Various

Friday, June 25th, 2010

Know what’s © Right…

Usually, I don’t feature books on my blog, but for once, this one is a must read…

Photographer’s Survival Manual:
A Legal Guide for Artists in the Digital Age

For all you amateur and professional photographers out there, actually anyone who wants (or plans) to make money with a digital camera needs this guide.

Written by Jack Reznicki, president of the Professional Photographers of America, and Ed Greenberg, the leading New York copyright attorney, it provides photographers and visual artists with the most authoritative legal advice available.

Everything is covered, from contracts, subcontracts, releases, and permissions to the copyright laws and all the steps artists should take to register and protect their work. Find out how to use copyright to protect your work from infringement, insure you are properly paid for your work, and how to proceed if your rights are infringed upon.

You can get the book on Amazon [link]

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

Fly baby, fly…

While enjoying a short Easter holiday on the Sunshine Coast, I came across a skateboard and bikers park, right on the beach. The guys were showing off their skills and I couldn’t resist to get the camera out (yes, even on holidays, smile).

Here are a few samples…

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Nikon Australia has announced the inaugural

NPS (Nikon Professional Services) member portfolio.

The 2009 NPS member portfolio showcases the exceptional work of Nikon professional photographers, across all genres of photography, including Sport, Wedding, Fashion, Architecture, Portrait, Landscape and Nature. The portfolio is a first of its kind in Australia recognising the work of Nikon photographers. Craig Gillespie (Marketing Manager at Nikon Australia): “The work of our members is absolutely exceptional! The dedication and skill that the photographers display is second to none and we want to acknowledge their achievements.”

I feel honoured that several of my images are featured in this slideshow, and I am especially proud of the fact that my “Verdasco” shot has been chosen to be the freeze frame (and thumbnail on youtube). The presentation closes with my “Day & Night” portrait, which is also very exciting.

You can find the NPS 2009 Slideshow here. Watch it in HD!

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Universal Shift

This week I had the pleasure to shoot images for the cover of Grant Hilton‘s new book “Universal Shift“.

Quote from the Back-Cover:
“If you’re wondering about where the world is heading, or where your own destiny lies, Grant Hilton can tell you. A former student of his holiness the Dalai Lama, and the youngest resort owner in Australia, Grant has been both incredibly rich and incredibly destitute. Homeless at 17, he was a millionaire by 25. At 32 he retired and sold all his material possessions. He spent the next five years studying with the Dalai Lama and Buddhist monks. Today he teaches celebrity’s, top businessmen as well as individuals how to create unlimited health, happiness and wealth in their lives.”

The book will be available in August 2009.

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Magazine Feature

The May issue of the Australian Digital Reproduction Magazine features my work on 2 full spreads as well as the cover.

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

Small lights, big results

Shooting on location doesn’t always require a truck full of large flashes, battery packs and softboxes. Sometimes less is more, and can achieve a very similar end-result.

Last Saturday, I was shooting Singapore model Jessebella Tan (scary make-up by Suzana Salleh, Singapore) at an abandoned water tower. The location could only be accessed by foot. So the decision was easy: leave the big guns at home, and use Nikon’s speedlights instead. While I packed 4 speedlights, I ended up using only one SB-900 for most of the shots (shooting through an umbrella to soften the light).

Shot above: One SB-900 through umbrella as main light, 2 SB-800 with gels for background
Shots 1+2 below: Only one SB-900
Shot 3 below: One SB-900 as main light, another SB-900 (with gel) for background
Shot 4 below: Behind the scenes

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

The “real” Singapore

When travelling to foreign countries, I always try to get away from the glitzy tourist routes, and find the “real” people. On Sunday, my dear Swiss friend Paul and I found time to leave our assignments behind for a day, and explore Singapore. We thought, China Town would be a good contrast. While “nice”, i must admit China Town reminded me more of an asian version of Disney Land than anything else, kept in shape and run for tourists really, so quite soon we’ve seen enough and stopped at a small restaurant for a (rather huge) bottle of Tiger Beer.

On our way out, we found a small plaza with no tourists, where old men were gathering around little tables, laughing, shouting, arguing, playing board games like “Weiqi” and Chinese Chess. Voila, there it is, the “real” Singapore, brilliant.

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Out of the dark, into the light!

How many good photographs are stored somewhere deep in a
fancy organised folder structure on your hard drive? Will they ever see light again?

Over the last 27 years, I have been shooting over two hundred thousand photos. What happens with them? Of course, the photos shot on client assignments, for model projects, during sporting events or wedding have been processed, delivered, and invoiced. But what with that photograph of the sweet green frog you captured on your last bush walk, or that one specially sweet image from the TFP shoot you did 2 years ago?  Aren’t photographs meant to capture moments in time so we can share them? Instead of having them sitting on our hard-drives, we should start to print them again! Because…

Photos just look better on paper…

the bigger, the better. Even sharing photographs on websites and blogs is nice, but nothing really compares to an actual print. For me personally, I much prefer to hand over a “real photograph” instead of sending files by email. Somehow printed images are more “valuable”, have more weight, are more “important”.

And then there is the next level: Published photos. People you never met see your images, and your “creations” are seen in a different context, become part of a product, a book, a magazine, a story! My first photograph was published in Switzerland a long time ago, but I still remember the day as if it was yesterday. It was very exciting and I was a very proud 18 year old. Since then, photos of mine have been published in Europe, in the USA, in Australia and in Asia, in newspapers, magazines, on cd-covers and books. And just like 24 years ago, I find it very exciting every single time one of my images find its way “out of the dark, into the light“.