whats the jackanory ?

Cogliantry crawling

2008-09-03T00:00:00.001-04:00

Cogliantry by © Cogliantry

Photographer friend and inspirator Michael Cogliantry is uprooting his family and heading to greener pastures. Michael was based here in NYC but has decided to decamp to the west coast with his wife and daughter. Portland Oregon is the destination of choice and as opposed to packing everything up for the movers and taking a jet plane the talented Cogliantry's have decided on an alterior mode of transportation. Not one's to be predictable they are turning their continental migration into an odyssey of epic proportions and will be blogging away as they take themselves and their 1958 caravan trailer across country. Check it out here and be sure to keep checking in for moments of regular hilarity.

Anyone familiar with Michael and his work will be well a tune with his whacky sense of humor and some of his previous adventures including the Furry Karma Sutra and last years trip across India. If these are anything to go by this is sure to be a must click over the coming months.

Coming attractions . . . . are back

2008-09-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

With Fall on the way and the official end to the Summer just behind us this week see's things kick back into top gear with a ton of happenings in New York. That's the thing about living here, you don't get a chance to ease back in, it's pretty full on. I am on the road for a few days but will hopefully get off a plane on Thursday in time for some of the offerings. In the meantime enough about me, here's whats on deck:

Tuesday September 2

Milk Gallery in support with MAC Cosmetics presents the 'BIG UP !' himself Ben Watts

Opening reception: 6.00pm - 9.00pm

Milk Gallery

RSVP mandatory: benwatts@milkstudios.com (you didn't get it from me)

450 west 15th Street
bet 9th & 10th ave

Bummed to be missing this one, Ben's always been most gracious to yours truly. Sure to be a fab night so be sure to put your glad rags on.

Thursday September 4

Aperture get their collective groove on with the self dubbed 'Art Crawl' below:

Invasion 68 Prague - Josek Koudelka

Opening Reception: 6.00pm - 8.00 p.m.

Exhibition on view: September 04, 2008 - Thursday, October 30, 2008

Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor

On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Soviet-led invasion of Prague, Aperture Gallery presents Invasion 68 Prague, an exhibition of Josef Koudelka’s remarkable work made during that one historic week. The exhibition will be unprecedented for Koudelka: co-produced with Magnum Photos, it will feature large-scale ink-jet prints of a selection of work from the related Aperture publication, including extensive text panels.

This exhibition is presented in conjunction with a companion show at Pace/MacGill Gallery, 32 East 57th Street, 9th floor, New York City, September 4 - October 11, 2008. Courtesy Aperture

RFK Funeral Train Paul Fusco

Exhibition Opening and Book Signing: 6.00pm - 8.00pm

Exhibition on View: September 04, 2008 - Saturday, October 04, 2008

Danziger Projects
521 West 26th Street

As a staff photographer for Look magazine in 1968, Fusco was commissioned to document all the events surrounding the funeral of Robert F. Kennedy. In addition to capturing the thousands of Americans who stood by the railroad tracks to greet the funeral train carrying Kennedy¹s coffin, he also photographed the mourners gathered at St. Patrick¹s Cathedral in New York, as well as the dramatic night burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

Coinciding with the fortieth anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy¹s assassination, and just prior to the publication of the Aperture book RFK, James Danziger Projects presents an exhibition of this extraordinary body of work by Magnum photographer Paul Fusco, including many never before seen or published images selected from the untapped treasure trove of slides that comprise the Library of Congress¹s Look magazine collection. Courtesy Aperture

© Michal Chelbin
Strangely Familiar - Photographs by Michal Chelbin

Opening reception and book signing with the Artist: 6.00pm - 8.00 pm

Exhibition on view: September 4 - October 18, 2008

Andrea Meislin Gallery
526 West 26th Street, Suite 214

This marks Michel Chelbin’s debut exhibition at Andrea Meislin Gallery, featuring work from her first, and recently released publication Strangely Familiar: Acrobats, Athletes, and Other Traveling Troupes (Aperture, 2007). One of the art world’s rising stars, Chelbin’s portraits of small town performers in circuses and other traveling troupes from Eastern Europe, Russia, Israel and England, offer a glimpse into worlds that are both strange and familiar. The setting, costumes, and subjects may seem exotic, but Chelbin’s portraits look beyond to capture a transcendent sense of individual character. Courtesy Aperture

© Polixeni Papapetrou

Games of Consequence - Photographs by Polixeni Papapetrou

Opening reception: 6.00pm - 8.00pm

Exhibition on view: September 4 - October 11, 2008

Foley Gallery
547 W 27th Street, 5th floor

Australian photographer Polixeni Papapetrou’s exhibition, Games of Consequence, is opening at Foley Gallery. Her series, Haunted Country, featured in Aperture magazine (Issue 184, Fall 2006) and in Aperture’s limited-edition prints program, presents staged images of lost children in her country’s bush inspired by her own childhood experience of being lost in the woods on a summer school holiday. In Games of Consequences, Papapetrou continues this trajectory, considering the landscape as a medium in which she can explore ideas about the contemporary social landscape of childhood. Courtesy Aperture

And when you are down with the crawl there are plenty of non Aperture sanctioned events; be sure not to miss Western Views - by friend and inspirator Jesse Chehak

Opening reception: 6.00 - 8.00pm

Exhibition on view: September 4 - October 11,2008

Bruce Silverstein / 20
529 West 20th Street, 3rd Floor

“Like superb writers of the new west such as Ian Frazier or Timothy Egan, Jesse Chehak manages to put a view of place that is at once laconic, profound, light-hearted, and sad. That unnamable exhilaration one feels in the American West is in his pictures.” - Joel Sternfeld

Ooops a Leibovitz

2008-09-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

That bastion of all things good in journalism the New York Post has always had a thing for the Queen bee herself Annie Leibovitz. Looks like no one is safe from the economic downturn with the paper reporting Sunday that Annie is having a little trouble keeping up with her bills. Go here. No wonder she has been bangin out the campaigns like there is no tomorrow. Hopefully her soon to be released helpy selfy 'At Work' will help keep the tax man et al at bay.

Vote for me or whoever takes your fancy

2008-08-29T00:05:00.001-04:00

So Blurb has added a new category to their Photography Book Now competition. Welcome to the People's Choice Award (no idea what the actual prize itself is) which will be handed out with the other prizes at the awards ceremony on September 19 in San Francisco. Here's the official word:

Because of this overwhelming enthusiasm of this competition, we’ve decided to create an additional awards category – the People’s Choice Award, which will be selected by you.

Just view any of the books found in this directory, and pick your favorite by clicking on the “Vote for this book” button. Voting continues through September 10th. This is your chance to make your voice count!

There are 1751 books to choose from and you only get one vote so if you don't have time for browsing please go here your participation would be greatly appreciated.

New rules and regulations

2008-08-29T00:00:00.002-04:00

Got the following email the other day from friend and inspirator Rudy Archuleta. He was producing a gig for himself and wanted to shoot on a subway platform but in the process needed to get a street permit to shoot on the sidewalk entrance/exit of the station.

FYI the permit office has changed their whole permit requirements for photography a week ago. Adam Cantor warned me of this a couple days ago. If you have any kind of lighting (and that means one light on a stand) the following are the new requirements. Its no longer considered a photo permit. It is now a film permit. You need to have a certificate of insurance for $1,000,000 on file with the city. You can no longer fax or email the permit request. and receive it via fax or email. Someone has to go to the permit office and receive the stamped permit.

I remember signing a petition to stop this from happening about 6 months ago. I also thought that the petition had put a stop to the requirements. It seems that the powers that be has just made it so.

Does any one know how this happened or if we have any rebuttal ?

I haven't had the time to do any further research but here are the official guidelines from The Mayors Office, so if anyone out there has had a recent experience since the rule rollover please share.

Oh and in case you are wondering how much it costs to shoot officially on a subway platform in NYC ? Well it will run you about $ 10,000.00+. Breaks down around $3000 to pay for staff to be there, another $7000 for railroad protection insurance ? and there was apparently a chance at some other ridiculous fee's too.

Mad dogs and an Englishman

2008-08-28T00:00:00.002-04:00

So anyone who is a regular reader of the blog knows that that most quintessential English of photographers Martin Parr holds a dear spot in my heart. One of the things that strikes me most about this guy is how much stuff he has going on at any one time. He always seems to be up to his eye balls, quite frankly his ability to have so much stuff on the boil is not only inspirational but completely overwhelming.

Thing about the Parrster is just when you though he couldn't possibly have another surprise up his sleeve there he goes again another genius idea. So yeah how about it, fancy a weekend away on the Isle of Wight with the man himself ? Well £500.00 gets you 3 days with his highness and includes all meals, accomodations and activities. Book together and share a room and you get a £100.00 discount. Cosy ! Only drag is you will need to get yourself there but still.

The happening has been put together by an interesting crowd based in the UK called The School Of Life:

The School of Life is a new cultural enterprise based in central London offering intelligent instruction on how to lead a fulfilled life.

We offer evening and weekend courses, holidays to unexpected locations, stigma-free psychotherapy, secular sermons, conversation meals, a floating faculty of experts and a new kind of literary consultancy service called bibliotherapy.

The experiences of our remarkable faculty are combined with insights from important thinkers of the past to offer a unique combination of wit and wisdom around questions of everyday living.

The School of Life is open to everyone seeking intellectual and personal adventure. Our audiences, like our faculty, are characterised by curiosity, sociability, open mindedness and an appetite for life.

Oh and as if he doesn't have enough on his plate Marty is on the faculty too. But enough of that lets get back to The Isle of Wight, here's what you can expect:

The Isle of Wight with Martin Parr Friday 19 - Sunday 21 September 2008

"The Isle of Wight is a living theme park, like stepping back into an England of 20 or 30 years ago" Martin Parr

The Isle of Wight is a much loved holiday destination. Its dramatic coastline, sunshine and sea breezes attract more than 2 million visitors a year. Enter Martin Parr’s world at your own risk. You’ll see the nostalgia and brashness of British holiday making in its full glory.

Staying in Parr’s favourite seaside hotel the Northbank, you’ll join him for visits to the Brighstone holiday centre, the Needles, Ventnor beach and other landmarks of the Isle of Wight tourism scene. Parr will discuss his photography as well as his collections of souvenirs and postcards, and train your eye to see the ugliness in beauty and the horror in leisure.

Martin Parr was born in Surrey, England, in 1952. His biting documentary style, poking and prodding the moral atrophy and preposterousness of modern times, has made him the most celebrated contemporary photographer in Britain.

So yeah the weekend is pretty chock a block go here for the full rundown but here's a quick look see:

Friday evening see's a dinner after you settle in at 8.00pm. Tasty ! Followed by a talk by Martin on his favorite subject; HIMSELF !

Saturday gets off to solid start with a 'Full English' to fortify you on a day of merry making. As this is Parr world you won't be off to any old prime tourist spot no you will instead be whisked off to more fertile snapping territory. Yes indeedy Brighstone Holiday Camp will be your destination where Sue and Clive who have run the camp for 30 years will roll out a proper South coast welcome. Oh and Martin will be there to hold your hand and give you some direction.

Fuck you know he will probably be shooting you, his latest project, canny bastard. He will have the whole thing shot and published in a book before you get to lunch.

Speaking of lunch famed landscape photographer Jem Southam will be an apres digestif delight as he takes you on a tour of some of the islands unspoilt coastal scenery.

If thats not enough fresh air Susie Parr (could this possibly be the real Mrs Parr) will then give a brief talk on the social history of swimming. As an added treat she will lead the team onto the beach at Northcliffe for a dip. This should be worth the price of admission alone.

After all the fun and games its back to the hotel for dinner, drinks and more Martin. This time talking about his personal collections of postcards and unusual objects. I bet Susie is looking forward to this especially. Hopefully he has brought some samples of the loot from his crammed semi-d.

Sunday see's another 'Full English' before heading out to the Victorian seaside resort of Ventor for more happy snapping. The day is topped off with cream tea's and a slideshow and a critique. What fun !

Then its time for sad good byes and a quick dash to the ferry and back to reality.

Got to hand it to Parr he has his fingers in more pies. Maybe I could take a leaf out of his book. Thinking of hosting a weekend of my own over at my place in the East Village. $ 500.00 will get you a chance to hang out with me and the Mrs for a weekend. You can sit on our couch, use the facilities, heck I will even cook up a 'Full Irish'. Then we could read the paper, get a few pints in, maybe a show or two and to top it all we can pose for plenty of pictures together. Lodging not included. Any takers ?

Bip up Robert for the tip.

High noon shoot out

2008-08-26T07:24:00.004-04:00

So where were you at 12 noon central time August 17 2008 ? Well find out what myself and 10 other photographers were up to as we all clicked the shutter at the same time as part of Kevin Miyazaki's latest 'tiny tiny group show' Simultaneous.

Bits and bobs

2008-08-21T10:17:00.004-04:00

The Walking Fool gets carstruck in Riverton Wyoming © Andrew Hetherington

We have been dilly dallying a little since we got back from Wyoming so as opposed to plentiful posting you are going to have to satisfy yourself with one, chock a block full of tasty treats to get you through the week.

After all the excitement that was 20x200 it was great to get away for a few days and hit the open road. Not as much shooting as I had hoped but Mrs TH and I managed to pack in the miles with a bit of sightseeing as well as spending quality time with 'The Walking Fool'.

So what to watch for; well friend and inspirator John Loomis aka Drinking with a Deadman is in NYC humping the new book around town. Yes indeedy this Loomis chap is a class act. Not one to beholden convention John is laying down the gauntlet on this round of go-see's. Ladies and gentleman he has raised the bar and the dress code by wearing a suit to his meetings. Yes a fuckin suit now thats showboating. And according to John he is a pioneer as this is the first time all the editors he has seen so far have entertained a photographer in such a stylish get up. Note to self nice departure from the expected uniform skinny jeans, white trainers and v-neck T. Okay okay it's all about the pictures we know but still a well rounded presentation goes along way. Thankfully for Johns sake the weather has been stellar so far and we are humidity free. More often then not this is not the best time of year to be schlepping around the city. So be sure to give him a nod if you see his fashionable self out and about.

John Loomis aka 'The Suit' go-seeing NYC

*TOP TIP* - If you are a new to the go-see circuit in NYC I recommend you bring a spare shirt or two this time of year. Nothing worse then showing up a hot sweaty mess. That heat and humidity can be a real buzz killer. I remember a couple of years ago having to stop in a store and pick up a new one between meetings I was so damp, plus I couldn't really find anything I liked so wasn't really feeling my look during the show and tell.

John and I managed to get some drinks in with Robert Wright last night. I think between the three of us we managed to solve all the problems of contemporary photography and in particular the editorial scene, so fear not everyone.

Got a chance to catch up with another friend and inspirator over the blower yesterday; Mr Chris Floyd. Thrilled to hear he has started work on multiple personal projects; each one as intriguing as the next. Early days but hopefully we can get an exclusive preview here on the blog when the time is right. Also delighted to see that Chris has started selling prints of his work on his site. There are some real beauts available, really reasonable, so well worth a gander. Click on the Portfolio section and scroll down to Print Sales et voila direct from source.

If you have your head up your arse then you may be ignoring all the Olympic blogs that sprung up. Yes I know they have been linked and talked of elsewhere but I really think this is an interesting development that you may want to reconsider. Think of these missives as more then blogs. Moving forward it is becoming even more important as a photographer to not only be flexible but multifaceted in your offerings. The Newsweek Visions of China blog among others is a great example of progressive thinking by the establishment. While a positive reaction to what's going on and an attempt to get with it this is also a nod to the future present.

Not only are we being provided with pictures now comes thoughtful insightful narrative alongside, direct from the source. Its not just another slide show of edited anonymous pool pics, its the personal commentary that makes it all the more special. It's a smart move by Newsweek, utilizing the talent at their disposable in an engaging way. And it's especially refreshing in this day and age to hear about the amount of freedom these guys have been given; not only photographically but also the freedom to express themselves vocally in an officially sanctioned uncensored platform. Think about it; they have 3 of the top sports shooters in the world embedded for two weeks, what could they do different ? Well why not give themselves an edge and tap into the whole package, make the thing more personal, interactive, time relevant, accessible and yeah cooler.

Of course it helps that these guys are pretty eloquent and are able to express their inner feelings. And don't forget they are getting paid for it. Okay maybe all the extra hours spent behind the keyboard doesn't amount to more day rate but still. Looks to me like the 3 amigos are enjoying the added challenge, hey I know how time consuming it can be on top of a packed day to try and string a few words together but I bet they are expanding their fan base (nod to APE) and reaching a new audience while they are at it. It helps that there's a little something for everyone in their offerings. Lets face it we all love a little behind the scenes and there are lots of tit bits for every level, from happy snapper to established pro. It has also been great to see the Director of Photography Simon Barnett and other PE's chime in with their own posts too so I am sure this will become a more common voice in the melting pot.

One must also consider the bigger picture and look at how the magazine is handling this event and how so much has changed in the four years since the last Summer Olympics. By the time it hits the news stand (twice during the duration of the games) most of the action is old news, dead and buried. Who wants to see a one week old picture of Michael Phelps already. Yeah I didn't think so, haven't we had enough. It will actually be interesting to see how much of the work they do actually publish in print (if any) and whether it will be a round up of the web hits or whether they have been holding back some gems on purpose. Between the TV, internet and everything else we have seen it all so a little personal perspective goes along way. This format may well be a regular part of our future, not only a bit of photography but also a bit of writing might be expected too. Think about it.

Back in the day a TV News crew consisted of a camera man, sound man, gaffer/grip, editor, producer, reporter now its a one man/woman show. So don't think about it as a possible extra burden and fear it, think of this as another opportunity to separate yourself from the pack by having another tool in the arsenal. Listen I have had plenty of writers ask me to recommend a camera that they might use while on assignment for taking snaps and what not. And I have seen some of these pics make it to the final printed matter. So maybe all this yammering on I have been doing here will come in useful. I have certainly found it handy recently where I have had to write treatments to pitch a few commercial jobs. It was certainly less daunting.

It also might really help get a project you are working on published. A couple of things I shot for myself a few years back come to mind. I was working solo, sans writer and didn't have the in cling to put a few words or interviews together. Oh how that would have helped when I tried to get them sold. Doooooooooooh ! Ah hindsight is a great thing.

I have been following TV coverage most nights. Here in the US it is carried by the NBC network who have spent billions on securing the rights. The prime time coverage a mix of live and edited high lights can be little hard to swallow. Naturally its all pretty jingoistic and patriotic, same I am sure can be said of other networks in other countries. But it can be hard watching and listening at times, one does feel on occasion that the other countries don't exist and this event has been packaged solely for an American audience. Take a look at how different media outlets tally up the medals to show what country has the most which ultimately means which one is bestest super power. Go here for BBC, here for New York Times (thanks Chris). So another reason for a bit of personal insight as to whats going on.

Speaking of the Newsweek dream team I got an email from best new BFF Vincent Laforet saying how much he was missing Whats the Jackanory and A Photo Editor during his Beijing sojurn. Turns out both sites are blocked, probably due to Rob's subversive activities nad my misuse of the English language. Not to toot our horn any further but turns out some of the photogs in the pack were talking about the speed of our 20x200 sale. So says Vince anyways and he appears to have his finger on the pulse.

Since we are on a bit of a magazine rant take yourself on over to Texas Monthly here where they have a nice little behind the scenes slide show about the making of the September 2008 cover. Great to see them continuing to offer treats like this and it has fast become a very successful add on to their online repertoire. If you missed the Peter Yang show and tell shame on you. Unfortunately you now need to be a subscriber to access this gem. Only thing is I don't get the point Texas Monthly why make something that was once free and available to all restricted. Maybe this is reverse thinking but isn't this something you may want to offer exclusively to subscribers in the beginning, lets say for the month of issue, that way you can offer some exclusive content to the paying punter then you offer it to the masses as a teaser and maybe get yourself another couple of new subscribers along the way.

Finally via Strobist looks like Queen Annie herself is cashing in on the helpy selfy and charging for a behind the scenes study of some of her more famous shoots. See she's clever enough not to give it away for free. Here's hoping we get what we pay for; some tasty lighting schematics and more watt seconds then you know what to do with. Oh and a little celeb juice too please. Scheduled for a November release available for pre-order here.

That's it for now folks. Happy to say I have a few fun projects in the books and some big news that I cannot share till October but stay tuned.

The Walking Fool

2008-08-15T00:02:00.001-04:00

All of us have one of those weird wacky friends. You know the one, kinda out there, truly unique, strangely brilliant, unpredictable, an original character all unto themselves. Let me introduce you to ours, say hello to Mark E Phillips aka The Walking Fool.

Mark went to high school with my wife Zia in Geneseo New York. Up till recently he lived here in Manhattan and was a constant in our lives. A man of many hats; he is amongst many other things an actor, film maker, even had his own sketch comedy show Play Pants on Public Access TV and came up trumps for us when he used his considerable talents to do our wedding video, which is about as far as you can get from standard fare.

But Mark has long had a hankering for the open road and if you haven't figured it out by now is the reason for our little sojurn to Wyoming this weekend. Here's the official blurb on The Fool:

Back in 2001, a guy from New York stuck in a dead-end job with no prospects, no love-life and absolutely no hiking experience, decided one day to quit his job, slap on a 70-pound backpack and attempt to walk across the country. Armed only with his droll sense of humor and a lousy sense of direction, he set off to see America -- entirely on foot -- and videotape himself doing it! Unfortunately, 3 months, 170 blisters and 1500 miles later, after reaching the east border of South Dakota, he couldn't take it anymore and ended up quitting.

SEVEN YEARS LATER, after returning to New York and once again becoming entrenched in the sitting in front of a computer work force, he became restless again and decided to try the challenging hike one more time. So he quit his job, gave up his swank apartment and headed out for the west coast... for the second time. Older, weaker and not as funny, can he make it this time and do what he couldn't complete before?

So yeah not one to sit around and dream of what might have been Mark hit the road secretly again in March. There we were sitting at home in April when the phone rang. It was Mark. We hadn't seen him in a while. We had spoken a few times over the phone but hadn't managed a hook up as he was apparently plenty busy at work although he had mentioned that he was working on some top secret special project as well which was keeping him double busy. All would be revealed when the time was right. Well turned out that the time was now. "Hey guys I am walking again and I am in Indiana. WTF. Yeah I wanted to sneak out, I quit my job, gave up my apartment and hit the road, nothing to hold me back." We were surprised but at the same time not surprised at all.

Oh yeah and the crazy thing is he has no support team. He is doing this solo, filming as he goes. Most of the time he camps by the side of the road but does treat himself a couple of times a week to some fine motel lodging.

Mark is 3/4 of the way and is currently about 100 miles west of Casper. Zia and I are heading out today for a meet up. Can't wait, not only to see Mark but its also my first time in Wyoming so I am really looking forward to it.

So look out for a report and some photos on his doings next week.

Go here for his irregularly updated Tracking The Fool blog.

Here for a way cool animated map of his route to date.

Here's to you Mark E. Phillips a true original.

Things to do . . . . EPOB 08.16.08

2008-08-15T00:00:00.003-04:00

© Erin Patrice O'Brien

Unfortunately I will be out of town and will miss friend and inspirator Erin Patrice O'Brien's opening this Saturday. Don't let my absence stop you. Here's all the info you need, so no excuses.

"Mamás Adolescentes: NYC 2006-2007", a photo exhibition that chronicles two years in the lives of Mexican-American teenage mothers in Brooklyn, NY. The photos in this exhibit are windows into a world that is largely hidden. They tell the story of Fanny, Elizabeth, Maria, Gina and Yolanda when there is no one else to tell it for them.

On View: Saturday, August 16 - Saturday, August 24, 2008

Opening Reception: Saturday, August 16, 2008 4-7pm

Artist Panel Discussion: Saturday, August 16, 3-4pm.

Moderator: Yesenia Ruiz, PhD Candidate, Anthropology

Panel: Dr. Yvette Martas, former Director of the Adolescent OB/Gyn Clinic at Bellevue Hospital, Franziska Castillo, former Contributing Editor of Latina Magazine and Public Relations Manager from El Museo del Barrio and Erin Patrice O'Brien, photographer. Curated by Nina Ziefvert.

Danny Simmons’ Corridor Gallery, 334 Grand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238

After the birth of her own daughter in 2005, Photographer Erin O’Brien was struck by how overwhelming motherhood could be and wanted to know how being a mom felt to those barely into adulthood themselves. Dedicated to documenting the situation Erin contacted Dr. Yvette Martas, head of the Bellevue Hospital Adolescent OBGYN clinic, who in 2005 introduced her to Fanny, 14, Elizabeth , 15, years , Maria, 18, Gina, 16, and Yolanda, 17. After that Erin met with the girls on a regular basis and photographed the girls’ during their pregnancies and for up to a year after their babies’ births. Many of the girls are first generation immigrants, with limited knowledge of English, in search of new lives, but instead have wound up in tenement apartments they share with other families. Cut off from school and friends, they are dependant on their younger siblings or roommates to translate for them, and caring for their babies alone all day often results in isolation. “Erin made these young women feel important by validating their lives by photographing them when the whole society ignores them”, says Dr. Yvette Martas.

The teen pregnancy rate among Latinas is nearly twice the national average, and rising. According to the Latino Initiative’s National Campaign, the birth rate for Latinas aged 15-19 increased in 16 of 37 reporting states and the District of Columbia between 1990 and 2005. Source: www.thenationalcampaign.org

Going once, going twice . . . . still available

2008-08-14T08:20:00.004-04:00

Well after the thrill ride that was 20x200 turns out the 30"x40" edition of two are still up for grabs. During the day a few people had put them in their shopping carts and then had second thoughts at checkout time. No worries I totally understand although this one is a real show stopper up big and large so you may want to take a second look.

Once again many thanks to everyone involved in buying and selling.

Holy Cow

2008-08-13T14:29:00.002-04:00

Wow now I really can't believe it; the 30"x40" edition of two sold as well. 25 minutes in and all is done and dusted. I am truely grateful.

9 minute sell out

2008-08-13T14:05:00.004-04:00

Wow can't f**ckn believe it. Must be how the Beatles felt selling out at Shea. Its only 2.09 and already the 8.5"x11" edition of 200 and the larger 17"x20" edition of 20 are all gone. 220 prints sold in 9 minutes. All thats left are the tasty 30"x40"s. You know you want to.

Many thanks to everyone who put their hard earned cash down I really appreciate it.

Another big shout out to Jen and the crew for making this possible.

In the meantime my hardworking PR department had gotten the finger out and managed to wangle a big expose over on Shoot the Blog to help drum up some 20x200 buzz. So if you are not sick of me yet get yourself on over here for a hard hitting interview courtesy 'The Hulinator'.

Thar she blows 20x200

2008-08-13T14:00:00.001-04:00

Moo Cow © Andrew Hetherington

Its 2.00pm and you know what time its is ? Yeah its business time aka 20x200 time. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to unleash the beast and set him free upon the collecting public. Its an oldie but a goodie and I have to say he makes for the most perfect house guest. So go on treat yourself and give a cow a good home.

Go here to buy or to see how sales are going.

You will have to get your skates on as there won't be many of the smaller prints left if this keeps up and it's only just gone live.

Pimp my print

2008-08-13T00:01:00.004-04:00

I am thrilled to announce that I will have a print up for sale today on 20x200. Only snag is I cannot tell you which image it is until Jen Bekman herself introduces it at around 2.00pm EST when it goes up for grabs.

If you haven't heard of 20x200 then get yourself over here to read all about this little gem.

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical of the whole endeavour when Jen launched it almost a year ago but I have to really hand it to her and her crew for taking an original idea, running with it and making it something great. The concept and execution is pretty genius. For someone like myself on the periphery of the art scene this is a fantastic opportunity to sell my work and to expose myself to a diverse new audience.

Here's hoping I sell a few and don't let the side down. Some of the most popular editions have sold out in no time so. Although I cannot reveal the images identity; this one holds up particularly well as a 30x40 if you feel like making a splurge. So help a brudda out and spread the good word.

Many thanks to Jen, Sarah and Raul for giving me a shot and letting me be a part of the 20x200 community.

Young Curatorapolooza

2008-08-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

Black Koi © Seth Lower

So there hasn't been much to see and do recently but there's a nice little warm up tonight in Brooklyn to get you ready for the full Fall assault. So please come on down to Bond Street Gallery for the opening reception of 'Young Curators, New Ideas'.

RSVP REQUIRED: rsvp@bondstreetgallery.com
PUBLIC RECEPTION: 6 - 9 pm
ON VIEW: Wednesday, August 13 – Saturday, September 6, 2008

BOND STREET GALLERY
297 Bond Street | Brooklyn, NY 11231 (Carroll Gardens)
718.858.2297 | DIRECTIONS: F/G to Carroll St. or R to Union St.

GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday – Saturday | 11 am – 6 pm

The exhibition is organized by Amani Olu and curated by Alana Celii & Grant Willing (Fjord Photo), Michael Bühler-Rose, Jon Feinstein (Humble Arts Foundation), Laurel Ptak (I Heart Photograph), Amy Stein (amysteinphoto.blogspot.com), and Lumi Tan (Why Wherefore).

The exhibition examines different trends and perspectives in contemporary art photography through the bias of six emerging curators. Each curator (or curatorial group), using roughly ten feet of space, aims to engage viewers in a discussion on where he or she believes art photography is today.

Exhibiting photographers include: Charles Benton, Alison Brady, Brian Bress, Victor Boullet, Mikaylah Bowman, Olga Cafiero, Talia Chetrit, Tyler Coburn, Petra Cortright, C. Coy, Gerald Edwards III, Daniel Everett, Thobias Fåldt & Per Englund, Martin Fengel, Jason Fulford, Nicholas Grider, Pierre Hourquet, Konst & Teknik, Eke Kriek, Emily Larned, Bryan Lear, Miranda Lehman, Seth Lower, Matt MacFarland, Katja Mater, Kelci McIntosh, Mark McKnight, Erin Jane Nelson, Ilia Ovechkin, Robert Overweg, Alex Prager, M. River, Noel Rodo-Vankeulen, Asha Schechter, Trevor Shimizu, Alix Smith, Jo-ey Tang, Jesper Ulvelius, Anne De Vries, Hannah Whitaker, Karly Wildenhaus, Ofer Wolberger, Ann Woo, and Damon Zucconi

Pieter Hugo a go go

2008-08-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

© Pieter Hugo

Looks like there is no stopping South African wunderkid Pieter Hugo at the moment. Just when you thought he might think about taking a break to wallow in all the glories extolled upon him this year for 'The Hyena and Other Men' and 'Wild Honey Collectors' here comes 'Nollywood'. Yeah you read it right not Bollywood but Nollywood. Via Boing Boing I stumbled across his latest project: portraits of Nigeria's homegrown movie stars. Stylistically similar to his earlier offerings but EPIC nonetheless.

Nice one

2008-08-12T00:00:00.002-04:00

Ron Jeremy © Chris McPherson

So if you have your head up your arse you may have missed the 'Chris McPherson Stopped By To His Show His Portfolio' post over on APE. While its another original echo chamber free piece from Rob the real treat is in the comments.

I have long been a huge Chris McPherson fan. No surprise right ! There are those that say we may be similar in style on occasion and there have been times when we have been up for the same gigs. I only met Chris once I think, back in '04 when he still had a pad here in NYC. Turned out we only lived a few doors apart.

Its really inspiring for me to see a photographer like McPherson have success in multiple genres while sticking to his guns, something we all aspire to. As a big post bonus Chris (and others, incl. his rep Deb) chimed in on the comments. Doesn't matter if you don't like his work or his choice of black portfolio, get over it, its not the point, there are lessons to be learnt no matter. Here's some real nuggets from Chris that I can relate to. Wish I had written some of them.

"if i worried about what everyone else is doing and if someone may be copying me i would be a wreck. i really don’t give a sh**. i focus on my life and my work and thats it. of course its hard not to delve in every once in a while but i find i always get bummed out and start second guessing. the most important thing to me is being honest to who i am and what i choose to show"

"i think you may have a misconception of how it works with a rep at least in our case (DS REPS). deb doesn’t “dole” out the ads. the majority of the time my books are called in for a specific project that they (agency etc..) have in mind for me. that might include another photog on debs roster but most of the time if its a triple bid its not one of hers. it happens very rarely that i am up against one of our own. the other point i want to make is how you say we have “almost identical styles”. i really don’t think we do. yes, there are similarities in style but there is nothing identical about it. there may be an image here or there that i could’ve shot but as a body of work quite different. that is actually one of the reasons i think deb is a brilliant rep. she is able to manage a roster of 11 photogs that aren’t dramatically different like say a food, car, product, fashion photographer. the fact is that we are all pretty busy so something is working and the people that go to her site get it. sorry if that sounded defensive. it is tricky but you really do have to be confident in your own work and not worry about everyone else. having people like jason nocito who i do get put up against sometimes only brings more people to her site. he may get a job that i was up for of vise versa. it all evens out in the end"

"i think the majority of my work is repeat business. there are clients i’ve shot over 30 jobs with. thats very important because then word of mouth becomes more valuable than any promo"

"the fact that not everyone is crazy about my work actually makes me happy. that means i’m doing something right"

"all i can say is that you really need to do whats right for you. i’ve been shooting this way for about 11 years and getting hired for it for 9 years. its my life. my first book was comprised of friends and family. now i’m getting hired to make pictures of celebrities and other random people in the same fashion. people may think it looks slick or whatever and the fact is its pretty damn low tech. i still shoot film. i still print traditionally (when i can). i don’t retouch. i assisted for 10 years and can figure out pretty much any situation technically that i need to get out of, but choose to focus on my subject, not the lighting set-up"

"as far as the black book i use that 30 - 40,000 other photographers use? that is exactly why i chose that book. why try to impress someone with the book your images are in? let the photos speak for themselves. there is no pre-judging with a boring black book. that is the least of my worries. some of the best advice i got when i was starting out was from paul jasmin who was the last photog i assisted. i was struggling with what kind of book to put my images in and he gave me the advice i did above. the other thing he said was to not try and please everyone. only show images you want to show and feel strongly about. the people that don’t get it are the ones you don’t want to work with anyways. the people that do get it will hire you for what you do and like to do. that has helped me from day one"

"lastly, what you guys are seeing is what goes to ad agencies. that tear book wouldn’t go to a magazine. i did not show tears like this until i had a decent body of work and actually get many compliments on it. again, nothing i do should be what everyone should do. do whats right for you. this works for me and i don’t plan on changing based on what ANYONE says except for maybe deb. i think when you get someone who is telling you what you should do you need to be careful. sometimes its great advice. you need to edit your advice just like you would your photos"

"there are times when time constraints do force me to shoot digital but for the most part, its not that much faster. i do know what i’m doing and would prefer that no one saw what i was shooting. i get hired for what i do so there is a lot of trust involved. its only recent that you can get by without really knowing what your doing"

"the fact that most people think its weird i still shoot film is another thing that makes me happy, because shooting digital is very uninspiring for me. no soul. no feeling. nothing i can really touch. give me a proof, grease pencil and loupe anyday. the last thing i want to do is what i’m doing right now, staring at the computer screen" Chris McPherson

Here's to you Chris McPherson. Thanks for keeping it real man.

Shameless self promotion . . . . Esquire

2008-08-11T00:00:00.003-04:00

One can get a little anxious and excited as one prowls the news stands waiting to get ones hands on a newly published piece. Such was the case last week as I was waiting for the Esquire September 2008 issue to drop. With Vanity Fair the first out of the gate (as usual) the week before I knew it wouldn't be long before my own spread would appear. Expecting it to be out Wednesday I was disappointed to see its non appearance Thursday morning when I got back to NYC after an out of town gig. A quick email to the photo editor confirmed that the printing had been shipped and Friday was delivery day. So I took my self along to my local magazine vendor first thing et voila there she was.

It's hard to describe the rush of feelings. The adrenaline is pumping, relief to finally handle the finished matter in its entirety, then a little trepidation at the impending success or failure, finally a frantic flip of the pages to locate the goods. My inclusion had been confirmed so I wasn't worried about being left out of the party but I had no idea how the layout would stack up nor had I any idea how many pages or even images I had to look forward to.

First impression is everything and I got to say I was pretty pleased right away with the results. Six pages, photo heavy little type, second glance and a quick read turns out the the words are driven by the images, double score. I was not really sure what to expect as this story was certainly one of those tricky ones that could have gone in any direction.

I treated myself to two copies (that should help a little to keep the circulation numbers healthy) although Esquire were kind enough to messenger down a few more during the day. I always find myself wondering if the newsagent behind the counter is wondering to himself why I am buying multiple copies of the same magazine. Maybe he thinks I have a thing for Tom Brady (issue cover boy) or maybe I can't get enough of the 51 pages of mens fall fashion no must be the piece on Woman page 172. Anyways I am sure he doesn't give a crap and has no idea what I do but what about the time back in the day when I did a bit of fashion for some of the womens mags. Yes please can I have 6 copies of Cosmopolitan the one with the 'How to have a mind blowing orgasm !' byline on the cover.

So back to the post at hand. My brief was to cover The Young Republican Leadership Convention in Washington DC back in May. I was working directly with photo editor Alison Unterreiner and photo director Michael Norseng sat in on my initial meeting with the editorial (writing) team. The concept was loose; I was to travel with writer Peter Martin and we were to find the story while we were there. Although it was agreed that this should be a sort of anthropological study so we did have a good starting point. Yeah I know it sounds too goo to be true a blank slate so to speak but it can be tricky. The rough idea was for Peter and I to track down the most interesting characters; he would do an interview, I would take a portrait and shoot reportage of all the doings, easy peasy. To be honest I was expecting this event to be very much like the National Convention, full of pomp and ceremony, bunting, banners, fireworks, pageantry, a real visual treat packed with extremes.

At the meeting some concern was expressed between the photo team and I that the eye candy we had envisaged may not materialize and we should have a back up plan just in case. Michael suggested I bring a small studio portrait set up and should all else fail maybe I could make something of that, we could always do a collage or the like if we get stuck and at least we would have layout options for the art department.

So there you have it in a nutshell we had 48 hours embedded with these fine upstanding citizens to make it work.

We got off to an o.k. start at a photo op for the group outside the Capital Building on the first morning. The thing that struck me on the head right away was how normal everyone looked, this could have been a get together of bankers, teachers or the like. Where the fuck are all the crazy outfits, the pins, the pageantry, the right wing extremists, the evangelicals. The one chick who had all the badges etc was like 70 years of age WTF was she doing here, this was supposed to be The Young Republicans after all. Then they were off on a guided tour sans me, at least we had time then to familiarize ourselves with the hotel that the actual convention was taking place at.

Oh man what a let down, yeah nothing here too, no banners, no signage, no nothing really just a few mundane conference rooms and a reception area. This was not what I was expecting; at the very least I was thinking some grandiose Washington hotel but this one it turns out was a one time Holiday Inn now renamed and retro fitted by a poor mans Phillipe Starck.

Things settle a little in the afternoon as the conference proper gets under way but its going to be a tough one. Peter (writer) and I are struggling to come up with potential portrait candidates. On a gig like this the subject matter has a different agenda; yes they are happy to have you and to cooperate but they have things to do and their sole reason for being here isn't you.

Its at this point I put the call into Alison and give her a heads up as to the goings on. Time to give her an honest appraisal of how I see things at the same time not wanting to panic her in any way. Although it has been a less then stellar start the consensus is that day two should be more fruitful as a look at the calender of events seems to provide more promising opportunities. She is really supportive and calls me back later after a con flab with Michael and the team back at base. "Yeah maybe your hook is just how boring and mundane the whole thing is and lets not forget the portrait set up lets try and get a shot of all the attendees might make for an interesting study !" Good idea me thinks. Its so reassuring to have a voice of reason and to know you are not all on your own. I also conferred with my own wonderful support team (you know who you are) and they came up with the tag " Young Republicans They're Just Like Us" modeled after the "Stars They're Just Like Us" spreads that run in some of weekly tabloid glossies. Genius !

Day two does turn out to be more fruitful and we topped it off by banging out a head shot of virtually every attendee. We didn't manage though to nail any really strong individual environmental portraits but I was happy with what we got as a whole and definitely had a good buzz on (a good sign) after all was said and done.

I shot the whole gig on film with the Hassie as you can see in the layout above. Before I handed it over I cut up all the contacts and did an edit and tried to lay out a few different story lines. For me this means having to individually ID each frame in writing on the reverse (a pain in the arse but well worth it, you got to edit out the weak stuff) and Scotch taping them to some thin card, all very arts and craftsy, or a little Blue Peter as we like to say in Ireland and the U.K. In this case I was lucky enough to be able to deliver the edit in person so I could give the photo and editorial team (including the writer) a show and tell. More often then not this is not possible but when handing over a gig like this it was really great to be able to present my take on things. The writer ended up constructing his narrative around the photos. And because I had gotten everyones ID and a release with their contact info when taking the head shots he was able to follow up and interview anyone that took his fancy. Here's a little layout I mocked up below and brought with me complete with typo.

Big up to Alison and Michael for the opportunity ! It's such a treat to work with such a cool, trusting, inspiring team.

This guns for hire . . . . Casper Wyoming

2008-08-08T14:25:00.001-04:00

When I was repped by Redux Pictures they were very good at letting clients know of my where abouts whether I was on a gig or a personal trip, didn't matter. This often parlayed itself into an(other) assignment as a result of me being where I was. A couple of instances spring to mind: I was in China for ESPN the Magazine; Shanghai and Guangzhou and managed to tag on a portrait job for Time in Beijing and after a vacation in Ireland I was able to stay on and do a piece on the countries economic boom also for Time. That one gig virtually paid for our whole trip.

It seem's as with most things timing and location can be everything. You just never know when that big break might happen especially with a new client. And with travel budgets tightening and the ability to find great talent globally in a click I really believe it can be a big help to give everyone a heads up on your comings and goings.

So left to my own devices I am giving you all lowdown here on WTJ. I will be in Casper Wyoming August 15 thru 18 with Mrs TH on a little break to visit with an old friend (much more on this to come next week - this is quite a story in its self) and will have a bit of a kit with me so if any editors out there have something in the area or in the state that you need covered feel free to drop me a line I am ready willing and able to stay on and get stuck in ! Oh and I won't be too far from Northern Colorado and South Dakota either so please spread the word.

Blog roll updated

2008-08-05T00:04:00.002-04:00

I have been meaning to update the blog roll for some time and have finally gotten round to it, so check out the sidebar for a few more gems to add to your viewing and reading pleasure.

Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times

Not wanting to toot any one blog horn in particular; after getting a bit of grief over my Vincent Laforet reach around, I would though like to draw your attention to my latest must visit Courthouse Confessions from Steven Hirsch. Steven a working photojournalist takes photographs of and interviews defendants out front of the Manhattan Criminal Court, 100 Centre Street here in New York City. He then posts the portraits and transcribed interviews; deleting his own questions, so that his subjects words are written in their own speech, classic ! He emailed me the link last week and I had intended to write a little celebratory post on his doings but the venerable New York Times stepped in at the weekend and beat me to it here giving him the full treatment (complete with behind the scenes video) so no need for any more babble from me. Its always refreshing though when someone brings that extra special something to the blogodome, its a great vehicle for a smashing little project like this. Also check out his 100 Centre Street blog about the you guessed it; the comings and goings at 100 Centre Street.

Here's to you Steven Hirsch, nice one !

Jacko scoop

2008-08-01T14:46:00.004-04:00

So yeah it turns out that no one was supposed to know till Monday that the 'Vincent Laforet Blog' was live. He is still tweeking it and hadn't told a soul not even yours truly I swear !

So every now and again with a little honest detective work and a good site tracker we here at WTJ can manage to beat out the big boys and girls with a real scoop; just as we did with 'A Photo Editor' and the now sadly departed 'Bitter Photographer'. Sorry for dropping the bomb man but there you go its hard to keep things under wraps these days especially if you are trying for perfect launch conditions. Glad to see THE typo has been already fixed, looking good.

The cloud is falling but the sun is shining

2008-08-01T12:27:00.004-04:00

In his revealing and groundbreaking state of the photo industry post a few weeks back on Sportshooter here top snapper Vincent Laforet announced that he would be starting his own blog later in the summer. Well Vince being the tour de force that he is hasn't hung around and waited for the leaves to fall. He has just launched the blog simply titled 'Vincent Laforets Blog'.

I for one am really looking forward to seeing and reading what Mr Laforet has to share. There is no denying his standing in the community; he's a real playa ! After all he is a Pullitzer Prize winner and was recognized as one of the "100 Most Influential People in Photography" by American Photo in 2005. His list of awards and accolades just goes on and on, no wonder he has to take to a helicopter so often, probably just to see the horizon and escape the confines of the trophy room.

As an added bonus the blog has started in advance of his deployment to the Beijing Olmypics for Newsweek. Here's hoping Vince will be able to post some tasty tit bits on his doings under the prying eyes of Chinese censorship.

He has an interesting sidebar too: not only the usual list of blogs and inspirators but also links to the gear he uses, his workflow, tech/news sites etc. Turns out he is a bit of a gadget fiend and as per his bio loves to meet intersting (hey Vince that should be intersting with an 'esting' might want to get on the spellcheck) people and loves to try new things. Happy to say we made the blogs he reads daily and photographers - friends and influences lists, double score ! So far he has had 36 visitors and 'Whats the Jackanory ?' is the top click. Nice !

In the interest of public disclosure I have always been a fan of Laforets work and have recently had the pleasure of hanging with him a few times. Not only a prodigious talent but a true diamond geezer.

Heres to you Vincent Laforet, welcome to the blogodome ! Drinks on your tab when you get back to town.

Yellow box delight

2008-07-31T00:04:00.005-04:00

If you are a regular reader of 'Whats the Jackanory ?' you know I mostly shoot film on editorial gigs. But it turns out I have been shooting mainly digital over the last few weeks. The assignments have been for weeklies or international publications so the analogue hasn't really been a time or delivery option. No worries though I am totally down and have been having a lot of fun with the digi. It has freed me up and I have certainly tried things I wouldn't normally do. Although I have found that my light meter has become completely irrelevant particularly when using strobes. Anyone else have the same issue ?

Last week saw me on location in the city for a monthly mag. I have always shot film for them and to be honest it was the natural medium for me on this particular gig so I didn't even bring up digital as an option especially as there was no deadline pressure.

Most times out on an editorial gig I don't have a Photo Editor on set but this time around I did. It's always a refreshing treat to be able to collaborate in the field as one can certainly get used to being master and commander. On this occasion we were also dealing with some rather inclement weather conditions so it was an added bonus to have an authoritative voice on hand. "Lets go ahead and see what we get" was the good word which was very reassuring. Throw an upset model in to the mix as well and it was certainly nice to feel that one wasn't bearing the whole weight and could concentrate on the picture taking. As luck would have it though we managed to find a little shelter to get the shoot off to a solid start and the rain eventually went away so all was rosey in the end.

During the course of the day the conversation between the editor and I came around to the inevitable film digital debate. I was surprised to hear that most of the work for the magazine in question is now done digitally with maybe only one story an issue coming in on film. Believe me I am not naive but I was expecting the ratio to be more in the range of a 70 (digi) 30 (film) split. The one thing the editor said she missed most about the resulting work flow change was getting the yellow Kodak box delivered with the contact sheets in it. Yes indeedy there is something magical about the yellow box and the treasures it may contain. It's the little things isn't it, glad I was able to oblige.

Helmut Newton and the Newton Machine

2008-07-30T00:01:00.004-04:00

From time to time you got to wonder how an idea comes around. Take for example the recent collaboration between British clothing chain Topshop and legendary but deceased snapper Helmut Newton.

Picture a conference room with cool young fashionistas brainstorming ideas for a new campaign around a grandiose table festooned with fashions and mood boards.

"Yeah man this coming Autumn/Winter 08 season is all about fierce femininity, some killer heels, strong and sexy, a powerful women"

"Who could we get to shoot the campaign, needs some one with an edge ?"

"Lets take a look at those tear sheets you pulled"

"Groovy I like that 70's retro chic B&W shit, oozes sex, who shot that ? Richardson ? McDean ? Sims ? Sorrenti ? Mert and Marcus ? Meisel ? He eats that stuff up"

"No man this is the real f**ckin deal, it was shot in the 70's"

"No shit"

"Should have known you can't get that sort of quality B&W anymore"

"Yeah man they just don't put enough silver in the film and paper these days"

"I bet Pascal Dangin at Box could get close"

"Hey did you find out who shot that stuff yet"

"Some chap named Helmut Newton"

"Great lets track him down this could be epic, exactly what we are looking for, maybe we could even resurrect some ol lads career, pull a Bob Richardson. I see some awards in our future. Do a quick Google"

"Ah f**k man he's dead, heart attack outside the Chateau Marmont"

"Bummer what are we going to do now? He would have been perfect, maybe he has a wife or an assistant who could recreate his look"

"I have an idea, why don't we just get him to reach out from beyond the grave"

"What are you talking about?"

"We could bring back Helmuts most treasured piece of photographic equipment the 'Newton Machine'"

"WTF !"

"You know the 'Newton Machine' basically a photo studio with a big mirror ! Read this from the maestro himself, the blueprints right here"

"I (Helmut Newton) had a photo-machine built, a camera fitted with a motor and a timer that can be adjusted by the model who can decide whether to work fast or slow. A mirror behind the camera allows the model to check the pose. Before every shot, a bell goes off, and then a strobe light flashes. The whole system is devised to heighten the tension of the modelling session and to catch the model at the peak of each pose.

Carefully I explain the system to my models. I tell them, It’s up to you to control the whole sitting, you will decide when to stop, the entire responsibility is with you. Of course the lighting has been set up and a cross where they must stand has been marked on the floor."

"Genius we can stage our own bespoke photographic studio in some of our stores for customers to create their own fashion moment ala Helmut. They can be photographer, model, stylist all in one. They simply walk in, pose and press a button, et voila campaign done and dusted"

"Yeah now you are talking fantastic, we can summon his spirit and we don't even have to fork out for models, 1st class travel and catering"

"Don't forget to budget for the mirror and let's do a full rights grab"

"No worries there, all over it !"

"Nice one"

Wonder what in earth I am talking about well go here.

Big up Chris for the tip.