Posts Tagged ‘documentary’
New 5am pictures from Czech Republic, Poland and Lithuania
On Wednesday I took a train to Lithuania, to Kaunas Photo festival where I’m exhibiting my Flower Power project. My itinerary was that I should change a train at Warsaw East, but train was one hour late and the connection to Lithuania was at Warsaw Central. I showed even my itinerary to conductor but he just read Warsaw East, so I missed the train for Lithuania. Women at information office didn’t spoke English or German, so I tried to communicate in Russian. I never learned Russian, but I speak Slovenian, Serbian, Czech and I then I mix all together and try to communicate in “Russian”
It worked several times, but it did not this time. I took a train to Białystok hoping for a connection further, but without luck. I was stuck in Poland for a day with a huge headache. I took a room at the hotel and rest whole day. I decided that next morning I’ll take beautiful images at 5am and that will turn the whole incident into jackpot for my photography. I’m not superstitious, but this is one of the ways to get trough stressful situations in a decent manner. So above are images from Czech Republic (in train), Białystok / Poland and Kaunas / Lithuania and you judge if my tactics work Link to my project 5am
LINK of the trip.
My best photo-movie / Fotopub Festival 2011
This is a photo-movie I’ve done at the Fotopub festival, multimedia workshop tutored by Mike Lusmore and Rebecca Harley. For you who don’t understand the proper language, I know subtitles are not “reader friendly”, but I’ll fix that soon.
As for a Fotopub assessment, I thought I know something about multimedia, but I learned just how little do I know. I learned hugely about sound, how to recored it properly, edit it, narrative of sound recording and of course how to stick it together in a photo-movie. I find photo-movie a really huge genre that I’m planning to devote my attention also in the future (so much fun).
Fotopub 2011 – interview with Mike Lusmore and Rebecca Harley
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Fotopub festival of documentary photography is starting in ten days and this is an interview with mentors for multimedia Mike Lusmore and Rebecca Harley from UK.
Links: http://www.fotopub.com
http://www.rebeccaharley.com/
http://www.mikelusmore.com/
PS: Few days ago I’ve forgot to embed a video podcast on Mladina’s special issue “Interviews 2011“. I’ve updated the post and if you didn’t saw it on Youtube or on Facebook, I recommend to check it out. LINK.
A video podcast an insight of my Tour de Dayton project
A video podcast an insight of my Tour de Dayton work in progress project.
Fotopub 2011 / enroll now, learn for eternity
Fotopub festival of documentary photography 2011 from Dušan Josip Smodej on Vimeo.
Fotopub Festival of documentary photography is starting soon! See you there!
Tour de Dayton / part two
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Thx for all the feedback on my last video podcast, so here is a new one. I’m going to cycle about a 1000 km in Bosnia and Herzegovina on a ethnic border between Republic Srbska and Federation side (Muslims and Croatians). This project is on my chest for a very long time and few days ago I decided to start my tour on Thursday, that’s day after tomorrow. I mean if I don’t do personal projects then what’s the point anyhow. At the moment we’re making a facade on our house and you can imagine that my budget is very tight, so I decided I’ll use all the muscles that I gained with Muay Thai sit on a bike and peddle the project through.
Mladić deserves a fair trial, but he will not get it…
I’ve been in Srebrenica and also in a morgue with several hundred unidentified bodies and also in Crni vrh – Zvornik the largest mass grave from a genocide in BiH. I wish Ratko Mladić a fair trail, because fairness is what he deserves, although it can not be delivered in Haag or any other trial and also not in a/one lifetime, but he will get what he deserves! Above are images from Crni Vrh, Potočari, Sarajevo, Bijeli potok, Srebrenica. The sign on a billboard, written in Cyrillic is taken in Serbian part of BiH and my best translation would be “It is difficult to god, the way we are!”.
Here is a story I’ve done after the arrest of Karadžić.
PS: I remember clearly a Milošević’s speach and shouting of masses “We want weapons…” that day everybody knew that snowball is rolling and it can not be stopped. Strangely enough I can’t find the clip on youtube, only Milošević’s reaction “Ne čujem dobro, ne čujem dobro to šta tražite”
New creative portrait – Tone Stojko
Tone Stojko is a legendary photojournalist and photoeditor of Mladina weekly, whose many images are part of Slovenian iconography, foremost the arrest of Janez Janša (31. maj 1988). His latest exhibition are beautiful images of body in movement, a picture series that he started already in 1974 and I remember when I was in secondary school, about 16 years of age and I saw his catalog of portraits of Neca Falk an artist and also his wife and I remember that I was so impressed I was showing the catalog to senior colleagues asking how did he do this kind of pictures. His exhibition is still open until 3.7.2011 in Galerija Jakopič.
When I walked in his studio I knew I’m about to photograph a photographer that was a role model for me and knew I was in great time pressure since I had to photograph new creative portrait for Mladina in the next hour and I didn’t had a clue where and how will I photograph both of the portraits. That’s the name of the game in photo-journalism, so I don’t get stressed any more, I just do my best and rockandroll. In this case I loved his spacey studio in downtown Ljubljana, full of sunlight, high ceiling and two cats. Those two cats, jumping around and studio full of sunlight were an inspiration. I recalled a Bresson’s image of Henri Matisse with doves and I wanted to make something in this feel. That’s how I work. I don’t try to do the same kind of image as Bresson, I’m trying to catch that kind of feel, the kind of mood, that I get from the image, I’m inspired by. I hope you’ll enjoy it, leave a comment, rate and rockandroll!
James Mollison in my house and Phase One in my hand
James Mollison stopped at my house yesterday on his way back from Belgrade. For you who don’t know James’s work, you must check his books and he did many, many books. My favourite book of his is The Disciples, a must have in your photographic library.
We used to work together in Fabrica.it we lived in an old stereotypical Italian villa, where we had numerous parties. Here is a link to a picture from one of the party. The villa was very old and rooms were without a heating, we only had one big central fire place and that was the place for brainstorming about nothing and everything. And so we did also yesterday night. After a glass or two, I confessed that I “envy” his success in book publishing and that after my postgraduate studies at London College of Printing I decided to set aside my artistic career and first take care of my family so I became a craftsman, build a house, learned how to make a money with photography, take care of my family,… Now we’re in a new house and my daughters are ladies already at age of 4 and 7 and I can feel the Artist-in-me is coming on stage again. The craftsmen-in-me is nowadays only taking pictures and everything else is outsourced.
Today I got this great, great, GREAT feeling that at age of 36 I have a really solid foundation for life in the house, in my family, in my friends, in the-craftsman-in-me and I’m in the best physical shape ever. I got this great feeling that in front of me are at least another 36 years to be devoted to The Art. And of course James, an old friend is a beacon out there – in here, a guest in my house.
I tried his camera Phase One model P65. I was making a personal test how the camera would fit my way of working. First few impressive technical characteristics. This animal produces files of 8984 x 6732px, that is 60million pixels, format 6×4,5. It is basically a system of Mamiya AF645, shaped up for needs of studio / fashion photography. Slideshow below can show you what was I interested in. How those Schneider lenses are drawing at aperture f/2,8, could I catch a moment when my daughter will be in focus while swinging,… The noise level at 400 ISO is already very visible. James said he uses only at 100 and 200 ISO. Display is very small and very bad and batteries run out amazingly quickly. Nevertheless this depth of field at full body shots with 110mm lens at f/2,8 is amazing and sharpness at 8 is too good.
