a camera in hand. Opa Jono and the horse guy settled down nicely on a chair and watched us for a while but fortunately grew tired of it pretty quickly. We shot on, in and around the bus, trying out different outfits and poses.
After nearly two hours at Oude Molen we figured we’d done enough and headed home to the deep south. Relaxed a little bit at Verity’s house and decided it was a pity not to use that gorgeous black dress so should we maybe try for a few more shots? Hell yeah. Must have been around 6 o’clock already and the sun was slowly setting, the wind was picking and it started to get cold. We wondered around the wetlands for a while, took a few photos and called it a day. I say it was a fab day.
Oh yes, there a new The Bees album out! Awesome! Love love love The Bees. Every Step’s a Yes:-) Title … yes from The Bees ‘Octopus’ album….
KATHALIJNE VAN ZUTPHEN 