Dazed & Confused

Any self respecting artist has heard of this publication. It's a massive deal pioneered by the world famous photographer Rankin, & this month the well blogged Clinic Presents found themselves published in it. With a fantastic write up and half page spread, I couldn't be prouder of the the guys. Their events are ever increasing in magnitude and creative flair & I haven't missed a single event they've held thus far. Championing them as much as possible and photographing their nights as often as I can, I was rewarded this month by having one of my shots used by Dazed to showcase the creative collective's success. Read the review for yourself...

Here's my original post of the particular event showcased, including the original photo... CLICK!

On that note I shall end this post by announcing that if you can attend the following event... You will NOT be disappointed, Clinic are going places, take note my obedient children...

John Bolland

Now them, this post is going to be difficult for me to write from the off. I am of course now extending my portraiture into new realms. I am however going to remain true to only photographing people of great influence in my life. This particular shoot in a cemetery I found fascinating, but also for obvious reasons, obscure and slightly upsetting.

My beef with this shoot was not so much the fact that I am documenting my late Grandfather's resting place, more the location and form that his Gravestone has taken. The assault of emotions one is subjected to when attempting such a task is almost impossible to articulate. Even just witnessing the righthand side of the book-like headstone being vacant, in preparation for his wife to join him, was affecting enough. I experienced both positive and negative feelings when taking this shot, but despite these conflicting thoughts, I did feel it was important to include the formidable force that was Johnny Bolland in my work. He's giant character, traditional dominant ego, and also immense physical stature made him an unforgettable man. Being an incredibly talented sculptor (His masterpieces maintaining pride of place in various family homes) even applying to Goldsmiths back in his day, the contemplation of his new community and the situation he will now eternally rest in... bewildered me somewhat.

The composition of this portrait is worth considering, spatially. Great distance immediately melding into a dense field of headstones that are uncountable and as a collective, meaningless to me. One also struggles to bring logic to the geography of this place. Perhaps it's his dominant aura, fending off the riffraff? I would expect nothing less.

The shots of his surrounding landscape are just as moving. Newer graves graced with a festival of colour and lavished in attention. The older quadrant becoming reminiscent of a Gothic, zombie film location. Absolutely insane to document in the space of about 2 minutes walk. Hard to fathom if you weren't there.

          

        

New to Apple Mac?

I Had the familiar face, Zarino Zappia back in the Studio this week. This time for some moving image.

 Employed by Apple, he aims to get some very simple but also very handy Mac tricks & tips across the air waves to benefit all those who are new to the Apple game. They are built right in to the Apple operating system and are going undiscovered & unused despite being awesome shortcuts and generally rudimentary. So his short, sweet, enthusiastic but clear demo videos will be quite a treat. He's producing them entirely himself and plans to release them weekly.

Here's my original post on the man, with relevant links to entertain you with his other creative work, & also to question him on all your Apple related queries.... CLICK.

Biggup the friendliest uber-geek in town. Here is his first finished video.

Mousehunt.

Gotta Catch 'Em All.

Bromance.

These two shots are the result of what initially was an idea I had, but ended in just messing about as we were pre-drinking for a night out on the razz and I lost my enthusiasm for operating things rapidly. These two are the only that struck me as worth posting. The first seems to hint at a subtle yet very cute adoration that's going down in camp L.A.D. I very much enjoy it. The other is a portrait that speaks for itself really... The unashamedly feminine traits that ooze out of us modern day, vanity ridden, pretty-boy-floyds. A kind of camp arrogance from straight men, if you will.

In some valid defence, he is well aware of the benefits of making aesthetic effort, trust me.

Mr. Dean...

Dean is my Uncle, brother to my Dad and of course son of the infamous Don Bennito. He has lead a hard-working, relatively linear lifestyle for the most part but is soon to be married to the love of his life, Lynn. Since his relationship began to flourish I've observed a shift in his priorities. Being partially deaf he has had his fair share of challenges in life to say the least. However it seems he's finally being offered some of the best things life has to offer us. The couple have bought a new home out right, with years of savings and now have the prospect of many happy years in each others company. He's a softie at heart, like the rest of us Goodman blokes.

As background to the setting of my portrait of my uncle; My late Grandmother, Patricia (Dean's mum), was one of the most graceful and elegant woman i've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Her timeless style & taste for only the finest things in life combined with the adoration she had for her family, are now embodied in a form of shrine. It includes her unique passion for Siamese cats, displaying an array of ornate figurines and collectables that symbolise her tastes. I have to say that neither one of us would like to see this furniture nor its set up, disturbed. I guess you could say us Goodmans will always be proud to be in its presence... Put frankly, its a symbol of solidarity and love and we are steadfast proud.

Enjoy.