Frozen in time and space

Back in 2009 I developed a little bit of an obsession with finding and scanning film trailer reels after buying The Matrix Reloaded for $2 from a market stall. I remember being fascinated with how very little movement happened between each frame, yet somehow when linked together a motion picture was made.  And as revolutionized by The Matrix, the ‘bullet time’ camera effect had always struck me as something spectacular –  a single frame on repeat; time revolving around a frozen moment. 

The other day I came across this music video made by Bison and Academy+ for London Grammar which completely blew my mind. An analog process for the most part, this has been constructed using multiple pinhole camera rigs amounting to over 600 little cameras with strips of 35mm black and white film fed through. SO so cool. 

It’s worth watching this behind the scenes video just to see how calculated yet unpredictable this process was… 

LONDON GRAMMAR – Wasting My Young Years – Behind The Scenes from Academy Plus (A+) on Vimeo.

And, the final video:

LONDON GRAMMAR – Wasting My Young Years from Bison on Vimeo.

Going anywhere

I like to fall asleep in cars. I like the vast emptiness of being on a boat in the ocean. I like the chugging stopmotion flicker by of everything viewed from a train window. I still don’t think anything can match that stomachy weightlessness the second a plane’s wheels leave the ground. I like to think there’s a song for everything too when you’re moving- you move through time and space, even on foot, the soundtrack plays on. And sometimes it doesn’t matter where you are going, all that matters is that you’re going somewhere.

Anyway, all of these thoughts happened while sleepily gazing out the train window on the way to Featherston a month or so ago, en route to visit the Green half of my family. Following this, we ventured to the Cape Palliser lighthouse, climbed steps in the hundreds to wave back at the south island then discovered a driftwood hut.

On George Street

Today in my fashion photography class we adventured out into the world (George St) to have a go at Street Style photography. Not only is this a technical challenge, but also an exercise in discovering talent and balancing direction with a natural documentative approach.. I truly believe there is something to be said for style itself- it seems to manifest in some people, yet doesn’t need to be intrinsically tied to what we deem ‘fashionable.’ It is a feeling, or presence more than anything else.  I managed to snap these few people below, but more importantly, my students did incredibly well and snapped some great characters.

Jamie with Daniel in the background Kat’s galaxian legs
Joe wearing a blazer that once belonged to his dad.
Lilliana from Russia

A family portrait

It isn’t often I am asked to shoot family portraits, but this was such a great experience working with Bryony and her family. The aesthetic (from posing, lighting, right through to colour grading) was always intended to be interesting, slightly dramatic and composed. From there we worked with some more natural set ups also. For this shoot, the advantages of sharing mood boards with a client via Pinterest really came in use too.

On another note, my new website is FINALLY up and running!! Check it out at HERE.

Found

As a teaching tool for my design class yesterday I introduced some ideas of what I like to call “real life photoshopping.” Which is really just re-photographing photographs. Working in this photomontage style I find helps to consider depth of field and perspective. I like the tactility of paper, the way you can layer, fold, cut and paste to create completely new images. It also feels refreshing as it is process-driven and requires lots of random experimentation. Here’s a couple I made yesterday from found images, all “photoshopped” only in real life.

New things

My new website build is coming along, but is suffering from a little bit of a split personality so I’m still working on it… I have been a bit busy with boring or homey things (like taxes, winter-proofing my boots and watching far too many episodes of Grand Designs) and to completely honest, overwhelmed with the task of curating and ordering my own work. It all feels a bit stale at the moment, but that’s probably part of the process. However, I do promise new things soon. One of which, a soon-to-be-released music video created with Daniel Blackball Alexander  for Christchurch band T54.

Marion Bates Realty

We sat on Tono’s parents back stoop sipping mid-production Emerson’s and discussed how the temperature was always at least 5 degrees warmer in Mosgiel than in Dunedin. As far as places to make a music video go, this was nothing short of comfortable, and the many fun hours planning aesthetics, picking colours and hunting props for each frame was time enjoyed. This video that Daniel Alexander and I created for Marion Bates Realty marks Tono’s departure from the Finance Company, towards his new solo project- simply, Anthonie Tonnon. Watch the music video here.

Feastock V

…A backyard filled with great friends and music to remedy the ache of wearing gumboots twelve hours straight.

On the Road

Right before winter hits, when the leaves are still hanging onto branches in bunches of reds and yellows, there’s nothing quite like escaping to Central Otago for weekend adventures.  Leaving the DLSR behind kind of feels like a break from work-related photography, or like leaving the toast at home while you go out for pancakes. It is a beautifully slow process and it always kills me to wait to see if anything has turned out. These are some recent trips shot on my Canon AL-1.

From top to bottom:
Stopping for a rainbow sighting in the Catlins
The Antiques Museum in Ranfurly
Kids riding bikes in the old swimming dam in Naseby
Henry the pub cat in Naseby
Late afternoon sun by the Blue Lake in St Bathan’s

On the other end of the spectrum,  I am not adverse to the quick, social format of Instagram on a casual weekend’s adventure, which I think also has the potential to be a tool for spontaneous and interesting images.

Four Cool Things This Week | Tilda Swinton

I am enamored with people that channel art and passion into different strands of creativity. Especially when they are as statuesque and striking as Tilda Swinton, who, aside from being a great actor in many dimensions, collaborates on all sorts of projects. So here are four cool things I discovered lately..
A fashion editorial shot by Tim Walker, styled by Jacob K for May 2013 W Magazine. Photographed in Las Pozas, a fantastical jungle paradise built in Xilitla, Mexico by surrealist collector, Edward James. Each frame embodies an aspect of surrealism, responds to the location, and is completely different from the next.
A recent performance piece at MOMA, titled ‘The Maybe’ in which Tilda Swinton sleeps for hours inside a glass box. It is a re-performed version of an earlier work 1995 in London gallery.An older editorial for Purple Magazine S/S 2006, shot by Johan Sandberg. The simplistic monotone images full of grain contrast with the other dramatic and embellished fashion editorials I found. Last but not least, this short film/music video for the first David Bowie album release in a decade. Full of oddities, and androgynous character shifts, THIS is worth watching, and if you’re still curious like I was, a blog dedicated to the belief that David Bowie and Tilda Swinton are in fact the same person!