BORUT PETERLIN in a rabbit hole of photography

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In this issue of Mladina we have an interview with Prime minister Borut Pahor. I’ll remember this interview very well. First of all we were late. I mean I was 10 min early, but journalists were late so I didn’t had any time to set the lights or adjust the set in my advantage. I could ask Prime Minister Pahor to seat on the opposite seat then usually Prime Ministers are seating so I had skyline of Ljubljana in the background. While interview was in progress I was setting my lights and walking behind Prime Minister’s back dozen times.
_ From this image you can see how much maneuvering space I had around Prime Minister. Anyhow after I set everything I shot two images and then flash started to beep really loudly. I turned it off and on again, but it was still beeping. Two seconds later smoke started to come out of flash and I turned it off and plug the cable out and turned away my face questioning what will happen. All crazy scenarios went through my head from what I will do if the flash will burst in flame to the association if it’ll explode I’ll be next Gavrilo Princip
Luckily journalist and editor in chief Grega Repovž was lauching his heavy questions and with Prime Minister they didn’t notice a thing, not even strange smell of burning plastic. Journalist Jure Trampuš did noticed a smoke and observed the situation with expression of concern while trying hard not to burst in laughter.

After I exchanged the flash head I finish the interview photo-shoot with only one flash. When Prime Minister was in discussion with Jure Trampuš I asked Gregor Repovž to seat on the right seat, so Prime Minister was looking toward right side. As a picture-editor I know the picture looks so much better in the magazine if the person portrayed is looking toward text on the right page. I was very satisfied with the result. Here are two more images.
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My wife Alenka Peterlin has a new site alenkapeterlin.com! She is specialized in bookbinding and wedding photography. Check her site designed by herself and developed by my brother Peter Peterlin. __

Jure Breceljnik is a filmmaker who made a documentary film about Natalija Gros entitled Chalk and Chocolate. As I reported HERE they had a premiere on Mountain Film Festival and they won two awards Best Climbing Film Award and Viewers Choice Award.

Yesterday I made a their Striptiz creative portrait commissioned by Mladina weekly. The concept was to make a contrast of comfortableness of viewing film and toughness of climbing rocks, so I used a stereotype of a man sitting on the couch and women working. We shot it in Škofja Loka. Thanks Jure, Natalija and Perica, who was helping us to bring Jure and chair on the right spot. Here are few more pics from the shoot. I try it out also with wide angle lens, but it didn’t work out, because chair is unrecognizable.

Here is a new stage in constructing our house. Now terrain is more or less formed. One more stone wall needs to be build in front of terrace, but otherwise it’s as it should be. Also water tank of 7000 l volume is digged underground. It’s not meant for drinking water, but we’ll capture rain water and use it for sanitary water, washing cars and for the garden.

This pictures are from last weekend, 14th of March 2009.

HERE are pictures from 20th of May 2007 when we made a road to our propety.
HERE are pictures from 4th of December 2008 when we start to dig a hole.
HERE is from 13th of December 2008
HERE 21th of December 2008

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In Ljubljana, Plesno mesto, Devova 18 Damjan Šef and his firm Profot have a three days demonstration of digital backs Leaf for Mamiya and Hasselblad and also professional exotic studio lightning Profoto. Here is one picture with Hasselblad and Leaf back dimensions 5336 x 4000 pix. First one is as I shot it and second one is crop on the eye.

Then I try out those big studio umbrellas with flash head 2400 Ws. Amazing light! Here are few pictures with that light behind the lens and also from side.
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Those large umbrellas are wonderful, but way to big for my outdoor work, not mentioning that without flash-head and stand it costs around 1300 EUR. I try out those large grid and here are few pictures with and without the grid. _
Anyhow you can try the equipment by yourself on
Friday 20.3.2009 between 10.00 and 19.00
Sathurday 21.3.2009 between 10.00 and 14.00
Ljubljana, Plesno mesto, Devova 18

Jure Breceljnik, film director and Natalija Gros, european champion in climbing on the premiere of film Chalk and Chocolate that is about Natalija and her climbing philosophy. Projection was a part of Mountain Film Festival in Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

PS: THeir film won an award as the best film on the festival! Congrats my friend!

This is a trailer of my dear friend Jure Breceljnik with whom I studied together at FAMU, Prague. He was always the best photographer at the academy, but he switched to film. This film Chalk & Chocolate is a documentary film about Natalija Gros. I was astonished to see his trailer and I’m already thinking about a Striptiz portrait worthy of his work.
So see you tomorrow, 18.3.2009 @ 20.00 in Cankarjev dom

Finnish Minister of justice Tuije Brax is encouraged by Slovenian Minister of justice Aleš Zalar to handshake with the State Prosecutor of the Republic Slovenia Barbara Brezigar on press conference. The picture is even more funnier in a light that State Prosecutor Barbara Brezigar was fiercely criticized why Slovenian prosecutors didn’t made any progress in a Patria bribing affair whereas Finnish prosecutors were making some arrests, etc…
Commissioned by Mladina d.d.

Vlado Škafar is a film director whose new film Otroci (Children) is about to be released. Striptiz creative portraits are commissioned by Mladina.

PS: Vlado was jumping on trampoline and I was throwing children in the air and Alenka was taking pictures. So thanks to Plankar family, Peterlin Šušteršič family, Vlado and Alenka Peterlin. Each child was photographed individually and then photomontaged it together.

Is crossing the finish line a victory? You know when you decide to do a project and things go wrong? First your expectations turn out to be bad, then equipment start to jam, then people get mean and this domino effect hits upon your self confidence. And this self doubt is a black hole sucking all your energy. One of my rule is to cross the finish line whatever the circumstances and avoiding a black hole of self doubt saves huge amount of energy.

I don’t go for a victory, but as Bobby Fisher said, I do everything to avoid a defeat.

I know this is the foundation of my career that my customers appreciate and depend on.