I have quite an ambivalent relation to Amsterdam. I’ve been there four times now, but always day trips only. That limits your exploration radius very much, when your choice of transportation are your two feet. I’ve never felt very comfortable. I think that it’s because I simply do not like tourists, and I certainly do not classify me as a tourist when abroad. I’m foreign. There’s a difference I find. Anyway, I liked it this time more than ever. And may proudly, a bit, present the digital results of six hours in Amsterdam.
I went to Holland and all I brought with me is photographs. Lots. So, generally speaking: I carried two cameras around most of the time. The Canon DSLR was used mainly for exposure bracketing, so I could generate HDR pictures (that are digitally alterated in other ways too this time) like the ones seen here. I also shot 4 rolls of lovely Kodak Elite Chrome 200 slide film with the Ihagee Exacta, they’ll be ready at some point next week. Cities covered were ‘s Hertogenbosch and the capital, Amsterdam. Enjoy.
Busy days, these days. Which explains the lack of new photo input. So, I’m off to the Netherlands tomorrow morning. No idea whether I’ll have internet there, but I’m taking a couple of rolls of beautiful slide film and one or two or maybe three cameras with me. So there will be heaps of new stuff when I’m back next thursday. You have it good.
I bought this used Holga camera about 8 months ago already, but never found time and will to finish the test roll. I have now. It’s only kind of working. This is one of the very few photos that made it out alive. Nevertheless, 120mm medium format rules. Will get into that a bit more at some point. Busy days, these days.
The already mentioned Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s and their video for As Tall As Cliffs. Via Daddy D. Welcome, Mr. World President, I hope you’re as good as your campaigns.
PS: Click more for the video, I had to put it off the start page, as there is no option to get rid of the auto play. Damn myspace.
Last week I wrote a bit about Andreas Bitesnich and how he got started and then famous in his field of photography.
Now, Jim Rakete has made his way too. Born in Berlin in 1951, he began working as a photojournalist with a focus on the music scene, while still in school. Amongst the people he had portrayed at this point were already Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles. He then worked as music producer in the 70ies and and 80ies (Nina Hagen, Nena, Die Ärzte etc.). Throughout the years, he has never lost his love (and eye) for photography and when he had the chance to work for Cicero magazine, he increasingly portrayed politicians like Gerhardt Schröder, Otto Schily or Franz Müntefering.
His current exhibition, 1/8 sec. Vertraute Fremde., forces you to take a break. 1/8 of a second is a long time in todays world. Vertraute Fremde (Well-know strangers) shows people we all think we know, politicians, athletes, actors etc. Rakate portrays them the way they simply are, without letting their public image influence the photograph. No unnecessary make up, no manipulations, no artificial lights. Follow this link for an interview in Art Magazin and read his thoughts, I find it fairly interesting.
1/8 Sec. – Vertraute Fremde
18. Januar bis 10. Mai 2009
LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen
Konrad-Adenauer-Allee 46
46049 Oberhausen
I granted myself an all-access pass for animoto.com because it’s not expensive and does some fancy things with the photos you upload. Here’s an audiovisual refill to the Get Well Soon show in December 2008, feat. their very own Tick, tack goes my automatic heart.
LUMA. Lyrik & Musik. Stimme: Martin Fabini, Gitarre: Lukas Krenn. Texte von Daniel Rose und Lukas Schneider. Live zu sehen gewesen im Tunnel Wien am 14.1.2009.
Vienna was a winter wonderland today. It was snowing all morning and it was all white and fresh and quiet and lovely. So I went out to the hills surrounding Vienna. When your fingers hurt like hell while thawing, you know that you’re alive. Brrr.
On a technical note, as you can see, I was fooling around with HDR software and creamy yellow filters a bit. It’s fun.