Winter 2011

For the Professional Photo Productionist

Winter 2011

01

7

25274 56814

7

$7.99 US/CAN

WIN 10

www.resourcemagonline.com

what goes around...

www.jackstudios.com 601 w 26th street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001 Phone: (212) 367-7590 Fax: (212) 367-8376 email: iNFo@jackstudios.com

Kenroy Lumsden

& Motion Digital Capture Services

Scheimpflug’s General Manager has strived to integrate and reinvent RGH since Flug acquired it in 2008, by repairing and replacing existing equipment and purchasing new equipment such as the new Arri 1800, the brightest HMI which runs off of a wall outlet, as well as upgrading some of our most basic grip equipment such as our sandbags.

Of all of the new and exciting equipment in our arsenal, service remains our number one asset.

When you hire us, know that you have an army of some of the most experienced and talented individuals in the business at your disposal who can help you with the trickiest of situations & provide 24/7 support and access. We are so much more than just a rental house.

236 W 30th st | 212.244.8300

GRIP & ELECTRICS Tungsten | Kino Flo | HMI | LED | Strobe | Track & Dolly | Jib Arms | Sliders | HDSLR Rigs Generator Trucks | Grip Trucks | Electrics | Cameras

visit theflug.com for more information

Table of Content Your road map to fun.

Masthead Meet all the crazy people....

Etiquette: The Pre-Production Meeting. It’s a political affair, advance with caution.

Letter From the Editors We have a New York state of mind.

Letters to the Editors You have minds of your own.

Breaking In: Commercial Photographer Eva Kolenko. Some people make it sound so easy. (don’t be fooled—it’s not).

Winter 2011

CONTENTS

Tricks of the Trade: Bevan Meyers, Booking Director, Milk Studios. A day at Milk with Bevan is better than a day in a spa soaking in coconut milk with Megan Fox.

Industry Tale: Photo Shoot Murder Mystery. Let’s just say Scooby, Shaggy & Velma would be speechless.

Resource Guide to: Make-up.

The pros share some cult products.

PHOTO

History: Jeff Buckley.

A love story.

Interview: Christian Witkin. As if Woodstock wasn’t enough, we’re off go to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Photo Deco-Page: The Urban Wilderness. Read the letter from the editors and you’ll understand

Technique: Lee Cherry on Movement. Even the best dancers can’t always hold the pose.

Gallery: BETA Spaces. Bushwick is the new DUMBO. DUMBO is the new Chelsea. Where will we go in ten years?

Mini Feature: Trekking Through Gambia.

Honey? Care for a stroll? How about Gambia?

Sure. Grab the expensive camera gear.

CREW

How to: Talk Real Good. Werdz gud to no 4 wen yur on set.

Interview: Playground Industries. Let’s admit: photo shoots are often just big plagrounds.

Locations: Rockfeller Center.

It will rock your...um, photo shoot.

STUDIO/EQUIPMENT

e Greeks created it (not likely), the Romans perfected Interview: Ever wondereven what some K&M stands for? Killa and probably), and in K&M. the meantime noteworthy Krazy Magician? Ok, OK… just read the article to find out. ericans Manilla? have mastered the art form. We speak, of urse, of death by poison.

Abraham Lincoln, for example—known to many as the

Mini Feature: Digital Fusion. It’s like taking digital and fusing it with the world. Dude.

SCORO by

Photo by August Bradley PHOTO BY AUGUST BRADLEY

YOU BRING THE VISION. WE’LL BRING THE LIGHT. MOBIL A2R

SCORO A2s/A4s

BRONCOLOR/ KOBOLD HMI

PARA FB 170/220/330

1200ws Battery Pack

1600/3200ws pack

Practical HMI solutions with inter-

Legendary light quality

2 Head Outlets

3 head outlets

changable accessories for strobe

for strobe and HMI.

Asymmetrical Output

Asymmetrical output

and continuous light since 1972 for

New Parasoft 220 FB

Digital

The fastest and most

broncolor HMI.

for softer light.

20.3 lbs (with Battery)

consistent pack on the market.

www.bronimaging.com

1-800-456-0203

AGENCY Ad Rocks: Tipp-Ex. Interactive ads are the new black.

Interview: Maria Kessler.

Copyright laws are serious matter.

FEATURE ARTICLES

Birth of a Campaign: Ikea “Cats” WARNING: If you suffer from cuteness sensitivity, please read this article at your own risk.

Photo Essay: Photographers and their First Assistants.

It’s like they’re a couple, but not.

Productions of the World: Negril, Jamaica. Yeah, mon.

REVIEW

Halsman, Known and Unknown. From an Austrian jail to shooting covers for Life magazine, the strange life of Philippe Halsman.

Who is JR? Like a bat in the night. Hiding in the shadows. Street art strikes again.

Where to Take your Clients Out: Freeman’s and Stanton Social. Seriously, you’re only cool if you know these places.

So now you’re cool.

Go-See: Spy Tech.

There’s a James Bond in all of us.

Mini Feature: Lawson Clarke, The Male Copywriter. He’s like Burt Renolds (but intentionally funny).

Films For Photographers: George A. Romero.

Before George Romero, we thought zombie’s liked steaks on their head. Now we know they don’t like stakes through their head!

Foto Fashion: Studio Life. Jeans: $50. White Shirt: $15.

Converse: $45. Having a job: Priceless.

Directory: People we’ve used and re-used and used again.

End Page.

Cover and End Images by Adam Sherwin: www.adamsherwin.com

local & seasonal

photo shoots & events

serving industry professionals fresh farm menus for over 11 years

www.greenbrownorange.com

212 254 9825

61 hester street nyc 10002

Let There Be Light… Anywhere!

With the NEW Calumet Genesis 300B AC/DC Flash NOW ONLY

The newest member of the Genesis monolight family opens the door to unlimited lighting possibilities. The ultraportable Genesis 300B AC/DC flash unit can be plugged into any household socket or powered directly by a Genesis B Power Port battery pack for professionally lit portraits, still lifes, and interiors anywhere.

$269.99 Flash Only (CF0505)

The Genesis 300B features:

SAVE When You Buy The Genesis 300B and Power Port Together!

This 12-volt DC rechargeable battery pack is the perfect companion to the Genesis 300B flash*. It provides over 200 full-power flashes from a single charge. It offers 3 – 7 second recycling, can be fully charged in 4 to 5 hours, and weighs in at just over 4 pounds.

$399.99 Flash and Battery Pack (CF0506K)

$189.99 Battery Pack Only (CF0506) * Not compatible with the Genesis 200/400.

SAVE $60

The Rest of the Genesis Family: Genesis 200 & 400 Monolights These compact AC monolights are the heart of the Genesis flash system. They feature variable-power control over a 5-stop range, full and proportional modeling, and low voltage sync that’s safe for digital cameras.

www.calumetphoto.com 1.800.CALUMET [225.8638]

calumet brand products

Genesis B Power Port

See thousands of more products, only at www.calumetphoto.com

• 300ws maximum capacity • Variable-flash power over 5 stops • Proportional modeling lamps • Easy-to-use digital controls • Low-sync voltage safe for digital cameras • Easy-lock reflector mount • Fan-cooled for consistent, dependable operation • Adjustable photo cell sensor • A wide variety of lighting acceesories are available

Winter 2011 EDITORS IN CHIEF Alexandra Niki, Aurelie Jezequel

Resource Magazine is a quarterly publication from REMAG Inc. 139 Norfolk Street #A - NY, NY 10002 info@resourcemagonline.com

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Alexandra Niki, Aurelie Jezequel

Subscriptions: $30 in the US, US$50 in Canada, and US$60 globally. For subscription inquiries, please email info@resourcemagonline.com

ART DIRECTOR Chris Brody

Special thanks to: John Champlin/ LUX-SF, Mark Chin, Landon Garza, Patrick Liotta.

COPY EDITORS Rory Aledort, Kate Hope, Michael T. Wilcox, Spencer Winans

We welcome letters and comments. Please send any correspondence to info@resourcemagonline.com

DESIGN Katie Iberle, Sharon Gamss, Dylan Kahler, Rebecca Lewis, Katherine Lo, Paula Rincon, Emil Rivera, Carolina Velasquez CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Alyson Aliano, Beth Altrogge, Paul Amato, Jorg Badura, Nadav Benjamin, Simon Biswas, Joao Canziani, Lee Cherry, Merri Cyr, Axel Dupeux, Christopher Ewers, Matt Farrell, Jason Florio, Zach Gross, Victor Harshbarger, Joseph O. Holmes, Robert Hooman, Stewart Isbell, JR, Elizabeth Leitzell, Alan Mildor, Don Razniewski, David Sack, Kaz Sakuma, Adam Sherwin, Brad Trent, Antoine Verglas

The entire content of this magazine is Š2011, REMAG Inc. and may not be reproduced, downloaded, republished, or transferred in any form or by any means, without written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

For more info, please visit our website, www.resourcemagonline.com FIND US IN BARNES & NOBLES AND BORDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY!

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alex Baker, Aimee Baldridge, Sophia Betz, Marc Cadiente, Charlie Fish, Benjamin Gustafsson, Joseph O. Holmes, Kate Hope, Amber Hurwitz, Ashton Keefe, Alec Kerr, Eva Kolenko, Stephen Kosloff, Justin Muschong, Erica Simone, Heather Simon, Jeff Siti, Feifei Sun, Joseph Sutton, Kenny Ulloa, Lewis Van Arnam, Michael T. Wilcox, Spencer Winans CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS Kevin Golden, Katherine Lo, Emil Rivera INTERNS Rory Aledort, Madelyn Carey, Anita Delvalle, Iman Essiet, Lisanne Evers, Kate Hope, Christina Izzo, Mariel Jurriens, Alan Mildor, Jahmitza Perez, Marco Poggio, Makiko Suzuki, Nanako Takashima, Alexandra Weir PUBLISHER REMAG Inc. DISTRIBUTION info@resourcemagonline.com ADVERTISING Alexandra Niki -alex@resourcemagonline.com Adam Sherwin - adam@resourcemagonline.com

Alyson Aliano is a photographer, originally from New York, who now lives and works in Los Angeles. She is represented by Redux Pictures: www.reduxpictures.com.

Alex Baker is a writer, actor and musician living in downtown LA. Last season he covered the Los Angeles Galaxy for 90:00 Soccer.com and currently writes the tech blog Computers As Humans. When not working Alex enjoys travel and playing soccer badly.

Aimee Baldridge has been writing about the craft and technology of photography since the early aughts. She’s an author, editor, and content strategist, and she enjoys nothing more than talking with interesting photographers about their work—except maybe exploring the world with a camera herself. www.aimeebaldridge.com

Over-caffeinated Graphic Designer and Illustrator, sleepwalker and daydreamer. Emil Rivera has been working with Resource on and off for about two years.

He is currently working with RETV developing new animations and motion graphics. You can check some of his stuff at www.lariverola.com.

Erica Simone is a young and passionate Parisian-American photographer with a foot in many fields. In addition to her fashion, portraiture, fine-art and travel work, she is producing a collection of risqué self-portrait public nudes titled “Nue York: Self-Portraits of a Bare Urban Citizen.” www.ericasimone.com

thank you for coming to us for 17 years... thank thank you you for for coming coming to to us us for for 17 17 years... years... thank coming to for us for 17 years... thank youyou for for coming to us 17 years...

435 W.18th NYC 10011 212.727.1941 435 W.18th 435 W.18th NYC 10011 NYC 10011 212.727.1941 212.727.1941 435 W.18th NYC 10011 212.727.1941 435 W.18th NYC 10011 212.727.1941

(NYC) TREC (NYC) (NYC) TREC TREC(NYC) (NYC)

...we we make itit aa shorter trip ...we thought thought we would would make make shorter trip trip ...we thought we would it a shorter ...we thought we would make it a shorter trip

(BROOKLYN) TREC (BROOKLYN) (BROOKLYN) TREC TREC(BROOKLYN) 131 N.14th BROOKLYN 11211 718.349.2740 131 N.14th BROOKLYN 718.349.2740 131 N.14th11211 BROOKLYN 11211 718.349.2740 131 N.14th BROOKLYN 11211 718.349.2740

trecrental.com trecrental.com trecrental.com trecrental.com ROOT EQ

We are THE RENTAL EQUIPMENT COMPANIES We are THE [NYC] RENTAL We areEQUIPMENT THE RENTALCOMPANIES EQUIPMENT COMPANIES

DRIVEIN24 TREC DRIVEIN24 [BROOKLYN] ROOT[BROOKLYN] EQ COMPANIES TREC ROOT[BROOKLYN] EQDRIVEIN24 TREC We are THE RENTAL EQUIPMENT DRIVEIN24 ROOT[BROOKLYN] TREC EQ [BROOKLYN] [NYC] [BROOKLYN] [NYC] [BROOKLYN]

[NYC] [BROOKLYN]

STUDIOS & 24HR EQUIPMENT

STUDIOS STUDIOS

STUDIOS & 24HRSTUDIOS EQUIPMENT & 24HR EQUIPMENT

STUDIOS

STUDIOS & 24HR EQUIPMENT

STUDIOS

I’m freezing. The cold snow fell on my face as I opened my eyes to the first day of winter. For me, the first day of snow is the official beginning of winter. This year, the snow didn’t stick on that first day, but it teased our anticipation for the smooth white fluffy piles that will soon accumulate on the cars and streets of New York City.

The peace that drowns the city on the first day of heavy snowfall is indescribable. The five boroughs sit in silence. Every sound is muffled. Studios turn the music off; photographers’ cameras don’t “shutter” a sound; not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse.

This is the Winter 2011 issue and you can crack open the first pages of a new Resource Magazine with your frostbitten hands. You may be shivering in a not-heated-enough studio with your scarf still on, or searching for whatever shelter and warmth you might find within the walls of a RV, but don’t be bitter or cold. We can warm each other up. Get under your blankets or sit in front of a fire with hot cocoa or a “Schott” glass of whiskey.

Here’s a little-known fact about Zeiss and drinking, a perfect ice-breaker to use at your next photo party: “The word ‘shot’ was originally spelled ‘Schott’, and named after Friedrich Otto Schott, a German chemist and glass technologist who helped Ernst Abbe and Carl Zeiss [founder of the Zeiss Optics] develop some of the first optical lenses in Germany. Schott, Abbe and Zeiss founded a glassworks factory in Jena, Germany in 1884. The Jena glass has been theorized as the origin of the first Schott Glass and the source of the name, which was later in the USA mutated to Shot Glass, with the original version of the word forgotten.”

Happy new year to all!

Alex and Aurélie

PS: Thanks Wikipedia!

> > Love Love the the > Love the Be Be the the >> Be the pixel pixel Love Love the the Be Be the thepixel pixel

cycs cycskitchens kitchensdigital digitalgrip griplighting lightingNOHO NOHONYC NYC cycs kitchens digital grip lighting NOHO NYC cycs cycskitchens kitchens digital digital grip griplighting lightingNOHO NYC NYC www www neostudiosnyc neostudiosnyc com com . NOHO . ..

www. neostudiosnyc. com www www neostudiosnyc com com .. . .neostudiosnyc

14

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS:

YOU HAVE MINDS OF YOUR OWN

L A N O I S S E F O R P Cleveland | Chicago

SaleS | Rental | SeRVICe Lighting the way since 1891

Hello Resource, I first off just wanted to say how awesome your book is! One of my favorite industry publications. Two thumbs up!

Ryan

Hi Alexandra, I wanted to thank you for Resource Magazine. As a photographer in NY it is a great source for us to keep updated on the industry. thanks!

John

Tell us what you think!

Email us at info@resourcemagonline.com.

CLEVELAND 2077 East 30th Street Cleveland, OH 44115 216-361-6805 • 800-507-1676

CHICAGO 2840 West Armitage Chicago, IL 60647 773-227-3633

Nation-wide service available www.doddpro.com

16

TRICKS OF THE TRADE:

BEVAN MEYERS, BOOKING DIRECTOR, MILK STUDIOS

By Feifei Sun I Photos by Simon Biswas

O

fficially, Bevan Meyers works as the bookings director at Milk Studios, where he oversees nine photo studios. Unofficially, Meyers jokes that he’s a professional juggler—keeping clients happy, making sure photographers get in and out, and responding to the hundreds of emails and phone calls he receives each day. Meyers came to the job after stints as a photographer and customer service representative at a lab.

And before that, he worked various positions within the restaurant industry, where Meyers says he picked up the service-oriented skill set he uses on a daily basis with clients today. Here, Meyers shares his tricks of the studio booking trade.

HELP US HELP HAITI

ROOTS OF DEVELOPMENT helps impoverished communities in Haiti obtain the resources they need to manage their own development. We promote an alternative approach to rural development: we listen to diverse community voices, build on the strength of each, and complete community-driven projects that lead to a more sustainable future.

Learn about how YOU can help at

ROOTSOFDEVELOPMENT.ORG

PHOTOGRAPH by Roots of Development Volunteer BRADEN SUMMERS, represented by SPONSORED BY:

18

Operate on a “First come, first served” basis.

It’s the official rule at most photo studios, and Meyers said it’s a policy that Milk does follow. He doesn’t keep an empty studio for last-minute requests from famous photographers and says that treating clients equally is the key to maintaining strong relationships. “If someone is ready to book a studio, the challenge goes in,” he said. “There are so many different things that can affect the timeline of giving someone an answer, but you have to be fair to everybody. It’s about treating people professionally and we operate from that credo.”

Take a business class.

“Having a well-rounded education is important because it’s such a social business,” Meyers said. “Take some kind of business class and learn all of the administrative stuff that no one talks about because it’s boring, but is helpful in being successful. If you’re not making money, it’s hard to keep a studio open at the end of the day. The more profitable your business is, the better service you can provide.”

Speaking of service, working in the service industry is great prep for the job.

Meyers said he could always tell which employees have made the rounds in the service industry because of their attitude toward customers. “You can always teach someone the stuff we do,” he said. “But having people who are good socially is super important. It’s being able to think on your feet and to prioritize. You have one shot at doing it right. You can’t do it the next day. Oh, and there’s a lot of money involved.

And not necessarily yours.”

Keep your attitude toward working relationships flexible.

“Don’t try to over-pander to people and don’t try to force the conversation,” Meyers warned. “Be as natural as possible and listen. See how people want to be dealt with. Some people are friendly, some people want small talk, and others just want you to provide what they asked you to give them.”

Learn to prioritize and juggle.

“The phone never stops ringing. The emails never stop coming. And we’re open seven days a week, almost twenty-four hours a day,” Meyers said.

“Things happen much quicker and even more fluidly than they have before.

You only have so much time to get a studio booked before people move on [to another space]. It’s a juggling act everyday, trying to keep your clients happy, making sure everyone gets in. It’s about prioritizing—who you need to get back to immediately, who can wait a couple hours, who can possibly wait until tomorrow.”

Treat the unknowns like the Demarcheliers.

At Milk, Meyers strives to give every photographer the same experience, regardless of his or her client or fame. “Everyone gets the same attention and everyone gets the same equipment,” he said. “It’s great to have big photographers as your clients, but you also have to fill the rest of the year as well. Our attitude is that it’s a hard day— why make it harder?”

Be honest about the space you have—and the space you don’t have.

“If the hold doesn’t look good or the studio is already booked, let people know so they can move on,” Meyers said. “I’d rather somebody have a good shoot some place else than come to Milk and have a crappy experience, or get into a space they don’t want to shoot in. Because you can have 100 good experiences and it’s the one you screw up that people remember. And they won’t come back.”

www.milkstudios.com | www.simonbiswas.com

Ask the questions that people aren’t asking.

“Never assume that the other person knows what they’re doing or thinking the same way that you are about how to accomplish a set or a shoot,” Meyers said. “Your job is to ask every single one of those questions. The most important thing is to listen to your client. Someone will have three days on hold, and they’ll call back just to confirm the first day. But never assume they don’t want the other two days, too. It’s about being as detail oriented as possible.”

“It’s about prioritizing— who you need to get back to immediately, who can wait a couple hours, who can possibly wait until tomorrow.”

20

ETIQUETTE:

The Pre-Production Meeting

By Kenny Ulloa I Illustration by Katherine Lo

M

eetings signal that point in your professional career when you know you’ve made it. Although few will admit it, everyone is secretly excited the first time they get to join the true American workforce and utter that very special phrase that separates them from the rest of the college drop-outs who have settled for lame bartending jobs while they “get their shit together:”

“I would have loved to, but I’ve been stuck in meetings all day.”

It’s fun pretending to be part of the corporate culture sometimes, even when our 1099’s and come-as-you-are dress code say otherwise.

The pre-production meeting (PPM) is a final review—a time when decisions being made may have a significant impact on a lot of careers. Being sensitive to people’s insecurities and agendas is essential. The following advice can help you get past that lingering art school tension.

Don’t criticize the layout/idea/concept.

Dear Photographer, You know when that hair guy jumps in and starts tweaking your lights and readjusting your Profoto packs?

No? Oh yeah, that’s not his department, and he sticks to his hazy chemical corner in the studio.

Same goes for you.

When in these meetings pretend you are in a Superfriends episode.

Treat this as if you were entering the Hall of Justice for the first time. Everyone has their own origin story and, most importantly, their own specific powers. So going in and criticizing the Art Director’s graphic skills is like suggesting Superman should do more “eye laser-y things” when fighting Lex Luthor.

It’s too late; the layout went through months of testng and tweaking. A drastic, over-reaching change of concept is by now impossible. Word your opinion carefully as your criticism could make everyone anxious and second-guess themselves.

Don’t get fancy with your language.

Industry jargon can be intimidating. Just remember that sometimes your explanations just sound like techno babble to the untrained ear. A “Tungsten 12k with 1 stop of CTO” doesn’t translate as something “warm and sunny.” Be aware that not every member of your group has an understanding of the laws of photography.

Reassure everyone.

Be assuring when referencing the project, using optimistc phrases that make everyone feel comfortable.

Stylist Take good photos.

Your pictures at the PPM need to “sell” the wardrobe or props. Clients are oftentimes not visual people, so make sure your photos are clean and the clothes and props look good.

Presentation is key: shoot against a window light, use a plain background, and make sure colors aren’t ruined by ugly indoor light—a fluorescent light can make the most expensive clothes look like samples from a TJMaxx inventory list.

Producer Communicate with the Art Buyer.

Ad agencies usually have specific templates for production books, and the Art Buyer will provide you with all the necessary info (names, logos, layout, breakdown, etc…).

Katherine Lo: www.katsoupdesign.com

Photographer

21

Don’t talk about budget or the difficulty of getting something done.

During the PPM, the Photographer and Art Director may be struck with a lightning bolt of inspiration sent from the advertising gods. These spurts of creativity are often expensive/ridiculous/impossible to execute. The key is to stay non-commitmental and go over the details with the Art Buyer after the meeting.

Introduce yourself.

Be attentive and concise with your comments, and when on a conference call, say, “This is so and so the stylist” before talking. Be patient and polite: you’re all in this together. Trying to assert your authority during a PPM is like trying to lead people on an electric slide in a pitch black room.

Just be careful.

Everyone

Confidence and civility.

Like this etiquette section has mentioned a million times before, remember names and properly address people, especially if you are disagreeing with them—this helps to establish a rapport with your team.

Be punctual.

If you’re fifteen minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. And if you’re late... well, it’s not the end of the world but don’t come in with train delay murmurs or family emergency excuses, please.

Stay out of the client-ad agency politics.

It’s like watching a couple having that gritting teeth “We’re not fighting, just discussing things” conversation. They’re in their own passive-agressive world, let them live in it.

Dress nice.

You’re not on set yet; this is a business, professional meeting. Remember that some people don’t want your anti-office outfits flaunted in their faces.

22

BREAKING IN:

COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER EVA KOLENKO

By Aimee Baldridge I Photo courtesy of Eva Kolenko

Y

ears after graduating with a photography degree, plenty of shooters still find themselves making ends meet with assisting (or the random day job), while trying to break through as professional photographers in their own right.

Not Eva Kolenko. The twenty-eight-year-old commercial photographer was already getting representation and professional jobs before she graduated in 2005. Since then, she’s been selected as an Art Directors Club Young Gun, won a PDN PIX Digital Imaging award, and been featured in Communication Arts and PDN Photo Annual (twice!). These days, her healthy client list includes household names like Random House, M&M’s, and Novartis. Kolenko spoke with MAC-On-Campus.com editor Aimee Baldridge about how she made her bones.

What is your educational background?

I graduated high school after my sophomore year to start my college career early. I studied all kinds of art, but eventually photography really won me over. I transferred to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and graduated as valedictorian with a major in advertising photography.

including a portfolio class in which he really coached me to hone my vision and the voice of my book. I’ve got to say, though, my husband, who is also an artist, has been the most influential and consistent force in my life. He encouraged me to go to art school and pursue photography as a career, and was supportive all the way through, offering advice and critique.

Describe the path your professional life has taken, from your student days to the present.

I was really fortunate. There wasn’t much of a gap for me between school and launching my career. I worked really hard to get my portfolio ready while I was in school. I submitted work to contests all the time, and also assisted for some very talented San Francisco photographers, which taught me a lot. But my biggest break was when a couple of photography reps started taking notice of me during my junior year. By the summer before I started my last semester at the Academy, I had partnered up with my rep, Sharpe + Associates. So technically I was a “professional” photographer before I even graduated.

What was the hardest aspect of attaining success or meeting large or small goals?

I am a pretty self-motivated person in general. Everyone who knows me well would say that my work ethic is pretty ruthless, but I think the hardest part about attaining and maintaining success is staying relevant.

This means two things. One, you have to constantly shoot, allowing your work to mature and evolve naturally and at a healthy, steady pace to keep up. And then second, and even more importantly, you have to get all that work out into circulation and in front of art buyers, art directors, and photo editors. The minute you let some of your goals slide—you put off a print mail promo, or wait too long for a follow-up call, or you stop shooting because you don’t have a job, or you don’t build a new iPhonecompatible site—you become irrelevant. So the hardest part is that you can never let up.

What was the best advice you were given while trying to launch your career?

Fill your portfolio with personal work so you will get hired to shoot what you love.

What did you learn from being an assistant?

Of course you pick up some technical skills, but I think the most valuable observations I made were about photographer-and-client relationships— how to negotiate and how to sell yourself to get a job. Assisting on set, you also learn all kinds of practical stuff about photo production that you can’t really soak up in a class, such as what a producer does, which stylist is responsible for what, why a copywriter might be at the shoot, who feeds everyone. But most importantly, it’s a great opportunity to learn about the collaboration that happens between the photographer and the art director, and how to please the client as well as make a great photograph.

Did you have advisers or mentors who helped you get off the ground?

How did they influence the path you took and what were the most important things you learned from them?

Definitely. James Wood, the director of the photo department at the Academy, had a major impact on the initial success of my career. He was the one who put my work in front of several reps, which led me to sign with Sharpe. But even before that, Jim taught several of my classes,

What would you do differently if you could do it all a second time?

I’d go to culinary school and be a chef. Haha—I don’t think that’s what you meant by that question... but I am only half kidding. In reality, there isn’t anything major I’d go back and change, nothing beyond the inevitable small hiccups that happen during some shoots.

What are the best practical resources you’ve used?

People! People are by far the most important resources you can find.

Build great relationships with producers, assistants, and stylists, and they will provide you with the most solid support system ever. In terms of online resources, Ads of the World is a really good resource for inspiration. I go there all the time. And Archive and Communication Arts.

Those are my big inspiration go-tos.

How much did financial considerations play into your career choice?

Not at all. I was prepared to be in debt from college, and didn’t really expect to be able to live solely off photography for a long time, if ever. I don’t think photography is a safe career choice for anyone with a main goal of being really successful financially. There are a lot of easier ways to make money.

ko.com www.evakolen Eva Kolenko:

23

What do you think are the most important qualities and skills for a person to have in your line of work?

I’d say people skills are number one. You have to be able to sell yourself and your work in a way that is genuine and interesting. Having a great portfolio is only the first step.

The “Breaking In” series asks successful young professionals in photo-related fields about what it took to get into their line of work, what it’s like to make a living doing what they do, and how they made the transition from student days to working life. You can find more “Breaking In” articles and a wealth of other resources for photography students, educators, and emerging pros at MAC-On-Campus.com.

Where do you want to take things from here?

I just want to always be moving forward, continually making time to shoot what I love for my portfolio. I have some fun ideas for promotional pieces for the new year, and I’ve been saving up a bunch of new work that I am excited to get out there!

MAC-ON-CAMPUS.com

24

industry tale:

PHOTO SHOOT MURDER MYSTERY*

By Jeff Siti I Illustration by Kevin Golden

I

wasn’t paying attention. I hadn’t even noticed we had stopped until he started screaming out the window.

Things were already unraveling and I’d only been awake at that point for… I don’t know, who knows. The make-up artist was missing and, for all I knew, presumed dead. At the time I wouldn’t have cared if it turned out to be the case. Donny, the photographer, had vouched for her, but it didn’t stop her from flaking at the last second. She was supposed to meet us at 6:45 am at the hotel where the creative director was staying, but never showed. So I called around. People were either still asleep or already booked for the day. I finally lucked out and found a replacement. We shot up the West Side Highway to grab her on our way to the shoot in Westchester and I told myself to relax. Then I realized we weren’t moving. Actually, we were moving... backward.

“What’s going on?” I asked, looking up from staring into my coffee.

“What the—” “Pigs! Move when I am in the reverse gear toward you!”

Huh? That was the maniac first assistant, Manny, shouting out the window at the traffic he had caused and was now backing into. He was driving the photographer’s car and was excited to use the then-new E-Z Pass, or “electronic toll device,” as he put it. “Yes, you do not stop,” he had explained earlier in his extremely thick South American accent as I was desperately trying to reach a make-up artist from the hotel lobby pay phone. “You no longer are controlled by communist swine toll road regime. You are free. The open road. This is fantastic, is it not?”

Yes, Jesus, it’s great, I thought. It’s the fucking split atom of highway motor transport, but can you just—wait a minute, was that a penis? I could have sworn I saw a black and white glossy close-up of a massive penis fall out of Manny’s bag. But I couldn’t have seen that. That’s not what I saw. I did not just see a close-up of an erect penis fall out of his bag onto the floor of the SoHo Grand lobby. Then Erica, the makeup artist, answered her phone and said she was free for the day. The mysterious penis photo was forgotten and I began shouting directions.

The toll was $2, payable only in coins. Nobody in the car had any cash.

“It’s a cashless society!” Erica said meaninglessly from the backseat, happy to be there. Psycho Manny had mistakenly pulled into a cash-only lane, rendering the E-Z Pass useless. The four of us began scrounging for change in between the seats and somehow collected enough for the toll. When we finally got to the set—a doctor’s house in Westchester— we were half an hour late and the last to arrive. The movers had put all the house furniture on the front lawn, people were milling around

like zombies in front of the catering table, and the photographer was attempting to maneuver the cherry picker. When Donny shouted down to me asking what the hell had happened, I didn’t tell him how his make-up artist had screwed us or that his first assistant was a South American serial killer. This was one of my first jobs as a freelance producer and I wanted to keep things relatively under control. Then somebody said something like, “We’re just going to have to move this shit again when it starts raining,” and I looked up. Clouds… come on.

That was when everything went from bad to worse: by then Manny was in the cherry picker with the photographer. He kept forgetting to check the exposure and dropping Polaroids, which came down hitting people on the head. The motor of the stupid thing was so loud you couldn’t hear anything. The kid model started making weird faces at the creative director, who by then hated him, and then we heard a near explosion.

The photographer had hit a tree with the cherry picker and was laughing hysterically. The cherry picker guy was screaming at him from the ground but nobody could hear him, and then a guy showed up asking where we wanted the dog.

Donny later called for a light reading, but I didn’t have the meter. Manny, who had somehow made his way to the garage, was drinking coffee

25

and showing somebody his portfolio. He had the meter.

“Manny,” I called, “the meter! We need the meter!”

“One minute,” he said, barely looking up and not moving. I felt a rain drop. Pervert murderer! What the hell are you even here for?

“Now!” I screamed. He dropped his coffee and sprinted in my direction. For a second I thought he was going to tackle me in front of everyone and beat me.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” he yelled, inches from my face and in much better English than he had spoken earlier. The photographer said something from above but I couldn’t hear him over the crazy. I braced for a face punch that never came. I finally grabbed the meter from Manny’s pocket, took the reading and yelled up, “5.6!” Manny snatched it back and stormed back inside the garage,

muttering something in Spanish. Another raindrop. Then another. Donny had four loaded cameras going and he didn’t want to stop. The model “husband” and “wife” stood with their “daughter” who held the pug’s leash while their “son” was jumping up and down on a bed in the background. The pug looked like it died in a fire seven years ago and, as soon as that thought crossed my mind, it proceeded to vomit all over a lounge chair.

“Coming in,” I said. I grabbed the pug, picked up the vomit with the make-up artist’s tissues— disgusting—flipped the cushion over, and gave a nod to the creative director and make-up artist as they applauded my efforts. Donny kept shooting. I noticed Manny back in the garage showing a growing number of staff his portfolio. He gave me a weird look and I became obsessed with finding out what he was showing these people. I started toward him but the rain stopped me. The movers swarmed the set, scaring the children away as they covered everything in seconds. We broke for lunch.

Kevin Golden: http://designrelated.com/kevingolden

As I was chatting with Donny about the newest episode of Friends, he received a voicemail on his cell phone. The original make-up artist was saying something about not being able to get in touch with anyone. Not many people had cell phones in

those days so it was semi-believable, but still annoying. After lunch the rest of the afternoon was sunny. Donny headed back up in the cherry picker and we were able to finally get the shot we were looking for.

As everyone was packing their gear and preparing to head out, I noticed Manny had set his bag down. My chance. Not fully knowing what I was doing or why I was doing it, I made my way toward it. The small portfolio was sticking out of a side compartment. Manny was out of sight so I grabbed it and quickly opened it. A tap on my shoulder. Son of a bitch. This is how this happens.You go looking through another person’s shit and they catch you doing it. Happens every time. I turned around to find the guy who rented us the cherry picker starring at me. I breathed again. He began to say something but stopped when he saw the open portfolio. He cocked his head curiously and again seemed to be about to speak, but instead turned and walked away. Yep. Turns out the cherry picker guy is at a loss for words when he sees an elegantly captured gay blowjob, but who isn’t?

Donny called me over “to talk,” and I cringed.

I expected him to blame me for everything, but he actually asked me if I could help him organize his studio. Stunned, I said that I absolutely could and became his in-house producer for the next four years. I never saw Manny again, but if I know Manny the way I think I do, he’s been showing man-on-man action to utter strangers for years now. And what’s wrong with that?

Resource Guide TO:

MAkE-UP Products

By Amber Hurwitz I Photos by Matt Farrell I Styled by Sarah Guido

G

lamorous, transformative, dramatic—make-up can create sensational effects. Both an artist’s knowledge of application techniques and the quality of the products he uses combine for stunning visuals. For everyday life and night-outs alike, there are countless creative ways to illuminate natural beauty. Make-up is an ancient tradition, as old as any art form, and modern cosmetics have come a long way. The possibilities are only enhanced by the tools available today. Just as Nefertiti did, we use cosmetics to accentuate appearances, well-being, and confidence.

Matt Farrell: www.mattfarrell.com

FAVORITE MASCARA Dior - Show Mascara Givenchy - Phenomen Eyes Mascara Lancome - Definicils L’Oreal - Lash Out Maybelline - Falsies, Great Lash or Lash Discovery

Stylist: Sarah Guido - www.sarahguido.com

Professional make-up artists are the first to get their hands on the most exciting and advanced cosmetics. Like ever insightful big sisters, the pros are here letting us on some of the best products available.

27

FAVORITE EYE SHADOW Bobbi Brown - Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Espresso Ink Lorac - Moonstone MAC - Woodwinked Makeup Forever - in any color Stila - Kitten Yaby - Pearl Paints in any color Nars - Cordura Eye Duo or Kalahari Eye Duo

FAVORITE FOUNDATION Giorgio Armani - Luminous Silk Foundation La Mer - Treatment Fluid Foundation Laura Mercier - Secret Camouflage Makeup Forever - HD Foundation Nars - Sheer Glow Temptu - S/B Foundation Visiora - Creme Visage

Do you create or share content?

Would your business benefit from having its own iPhone app?

Introducing PortfolioSource.

Your content, like you’ve never seen it before.... Stunning. Sophisticated. Vivid.

Updated in minutes, as often as you like.

Share photos, video, audio, blogs, events, and Twitter feeds. Reach your clients and your fans, monetize your content. You’re in control.

PORTFOLIO Powered by Nov8rix

MAKE YOUR OWN APP. www.portfoliosourceapp.com

30

HISTORY:

JEFF BUCKLEY

By Charlie Fish I Photo by Merri Cyr, 1993, NYC

B B

y December 1993, Jeff Buckley’s long-standing dream of making it in the music industry was on its way to becoming reality. He had already created a buzz in the New York downtown scene for his live gigs in venues like Sin-é, paving the way for his first EP (a live album) to be released. The press had also taken notice of the young singer with a four-octave range and dashing good looks; it seemed everything was aligned to make Jeff Buckley a star.

Buckley’s powerful, evocative voice, his songwriting prowess and his live performances soon drew the attention of suit-and-tie record executives. The crooner had recently inked a three-album deal with Columbia Records (owned by Sony) worth seven figures. He had been working on his début album, Grace, all year and now that there was a release date in sight (1994), the album needed cover art.

By this time, photographer Merri Cyr had already been shooting Buckley for over a year, often accompanying—and documenting—the singer and his band on tours. Buckley and his record execs hired Cyr to shoot the album cover for Grace, which would go on to become the highly revered, critically acclaimed piece of work that would cement Buckley’s place in music history. MTV would follow, as would a legion of fans. But tragedy was also in the cards.

When Jeff Buckley accidentally drowned in Memphis’s Wolf River Harbor in 1997, the resounding sentiment was that a rising star had been taken away too soon. The outpouring of emotion and adoration was immediate and, as a testament to his talent, still abounds to this day. Few people spent as much time with the singer songwriter in his early days than Cyr did. Resource talked to the photographer to find out about her muse, his legacy, and his charm.

Meeting Jeff Buckley: I initially met Jeff in the fall of 1992 when I was assigned to photograph him for Paper Magazine. The art director at Paper, David Herskovitz, mentioned that there was a musician performing weekly at Sin-é who was creating quite a stir and asked if I would like to photograph him. I called Jeff up and scheduled a time to meet and photograph him at his apartment on the Lower East Side.

He seemed to enjoy being photographed, which made it fun for me.

The thing that struck me about him while we were shooting that first time was that he leaned in very close at one point and plucked a dust bunny from my sweater. He had a seductive way about him and created a sort of intimate connection right away, which was very nice for creating portraits.

On the Set: This photo was taken at Arcadia Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in December 1993. My friend Billy Basinski had a loft space where he hosted Cabaret and music shows. When Jeff and Sony hired me to do the album package, I thought this would be a wonderful backdrop. For the day of the shoot I made some stage sets and used much of the existing features of the space.

That Gold Sparkle Jacket: The styling for the album cover was pretty much all Jeff. For his clothing, he brought an army duffle bag full of his vintage clothes.

It looked as though he had just taken everything [he had] and stuffed it in there, unfolded and unwashed. I laughed when he emptied out the contents onto Billy’s bed. (I think we had someone working all day steaming out the clothes.) In the mix was the gold sparkle jacket that you see in the cover shot. Of course, I couldn’t help being somewhat attracted to it as it looked like something he might have pulled out of Judy Garland’s closet.

Pretty Boy vs. the Record Execs: I learned much later that this image stirred up a lot of controversy. It wasn’t an image that I even printed a proof print of, but when Jeff saw it on the contact sheet, he fell in love with it. The reason he said that he loved the shot was because he could tell that he was listening to the music by the expression on his face. As far as I was concerned, I thought there were a lot more interesting shots that we did that day, but it was his album cover and I thought it should be how he wanted it.

32

“People usually only want you to see their ´presentable´ side, but I think Jeff trusted me and allowed me to photograph him with the view toward authenticity. I loved him and I think he knew that.”

On Creating the Tribute Book “A Wished For Song”: I wanted to pay tribute and I had a lot of pictures of him. When he died, perhaps I wanted to summarize and figure out what he meant to me. I was grieving. I missed him.

I think the main thing I learned [during the experience] was that the Jeff I knew was not the same person that others knew. Some things crossed over, but he was very compartmentalized and shared different things with different people. I think part of it was that he was friends with so many different types of people, perhaps each being outlets for different aspects of himself.

Shooting Jeff Buckley: Jeff was a big ham. He let me do whatever I wanted to and was open to different ideas. He liked to collaborate with other artists. He volunteered to be my muse, and I took him up on it. Also, I think that sometimes he just liked the idea that I was watching over him somehow, particularly during the Sin-é shoot and then again when I went on the road with him.

Because Jeff didn’t censor me, I shot him when he was in every sort of mood, which I think is unusual. People usually only want you to see their “presentable” side, but I think Jeff trusted me and allowed me to photograph him with a view toward authenticity. I loved him, and I think he knew that.

A Tortured Artist?

Jeff’s moods were pretty mercurial. As we became friends, his moodiness could be somewhat challenging, but as a photographic muse it was fantastic.

On her Gear and Setup: In those days I was a proud minimalist. My gear consisted of a couple of Nikon FM2s, a 24, 35 and 105. I also had an old Hasselblad from 1964 with an 80mm, made the year I was born. Sometimes I would rent a Widelux. The films I would use were Tri-x, Tmax 3200, and Fujipress 400 and 1600. I hardly ever used flash at all unless I was in a studio. For strobes I just had an old Norman 800 that I found somewhere. I always preferred natural light, and still do. I find that natural and ambient light is almost always more interesting than set up lighting.

A Lasting Impact: Jeff changed my life. He fought for me to do the photography on his first EP, Live at Sin-é, even though the art director had already hired a different photographer. It was the first album cover I had ever done.

After that, Columbia Records and other record companies started hiring me to do album photography. Basically, Jeff started my career as a music photographer.

He was one of the most amazing artists I have ever met, and I feel happy and privileged to have been able to collaborate with him and to see him perform and do his work. When an artist of his caliber extends himself to you, you want to meet the challenge and be the best at what you are doing.

On a spiritual level, Jeff’s gift was his ability to channel an energy that I can only imagine comes from God. There is a card in the Tarot deck called The Magician. On the card you see an image of a man in a robe extending his arm toward the heavens. There is an infinity symbol that floats above his head. The idea is that the energy from above is channeled through this figure and is manifested. As a performer, that is how I see Jeff—as someone who was able to channel some kind of divine energy so that we all could benefit.

Charlie Fish: www.charliefish.info

Ultimately, it is hard for me to now imagine a different shot being on the cover. It is the iconic image that he chose to visually define himself with, and it now seems impossible to me that it could be any other photograph.

Jeff was a big Scorpio, very seductive. I think he seduced everyone he came into contact with. Everyone wanted to know him; he was so talented and beautiful. Although he was a water sign I think of him as fire—very warming if you kept a certain distance from the flame, but you might get scorched if you got too close. As I say that, though, I think of his humorous side. He used to describe himself as Beavis with Butthead rising. He despised the idea of being a tortured artist but I suppose, in a way, he was one.

Merri Cyr: www.merricyr.com

The executives at Sony were put off by the sparkle jacket and thought it made him look too “gay.” Others at the company thought that the image was too much of a pretty boy shot (I heard the name Luke Perry come up more than once). They wanted to publicize him not as a pretty boy but more in line with the ‘Live at Sin-é’ album cover, with a more gritty or documentary-style look. All I know is that Jeff fought very hard and insisted that this image be his album cover. He ultimately pulled rank and wouldn’t back down about it with the Sony executives. Some people think that it was his ego that drove him to insist, but I think that to him the music was the most important thing and that this image somehow reflected that back to him.

34

PHOTO DECO-PAGE:

THE URBAN WILDERNESS

W

hen I walk deep into Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on the first snowfall each year, I find myself transported to the winter meadows and hills of my childhood, to the hikes and backpacking trips around the tiny Pennsylvania factory town where I grew up. My town was surrounded by Christmas tree farms, apple orchards, corn fields, and forested hills, and my stomping grounds were the trail down to Kettle Creek bottom, the railroad bridge across the Susquehanna River, and the walk through hemlocks and pines to the swimming hole known as The Haystacks. The steeper streets in my town were closed when it snowed, and we immediately claimed them for sledding.

At first glance, many of the snowy spaces in The Urban Wilderness series might be mistaken for those rural scenes: stark white meadows rimmed by low hills and bare trees. But on closer inspection, street lamps come into focus, hints of park benches appear, and backpackers are revealed to be urban dog walkers.

A hike through Prospect Park in the winter is the closest thing I can manage these days to those walks through the snowy hills of my childhood. But the thing that compels me to take along my camera is the incongruous mix of wilderness and urban detail, that juxtaposition of pristine emptiness with hints of the immense human presence lurking just outside the frame.

Joseph O. Holmes: www.streetnine.com

Photos and Words by Joseph O. Holmes

36

GALLERY:

BETA SPACES

By Sophia Betz I Photos by Alan Mildor

T

he fourth annual incarnation of BETA Spaces art festival (short for Bushwick Exhibition Triangle of Alternative Spaces) struck just the right balance between unabashed work-in-progress and thoughtful presentation. The festival spanned a large segment of the Brooklyn neighborhood and showcased over fifty exhibits displayed in immensely varied ways. Produced by Arts in Bushwick, a volunteer organization that “serves and engages artists and other neighborhood residents through creative accessibility and community organizing,” the day-long event is fully grounded in Bushwick; the neighborhood is the connective tissue that ties all the shows and spaces together. BETA Spaces brilliantly shows the creative process and challenges visitors in the way they experience art.

BETA Spaces bills itself as “a uniquely conceptual and collaboratively driven arts festival.” The partnership between curators and artists is apparent, but the collaborative spirit extends to the audience too. Aside

from the obvious engagement begged by performance-based shows (“Laughter as Medium” and “The West Bushwick Smorgasbord 2010” to name a couple), many of the more traditional exhibits involved the festival-goer in more subtle ways. “The International Society for the Promotion & Recognition of the Collaborative Art Gangbang,” shown in a loft on Harrison Place, in fact depended upon participation. Viewers were asked to touch, affect, and participate in, including a live filming of the exhibit itself. For “Mythologized,” shown in a Bogart Street apartment, a mix of mesmerizing images was projected down the length of a hallway and onto the opposite wall. To see the rest of the video, the viewer was forced to walk through the beam of light coming from the projector. It was an uncomfortable yet powerful experience, and a nod to a central question underlying BETA Spaces: in a community festival, where is the line between onlooker and artist? In Bushwick, art is more than the curator, artist, viewer, and venue operating within pre-existing molds; art means challenging the boundaries between these roles and bringing them together to create a space that expresses the artists’ vision and the community’s strengths. The festival-goer became more than just a viewer—a reminder that art, and particularly in its experimental forms, can’t thrive without an audience.

website goes here

As the festival’s name suggests, the show was as much about the ways in which the exhibits were presented as art itself. In addition to being introduced to new artists and new approaches that pushed the boundaries of artistic convention, I got a true sense of the neighborhood’s distinct approach to curation. Many of the spaces were indeed white-wall galleries when it suited the work, but most exhibits were held in people’s apartments or empty loft spaces, in cafés or performance spaces. A giant circus-like kaleidoscope parked on Bogart Street beckoned passers-by to take a look, in contrast to exhibit number 11—a smartphone GPS game in the form of a downloadable app. Each space was an integral part of the exhibit itself. The success of “Home-land”—art from expatriated Middle Eastern artists—wasn’t despite it hanging in an apartment; the intimate space became part of the medium itself and facilitated a fuller experience of the work. The diversity of spaces proved to be greater than the sum of their parts, and a palpable sense of Bushwick’s singular creative energy came through.

http://artsinbushwick.org/beta2010/

Alan Mildor: mildor.carbonmade.com

One of the day’s scheduled talks, “Bushwick’s DIY Galleries: A Panel with Local Curators”, brought to light the challenges and the politics around curating shows in what some call “alternative” art spaces. During a lively, informal discussion in an outdoor spot next to the English Kills Gallery, gallerists and artists debated the accuracy of terms like ‘“DIY” and “alternative” in relation to the curatorial community in Bushwick.

The general consensus was that the word “collaborative” may be more relevant than the oft-contrived “DIY” with its troublesome connotations.

Jason Andrew of Storefront gallery pointed out one crucial underpinning of Bushwick’s artistic force—the gallerists are motivated primarily by the ideas from the artists they work with, not simply profit. Many took issue with the word “alternative” as well. After all, it isn’t really the best way to describe this burgeoning artistic scene, because it implies a secondary relationship to another entity. In fact, ‘beta’ is more accurate a term for the new approaches to art and curation that Bushwick supports. The spaces that make up the festival aren’t necessarily in reaction to the mainstream; rather they are their own experiment in a neighborhood with its own distinct character. Though the Bushwick art scene is still

obscure to some, it’s not a second choice for those involved. It offers an opportunity to create new spaces, and, as one sharp audience member commented, to lay the groundwork for a new model of curation and collaboration.

Walking down Boerum Street, I saw beautiful graffiti murals on the side of a building. On a side street off Bogart, two men spontaneously started drumming on a dumpster, entertaining everyone within earshot. It’s only fitting that the BETA Spaces festival includes the creative neighborhood in which its curators and many of its artists live and work. If there was one part of the festival that most poignantly articulated what the day was about, it was an artist at work in a small makeshift studio within the “Mythologized” exhibit. In a room otherwise filled with paintings, sculptures and the like, his presence highlighted the fluidity and convergence of art, place, and process. BETA Spaces celebrates work in progress: a community grounded in an ever-evolving place, working through new ways to create art and expressing the process as they go. And it invites you to participate by watching it come to life in front of you.

38

interview:

CHRISTIAN WITKIN Words and Photo by Stephen Kosloff

T

here are those mornings when you wake up and think, “I really need to brush my teeth,” and then there are mornings when you wake up and think, “I really need to brush my teeth and then pitch a Q&A with the sssexy yet sssassy photographer Christian Witkin to Resource Magazine.” And that is exactly what went down. Two interviews, in fact. The first was in May, at a house Witkin rented over the summer in Woodstock, where we drank bottled beer but did not get shit-faced. The second Q&A was in July, at his new studio in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Witkin was born in England in 1966 to a Dutch mother and American father. He lived in Holland until he was seventeen, and in 1984, moved to New York where he assisted lightweights such as Bruce Weber and Annie Liebovitz. He is an accomplished fine art and commercial photographer with numerous awards and high-profile campaigns for the Gap, IBM, Calvin Klein, Nike, and Levis under his belt.

Do you have a favorite photography book?

There are two photographers who really impress me. Edward Curtis and August Sander. They both tackled big subjects, Edward Curtis with North American indians, and August Sander with post World War I Germany.

They both shot portraits. Their work feels like the dawn of an amazing medium called photography.

Witkin made joking references to his own cockiness during the interviews, Are there books by Curtis and Sander you particularly like? but I was struck by his candor and openness. I found him to be thoughtful Edward Curtis’ has a 20-volume book collection called “The North and empathic rather than a raging narcissist. His willingness to pose American Indian,” and August Sander’s has a 12-volume series called as “Witkin the Destroyer of Office Chairs” on the roof of his studio only “People of the Twentieth Century.” There is also a Dutch photographer, underscored the point.

Ed van der Elsken. His book came out in the early 70s, and I think it was called “Eye Love You.” Anyway, for your consideration, Christian Witkin.

Is he also a portrait guy?

PART 1: WOODSTOCK He’s primarily drawn to people, but he tends to have a bit more of a photojournalistic approach, using 35mm. But he’s not going to snap away If you could only shoot with one camera body and one prime lens for the randomly, like many photojournalists do. rest of your life, what would they be?

I would have to say probably a medium format antique camera I own As far as personal photography, is there a day that stands out as the called the Rollei SL66 with an 80mm lens. most gratifying?

My latest trip to Ethiopia in 2006-07, where I predominantly shot in the On your website, you display multiple smaller shots together instead of Afar region, shooting camel herders and tribal soldiers. one large one. Why? The way I choose to display my work is more like displaying an editing PART 2: BROOKLYN NAVY YARD process, so that I can engage the viewer in my choices.

You mentioned that from your late 30s into your 40s you started In terms of aesthetics, do you prefer film to digital? developing new approaches.

I’ll make a choice when I’m given an assignment. If it’s something that My foreign experiences made me more efficient. I did seven cities in India I’m really into on a personal level, I request to do it on film, because I once by myself. I would arrive in a city, pick out a taxi driver who seemed know it’s something I’ll want to keep in my archive as an extension of cool, with decent English, and would put a team together with him. my personal work. However, the reality for most magazines is that they I started doing trips to India in 1992. All of that interacting with subjects cannot afford to do analog; I shoot digital for them and have a personal and complete strangers, choreographing with them, helped me develop film camera with me. my sensibility and techniques.

You take the shots twice?

The moments that really stand out, yes. I carry an analog camera so that there’s consistency in my body of work.

What did you learn in India, in terms of technique?

I photographed in all formats, which helped on a technical level. I shot my last few trips with a 4x5 camera. It offered a new angle on a familiar subject.

Any photographers blow your mind lately?

There was this photographer who had some stuff in New York Magazine, but the only reason I looked at it twice and was impressed was that it was a style that I pursue, the daylight portrait.

You mentioned earlier that when you first started out you wanted your portfolio to be rock solid.

From day one, through the four or five years that I assisted, I was working on my book. It came to the point where I felt strong about every image.

I borrowed some money to do a promotional piece. It cost me four or five grand. The piece was so strong that editors and art directors immediately responded to it. Almost overnight I got a call from Vanity Fair. That’s how everything sort of jump-started. The mailer was black and white, an accordion fold, four panels, eight images total. I had a 16x20 portfolio, which is big, but I only had one of them. I still use it for occasional presentations. I wanted to have a small book with some of the best images in it; it actually won an award. It caught on fire, it was amazing. It was beautifully printed by Rappaport who developed the stone tone process. He could bring out texture in blacks that was unbelievable.

Christian Witkin: www.ChristianWitkin.com

Stephen Kosloff: StephenKosloffPhotography.com

Kind of a cliché question, but what was your worst shoot?

Rosie Perez, for Vibe. It was my second shoot and second cover for them. She was very difficult. She basically looked at the Polaroid and freaked out. She hated the lighting, the styling … everything. So I told her to hang tight while I rearranged it. I’d do it differently now. I’d stop the shoot. You don’t just have a tantrum like that.

I commercialized the lighting and felt my

interest dissipating. The art director was looking for an image that would make the cover work, and I couldn’t find it. I had to make something out of nothing. I learned a lot from that experience, though. The irony was that two months later I bumped into her at a diner, and she loved the pictures.

because the one consistency is daylight.

I’m curious to see what editors would say about this. I’ve heard the word “gloomy” applied to my work. I have a history of disappointment with art directors at magazines. I find that advertising agency creatives are much more creative than their counterparts at magazines.

Is there someone who you have shot who just blew you away, in terms of how they photographed?

Anthony Hopkins. I shot him in L.A. ten years ago. He was very gruff at first, but he liked the Polaroid I showed him. It was for Entertainment Weekly, for a movie I don’t think he cared for, but he was great.

Are there any photography blogs or websites that you read regularly?

I can’t say that there are, nor do I look at magazines much. I’ve never really been inspired by our business, per se. It’s a bit cocky, but, as an assistant, I felt photographers would be better or more interesting; but it was disappointed frequently, working with these guys.

Leibovitz didn’t have a very good connection with people. She was neurotic; she was erratic; she was a terrible communicator. She couldn’t articulate what she wanted well. Sometimes I do that too… you don’t always know exactly what you want. But I just recall thinking, ‘Wow, this is the famous Annie Leibovitz?’

You’ve said most artists you admire have a point of view. What is the Witkin’s point of view?

I think all artists evolve. At the beginning of my career, it was more graphic, more white background, more medium format. It’s gone to more large format, soulful studio portraits with more texture. Texture on the background, the environment, as opposed to just a white background. But I still enjoy daylight the best

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

TECHNIQUE:

LEE CHERRY ON MOVEMENT

By Benjamin Gustafsson I Photo by Lee Cherry

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Brooklyn, New York. I landed in LA because I started out as a dancer.

I was doing a national tour of “West Side Story” in the late 90s. I toured around for two years and the last stop was in LA, near Hollywood. I got off the bus and I stayed.

Did you go to school for photography?

No. When I was on the road I bought myself a camera and originally started taking landscape pictures.

I was kind of inspired by Ansel Adams. While I was on the tour, I was also on busses full of people and they started asking me to take pictures of them, so I did.

What was your first camera?

My first camera was a 35 mm Nikon.

So, is it an aesthetic choice to capture it in that “frozen in time” kind of way?

Yes, I want them to levitate rather than just jump.

Do you still have it?

I like the look of suspension in the air. I someNo I don’t. I’m not really one of those people who’s nostalgic and times ask them not to be as dance-y. holds on to things. When something is over, it’s done.

They seem to be either levitating or in a What draws you toward dance? Why did you start photographing dancers? moment where they are out of balance.

Well, initially, girls drew me to dance [laughs]. I kind of describe dance as my Right. I’m shooting the best dancers in gateway drug into the arts. Before I started dancing I had no place to put my the world and very often I am having energy. I was just a troublemaker machine. All I would do was get into trouble. them falling on their faces. You’d never I had no direction or goals. When I started dancing I learned a lot about energy. see that in the photos. But the only way to get a position in the air will ofYou don’t see a lot of motion blur in your photos, yet there is a strong sense of ten lead you to land ungracefully. The motion in your photos. How do you achieve this? thing is, dancers don’t like to land The main thing is that the movement I have people do isn’t here-to-there. It’s ungracefully. [As a dancer,] it doesn’t often up and down even though it may look like they are going left or right. The matter if you can do a great move other thing is that a good dancer tends to be able to hold a position. The sense of if you don’t land it well. The thing is, movement also comes from the caliber of dancer [you are working with]. So you landing well sometimes means you’re wouldn’t see blur because the movement isn’t as fast as you would think. in balance in the air. I like people to go to the danger zone, as they call it.

Lee C

.leecherry.co herry: www m

Benj ami n Gu staf sso

n: w

ww . bg ust afs son ph o

tog rap hy. com

Do you shoot people while they are Is there also, for you, a sense that you should maindancing, or is there an art to posing as tain the authenticity of what you are shooting? though in dance?

Well, there is, but if I can create an amazing It naturally depends on the dancer. image in Photoshop I will. More often than Because everyone has their own beat which not I end up not having to, because of the they dance to. Some are more fluid, some authenticity. If you don’t know if what you are sharper. My ideal situation is that I count see is what happened, the image is to five and they give me what I want, but not even more fantastic. every dancer can do that. Getting a dancer to stand still is the trick. I need them to dance Your subject matter seems quite to be engaged. Sometimes I get them to spontaneous by nature. Is there a lot of dance with movements that are super small. planning involved in these shoots?

In their minds it’s big though, and they are How do you prepare? more engaged as they are dancing.

I’m a structured improvisational photographer. The only planning I’ve been doing How did you light this photo? lately has to do with the fashion [and stylThat photo was lit with two large gridded softing]. I collaborate with a stylist and the boxes, one hanging directly over their heads subjects. I find that adding the aspect of and one behind me for fill. We shot in a pretty fashion enhances the dancing. large cove. That was literally all we used. I like to grid off the light to create drama. I like to Have you had fashion clients coming to you create levels in light. I’d rather give something and asking you to make their clothes look a gentle light and then add highlights to areas good by dancing in them? that need accentuating.

I’m looking forward to it. That kind of thing would be an awesome job.

Who are these guys in the photo? What kind dance do they do, and why did you choose to How do you choose an image? present them in this way?

My first instinct is gut reaction—how [the image] Those are Richmond and Tone Talauega—they are makes me feel. If I’m stuck between two images choreographers who have worked for Jennifer LoI ask my wife, who is also a dancer. I really trust her pez and Madonna. The main thing I wanted to capeyes. I ask her, ‘What’s your gut reaction, immediately?’ ture was how awesome and cool they are. They look When I do this I’m not looking at the picture, I’m looking all hard and gangster-like but there is something at her reaction. I do this with clients as well. People incredibly graceful about how they move. I want to don’t always articulate their gut reactions, but I can gage walk the line between pedestrian and trained. it from their face.

In this particular series every single shot was good.

In this shot I said, ‘1, 2, 3 jump!’ And we did it about Isn’t there something paradoxical about capturing dance in a twenty times. And every time they did a different pose still frame? How do you look at the problem? and they never even looked at each other.

Basically, some types of dancing, [some movements] do not translate into photography. So you basically approach them Was this photo retouched? What techniques did differently. Like turns for instance. Ultimately you can’t take a you use in post? picture of a turn. I have to tell dancers to resist the temptation. I I did some skin retouching, and that was it. I go say, ‘Turn it into a jump.’ Also hard to capture are flips. The goal through moments when I want to do some compositis to capture a comprehensive portrait of a person, and if you do ing trick, and then other times I look at these dancers a flip or a turn you won’t get that. and think, ‘You guys are too good, you don’t need some photoshopping trick.’

One last question—and I suspect I know the answer— do you keep your camera on a tripod or do you hold it in your hand?

I don’t even own a tripod.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

GAMBIA

By Justin Muschong I Photos by Jason Florio

Like most great notions, it was conceived over beer.

At a Brooklyn party in early 2009, a guest mentioned a recent walking pilgrimage through Spain.

Photojournalist Jason Florio and photo producer Helen Jones heard this and exchanged a look, instantly sharing the same thought: We should walk around Gambia.

Not the thought most people would have in that situation, but then again, most people (alright, alright—most Americans) have never even heard of Gambia. It’s a small, thin country on the west coast of Africa that follows the path of a river with the same name. It was where Jason and Helen first met. They each had groups of friends who’d discovered the country’s natural beauty and invited them to visit. Both were taken with it and began making annual trips. Like in most small countries, everyone in the expat community knows one another, so it wasn’t long before they were introduced and struck up an acquaintanceship, which eventually turned romantic.

While in Gambia, they mostly stayed around the beach on the Atlantic Ocean and within the grounds of Makasutu, a cultural reserve and tourist lodge near the mouth of the river. At that party in Brooklyn, the inspiration to walk around Gambia came partly from the realization that neither of them had ventured very far into the rest of the country.

“I’d never been halfway up the country, let alone the full way, which is just ridiculous,” Helen said.

This state of affairs could not be allowed to stand. After prompting from friends, they zeroed in on a target launch date six months away, November 2009, just after the rainy season and the harvest, when more food would be available. Then they dived into research, making calls to figure out exactly what they would need and how best to acquire it. They visited the Royal Geographical Society, where they collected fifty-year-old maps and were told to “expect the unexpected.” They paid their respects to the Eden Project, an environmental biome project in Cornwall where a tropical forest could be observed in relative safety. They sought advice from anyone who might be the least bit of help, even asking a random person wearing army fatigues in London’s Waterloo Station about the durability and comfort of his boots.

Of course, they had to raise funds as well, a difficult prospect given the slow economic state of the photography industry. In addition to budgeting for food, supplies, and local guides, Jason and Helen wanted to raise

money and attention for Gardens for Life, an educational endeavor by the Eden Project that teaches children in Gambia and other countries about gardening and sustainable food sources. Without corporate sponsorship, they turned to the one thing they could rely on: photography. By preselling prints from their journey and spreading the word via blogging (this was before they discovered Kickstarter), they were able to raise $6,500, which covered most of their costs. What it didn’t cover they paid for out of pocket or swung deals with Gambian and travel-related businesses. For example, the local airline, The Gambia Experience, donated plane tickets, while noted adventurer Robert Young Pelton gave several of his patented survival knives.

Jason and Helen also figured the photographs taken during the expedition would draw interest from various publications and generate income.

Jason—a seasoned, award-winning veteran photographer whose career could merit its own article—had an ongoing portraiture project in Gambia, capturing black and white images of the people who live and work around Makasutu (these were recently collected in the book Makasutu: Mecca in the Forest). The couple thought that the journey could serve as a continuation of Jason’s project, with their team taking portraits of anyone who looked interesting. Once in Gambia, though, realities on the ground forced them to adjust their plans.

They arrived in October and spent the first few weeks scrambling to gather the remaining needed supplies and looking for a cultural advisor who could join them on the journey. They found one in Samba Leigh, whose instructions on the local culture inadvertently provided a theme for the portrait series. Jason recalled, “We thought we’d just be sort of camping along the way, but he said ‘No, you can’t do that. We have to present ourselves to each chief as we go into his area or his village.’”

Every village in Gambia has a chief, or Alkalo, who attains (mostly his, infrequently her) position through election or inheritance. The Alkalo, in some ways, acts like a local sheriff, looking after travelers who pass through, solving conflicts among villagers, and generally keeping the

peace. According to tradition, travelers passing through a village must introduce themselves to the Alkalo and offer a gift of kola nuts. This practice is called “Silafando,” which translates as “a gift to you on behalf of my journey.”

Jason and Helen quickly realized it would make a great hook. “After all,” as Helen puts it, “if you are there to photograph, you’ve got to photograph the chief as well, just to be polite.” They decided that Jason would take the portrait of every Alkalo they stayed with, which would become the theme of the trip. Limiting themselves primarily to photographing Alkalos would also help them stretch their supplies.

Besides cameras, they had a MacBook Pro and Canon I-80 printer to make instant prints, but they could only carry so much and demand for copies would be high as many Gambians had never had their picture taken before.

On November 2nd, 2009, they set forth out of Makasutu. In addition to Jason, Helen, and Samba, the team included Ablie Janneh, the translator and requisite “Tough Guy with a Heart of Gold,” and Momadou Bah, the caretaker of the two donkeys that pulled their supply-laden cart. Though the original plan only encompassed Jason and Helen, they were extremely grateful for the help of their local guides. “We would have missed so much if we had done it by ourselves,” Jason said. “The nuances we would have completely missed out on.

I can’t even imagine doing it any other way.”

Despite the cartoonish stereotypes associated with Africa, the team did not have to cut their way through dense jungles with machetes.

Rather, they took a dirt road that followed along the Gambia River, then, after reaching the far eastern end of the country, crossed the river, took another road, and circled back to Makasutu. In the spirit of adventure, they went off road as often as possible, knowing they wouldn’t be lost as long as the river stayed on their left side (having a GPS also helped).

As they made their way through the country, they had to adjust to the Gambian way of life. The high temperatures and humidity give life there a slower pace. “You can’t hurry. Let’s put it that way,” Helen said. “No one hurries in Gambia.”

At first, this slow pace caused them to reach villages much later than intended, forcing them to hurry to photograph the Alkalo and any other people they wanted to document before losing the daylight. Fortunately, Janneh, their translator and a former military man, began to rouse them earlier, allowing them more time to walk in the morning’s relative coolness and to enjoy their destinations once they’d reached them.

At each new village, they would meet the Alkalo and introduce themselves in the Silafando tradition. Then they would take portraits, hanging a black sheet behind the subject, an element Jason incorporated at the beginning

of his Makasutu project. “Originally, my idea was to shoot these portraits with purely a black background and that was it. And then I saw that, because of the fabric, if there was a lot of light in the background, it would shine through.

I was like, ‘Oh, that’s kind of cool, that’s another element.’ So I really started experimenting more to find places that gave you a bit more of a sense of the surroundings, to put the person into a certain context.”

Jason Florio: www.floriophoto.com

Justin Muschong:www.justinmuschong.com

With the light shining through, the background becomes visible yet retains a slight haze. While the focus remains on the subject, the background helps to contextualize him or her in their surroundings. The overall effect is a bit reminiscent of Renaissance portraits. Jason had originally intended to shoot the portraits in black and white, using a Pentax, but the colors from his digital Canon soon changed his mind. “The digital equipment was purely for our reportage images and to be able to make the instant print for the chiefs. But when we looked at the image, we went, ‘Oh wow, the colors are really nice.’”

They recorded the official traveling stamp each Alkalo gave them in a logbook, along with notes on the distances traveled. Gambia has porous borders with its neighbors and many checkpoints to pass through, and these stamps showed guards precisely where they had gone and where they were going. The stamps also made their story more believable and understandable. “We felt like people might not actually believe we’d done the journey. Because no one in Gambia believed it was possible,” Jason said. “They were just like, ‘Oh no, in two days, you’re going to be dead.’ It was like, ‘Why don’t you just take a car?’ They didn’t really get what we were doing. It just became sort of a running joke.” Though they are very hospitable to travelers, many Gambians don’t venture much beyond the areas where they were born and don’t have a good sense for distance. “You stop them on the road and ask, ‘Where’s the next village?’ ‘Oh, it’s two miles up there.’ And it would be five miles. Or, ‘Oh, it’s ten minutes away’ and it would be an hour,” Helen said.

Another plausible reason for the general incredulity the team encountered is the old “Local vs. Tourist” paradigm. Imagine a foreigner telling you they were planning to trek around Long Island. Is the question, “Why would anyone do that?” already forming in your mind?

Once the Silanfondo ceremony was completed, the villagers were often friendly and generous, feeding the team dishes like Domada (smoked fish and onions with rice, peanut sauce, and tomato purée). “This is what they do with any traveler,” Helen said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from; you could be from Gambia, you could be from Senegal, you could be from South Africa, you could be from England, America—it doesn’t matter. It’s part of what they do. ‘You’re a traveler, here, you need to eat, you’re on the road.’” Jason agreed: “They were

always really courteous and made sure we had water for a bath or whatever, gave us a bucket to wash in, and that sort of thing. And always made sure we had food.”

The team also frequently purchased food from roadside vendors and shops or scrounged from the surrounding countryside. Melons and peanuts were in season (the hay from the peanuts often fed the donkeys), and on the road they would eat a bread called tapalapa, which could be garnished with sardines, mayonnaise, or chocolate spread.

Not everything went exactly as planned. At one point, Jason suffered serious redness and swelling after getting stung by an African bee.

And when they finally crossed the Gambia River, they had to coerce their stubborn donkeys down a steep riverbank and onto a rickety flat-bottomed boat. But what gave them the most aggravation was the wheel on their cart, which regularly fell off and had to be repaired.

It finally completely gave out on the very last day of the journey. Jason and Helen thought they would get back in time to enjoy dinner and beer with their friends, but it was not to be.

After several attempts at reviving the cart, they ended up trekking through the wilderness late into the night, finally completing their journey around 1:30 in the morning, long after everyone was in bed. “It was a good checking of the ego,” Jason said. Helen elaborated: “Even if we’d gotten there, we would have been so tired. We’d have been sleeping while people were partying around us. It was funny. It turned out to be the longest day of the whole journey.”

In forty-two days, they’d captured the portraits of thirty-two chiefs, plus numerous people they encountered along the way. They also have audio and video records of their journey: Jason kept an audio diary, recording hours of his thoughts and conversations, and they put several clips online, including one of schoolchildren singing for them as they entered a village.

Today, Jason and Helen are back in New York, already making plans for another, even longer expedition, hoping to trace the path of famed Scottish explorer Mungo Park. The photographs from their journey have appeared in PDN and The Independent Travel Magazine, and have won “People Photographer of the Year” from the International Photography Awards. Jason and Helen are currently preparing a book that will feature the portraits and excerpts from the stamp log. They are also planning an exhibition in New York and across Europe for 2011. There’s truly no shortage of ways for you to seek out these vibrant and beautiful images. Do so.

To learn more about Jason and Helen’s trip, visit their blog of the expedition at 930kmafricanodyssey.tumblr.com. To donate to Gardens for Life, visit edenproject.com/gardens-for-life.

How to (hou tô):

The Greeks created it (not likely), the Romans perfected it (probably), and even some noteworthy Americans have mastered the art form. We speak, of course, of death by poison.

By Jeff Siti

Abraham Lincoln for example—still known to many loyal Confederates as the Great Poisoner—in a shrewd and calculating maneuver, managed to poison Robert E. Lee’s birthday fudge, heroically killing the man and ending the Civil War just days after the battle of the Little Big Horn.

And three cheers for that. But Abe’s true contribution, the achievement by which he is measured as a human being, is not his prowess to sneak around shadowy corners, doctoring his enemies’ food. It was oratory. The gift of speech. Words.

It was with words that he convinced young men, otherwise inclined to let their southern neighbors go on buying and selling people as long as it didn’t get in the way of their sleeping ‘til noon, to pack a bag, leave their homes and families, and march South to kill those men should they become unruly and prefer not to forfeit what they considered a god-given right. And that’s what happened.

It is with words that you will convince others that you are serious and should be taken seriously. Using the right words will show that you care about yourself, what you’re doing and your chosen profession, and will make you look and sound like an adult. Real people don’t care how “cool” things are, what the word is on the street, or how people talk at night. The world does things in the A.M., and so do you. Because you’re a serious man. Or woman. So put on them new sneakers and go do something. Bayonets!

47

Here are a few good words for the next time you need some good words on set.

AD

FPO

SS

Art Director.

For Placement Only.

AE

Go-See

Account Executive.

Day when you see models for a casting.

Big Ben

HDR

1. Secret Shitter— a secret bathroom on location, when you do not want to do your business in the flimsy and claustrophobic bathroom of the RV. 2. Nazi secret police, many of who fled to South America and were sentenced to death in absentia for their war crimes.

1. Large rolling stand.

2. The center for the Detroit Pistons when they were good.

High-Definition Range. “Range” in non-geeky terms means the difference between the lightest and the darkest color value in a photo, its contrast. HDR camera refers to cameras that capture better contrasts than ordinary cameras.

Butt Plug Large spigot or drop pin.

Call Sheet

HDSLR

(To) Scrim Someone 1. Using a diffuser to knock light off the subject, usually sunlight on location.

2. Also used thusly: “Man, someone needs to scrim Mark Whalberg. What’s he ever done?”

High-Definition Single Lens Reflex, in reference Document with all the info pertaining to the to a camera that shoots both still images and shoot (time and location, people’s name, position video. and contact info, etc..).

Shooting it Dirty

Call Time

MaU (or MU)

Sticks

Make-up artist/Make-up.

Tripod (from Latin Tripoduluus).

Option

Strike

(“Put an option on a studio or a crew member or model”): Put them on hold for a potential shoot.

Time when the set builder takes down the set and/or photo assistants take down lighting.

Time when you need to be on set.

Capture

1. Used as a verb, refers to shooting digitally (“Can you capture this angle for me?”).

2. Used as a noun, you’re talking about the digital PA shot, the image, the frame (“How many captures Production Assistant (the poor guy who goes on did we do today?”).

Starbucks runs and picks up the trash wondering what happened to his dreams).

Cattle Call

Including something out of focus in the foreground of your frame.

Tech Scout Day when the photographer goes to check out the location prior to the shoot.

V-Flat

When a casting director calls everyone available in for a casting.

Pack

CD

PO

1. 2 4x8 foam cores taped together so they stand on their own.

2. An ancient Mayan musical note lost to history (gracias, conquistadors).

Creative Director.

Purchase Order, sent from the ad agency or magazine—and without which you should not start working.

A shot done from the waist down.

POV

Yellow Jacket

C-Stand Metal stand used to raise lights.

Digi Tech Digital Technician.

EQ Equipment (lights, camera gear, digital stuff…).

ETA

A generator or portable battery for strobe lighting.

1. Abbreviation for “Point Of View.”

Portable storage container for A/C extension 2. Also an up and coming format in porn (it’s like cords you’re there!).

PPM Pre-Pro Meeting (see article on page 20).

Estimated Time of Arrival (the key word here be- Pre-light Day ing, “Estimated”).

Day before the shoot when the photographer (or, um, his assistants) set up the lighting.

ETC

Waist Down

Estimated Time of Completion (same).

Production Book

ETD Estimated Time of Delivery (same).

Document used during a PPM that lists all the parties involved in the shoot, along with talents, wardrobe, props, and location details.

(The) Fat Bastard

RV

1. A go-to slight when anyone gives you shit.

Someone sits on your sandwich, you call them a fat bastard.

2. On set, the Fat Bastard is the biggest lens you’ve got (or the guy who sat on your sandwich).

Motor-home where models get dressed and made-up, catering is set, and clients get their wifi fix; can be used as a mobile meth lab (very handy in the meth game).

Wrap

(as in the sentence, “It’s a wrap!”): End of the shoot (please note that for some people this signals the beginning of their work).

interview:

playground industries

By Mike Wilcox I Photo by Nadav Benjamin

A

t first, Playground Industries might look like a fledgling production company, but it is backed by over twenty years of experience. Ross Singer and Edwin Jimenez are at the helm of a young company that is mature beyond its years. Both have worked in nearly every facet of the industry, filling the roles of gaffer, grip, assistant, caterer, and even photographer. These Renaissance Man-like freelance careers give them a wellrounded knowledge of the business. However, in the blunt and brutal industry that photography is, technical knowledge will only take you so far. Personality and diplomacy are equally essential. Luckily, for Ross and Ed, these traits are intrinsic.

When we sat down to talk, they enlightened me on a business model that has proven successful for them. It’s a very simple idea that comes to them naturally: get whatever the client wants and needs, and operate it for them, from catering to lighting.

What does Playground Industries do? You seem to be like super photo assistants and old school when it comes to marketing. You get work by word of mouth and don’t really have a website, right?

Ed: We produce; we pretty much do everything. We’re also photographers, so we actually know what needs to be done. We handle everything from start to finish.

Ross: I don’t know if “assistants” is the word we prefer. When you’ve been doing this for ten years, you go beyond the realm of assisting. I don’t know if you want to call it a lifer, like in the film industry. In the photo industry, it’s tough to do that because you don’t really have the option to grow unless you have that drive. That’s what we want to do—do what we know best…

Producing, gripping, lighting; basically we offer full service, making you and your client and everyone on set happy and relaxed. We do this and bring an air of playfulness to break up a mundane shoot, hence the name “Playground”.

How did you learn to do all of this? What are your backgrounds?

Ross: I’ve always done art and never really knew much else. I started taking photos when I was younger and went to SVA out of high school. I started printing for a couple of years and assisting, and basically doing everything on set.

Ed: I worked as an electrician out of high school and got started in photography when I moved to Atlanta. I had a lot of friends who were artists, and by the time I moved back to New York, I was doing a lot of photography.

Over the last ten years I’ve seen a lot and done a lot. You know when someone says, “Oh my God, I wish I had been there!” I can usually say, “I was.”

When did the idea of Playground come about?

Ross: Initially? Three years ago.

And you guys had worked together before?

Ross: We had worked together for years and were always on the same page.

We worked really well together. It got to the point that we were doing all of the production work and not getting paid for it. We realized that if we started a company, using the relationships that we had built up over the years… what’s

the worst that could happen? [If we failed] we would go back to doing what we’d been doing. Luckily enough, we’ve had enough clients and friends who have embraced us and love what we do and bring to a set. All I can say is that we’re grateful. We started from nothing, really grassroots. Many companies start with a big check; we didn’t. Now, we do have a nice office and a bunch of gear… but really, we have us and our ideas.

Ed: We’re a full-fledged production company. If we don’t have it, we can get it. Since every job is different, we say, “Whatever you need to get that job done right, we’ll do it.” What separates us from the competition is not that we can provide gear and such, but that we know how to use it.

We can light. We’ve been hired to light a job simply because we have that experience. It’s different when we light a job than when someone else does.

www.playgroundindustries.com

Nadav Benjamin: www.nadavbenjamin.com

What’s that difference? What separates you?

Ross: Now, a lot of people do a lot of things in post. We both come from the film school. There are not a lot of people who do what we do. There might be a guy out there with a grip truck or another with different equipment and another who works for a random company, but there isn’t really a company that does full service, nuts and bolts production. And we want that idea to grow; we want the playground to keep expanding.

Was it a conscious decision to have a word to mouth marketing model?

Ross: For now, yes. We’ve held off on doing a website. We didn’t want to rush into it.

Ed: It’s more about working with people who want to work with us.

It’s not about taking it all—of course, that’d be great, but then you don’t give 100% to the client. Like we said, we’re not here to just hand out equipment and leave. We’ll light it, handle the nitty gritty, and be there from start to finish. We’re the producers, grips, assistants… We know how to do it because we have a different view. We’re there to get the job done, regardless.

It sounds like you guys are a couple of Swiss Army knives.

Ed: Yeah, we’re really into that stuff.

Coming from an electrician background, I would get assistant jobs when I didn’t have experience

assisting. I had a skill set not everyone had. Really, it’s not as complicated as people make it out to be.

We’re doing something we love, it’s fun, and every day is a different experience.

Is it just you two on staff at Playground?

Ross: Yep. When we need to, we hire our friends too. That’s another thing: production companies hire as PAs people who just need a quick buck. We hire friends and photographers, not kids or interns who don’t know anything. So when we do a photo shoot, everything runs smooth be-cause everyone already knows what to expect and what to do; they’re not foreign to it. When a client comes to me and says, “You guys make it so easy,” it’s worth its weight in gold to me.

Sounds like the focus is more on quality than quantity.

Ed: Because we’re not trying to take six jobs in one day.

Ross: We can’t do that.

Ed: We don’t really want to do that.

When it gets to that point, it’s like a management company.

Ross: We’d like to get it to the point where we do have a few people coming in and helping out. I mean, I’d like to spend more time with my family, with my wife and kids. Right now, we are focusing a lot on Playground, and it’s showing. We’re building up slowly.

We’re not going to rush and spend whatever money we have on a huge overhead. We see a lot of people who have done that, wishing now that they had built up slow like we are doing.

What formats and equipment do you specialize in?

Ed: We can do it all. Digital to any size print format and any equipment rental.

Ross: Because we come from a film background, there’s no reason that if someone wants to shoot in large format, we can’t do it. Playground is really a PLG: production, lighting, and grip. For us, you can’t do one and not do another.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

50

LOCATIONS:

ROCKEFELLER CENTER

By Spencer Winans I Photos by Zach Gross

R

ome wasn’t built in a day and neither was Rockefeller Center. Erected between 1931 and 1939 amidst the worst economic lapse in American history, covering twenty-two acres, consisting of nineteen commercial buildings and an ice-skating rink, Rockefeller Center is not only one of the most well-known plots of urban real estate in the world, it is the largest private building project in modern history.

It all started in 1926 when oil magnate John D. Rockefeller responded to a proposal from the city council to revitalize the then defunct Metropolitan Opera. But Rockefeller, a man who had lived the American dream with a New York state of mind and the project’s sole financier, would take the challenge a step further. He opted for a revitalization project that put nearly 4,000 unemployed New Yorkers back to work, creating what would become the hub of a new era in American media and entertainment.

Just as Gothic architecture succeeded the Romanesque style, Rockefeller Center is the Modern answer to the Beaux Arts movement which swept across the United States at the turn of the century, leaving behind a number of old hat Romanesque revivals such as the New York Public Library and Grand Central Terminal. Alternatively, Rockefeller Center is a natural outgrowth, a modern representation of the city it occupies– New York City manifest.

Most fascinating is the Center’s affect on an objective visitor–the collision between the commissioned artwork and Rockefeller’s inherit commercial interest. Can art and commerce peacefully coexist? Or are they mutually exclusive? By observing the rooftop gardens and arcades, the gilded statue of Prometheus, the motifs, or the goliath statue of Atlas, one might assume they do coexist, quite well actually. Rather, the union imparts something profound.

At Rockefeller Center, I see both a microcosm of New York City and a grand exhib-ition of satire, which very well may be, in fact, one and the same–a love/hate relationship between competing ideologies, the age old struggle between yin and yang, and a cultural representation of an infinite longing for freedom, harmony, and peace.

Contact: Brooke Smy at Tishman Speyer BSmy@TishmanSpeyer.com

Zach Gross: www.zachgross.com

51

55

THE BEST INNOVATION IN THE PHOTO INDUSTRY SINCE THE INVENTION OF COLOR FILM

GET YOUR SHOOT TOGETHER

Art Directors Assistants Costume Designers Creative Directors Digital Techs Editors Fashion Stylists Food Stylists Gaffers / Lighting Hair Stylists Models Model Builders Makeup Artists Photographers Post-Production Specialists Producers Production Designers Prop Builders Prop Stylists Publicists Retouchers Set Builders Set Decorators Set Designers Studio Owners SFX Makeup Specialists Wardrobe Stylists

Take advantage of photo resources owned by fellow photographers and studio owners, nationwide.

Membership r a e -Y e n O Free esmag10 r : e d o c n o with coupapply for booking services anandd spspacacee ices usage fees offering serv applies for commission

StudioShare Online, LLC | Toll Free (888) 321-6974 | http://StudioShare.org

INTERVIEW:

K&M Camera

By Heather Simon I Photos by Robert Hooman

R

oss and his younger half-brother, Steven, seem to belong to a Judd Apatow flick. If their father—or stepfather in Steven’s case—was not Peter Kasovitz, the K in K&M Camera, it’s unlikely either one would have gotten into photo retail. Both went to big party schools in the mid-west. They weren’t art buffs or techies, just guys who liked a cold beer and a friendly conversation. After their respective graduations, Ross and Steven began working at K&M because it seemed like the logical next step. But even while sorting film canisters in the basement they could see they were part of something more.

At K&M, the staff forms a bond with everyone who walks through the door. Every customer is a friend, from Danny Lyon, to the guy who comes in every Tuesday for Epson ink cartridges, to you, to me, to Seth Rogen— he shoots film! If you’re new to the photo world, they’ll help and show you the ropes. Their prices are competitive with the big box stores, but they are willing to order and engineer products—darkroom or digital—to meet the needs of a single customer. Let them know if you are a struggling student or starving visionary. If they aren’t able to work out a payment plan, at least you know that you have someone to call for help when your enlarger breaks the night before a deadline. Seriously, just call Ross on his cell at 917.860.4137. You won’t be the first, and he is more than happy to help.

How was K&M founded?

Ross: In 1976 my father and his friend opened the first store in Gramercy.

They had immigrated to the City from Israel and were driving cabs to make ends meet. But since my father’s friend knew how to fix cameras, and many of his other friends were photographers, a camera store seemed like a good idea. And it was.

Who were K&M’s initial customers?

Steven: Since the first store was located so close to SVA, it was a hub for students. But it also attracted many professionals such as Danny Lyon and Bruce Davidson.

Ross: Helen Levitt and Alan Ginsberg also frequented back then. It was more of a community than a store.

How was your (step)father able to maintain this caliber of clientele? Is he a photographer himself?

Steven: He’s not a photographer. But he’s very involved [with the store], which is probably why we have kept so many great artists as clients for over thirty years. He still orders all the darkroom supplies and film. From time to time you can find him on Broadway, bringing in shipments with the receiving staff. His dedication is very impressive.

Ross: He is a non-confrontational Israeli! Word of mouth has played a huge part in attracting big name clients.

Why did you close your 23rd Street store and open the one in TriBeCa? Steven: The decisions were independent of each other. We were getting into rentals and expanding the supplies and services we offer. We didn’t

want to sacrifice film products so we bought a larger space that could accommodate everything.

Ross: Since our Gramercy store was initially printing and film it didn’t make sense to have a whole store dedicated to that alone. We still have a tiny outlet store by SVA.

www.kmcamera.com

Robert Hooman: www.RobertHooman.com

Can you discuss some changes you made at the new location and why?

Steven: We added pro rental services. We are also getting more involved in engineering products for our store exclusively. We evolve and change to meet the needs of our customers.

Ross: Many of my childhood friends went to SVA and they are now at a point in their lives that they are beginning their careers as commercial and fashion photographers. They turn to me to supply them with everything they need for a shoot. I have to make sure we keep up.

What types of products have you played a role in engineering?

Steven: There is the “Profriese” which is a Profoto pro head that has been adapted for use with a briese bi-tube and briese umbrellas. Then there is the “Brofriese” which is the same thing but with a broncolor pulso head. Both are already made and renting, but the exciting part is that the Brofriese was created not long ago and no other rental house currently has one.

The great advantages are that if a photographer is familiar with Profoto or broncolor and wants the briese look, they can achieve it using power packs that they already know. You will achieve better flash duration and recycle time with the Profoto and broncolor packs. With the broncolor pack you will get the added benefit of being able to control the color temperature and flash duration.

Are most purchases made online or in the store?

Steven: Most purchases are still made in store but the Internet purchases are growing. Our site is a work in progress and it has been up for about a year. Our student and educator website is new and has been up for only a few months. Currently there are no Internet exclusive products.

What makes K&M unique?

Steven: We’re the only photography store in America that sells GMG Proofing Software & Media, which is probably the most unique thing we have down here. It’s among the highest end proofing solutions available

on the market. For the most part only studios with large digital departments use it, or very high end retouching companies. A small number of photographers at the very top of the fashion photography industry own these systems. There is no other photography store in America authorized to sell their products.

Ross: We don’t advertise. I mean, aside from being in Resource, which is sort of like advertising to our friends since they read it.

Who is your biggest competitor?

Steven: We’re not competitive people, so I don’t think we really look at other companies as competition.

Ross: We have a lot of products that other stores don’t have, but probably the only real competitors are the rental companies. That has to do with sheer numbers though. If we had unlimited supplies and space we’d be able to accommodate everyone. We’re working on it.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Steven: Managing rentals can be a logistical nightmare—the inventory, making sure you have enough of everything, insurance; it takes a lot of manpower and space.

Ross: The hours. Like a doctor we’re always on call even after the official workday is over. A photographer once called me hours before shooting the Grammy Awards because his camera wasn’t working.

What is your best work memory?

Steven: I don’t think I really have one best work memory. I love it here.

It’s just such an enjoyable place to work that everyday is a good day. But if I had to single out one memory, it would be the time Seth Rogen came in to buy film. I love him! I said, “What’s up?” but he just put his hoodie on and kept walking.

Ross: When I first started working here I had to open the store six days a week. Since my workday started only a couple hours after the bars closed, I’d crash in the store instead of going home. I even had a mattress with sheets and pillows. It was really comfortable, actually. All the regulars knew about this habit. They’d come in to find me wrapped in a blanket. I am really lucky to work in a place where customers feel like family.

Staying Ahead of the Digital Photographic CurvE By Alex Baker I Photos by Alyson Aliano

61

igital Fusion is a pioneering digital photography processing, rental and production house. Hugh Milstein and Jon Moeller started the company in a Venice Beach garage in 1999.

Their friendship dates back to high school and their successful business partnership now spans over a decade. Their business is largely based on a savvy acumen for sniffing out what’s next on the horizon of the digital and photographic interface, and staking out that territory before anyone else can.

Hugh and Jon recently gave Resource a tour of Digital Fusion which is headquartered in a modern building in Culver City’s media gulch (they also maintain a presence in both San Francisco and New York City). The various departments at Digital Fusion, all filled with bustling multimedia types, cover every facet of the business, from scanning, digital processing, retouching, CGI, equipment rental, teching, to hosting an online service for storing digital photographs.

As we walked through the facilities, Hugh, in an effort to explain why he and Jon work together so well, paraphrased Liza Minnelli who said, “My mother gave me my drive, but my father gave me my dreams.”

Hugh used to process B&W film by hand for legendary photographers like Richard Avedon and Herb Ritts and is decidedly the dreamer of the pair.

One of his personal innovations at Digital Fusion has been the scanning, capture and restoration of artwork and manuscripts, such as Carl Jung’s lost Red Book. Hugh’s work in this particular arena has taken him everywhere from an airtight studio in Zurich, where a page of the Red Book levitated as if Jung’s ghost himself had lifted it, to an art show in Cuba that Viggo Mortensen had smuggled him into the country for.

Jon, who previously worked in studio operations at Sony, is the drive behind Digital Fusion. At Sony, Jon said he observed the TV and film business firsthand and “identified that there was an entire industry working the same way they’d been working for about thirty years.” Jon and Hugh spotted an opportunity to define what the professional standards should be for digital photographic work; thus Digital Fusion was born. Today, their client roster boasts names such as Apple, Virgin and Fox, along with photographers Art Steiber and James White to cite just two.

They started out doing digital scanning and postproduction back in 1999, when professionals and consumers mostly still shot film. In those days digital photos didn’t look particularly good coming out of the camera so postproduction was crucial.

Photographers who had recently moved to digital still wanted a film look. Hugh recalled scanning

62

When asked if Digital Fusion’s successive expansion had been designed and planned, Jon replied, “I remember telling Hugh very clearly, ‘I don’t think we should buy a single camera.’ It’s ironic because we are now probably one of the leading rental suppliers of digital backs in Los Angeles.“ Hugh explained that Digital Fusion has expanded organically because, in many ways, they’ve acted as a waiter, walking around a restaurant, listening to clients and taking notes. As Hugh put it, “You listen to guys who are in the imagemaking business and they say things like,`Wow I wish you guys had cameras’ or `Boy, it’d sure be great if you could retouch video.’

We’re being driven in a sense by the genius of what is the industry itself.”

The latest innovation Digital Fusion has embraced is the introduction of motion into photography.

Inspired by the new content space brought by the iPad, and enabled by the photographic possibilities of the Canon 5D, Jon and Hugh established Digital Fusion Creative, a production company for editorial and advertising photo shoots. Sitting at his desk, Jon showed me the latest iPad edition of Wired,

Alex Baker’s blog: http://computersashumans.blogspot.com/

In 2003, Hugh and Jon became aware of the incredible amount of data they were amassing. As Jon put it, “We realized if we didn’t find a way to manage it, we were gonna get sunk.” Unable to find anything on the market that met their needs, they decided to develop their own software. The result was DF Studio, which was commercially released in 2007 as a subscription software service that gives photographers the freedom to manage, archive and promote their work online from a secure cloud-based environment. Every photo Digital Fusion scans and processes is uploaded to DF Studio for their clients to access. The service has hundreds of individual and corporate clients, including Fox Television which archived 3.5

All in all, Digital Fusion has about twenty-five full-time employees and does a lot of recruiting from photo schools, which Jon called, “a great source of raw talent.”

They also draw talent from within the industry, seeking out people on their way to careers as photographers, or finding dedicated studio personnel who enjoy working in production.

Alyson Aliano: www.reduxpictures.com

The company began teching and staffing digital photo shoots in 2003 after doing one of the first fully digital shoots for CBS Television. That shoot led to the development of Digital Fusion Pro (“Pro” for “production”), which has since become one of the leading rental suppliers of digital camera and tech packages on the west coast. The company now also has a number of full-time digital techs on staff—a job that didn’t even exist back in 2003.

million pictures on the system.

DF Studio was entirely designed and written by Digital Fusion’s inhouse software development team.

Digital Fusion: www.digitalfusion.net

various film stocks at five hundred percent and zooming into grain patterns to copy them for sampling, to give pictures a more film look. As Jon explained, “In the early days it was ‘That looks digital, oh I don’t like that.’ Today we really don’t hear that anymore.“ Hugh added, “To get to that stage was a huge bridge to cross. Now it’s almost hilarious for us to talk about it.

It’s the only thing that’s out there.

Back then it was almost like, ’Hey here’s some new Coke’ and people had to get used to the taste.”

63 the cover of which features Joel McHale, the host of “The Soup,” moving and talking about the contents of the magazine.

Jon explained that Digital Fusion shot, processed, and produced the piece for Wired along with another for the iPad version of Oprah’s O Magazine.

Digital Fusion’s mission statement is to “develop creative technologies that service the world’s most innovative image-makers.” Just as Hugh and Jon believe the iPad has opened up a new content space, they are also of the opinion that the Canon 5D, which shoots highdef video, has provoked a reevaluation of what photographers are.

As Jon said, “You can’t call them photographers anymore; you don’t wanna call them videographers; they’re not directors; they’re not cinematographers… they’re image makers.”

The company has successfully innovated new technologies and pioneered jobs in the industry for a dozen years now. In his own words, Jon is particularly proud to have “started a company in a civilized way in the very unpredictable business that is photography and production, and to have created an environment with health insurance and full benefits.” Hugh pointed out that, “Ten years ago none of these jobs existed, and now there are dozens and dozens of companies that are doing this. It’s an ecosystem that a decade ago was not happening in this way.”

Among the various framed prints from Digital Fusion’s clients hanging on the walls of Jon’s office is one of Steve Jobs that Art Steiber shot for the October, 2005 cover of Time. Gesturing to the photo, Jon recalled that day. “Steve was sick, walked in and said, `You have ten

minutes with me before I leave.’

He ended up staying for more than an hour, giving the photographer everything he wanted.” Jon remembered Steiber as being particularly adept at managing a crew of ten while handling someone as important as Jobs on set. He likened it to “turning the Titanic. It’s headed one direction—out the door essentially—and you’ve got to turn the boat and get an iconic shot for the cover of Time.“ Hugh offered a different recollection of the shoot, explaining, “I was in the green room with Steve, and he was eating an almond and I was like, ‘Hey Steve, can I ask you a question?’ He nodded okay and I asked him, ‘So what’s the view like from 30,000 feet up where you are looking down on the rest of us?’

He said, ‘I make it, you guys fill it up.’ That, to me, is so key to this whole exercise.”

In a tough economy where some of the biggest casualties have reportedly been advertising and editorial budgets, Digital Fusion is standing strong, creating jobs and thriving. By the look of things they seem likely to continue cresting the digital photographic wave for some time to come.

hunter shoots bear

Search

Browse

Upload

Create Account

Sign In

Ad Rocks:

INTERACTIVE ADS

By Joseph Sutton I Images courtesy of Buzzman

By Joseph Sutton

1 video

Subscribe

Images courtesy of Buzzman

A hunter shoots a bear

00:08 / 00:22

AndyTheHunter | 17 August 2010 Huge bear attacks after being shot by a hunter!

750283 views

Y

ou’re watching a video on YouTube titled, “NSFW. A hunter shoots a bear!” in which a bear stumbles onto a site where two friends are camping. The one holding the camera tells the other to go ahead and shoot it, and just as he points the gun to the bear the video stops and asks you: shoot the bear, or no?

Upon making a selection, you’re taken to the next video in which the hunter decides not to shoot the bear, reaches outside of the video’s frame for a Tipp-Ex eraser, erases the word “shoots” in the video’s title, and asks you to replace it with another word to help him “rewrite the story.” Inputting a word would cause another video to play in which the hunter might dance with, marry, or eat the bear rather than shoot it. But that level of interactivity isn’t supposed to happen on a YouTube video. What users are in fact playing with is an ad for Tipp-Ex created by the French agency Buzzman, and it’s only one of the latest examples in the flurry of new advertising methods we’ve seen emerge in the last decade.

Advertisers are always looking for new ways to capture consumers’ attention. When they truly surprise us, the annoying bite-sized messages pressing us to try various brands suddenly become addicting games or funny videos we can’t help but email to friends without thinking twice.

The Internet has become a place for rapidly sharing discoveries and clever finds between friends, with websites constantly pushing social features to encourage users’ preference to broadcast what they think is cool, funny or interesting.

But it’s not just about the Internet; technology itself drives us toward interactivity. Interactivity interests us because it allows us to have our own experience and a chance to actively explore

The next step was to reach an agreement with YouTube in order to emulate their web platform (the page you see is not an actual YouTube page; rather, it is a Flash page designed to look like one). “The collaboration and relationship were quite good because YouTube [felt that] the idea was interesting even for them,” said Thomas Granger, genWhile ads like this one require a bit of work on the viewer’s part, they require a bit of extra effort eral manager at Buzzman. from the advertising agency too. To account for “There was a time in which people wondered whether YouTube could fund itself and earn all the different possible scenarios, Buzzman money,” added Granger. “So this was quite polled about 400 people for the top terms they would use to fill in the blank. They then picked a good for them–[a proof that they are] definitely selection of answers and filmed them (verbs that now a platform that is able to sell advertising with different formats, frames and so on.” were too explicit were kept out, though you can try some and see what happens). something. It used to be that ads had simply to be funny during the Super Bowl; now, the best ones aim to involve and place the viewer in a situation with a rewarding task. To engage and gratify viewers lay behind the Tipp-Ex ad’s ingenuity.

A hunter

learn how to pick someone up–giving advice like “do some sit-ups” or “lower your standards”–it did create a lot of buzz, with many posting the ad on Facebook or Twitter, and some local news stations interviewing people on how they felt about the ad’s message.

00:11 / 00:22

The Tipp-Ex ad presents an example of exactly how far YouTube’s platform can in fact be taken.

While many compare it to Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken”–an interactive ad in which users order a man in a chicken suit to act various commands–Granger was quick to point out that Tipp-Ex took things further by challenging the way YouTube visitors experience the website. “[The main difference is that] it is hosted on a web video platform,” he said, “and so the way you are going to receive it is going to be surprising; you are going to receive the ability of interaction [when you don’t expect it].”

This isn’t Buzzman’s first interactive campaign, either. For Orange, a French telecommunications operator, Buzzman created a video meant to be emailed to friends. It features rugby star Sébastien Chabal, standing ready to make a penalty shot. Hesitating, he takes out his cell phone–and calls the viewer for advice. The viewer is then instructed to press a key on his phone to tell Chabal where to kick the ball.

Chabal makes the goal, and tears off his shirt, exposing one underneath that says, “This goal is for” followed by the viewer’s name. The viewer may then input a friend’s name, email address and phone number to surprise him and further the advertisement’s reach.

What is important in advertising is to show why a certain product is useful; interactivity gives viewers a chance to actually experience said product. A mobile phone service provider wants to show when calling for help (presumably on their service) is the way to go, while a correction fluid ad allows users to change a message completely by crossing out a single word and replacing it with their own. But some companies have pushed their products even further, creating alternate universes in

which viewers explore situations and problems seemingly happening in real life. For example, leading up to the premiere of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros challenged fans to decode secret messages on movie posters, find clues, such as cell phone baked in cakes, in order to turn in corrupt police officers and track the Joker down himself. These are advertisements on the grandest scale.

This type of advertisement, called “alternate reality games,” seem most popular with entertainment products such as video games and movies. They work because they strive to extend the product experience, completely immersing fans in an alternate or fantastic world that is not their own. This new approach pushes the limitations of each medium: people might watch a movie passively for two hours, but when they go home they are able to interact with a character over the phone, adding authenticity to the experience as a whole.

More recently, for the September premiere of The Virginity Hit, Warner Bros set up subway and bus ads that read, “Still a virgin?” along with a hotline number. While calling the number probably did not much help those hoping to

As companies continue to experiment with branding on the Internet, interactive ads might possibly become the norm. But if they did, would they become less appealing? “What is quite interesting in interactivity is that it’s surprising,” said Granger. If interactive ads became as popular as simple videos, they just “[wouldn’t] be as powerful as [they are] today.”

To enjoy exploration and experimentation is part of human nature; companies are now discovering the importance of interactivity and of creating unique and customized ads–the experience of using or testing a product, the entertainment value that can create brand loyalty, and the buzz such ads create. “You have a lot of technology that will allow you to create interactivity,” Granger said, citing how the possibilities seem limitless. “When you are talking about a call back on a mobile phone, it allows you to make interactivity.” And as we’re just getting used to the rapid changes of technology, where do we go from here? “There will be another model that would maybe take the place of this kind of advertising,” said Granger. One thing is for certain: there are many more surprises in store for the future.

66

INTERVIEW:

MARIA KESSLER

By Lewis Van Arnam I Photo by Paul Amato

T

he Internet has the potential to become the most significant force of creative destruction in history. Witness, in recent years, how an explosion of content piracy, the Orphan Works Act and the Google Books settlement have converged to a crescendo of elements, shaking the creative landscape with a turbulence worthy of its own special Richter Scale. In an image industry, unlicensed use equals revenue lost. As we all know, creators of intellectual property have significant investments of time, talent and money in their works. Beyond the legal, ethical and practical boundaries of content theft lies a fear that the collective psyche of a creative business can be undermined by erosion of creative inertia on the individual level.

Photographers are a primary target, but are not alone. Musicians, illustrators, filmmakers, software designers and writers all face the detrimental effects of web-based theft, and the situation is spiraling out of control. Statistics indicate that as much as eighty-five per cent of rights managed images displayed on the Internet are misused in some form. That’s four out of five images—a shocking number. Infractions range from casual misuse, referred to as “innocent infringement,” to blatant piracy, or “willful infringement,” and are only separated by factors of monetary gain. In fact each user—whether a student creating a web banner for an upcoming event or an offshore stock agency intentionally pulling images off websites to resell for profit—is breaking the law.

Maria Kessler is a digital media veteran with a background in content licensing and business development. She is a graduate of Syracuse University School of Visual and Performing Arts and she has a JD from St. John’s University School of Law. She has been a Secretary, Vice President, and President of the Picture Archive Council of America. She currently remains on the PACA Executive Board as Immediate Past President.

The Internet has become our primary selling platform, but there is a dark side to it—content piracy. This is a rampant syndrome, often beyond the knowledge, and seemingly the control, of content creators.

Copyright enforcement responsibility falls on the owners of intellectual property but the scope of the Internet is overwhelming. How do you see the future of posted works?

The advent of the Internet has caused whole industries to transform, based on how they gather, relay and deliver information. As an obvious example, the travel business is certainly one of the most affected. Once inconceivable, we now book flights, hotels and rental cars online. Less obvious, and somewhat overlooked, is the image industry, which has also transformed radically, and faces a myriad of challenges. The ability to digitally post and download images opened a door for our industry to evolve to a completely digital environment. Unfortunately, there are also elements of de-evolution, as the same open door is a welcoming invitation to content theft.

Traditionally the number of dupes for a given image could be controlled.

Our systems allowed us to know who had what image, and how it was being used. In the new digital world, where anyone can right click to drag and drop, the concept of tracking copies of an image is thrown out the window. Initially photographers thought they could control access to their images with site registration. They soon discovered that limiting admittance to their websites was an impediment to sales—certainly not worthwhile. Watermarks seemed like a good idea, but have proven to be ineffective. Posting low resolution files is only a partial solution as it deters users from printing quality images, while leaving unauthorized online use totally feasible. Also take into consideration that photographers, and their agents, often allow their clients to have access to medium or high-res files, without watermarks, for presentation purposes.

This practice may be a valuable element in the artist-client relationship, but unfortunately it leaves volumes of downloaded images residing on clients’ servers, without proper identification. Calculate the number of comp images available, versus the number of people searching, for a million reasons, and the equation reveals an exponential danger of misuse that is astronomical.

The absolute need for protection from unauthorized use becomes obvious, but presents a conundrum. How? What protection options are available? When people see an image they like, on any site, they grab it.

They do it simply because they can, and nothing stops them. There is no warning signal that flashes: “You are about to commit a federal crime!

STOP! You must license this image!” The new digital culture operates on the belief that anything found on the Internet is free. Subsequently we have an epidemic of misuse.

This threat is very real, and action is required. How do you recommend we behave, as an industry?

I define our “response to threat” as a multi-faceted approach.

Registration, education and evangelism.

As owners of intellectual property your first defense is to register works with the Copyright Office. It’s a very simple, inexpensive process to register entire bodies of work before they are published (after a work is published, in any form, the procedure changes dramatically). The benefits far outweigh the effort required, and making registration part of the weekly, or monthly, workflow will help establish an aggregate community, effectively strengthening legal reach in the revenue recovery process. (Note: works have copyright protection with or without formal copyright registration, but registration adds proof of ownership, a big advantage in any legal action). There are numerous trade organizations that have sites dedicated to copyright registration procedures and expound the importance of adhering to copyright laws. The challenge is to have a voice against piracy that is heard. Within the immediate parameters of our industry, this is a reasonable task. Reaching a global public is, to say the least, dauntingly abstract. As with most causes, we advance with baby steps. All of us who derive our livelihood from content licensing, in any form, have a duty to evangelize about the importance of copyright laws, and their effect on fostering future creativity.

Laws, discovery, revenue recovery and enforcement.

We all know that government does not move fast. Subsequently we depend on our trade organizations to represent our interests. The good news is that we are not alone in our fight to protect licensing. The software development, motion picture, music, and video gaming industries are all sharing our peril. Our combined voice has luckily reached the Obama Administration where the value that these industries provide (and the effect they have on our economy) has been acknowledged. In the latter part of 2009, the Administration appointed Victoria Espinel as our first Copyright Czar. This is an impressive step in the right direction. Task

dna ,cisum ,erutcip noitom ,tnempolevGoogle created “Google Books” and began scanning millions of boo gnirahs lla era seirtsudni gnimag oediv 67 -kcul sah eciov denibmoc ruO .lirep ruo noitartsinimdA amabO eht dehcaer yli seirtsudni eseht taht eulav eht erehw ruo no evah yeht tceffe eht dna( edivorp nI .degdelwonkca neeb sah )ymonoce -artsinimdA eht ,9002 fo trap rettal eht ruo sa lenipsE airotciV detnioppa noit -serpmi na si sihT .razC thgirypoC tsrfi eno ksaT .noitcerid thgir eht ni pets evis -irav eseht lla morf tupni ticilos ot saw ycarip taht taerht eht no seirtsudni suo elbissop rof saedi emoclew ot dna ,sesop ,edis yhpargotohp eht morF .snoitulos ,ACAP gnidulcni ,snoitazinagro edart llac siht ot dednopser PPSA dna PMSA ot seunitnoc noitazinagro hcaE .noitca ot -pus noitamrofni htiw esabatad sti dliub ycarip woh no srebmem rieht yb deilp na si erehT .sessenisub rieht detceffa sah ,now gnieb era selttab taht noisserpmi sngier ecitsuj citeoP .segar llits raw a tub stnemecnavda lacigolonhcet emas eht sa -reffo won era ycarip tnetnoc wolla taht tnecer nI .ti thgfi ot snoitpo tseb ruo gni evah seinapmoc gnikcart egami ,sraey ,tfiorp rof( esuac eht pu ekat ot degreme -ygolonhcet wen gnireffo yb ,)esruoc fo mi si nommoc tsom ehT .stcudorp desab egami fo noisnetxe na ,gnitnirpregnfi ega ecivres eht ,tsriF .ygolonhcet noitingocer elbaton rof egami na fo nacs a sekam )tnirpregnfi a yllaitnesse( stniop atad -tupmoc lufrewop yrev gnisu ,neht dna htiw bew ediwdlrow eht setartlfini ,sre craes ehT .hctam a rof hcraes ot ,sredips noitpircsbus a sa gnol sa suounitnoc si ,dnuof si hctam a nehW .ecalp ni syats yfirev ot detcatnoc si renwo egami eht nI .ton ro esu dezirohtua na s’ti rehtehw -ra neeb ton sah gnisnecil secnatsni tsom -res ehT .deriuqer si noitca dna ,degnar ,yrevocer eunever etaitini neht lliw eciv fo eerged dna epyt eht gninimreted tsrfi a htiw gniwollof neht dna ,noitcarfni eht

There is an i mpression th at battles are being wo n, but a war still rages.

a ,cisum ,erutcip noitom ,tnempolev irahs lla era seirtsudni gnimag oediv ul sah 68eciov denibmoc ruO .lirep ruo oitartsinimdA amabO eht dehcaer yli seirtsudni eseht taht eulav eht erehw no evah yeht tceffe eht dna( edivorp I .degdelwonkca neeb sah )ymonoce rtsinimdA eht ,9002 fo trap rettal eht uo sa lenipsE airotciV detnioppa noit rpmi na si sihT .razC thgirypoC tsrfi ksaT .noitcerid thgir eht ni pets evis av eseht lla morf tupni ticilos ot saw carip taht taerht eht no seirtsudni suo sop rof saedi emoclew ot dna ,sesop dis yhpargotohp eht morF .snoitulos ACAP gnidulcni ,snoitazinagro edart c siht ot dednopser PPSA dna PMSA unitnoc noitazinagro hcaE .noitca ot s noitamrofni htiw esabatad sti dliub carip woh no srebmem rieht yb deilp i erehT .sessenisub rieht detceffa sah ow gnieb era selttab taht noisserpmi er ecitsuj citeoP .segar llits raw a tub mecnavda lacigolonhcet emas eht sa ffo won era ycarip tnetnoc wolla taht cer nI .ti thgfi ot snoitpo tseb ruo gni vah seinapmoc gnikcart egami ,sraey rp rof( esuac eht pu ekat ot degreme olonhcet wen gnireffo yb ,)esruoc fo i nommoc tsom ehT .stcudorp desab i fo noisnetxe na ,gnitnirpregnfi ega res eht ,tsriF .ygolonhcet noitingocer lbaton rof egami na fo nacs a sekam )tnirpregnfi a yllaitnesse( stniop atad sretupmoc lufrewop yrev gnisu ,neht ips htiw bew ediwdlrow eht setartlfi si hcraes ehT .hctam a rof hcraes ot ats noitpircsbus a sa gnol sa suounit i eht ,dnuof si hctam a nehW .ecalp rehtehw yfirev ot detcatnoc si renwo -ni tsom nI .ton ro esu dezirohtua na narra neeb ton sah gnisnecil secnats w ecivres ehT .deriuqer si noitca dna d tsrfi ,yrevocer eunever etaitini neht ni eht fo eerged dna epyt eht gninim elloc a htiw gniwollof neht dna ,noit o tnetxe lluf eht ot elbaecrofne troffe

one was to solicit input from all these various industries on the threat that piracy poses, and to welcome ideas for possible solutions. From the photography side, trade organizations, including PACA, ASMP and ASPP responded to this call to action. Each organization continues to build its database with information supplied by their members on how piracy has affected their businesses. There is an impression that battles are being won, but a war still rages.

Poetic justice reigns, as the same technological advancements that allow content piracy are now offering our best options to fight it. In recent years, image tracking companies have emerged to take up the cause (for profit, of course), by offering new technology-based products. The most common is image fingerprinting, an extension of image recognition technology. First, the service makes a scan of an image for notable data points (essentially a fingerprint) and then, using very powerful computers, infiltrates the worldwide web with spiders, to search for a match. The search is continuous as long as a subscription stays in place. When a match is found, the image owner is contacted to verify whether it’s an authorized use or not. In most instances licensing has not been arranged, and action is required. The service will then initiate revenue recovery, first determining the type and degree of the infraction, and then following with a collection effort enforceable to the full extent of the law.

Enforcement remains the biggest deterrent to image piracy. If an infringer is sued in a case where copyright registration is in place, and the misuse is blatantly for monetary gain, they can face statutory damages of up to $150,000 per occurrence. This type of language sends a powerful message, even though most cases are settled out of court. In cases of egregious misuse, the collection process is often skipped, and the case is passed directly to legal. The statistics on settlements are surprising and impressive. I would advise anyone posting a high volume of work on the Internet to consider a subscription. The financial arrangement can vary from service to service, offering a sliding scale weighing up-front fees against contingencies in settlements. The most basic plan is no up-front fees and a 60/40 (60% to the service) division of recovered revenue.

You have served in the PACA for several years.

Give an overview of this organization.

PACA is a trade organization founded in 1951, to foster and protect the interests of the picture archive community. The membership includes over 100 companies in North America and over

50 international members. The organization works to develop useful business standards, and promotes ethical business practices by actively advocating copyright protection, collecting and disseminating timely information on events that affect our industry. PACA works in harmony with organizations from related industries that have similar interests, including ASMP (exclusively photographers) and ASPP (a diverse group of publishers, researchers, agency professionals and photographers).

In the spring of 2009, PACA joined in a class action with ASMP against Google, to protect our industry’s right to earn image fees under the Google Books Settlement. In the 2008 settlement with the American Publishers Association and Author’s Guild, the proposed distribution of funds, amazingly, did not factor in any revenue for the photographs or illustrations contained in over seven million books scanned. To bring the rights of image creators to light, we felt we had to file an action.

Google Books has emerged as a landmarkcase. Will this settlement set a standard for future actions?

We hope so, but the issues are complex, and much remains unresolved. It started in 2004 when Google created “Google Books” and began scanning millions of books from the collections of university libraries. The purpose of Google’s plan was to make out-of-publication works, and a number of important works, more widely available. A noble plan, perhaps, but it presented a problem as Google sought only the permission of the libraries—not of the publishers and content rights holders (can we say de facto infringement?). In the fall of 2005, the Authors Guild and American Association of Publishers filed class action lawsuits. Discussions began in 2006 and carried through 2008 when, in late October, a Settlement was issued as a possible resolution. Google agreed to establish a fund of $45 million to compensate the content rights holders, and $34.5 million to help establish a registry for future works.

Except for children’s books, illustrations and photographs were excluded from the class of works covered. As image rights holders, we were not even consulted. Additionally, we will not be a presence in the formation of the Books Rights Registry. Because visual artists were not included in the class that was part of the litigation, they were excluded in the Settlement.

To date, the court has not approved the Settlement, and a final resolution could take considerable time. The process has been slow, as class actions require certain notices to the

69

members of the class, and certain approvals.

The Settlement also came under scrutiny by the Department of Justice, and the parties have been asked to rework certain aspects.

In the spring of 2009, PACA, ASMP and other image industry organizations filed a motion to intervene in the Settlement on the premise that visual authors must be included. The motion was denied, and in the spring of 2010 the same coalition filed a class action. Discovery procedures are under way and could take another two, or more, years.

Paul Amato at LVA Represents: http://lvarepresents.com/paulamato

The Orphan Works Act is currently dormant after two years of congressional scrutiny. This legislation would alter the existing copyright laws, in place since 1976. Please elaborate on the path and potential effect of this initiative.

Orphan Works refers to works on the Internet, or otherwise, that have lost any reference to their origination. When posted online, images are easily orphaned when their meta data is stripped, or file information is changed. Offline, orphaned works could take the form of old photographs or paintings. If the work is missing any sort of information relating it to its creator, it could be considered an “orphaned work.”

The legislation on Orphan Works, which made its way through the House, is now stopped in the Senate. The Orphan Works Act would allow “good-faith” users of copyrighted content to move forward in cases where they wish to license a use but cannot locate the copyright owner. The user must take all reasonable steps, employ all available technology, and execute the applicable search practices as submitted to the Copyright Office by authors, associations, and other experts. The user must also meet other hurdles such as attaching an orphan symbol to the content to increase the chances that a legitimate owner may come forward. If an owner does emerge, the user must pay “reasonable compensation, or face full liability,” per Mary Beth Peters, US Copyright Registrar.

In July of 2008, The Illustrators Partnership of America, Advertising Photographers of America and Artist’s Rights Society petitioned Congress to alter the bill with a list of amendments, designed to protect content creators. Their preface contained the following statement: “As rights holders, we can summarize

our hopes for the Orphan Works Act simply: to see that it becomes a true orphan works bill, with no unnecessary spillover effect to damage the everyday commercial activities of working artists. We’d be happy to work with Congress to accomplish this. No legislation regarding the use of private property should be considered without the active participation of those whose property is at stake.”

Orphan Works legislation has been stalled as some aspects of the Google Books Settlement prescribe a method to manage orphaned works.

The problem the Settlement presents is that it not only looks back to resolve the claim that was started, but also reaches forward in establishing a registry which, if approved, would circumvent some of the provisions already drafted as part of the Orphan Works legislation.

These are issues to watch as we move forward.

PicScout ctober, 2009 index. In O e eExag ag im Im st d robu oduct calle ght pr ri w py ne co a ing a visur introduced unicate yo cy by provid es to comm e used deters pira ar ag ch ey im e licensor hi w th th to , k re to ge mar chan locate whe ide e and a link ov lp ag pr he im d at party e th an th p r by a third ownershi companies ible icon on searched fo hts. g is a list of ition is ig in e gn w er ag co llo ag re im fo e e .im e Th online. d imag l (www when th t. rprinting an Internationa fingerploys fringemen ne. image finge ageRights oys image ye.com em possible in pl Im r search engi em fo so ch al ar com): Tine s se e. ht to to ey ig gy in te gy eR .t lo lo ca w ag no lo w techno com): Im Tineye (w chnique to gnition tech addibutor is e search te image reco ea In ri d . ag tt us A es an im so ): e ag ng al rs ti om im prin a reve t. matching e web. They en .attributor.c fy th w nt ti so w co on en al (w k y id nting, r ill er ac d ri w to ag Attribu eRights e fingerp tions to tr monitor an specific im overy, Imag er organiza tion of imag and sc rg ra er di la om itor gu e e ap st on nfi th ag sp cu m co w of r im y to one tion to onitor ne propriet nology, half of thei products m gnition tech services rger itoring co ingers on be la ve on fr e re ha in m e th e so ag of ue ag al e Their main rs im pu and d neye has on es, but they began its im cl s Ti r an . ti ei ht s in ar es ig th ok e en ag eR ed bo in be im e magaz ey have ers. Imag itor onlin matching they launch k and mon ailable as th y 2010 and ac av rl tr s ea n xe in ca de e at in ic th serv image tember. . rvice in Sep ut rigon nce 2004. video games recovery se m): PicsSco n.com): Cor business si co go t. ri ou or sc r.c y ic w ge ar .p w w fin et (w w ri e n (w op ag go pr ut ri im Cor ploys PicSco nting and 2010, and em e fingerpri logy to itor and ploys imag surfaced in ition techno em gn logy to mon co no re e ch r te ag ei n th im io d it ch an gn at Scout co m printing image re ages that as well. Pic ing images d identify im ch an at and has a or m it 04 fy on 20 ti m iden ss since a . ne ds ad si lo ad bu c up is ar ’s th im customer has been in c.com): Dig ww.digimar gital water di can be publis e, Digimarc (w bl ti ep hed prior to co yet imperc nfirmation fro the CO, if an ap persistent, m plication is in process.

Register by m Copyright regi ail with forms stration: Register onlin downloaded e at the US Co from the CO w visit www.copy py rig ebsite, or requ ht right.gov site. Fee is $3 Of fic e w eb ested via post 5 and certifica Fe e is $5 .

0, or $65, depe tes are issued six months (u nd within in g on the metho sually much so of obtaining form d oner). The wor s, and certifica ks tes are issued within tw enty-six mon ths. Once agai the applicatio n n offers protec tion for publis ing works, un htil a certificate is issued.

71

BIRTH OF A CAMPAIGN:

IKEA “CATS”

By Joseph Sutton I Artwork courtesy of Mother London

“

E

very single person on that shoot had to lie on the floor trying to coax cats out of dark corners.” This is how Mother London, Ikea’s British ad agency, described the filming of their newest commercial, for which they had a hundred cats roaming an Ikea store after hours. “There was no room for egos on this set!”

Mother London: www.motherlondon.com

You’ve probably seen it online—cats exploring shelves of kitchenware, delicately stepping between plates and bowls, or lying between two pillows, napping. The cat rumpus was recorded for Ikea’s new brand slogan “Happy Inside” and the store’s new 2011 “cat-alogue.” As a cause of delight for old ladies everywhere, and frustration for a few animal-rights-advocating YouTube commenters, it’s no surprise that the minute-long commercial became an Internet sensation, where cats rule.

Inspired by a press ad suggesting that you should “never trust a piece of furniture that your cat won’t sit on,” Mother London decided it would be an interesting experiment to test the statement. “[Cats] spend most of their lives finding the comfiest spots and laying there for as long as they can,” the agency said. Ikea, with its massive displays of furnishings, was the perfect place for the test; the team thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny to release a load of cats in Ikea to see which pieces of furniture they settled on?” Indeed.

Mother London opted not to use fancy, trained show cats; rather, they focused on the everyman’s cat. “These were mainly normal house cats,” said Mother London, “and anyone who has one will tell you [that] you can’t tell them

what to do, and that was part of the beauty of the idea for us.” The only stipulation was that the cats be disease-free, with a vet’s certificate as proof. The cats’ owners stuck close by in the store, able to see everything their cats were doing throughout the shoot.

Very little preparation had to be done to accommodate the cats in the store. To keep the experience authentic, the crew aimed for as little human intervention as possible. They raised temporary walls to serve as boundaries—Ikea is overwhelming enough for its human visitors, and no one wanted the cats to wander too far and get lost. Five individual crews led by director Adam Berg and director of photography Richard Stewart spread around the store to ensure they captured as much film as possible.

Cameras employed included a 35mm and two HD cameras. In order to catch the cats in darker areas of the store, the crews used infrared and heat-sensitive thermal cameras.

They also had a Phantom camera for capturing dramatic, slow-motion shots.

Predictably, territorial conflicts arose. “What we tended to find was that the big cats would stake out an area and act defensive if others got too close,” said Mother London, but “the kittens seemed to be the most inquisitive,

seeking out all the nooks and crannies, which are almost impossible to get a kitten out of.” In fact, one cat slipped behind a wall that had to be sawed through to get it out!

Shooting took place over a three-night period, from the store’s closing at 9pm until 8:30am, just a half hour before the next day’s customers were to arrive. While there wasn’t much time for clean-up, “Let’s just say that the clean-up was thorough,” Mother London claimed. “If such a thing as a crack Hoover team exists, then we had it.” While some wondered how those who are allergic to cats may have reacted upon entering the store so soon afterward, Mother London says they have “not heard any tales of excessive sneezing so far.”

The crews caught an overwhelming amount of footage, so much that, according to the agency, “we really didn’t know what we had on our hands until Paul Hardcastle, the editor at Trim, showed us the first edit.” In addition to the ad, there came a “making of,” a documentary about people who love their cats more than their own children, and a Facebook contest in which users could win furniture by guessing which pieces the cats had slept on. So ditch the interior designer and let your feline friend do the picking next time. It may give you the best advice.

72

Eric Kullen: www.erickullen.com

Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Lawson Clarke that isn’t already exposed on malecopywriter.com.

By Marc Cadiente I Photo by Eric Kulen | Ad Artwork courtesy of Lawson Clarke

74

male copywriter (noun) \’mäl\ \’kä-pê-,rï-ter\: a fully-grown man’s man trapped in adolescence who makes a living writing advertising or publicity copy.

Ever wonder what happened to your high school class prankster who got into trouble and no one knew what to do with him? Maybe he ran off with the circus as he threatened to do everyday after detention. Or maybe he’s an accountant who entertains kids on weekends dressed as a magician. Or maybe—just maybe—you’ve encountered him on more than one occasion and didn’t even realize it…. Remember that clever advertisement that made you laugh out loud and shake your head? Yup— that’s him. It all makes sense now, doesn’t it? It’s exactly as he’d planned when he first Xeroxed his ass in high school. Move over, “Most Likely to Succeed”; the “Class Clown” is making his move to conquer the world one ad at a time.

It all began when Lawson Clarke was a kid—no, we’ll get to that part later. What really begins this story is malecopywriter.com, Lawson’s website on which he shows off his stuff—TV, print and digital portfolio, as well as his manly and burly physique, with only a vintage television set between him and the world.

In 2009, when Lawson was laid off from Arnold Worldwide, the large Boston advertising agency, he decided to create a portfolio site, but he needed a platform that would allow him to present himself and his work in his own way—with humor, creativity, and a big punch of personality. What would get people’s attention? Sex and humor. Thus Lawson’s alter ego, the “Male Copywriter,” was born—a macho character directly influenced from ‘70s porn, which pays homage to the golden boys’ club of advertising. At first, the site was passed around among Lawson’s buddies who were more than willing to provide LOLs and SMHs, but it ended up providing a lot more than laughs. He reflected, “That was the smartest stupidest thing I’ve ever done.” The site catapulted Lawson into a website demigod status as he became “that guy”—the guy in the buff, showing off his stuff. Lawson has two 2010 Webby Awards for best homepage and best self-promotion/portfolio site under his—uh, television set, and NPR and Advertising Age both featured him. Just like magic, he said, “the phone rings again right when [another project] wraps.”

Of course, it’d be too easy to say that the site was the gift that kept on giving. The irreverent tone and in your face attitude had their draw backs. A financial services company once approached Lawson to work on an ad for them. After a seemingly great introductory conversation, Lawson directed the prospective clients to his website. “I never heard back from them

after that. No phone call, email, nothing,” he laughed affably, seemingly unfazed by the loss of clients. “No harm, no foul.” That’s just the kind of guy he is.

And that’s just the kind of kid he was. Lawson grew up in an advertising family. His father Terry was an account creative director; here, little Lawson first witnessed a world of Peter Pans, an industry that embraced grown men trapped in adolescence. Where else could Lawson hear plans of turning off the lights and throwing a monkey during a client pitch?

(Of course, the presentation never came to fruition once the monkey’s owner learned of the plot and refused to participate.) Or the time his dad brought a pony and a dog to a presentation? (Note: not all the pitches involved animals, and no animals were ever harmed.) It was during this period that Lawson learned that outrageous thinking was more than okay—it was to be encouraged. So he decided to become a shadow of his dad, and Lawson carried these (ahem) innocent shenanigans to school.

“I remember the first creative idea I had in high school,” Lawson reminisced of his days at an all-boys prep school in Massachusetts. “It was during Christmas, and I was going to make cards by Xeroxing my ass and using mistletoe….” Well, as it were, Lawson broke the glass of the machine and fell through (no animals were harmed here either). Running to hide from the accident, he failed to destroy the evidence. One by one, the boys were brought in, questioned, and shown the Xeroxed gluteus maximus. Lawson was the last kid in. “They asked me if this looked familiar as they showed me a Xerox of an ass,” he chuckled. “’Yea,’ I admitted.

Then they asked me if I recognized this—and they held up a Xeroxed image of my face.”

“I used to get in trouble a lot,” Lawson said matter-of-factly. “I remember a lot of teacher-parent conferences, and my dad would come in, and the teacher would be like, ‘Oh, I get it now. It’s not your fault, [Lawson].” Not that his dad was a bad role model; in fact there was a lot to be proud of— and to learn from his father. Terry founded his own successful agency, Clarke Goward, where Lawson worked for several years after college.

Advertising aside, Terry was also a talented singer. As the bass for a barbershop quartet, his group won several competitions.

Lawson inherited his father’s passion for performance, and like Terry, Lawson has been pursuing his love of both advertising and the arts

75

simultaneously. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles where he attended Occidental College for Theater, English, and Comparative Literature. During this time, he would attend cattle call auditions while interning at BDDO West. Clarke then moved back to Massachusetts where he earned his MFA in Film from Boston University and worked at Clarke & Goward before joining the ranks at Arnold Worldwide.

Making someone let down their guard is a big accomplishment.” You’d expect the Male Copywriter to be the perfect candidate to work on a humorous liquor campaigns directed toward men, but what about the sensitivity needed to promote breast pads? Apparently, the same formula of empathy and humor applies here, too.

“You’d be surprised at the sense of good humor women have after childbirth and leaky breasts.”

Perhaps his training in acting has helped him achieve success in copywriting by allowing him to understand what people relate to and how they react. Lawson explained, “I think my strength is that I have a limitless sense of empathy. I’m the worst debater because I can see the other person’s side. I can see where [he’s] coming from.” His empathy doesn’t take out his edge; there’s a lot of humor in his work—often of the mordant variety. “Everything happens to be funny [to me]. When I can make a stranger laugh, it’s better than [receiving] any award.

Despite the passion and fun, in an industry where many good writers were put out of work in wake of the recent economic debacle, it would seem difficult not to lose hope, and retreat. “It’s a grind,” Lawson admitted. “In advertising, seventy per cent of what you write is either killed immediately, or stuff you really don’t like. But it’s the other thirty per cent that’s worth fighting for.” For Lawson, that thirty per cent includes a spot that he’s most proud of which he created for Carnival Cruise Lines. “Most people who already go on cruises go because it’s a cruise.

Now that’s progressive.

“Life without your bike is just life” - Progressive motorcycle insurance campaign

People who don’t go don’t because it’s a cruise,” he explained. Lawson wondered, “What would get my attention? What would make me take a cruise?” The campaign set itself apart from its competitors by never picturing a ship. What Lawson did was recreate the feeling of being on a cruise, and in doing so, effectively increased the revenue for Carnival. Numbers aside, when else can a grown man trapped in adolescence convince a bunch of suits to let him drop giant beach balls from the top of buildings in downtown Dallas?

Besides being a freelance copywriter Lawson performs commercial voice-overs, and he has also found himself in front of the camera. He is one of sixteen people in the documentary Lemonade, directed by Marc Colucci, talking about how his life changed after being laid off and creating his now infamous website. And if you crave more face time with the Male Copywriter, you can see him as the original straight guy from the pilot of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, stripped down to his skivvies in one scene.

(Sounds familiar?) He ended up marrying his then girlfriend Gable (yes, her name is now Gable Clarke) whom he had tried to impress on the show—a far cry from his senior year in high school when he forgot a box of rats that he had planned to set loose during a boy/girl social in the car of the girl he was interested in. (Not sure if any animals were harmed at this point.)

Currently Lawson is in post-production for a short film he’s been working on and he’s putting the finishing touches on an article he’s writing about his adventures riding a Vespa cross-country—a cautionary tale. This is the life of the male copywriter, prankster, class clown, conqueror—and we wouldn’t expect anything less LOL SMH.

#1

tomer in Cus e Ser vic

Lenses and Camera Rental Shipped Anywhere in the US

Greatest Selection of Canon & Nikon Lenses And Camera Bodies

• Exceptional service • All prices include shipping to you and back to LensProToGo • All cameras and lenses are shipped in pelican cases via UPS to ensure that all gear arrives safely to its destination

OFF 10% DER T OR S R I F DE YOUR UPON CO CO 10 WITH URCE O S E R

• Overnight shipping is available (Please call for assistance)

• Reservations up to four months in advance • Always free next day shipping to NYC

(877) 578-4777 www.lensprotogo.com

A PHOTO ESSAY

Photographers and ASsistants

By Spencer Winans | Photos courtesy of the artists

As Alfred is to Bruce Wayne, Ricky to Lucy, or Sancho Panza to Don Quixote, so is the first assistant to the photographer. Ask yourself: where would Tiger be without his caddy? A few holes behind, that's for sure. The first assistant is, in many ways, an extension of the photographer himself—his third and fourth hands.

While the third baseline coach signals the team with quick adjustments of the belt and cap followed by the nonchalant, cockeyed loogie, a single flick of the wrist or a tweak of the eyebrow (maybe ESP?) is often all it takes the photographer to direct his first assistant. Their relationship is intimate yet elusive. A reliable first assistant holds an important role and can mean the difference between studio time (and money) well spent or lost.

Since these relationships survive on instinct, like-mindedness, and ephemeral connection, words do not suffice; to anatomize would risk the integrity of their bond and thusly cannot be articulated but through the medium by which they work, a photograph.

Joao Canziani by Stewart Isbell - www.photostew.com

Stewart Isbell by Joao Canziani - www.joaocanziani.com

Christopher Loren Ewers by Antoine Verglas www.antoineverglas.com

Antoine Verglas by Christopher Loren Ewers www.christopherewers.com

Beth Altrogge by David Sack - www.davidsacks.com

David Sack by Beth Altrogge - www.bethaltrogge.com

Don Razniewski by Jorg Badura www.jorgbadura.com

Jorg Badura by DON Razniewski www.donraz.com

Kaz Sakuma by Brad Trent - www.bradtrent.com

Brad Trent by Kaz Sakuma - www.kazsphoto.com

Known

Unknown . and

89

by Charlie Fish Current Photos by Mike Mabes Historical photos Courtesy of the Halsman Family Archives, and D.A.P

Widely regarded as one of the most innovative and groundbreaking photographers of the twentieth century, Philippe Halsman’s contributions to the American visual landscape helped capture and define the optimism, sense of renewal and unbridled vibrancy that flourished during postwar America.

His portraits—which did away with the popular soft focus look of the time and introduced his characteristically sharp images—appeared in Life, Esquire and Saturday Evening Post during a time when magazines were booming and in high demand, making him an established and frequently sought-after photographer. So prolific and enduring is his body of work that his images of Marilyn Monroe, Mae West, Alfred Hitchcock, Audrey Hepburn, Albert Einstein, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dali remain highly recognizable, prevalent fixtures in pop culture.

“Philippe tried to capture the essence of a person,” said his daughter, Irene Halsman, of her father’s modus operandi. Unlike some photographers of the era, Halsman was more concerned with creating a definitive portrait than with using the subject as a mere prop. “His life’s quest was to find a way to expose, explore and capture the real soul behind the mask of the face,” added her son, Oliver Halsman-Rosenberg.

Halsman was known to utilize humor and psychology to get his subjects to drop their “mask” so he could capture their true selves. This ranged from interviewing them before a shoot to dishing out racy jokes that would solicit blushing. “His vision of using psychology to reveal a person,” says Oliver, “was part of his art.” One of the more whimsical and artistic methods he employed gave rise to a commonplace theme in modern-day photography—jumping.

During a particularly rough shoot with the Ford automobile family, the ever-so-slightly mischievous Halsman asked Mrs. Ford if she wouldn’t mind jumping for the camera. “You want me to jump in my high heels?” she asked. He did. The result was so gratifying to Halsman that he employed the same technique over the course of the next six years, resulting in a series of 178 pictures and a brand new term in the pop culture lexicon—jumpology.

Life

as we know it.

From Richard Nixon to Grace Kelly, when Halsman commanded his subjects to jump, they happily obliged. His claim was that when asked to jump, the subjects would focus more on the act itself than on posing for the camera. “It was all psychology,” reiterated Irene, before recounting an anecdote about her father’s portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

After seeing that the two seemed uptight and nervous, if not downright rigid, Halsman slyly commented, “But you are the man who gave up the crown for the woman he loves.” The resulting image captured a much softer side of the couple in love.

Halsman’s sense of humor and whimsy was particularly prevalent in his ongoing collaboration with the surrealist painter Salvador Dali. Having spent time in Paris during the rise of Dadaism and surrealism, Halsman had bonded with Dali over art. “They were like two schoolboys when they’d work together; they wanted to astonish people and make them laugh,” said Irene of her recollections of Dali’s visits to Halsman’s studio in the Upper West Side. Their friendship and working relationship lasted many years, resulting in iconic portraits of the painter, such as “Voluptas Mors” and “Tilted Head,” that are still widely known today, and an entire book dedicated solely to, what else, Dali’s moustache. Although his photographs are considered visually striking and ahead of their time, Oliver noted that his grandfather’s work was not always without criticism: “When he was working with Life Magazine and doing his personal, playful stuff with Dali on the side, his colleagues were telling him it was terrible and not serious photography. ‘They’ll never take you seriously,’ they’d say.”

“‘They’ll never take

you seriously,’ they’d say.”

Both Halsman and Dali shared a fascination with science and the unusual, and one of their greatest collaborations, “Dali Atomicus,” was based on Dali’s interest in the atom. Based on Dali’s painting, “Leda Atomica,” in which all the items seemed to be hovering in the air—much like how the matter within an atom remains in a suspended state around the core— Halsman’s interpretation amped up the humor by having a stream of water, a chair, Dali and three cats, all caught in the perfect moment of suspended animation. As fun as their duo was, however, it was still work— the final image took a painstaking twenty-eight tries. “Either the chair was in front of Dali’s face, or somebody had thrown the cats too early, or Dali jumped too late. Each time my father would have to explain that they had to do it again. People would mop the floors and run and gather the cats and try again until they finally got the result that my perfectionist father wanted,” explained Irene. All of Halsman’s unique, surreal images relied solely on the photographer’s mastery of darkroom techniques. In fact, Halsman went on to design and invent his own cameras.

For Irene, growing up Halsman meant that when she’d come home from school, there’d often be celebrities in her house. It also meant Salvador Dali and Albert Einstein were considered family friends. Her favorite Halsman photograph, in fact, was his definitive portrait of the great luminary scientist, taken in 1947. “It shows the essence of Einstein and his sad but reproachable look that they used the atom bomb for bad reasons,” said Irene of the portrait.

By the time Philippe Halsman immigrated to the United States in November of 1940, he had already endured persecution, incarceration and ostracism fueled by anti-Semitism and the rise of Nazism. When he was only twenty-two, the Latvian-born photographer was charged with murdering his father. Halsman, who had been studying in Germany to become an electrical engineer, had joined his family for vacation in Austria. During a hiking trip with his father in Innsbruck, Philippe said he walked ahead of his father, lost him, and had to go back to search for him. When he found him, his father had fallen and was lying unconscious in a ravine. Philippe ran for help, but by the time he returned with any his father was already dead. Officials noted that the victim had suffered head trauma and that his wallet, tossed aside, had been emptied. Though the evidence was not incriminating (and, in fact, there had been two previous, similar

Family

Halsman

unsolved crimes), Philippe was nonetheless put on trial in what became a very publicized, internationally notorious and harrowing case referred to as the “Austrian Dreyfus Affair.” Austria was, during this time, a country grappling with rising unemployment and political strife, not to mention feverish anti-Semitism. The public demanded that Philippe stand trial. It was a grisly, degrading and vitriolic lynching of sorts, complete with daily protests and rallies where hate-fueled cries filled the streets. The case was in the papers every day, and the town was littered with posters calling for justice, one of which read, “The [original spelling] Halsmann trial displays the monstrous influences and clannishness of the Jews for all who wish to see. Anti-Semites, come and help us in our struggle against our Jewish oppressors.”

It’s a topic that Halsman’s family didn’t know much about. “My father never spoke of his childhood or those days,” said Irene. “I didn’t even know about [his incarceration] until I was twenty-five,” noted Oliver, long after his grand-father’s death. This is not surprising, given Halsman’s reluctance to speak about it publicly. It wasn’t until the 1970s, some forty years later, that Halsman finally spoke about it to a colleague. Slowly, pieces of the puzzle started to emerge. Much of what we now know of Halsman’s dark period comes from Austrian news clippings and research undertaken by one of Philippe’s former students.

Originally sentenced to ten years in prison, Halsman spent most of his time reading and writing, whether it was love letters to his former girlfriend or musings on life and his sentence (insofar as it wouldn’t upset the censors who read his outgoing mail). “I had all this access to his poetry from prison, all his notes and letters,” said Oliver, who spent nearly two years unearthing his grandfather’s archives and writings. “He had a very rational mind, but then his whole life shifted and [he found himself] in very difficult circumstances. There needed to be some release from the tension of the seriousness,” he continued, offering insight into his grandfather’s eventual immersion in the playful and humorous.

While Halsman served time, his younger sister Liuba launched a letterwriting campaign in support of her brother’s release. Luminaries like Sigmund Freud (who later treated Halsman), Thomas Mann and Albert Einstein came to his defense. After serving two years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Philippe was released from jail under the condition that he never return to Austria. His father’s corpse was buried in Austria (which meant that Philippe wouldn’t be able to visit the grave). It took Austria four decades to expunge the sentence, and another twenty years to hold a proper service for his father.

Following his release, Halsman moved to Paris, where he took up professional photography and shot for Vogue and other prominent publications.

He married, had a child (Irene) and was expecting their second child when the Nazis invaded France. Because his family had French passports, they were able to travel to the United States. Halsman, who only had a Latvian passport, was forced to stay behind when he was denied an American visa (the quota allowed only eighteen Latvians). Once more, Halsman’s sister

-Philippe Halsman

Liuba intervened. She visited Einstein at Princeton and informed him of the situation. Einstein penned a letter to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who arranged for a visa via the Emergency Rescue Committee. That Albert Einstein played a pivotal role in ensuring Halsman’s freedom and safety is an understatement.

When Halsman arrived in America, “he had only his camera and a hungry family to feed, so he hit the ground running,” said Oliver. “America was full of possibilities,” he added. His experience in jail, his brief life in Paris during the rise of surrealism, and his arrival in booming postwar America “led him to be very creative and experimental,” mused his grandson. “Being an engineer, he wanted to explore how he could push photography,” he concluded. What followed was to become the photographer’s legacy.

He holds the record for the most Life covers, a surefire sign, says Irene, of her father’s competitive spirit. “He saw it as a competition that he happened to win 101 times,” she said. It wasn’t long before he set up his studio on West 67th Street, in a building that continually housed art and artists. “Duchamp lived in this building,” noted Oliver. “It was also home of the Dada School in New York.”

Irene’s childhood, she recalled, was surrounded with art. Halsman’s sister, Liuba, became his secretary. His wife, Yvonne, was his assistant, and his daughters often served as stand-ins. “He would use us for testing lights, for testing film or exposure. We would always be holding little pieces of cardboard saying 1/5 of a second or 4.5,” she recalled. But he was a loving and kind father, she added, whose main goal was to educate his children. “He was always teaching us.” Halsman even wrote a children’s book, Piccoli, dedicated to his daughters, full of lessons to learn and encouraging critical thinking. “‘It’s very important for you to use your head,’” Irene remembered her father saying.

When Yvonne, Oliver’s grandmother, passed away, Oliver decided to help his family go through sixty-three years’ worth of archives and belongings.

It was during the lengthy archival process that Oliver came up with an idea to further his grandfather’s legacy. “I was finding so many interesting pictures and I wanted to honor his more artistic side. There was a lot of

work that no one had ever seen. I was going through every drawer, every envelope, and finding so many arty, atypical Halsman photos. Everyone knew his classic pictures of Marilyn or of Einstein. I wanted to have a book about his unknown work,” he explained. Unknown Halsman, the resulting book, reintroduces the photographer to a new generation. “I wanted to show that he was more than just an amazing celebrity portraitist. He had this whole artistic, weird and very experimental side. He collaborated with Dali and other artists; I saw [this project] as an intergenerational collaboration,” said Oliver.

The book, it turns out, helped Oliver learn more about his grandfather and, ultimately, himself. “Before I started this project, I knew my grandfather from all the stories my mother told me and from looking at his pictures and reading his writings,” he explained. “When I’d read these poems he wrote in jail or letters where he would say ‘I have to do something humorous or else it would be the end of me,’ I could see how that experience informed the art he created later.” He added, “I saw his life almost as this Greek tragedy in a way, where life would reward and take away and reward and take away. It taught me to really try to be present in the moment.” Using his grandfather’s images, Oliver describes the book as having a story arc of inception, birth, life, death and rebirth.

As for the future and what it might mean for Halsman, his grandson hinted at a possible retrospective. There’s also more interest in Halsman’s life, a possible indication that, three decades after his death, the softspoken portraitist with a brilliant wit and a love of life seems poised for a revival. Recently, Philippe Halsman and his disturbing past became fodder for a novel and a film. The Jump Artist, by Austin Ratner, is a fictionalized account of the infamous Austrian Dreyfus Affair. In 2007, Patrick Swayze played a Jewish defense attorney in an indie flick about the same trial. Its title, “Jump!,” similar to the novel, references the photographer’s innovative, playful approach to capturing his subject’s true persona. That the portraitist managed to imbue his life with laughter, art and family in spite of enduring such hardship is a testament to how high Halsman truly could leap, and just how far his reach extended.

In the

Books

Man About Town Philippe Halsman wasn’t happy being just a portraitist. He was also an active member of the photography community in New York, whose peers included the Capa brothers, Cartier-Bresson, Dmitri Kessel and others. As such he did the following: -Halsman served as the first elected President of the American Society for Magazine Photographers in 1945.

-In 1962, he joined with a group of photographers (including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Alfred Eisenstaedt) to form the Famous Photographers School.

-Halsman also expanded on his desire to teach others by offering a course called the Psychology of Portraiture at the New School for Social Research from 19711976.

Images from the book Unknown Halsman, published by D.A.P., 2008. © Halsman Archive

Halsman’s Bibliography: ~The Frenchman - A Photographic Interview with Fernandel - 1949 ~Piccoli - 1953

by Philippe Halsman, Illustrations by Paul Julian ~Dali’s Mustache - 1954 ~Philippe Halsman’s JUMP Book - 1959 ~Philippe Halsman on the Creation of Photographic Ideas - 1961 ~Sight and Insight - 1972 ~Portraits - 1982 ~Halsman at Work, with Yvonne Halsman - 1989 ~Philippe Halsman: A Retrospective 1998 by Jane Halsman Bello, Mary Panzer, Steve Bello ~Unknown Halsman - 2008

by Oliver Halsman Rosenberg

98

PRODUCTIONS OF THE WORLD

NEG

RIL JAMAICA

PHOTOS BY ADAM SHERWIN

eith Richa h rds vacationed there.

Chuck Berry celebrrated his birthda d y there. Resource e is doing an article ab bou ut it. Negril is a destinattion.

Whether you u are ther e e for a vacation or a photo shoot, Jamaica embodies cool o and has a deep history y of culinary, mu usic, and social traditions that rever berate throughout the island. Although poor and sometimes dangerous, Negril is a paradise.

EOGRAPHY Negril is on the coast, at the western tip of Jamaica. One road, Norman Manley Boulevard (also known informally as “Beach Road”), divides Negril and runs the entire length of the beach. The “Red Ground” is the neighborhood where the locals live; there are few hotels there. The town is small so you can quickly get the hang of it.

EAT T HER The we eather is warm—often hot—and sunny almost year round, with temperature between 85 and 90 degrees. The rainy season falls between May and November (and is especially heavy during September and October). Bew e are of the sun. It’s much stronger than what you might be used to: apply high SFP protection and stay hydrated (with water, not alcohol!) to avoid heat stroke.

IME Jamaica a is part of the eastern time zone but does not do daylight h sav avings.

101

ISA Not needed for US citizens for stays up to six months.

URRE E NCY an nd BUDGET The Jamaican dollar is currently trading g at about JM$8 M 5 to US$1.

It’s best to bring some local currency with you so you don’t get stuck with only US$ when you arrive. While most touristic places accept your green backs, they are generallyy more expensive than places geared to locals. By now, everyone knows exchanging money at the airport or in a hotel or restaurant is not a good idea—theiir exchange rate won’t be as good as the one you’d get from a bank or an official exchange place such as a Cambio (they are easy to find, especially in touristic areas). Ther e e are alsso ATMs (which may or may not work). And if you decide to trust that cool rata guy who is offering you some great exchange rate and wants to meet in some dark alley… you’re on your own.

As in n many poor countries, no one carries much change around, not even businessess; so bring small bills to avoid overpaying because you ur waiter might not have the change. Big i ger hotels and restaurants acc c ept credit cards, but the mom and pop jerk chicken joint on the beach won’t. And don’t forget to notify your bank/credit card company that you will be using your card while in Jamaica or th hey e could be over-zealous a and freeze your account.

OOD Try the patties, which are flaky pastries filled with meat or veggies. And of course jerk chicken, Jamaica’s traditional dish where the meat is dryrubbed or marinated with spices before it’s grilled over charcoal in a steel drum “jerk plan” (pork, fish or scallops can also be used in place of chicken).

And local fruits will remind you what fruits should taste like (even your premium organic fruit won’t compare).

RIME Negril is a tourist spot in a poor country. Play it smart. It might look like one big cool beach party at times, but don’t lose your street smart. Use common sense and don’t be ostentatious (a tad d difficult when carrying thousands of dollars worth of camera or fancy wardrobe). Don’t take a “to t ur” on a scooter or a “taxi” ride from a stranger (that one is Scam #25 in the Book of Scams).

XTRACURRICULARS If you have some free time after you y r shoot, go and have fun in the water. Or better yet: on the water. Negril offers various water sports, from snorkeling and parasailing to jet-skiing. Ask your local Producer for recommendations. For a wrap party, you can charter your own glass-bottom boat or a catamaran for a trip to the reef, a deserted beach, or the nearby cliffs.

ENDORS Jamaicans are an entreprene e urial lot and will try to sell you everything, from patties and fruits to drugs and boat rides. Some vendors can be very persistent and borderline pushy. Just say no (a smile and some eye contact won’t hurt). No need to get defensive or angry, this will only make matters worse. If you choose to buy something, eithe er be ready to negotiate and to go through the bargaining dance, or just pay the asked price: it’s usually cheaper than what you would have paid in the US anyway.

RUGS Althou h gh you will see locals casually light up in bars and on the beach, marijuana is actually illegal in Jamaica. Uniformed and undercover cops are everywhere, and roadblocks to check for drugs are not uncommon. Don’t think the law doesn’t apply to you: your tourist status doesn’t give you immunity and you could end up in jail. Beside holding up the shoot, a trip to jail (any jail) should be avoided at all cost. By a strange legal twist, while ganja is illegal, mushrooms are not—not that we e encourage drug consumption; we’re simply fulfil fi ling our journalistic duty to report.

ESTAURANTS The following list covers local places, not the most obvious tourist ones: 3 Dives - THE place to be at sunset. Everybody goes there to see the sun disappear into the sea. On the cliffs next to Xtabi.

Canoe- At Mary Bay, on the beach next to Rondel Village.

Great food, people and prices, especially for a place right on the beach.

Jus Natural - On the cliff road across from the waterside, near Xtabi.

MiYard - A local “fast food”, open 24/7.

Bourbon Beach- Notoriously known to be the “best” jerk chicken in Negril. We b beg to differ. But still a great snack when tired and hungry from all that swimming and sun bathing.

Sweet Spice- Just a minute inland. A wonderful array of Jamaican cuisine and what the locals will consider a nice restaurant to go to. Everything on the menu is tasty, but they start you off with a simple, yet unique fish broth soup.

Negril Beach Club and Traveler’s. Great patties.

Rick’s Café- The ultimate tourist joint of Negril. Beers are twice the price, but the parking lot is twice as full. Not full of culture, but will satisfy the homesick tourists for sure. And you can jump off a cliff.

The Negril Yoga Center has a vegetarian restaurant.

Deon’s Cook Shop- This shack up towards the hills still calls to us all the way to the beach. Some of the best fried chicken you’ll get around town. Worth the trip.

Bella Donna’s Restaurant - Summerset Road, We est-End. On Wednesdays they have a buffet with only Jamaican food d and live reggae music.

Alfred’s Ocean Palace- Right next to Bourbon Beach. You’ll hear the ads on the beach and through the streets. Alfred’s is well known for its music, reggae parties and droning advertisements.

Errol’s Sunset Cafe - Right on beach, between Mariner’s/ Negril Beach Club and Traveler’s. Great patties.

Reef Side Restaurant - Right across from Daley’s Wholesale West End. Chicken Lavish - On the west end road, past town, near Tigress Lane, directly across from Easy Rock Cafe.

Mr. Slice - Corner of the main road and West Land Mountain Rd. When you absolutely need a pizza.

OMMUNICATION N Most hotels have wifi available in the lobby, but service can be spotty at best.

Negrils’ cyb bercafés are your best option when you really need your Internet fix.

Usiing your US cell phone will be expensive: you are better off getting a local pre-paid phone to call the US. Everyone sells phone cards so you can easily refill when needed. Public pay phones can be hard to find and only work with pre-paid card, not change or credit cards.

Walkie-talkies are the best way to communicate while on set.

105

OCAL WILDL LIFE You’re in the tropics so bugs (big and exotics ones) are plenty. You will need to bring insect repellent and get mosquitoes coil to burn in your room.

Don’t be fooled by the crystalline waters. Lots of weird beasts lurk underneath, from sea urchins to jellyfish and rays. But don’t worry, shark are not to be found. Your remake of Jaws will have to wait another time.

RANSPOR RTAT T ION When the production van is not available, take a taxi. They are easy to find and cheap—as long as you agree on the price BEFORE climbing in (be prepared to haggle). There are “charter taxis,” i..e. e a taxi all to yourself. These official tax t is carry insurance for passengers and are recognized by their red plates. “Route taxis” are mostly used by locals (and hippie es). They are shared and follow specific routes, stopping at undesignated spots. Some locals will try to sell their service as taxi a , but be aware that a guy plus a car doesn’t a taxi make.

Rentin i g your own vehicle (whether a bike, scooter or car) might sound like a good idea, until you remember that Jamaicans drive like the Brits—on the wrong side of the street. Not to mention that they beat worl r dwide records for aggressive driving. Traffic is often dense and always chaotic with roaming goats, cows, dogs, and jaywalkers.

Roads are poorly maintained, with potholes the size of a car.

Accidents are not uncommon. Is that scooter still looking so hot?

OTELS Xtabi- www.xtabi-negril.com Sunset on the Beachwww.coralseasresort.com/beach/ Rockhouse- www.rockhousehotel.com Kuy yaba a - www.kuyaba.com Negril Treehousewww.negril-treehouse.com The Caveswww.islandoutpost.com/the_caves Gatehouse Villawww.gatehousevilla.com Tensing Pen- www.tensingpen.com Legends- www.negrilhotels.com Samsara- www.negrilhotels.com

IPS The PA, maids, waiters, bartenders, taxi drivers—they all rely on tips for income. Minimum wage is around US$30 a week. Life is not cheap, and many Jamaicans struggle to make ends meet.

Please note that some restaurants include the tip so always check your bill.

HIN NGS T O PACK Imodium (for stomachache), Benadryl (which works against bites and sting i s), tampons, Tylenol/aspirin.

By Erica Simone I Photos courtesy of JR

JR has mastered the biggest art gallery in the universe: Mother Earth.

From Paris to Cambodia and Rio to India (with a few stops in between), the unique work of this young French artist raids the globe, engulfing the façades of buildings, raising astonishment and controversy worldwide, bashing borders, and bridging communities. At twenty-seven, “anonymousâ€?

JR has impacted the four corners of the earth with several large scale artistic and political projects, leaving his mark and those of his subjects to reign over monumental spaces. >

110

JR is blowing up. Ten years into his career, his initials are everywhere. With the recent release of his documentary film “Women are Heroes,” the French media is devouring him and the US is chiming in. JR’s story begins in 2000. As a teenager in Paris, JR became fascinated with the streets and graffiti.

At night, he would roam his mysterious city, seeking exciting encounters and remote locations to tag—often in hidden tunnels and other murky places. About a year later, he found a camera in the subway, and photography instantly became his artistic language.

“Understanding the visual value of street art, I realized how much better of an impact photography could make on pedestrians as its expression translates more universally than graffiti, which can only be appreciated by the small population who can read it,” he explained. “So I started my own photo gallery: the world.”

In 2001, JR began his series “EXPO 2 RUE” (“Sidewalk Gallery”), where the entire city of Paris became his museum.

The artist saw no point in spending years crafting his work in order to gain recognition and adorn the four walls of an art gallery. Instead, he saw the open streets as the perfect outlet for his art, with absolutely no limit of space or contrived management. From inner city kids playing in the streets to wealthy families strolling home from dinner, the whole world could enjoy his work 24/7. The street’s only flaw was its temporal constraints—he never knew how long one piece would last. His signature spray painted frame and tag “expo 2 rue” were sometimes the sole remnants of his show; however, by that point, he was usually onto the next project in a nearby “arrondissement.”

With JR’s creative mind and ultimate drive, the concept of street art photography soon developed into much larger scale projects. After visiting friends and installing pieces in the projects of Clichy, outside of Paris, he returned home with some powerful shots of the youth there. One would become one of his most famous photographs, depicting a young man aiming at the photographer with a video camera, which at first glimpse could easily be confused with a gun. With the excited cooperation of the youth, JR printed and installed the images in large format all over the projects, making an art museum into what was once considered a socially rejected community.

Working odd jobs and selling the occasional prints, JR was able to self-finance his early projects.

In 2006, a year after the notorious violent riots—outbreaks from those very same Clichy ghettos—JR began working on “Portrait of a Generation.” With several rolls of paper, poster glue, and a hoodie to hide his face, JR roamed the streets of Paris at night, installing large scale images of “thugs” across buildings, confronting contradicting populations with powerful black-and-white, close-up, unthreatening portraits of youths making goofy faces. The project was greeted with controversy and uproar from the communities around the city, but supporters recognized the artistic and political genius of the series, including “L’Espace des Blanc Manteaux,” an art space in the 3rd district of Paris, which wrapped its entire building with the images.

112

>

“This all happened at a time when Paris was mortified, but blind about the suburbs. Through the funny looks on the faces, I wanted to show Parisians that even the youth from Clichy could make fun of themselves and play their own caricatures. Each photograph included the person’s name and even their address, so you could technically go and knock at their door, which was a huge paradox to the image the press gave of these people, where they were shown hidden by hooded sweatshirts,” said JR. The “illegal” project became officially accepted and embraced when the main City Hall of Paris, “L’Hôtel de Ville,” wrapped its building with JR’s photographs. With the project’s colossal success, paralleled with amassed confidence and drive, JR set a much higher goal: to export his concept and explore the politics of the Middle East. In 2007, he set off with a friend to Israel and Palestine, to expose the lifelong rivals with his billboard-sized photographs.

Thus his second project, “Face 2 Face,” was born. The duo traveled to eight Israeli and Palestinian cities, photographing locals with a wide angle lens, capturing them making silly faces and posting their images around enemy’s towns and on opposite sides of the wall. The team exposed the friendly energy and cheerful hearts of each other’s foes, hoping to break judgments and dispel hatred among them. JR saw through his work a unique opportunity to unite the enemies and bridge their “differences” through the universal language of photography.

“Face 2 Face” quickly gained international attention. Museums and media started to court the artist, but JR has always wanted to remain as anonymous as possible, keeping his own person hidden from the public. He wants his art to speak for itself and has removed his ego from the equation. Until today, he wears his staple hat and black sunglasses when appearing on TV or in magazines.

In 2008, JR embarked on a whole new project—a journey around the world, photographing women suffering from regional conflicts in Africa, Brazil, India, and Cambodia. His project “28 Millimeters: Women are Heroes” was designed to shed light on the bravery and strength of women across the globe who have been targets of rebel groups and abusive male domination. In an attempt to raise awareness within and outside these troubled places, JR rounded up local people to help install the images over buildings, homes, busses, stores… any place he could get his hands on. In Kenya, he managed to wrap an entire shantytown, and in the favelas of Rio, the façade of people’s homes were gilded with the eyes and faces of the women living there. Alongside his photographic projects, JR produced an independent film, “Women are Heroes,” documenting the artistic mission, lives, and testimonies of brave women. Released in 2010 in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in France, the film was shot in a unique style, blending both time-lapse and stop motion photography.

On the battlefield, JR has never claimed to be alone in his efforts and is grateful for his entourage and close friends. He always actively involves local populations; to see people join hands in good faith and put their energy into creating something so monumental, on both the visual and social scale, squeezes his heart and fuels his artistic drive. His many volunteers are always helping and lending hands in installing his oversized prints—which is not easy work!

It can sometimes take a few days or weeks, mechanical cranes, and a lot of paper to cover the side of one building. It may take a few years to finish an entire project, which usually culminates with the release of a book and installations in museums and galleries across the world.

At first, it was very confusing to me just how he gets it all done in such a large scale and within such short amount of time. When I called JR a superhero, he responded, “The true heroes are the subjects who I photograph and the people who help me bring the projects to life. Without them, nothing would exist.” JR’s powerful, but humble energy is contagious, and his will is insatiable. You can sense how “real” he is just by spending a little time with him. We discussed his work and took photographs during an evening; he was extremely laid back and friendly, but also very goal-oriented and creative—picking his brain was quite inspiring.

For the sake of his work, JR is constantly putting himself and his team at risk. The social and environmental dangers he faces are real, from war in the Middle East to incessant shootings in the favelas of Rio and rampant disease in Africa. However, this young artist is freakishly driven: nothing will stop him, and he’ll already be thinking about the next project before the current one is even finished. JR is presently working on “Wrinkles of the City,” a series he began in Cartagena, Spain, in 2008, documenting elderly people who, to him, represent the history and transcendence of culture.

Since then, he has photographed elders across the world, printing and posting their images all over the cities they were photographed in. This series was exhibited last fall in Shanghai at the Museum of Beaux Arts and in the Magda Danysz Gallery.

In conjunction with art festivals and events all over the world, JR still shares and distributes freely his work. Last year, during the Parisian art festival “La Nuit Blanche” (“The Sleepless Night”), the photographer installed giant portraits from his “Women are Heroes” series along the walls and bridges of the Seine river. Parisians were left dumbfounded at the sight, especially those who had never seen or heard of JR’s work.

So, how does he do it all?

JR has never once accepted commercial sponsorship. He is financially self-reliant and cherishes his independence from companies or brands, which have often tried to associate with his work. He claims that his only economic interest is to be able to finance his JR has found quite a niche. He is the only artist of his kind who blends the use of photography and landscape on such a large scale. projects and sustain his travels—excess is irrelevant to him. He is represented by Steve Lazarides in London and a gallery in DusEach photograph is carefully selected and placed onto its backseldorf, Germany, both selling very small edition pieces for up to drop, visually bringing the latter to life. When faced with a difficult surface, such as a multilayered brick wall, JR will cut the print into 50,000 Euros. hundreds of pieces and then rearrange them individually, pasting And, why does he do it? them appropriately to recreate the desired affect. JR now relies on digital cameras and basic methods of large-scale printing and Passion. He once described himself as an “artivist”: the is therefore able to print in many of the places he visits. In some combination of an artist and an activist, opening his vision and circumstances, he travels home to Paris to print, and returns with “pervasive” art to the masses with his own environmentally as many rolls of paper as he can fit into his suitcases.

In his latest book, “28 Millimeters: Women are Heroes,” each woman’s portrait is accompanied by a, typically harsh, personal story. In the second testimony, Hawa Munyan from Sierra Leone recalls being raped five times by a group of rebels and witnessing the murder of her nine-year-old son.

Although JR’s images are what you see, he claims that the stories behind each photograph are the true project, the reality of it all.

The photographer’s encounters and interactions with the communities he photographs are what keep his passion and drive alive. The people of the world touch him in ways that make the dangers and difficulties worthwhile, and he appears to be constantly boarding planes to scout for undiscovered geographical opportunities or to re-visit places of the past, checking up on friends and seeing how his art has held up. Despite his acclaimed role in the art world, JR doesn’t philosophize much about it.

He pumps its resources to accomplish his projects, but otherwise keeps a comfortable distance from it—while many artists spend a lifetime trying to enter.

Erica Simone: www.ericasimone.com

integrated communication method. He states that “images can’t change the world; they can change the perception we have of it, and that is the beginning of real change!”

So far, the artist has released five photography books in conjunction with his projects: “Carnet de Rue par JR” (2005), “28 Millimeters: Portrait of a Generation” (2006), “28 Millimeters: FACE 2 FACE” (2007), “JR / 28 Millimeters: Best of the Last Four Years” (2008), and “28 Millimeters: Women are Heroes” (2009). He has also recently initiated “Unframed,” an urban project for the city of Vevey, Switzerland. For the first time, instead of using his own images, he has taken the works of other photographers such as Robert Capa, Gilles Caron, Helen Levitt, Mario Giacomelli and others, and reinterpreted them, reframing and stretching them on facades across the city, transforming Vevey into a giant open-sky museum.

“What is interesting to me in this project is that depending on where the

image is installed, it gives a whole other meaning and interpretation to the image itself. One would read the image entirely differently depending on where and how it was posted,” the artist explained.

Undeniably, the future for this young artist seems promising. The world remains on tiptoe, waiting for his next invasion. And who knows? It just may be in a town near you.

You can see more of JR’s work on his website at www.jr-art.net and browse through his videos on YouTube.com and on DailyMotion.fr.

By Sachi Yoshii I Photos by Craolyn Fong

Stanton Social / Freemans

WHERE TO TAKE YOUR CLIENT OUT:

Stanton Social

99 Stanton Street, between Ludlow & Orchard Street New York, NY 10002 212.995.0099 www.thestantonsocial.com

Price $$ Rating ***

S

tanton Social has done what New York City restaurants do best: turned dinner into a party.

The hip Lower East Side tapas restaurant is packed seven days a week serving neighborhood hipsters and businessmen alike. The picturesque (and delicious) plates created by Executive Chef Chris Santos encompass a wide eclectic and global palette of flavors, some hitting harder than others.

The dim lighting, leather lounge-inspired seating, and beautiful wait staff induce a sexy yet romantic vibe—one that you might expect at a nightclub, rather than a restaurant. But have no doubt, Stanton Social is a restaurant; just wait until you taste the food.

Restaurants a three-course dinner, one alcoholic beverage, and a 15% tip $ = $25 and under $$ = $25-$50 $$$ = $50-$75 $$$$ = $75 and over

Start with the Warm Piquillo Pepper ‘Bruschetta’ stuffed with roasted garlic goat cheese ($7) or the French Onion Soup Dumplings ($12).

Rather than serving dignified courses, Stanton Social encourages sharing, tasting, and living the “tapas experience,” and their efficient kitchen staff steadily feeds tables into blissful submission. Popular “sliders” include the decadent (and sinfully buttery) Grilled Cheese Slider with aged cheddar, house curd jalapeno bacon, fried green tomato, and lemon aioli ($7). Nothing disappoints on the menu; there is truly something for every tastebud.

After such feats, many will feel more inclined to “share” dessert, and please do—Pastry Chef Jaime Sudberg wows with her creative spin on old classics. Favorites include the Guinness Toffee Cake with toffee sauce and Bailey’s ice cream ($10), and the Hot Chocolate Mudslide shots with Patron XO, Bailey’s, and homemade marshmallow ($3 each).

Stanton Social has it all: the atmosphere, the food, and the scene, all showcased in a budget friendly and elegant manner. It’s impossible not to feel more trendy sliding across one of the ebony leather booths. Order a cocktail and say a prayer that your group of diners will be as tantalizing as the meal.

Freeman’s Restaurant End of Freeman Alley.

Off Rivington between The Bowery and Chrystie NY, NY 10002, 212-420-0012 www.freemansrestaurant.com

Price $$ Food ** Drinks *** Ambiance ***

T

he Lower East Side is made for places like Freeman’s Restaurant.

Situated at the end of the unassuming “Freeman’s Alley,” the restaurant/bar/brunch mecca serves some of downtown’s best American grub and signature cocktails. The dim outdoor twinkle lights and shabby chic decor juxtapose nicely with the mounted deer heads lining Freeman’s interior; Freeman’s design embodies the original “Anthropology” motif.

Forget martinis straight-up, the bartenders here shake an edgier spin on mixology. Signature cocktails ($12 each) change seasonally and come in three styles varying from lightest to heaviest: “Light and Easy,” “Even and Crisp,” and “Dark and Complex” respectively. Like all great cocktails (and loves), the Dark and Complex ones are the most compelling. Freeman’s signature cocktail, appropriately named the Freeman’s Cocktail, sports rye, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and bitter, which are lit on fire by the bartender before serving.

Freeman’s cocktails are a science. Head mixologist and bartender Yana Volfsman trains bartenders and hand picks every ingredient and cocktail. Each drink is made fresh and jigger poured; all accouterments are house-made, hand squeezed and served to order.

Other favorites include the Sherlyn Fenn, a champagne cocktail with dark rum, sherry, and honey, and the Hawkeye Sour, a mix of bourbon, maple syrup, lemon juice and orange bitters that will put hair on anyone’s chest.

While sipping fabulous cocktails, indulge in an appetizer, the more sinful the better. The Hot Artichoke Dip ($10) and Devils on Horseback ($6) will please any hungry taste buds, although Freeman’s brunch is by far their best culinary feat. Freeman’s Restaurant is a great spot for a late morning feast to sooth hangover blues, or to rev up after an all day photo session.

Bars/Lounges one alcoholic beverage $ = $6 and under $$ = $6-12 $$$ = $12 and over

Want to learn more about running your business?

Want to promote your business?

Want to be part of a New York’s largest community of professional photographers?

Join now asmpny.org

Find out more about the benefits of membership in the American Society of Media Photographers and what’s going on in the New York chapter at asmpny.org

FILMS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS:

George A. Romero

By Alec Kerr I Illustration by Emil Rivera

“In a world where the dead are returning to life, the word trouble loses much of its meaning.” Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), Land of the Dead ilm director George A. Romero is the godfather of the zombie movie as we know it. While he by no means invented the concept, he was the first to bring it to the big screen with his landmark début, Land of the Living Dead , in 1968.

In Night, Romero established many of the modern motifs of the zombie genre, including their hunger for human flesh, pandemics, the transfer of the “disease” through biting, and that a zombie can only be stopped by destroying its brain.

What distinguishes Romero’s films from his imitators is his use of zombies for social critique. However, in Night this was unintentional. The film ends with a militia shooting all the zombies they find and, ironically, killing the sole survivor of a small group hiding out in a house besieged by the undead.

This character was not written specifically for a black man but Romero casted a black actor, Duane Jones, for it. The movie, filmed before the assassination of Martin Luther King, was released after, and gained an unintended relevancy, seemingly reflecting the racial unrest of the 1960s.

Romero fully embraced allegory in 1978’s Dawn of the Dead. Here his social critique is at its most assured. The film focuses on a band of survivors in a world increasingly overrun by zombies. Their hideout is a mall, a setting that Romero uses to deride the dangers of materialism and consumerism. Even the zombies can’t help but be drawn to the place. As one character notes, they come based on “instinct, memory, and what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives.”

In 1985’s Day of the Dead Romero expanded on the idea of zombies retaining memories of their past life and featured a scientist (Richard Liberty) attempting to domesticate an undead. A zombie dubbed Bub (Sherman Howard) is taught to use everyday life items. It is the most interesting aspect of a film which is otherwise a step down from its predecessors.

Ultimately, through all his movies, Romero exposed that man is far more dangerous than zombies. A character remarks about a brutish military man: “He’s human, that’s what scares me.”

In most of Romero’s films, zombies are rarely seen as the director knows that they aren’t intrinsically interesting unto themselves. They are often just mindless walking targets.

This may be why Romero increasingly tried to humanize them, eventually allowing one to think, plan, and lead in 2005’s Land of the Dead, which was released twenty years after Day of the Dead. The long hiatus brought out a more focused critique, aimed this time at class war. Romero created three distinct social classes: a wealthy élite who live in a tower; the commoners; and the zombies who hover outside of the walled-off city, all of them fighting for a piece of the same pie.

Romero then returned three years later with the 2007’s Diary of the Dead. Set in present day, Romero chose to film with a hand-held camera, an approach similar to The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. Diary’s use of video feels less forced and more on point than it did in Cloverfield, which beat it to theaters by a mere couple months. Romero used video to comment on the Internet era and the constant need to broadcast our lives. It is a surprisingly on-target look at modern society. In terms of allegory, Diary is Romero’s strongest film since Dawn, which is why his latest entry, Survival of the Dead, released in 2010, feels like such a let down. The film focuses on two feuding Irish families faced with the decision to whether or not kill loved ones who have become zombies. Romero wants to comment on the futility of war, but the premise is so silly, and the movie so laden with clunky dialogue, that his message gets lost in the mix.

The film is well made, but it finally seems that Romero has said all he can through the zombie genre.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Release Date: October 1, 1968 Cinematography: George A. Romero Writer: John A. Russo, George A. Romero Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman Producer: Karl Hardman, Russel Streiner

Emil Rivera : www.lariverola.com

F

121

DAWN OF THE DEAD Release Date: September 2, 1979

LAND OF THE DEAD Release Date: June 24, 2005

Cinematography: Michael Gornick

Cinematography: Miroslaw Baszak

Writer: George A. Romero

Writer: George A. Romero

Cast: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger

Cast: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento

Producer: Richard P. Rubinstein, Claudio Argento

Producer: Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann, Peter Grunwald

DAY OF THE DEAD Release Date: July 19, 1985

DIARY OF THE DEAD Release Date: February 15, 2008

Cinematography: Michael Gornick

Cinematography: Adam Swica

Writer: George A. Romero

Writer: George A. Romero

Cast: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato

Cast: Shawn Roberts, Joshua Close, Michelle Morgan, Philip Riocci

Producer: Richard P. Rubinstein

Producer: George Romero, Peter Grunwald, Sam Englebardt

Pen HD Video Camera Pen. Records Audio & Video $199.95

GO SEE:

SPY CAMERAS

By Spencer Winans I Photos by Victor Harshbarger

F

inally, it’s here, what every self-employed private dick has been waiting for: a pen, a tie, a watch, and sunglasses—with high definition camera equipment built in. After all, what’s the point of developing advanced technologies, if not for gadgets and toys? If only I had that camera tie twenty years ago! I would have played Dick Tracy instead of his sidekick, Kid. (I’m still waiting for the fully functional wristwatch phone.)

Better late than never.

If you have ever wondered what it means to shoot film in the digital age, ponder over the HD camera wristwatch. Yes, it’s true. You can shoot an hour’s worth of high definition film without anyone noticing, including you, on your way to work, grabbing a cup of joe, on set (or sitting on the john, but we won’t go there).

If nothing else, it’s official—these devices prove we live in a very different age than we did twenty, even ten years ago. So what does it mean to shoot film in the twenty-first century? Might have to hire a private dick for that one. *All items from Spy Tech inc.

Button True HD quality Mini DVR (Digital Video Recorder) with touch screen technology & HD $859.00

123

Tie High Resolution Video Tie Camera with 4GB Memory & Remote Control $189.99

Spy Tech: www.spytechinc.com

Victor Harshbarger: www.victorharshbarger.com

Watch Waterproof Camera Watch. Records HD Quality Video for Up to 1 hour $189.95

Sunglasses Sporty Video Sunglasses Records High Quality Audio and Video on its 4GB of internal memory $199.95

FOTO FASHION:

STUDIO LIFE

By Kate Hope I Photos by Axel Dupeux

I

n the photo production industry, there are endless ways to express yourself, even outside your field of expertise. Sartorial choices reveal your inner workings that aren’t always able to be portrayed through your professional work. Since first impressions can make or break a career, you need to think before you dress.

Resource took a trip to Drive-In Studios and captured some of the most interesting dressers hard at work. We think appearance says a lot about a person, so we’ll let the fashion speak for itself.

Top row(left to right): Clement Franke/ photo assistant, Kevin James/ musician, Sam Adams/ intern, Leslie De La Vega/ photo director.

Bottom row (left to right): Bailey Sattler/ artist relations, Patrick Roxas, Rae Scarton/ set designer, Maximillian Menacher/ photographer, Daryl Nuhn/ music management, Michael Mabes/ photographer.

Axel Dupeux: www.axeldupeux.com

EAST COAST CHICAGO, IL MODEL AGENCY Agency Galatea* 33 W. Grand #402 Chicago, IL 60654 312.587.1155 info@agencygalatea.com www.agencygalatea.com PHOTO EQUIPMENT RENTAL Calumet Photographic* 1111 N. Cherry Ave. Chicago, IL 60642 312.440.4920 800.453.2550 www.calumetphoto.com Dodd Camera* 2840 W. Armitage Ave. Chicago, IL 60647 773.227.3633 chicagorentals@doddpro.com www.doddcamera.com Helix Rental* 1205 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60607 312.421.6000 rental@helixcamera.com www.helixphoto.com ProGear Rental* 1740 W. Carroll Ave. Chicago, IL 60612 312.376.3770 info@progearrental.com www.progearrental.com PROPS RENTAL Zap Antiques & Props* 3611 S. Loomis Pl. Chicago, IL 60609 773.376.2278 zapprop@sbcglobal.net www.zapprops.com

STUDIO RENTAL Morgan Street Studios* 456 N. Morgan St. Chicago, IL 60642 312.226.0009 steve@grubman.com www.morganstreetstudios.com

PHOTO EQUIPMENT Aperture Studios Miami* 385 NE 59th St. Miami, FL 33137 305.759.4327 info@aperturepro.com www.aperturepro.com

Northlight Studio* 2023 W. Carroll Ave. #C304 Chicago, IL 60612 773.466.1556 info@northlightchicago.com www.northlightchicago.com

World Wide Foto* 5040 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33137 305.756.1744 info@worldwidefoto.com www.worldwidefoto.com

Skylight Studio Rentals* 1956 W. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 312.666.4345 www.jackperno.com/rent.html

PROP RENTALS Ace Props* 297 NE 59th Terrace Miami, FL 33137 305.756.0888 aceprops@bellsouth.net www.propshopmiami.com

Space Stage Studios* 2155 W. Hubbard Chicago, IL 60612 312.733.8017 info@productproductions.com www.spacestagestudios.com

MIAMI, FL EDUCATION (workshops, seminars) AD013 Studio* 329 NE 59th Terrace Miami, FL 33137 305.640.8758 gesi@ad013studio.com www.ad013studio.com DIGITAL SERVICES Industrial Color* 650 West Ave. - #1211 Miami, FL 33139 305.695.0001 info@industrialcolor.com www.industrialcolor.com

STUDIO RENTALS Aperture Studios Miami* 385 NE 59th St. Miami, FL 33137 305.759.4327 info@aperturepro.com www.aperturepro.com Bathhouse Miami* 541 Jefferson Ave. Miami Beach, FL 33139 305.538.7767 manager@bathhousemiami.com www.bathhousemiami.com Big Time Productions* 550 Washington Ave. Miami Beach, FL 33139 305.672.5117 www.big-time.com Carousel Studios* 3700 NE First Court Miami, FL 33137 305.576.3686 tommy@carouselstudios.com www.carouselstudios.com

127

Glass Haus Studios* 8000 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33138 305.759.9904 studiomanager@glasshausstudios.com www.glasshausstudios.com

MAPS Studio* 212 Collins Ave. Miami Beach, FL 33139 305.674.1700 / 888.843.7880 info@mapsproduction.com www.mapsproduction.com

Photopia Studios* 360 NE 62nd St. Miami, FL 33138 305.534.0290 photopia@bellsouth.net www.photopiamiami.com

Little River Studios* 300 NE 71st St. Miami, FL 33138 305.573.1395 info@littleriverstudios.com www.littleriverstudios.com

One Source Studios* 6440 NE 4th Court Miami, FL 33138 305.751.2556 Andrew@onesourcestudios.com www.onesourcestudios.com

Picture Perfect* 8000 Biscayne Blvd - 2nd Fl. Miami, FL 33138 305.759.9954 ppp8000@aol.com www.pictureperfectmiami.com

Splashlight Studios* 167 NE 26th St. Miami, FL 33137 305.572.0094 infomiami@splashlight.com www.splashlight.com

128

NEW YORK, NY ARTIFICIAL FOLIAGE American Foliage & Design Group* 122 W 22nd St. New York, NY 10011 212.741.5555 afdesigngr@aol.com www.americanfoliagedesign.com CATERING Green Catering 61 Hester St. New York, NY 10002 212.254.9825 www.greenbrownorange.com DIGITAL CAPTURE SERVICES Exposure Capture* 77 Franklin St. New York, NY 10013 212.393.1307 contact@exposurecapture.com www.exposurecapture.com PHOTO EQUIPMENT RENTAL ARC* 42 W 18th St. - 6th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212.627.8487 rental@adorama.com www.adoramarentals.com

K&M Camera* 385 Broadway New York, NY 10013 212.523.0954 Rental@kmcamera.com www.kmcamera.com RGH Lighting* 236 W 30th St. New York, NY 10001 212.647.1114 info@rghlighting.com www.rghlighting.com Scheimpflug* 236 W 30th St. New York, NY 10001 212.244.8300 Info@scheimpflug.net www.scheimpflug.net TREC RENTAL* -Manhattan: 435 W 18th St. New York, NY 10011 212.727.1941 / 800.622.1941 order@trecrental.com www.trecrental.com -Brooklyn: 131 N 14th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211 718.349.2740 equipment@trecbrooklyn.com www.trecbrooklyn.com

Calumet* 22 W 22nd St. New York, NY 10010 212.989.8500 800.453.2550 www.calumetphoto.com

PHOTO LABS Duggal Visual Solutions* 29 W 23rd St. New York, NY 10010 212.242.7000 info@duggal.com www.duggal.com

CSI Rental* 133 W 19th St. New York, NY 10011 212.243.7368 www.csirentals.com

Manhattan Color Lab* 4 W 20th St. New York, NY 10011 212.807.7373

Foto Care* 43 W 22nd St. New York, NY 10010 212.741.2991 rental@fotocare.com www.fotocare.com

Pochron Studios* 96 Van Dyke St. Brooklyn, NY 11231 718.237.1332 studiomgr@pochronstudios.com www.pochronstudios.com Primary Photographic* 195 Chrystie St. - North Store New York, NY 10002 212.529.5609 www.primaryphotographic.com

PRODUCTION COMPANY ajproductionsny, inc.

212.979.7585 aurelie@ajproductionsny.com www. ajproductionsny.com PROP RENTALS Arenson Prop Center* 396 10th Ave. New York, NY 10001 212.564.8383 www.aof.com Eclectic Encore Props* 620 W 26th St. - 4th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.645.8880 www.eclecticprops.com Good Light Props* 450 W 31st St. - #9B New York, NY 10001 212.629.8773 Goodlightprops@gmail.com www.goodlightprops.com Props For Today* 330 W 34th St. - 12th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.244.9600 info@propsfortoday.com www.propsfortoday.com The Prop Company* 111 W 19th St. - 8th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212.691.7767 propcompany@aol.com RENTAL STUDIOS 2 Stops Brighter* 231 W 29th St. - 10th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.868.5555 info@2stopsbrighter.com www.2stopsbrighter.com 20x24 Studio* 75 Murray St. - 3rd Fl. New York, NY 10007 212.925.1403 info@20x24studio.com www.20x24studio.com

320 Studios* 320 W 37th St. - 14th Fl. New York, NY 10018 212.967.9909 info@320studiosnyc.com www.320studiosnyc.com 3rd Ward* 195 Morgan Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11237 718.715.4961 info@3rdward.com www.3rdward.com

REVEAL YOURSELF

723 Washington* 723 Washington St. New York, NY 10014 booking@bennetmediastudio.com www.723washington.com Above Studio* 23 E 31st St. New York, NY 10016 212.545.0550 ext. 3 info@abovestudiorental.com www.abovestudiorental.com Bathhouse Studios New York* 540 E 11th St. New York, NY 10009 212.388.1111 manager@bathhousestudios.com www.bathhousestudios.com Brooklyn Studios* 211 Meserole Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222 718.392.1007 brooklynstudios@verizon.net http://brooklynstudios.net/ Camart Studios* 6 W 20th St. - 4th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212.691.8840 rentals@camart.com www.camart.com Capsule Studio* 873 Broadway - #204 New York, NY 10003 212.777.8027 info@capsulestudio.com www.capsulestudio.com

THE RESOURCE NETWORKS.

JOIN THE FUN:

FACEBOOK-TWITTER

LINKED IN-PHOTOCREW DRIPBOOK-WORKBOOK

MYSPACE-RESOURCE BLOG

www.resourcemagonline.com

130

NEW YORK, NY RENTAL STUDIOS (CONT.) Cinema World Studios* 220 Dupont St. Greenpoint, NY 11222 718.389.9800 cinemaworldfd@verizon.net www.cinemaworldstudios.com Dakota Studios* 78 Fifth Ave. - 8th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212.691.2197 matt@dakotastudio.com www.dakotastudio.com Daylight Studio* 450 W 31st St. - 8th-9th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.967.2000 info@metromotion.com www.daylightstudio.com Divine Studio* 21 E 4th St. - #605 New York, NY 10003 212.387.9655 alex@divinestudio.com www.divinestudio.com Drive-In 24* 443 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 212.645.2244 info@driveinstudios.com www.driveinstudios.com Eagles Nest Studio* 259 W 30th St. - 13th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.736.6221 eaglesnestnyc@yahoo.com www.eaglesnestnyc.com Factory Studios* 79 Lorimer St. Brooklyn, NY 11206 718.690.3980 info@factorybrooklyn.com www.factorybrooklyn.com Fast Ashleys Studios* 95 N 10th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211 718.782.9300 michael@fastashleysstudios.com www.fastashleysstudios.com

Gary’s Manhattan Penthouse Loft* 28 W 36th St. - PH New York, NY 10018 917.837.2420 gary@garysloft.com www.garysloft.com

Jewel Street Studios* 94 Jewel St. Brooklyn, NY 11222 718.383.8200 info@jewelstreetstudios.com www.jewelstreetstudios.com

Gary’s Loft* 470 Flushing Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205 917.837.2420 gary@garysloft.com www.garysloft.com

Location 05* 200 Hudson St. - 9th Fl. New York, NY 10013 212.219.2144 info@location05.com www.location05.com

Go Studios* 245 W 29th St. - 7th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.564.4084 info@go-studios.com www.go-studios.com

Lumenhouse* 47 Beaver St. Brooklyn, NY 11206 718.942.5395 info@lumenhouse.com www.lumenhouse.com

Good Light Studio* 450 W 31st St. - #9C New York, NY 10001 212.629.3764 manager@goodlightstudio.com www.goodlightstudio.com

Milk/Formula* 450 W. 15th St. New York, NY 10011 212.645.2797 bevan@milkstudios.com www.milkstudios.com

Greenpoint Studios* 190 West St. - Unit 11 Brooklyn, NY 11222 212.741.6864 www.greenpointstudios.com

Neo Studios* 628 Broadway - #302 New York, NY 10012 212.533.4195 mail@neostudiosnyc.com www.neostudiosnyc.com

Home Studios* 873 Broadway - #301 New York, NY 10003 212.475.4663 info@homestudiosinc.com www.homestudiosinc.com Industria Superstudio* 775 Washington St. New York, NY 10014 212.366.1114 info@industrianyc.com www.industrianyc.com Jack Studios* 601 W 26th St. - 12th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.367.7590 info@jackstudios.com www.jackstudios.com

NoHo Productions* 636 Broadway - 8th Fl. New York, NY 10012 212.228.4068 info@nohoproductions.com www.nohoproductions.com Picture Ray Studio* 245 W 18th St. New York, NY 10011 212.929.6370 bookings@pictureraystudio.com www.pictureraystudio.com Pier 59 Studios* Chelsea Piers #59 - 2nd Level New York, NY 10011 212.691.5959 booking@pier59studios.com www.pier59studios.com

131

Primus Studio* 64 Wooster St. - #3E New York, NY 10012 212.966.3803 info@primusnyc.com www.primusnyc.com

Shoot Digital* 23 E 4th St. New York, NY 10003 212.353.3330 info@shootdigital.com www.shootdigital.com

Some Studio* 150 W 28th St. - #1602 New York, NY 10001 212.691.7663 somebody@somestudio.com www.somestudio.com

Pure Space* 601 W 26th St. - #1225 New York, NY 10001 212.937.6041 rida@purespacenyc.com frank@purespacenyc.com www.purespacenyc.com

Shooting Kitchen* 13-17 Laight St. #12 New York, NY 10013 917.262.0816 jackie@shootingkitchen.com www.shootingkitchen.com

Southlight Studio* 214 W 29th St. - #1404 New York, NY 10001 212.465.9466 info@southlightstudio.com www.southlightstudio.com

Silver Cup Studios* 42-22 22nd St. Long Island City, NY 11101 718.906.3000 silvercup@silvercupstudios.com www.silvercupstudios.com

Splashlight Studios SoHo* 75 Varick St. - 3rd Fl. New York, NY 10013 212.268.7247 info@splashlight.com www.splashlight.com

© 2010©Michael 2010 Michael Grecco Grecco Photography, Photography, Inc. AllInc. Rights All Rights Reserved Reserved © 2010 Michael Grecco Photography, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Root Brooklyn* 131 N 14th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211 718.349.2740 info@rootbrooklyn.com www.rootbrooklyn.com

Great photographers Great photographers Great photographers have great teams. have great teams. have great teams.

Don’t go it alone.

Don’tgo goititalone. alone.

Don’t Find your team at apanational.com Findyour yourteam teamat atapanational.com apanational.com Find Chapters: atlanta Midwest new York los angeles san diego san FranCisCo assoC. Chapters: Charlotte, nC Colorado northwest washington, dC Chapters: atlanta Midwest new York los angeles san diego san FranCisCo assoC. Chapters: Charlotte, nC Colorado northwest washington, dC Chapters: atlanta Midwest new York los angeles san diego san FranCisCo assoC. Chapters: Charlotte, nC Colorado northwest washington, dC

132

NEW YORK, NY RENTAL STUDIOS (CONT.) Steiner Studios* 15 Washington Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11205 718.858.1600 www.steinerstudios.com Studio 225 Chelsea* 225 W 28th St. - #2 New York, NY 10001 917.882.3724 james@jamesweberstudio.com www.studio225chelsea.com Studio 450* 450 W 31st St. - 12th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.871.0940 Info@lofteleven.com www.loft11.com Suite 201* 526 W 26th St. - #201 New York, NY 10001 212.741.0155 info@suite201.com www.suite201.com Studio 385* 77 Franklin St. New York, NY 10013 212.393.1307 contact@exposurecapture.com www2.exposurecapture.com/studio.html Sun Studios* 628 Broadway New York, NY 10012 212.387.7777 sunstudios@sunnyc.com www.sunstudios.com Sun West Studios* 450 W 31st St. - 10th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.330.9900 bookings@sunwestnyc.com www.sunwestnyc.com Talent Plus Art* 162 W 21st St. New York, NY 10011 800.319.7990 hello@talentplusart.com www.talentplusart.com

Taz Studios* 873 Broadway - #605 New York, NY 10003 212.533.4999 dwhite@tazstudios.com www.tazstudio.com The Space* 425 W 15th St. - 6th Fl. New York, NY 10011 212.929.2442 info@thespaceinc.com www.thespaceinc.com Tribeca Skyline Studios* 205 Hudson St. - Penthouse New York, NY 10013 212.344.1999 bookings@tribecaskyline.com www.tribecaskyline.com Zoom Studios* 20 Vandam St. - 4th Fl. New York, NY 10013 212.243.9663 zoomstudios@yahoo.com www.zoomstudios.net SURFACE RENTALS Surface Studio* 242 W 30th St. - #1202 New York, NY 10001 212.244.6107 www.surfacestudio.com

WEST COAST LOS ANGELES, CA PROP RENTALS House of Props* 1117 N Gower St. Hollywood, CA 90038 323.463.3166 info@houseofpropsinc.com www.houseofpropsinc.com PHOTO LABS A&I Photographic & Digital Services* 933 N Highland Ave Hollywood, CA 90038 323.856.5280 mail@ aandi.com www.aandi.com The Icon* 5450 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036 323.933.1666 icon@iconla.com www.iconla.com PHOTO EQUIPMENT Calumet* 1135 N Highland Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038 323.466.1238 www.calumetphoto.com

WARDROBE RENTALS RRRentals* 245 W 29th St. - #11 New York, NY 10001 212.242.6120 info@rrrentalsny.com www.rrrentalsny.com

Castex Rentals* 1044 Cole Ave. Hollywood, CA 90038 323.462.1468 www.castexrentals.com Service@castexrentals.com

WARDROBE SUPPLY Manhattan Wardrobe Supply* 245 W 29th St. - 8th Fl. New York, NY 10001 212.268.9993 info@wardrobesupplies.com www.wardrobesupplies.com

Pix Inc.* 211 South La Brea Los Angeles, CA 90036 323.936.8488 rentals@pixcamera.com sales@pixcamera.com www.pixcamera.com STYLISTS AGENCY Cloutier Remix* 2632 La Cienega Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90034 310.839.8722 www.cloutieragency.com Info@cloutieragency.com

133

RENTAL STUDIOS 5th & Sunset* 12322 Exposition Blvd West Los Angeles, CA 90064 310.979.0212 bookings@5thandsunsetla.com www.5thandsunsetla.com 8443 Studios* 8443 Warner Drive Culver City, CA 90232 310.202.9044 studio@8443warner.com www.8443warner.com Bellevarado Studios* 2107 Bellevue Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90026 213.413.9611 andrea@bellevaradostudios.com www.bellevaradostudios.com Lightbox Studio* 7122 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036 323.933.2080 Info@lightboxstudio.com www.lightboxstudio.com Miauhaus* 1201 South La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90019 323.933.6180 mail@miauhaus.com www.miauhaus.com Milk LA* 855 N. Cahuenga Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038 323.469.8900 www.milkstudios.com info@milkstudios.com

Pier 59 Studio West* 2415 Michigan Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90404 310.829.5959 booking@pier59studios.com www.pier59studios.com Quixote Griffith Park* 4585 Electronics Place Los Angeles, CA 90039 323.957.9933 qp@quixote.com www.smashboxstudios.com Siren Studios* 6063 W Sunset Blvd Hollywood, CA 90028 323.467.3559 Monica@sirenstudios.com www.sirenstudios.com Smashbox Culver City* 8549 Higuera St. Culver City, CA 90232 323.851.5030 sb@smashboxstudios.com www.smashboxstudios.com Smashbox West Hollywood* 1011 N Fuller Ave. Hollywood, CA 90046 323.851.5030 sb@smashboxstudios.com www.smashboxstudios.com The LA Lofts* 6442 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90038 323.462.5880 thelalofts@hotmail.com www.thelalofts.com

The Studio* 6442 Santa Monica Blvd - #202 Los Angeles, CA 90038 323.791.7757 info@thestudiola.com www.thestudiola.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CA CAMERA EQUIPMENT Calumet* 2001 Bryant St. San Francisco, CA 94110 415.643.9275 www.calumetphoto.com Pro Camera Rental & Supply* 1405 Minnesota St. San Francisco, CA 94107 415.282.7368 www.procamerarental.com PHOTO LAB Dickerman Prints* 3180 17th St. San Francisco, CA 94110 415.252.1300 info@dickermanprints.com www.DickermanPrints.com PROP RENTALS The Prop Co-op* 80 Industrial Way Brisbane, CA 94005 415.468.7767 info@propcoop.com www.propcoop.com

134

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (CONT.)

NATIONAL

STUDIO RENTAL Dogpatch Studios* 991 Tennessee St. San Francisco, CA 94107 415.641.3017 info@dogpatchstudios.com www.dogpatchstudios.com

ORGANIZATION APA (Advertsing Photographers of America) PO Box 725146 Atlanta, GA 31139 800.272.6264 www.apanational.com

Left Space* 2055 Bryant St. San Francisco, CA 94110 415.285.5338 studio@leftspace.com www.leftspace.com

ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers) 150 North Second St. Philadelphia, PA 19106 215.451.2767 www.asmp.org

LUX-SF* 2325 3rd St. - #347 San Francisco, CA 94107 415.633.6063 / 415.310.2263 studio@lux-sf.com www.lux-sf.com

Production Paradise www.productionparadise.com

Sintak Studio* 2779 16th St. San Francisco, CA 94103 415.255.7734 studio@sintak.net www.sintak.net

PHOTO EQUIPMENT Bron Imaging Group 800.456.0203 www.sinarbron.com

Hasselblad 800.367.6434 info@hasselbladusa.com www.hasselbladusa.com Lens Pro To Go 877.578.4777 www.lensprotogo.com Profoto 914.347.3300 www.profoto.com VIDEO SHARING WEBSITE Vimeo www.vimeo.com info@vimeo.com

*Distribution sites.

Studio Share 888.321.6974 www.StudioShare.org

FOR LISTING OR ADVERTISING INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: info@resourcemagonline.com 212.677.0665

...comes around .

H4D40 H4D40 Get ready Get ready to beto born be born again.again.

At Hasselblad, At ready Hasselblad, we’ve been taking been taking imageimage qualityquality to newtoand newunexplored and unexplored Get Get ready to we’ve be to be born born again. again. heights heights for over for fifty over years fifty years now.

And now. now, And with now, the with new the Hasselblad new Hasselblad H4D- H4DAt Hasselblad, At Hasselblad, been taking taking image image quality quality to new to new andand unexplored unexplored Get Get ready ready to we’ve be to we’ve born bebeen born again. again.

40, we40, are bringing bringing ultimate ultimate image image quality quality to with an entirely tonew annew entirely new generation new H4Dgeneration heights heights forwe over forare over fifty fifty years years now. now.

And And now, now, with the Hasselblad H4DAt Hasselblad, At Hasselblad, we’ve we’ve been been taking taking image image quality quality tothe new to new andHasselblad and unexplored unexplored of photographers, ofare photographers, enabling enabling your photography your photography to grow to in grow ways innew you ways never you never 40, 40, we we are bringing bringing ultimate ultimate image image quality quality to an to entirely an entirely new generation generation heights heights for over for over fifty fifty years years now.now.

And And now,now, withwith the new the new Hasselblad Hasselblad H4D-H4Ddreamed dreamed possible. possible. of of enabling enabling your your photography photography to in ways in ways you you never never 40,photographers, 40, wephotographers, are we bringing are bringing ultimate ultimate image image quality quality to to an togrow entirely angrow entirely new new generation generation As easy As to easy usetoasuse anyas 35mm any 35mm camera camera and featuring and featuring a 40 Megapixel a 40 Megapixel dreamed dreamed possible. possible. of photographers, of photographers, enabling enabling youryour photography photography to grow to grow in ways in ways you you never never Medium Medium Format sensor, our easy ourcamera to easy use tonew useand Phocus new Phocus 2.0 software, and and As easy AsFormat easy topossible. use tosensor, use as any as any 35mm 35mm camera and featuring featuring a 40 a2.0 Megapixel 40software, Megapixel dreamed dreamed possible. the new theTrue new Focus True Focus AF, the AF, H4D-40 theeasy H4D-40 provides the perfect the2.0 perfect entry point entryand into point Medium Medium Format our easy to provides use to use new Phocus Phocus software, software, andinto As easy AsFormat easy to use tosensor, use assensor, any asour any 35mm 35mm camera camera andnew and featuring featuring a 2.0 40 a Megapixel 40 Megapixel the the Hasselblad the Hasselblad world. world.

Starting Starting at $19,995 at provides $19,995 (inc.

80mm (inc.

80mm HC lens) HC the lens) the new new True True Focus Focus AF, the AF, the H4D-40 H4D-40 provides the the perfect perfect entry entry point point into into Medium Medium Format Format sensor, sensor, our easy our easy to use to use newnew Phocus Phocus 2.0 2.0 software, software, and and H4D-40 H4D-40 gives you gives full you access full access toatthe to entire the entire Hasselblad Hasselblad system system of software, of software, the the Hasselblad Hasselblad world. world.

Starting Starting $19,995 at $19,995 (inc. (inc.

80mm 80mm HC HC lens) lens) the the the new the new TrueTrue Focus Focus AF, the AF, H4D-40 the H4D-40 provides provides the perfect the perfect entryentry pointpoint into into lenses, lenses, and features and features and has and been has designed been designed to meet to the meet needs the needs of of the H4D-40 gives gives you you full full access access to to entire entire Hasselblad Hasselblad system software, ofthe software, the H4D-40 Hasselblad the Hasselblad world. world.

Starting Starting atthe $19,995 atthe $19,995 (inc. (inc.

80mm 80mm HCsystem lens) HCof lens) the the most demanding most demanding high-end high-end commercial commercial photographers photographers – and –yours. andofyours. lenses, lenses, and and features features and and has has been been designed designed to meet to meet the the needs needs the of the H4D-40 H4D-40 gives gives you you full access full access to the to entire the entire Hasselblad Hasselblad system system of software, of software, The Hasselblad The Hasselblad H4D-40 H4D-40 most most demanding demanding high-end high-end commercial commercial photographers photographers – and – and yours. yours.

So go So ahead go features ahead – evolve. evolve.

–The starting – starting at $19,995 at $19,995 lenses, lenses, and and features and–and has has beenbeen designed designed to meet to meet the needs the needs of the of the The Hasselblad Hasselblad H4D-40 H4D-40 So So godemanding go ahead ahead – evolve.

– evolve.

– starting – starting at $19,995 at $19,995 most most demanding high-end high-end commercial commercial photographers photographers – and – and yours. yours.

The The Hasselblad Hasselblad H4D-40 H4D-40 So go So ahead go ahead – evolve.

– evolve.

– starting – starting at $19,995 at $19,995

www.hasselblad.com www.hasselblad.com www.hasselblad.com www.hasselblad.com www.hasselblad.com www.hasselblad.com

A dog's New Year's resolution: I will not chase that stick unless I actually see it leave his hand! – Anonymous

NOHO HO !

PRODUCTIONS

www.nohoproductions.com