BORUT PETERLIN in a rabbit hole of photography

Slavko Avsenik is a legendary author of Slovenian folk song Golica, that is THE SONG MOST OFTEN PLAYED BY EUROPEAN RADIO STATIONS! His band was famous especially in the region of Slovenia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland and he sold more then 32.000.000. records! On the same day Avsenik and Rolling stones had a concert in the same town and of course more people show up on Avsenik’s concert! Last week he celebrated his 80th birthday and on Tuesday he had a reception at Prime Minister of Slovenia Borut Pahor.

I made this video with my new camera Nikon D3s. Starring: Katarina Kresal – Minister of Internal affairs, Irma Pavlinič Krebs – Minister of Public administration, Boštjan Žekš – Minister without Portfolio Responsible For Slovenes Abroad, Borut Pahor – Prime Minister of Slovenia, Milan Kučan – former president of Slovenia, Radovan Žerjav – president of SLS party, Alfi Nipič – musican, Brigita Avsenik – wife of Slavko, Vilko Avsenik and Slavko Avsenik.

Here is the most played songs of all times on European radios:

PS: I noted that radial blur filter was on previous picture (now third one) set on draft instead on best quality, so here is another, better version of filtered picture + without a filter version.

Rahela Jagrič is a postgraduate student of University of Bournemouth (UK) and last year she won the overall prize for the Best Student Production at the prestigious Royal Television Society awards. (article in Slovenian by Eposavje). After the success she specialized in 3D motion film and next week 28th and 29th of November 2009, there will be a premiere of her new film, shot in 3D technique in Institut Jozef Stefan. Why in science institute? Because their engineers were collaborating on the project.

My concept for the picture was to shift perspective and include motion in the picture. Naturally train was a good choice. I tried different lenses. Wide angle was good, but it was too obvious. Then we tried a tele-lens (70-200) and I noticed a nice reflection in a window and that was going along the concept of the portrait, since to shoot in 3D you need two cameras and as Rahela explained also mirrors. I don’t understand the technical details, but on the end it’s a game of shifting an axis of perspective, what is nicely captured in a reflection. Only thing that I wasn’t able is to get enough motion-blurred background, so I add it a bit in post-processing. I was using Nikon D3 with 1/250th of a second and fill-in flash (SB-900). Imagine that you’re leaning out of a speeding train, observing when some tree will sweep us away or a conductor will caught us. It was like shooting in a milk-shaker. I’ve just noticed that for this portrait I’ve shot 223 images

More of my creative work you can see on my site www.borutpeterlin.com

Predrag Rajčič – Perica, a musician and film director, creatively portrayed as a chain saw lover with a model Samanta Škrjanec.

We shot this image in Ljubljana at Rožnik hill. Usually for my creative portraits I organize everything, but in this case Perica was the man of the hour and he organized model, he made a fake blood and everything else. All I need to do is to set up lights, choose micro location and direct photography. Luxury!!!

For the image I used two Balcar flashes 1500 Ws, 750 Ws, one softbox, one small dish, flashfeeder + radio triggers. I tried out different lenses, but I decided to go with a tele-lens to have a flat perspective and shallow depth of field. It looks like the flash from the back is filtered through blue filter, but it’s not. It happens that straight light is much colder then a light that is bouncing off a subject. I know I could use filters and perhaps you’re thinking I’m too lazy to bother with filters… BUT, fak of! don’t come following me on my blog and piss on my lightning technique.

PS: JC this dialogue from “The Meaning of life” is my present for your birthday!

Urh Sobočan, is an artist who works with lance art and illustration. My first inspiration was spiderman so I bought a cobweb effect spray. My idea was to portray him as a spiderman’s victim. I had many scenarios, but on the end we did the picture in Gallery Krka. In tight time schedule I’ve made few mistakes. The biggest was that white walls are not good background, so in post-process I made it more dramatical and the second was that it’s impossible to make a spider web over a man’s face.

I had two Balcar flashes. Right one was with softbox and second one with small dish bounced from a wall on left side.

Today there was a press conference on new camera Nikon D3s. I was commissioned by Nikon to do a test with the camera through my daily jobs. I7ll write more about it on Friday when I’ll have more time. As you can see from the movie I’m working many jobs at the same time and today I’m finishing this issue of Mladina weekly and tomorrow I have a lecture at Faculty in Sežana. Friday sounds sunny.

PS: Today at 20:00 in Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana there is an opening of exhibition “Photonic Luminatic – new Slovenian photography and video” and you’re all invited! Few of my pics are there as well.

Do you do snapshot photography? I used to do it. Now I can’t. Don’t know why. Too many images I guess. Who will view them? Time.

But the work of Richard Billingham and his book Ray’s a laugh it’s still one of my favourite books. And Terry Richards was working for Sisley when I was at Fabrica and I remember Toscani didn’t like his work. I didn’t like Terry’s work either, but now I do. Garry Winogrand is my favourite photographer who was snapping everything that was moving.

Am I lingering to do more snapshot photography? I think so. To plan everything in advance and knowing what and for who you are shooting it takes the magic away! Please leave a comment who is your favourite snapshot photographer. Or even a link to your favourite snapshot photograph. Let’s get inspired!

On Friday I went to the opening of exhibition in Gallery Simulaker by Sašo Vrabič. I took my camera to make few documentary pictures of the opening. I took few frames and when we were exiting the gallery I ask him again to walk pass his painting. I set my camera to 1/8 s shot the image hand holding the camera. I didn’t had great expectations and I’ve shot it in 5 min, but I’m really satisfied with the portrait, so now we’ll publish it in Mladina in notorious Striptiz rubric. You can see few more images from the occasion in my archive.borutpeterlin.com.

By the way, Sašo is also a singer of Perpetuum Jazzile choir, who’s video on you tube had 6.million views.

DAVKI means taxes in Slovenian language and for Mladina weekly I’ve made this picture illustrating new taxes for real-estate that will be introduced in Slovenia. We’ve planned to have a cover with this issue, but it’s too fragmented with too many small elements, but we used it as a large opening picture inside the magazine. You can see also the vertical version in my archive.borutpeterlin.com
Concept, typography, photography, styling by Borut Peterlin

Dragan Živadinov is one of the most important active Slovenian artist. He is one of the founders of Neue Slowenische Kunst, in 1999 he was first theater director who made a «Zero Gravity Biomechanical Theater», he reveled to wider audience a work of Herman Potočnik Noordung (1892 – 1929) one of first great pioneers of space travel, Dragan is also a passionate promoter of Slovenian branch of European Space Agency and foremost Dragan is a very passionate person. Really joyful to share his vision of art, space and other bigger then life ideas. I had this idea for his portrait for a very long time and now Jure Aleksič wrote an excellent article about Dragan, so I got a chance to do the portrait for Mladina weekly.

If you’re interested in technical details of th picture click HERE. I’ve illuminated him with hand held flash SB-900 strength 1/32.

Žiga Virc, a film director portrayed for Stritpiz rubric at Mladina weekly. Picture was taken on the film set of his new film Prehitri in predrzni: Slovenia drift (too fast and too furious: Slovenia drift).