1x Magazine - No. 3

#3 May 2015

FEATUREDINTERVIEW

BEN GOOSSENS PORTFOLIO MICHELLE MONIQUE

JIMMY NELSON PHOTOSTORY YAN ZHANG

PUBLISHER 1x Innovations AB FOUNDER / DIRECTOR Ralf Stelander | Sweden GRAPHIC DESIGN / DTP Lara Kantardjian | London HEAD EDITORIAL TEAM Yvette Depaepe | Belgium EDITORIAL TEAM Proofreader / Editor Hans ML Spiegel | USA Interviews / Articles Christian Argueta | USA Ian Munro (aka Deviant Mind) | United Kingdom Marc van Kempen | Netherlands Interviews / Articles Peter Nigos | Canada Interviews French photographers Christian Roustan (alias Kikroune) | France Photo Reviews / Discussions Susanne Stoop | Netherlands Analogue Photography / Reviews Raul Pires Coelho | Portugal Travel Photography / Workshops Yan Zhang | Australia Jeff Sink | USA

CONTACT e-magazine enquiries | support@1x.com ADDRESS 1x Innovations AB Salagatan 18A S-753 23 Uppsala Sweden COVER PHOTO I can fly by Ben Goossens

1x.com | Facebook | Book Publications

All images and text published in this edition by 1x are copyright protected under international copyright laws and the sole property and ownership of the photographers and editors. No part of this publication may be copied, edited, printed, manipulated, distributed or used in any form without prior written permission from the publisher and copyright owners. All rights reserved.

1x assumes no liability for the work of its contributors.

1x In pursuit of the sublime Founded in 2007 by Jacob Jovelou and Ralf Stelander in Uppsala, Sweden. 1x is a vibrant and exclusive photo community. All photos in the gallery are curated, selected by a team of 11 professional curators. 1x is probably the most elegant and clutter-free website for viewing photos in HD-quality on the internet, like a real photo gallery experience.

In our groups and forums you can discuss photography with members from more than 160 different countries and inspire each other.

With our unique partnership with Eurographics, the biggest prints provider in Europe, with hundreds of stores in more than 60 countries, art directors, advertising agencies, book editors, magazines and big software companies contact us everyday with requests to buy images. Many of our photographers are now represented in art galleries, having been discovered on 1x.

1x Crew Members

Introduction We invite you to join us on a creative journey through our regular rubrics in this issue.

Let's discover the fabulous images of the most talented 1x creative editing photographers.

Ben Goossens, a sensational creator, took the time to reveal his uncanny imagination in his work.

A selection of mind blowing pieces of imagery from the best artists on 1x will immerse you in their endlesly creative world.

Photo reviews of several unique creations will enrich your appreciation for this genre.

Furthermore, we have varied, interesting and wonderful columns.

Discover Michelle Monique, a charming young talent, showing how she designs and creates the outfit, sets up and lights up her living room to photograph her models in ways that make them appear to literally leap off the page in the final images.

Enjoy the interview with Jimmy Nelson, a British photojournalist and photographer known for his portraits of tribal and indigenous people.

For many of you, the future of photography may still feel like the big unknown. However some creative editing photographers did begin to light up this space and to show us some future directions of artistic photography.

Until the recent past, cameras used to be difficult to operate and working with film had it’s challenges. Today, despite the technological advances, there is still lots to be learned from those past experiences that can be applied towards the future. Since we ultimately don't know where it's all headed, creative experimentation can lead the way, even with the inevitable risk of failure and trying again.

We are all familiar with the term “photoshopping”. In fact, photoshopping is a neologism for the digital editing of photos. The term originated from Adobe Photoshop, the image editor most widely used. Even as a verb, to “photoshop” has become popular, both colloquially and academically, and refers to retouching and composing.

A surreal appearing photo is essentially the display of a designer's rich imagination of subjects which is injected into real pictures. Most of these surreal pictures are captivating, be it pleasantly or not, because their content is often far from what we visually experience in our everyday lives. They are out of the ordinary. By the combination of different tools, such as scale and color, these images bring about contradiction and juxtaposition.

We all would like to present our skills in the use of Photoshop because of the amazing things we can do with it. We all love photo manipulations. They turn the normal and mundane into the surreal and downright strange. They twist our understanding of the world and turn reality into fantasy. And even as a more photo journalistic oriented photographer you may discover that those new tools of artistic expression can have their legitimate place in the wide spectrum of visual communication, as long as they are being presented and accepted for what they are.

“To be a surrealist means barring from your mind all remembrance of what you have seen, and being always on the lookout for what has never been”. ~René Magritte~ Unlock your inner photographer and start to photograph and share your own fantasy and imagination!

Be inspired by the work and skills of our best 1x creative editing photographers and take your photography to the next level ...

Enjoy Issue #3 of our 1x e-magazine and free you own surreal fantasy.

Yvette Depaepe Head Editorial Team

MAY 2015No.3

BEN GOOSSENS | FEATURED INTERVIEW

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17 | CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION

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MICHELLE MONIQUE | PORTFOLIO

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JIMMY NELSON | PORTFOLIO

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RAUL PIRES COELHO | ARTICLE

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PETER NIGOS | ARTICLE

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YAN ZHANG | PHOTO STORY

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12 SHOTS | PHOTO REVIEW

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BOOKS | 1X RECOMMENDS

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FEATURED INTERVIEW _______________________________________ BEN GOOSSENS

by Yvette Depaepe

BEN GOOSSENS is a sensational creator who reveals very little about himself, but lets his pictures express his uncanny imagination. His daring, surreal approach made him a Master in creatively edited photography.

Ben creates incredible images by blending detailed photography with advanced techniques. His images make one curious to take a look inside his mind. His work was show-cased worldwide in books, magazines, on websites and awarded in most photocontests since 40 years. But he also is a charming, humble, quiet and kind person.

First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to provide us with this interview, Ben.

Can you tell us more about your artistic background and how your journey in creatively edited photography began and made you become an artist ?

My pleasure!

Please tell us about your childhood, youth and your early experience with photography ?

It all started at the age of 16 in high school.

I was captivated by illustration and photography. My first tools for experimentation were a Retina camera and some color pencils. I sneakily was illustrating my school books and I was often punished for that!!!

After finishing high school, I went to the Art School – St Lucas in Brussels for four years.

I made thousands of illustrations but my favorite subject still was photography. I was fascinated by the ways photographs could be altered and manipulated through different techniques. I soon had a darkroom. A second one followed. I spend numerous hours inside them. I worked till late in the evening. Creating surreal black & white images became a real passion.

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I think I’m a dreamer

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The many graphic books with surreal/ conceptual images I red in Art School were my most fascinating source of inspiration.

My interest and fascination kept on growing.

Surrealism is my live and my passion: addiction!

After Art school, I started to work as an Art Director at one of the most experimental advertisement agencies in Brussels. To succeed in the competitive world of consumer advertising, creations and ideas must really stand out of the crowd and that was fitting me perfectly well. As ideas/concepts had to be different from the usual, I went for surrealism to make that difference. My ideas and concepts were well received by my boss and the clients with the result that most campaigns were sold!

Just like in my job, I want to make the difference. All my images are created or treated with PS … Earlier with f.e. Cokin filters and other techniques.

Later on, I continued my career working for an agency specializing toward the medical industry. The challenge here was to create concepts that had to be understood by medical personnel all over the world. In the beginning I implemented my ideas using traditional techniques such as airbrushing, gouache painting and AD markers. When advanced computer processing became available, everything changed for me. The unlimited possibilities were changing my way of creation. It opened up a completely new world for me in which I was able to set my fantasy free.

At that time, I also joined a local photo club where I learned a lot from the other members and their black and white darkroom montages. My first entries in photo contests were greeted with limited enthusiasm.

I sent my crazy surreal ideas to many national and international photo contest, but they were not accepted. This was soon to change, and they were later awarded in many photo competitions.

How does your photographic work influence your life?

My job as an Art Director puts me into contact with top class photographers that helped me to realize my concepts. This proved to be very influential to my hobby after retirement. It is a logical follow-up from what I did in my profession: surreal concepts.

Do you feel that you see things around you differently?

What inspires you to take and edit photo's ? How do you come up with the ideas?

When I go out shooting, encounter an object/situation or person, I’m already thinking what I am going to do with it to make it a personal image/concept. I combine several images, look in personal stock of 45 years photography for the fitting ones, or go out shooting for the fitting element. Sometimes it takes a year to find the fitting element, to finish the montage or concept.

Do you have any favorite subjects or do you always try something new and different?

No favorite subjects, as long as it inspires me to develop it further…Can be anything!

Could you briefly explain the story or symbolic behind your images ?

As addicted to surrealism, I try to make the message clear and in my case, the title helps a lot to better understand it, in my humble opinion .

Can you describe us the process that goes into creating an image ? Do you shoot intentionally with some new idea or creation in mind, or does your inspiration come while exploring the photographic material you already have ?

Mostly I start from a new shot. Looking afterwards for the fitting element in my 40 old personal stock as I said before. If I don't find it, I go out shooting for it. But I will not travel to the other side of the world for it and work out the concept with what is available in my surroundings.

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Le printemps se dessine bient么t

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Silent heights

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Man and the moon

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What are some of the biggest challenges you face when creating an image ?

The biggest challenge for me is always to make it perfect: surprising, a strong idea, with perfect extracted elements, all in the right light, perfect shadows and powerful composition.

What is on your gear list when you go shooting ? Camera, lens, tripod, filters, flash, others if any ?

In the beginning, I had a Nikon FE, with which I could superpose images for experimenting. Afterwards, I won some small digital camera’s (4MP) in photo contests.

But they were soon replaced by the Nikon D70 and the Nikon D300.

Lately, I bought a Sony RX 10 with a , f2.8, 18-200mm Vario-Sonnar lens.. I am very pleased with it. To create my surreal montages, it is more than enough. Anyway, it is not the camera which is the most important, but the person behind it.

Could you describe for us your typical “shot to finish” work flow when creating an image ?

Describing my “shot to finish” work flow step by stop would take several pages. But feel free to read some “making-off” or tutorials on 1x and in the PHOTO INSPIRATION BOOK. In the past, I gave a lot PS workshops showing the work flow in photo clubs in Belgium and in the Netherlands but I don’t do this anymore because I had serious problems with “beamers” : frustration.

What software do you use for your postprocessing ?

I always used Photoshop for post-process my images. PS 3, 4 or 6 doesn’t matter.

The only thing I know is that after more than 25 years of experience, I probably know only 50% of it's possibilities, In fact, I know just enough of what I need to realize what I make.

FEATURED INTERVIEW | BEN GOOSSENS

Wrapped in red with love

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Make love not war!

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Only OPENS if you are open for fantasy

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Your images have been featured numerous times. What advice can you give to beginners who would like to improve their skills in creatively edited photography ?

Some fundamental and practical advice I would like to give : Make perfect extractions.

When added to another background soften the borders, so that they don’t look like passed-on. Soften them with a small drop tool from Photoshop.

Make sure all elements are in the right light direction.

Try to make the shadows perfect and realistic. That is not easy.

If the purpose is to make realistic montages, make sure that all the elements are in the right proportions what means that a lot of practice and patience are needed.

But the most important advice would be: Look beyond the obvious.

Point left when all the others point right.

Embrace the unexpected.

Shoot from the heart and keep an open mind.

Go out when the others stay in.

Don't look with your eyes, but with your mind.

Create your own style and continue to develop it.

Which photographers or artists do you admire the most and more importantly, how has your appreciation of their work affected how you approach your own photography ?

During the 12 year I’m on the internet, I have met a lot of Creatively Editing artists, which I admire. Most of my appreciation goes to artists from the East , mostly from the former Eastern Bloc Countries. They must have fantastic graphic design schools over there.

Among your works, which one is your favorite and why ?

I really don't have any idea which one has my preference!

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment as a creatively editing photographer ?

My biggest accomplishment is that most of my images are being shown worldwide in books, magazines, on websites, in You Tube films and were awarded in most photo contests since 40 years.

Do you have any upcoming projects lined up ?

There are many images in the pipeline, but I have to finish them… it can take a lot of time to find and shoot the fitting elements!

What is one question nobody ever asked you, that you wish they would ask ?

A question nobody ever asked me is: “Do you like what you’re doing?”. My answer would definitively be: “Yes, and with passion!”

As an accomplished artist, what is there left that you want to do, Ben? There is one thing I haven't done yet! To create the ultimate perfect composed surreal image! That is now my primary goal!

Ben, your answer is once more a proof of your humility. Anyone who watches your portfolio would probably say you have already fulfilled that goal !!!

If you were to sum up yourself and your thoughts about creatively edited photography into a few simple words, what would you say ?

I do my very best and I still feel very small when I see the work of some other Creatively Editing Artists.

FEATURED INTERVIEW | BEN GOOSSENS

Sun-bay watch

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Her VERY highness returns back home

FEATURED INTERVIEW | BEN GOOSSENS

Ben ‌ You are a long time member of the 1x community. To further emphasize your commitment and contribution to 1x you became a curator who has a major influence of the Creatively Edited genre in the gallery. May I ask you about your personal vision regards 1x as a home base to show your work ?

I was introduced to 1x by a friend a long time ago. In the beginning I didn't feel my work was genuinely accepted. Creatively Editing and surrealism was a little like the black sheep on 1x because it was not considered as photography at that time! But that changed soon.

I consider 1x as the site with the best photographs in all kind of styles, that’s why I like to spend time as a curator to keep it this way.

I expect the photographs to have impact, originality, mood, an artistic component or a special point of view. I find those qualities more important than perfect technique.

Surprise with difference!

I think twice, 3 times for myself before uploading one of my images for screening and still got rejections like everybody ;-) Many thanks for sharing so many things about your life, work and thoughts, Ben !

Thank you for taking us on a journey into your own world of surreal imagination!

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Enlighted town-poet

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Big town exodus

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Under very close surveillance

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Wishful thinking

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The inspector

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Summer feeling (Following page) Blind date

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Here it stops for most

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CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION _______________________________________ CREATIVELY EDITED PHOTOGRAPHY Introduction by Yvette Depaepe

Photographers tend to post-process their photos in a program like Photoshop or similar ones, to stylize them and to add to them a more intense effect. In most cases, these techniques are very subtle and you rarely notice them unless you also see the raw images.

But there are times when photographers do even more with their photos. They edit these beautiful pieces in such a way that you are wondering what label you may want to add to them: Photography or Photo Manipulation.

Today, Photo Manipulation or Creative Edited Photography is widely accepted as an art form. It is an art where ordinary photos have been transformed into something alluring, unexpected and totally out of the box. An art which twists our understanding of the world and turns reality into fantasy, a realm into which we can disappear.

As an art it is also made for participation of the viewer.

Be a creative explorer, walk through your own imagination while admiring this compilation of mind blowing images by talented 1x members...

And keep in mind the quote by Albert Einstein, very appropriate for photography as an art form and this month's theme in particular: ~Creativity is intelligence having fun~

CR EATI VE EDIT INS PIR A TION | DAR I USZ KLIMCZ AK

Acrobats

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Bodies Mark

CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION | ELENA LÓPEZ

Head 3, broken dreams

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CREATI VE EDIT INSPIRATION | ROSS OSCAR

Cheeky Hanger

CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION | LUCINDA LU

I can't find myself

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CREATI VE EDIT INSPIRATION | TOMMY INGBER G

Stroll

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CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION | ALESSANDRO PETRINI

A tribute to Salvador Dali

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CREATI VE EDIT INSPIRATION | HARDIBUDI

Story of Black Sparrow

CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION | MICHAEL BILOTTA

Thieves in the Temple

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CREATI VE EDIT INSPIRATION | DEREK GALON

Appassionata

CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION | IRINA KUZNETSOVA

Guitar

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Poker face

CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION | SEBASTIEN DEL GROSSO

The sketches inside me

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CREATI VE EDIT INSPIRATION | CHRISTOPHE KICI AK

Shelter from the storm

CREATIVE EDIT INSPIRATION | JOHN WIHELM

Wal(b)rus(hing)

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CREATI VE EDIT INSPIRATION | PAULINE PENTONA

Creme de la Creme

CR EATI VE EDIT INS PIR A TION | JE AN ETT E OER LEM A NS

Last Temporibus Vulpum

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MICHELLE MONIQUE

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Arachnes curse (following page Arachnes lair)

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PORTFOLIO _______________________________________ MICHELLE MONIQUE Interview by Christian Argueta

In my quest for knowledge, I often come across some great "behind the scenes" videos from photographers that are generous enough to share their know-how and expertise with the rest of the world. Such was the case when I came across Michelle Monique's fantasy work. What I had found was the wonderful BTS (behind the scenes) video from her TEKKEN - Lili Rochefort image. http://youtu.be/51EmXIcoiZU I was so impressed and inspired by how Michelle shows how she designed and created the outfit, set up and lit up her living room and photographed her models in ways where they literally leap off the page in the final image.

What I was also struck by was how Michelle came across as a very unassuming and down to earth girl who simply loves what she does, enjoys it immensely and thus puts in as much time and effort as is needed to accomplish that image that she has formed in her mind. She seems to have a lot of fun doing what she does and IT IS WHY she does what she does. And who wouldn't enjoy watching that?

Michelle was kind enough to take time off of her busy schedule to share some of her story with us at 1X.com.

Why photography and how did you get into it?

I actually got into photography by accident.

I was always very visual and artistic growing up, but I never actually thought to myself “I want to be a photographer.” Back when I was 14, I wanted to take some cool “my

space” photos of myself and my friends. Our first “photo shoot” was in my bathroom because I was too shy to let my parents know I was dressing up and taking pictures. It was a ton of fun and for about a year we kept doing these mini shoots. I then discovered Deviant Art, where I was blown away by all the amazing photos there and it became my

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obsession to get as good my favorite artists. I spent all of my free time messing around in photoshop and playing with lights. It basically got to the point where I didn’t socialize outside of school so that I could keep learning more about photography and photoshop.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How old you are, where you're from…

I’m 23, and I’ve lived in California my whole life. I’m located near San Francisco. I’m currently working on my marketing degree, and I will finally be graduating this December!

On your website, michellemoniquephoto.com, your gallery is comprised of "creative," "beauty," and "commercial" works. Is the broad range of work out of necessity, or simply because you enjoy all styles of photography?

I think I’ve been cursed with having totally unrelated interests. I’ve always loved makeup and beauty, but I also play lots of video games and am into lots of geeky things. Commercial is just the section I have

to show off work that I’ve done for clients.

It’s actually more beneficial for photographers to stick to one style and find their “niche”. It’s been hard for me to find that “niche” since I can’t make myself choose one genre and give up the others. I would feel like I’m missing out on aspect of doing something that I love so much. Hopefully, I will be able to get a broad range of commercial work this way!

What type of person are you and how has this affected your photography?

Looking at my interests I would probably fit into the “geek” culture. When I have time, I indulge in video and board games. Some of my favorites are World of Warcraft, Skyrim, Tekken, and Settlers of Catan. I’m also hopelessly obsessed with Game of Thrones (the show, the books, and the board game), Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, science, philosophy, and economic documentaries, and much more. This has had a huge influence on my art, because I’ve been able to draw inspiration from all of them which includes anything from costume styles, environments, stories, to straight up cosplays. One of my favorite images is of Arachne in a cave. I got the initial idea from the Greek

Portrait of Govert de Roos taken during the life interview

PORTFOLIO | MICHELLE MONIQUE

mythology of a half-woman half-spider creature. The rest of the inspiration is drawn mostly from World of Warcraft.

There are these spider caves in game that have a really dark, but saturated coloring to them and I wanted my photo to have that same atmosphere. I also wanted it to have a creepy feel to it similar to Ghostlands.

Lastly, I got the chain idea from Mistress of Pain in Diablo III. I couldn't help but notice that you shoot a lot of your concepts in what appears to be your house. What are the pros and cons of this and if you could, would you rather have a studio?

I do indeed shoot in my house. I think the pros definitely outweigh the cons, so I hope I can continue doing this for as long as possible. I don’t have to pay to rent a studio, I can practice the lighting for concepts before the actual shoot, and I can set up shoots on a whim because all my equipment is ready to go. There have been a lot of times where a small detail like something on the outfit or a model’s hand or foot looks wrong to me. I can just put on the outfit myself, photograph it, and composite it onto the model all within an hour. Having to drive to a studio to do this every time would be a real pain! Shooting in an actual studio won’t change the quality of the images, but shooting in a house may come off as unprofessional to clients. My ideal situation for the future would be to have a separate house and studio structure on the same lot, but separate from each other.

You obviously enjoy creating these wonderful images. Is this how you earn your living? If so, how long did it take, from the time you started in photography, to when you began getting clients?

Yep this how I earn my living. I started at 14, got my first major client (Random House) at 18, and now I’m 23 and still shooting mostly book covers probably because of that first gig!

What's in your toolbox now? What have you used before? (camera, lens, filters, lights, software, etc)

I’m still using the same DSLR that I got when I was 16 – the Canon EOS 40D. I’d really like to upgrade to a 5D soon. I have 3 lenses: the 28 – 135mm f/3.5, 50mm f/1.8, and the 18 – 55mm. I have 3 Aiki photo flash heads and for modifiers I have a photek softlighter 60”, 22” Kacey beauty dish, 2 softboxes, and an umbrella. I have a polarizing filter and neutral density filters (ND2, ND4, ND8). I use a wacom tablet intuos4 and I edit with Photoshop CS3. For video work I use After Effects CS6.

What advice would you give a newbie on hardware and software? Should you start off with an affordable point and shoot or a DSLR? With the internet at our fingertips, learning how to use a camera, lens, and lighting equipment has never been easier. I would go back and forth between reading tips online and practicing what they taught me with my actual lights and camera. It just takes some time and patience. There are lots of youtubers and websites that can explain almost any question one may have about hardware or software ranging from beginner to expert. Fstoppers has really good tutorials about technical photography, and design.tutsplus.com and Phlearn.com are great for Photoshop help. I was also able to learn a lot by reading and talking in photography forums. The fastest way to learn the lingo and equipment is to just jump in.

To answer your question about a first camera, I think it depends on a couple of factors: 1) How quickly do you want to move up in your photography career? 2) How serious are you about photography? I can give myself as an example. I was 14 when I started, and I was definitely not serious about it. I think if you are very young, with limited funds, the best option is to borrow a relative’s or friend’s point and shoot camera. A lot of photographers I’ve seen started out using a point and shoot when they were kids before moving up. I used my dad’s Olympus point and shoot until I was 16 and then bought my DSLR. By starting with the Olympus, I was able to explore photography and learn about composition and lighting with no cost. On the flip side, if you want to enter

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the photography business within 5 years or so, then definitely invest in a DSLR. You won’t be able to learn fast enough with a point and shoot, since you will have no practical experience about lenses or manual features.

How do you find people for projects and how do you approach them and get them to agree to work with you?

In regards to clients, I haven’t actually reached out before. All the work that I’ve gotten has been from a referral or just by finding my work online. Once I graduate college, I plan on finding an agent and doing some heavy duty marketing. For models, I either find them on model mayhem, Instagram, or from a local model agency.

On websites, I just message the model to see if she’s interested – it’s pretty simple. If I go through an agency for personal work, I ask to see if any models are willing to test and I set up a shoot with one of those girls.

For paid work, pretty much any model in an agency will be up to shoot. Most agencies have the same rates, so I know what to expect. I work with the best makeup artist (Shiree Collier) on all my shoots because we compliment each other really well. I was lucky enough to find her on model mayhem about a year ago!

Your latest work seems to be heavily composited and digitally enhanced. How did you start doing such cool work and what would you advice someone new wanting to start creating images such as yours?

I’ve always really enjoyed enhancing photos in photoshop. I think it gives them that special something that makes people want to stay and look at more of my work. It started out with awful looking filters in the beginning, to mostly just color adjustments, to full on compositing. As my ideas got more complex, I realized I just wouldn’t be able to execute them without knowing how to remove backgrounds and match the lighting of all elements. Fantasy worlds don’t exist for us, so they have to be creating by blending multiple elements.

This used to be impossible for me since I’d

blend my photo of a model with a stock image but lately I’ve been photographing the backgrounds too. My earlier work looks a little cut and paste-y and it’s quite obvious it’s been photoshopped. I think my newer work looks a lot smoother. I plan out the lighting for each final image before I even photograph the model that way there is no guess work involved. For example, in my babydoll cosplay image, I knew I wanted her in a train with two parallel sets of lights on either side of her. So when I lit her, I had the sides of her lit and had very little fill on the front. I did the same thing for the robots, and the pieces of flying metal. I also had to add color adjustments to each individual piece of metal, the lights, the vents, the train – everything, to make sure it looks consistent.

Are there other photographers that influence you? If so, who are they and how do they?

Some of my favorites are Erik Almas, Annie Leibovitz, Dave Hill, Alexia Sinclair, and Jill Greenberg. I’m really inspired by Hill’s extreme compositions. He takes the photos separately and combines them in post.

There is an insane amount of detail in each picture, with so many models, and really unique lighting. I hope I can one day create composites like him! I love how much emotion is in Leibovitz’s work. You can really feel the story just by looking at the photo. She really is a master of posing and composition.

I aspire to capture the level of feeling you get from her photos in my own.

What's the best way for people to keep up with what you're doing? (website, twitter, youtube, facebook, etc) I am active on the following platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ michellemoniquephoto Deviantart: http://michellemonique.deviantart.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ michellemoniquephoto 500px: https://500px.com/michellemonique

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Model Mayhem: http://www.modelmayhem.com/756829 Official Website: http://www.michellemoniquephoto.com/ Finally, and this is mostly an open question, for anyone interested in photography, young or old, what words of advice, tips, or just general wisdom would you share with them (us)?

If you are just starting out, then the best way to learn about photography is to just get out there and shoot as much as possible! In the beginning, I would try to mimic some of my favorite photographers. I can’t say that I ever succeeded, but I think this was key to learning quickly. I would compare my pictures to theirs and obsess for days on end why mine didn’t look as good.

Then I would try something different for the next shoot, and repeat the process over and over until I learned what I wanted to know. I then took this knowledge and applied it to my own unique style.

Of course, as you are learning, it is also important to find your own voice in the photography world because having work that

looks just like someone else’s isn’t going to get you anywhere. You need to spend some time thinking about what are your passions and interests outside of photography. This may end up becoming the subject and theme of your photographs (it certainly did for me!). I suggest working on something that you are passionate about because this will keep you motivated and pull you through hard times. The other aspect of finding your voice is the type of emotion and message that you want to convey. It’s best to specialize in a certain area, instead of being average at everything. The adage “Jack of all trades, master of none” definitely applies here. Do you like pastels, dark colors, saturated colors, dramatic emotions, genuine emotions, etc. I’ve always been drawn to saturated, monochromatic, tertiary colors.

Each photo SCREAMS blue, pink, teal, etc. In terms of lighting, I love backlit photos because they feel cinematic, fantastical, and moody. Lastly, for subject matter, I enjoy photographing women warriors, femme fatales, and mythological women because they feel inspirational to me. This is probably why I love RPG video games! It’s so much fun to kick ass!

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Michelle, thank you so much for taking the time to share with us a bit about yourself.

Your unique way of conceiving your fantasy and non-fantasy imagery and the way you go about making them a reality is really inspiring (and so much fun to watch!). You make it look easy and the same time they're incredible works of art. We can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future.

(Previous page Babydoll) Lili rochefort

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Babydoll sucker punch

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Banshee

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Temptation

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Iris beauty

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Erudite

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Pin uo

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Rose mermaid

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Britt Ekland and Rod Stewart by Govert de Roos

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Scorpion Queen

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Death Knight

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Baby moon

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JIMMY NELSON

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Jimmy Nelson during the interview

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PORTFOLIO _______________________________________ LIVE INTERVIEW WITH JIMMY NELSON Africa Museum - Berg en Dal, the Netherlands

by Marc van Kempen Jimmy Nelson, born in 1967, is a British photojournalist and Photographer. His height and baldness lends him a striking appearance. These two characteristics would not be so interesting if they did not play a major role in shaping his life.

As a child of ex-patriots he frequently had to travel/fly alone to join his parents abroad and while in England he stayed at a Jesuit boarding school. At the age of seventeen he became bald from one day to the next due to illness. As a result of this he was banned from school. The school administrators didn't understand his sudden change in appearance and assumed he wanted to become a skinhead. Two weeks later Jimmy had to undress in front of these officials to prove that he had lost all the hair on his body and that he had not shaved his head. Once his baldness was accepted there was no reason for abasement but neither was he shown any sympathy by the same officials telling him "he had a lot of catching up to do now".

Jimmy felt like an outcast, confused by the sudden change in his appearance: "you are standing in front of a mirror, but you see somebody else". He decided to leave and travel to the only place in the world where each and every man shaves his head: Tibet.

At eighteen Jimmy was traveling and had developed close relationships with many Buddhist monks. He lived life aggressively and sex, drugs and booze played a major role.

"A learning time" he says. His tremendous curiosity for different ethnic communities took root during this time. It was the period when Lhasa rose up after many years of desolation and isolation. The place was opened up for tourists and he started to photograph. Although his work was not that good he was successful selling his images to magazines and thought: " I'm not going back to school...I want to become a photographer".

Meeting Jimmy Nelson I met Jimmy Nelson in the African Museum in Berg en Dal, in the Netherlands. I realized immediately that our schedule would be very tight. His busy program involved a lecture, a photo session with the public and

an interview with 1x. There was also a crew filming Jimmy Nelson's day. Time was short so we had to improvise. We had a short discussion about how Jimmy and his crew wanted to do the interview. They decided to do a tour in the Museum where his exhibition was being shown.

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The brilliant overview of Jimmy's work gave an inspiring impression of peoples and cultures from all parts of the world. I noticed that his whole collection of images of the people he portrayed always had a romantic mood.

A wonderful and proud representation of their beauty, their cloths and their races.

The first question which came into my mind was if the poses, choice of cloths and settings were natural. People were mostly dressed with traditional clothing in wonderful locations ! It made me almost jealous to compare their life style with the one of the Western civilization which is often colorless.

What does this artist want to tell us by the way he portrays these people?

Jimmy starts to tell us about himself.

“I was born in England in 1967 in Sevenoaks in Kent and my family was not artistic at all.

My father was a geologist and my mother was a doctor. My parents moved abroad when I was very young and together we traveled all over the world during my first 7 years of life. After that period, they put me in a boarding school for 10 years and when I was 17 I lost all my hair very suddenly in one single night. That was a shocking experience for me. It made me decide to travel to Tibet to meet other people. I was there for one year and crisscrossed the country. The main reason why I choose Tibet was because all Tibetan monks are bald. I wanted to meet them because I felt connected to them.

That was the period in which I took my first pictures and was able to sell them whenever I came back to England. My life as a photographer can be summarized like this: between 17 and 24 years old I worked as a photographer reporter and when 24 years old, I became a commercial photographer for several successful international brands.

In 2010, I started working on my own projects. In the last 5 years, I have only been doing this and am no longer involved in commercial photography.

Marc: Your current work is not commercial.

But you are selling a lot of books and you give seminars. Isn't that commercial?

Jimmy: Yes, it is commercial but I'm only selling books and photo's and giving seminars to be able to finance my own projects.

I don't sell a product, I sell my story.

After that period, I got assignments to photograph various cultural themes for the news: the involvement of Russia in Afghanistan, the continuous battle between India and Pakistan in Kashmir and the beginning of the war in ex-Yugoslavia.

At the beginning of 1994, I produced “Litteraire Portretten van China” together with my wife (a native of the Netherlands).

A project we worked on for thirty months which took us to many hidden places in the “New People's Republic in China. My images were exhibited in the Palace on Tiananmen Square in Peking. This exhibition was shown all over the world.

Marc: I saw some images taken in extreme cold weather circumstances. During those shoots, did you realize that such extreme circumstances may damage your special cameras? What do you do during your expeditions to avoid that?

Jimmy: I work with a technical camera, nothing can be damaged on these strong cameras. There is nothing electronic in it that means there is no problem at all working in extreme cold countries.

Besides my camera I carry at least 10 lenses (as a back-up). During an expedition it is more likely that something would happen to me rather than to my camera.

With an old view camera, you learn to communicate with people in your own way, with gestures, and with both eye and physical contact A Zenith-B was my very first camera. It's choice was just a coincidence but I picked it because it looked very interesting to me and I still use it today. I used it in Tibet with Kodak Color Gold film rolls and those images were published. I always worked with Nikon F / Nikon FM / Nikon FM2 / Nikon FM3. For images like the ones exhibited here in the Museum, I still use a 4x5 inch or 8x10 inch camera.

Marc: You're traveling a lot. How do you communicate with unknown tribes?

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Jimmy: It's stories about emotions and vulnerability and how you can communicate without language. Using emotions, passion and physical contact you can tell these people how special they are. I want to give them an audience.

Marc: While walking through the exhibition, I noted that people in your pictures are beautifully dressed. Are you looking for it or do you ask them?

Jimmy: You have to tell people that you want to take wonderful shots. I always tell them that I will return the day after. I always start with individual portraits and later move to group portraits. People wear their own choice of clothing. They want to be at their very best on the pictures. I want to make them proud of themselves. I never influence anybody about what they should wear.

If I tell you that I will come back tomorrow to photograph you as you really are, than you will have to choose your cloths too.

Marc: You also made a series about Marken in the Netherlands. A pure Dutch label.

Jimmy: Yes, that was part of a project from the Folklore Museum in Leiden. They asked me to photograph Terschelling in my own way and to show people how I did it. These people are not dressed in everyday clothing

but it surely is part of their culture.

Marc: Is there a difference between people from Marken and other people you photographed?

Jimmy: Lots of differences on one side, only a few on the other side. I want to capture their pride and when it comes to that, differences are reduced to none.

Marc: Looking at your work, I'm wondering how you work? Do you shoot a lot of images when you are on location?

Jimmy: Only a few, sometimes 3 or 4. I don't take that many film rolls with me, so my shots have to be perfect. It may take days to find the right location and moment so that everybody involved has a clear idea of the image that I want to shoot. It is not a reportage. As an example, I'm always waiting for the best light.

Marc: You are directing with sensibility, physical contact and emotion. How do you get exactly what you want from the group?

Jimmy: This image here is very esthetic and completely staged. I took care of all the details. How their hands are shown, how much light between two persons, colors and clothing. In fact, it is totally staged and directed by me.

Tribes - Gauchos

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Masai

Marc: You always go analogue, never digital?

Jimmy: Everything that you see here in the exhibition is analogue. In my book “Before they pass away”, there are a few images in motion and those are digital.

Marc: Right now I'm looking at a photo of a warrior in the desert. What exactly do we see here?

Jimmy: He is not standing there every morning and I wanted to express the poetry of the landscape and their culture. It is the land of his father, the land of his tribe. This picture has been taken around 5am. A proud warrior in his environment.

Marc: What camera did you use here?

Jimmy: I used a Lindhof camera with a Schneider lens and self-made spacer.

Marc: These pictures are so beautiful. Have your subjects ever seen this images?

Jimmy: Not during the photo sessions, that is obvious. But I always try to go back to show my shots and my book to these tribes.

Marc: How do they react when they see themselves in the book and how wonderful they look?

Jimmy: All the members of the tribes are eager to look through the book and many ask: “where is my book?” because they all think they will get one. I always send a few exemplars to them.

Marc: I can imagine that while traveling so much to take your gorgeous images, you have to deal with dangerous situations sometimes. Were their moments in your career where you really had to confront danger and why?

Jimmy: The only danger that I encounter is hidden in our Western business world.

When you visit tribes, money doesn't matter. It is all about human connections and if

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Jimmy Nelson during the interview

you handle it in a respectful way, there is no danger. We, from the Western world have to confront much more danger and we abuse each other much more.

Marc: Many photographers dream about being discovered and becoming famous. Do you have some advice for them? And is it still possible today?

Jimmy: The most important thing is not how to use your camera, but what you try to share with other people. What is the meaning behind the image? Everything has already been photographed. The story and what you want to share with the viewer is the essence.

Marc: But may be it is also a matter of luck?

Jimmy: I don't believe in luck. You have to create your own world. The message I want to send into the world is how rich those people are and how poor we are. If we continue to develop our materialism and if we

lose these wonderful cultures than the world will be out of balance. Money really isn't the only thing that matters.

Marc: In your success for creating your own world, who inspired you the most?

Jimmy: My biggest inspiration was Edward Curtis. He also created his images and staging. Marcel Boekhoorn is my biggest sponsor. Without him, none of this would have been possible. He believed in me and knew I would spend his money in the best possible way. In fact, following in the footsteps of Edward Curtis.

Marc: We have arrived in the most beautiful part of the African Museum where your wonderful images are being exhibited. Can you tell us something more about the portrait series displayed here?

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Jimmy: All these portraits were taken inside with a big outside reflector. In addition to that, I also used 3 more reflectors which were held by 3 people to give me even more light. I worked with a camera man and I also asked the locals to help me. Everybody helps. This way of working provided me with wonderful and romantic portraits.

This picture was taken with my 4x5 inch camera which didn't allow me to take more than 100 photo's during one expedition.

That is one of the reasons why one should continuously stay focused. These are very proud men who gave me the time I needed to make this group portrait perfect.

Men looking like women About some of the many exceptional portraits Jimmy: I have photographed 35 tribes in Europe, Asia, South Africa and the South Pacific with a 50 year old 4x5 inch camera. I wanted to make well composed romantic shots. But that was pretty difficult. Those tribes really will disappear if we don't cherish them. Their authenticity will get lost too if we don't care.

One of my all time favourite photo is a group of men in front of a beautiful waterfall.

Jimmy: These men look like women. They have long red hair. They are the most beautiful men on earth. They are very tall. They are great warriors and impressive people.

They are able to kill a lion with their bare hands.

They spend hours everyday in front of a mirror checking their appearance: their hair and clothing. My message is : “Have a better look around you! There is so much more beauty in the world and in your environment than you can imagine.�

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Samburu

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Samburu

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Samburu

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The book “Before they pass away” tells my life long journey. The picture that you can see here is also in the book, showing “Kazakhs” from Mongolia.

This is a photo of what will disappear very soon. If we don't respect the individuality of tribes, if we loose it, the world will become poor, especially since everything evolves so fast. We can learn so much from each other. We can learn so much from them.

I'm often wondering if they realize how rich and healthy they are compared to people living in the Western world. In fact, we owe them a monument and we need to recognize their beauty. Without recognition it is not “interesting enough”,that's how people react in our society.

If we take these Kazakhs from Mongolia as an example: they have fantastic eagles.

They train these birds for years. When they see a fox, only the owner of the eagle can take off the red hood. A wonderful connection between man and bird.

It was -30°C on that mountain. I was very cold up there. It was really bad and my hands were frozen to my camera. Some of the women picked me up, hugged me and tried to keep me warm. They treated me like a child and started to sing while the men carrying their heavy birds were standing around in the cold as if the elements of nature were not a concern. It was very strange. I started to cry with the pain and frustration. But finally I was able to take my picture. They were Muslim and the way they acted was very unusual. They wanted to help me in every way they could.

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Kazakh - Mongolie

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Nenet

During another trip, we drove weeks and weeks to find a tribe living in an incredibly far away location. This tribe lived in the Northern part of Russia and were called the last Eskimos. We traveled for a month fighting bitter cold to find them in the most hidden place on earth. Nobody knew exactly where this little group of 60 men were located. From a technical perspective, this was the most difficult group we had ever tried to reach. This tribe was called “Nenet”.

Finally, after a long and bizarre journey, we arrived at a place where a few tents stood. I met the chief of the tribe and asked him if I might take some photo's. I got a firm “no” as an answer.

We first had to be part of their community.

He explained why: “You will be part of our life because we all depend on each other to survive in temperatures below -50°C in the winter and above 35°C in the summer. You have to learn first from us and integrate into our community. Then we will see.”

That is what the leader of the tribe said. In the end, we lived and participated in their society for 1,5 months.

These people also told me that I wouldn't survive if I didn't drink hot blood and eat fresh meat.

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Nenet

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Nenet

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Not that long ago, the government brought this group to the city. They got an apartment, TV, alcohol and heating. But they were not happy with all that luxury. They decided to go back. They told me: “Here, we have to survive and by surviving we feel the essence of life. In those apartments in the city, we couldn't do anything of value and we felt useless.

I never drink alcohol but every evening, they served me vodka inside a tipi. At one point I fell into a deep alcoholic coma. I had to go to the toilet. So, I rolled silently to the outside trying not to wake anybody up. I was wearing 8 layers of clothing and was not fast enough. I did it in my pants. This was no problem for me because everybody was still asleep. But when I tried to go back into the tent, I did something that made the tent collapse. Everybody started to yell because of the extreme cold. 40 reindeer surrounded me and started to lick me. People were laughing because they saw me standing in the midst of the storm. Reindeer love the taste of salt! By my being so ridiculous, a bond was created.

Marc: Was it easier to communicate with these people because you were part of their community?

Jimmy: The farther away from civilization, the better and easier it is to communicate with them. These people show themselves as they are. Educated people are less open minded and more sceptical. Finally, they are our origins, our roots. We have to learn from each other again. In my book, they can see how beautiful they are and know that there are other people still living just like them. We should start a new dialogue with each other.

Marc: Many thanks for your story, Jimmy. I wish you lots of success with your new projects.

The work of Jimmy can be seen: http://www.beforethey.com/ https://twitter.com/jimmy_p_nelson

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ANALOGUE PHOTOGRAPHY

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ANALOGUE PHOTOGR APHY | RAUL PIRES COELHO

VIEW CAMERAS _______________________________________ FROM PHOTOLAB TO PHOTOSHOP

by Raul Pires Coelho

I have a passion for View Cameras.

For me it's the ultimate photographic tool! If you keep reading ahead you will understand what I mean. With it I can do things that cannot be done with any other camera, more on this later. And of course there are also things you cannot do with it. I can't take a View Camera and go out in a fast pace to the streets making quick shooting images. In the past Graflex Speed Graphics, was used for those occasions, a View Camera, were the reporter photographs all around, with those big round strobes attached to it, as you can see on Weegee catching that big moment.

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The image quality has something to be seen to believe it. The level of detail on a large format negative, goes beyond any other registering surface, because View Cameras work with very big negatives,.

Start by imagining for example a sheet with 8x10" (20cm x 25cm). That is almost the size of an A4 sheet. Keep your imagination running into thinking about a digital sensor that size. How much information can it hold? Well, to our thinking train here it doesn't matter if it's digital or analogue: You can have a surface this big to fill in your photographic subjects and ideas with supreme quality. Only a digital sensor that size isn't available yet. It will come, only not in the next few months. But analogue yes, it does exist, and for a very long time, right from the start of photographic history.

However it doesn't stop at 8cm x10cm. Formats can go up to 11cm x 14cm, even bigger if we can handle a camera of these gigantic dimensions to play with in the field or studio.

But this is just the beginning of my story today. View Cameras don't just offer the large negative advantage. The other main advantage is the ability of change the lensnegative plane relation to each other to correct perspective or change the plane of focus. And this takes us to another level of reasoning.

To me, working with a View Camera is a Zen moment feeling, a slice of time held close in another dimension. Procedures can't be rushed with a View Camera. Time stands still, slowing us down to think and compose the image carefully, making movements, focusing with great care, visualizing. And it's all up to the lens, aperture and shutter.

Basically what I am talking about is something much larger than a 35mm negative, or your stunning and expensive full frame digital sensor, even a medium format one.

When I decide to stack some negative sheets into film holders and pick up one of my View Cameras to go into the field or studio, to capture something I have imagined, something I see with my inner eye, or just for the pleasure of it, my mind switches lanes into a mind frame close to that of gliding the skies in a plane with no engine, just soaring, riding the airflow, feeling the breeze, with joy at heart, but without safety net.

The View Camera is at the genesis of photography, born from the camera obscura, known as far back as 400BC. Da Vinci talks about it in his Codex Atlanticus. It started as a pinhole camera. Later a lens was added to get a much clearer, sharper image. The idea evolved and when it was technically possible given the chemical processing at the time, to

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fix an image permanently on a surface, it was the camera obscura, a View Camera, that was brought into action. Photography was born!

In essence, the set has three chapters: The lens, the light tight chamber bellows, and the imprint surface.

To focus, the lens moves along back and forth until a focused image is seen on the ground glass, before inserting the film holder and making the photograph. Watching the image in that big frame, upside down and reversed, is a fascinating, magical experience, also because the ground glass is just glass, with one side in rough matte finish.

To detailing the workflow:First the film holders must be charged in total darkness. Each holder can take two sheets. Film holders are light tight, and we must take with us as much as we can, or need. Usually I have four holders, eight sheets, ready at any time.

I then have to make the decision on what lens/focal lengths to use. There is no zoom feature available for large format, and each focal length requires a different lens. Depending on the work I have in mind, I will have a 90 mm, wide angle on 4 cm x 5 cm, or 180 mm, real wide on 8 cm x10 cm, and 300 mm, telephoto on 4 cm x 5 cm, or 600 mm ion 8 cm x10 cm. The concern here are image circles mostly. If too short for your film format, you may not have an image at all on the surface, and some vignetting may occur.

So far in the camera bag together with the camera there are film holders and lens.

Next, a tripod is a must with View Cameras.

They are situated more on the heavy side and sturdiness in holding them still is mandatory. That way you can play with very small apertures, that famous f.64, and long exposure times. Cable release follows next, along with a special loupe to help with the precise focusing on the ground glass. View Camera and lens are completely manual and mechanical, so you will need a light meter, better a spot meter. More about those later.

Stack in some filters for better contrast in black and white, compensating in color. And don't forget a dark cloth that enables you to glance onto the ground glass image. And off you go!

Now you're in the field, have perfect light, paid with an awesome subject for landscape or architectural photographic work, or

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maybe a beautiful model is ready to give you his or her best.

You fix the camera on the tripod. Attach the lens and open it so that a double reversed image gets onto the ground glass plate, and you experience againthe mystic of it all.

Zero in on all movements in the camera.

Get your light meter, forget the camera now, and look ahead, widely, enjoy the view, let your eyes to focus on what lies ahead.

Start to compose your image mentally and assess the light intuitively. Visualize the scene, think what details are important, where you want the light exposure to be on the final photograph. Apply the ‘sunny 16 rule’ and make a light meter reading. Compare the two. Move close to the ground glass and measure what you see, move the camera on its axes. Move it around from place to place. Evaluate. A perfect composition according to your aesthetic parameters, that is what you're looking for. If aiming at a focal plane near the camera, the best option will be incident light measure. If aiming for far away, take spot readings.

Choose a dark area where you will want to show detail on the finished photograph.

Then move the spot meter to a highlight area of choice and calculate the difference between the two readings. Five points apart is what the negative can hold.

If there is more, then it will be a high contrast image , and you will under develop your negative to compress the scale. In this case under develop by 30% (30% less time than standard development time) for each additional zone apart. If there is less contrast, overdevelop. Take the meter reading on the dark areas. The light meter will always place the result in a middle range.

Close your measure two points, placing it on zone 3. There are roughly 11 zones. Zone 0 is pure black, transparent on the negative.

Zone 10 is pure white, black on the negative.

Zone 5 is important, being middle gray, and that is where the exposure meter places its reading. Also important are zones 3, black with detail, and 7, white with detail. We want our negatives to be readable between these five zones, from 3 to 7.

Now we will use that reading from an an appropriate dark gray and place it on zone 3.

For example: On a spot reading we get f4/60; now to place it on zone 3 either choose f8/60 or f4/250 and go ahead with the shooting. . It's all in the pre- visualization of your scene.

But you may still want to think more before hitting the cable release. Following our subject, we may need to use the possibilities of the View Camera related to movements, the ones your particular camera model and make will allow.

For a landscape theme, maybe also for still life close-up work, the one standards adjustment that I find most useful and important is the ability to have everything in focus right from the foreground underneath the lens all the way to infinity. That adjustment is done by tilting the front standard forward. Play with it, refocus, until you have a perfectly focused image on the ground glass from top to bottom. See Adjustment Definitions and Focal-, Lens-, Film Plane.

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U

Pause and let the camera shake stop. Hold the cable release and if on landscape or studio stills, release the shutter. If on human shooting, speak your instructions if any, tell where to look or whatever, tell a quick story or a thought to get that expression you set for and click! Done. Rush for the film holder and close it inserting the darkslide in reverse. That way you know that this side has been exposed.

Use the help of a magnifying glass directly on the ground glass to achieve supreme sharpening. As you are on a tripod, that gives the chance to work with really small apertures, up to f.64, used by the group around Ansel Adams and Edward Weston , resulting in enormous depth of field.

Now we have the image composed, light measured and values inserted into the lens control, adjustments of front standard done. Now it's time to get a film holder from the bag. Recheck that everything is tight, fixed, levelled (most View Cameras have small levels conveniently placed) and secured. Close the lens, arm the shutter, and insert the film holder.

Here is a checklist for beginners: Choose the camera position and level the tripod and camera.

Open the lens to full aperture.

Focus roughly using the focussing knob.

Adjust the composition while looking at the ground glass.

Focus precisely with tilts/swings, using a magnifying glass.

Determine exposure by careful light metering the scene.

Consider the use of filters.

Close the lens, cock the shutter, and insert the film holder.

Set the aperture and shutter speed.

Remove the dark slide.

Look at the subject.

Fire the shutter with a cable release.

Put the darkslide back in, reversed from how it was before exposure.

Remove the film holder.

Now I thought it would be interesting to look as some amazing photographic projects that have only been possible by usinga View Camera.

Take a look at the photographs by Massimo

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Vitali. He has this work in progress where he goes to public crowded spaces such as beaches, nightclubs, public squares, and alike. The book on beaches is my favourite.

He arrives at the beach early. With two assistants assembles and places a high tubular tower, 6 to 9 meters high, with a platform on top, in a convenient and presumably well chosen place, on sand, sometimes water. And by a stair on the side he mounts his 11 cm x14 cm format View Camera, then waits for people to arrive.

Soon after the initial curiosity they don't notice him any longer. Then he takes action. Are you seeing it? Isn't that fascinating? Those photographs can be read at so many levels. And you may be thinking: I can do that with my my own DSLR camera equipment. Yes you can, but the result will be something else, because this level of detail you are looking at here can never be achieve other Than with a View Camera.

Now change views and take a look at another book, if you can, on a project from Txema Salvans, entitled:” the Waiting Game”.

How can someone go out into the side roads around cities and highways in southern coastal Spain and photograph prostitutes on hold for clients and not be kicked off the premises? Can you guess the answer? There are many approaches to this task. You can ask for permission, hit and run, or do it unnoticed, as the photographer did. By using a miniature camera? Hiding behind a bush?

No, just being around with big 8 cm x 10 cm View Camera! Incredible, right? Here is how it was done: With and assistant carrying a mirror target, both dressed with reflective yellow jackets, a van on the side, disguised like working road men, and handling around the View Camera mounted on a yellow tripod like it was a theodolite, topographers doing their job taking readings on the field.

They even went and talked to the girls, hey, I'll be around working, stay as we are not here. Soon enough also in this setting they did not pay attention and the photographers did the work quietly. They were invisible.

Fascinating, isn't it? Only film and big colour negatives can deliver that feel and look in an almost physical way.

There is still one book I invite you to look at, entitled:” Performance”, by Richard Avedon.

To say Avedon is one of my favourite photographers is an understatement, also because he was a real View Camera stylist.

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As you browse through this particular book, those high quality photographs, that unique vision, those portraits capturing emotions, full of fast action and living joy in a studio, these creative people performing in front of the camera, was this done with a 35 mm camera on the move? No! Those black and white full range and dynamic photographs were done with a studio camera on wheels, a slow to handle contemplative View Camera!

I have used my View Cameras for: -Landscape projects, diving deep into zone system use, thinking about detail in shadows areas carefully crafting around filter use to achieve that contrast where I want it, and in this way delivering the image closest to what my eyes have seen; on b&w look at the incredible work done with 8 cm x 10 cm View Cameras by Clyde Butcher, or by Joe Cornish with his 4 cm x 5 cm Ebony View Camera on positive film. The work of both photographers is breathtaking.!

I have further done studio portrait work whenever possible, Here 8 cm x 10 cm delivers absolutely outstanding results.

Another field is architectural photography.

Converging lines corrected right there in the field with front standard adjustments to reach that top building into frame, are a considerable advantage. Interior work is more complex because of light color and differences between artificial light sources and natural light, if both present. You will have to use tungsten balanced film with some compensating filter to deal with other light sources. An expensive color meter will be helpful to determine the levels of compensation and filters to use. This has been successfully done for over 50 years with beautiful results. Just look at the work of Ahmet Ertug done with state of the art View Cameras: your jaw will drop to the floor!

-I like to use View Cameras also for still life work at home or on a light table, making adjustments to get sharp focus along the surfaces, horizontal or laterally, by tilting and swing the front standard of the camera.

ANALOGUE PHOTOGR APHY | RAUL PIRES COELHO

Another opportunity for View Camera use is macro photography. Your only limit will be the extension size of the bellows. Just play with it and see how much you can focus with bellows fully extended along the rails.

Yes, I think that by now you may want to buy a View Camera, or at least try one. You may already have some ideas for photographs. By the way, if you are in Lisbon, or passing by, you can try your hand and look at mine, free of charge, for some demonstration. Just give me a call.

Here is what your starter kit should be: -The View Camera itself, a 4 cm x 5 cm will already give you all the options you need; they are usually sold without lens, sold online at the usual sites, or sold in specialized camera stores; if you plan to take the camera out into the field, a folded camera is the right choice, but maybe a little more expensive. If you plan to use it only indoors, then a monorail is perfect.

-a large format lens, 90 mm, or 150 mm maybe, this one will be equivalent to 50 mm for small 35mm size, and they are widely available at affordable prices; all large format lens are of superior quality at all levels, so it really doesn't matter that much what you get, just try to pick up a clean one, no fungus or surface scratches, and if possible assure the shutter speeds are accurate, and aperture blades freely running in and out.

-tripod, the sturdiest you can afford.

-a dark cloth, so that you can peek comfortably into the ground glass, to do your focusing; a clean black old t-shirt will also do.

-a magnifying glass, specially designed for that purpose, around 8x magnification, to do that pin point focusing over the ground glass.

-a few film holders, 4 to start with; you can buy them new but second hand will do the trick for much less money.

-a cable release, to avoid camera shake, that you may already own.

-and of course don't forget the light meter; any one will do, but a spot meter for landscape outdoor work, is the most useful.

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ography. Digital is so cheap that it is almost free of charge. You can shoot a 1000 takes and one will be good almost certainly. Not also with those film holders and what is inside them, one more reason for you to think carefully before hitting the trigger.

-optionally, get some filters, contrast filters, yellow to red filters, for B&W, or warm and compensating filters for color work; gelatine are better but glass round ones are perfect, always get the best available.

-for field work a backpack is a must; depending on the camera you got, a big model may be the one to go for. There is lot to stack and move around as you see already.

-and film.Of course the choice is still vast.

Sheet film is not cheap. But as all of it is of high quality, you can really stick to your budget and achieve supreme results. The best way is to get it from online stores. The price weight per sheet is one more factor to consider when you are planning your phot-

So let's go for it. Time for the thrill of your life. Fill in a couple of film holders with some sheets. Don't forget, total darkness on loading. It takes practice. Do it first in the clear with some wasted sheets or cut some paper to the right size to practice.

Backpack is ready? Nothing left out? Then stop reading and get out of here to do some shooting!... ...did it go well?

Sure it did, although with film photography we never know. Now you have to develop those precious negatives that hold their surprises, and we can hardly wait.

How do we develop?

Two options here: -take it to a lab for some pro work; if you don't have it in your hometown send it to a lab somewhere, there are plenty to choose from on the internet.

-DIY, some more money spent, but it's worth it; I do it myself only for b&w; color is much more difficult. One has to maintain among other details, precise temperature control on the baths; for 4 cm x 5 cm negatives I use a Paterson orbital tank, 4 sheets at a time, for 8 cm x10 cm a big Jobo tank, 2 sheets at a time; chemicals are the same for small versus medium formats, as is the workflow.

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you will get really large files, full of information that can't be collected any other way.

For example, a scanned file from a 8cm x 10cm negative can have many thousand megabytes of info on file,

where can that be achieved?

When the negatives are dried, that amazed first time look at them is something you won't forget. Positive sheets, exposed to perfection, are absolutely beautiful to look at. 8 cm x 10 cm slides are a pure delight to stare at!

Two more options here: -print those negatives the conventional way, enlarger, photo silver paper, chemical tanks, developer, stop bath, fixer, washing, drying; large format enlargers are big and expensive, at 4 cm x 5 cm size they are still manageable, but at 8cm x10cm they are completely out of the ordinary possibilities, so for this format or bigger only contact printing is available; I have a LPL 4cm x 5cm enlarger, that does also small formats to all medium size film formats, and I can tell you, a print from a 4cm x 5cm negative, even bigger sizes, is a marvel to enjoy, the level of detail is amazing; of course you can give away the negatives for some professional lab printing, but means giving up the control over your work.

-alternatively get your scanner ready, if the one you have has masks to stick in those big negatives, and scan them; from there on everything is known to you, except that

So this is it. With a View Camera you are at the heart and soul of photography. What is written here was just an appetizer for the real meal to follow.

Along with the camera these are the books I recommend for you to read.

If you want to pick only one, choose the Simmons. I have them all, each one gives special insights into this tool which is full of possibilities. To play with the basics is not difficult, but to do serious work some technical skills must be mastered. These are not point and shoot cameras. But to read and understand how this piece of art, a View Camera, works, is something of the most useful any photographer can do!

Mastering the basics of its operation will already be enough for you to change the way you look at photography... for the better, of course!

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CREATIVE EDIT & CONCEPTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

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CREATIVELY EDITED AND CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY _______________________________________

By Peter Nigos Later this year, 1x Magazine will have an issue on “Creative Editing” and this will include examples and a discussion on “Conceptual Photography.” All of us recognize creative editing of images, which is perhaps a hallmark of curated photographic sites like 1x. It is of interest that such work is not universally acknowledged: the jury in the 2015 World Press Photo Awards rejected almost 20,000 entries for “altering the content of an image.”

We can easily identify photo journalism, documentary, landscape, portrait, and macro photography, but the conceptual approach may not be accepted by many who have more than a passing interest in these other techniques. By way of introduction, we show here examples of this genre, and present some arguments for the use of this terminology.

Conceptual photography is part of a movement called “Conceptual Art.” Although the nobility and the church supported artists for a thousand years, it was not until the early 20th century that painting and sculpture (but not music, literature or drama) started to be defined by their value at auction, and those with wealth exhibited their superiority by their collections of images and objects of art. Conceptual artists reacted to this development by saying loudly that there were other forms of expression that did not lend themselves easily to such commercialization.

An alternative art was promoted by those who held that “ … the idea or concept is the most important part of the work…” (LeWitt 1967). Elisabeth Schellekens (2015) cast the conceptual artist as “… a thinker rather than an object maker or craftsman…”

CREATIVELY EDITED AND CONCEPTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY | PETER NIGOS

front of the Mona Lisa or the Grand Canyon.

Marcel Duchamp's white porcelain urinal Conceptual photography paralleled the development of a conceptual form of art.

Marcel Duchamp’s white porcelain urinal, submitted to an art exhibition in 1917 in New York (and promptly rejected) lives on only as a photograph. This picture has caused more discussion and argument than any of the other works accepted for this exhibition, which are long forgotten.

Installation art, such as the extraordinary transient events of Christo and JeanneClaude, exist for the hereafter only in images.

Present day conceptual artists who work with photographic methods rebel against two important features of still images. (We omit here, for convenience, further consideration of conceptual movie making). One is the current proliferation of an overwhelming number of digital images secondary to the invention of the imaging semiconductor circuit (the CCD sensor) - and exampled by the “selfie”, and web based sites like Flickr, Facebook and Instagram.

Readers of this magazine can agree that any form of resistance to this juggernaut is worthwhile.

Those responsible for the billions of pictures in circulation regard photography as a technical means of reflection of the existing world, whether it is their image with their friends, or their image with their friends in

The second reaction which has produced conceptual photography is more personal to sites like 1x, where images are identified or curated for aesthetic beauty and interesting composition, with emphasis on sharpness, clarity, tonality, lack of noise, smooth highlights, and so on. Have a look at the comments by those who would act as judges or critics of your submitted photographs. Images which meet these requirements are more likely to be applauded, promoted, published in the 1x book collections, and awarded prizes. (There is also an underlying - and some would venture unhealthy - interest in technique: which camera, which lens, how much post processing etc).

“Untitled” by René Vlayen http://1x.com/photo/748752/

“Tre Momenti Di Fede” by Gabriele Gaspardis http://1x.com/photo/784445/

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References <http://christojeanneclaude.net> accessed Feb 2015.

LeWitt, Sol, 1967. ‘Paragraphs on Conceptual Art’, Artforum, 5(10): 79–83.

List of most expensive photographs <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

“This is not Elvis” by Peter Nigos http://1x.com/photo/737472/

Conceptual photography aims to disrupt these cosy arrangements. Artists who use conceptual photographic techniques often deny that they are photographers as usually defined. They may use images which are not original, but are borrowed (? stolen) from the internet or other sites.

Their work may not employ a camera.

Their images can be technically perfect, with superb display of Photoshop expertise, or they may be blurred, poorly composed, and filled with grain and noise.

Finally consider a list of the most successful photographic prints sold at auction in the last few years. Almost everyone who has used a camera has their own individual opinion of the success or otherwise of these prints, but you cannot deny that buying and selling art at auction exposes the work to multiple critics who have produced a consensus on the value of the finished product. The actual dollar value placed by these experts on the individual works is irrelevant.

Of the twenty two most expensive photographic prints currently sold at auction (courtesy Wikipedia 2015), six can be classified as landscapes, seven as portraits, two as close-ups and seven as conceptual.

Therefore only two thirds of these highly prized prints represent recognized photographic tradition.

I would argue that the conceptual approach continues to make a powerful attack on what many of us understand as the serious business of photography.

List_of_most_expensive_photographs> accessed Feb 2015.

Schellekens, Elisabeth, "Conceptual Art", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2015 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2015/ entries/conceptual-art/> World Press Photo Awards 2015 <http://www.worldpressphoto.org/2015-photocontest>

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YAN ZHANG

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Photo 1: Rolling hills and grazing sheep: typical New Zealand scenery on the way from Auckland to Hahei (photo by Yan Zhang).

PHOTO STORY | YAN ZHANG

YAN ZHANG _______________________________________ MY JOURNEY TO NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand, located in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, consists of two major islands: South and North Islands. Its South Island is close to the Antarctic, while its North Island is about 1000 km south of the Pacific islands of Fiji and Tonga. It is well known that New Zealand has some of the most distinguished natural geographical landscape features in the world. It contains wild coastlines, rugged alpine glaciers, remote rain forests, active volcanic mountains, and richly endowed grasslands – all these together form one of the most magnificent natural landscapes on this planet.

Since I had my first New Zealand photography expedition with the outstanding photographer Kah Kit Yoong in 2011, this country has inevitably become my inspiration.

In the last couple of years, I have visited New Zealand five times. Each time, I was able to explore some new places and create some interesting photographs.

In this article, I would like to share my personal experiences of several of the most beautiful places in New Zealand from a traveler’s and photographer’s perspective.

These places may not be so popular compared to some other places, yet I believe that they have very unique photographic features..

(1) Cathedral Cove – A Gem of Coromandel Peninsula On 17 April 2013, it was a sunny day and my third photography expedition to New Zealand started at Auckland Airport. From there, we drove towards Hahei - a small coast town located on the Coromandel Peninsula, about 180 km southeast of Auckland.

Hahei is quite a special place from a geographical perspective. The volcanic rocks along the Hahei coast mostly comprise volcanic material that erupted from massive calderas (large, deep craters) around eight million years ago, forming sheets of ignimbrite and rhyolitic domes.

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Photo 2: Between night and day (photo by Yan Zhang).

Our primary purpose of visiting Hahei was to see and photograph a few interesting rock stacks especially the famous Cathedral Cove along the Hahei coast. We arrived at Hahei town in the early afternoon, and directly headed to the location. Driving about 10 minutes by following the road signs, we stopped in the car park at the trailhead.

Then we hiked along the track and crossed pasture and scrubland before entering pine forest with a good understory of native shrubs. From here, it was all the way downhill to Cathedral Cove and even though this meant there was a climb back off the beach for the return journey. After about 30 minutes walk, we reached the sand beach and suddenly the Cathedral-like arch presented the whole area with an air of grandeur.

I walked around the place and tried to find my favorite shooting spots. Obviously, the arch had to be the primary subject, but getting something unique and interesting from it was challenging, because I have see so many similar images of it on the internet.

The weather condition was not ideal: no sunset light and an overcast sky after dark.

Next day, early morning about 3 am, I checked the sky and found that it had a dramatic mixing of stars and clouds. I decided to get up and go to the beach. On the way we hiked to the beach in the darkness, and we witnessed a beautiful sky with pre-dawn light appearing below the horizon ( as Photo 2 shows), which inspired me to capture the transition between night and day from within the Cathedral Cove.

When we arrived at the beach, it was still very dark night. I quickly set up my camera in the spot that I had identified last evening, and started shooting. It was a super test of my patience to make this image during the two hours of witnessing an incredible transition between night and day. Luckily, by sunrise, the light made the rock wall shinning.

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Photo 3: Cathedral Cove (http://1x.com/photo/184052/all:user:82189 , photo by Yan Zhang)

(2) Kawarau River â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Origin of Bungy Jumping Not many people outside New Zealand have heard about Kawarau River, but they probably know that the sport bungy jumping initially started in New Zealand. Yes, it actually started here at the Kawarau River!

The Kawarau River starts at Lake Wakatipu, and flows generally eastwards for about 60 km and passes through the steep Kawarau Gorge until it reaches Lake Dunstan near Cromwell. There are quite a lot of adventure activities on the river including riverboarding, jet boating, white water rafting, river surfing, and of course, bungy jumping. However, as the river contains many rapids and strong currents, it can be dangerous and has claimed lives.

When I had first visited the South Island of New Zealand back in 1994, I visited the famous Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the first bungee jumping spot, although I did

not pay any attention to the river itself at that time. In recent years, I have visited this bridge a few times. Now, it has become a tourist hot spot. In the Tourist Centre, we could see people lining up for the jump, while various funny jumping symbols were shown everywhere.

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Photo 4: Bungy jumping over Kawarau River (photo by Yan Zhang).

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Photo 5: In the Tourist Centre, even the toilet signs show the jump (photo by Yan Zhang).

While I have good knowledge about the Kawarau River and its interesting connection to bungee jumping, creating a photo about this river came as a random decision. In September 2012, our group of photographers arrived at Queenstown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a resort town along Lake Wakatipu in Otago on the South Island, and planned to shoot in several bay and lake areas around Queenstown. But as we could not find a suitable accommodation inside the Queenstown town center, we stayed in a hotel in Frankton, located just at the west end of the Kawarau River where it enters into Lake Wakatipu.

By exploring the nearby surroundings of the hotel, we found a spot on a cliff above Kawarau River that provided a beautiful viewpoint of the river with the famous mountain called The Remarkables as the background. The scene was just magnificent. As it was only the beginning of spring in the south hemisphere, the top of the mountain peaks was still covered by snow.

So I decided to take some serious shots at this location during our stay in Queenstown. Under our time constraint, I only had two morning opportunities for taking photos at this spot. For the first time, the sunrise light was wonderful, but its direction was not quite right and I did not want to comprise my composition. On the day we were leaving Queenstown, I decided to take a last chance. I went up before 5 am, and came to this place still in darkness. It was surprising that the Milky Way was still clearly hung on the sky and the twilight was about to illuminate the surroundings, whilst two strips of red clouds crossed the sky.

This was the first time I witnessed such a wonderful Milky Way when the sky started to change its color.

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Photo 6: Kawarau River (http://1x.com/photo/54655/all:user:82189, photo by Yan Zhang)

Besides the Kawarau River area near Queenstown, Queenstown itself is a beautiful place and contains many opportunities for photography. For example, Wilson Bay along the Queenstown – Glenorchy Road and Moke Lake are two interesting spots with impressive landscape views, yet not so well known to people from outside New Zealand. Another highlight is to get to the Bob’s Peak, where you can gain a 360degree over Queenstown and surrounding lakes and mountains, as shown in Photo 7 opposite.

added since, so it's very easy to imagine the town as it was during the time of the gold rush.

3) Saint Bathans – A Recall of Old Times

Because of its remote geographic location, Saint Bathans is not a popular place for tourists as well as for photographers. It is quiet, especially in winter. People sometimes call it a ghost town. I only heard about Saint Bathans after my fourth trip to the South Island. But the more information I found out about this place, the more my curiosity increased. So when I planned my fifth trip within the South Island in July 2014, I decided to visit Saint Bathans and hoped to see something interesting.

Saint Bathans is an old small town located in the highland plain called The Maniototo in the region of Otago, South Island. I don’t know the exact population of Saint Bathans – and it seems that such information is not readily available from the internet. But back in the late 1800s, it was a bustling town with around 2,000 miners living in the immediate vicinity. Some of the buildings from that era remain until today and little else has been

Saint Bathans is located between Queenstown and Dunedin, but surrounded by mountains, as one can see from Photo 8.

This implies that access to Saint Bathans is not as convenient as most other places in South Island. In fact, there is no public transport to get there. Furthermore, in winter, it can be inaccessible from outside if a snowstorm occurs.

PHOTO STORY | YAN ZHANG

Photo 7: Queenstown (photo by Yan Zhang). Photo 8: Map of Saint Bathans

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3 July 2014 was a calm day – no snow, no wind. After long hours of driving, we arrived in the town without any drama. Our accommodation was the only hotel in Saint Bathans called the Vulcan Hotel. This 1887 built hotel was small but cozy and convenient. The owner couples were kind, and made us feel very welcome. The hotel also provided meals for its customers because there was no other restaurant nearby.

We first tried to walk in a circle around the lake, but some parts of the trail were covered by water and became inaccessible.

Although the weather had turned to overcast in the late afternoon, which made everything look gloomy, I was surprised to find that the lake had many photographic attractions: We could not only see various colorful water patterns appearing in the lake, but also a lot of rich texture of the rock walls along the lake.

As there was no sunset light, we couldn’t make many shots, and had to go back to the hotel earlier. But no doubt, this place has got to be one of my favourite future photography focuses.

Photo 9: Vulcan Hotel (photo by Yan Zhang) The main landscape feature of Saint Bathans is Blue Lake – a small man-made lake adjacent to the town of Saint Bathans. The lake itself was a result of sluicing operations for gold mining back to 1873. Nowadays, Blue Lake has become an important recreation area for swimming, body boarding and kayaking.

Photo 11: Colourful rock wall around Blue Lake (by Yan Zhang)

Photo 10: Blue Lake (source: from Internet).

After we had settled in Vulcan Hotel, we quickly headed to Blue Lake, which was just a few hundred meters away. Once we got to the lake, I realized that it was not that small.

As we had planned to depart from Saint Bathans on 4 July 2014, it meant that we would only have one last morning opportunity for taking photos at Blue Lake. So I got up the next morning before twilight and went to the cliff edge above the lake. It was pretty cold and I could feel gale force winds

PHOTO STORY | YAN ZHANG

Photo 12: Blue Lake (http://1x.com/photo/749214/all:user:82189, photo by Yan Zhang)

whip past my cheeks. The dark sky was still full of stars and I saw some dramatic clouds forming in the northeastern direction.

headed to our next destination. Our experience at Saint Bathans and Blue Lake was very brief but exciting and unforgettable.

In the next 15 minutes, the sky became more and more interesting. I could see beautiful clouds moving from one side to another, which created some red reflections on the lake surface. At the same time, stars gradually began to fade at the breaking of dawn.

After coming back home to Sydney, I processed my photos and knew that I had fortunately achieved what I had expected. As shown in Photo 12, the final image precisely illustrates what we saw at Blue Lake on that cold winter morning.

I quickly set up my tripod and camera, and started to shoot. Although I dialed my lens to the widest focal length 14 mm, it was still not sufficient to include all of the lake surroundings that I wanted to capture. So I simply made a few separate shots from lower to upper and from left to right so that I could stitch these shot together during post processing to form a larger frame including all the interesting features..

After sunrise, we had to get back to the hotel and pack up our luggage, and then

(4) Golden Bay â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Region with Endless Varieties No doubt, Golden Bay should be viewed as one of the most remote coast areas in New Zealand. It is a shallow and paraboloid shaped bay at the Northwest end of the South Island. As showed on the map (Photo 13), touching the Tasman Sea, the bay is protected in the north by Farewell Spit, a 26 km long arm of fine golden sand that is the country's longest sand spit. Its southeast is adjacent to the famous Abel Tasman National Park.

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One day in July 2013, when I was wandering through a bookshop in Queenstown, I found a book with an article about the Golden Bay area together with some pictures. The article and those pictures immediately ignited my strong interest in this place. After further study, this place had fully captured my interest.

spectacular enough on their own. But Wharariki is book-ended by sheer cliffs and off the beach are monumental wave-buffeted islands. We arrived during a low tide, and a narrow isthmus of sand and rock pools linked the islands to the beach. Such rocky islands presented the most photographic feature of Wharariki beach.

The following image was made on our last day during the twilight evening time. The beautiful sky with rising moon reflected on the wet sandy beach ground was just surreal and mysterious.

Photo 13: Golden Bay Map I started my new expedition to New Zealand in January 2014. Although my primary goal for this trip was to participate in an Alpine Mountaineering Training Course in Mt Cook, I decided to visit Golden Bay before my course began. On the 6 January 2014, it was a hot sunny day when we headed to Collingwood â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a small town located on the north end of the South Island and only 30 km away from Golden Bay. Soon after we checked in to our pre-booked motel at Collingwood, we started to explore this area.

Wharariki Beach was the main highlight of Golden Bay. To access it, we drove along Collingwood-Puponga Main Road for about 20 minutes, then turned left to Wharariki Road and continued driving for another 10 minutes. The road ended at the Wharariki Holiday Park. Then following a small trail, we walked about 20 minutes passing through private pastoral land to reach the beach.

Wharariki's swathe of white sand swept into prodigious dunes by the wind would be

Photo 14: Moonrise at Wharariki Beach (http://1x.com/photo/517484/all:user:82189, photo

by Yan Zhang) By approaching the other end of the beach, one would see a cave that is sometimes frequented by seals. However, this cave is probably not accessible in high tide. Luckily, we were able to get there one afternoon and indeed heard seal noises coming from that cave. Photo 15 was taken beside the cave when the tide started to recede and the setting sunlight was reflected from the shallow water pool.

In addition to Wharariki Beach, Golden Bay certainly has a lot of other interesting photography subjects. Onekaka Wharf, along Takaka-Collingwood High Way and about 12 km Southeast of Collingwood, is probably one of those popular locations for both tourists and photographers in this area, where people can see a lot of sea birds perched on the wharf.

PHOTO STORY | YAN ZHANG

Photo 15: When Tide Receded (http://1x.com/photo/712325/all:user:82189, photo by Yan Zhag)

Another interesting spot I think is an unnamed area on the seaside along Collingwood-Puponga Main Road, where a line of rotten jetty legs gives a highlight during the change of tides, as showed in Photo 16.

Photo 16: Rotten Jetty at Golden Bay (photo by Yan Zhang)

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(5) There Are So Many To Be Explored …

In previous sections, I highlighted a few places which I think are quite unique yet have not become too popular from both a travel and photography perspective, compared to some other places in New Zealand.

But one thing I guarantee: When in New Zealand, for most of the time, you don’t need to worry about a place getting too crowed.

New Zealand, especially its South Island, is a compact island but with so many various geographic features. Here I briefly list several more places on the South Island where you can pursue your photographic interests.

Photo 18: Surreal Ocean (http://1x.com/ photo/575626/all:user:82189, photo by Yan Zhang)

Moeraki Boulders

Milford Sound

Lying along on Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, Moeraki Boulders are unusually large and spherical boulders. Their distinguished geometric feature is simply eye-catching once you come to the beach. High tide is usually good for getting pictures of these boulders.

Milford Sound has been called the Eighth Wonder of the World. Its magnificent towering cliffs and peaks rise more than a kilometer straight out of the sea. Hundred of waterfalls cascade into the fjord and forest clings to sheer rock faces. Milford Sound also offers many walking and tramping tracks ranging from short and easy walks to long multi-day mountain tramps/climbs.

From a photographer’s perspective, it provides endless opportunities and is definitely a region worth exploring.

Photo 17: Moeraki Boulders (http://1x.com/photo/160571/ all:user:82189, photo by Yan Zhang)

West Coast West Coast, starting from Kahurangi Point in the North near Golden Bay and ending at Awarua Point north to Milford Sound, with a length of 600 km on the west side of the South Island, is probably one of the wildest coastlines in the world. A photographer should not miss the opportunity to explore this region.

Photo 19: Milford Sound Waterfalls (http://1x.com/ photo/593035/all:user:82189, photo by Yan Zhang)

Lake Hawea Located in the Otago Region, Lake Hawea

PHOTO STORY | YAN ZHANG

lies in a parallel glacial valley to Lake Wanaka, 35 km long at an altitude of 348 meters. If you travel to Lake Wanaka, very likely, you would miss Lake Hawea because only going to Mount Aspiring from Wanaka along Makarora-Lake Hawea Road will you pass this huge lake. Nonetheless, Lake Hawae offers some stunning scenery that will impress all.

Photo 20: Lake Hawea (http://1x.com/photo/199086/all:user:82189, photo by Yan Zhang)

Aoraki / Mount Cook Last but not least, Aoraki / Mount Cook is a mountain range lying in the Southern Alps of South Island, where its height of 3724 meters positions it to be the highest mountain in New Zealand. Aoraki / Mount Cook provides all kinds of activities, from serious mountain climbing, tramping and walking, to general recreations. Although I have been to Mount Cook several times before, only from 2014 did I start to climb this mountain range seriously.

Obviously, there is so much more to tell about this place, and I believe a separate article should be devoted to it.

About the Author Yan Zhang is a computer scientist and university professor specializing in Artificial Intelligence. Yan started digital photography practice in 2007, and since then, he has been tirelessly exploring the scenes of nature near and far, and trying to capture those magical moments and transform them into eternal art. Yanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photography focus are grand landscapes of oceans, sky and mountains, as well as fine natural objects. He resides in Sydney, Australia with his wife and two daughters. http://yanzhangphotography.com Photo 21: Winter Symmetry (http://1x.com/photo/82918/all:user:82189, photo by Yan Zhang)

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PHOTO REVIEW | 12 SHOTS - INTRODUCTION

PHOTO REVIEW _____________________________________

By Susanne Stoop Creative editing, also known as photo montage refers to creating an image out of several photos. Of course there are more possible variants: You can paste a texture, give a photograph a nicer sky, or use the Droste effect in repeatedly applying a photo within a photo, which is getting smaller and smaller. Although the result can be pleasing, I won't include those images in my review, but will rather concentrate on works that are more complex in terms of editing and content.

Creative editing is a wonderful tool to tell stories, fairy tales or even dreams. It can also be used to bring the non-existing into reality,often within the world of advertisement, or reverse, turning parts of reality into a non existing world - the world of the surreal.

It takes a lot of imagination, skill and planning to create an amazing photo montage. Imagination, because you have to first come up with the arrangement for the photo in your mind. Then follows the planning. Which pictures do I have to take, how can they fit into the story, how to use the right colours, how to control the light and the shadows. And then there is the need for the skill to make a consistent, convincing and technically flawless image out of all the parts you have photographed.

There is a thin, but distinctive line between creative editing and conceptual photography. The ideas are easily confused, especially since conceptual photographers like to use photo montages.

To put it bluntly, for creative editing the beautiful appearance of a photo montage is critical, while it is the idea that counts for a conceptual image. How that idea is shown is of less importance. In other words, creative editing may be called extrovert and conceptual photography introvert. To further clarify this distinction: Conceptual photographers should always be able to explain which idea they have imagined, like for example Michael Bilotta does.

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The Last Days of Theia by Michael Bilotta In this review I will show you some of the many sides of creative editing: 1. Telling stories 2. Abstract shows 3. Keep it simple 4. Jacob's ladder 5. The thin line - photo montage, conceptual or both 6. The heirs of Magritte and Dali

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1. Telling Stories Happy Hour by Anthony Benussi If you look closely at "Happy Hour" by Anthony Benussi, you will discover that all the characters in this tableau vivant are represented by the same person. A convenient solution for the problem of having to engage a lot of models. Each â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in this image had first gotten his own photograph and in the end all had to be merged into one image. Needless to say that this will take a lot of planning! But is also gives the image editor the flexibility to move his persons and props until they are all in the right place. In advertising photography this procedure is widely being used.

There is a lot going on at this picture, lots to discover too and yet, the picture does not appear as being cluttered or too busy. A job well done! A minor point of critique might be for example that the barman isn't looking at the glass he is filling.

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Those were the days by Roel van den Broek While Anthony Benussi had one actor at his disposal to tell his story, Roel van den Broek had six models. They are all part of this scene showing an aspect of Dutch history of the nineteen fifties.

That time is commonly being described as a time of comfort, simplicity, order and consistency.

Much of this is indeed true. But that society was also accompanied by strong divisions and the ever-present authority of government and church. For many people it was also a time of oppressive civility, taciturnity and narrow morality.

At the end of the fifties the younger generation started to rebel as shown in the actions of the eldest son, ready to fill his plate instead of saying grace like his siblings. The father is ready to give him a beating, the mother looks away. Those were indeed the days. As an experiential expert I can tell you, that Roel hit that mood of the time very well. But even without knowing all details about those days, the photo itself tells you already much about rebellion, obedience, oppression and hypocrisy of those days(I really wonder why isn't the father saying his grace, but well, those were the days. Quod erat demonstrandum.)

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2. Abstract shows La gioia by Gilbert Claes La gioia - the joy. And indeed this colourful, bright image is a joy for the eye. It is vivid, but there is a touch of darkness, hinting perhaps that the happiness, the joy, is only a temporary, fleeting moment.

I have no idea how Gilbert edited this image, whether it is a montage or not. The photo speaks so much for itself that it is of no real importance to know. What I see is a clever play with reflections, forms, patterns and colors on a glass wall or a huge window, that tells the story of a joyful moment.

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Carrizo Skies by Ron Jones Carrizo Plain National Monument is a large enclosed grassland plain in South Eastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about 100 miles (160 km) Northwest of Los Angeles. It must be marvellous to be there and gaze at the mountains, the colors and the skies. And that is just what Ron Jones did. He looked around and wondered how he could show all the beauty he saw in one picture. The result of his photo montage is a mixture of the concrete and the abstract. He wanted the skies to dance, as Ron writes in the photo info. And they are indeed appearing to be dancing, these skies in the vivid, almost exuberant mosaic, thus expressing the joy Ron must have felt when roaming the plains. In this way the image is successful. But I wonder, havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t there been other possibilities to express these feelings of joy and happiness?

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3. Keep it simple Only human part III by Monica Stuurop Creative editing and photo montages need not be necessarily complicated images like this quiet picture of Monica Stuurop shows. It is simple and yet very effective. The content is strong. It speaks and invites you to ponder about the tree of live - or in biblical terms the Tree of Jesse - a depiction in art of the ancestors of Christ, shown in a tree which rises from Jesse of Bethlehem, the father of King David.

This beautiful image has one little flaw. It is the white edge around the branches, due to the reduction of the image. In other cases it may be the result of sharpening the picture or adding to much contrast. There is but one solution to this problem: erase it. A time consuming exercise, I know, and boring.

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I am flying by Minja Silvennoinen She is quite excited, happy and so proud of herself, this flying lady flying above a foggy landscape. Her face tells it all while she is slowly floating by. It is a form of levitation - originally a mystic phenomenon and now rather popular among photographers. There are lots of tutorials to be found on the web, as a side note.

Back to Minja's lovely photo. It is so charming that you tend to forget that there are some points of improvement.

It would have been nice if there had been more space left underneath the flying lady. Now she appears as almost glued to the top the hill. Also, a little more sky above the balloon would have given her more space to fly. In this type of photograph the subject needs some space in order to give us that flying sensation the lady must be certainly feeling.

There is also the contradiction between her scarf, which suggests speed and her hair, which is hardly ruffled and indeed hanging down, suggesting she is slowly floating by. Now I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really imagine that you will make a lot of speed, if you put on a balloon, but still, that contradiction is something you'll have to avoid.

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4. Jacob’s ladder Next! by D.A. Wagner Stairs in all kinds of forms are a popular subject in photography and its creative editing branch. I have been browsing the web a bit and it is amazing in how many ways you can picture a stair, ladder or escalator and use it in a photo montage.

"Next" by D.A. Wagner is a wonderful example of not only the ‘stairway to heaven’ motive, but also of the meticulous editing ( you should really read his tutorial, if you have not yet done so).

I can find very little to be faulty in this photo montage. There is but one very minor point. If you look closely at the transparent glass - or whatever it is - panel of the escalator, you can see a residue of the original photo Mr Wagner used. But let’s rest it right here! There is so much beauty to be seen that easily makes up for it: The light, the colors, the clouds and that lovely detail of the two birds,,the out of proportion beginnings of the escalator, giving the image that surreal twist.

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Grace for drowning by Milad Safabakhsh The ladders and the raven. According to popular believe both bring bad luck. And the little silhouetted man has no idea about it. He runs gracefully to his misfortune. He is halfway into the picture and the ladders are more and more visible , with the raven watching him. And the little man? He runs on, just like life runs on until it ends. A symbolic story. Of course with many different possible interpretations. Already the tags to this image tell a more optimistic story: Bird, lost, salvation.

While D.A Wagner's photo speaks for itself, Milad's image is more open for diverse interpretations. It is here where photomontage meets conceptual photography.

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5. The thin line â&#x20AC;&#x201C; photo montage, conceptual or both Dice by Zoltan Toth In a way "Dice" by Zoltan Toth and "Grace for drowning" by Milad Safabakhsh are having the same subject, being the fickleness of life. You never know how the dice is falling or when you meet your fate in life.

The dice is as symbolic as is the sea. Both are unpredictable. The sea seems to be very calm. The waves are rolling gently onto the beach. But in the background, above the fog, restless cloud are already looming - the messengers of a storm and waves that soon might hit the beach. But will they? You'll never know.

"Dice" depicts an idea and in this sense the image is conceptual. It is also a very good photo montage. To make his point, Zoltan used creative editing, but he could also have chosen another way to photographically express his thoughts. It is obvious that these disciplines do not exclude each other.

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Stuck by MariĂŤtte Aernoudts A falling angel has met her fate, stuck, stitched to the earth plasters. The dice has fallen and in that sense this image is a continuation of the pictures of Zoltan and Milad.

I think that the idea is dominating this image. So, it is also a crossover of photo montage and conceptual photography.

This beautiful image also shows that creative editing doesn't need vibrant colors or exuberant scenes in order to make an impression. This unobtrusive, almost shy image speaks immediately and lets you follow the the idea that has been photographically expressed.

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6. The heirs of Magritte and Dali Introspection by Patrick Desmet The surrealist Belgian painter René Magritte influenced many photographers. They were inspired by his way of seeing and annexed many of the props he used: the bowler hat, the umbrella, covering one's face with an object.

René Magritte described his paintings as "visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question, 'What does that mean?'. It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable."

One of the heirs of Magritte is the Belgian Patrick Desmet. His photo ‘Introspection’ - and for instance also the photograph: "I can see clearly now" (http://1x.com/photo/795481/ all:user:6328) are very much influenced by Magritte. In his other work he follows his own way of surrealism more freely. All works display a wonderful range of imagination.

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Untitled by Lifeware Salvador Dali described his paintings as painted dream photographs. He painted his props very realistically, but like in a dream the objects don't seem to have any connections with each other.

The bizarre objects and environments symbolized the subconscious elements that surfaced in his dreams. He was also a master in the art of trompe l'oeil (optical illusion) and the play with perspective.

One of Dali's heirs is Lifeware. Her wonderful photo montage shows many aspects of Dali's strange, but fascinating surreal dream world. Read about Dali and you can begin to interpret this images.

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BOOKS | BE INSPIRED “Peter's Epilogue” by Michael Bilotta A collection of his best surreal and conceptual pieces from the last two years. All the imagery started as photos and was heavily manipulated into the final images using Photoshop. There are 55 images included, with introductions to each. View | Order

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“The Iconic Photographs” by Steve McCurry This spectacular book brings together the most beautiful, memorable and evocative pictures of Steve McCurry's extraordinary career. View | Order

“Untold: the story behind photographs” by Steve mc Curry Steve McCurry's iconic images have made him one of the world's most popular photographers working today. Now, for the first time, he shares the stories behind stunning images taken from around the world throughout his extensive career.

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