Category Archives: travel notes

Man Ray exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Another must see exhibit by one of my favorite Places in the world. And Man Ray should be a draw to anyone anyways, wherever he’s shown. And this is astonishingly the first major retrospective of his work.

I can’t wait to see it in person.

Here’s a great article in the Telegraph, discussing Catherine Deneuve’s last sitting with him.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/9821467/Catherine-Deneuve-interview-Man-Ray-and-me.html

‘Man Ray Portraits’ is at the National Portrait Gallery, London W1, from Feb 7 until May 27, 2013. More info at npg.org.uk

Faking it at the Met Museum, NYC

Great exhibit on photography and it’s manipulation over the decades. Nice to bring this back into peopels minds what was done prior to Photoshop.

One of the most prominent examples i recall seeing recently was a Christie’s auction a couple of years back, the retouching on the original print on the waist in Horst’s famous “Mainbocher Corset” image. Scrapped off waistline then repro-photographed and reprinted, classic. But unfortunately not in this show.

Looking at my own career, i have to say that i’m fortunate and thankful to have learned and worked on some multilayer composites in the darkroom/repro camera while starting out at Henner Prefi’s studio back in Frankfurt. Nobody was doing that kind of work that i ever seen before. We did a lot of comps for Deutsche Bank but also great projects like the Homage to Giorgio Morandi in 3-7 layered photographs and multilayered jewelry photography.

Anyways, a great quick visit to the Metropolitan Museeum is always fun and this exhibit a great standout, open till January 2013.

Unseen Amsel Adams prints at UC Berkley

Great story and as a fan of AA i can’t wait to see the whole lot. The published images are great and show the appliction of great photography in a commercial project and the commitment from such an outstanding instituon to use oustanding talent to get their image across.

Check out the article at the San Francisco Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Ansel-Adams-prints-found-at-UC-Berkeley-3909179.php#photo-3521174

Herb Ritts – LA Style now at The Getty, LA

Herb, one of my favorite living photographers growing up!

That WAS the photo business in LA as far as i was concerned from my little german perspective.

The light, the locations, all exotic and yet very bare elements, and modern at the same time. It just amazed me working in a studio in grey rainy Germany that this world exists, Thank you HR.

I always loved the simplicity, reduction to the most significant element, that was basically the hallmark of his photography, and who can forget his music videos or ad movies…

Well, The Getty in LA took it on to mount a retrospective, so go see it till August 26, 2012. They’re closed Mondays, otherwise 10-5:30, stay for the view and have a bite.

Annie Leibovitz showing “Pilgrimage” at the Smithsonian, Washington DC

After a short preview in NY the “Pilgrimage” show of Annie’s recent still life book is opening today in Washington, DC. We’re just on the train going back to NYC after a great opening evening at the Smithsonian Art Museum and a later night at the Hay…

I highly recommend a visit, it’s free, open every day (till May 20, 2012), and most obvious a fantastic collection of mostly American Icons and pieces of history that sometimes just missed the spotlight. It’s really great to see the prints on the wall and i highly recommend collecting the prints if they become available…

One of my favorites, Sigmund Freud’s couch in London (a rare international artifact), ahh the days…

Carmen, a model portfolio in London

From the Telegraph, London:

Camen Dell’Orefice is showing her body of work as a model over the last decades at the London College of Fashion.

She’s such a great character and one of the most standout models i ever met and had the pleasure working with in Paris.

I can’t wait to see this and if you’re in London i highly recommend this treasure of fashion photography history.

Carmen: A Life In Fashion’ runs from Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Fashion Space Gallery, London College of Fashion, John Princes Street, London W1; fashion.arts.ac.uk

Sarah Moon exhibit in LA

If you find yourself in LA these weeks spend an hour at Fahey/Klein Gallery and see the Sarah Moon show (LaBrea and 1st ave.), till May 21, 2011.

Just exquisit photography that just seemes to me like it happened yesterday.

True genius is timeless and never goes away, it just gets neglected by the mainstream.

And the best part, you can actually own these pieces, beats the auction market.

TRX, workout wherever

A great thing i recently found and totally unrelated with photography (or maybe not):

It’s TRX suspension training. I discovered it at Fusion, my physical therapy place of choice ever since going bionic.

Anyway, the problem, who wants to work out early or late in the Hotel gym? I use this suspension system and just do my strength training/rehab in my room (or somewhere outside). It fits in a small bag, you can work out pretty much everything and stretch as well. Great little videos online and you can get creative with all the moves.

I think it’s an essential tool for everyone on the move that needs to keep fit and lift stuff, like 5 pounds of cameras, on a frequent bases. It seems the military, especially the SEALs, is starting to use this extensively as well.

Here’s a photo of the basic kit with a door anchor and a loop for small trees, etc.

TRX Pro Kit

Malik Sidibé show at MB Gallery, LA

Always loved his work, straight forward that reminds me of August Sander great look at the Germans early 1930ties, just with african charm. The eye of Bamako is a great show in a great space, up till April 9, 2011 , so if you’re in LA you have to swing by

akick Sidibe

M+B
612 NORTH ALMONT DRIVE
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90069

Sargent and the Sea

En Route pour la pêche

The Luminescent ocean view, the scenes on the beaches. Interesting how it can all remain in the vision of the sea in photographs. I felt very connected to the light and decisive play of light, shadow and clouds that create such a great pallet of colors. One can nearly smell the ocean and salt in the moist summer air.

Still up for a couple of days at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, just around the corner of our new favorite, the Brown’s Hotel on Albermarle.

Hipstamatic in the Wild

Shot with my little iPhone and the Hipstamatic app.

Great snapshot setup, back to the 50/60/70′ties i say.

Messed up colors, burned edges and nothing is controlable…

Love it

Coney Island visit

Living in Manhattan makes you forget how unique this city really is.

We did a fun excursion (with our niece) to Coney Island yesterday.

The textures, people, color, it just pops and works in it’s slight dysfunction.

I really recommend the trip to anyone. And if you go early, there’s even street parking.

And bring a camera…

Irving Penn show at The National Portrait Gallery, London

I just got the book a couple of days ago and it’s a brilliant little gem. But i really urge everyone interested in the best photographical portrait work ever done, to see the show in person.

It’s up at the National Portrait Gallery in London until June 6, 2010 and then at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome from July 1st through September 19th, 2010.

Shooting on the beach

While shooting my new series of ocean views.

So beginning of the summer i started shooting the ocean at sunset/night/before dawn. The RAW images look just glorious, just have to find time to edit all of this and make it into a show…coming online some day.

Memorial Day weekend, and of to Paris

Should be a fun couple of days, roaming my old town, love that everyone now is on bikes. Shooting for 2 days just outside the Periph.

Looking forward to take more pics around town…

Sakura

Back from Japan. I think I get it, all the detailed work, the gizmos, the design restraint, the simple but efficient everything, the stillness of things.

And now whenever I find the time I have to get on those pictures, I love the cherry blossom series form the Royal Gardens in Kyoto…I wish I could spend a couple of days just working with those images and do some prints.

Tokyo and the new Canon 5D

Done with the shoot for Peninsula Hotel in Tokyo.

After roaming the streets I’m really in love with the country and the people. Luckily we get to go to Kyoto for a couple of days. I’m dying to come back.

On the tech side, this was the first shot with the new Canon 5D Mark II. I really start to love the camera, especially for available light and quick run and gun shooting. Besides it’s surprisingly small and weather resistant.

We had a near constant rainy mist all day. The files I saw so far look great and with the Peninsula’s High Speed internet I uploaded the images to the photoshelter servers in no time at all, sometimes even between shoots.

I’ve seen the future…Now I have to work on the video aspect of the little Canon, but that’s another day.

Berlin, Tokyo feeling like Tetsuro

It’s the middle of the night in Tokyo, Berlin was a blast, great people, snow in February and the whole city very pretty.

Annie’s exhibit was a total blowout, 4000 over opening weekend, a record, Saturday morning she’s on all the Berlin Newspapers on the front cover (and I worked out with Depeche Mode’s front man Dave Gahan in our Hotel gym).

Photographically I find Berlin hard to grasp, everything is far apart and I guess growing up in Germany I’m not very impressed but regular and grey scenery.

But then again I should one day revisit the ordinary Germanic, grey and orderly ways…Note to self-read: some Philosophy classics again.

Äpplewoi

Arrival in Tokyo, coming from Frankfurt.

Had my Frankfurter Würstchen and Apfelwein, finally at the airport on Sunday, all happy.

The Peninsula Hotel sends us a BMW 7 series and a Rolls Royce for the Airport pick up. We obviously all crammed into the Phantom with Annie riding shotgun and had the most unusual welcome to Japan in the quietest car I ever been in.

A nice way to travel and totally relaxing even in the constant rain.

Annie Leibovitz show in Berlin

It was like a sold out Rock show, traffic came to standstill, and after the place opened its doors to the public you couldn’t even walk or exit the building. But I finally met Veruschka, who moved from NY to Berlin and loves it. And the space, the old Postfuhramt, is just great. This is now the 3rd hanging of the show that we’ve seen (After Brooklyn and Paris) and they do feel very different. (Still open through May 24.)

And talking about Rock concerts, the Depeche Mode stayed in our Hotel (de Rome, go figure) and I worked out with David Gahan in the early morning…

And I got to stop at my favorite shop: “Manufactum“. I nearly forgot about those guys, but when we travelled to Berlin in 2007 to photograph Knut, the polar bear, for the Vanity Fair cover, we stopped by a coffee shop around the corner and ever since I was itching to go back. They also have a great website and a lot of their products are available for shipment to the US as well. Love it…

Washington and Avedon

Finally in Washington, DC, saw the Richard Avedon exhibit. It really puts a lot of things into perspective, especially some current photography that are so overly praised, but are just mediocre.

People tend to forget the true greatness and quality photography can and should have.

Makes me want to shoot with 8×10 and/or on white again.

Obama in The House

What a great day, i’ve never seen DC so crowded and never seen so many port-a-pottys. This has to be turning point in world history.

I liked my perspective of being in the middle of it all, and my little tilt shift version of events. It’s so interesting how every event is now geared toward TV coverage and people are just snapping pictures of everything.

Sometimes people forget to actually be in the moment, event planers forget to cater to the actual present audience. But then again the images will live on and the memory fades.

Something that was most visible at the Neighborhood Ball, half the room was a staged event, with the crowd being part of the live telecast, the other a dark area with mediocre food and 3 bars that felt straight out of a prom movie, with paper tickets et all.

But we got to see POTUS & FLOTUS doing the very “First Dance” to Beyonce (?, Really no Etta available?) singing “At Last”…

Disney gets Behind the scenes with Michael Phelps and Annie L., Tasha first look for Album cover

so here we go: on the way to the Hamptons to shoot my friends daughter who just got accepted to Click models NY. Its going to be a fun weekend.
Disney got the Behind the scenes for the upcoming Ariel Ad shot by Annie L. That was a fun and full day at the Universal Studio lot, between Western Town and the tours going by…
And Tasha’s next music production goes into the final remix on Monday. We’ll reviewing artwork next week but we exchanged first impressions on the shoot this week.