Posts from — January 2010

This is a video test for my upcoming makeup / beauty story with Dee Daly from Judy Inc.  The process behind shooting motion is usually much larger a production than shooting a standard still shoot.  With the advent of DSLRs shooting HD video, a whole new world of visual expression has opened up for the photographer.  This short video is a screen test,  a Canon 7D demo and a preview of some new motion work to come in the coming weeks.

enjoy

On January 25 – 26th , Hermann & Audrey was invited to create a photography exhibit that tied seamlessly into the five&dime booking games, Ontario’s premier action sport and street culture trade show, hosted at the Sound Academy.

“Keeping the convenience alive, five&dime [brought] the fashion industry together with like-minded culture based vendors in a two-day, one-night meet and greet.”

The collab is thanks in part to Mike Poole and Jason Eano (A Typical Collective), our close friends and partners. Thanks to their great relationship with the crew over at five&dime, we were able to reach a section of the community we normally wouldn’t have access to.

Excerpt and post images by Cory Vanderploeg

Javier recently returned from three weeks of travel in his home country: Colombia. Here are a few of his images and thoughts about his experience.

Colombia is an interesting place. So much is said about it in the news, and yet so little. After almost 7 years of absolute absence, I was finally able to see it in a new light. My love/hate relationship with my home country had started to shift towards the side of love. Now I feel an urge to go there and explore its rhythms and culture. Expose not only the country’s problems, but celebrate its uniqueness and humor. Amidst an incredibly complicated political situation, a daily life full of violence and despair, Colombians have figured out a way to smile, and smile lots.

Some of the things I find most interesting are people’s occupations. In Colombia everything is a business, and I mean EVERYTHING. Here are a few examples.

1. Typewriters: Near government buildings or plazas, you can find gentlemen that would typewrite for their customers anything ranging from love letters to official documents. All they need is a handwritten note, or a dictation, and they whip up a perfectly typed letter for you.

2. Cellphone Minutes: At any streetlight, busy intersection, or park (basically anywhere), you can find a person that would sell cellphone minutes. Since not everybody has access to cellphones, these individuals buy the cheapest plan from each of the different carriers so that they can provide you with as many options as possible. They tie their cellphones to their belts, and go around recruiting happy customers that are in need of making a last minute call. Cost per minute: $200 pesos (or 10¢).

3. Mangoes: Mango is delicious. But green mango (with a higher level of acidity) with a little bit of salt, pepper, and lime juice, is a delicacy. You can usually find a mango seller with their little carts or trays in parks. They cut them fresh (although they don’t wash them very well and I once found myself a little sick after indulging), and spice them up. The perfect afternoon snack.

4. Portable Convenience Store: You can buy cigarettes by the unit, a pack of chips, gum, sometimes even boiled eggs. Like this gentleman, there is a plethora of street vendors that carry a wide selection of snacks. Not everybody has the great system of placing all their merchandise in a grocery cart, which allows for easy displacement and transportation.

5. Last but not least: The Hat Man. I found this gentleman in the city of Medellin. In this region hats are a very traditional accessory, especially this type of handwoven hat. This gentleman’s business was to walk around the Parque de Antioquia selling them to passers-by (e.g. tourists, city officials, and distressed traditional men). He was a sweet man, and that little kid decided it was a great idea to help him rearrange his inventory.

Keep an eye out for the next post in Javier’s Colombia series.

This is one of the first editorials of 2010 for Carty.  It showcases his ongoing exploration of light painting techniques, an approach he has been honing over the past 5 years.  This current incarnation, light warrior , is featured in the most recent issue of filler magazine and is definitely a compelling editorial to start off the year.

Dramatic, powerful – these images are all punch and no pull. Carty and John Todd make for an exceptional team.

Check out the full spread over at filler, and stay dialed into this space for more collaborations between Carty and Todd – with creative minds like these, the sky is the limit.

Behind the scenes footage here:

Styling by Gemma Capone

Hair & Makeup by Greg B (Judy Inc.)

Model, Emmanuel (Elmer Olsen)

Lightpainting by Jon Todd, Carty and Model.

Creative Director, Ryan Johnson [Fillermagazine]

See more of Carty’s lightpainting at SteveCarty.com™ , search lightpainting.

Javier’s normally organized and thorough exploration of the thematic and approach of a photoshoot was thrown a curve ball when the unexpected occurred: He and Ryan (Creative Director for Filler Magazine) had three hours to concept and produce a shoot scheduled for nine a.m the following day.

The styling was inspired by what was going on in international runways – a structured life in monochrome. For the shots Jav wanted to contrast and compliment the tonal differences and structure of the pieces with the natural elements found on the location (found on a field trip at midnight).

“David (Elmer Olsen) had this very strong persona in front of the camera – a lot of presence – which was enhanced by the strong choices Tricia Campbell (Ford Artists) made for wardrobe,” Javier said. “We decided on a whim with Ryan to go with this powerful, iconic imagery.”

“There’s this sort of Citizen Kane feel with some military influence. He’s lonely but in full control of his surroundings – the only person there, the last man standing.”

Love creative risk (especially when it’s successful like this).

To see the complete story visit Filler

Really inspired lately by applying technology to bring together adhoc groups and new communities into creative expression. The planning process for this installation and the three ways to interact with the technology are super cool.

night lights from thesystemis on Vimeo.

brought to our attention from the amazing folks at Fast Company

quoting urbanmusicdaily.net:

“23 year old DY, is ready to take the title as hip-hop’s next sensation. Raised in Vancouver BC, DY has been making music independently since the age of 14 and has released several mixtapes including one with DJ Whoo Kid.

DY managed to generate a buzz across the country that not only drew the attention of other artists, producers but also of labels. Recently signed to Canada’s powerhouse, CP Records, DY is poised to win.

Check out his new single “Shoe Game” Featuring Flo Rida, Produced by Grammy-nominated Poli Paul who also produced for (Christina Milian, Nas, Ne-Yo, Backstreet Boys, Black Eyed Peas and many more)”

Carty shot DY’s promo in the summer, check out a few of the shots: