Posts Tagged ‘Interview’

Emma Cammack, one of the This is Now artists, is a freelance body painter and artist based in the UK, whose portfolio you can check on her Facebook page. Emma has been using the body as a third canvas since she began facepainting at the age of 14…

We caught up with Emma to try and find out a little bit more about her, her work and her vision of ‘now’:

Can you tell us who you are and a bit about yourself?

I was brought up in Devon, England and later moved to London where I trained at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama in Drama and Education. There I discovered that I was passionate about Art rather than Performance… However my performing background has served me well during my numerous guest appearances on shows such as Blue Peter and The Big Breakfast.

I now work as a freelance body painter and I work hard to find new avenues for body art and I try to help it become a recognized and accepted art form.

As a bodypainter I am interested in celebrating the body and exploring how creative I can be using this exciting alternative canvas. I don’t think bodypainting needs to be about sex, for me a body is simply another canvas but one which can move and mould and has its own attitude.

For the past decade I have also taught body painting in colleges in London and the UK and helped to develop the first British qualification in body painting. I now teaches exclusively at Conventions across the World and in private master classes in my own studio.

How did you become involved with the project This is Now?

I was approached via my agent by Blink. The concepts had already been decided on and I was brought in to make the ideas involving body art and dramatic make-up a technical reality.  I worked mainly with Noah Harris and Nicky Yates on creating make-up looks to support their visions.

What does ‘This is now’ mean to you?

This makes me think of the project brief and all the amazing ideas the artists involved had put forward for the commercial. Zeitgeist – or “this is now” as it translates was the theme and the images and ideas were bold and exciting. To me “This is now” is about stunning, bold images and ideas which make people think and which take people’s breath away. Those type of images for me are new fresh ideas, things which often would be considered crazy – but work as images because of their simplicity and attention to detail.

Tell us about the piece of art you created for This is Now, and how you feel it relates to ‘now’

I worked on three looks for “This is Now”  The black and white girl, the mermaid Girl and the UV look. All three were completed on a one day shoot. They were mainly airbrushed looks. My favourite was the black and white look – the dress was a truly amazing piece of architecture that was incredible to behold. Working as a make-up artist means your part of a team and your work is just one cog in the whole machine.

What is your best tip for creating a great piece of art?

To be brave about trying new things / new ideas.
To be willing to undertake lots of experiments and research to the look you want right.
To be knowledgable about the mediums you are going to use and how they will behave.
To keep a scrapbook of inspirational images from all different types of media.
To keep a sketchbook handy to sketch ideas and notes as they come upon you.

tagged Bodypainting Emma Cammack Interview this is now This is Now TV campaign

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A few weeks ago we highlighted this photo of a DJ playing with decks on the This is Now blog.  It’s a great photo that uses colour to highlight the pauses during the long periods of exposure.

I caught up with the photographer Michael Roderfeld this week to ask him a few questions, enjoy the read!

Hi, can you tell us who you are and a bit about yourself?

• My name is Michael Roderfeld.  I’m 24 years old and studying information & design international in Lübeck, Germany.I’m in 7th semester and will start with my diploma in about one year with a focus on designing flash web-applications/websites/photography.  For a year and a half, photography has been my hobby and passion.  I enjoy shooting architecture, landscape, cities, streets, urban life and night shots.

Why are you interested in ‘This is now’ and what does it mean to you?

• “This is now” describes the time we live in.  It is now where we can do something and show contemporary works and pictures.  With this group and project there is a space to show how we think about these 3 words.

Tell us about the selected photo, did you plan it out, what was involved in it?

• Yes, I did plan the picture, I had an idea to use a long shutter exposure, to make the DJ’s moves visible.  In the picture he didn´t move a lot but it was very interesting to see his hands in different colors.  With the light the hands were frozen and sharp while the DJ himself is in the background. Filtering out the colors of the hands and leaving the rest in black/white made it more fascinating.

What do you think of the group on Flickr and do you have any other favourite photos?

• It´s an interesting group where you can find a lot of great pictures and to see how others interpret the topics of the group and how they perceive it. You can find a lot of inspiration looking through the pictures.

What is your best tip for creating a great photo or picture?

• Keep your eyes open!  There are great photos hidden everywhere. look out for an interesting perspective, lighting or reflection and you´ll have a picture that could be better than others.

On behalf of the community at ‘This is Now’, thank you for the interview Michael.  Keep up the great work and we hope to see much more great work from you.

tagged Interview

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Neil Nathanson has created this interesting image below.  It’s quite special and you’ll find out why, if you follow the steps under it.

all rights reserved (c) neil.nathanson

Step 1 – Cross your eyes until you see 4 images instead of 2.

Step 2 – Relax your view so the images move together and you see only 3 images.

Step 3 – When you see 3 images stop changing your focus and you will see the center image is 3D.

Optional – You can also raise your hands to the sides of your eyes to block out the 2 outer images so you only see the center one in 3D!

PS.  You should be about 2 or 3 feet from the screen and if you are having trouble move closer or farther from the screen, sometimes that helps.

I caught up with neil.nathanson, this week to ask him a few questions about This is now and his photo…

Hi, can you tell us who you are and a bit about yourself?

• I am a graphic designer who is now addicted to Stereophotography and Flickr. These two interests happened for me at the same time and feed each other. Seeing “This is now” interests me on the level that Flickr does. I like the dynamics of the project and how you are tapping into the whole social networking thing from the perspective of photography. I am also on other 3D stereo boards that start as text and then allow photos to enhance discussions and I love the way Flickr does the opposite.  Starting with photos and adding dialog after.

Why are you interested in ‘This is now’ and what does it mean to you?

• I am heavily into technology and communication so that is the part of “now” that I relate to. “This is now” is a new way of being/existing in a connected world.

Tell us about the selected photo, did you plan it out, what was involved in it?

• I always liked playing with Lasers, when I saw you could get green ones, which are much more powerful than red, I had to get this new toy. I did plan the shot out, I setup a scene with mirrors so I could redirect the laser beam, I added some smoke so the beam could be more visible. A really neat side story was one of the Flickr friends who is a scientist commented on one of the shots in the series about a scientific point about the shot. He saw the “Laser speckle” near the handle of the little clamps. He had never seen it effectively photographed before, he had seen it live, but the 3D stereo image captured it in a way that flat 2D images could not. That was very surprising and satisfying, and a good example of why I enjoy interacting with people on Flickr who share my passion for stereophotography.

What do you think of the group on Flickr and do you have any other favourite photos?

• The group is a great idea and well managed, I know how hard it is to please everyone and be fair. So far it looks to be a big success for the team behind it.  I love color, so as that is a stated desire for the pool that appeals to me and makes for fun viewing.  This image appeals to me www.flickr.com/photos/reggio/2591925393/in/pool-thisisnow.  It is stereophonic by subject plus it is accidentally stereoscopic which is so cool! If you can do the cross view trick to see 3D you can do it to this image and the lower part actually gets depth! I would guess the artist had no idea of that and that makes it even more cool. Stereoscopic Stereophonic! And when you realize the concepts of stereo sound and stereo vision are so similar the whole science thing kicks in. Your ears feed your brain 2 slightly different inputs so it can triangulate and locate a sound in 3D space. That is exactly what your eyes do, they feed your brain 2 slightly different inputs so it can triangulate the location of an object in 3D space – I love that!

What is your best tip for creating a great photo or picture?

• Look very carefully, then look again being as observant as you can, then shoot, then do the whole process over, trying for a different outcome. Repeat as necessary.

On behalf of the community at ‘This is Now’, thank you for the interview Neil.  Keep up the great work and we hope to see much more great work from you!

tagged black green Interview lasers

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I caught up with Nat Von this week to ask her a few questions…

Her photo which got onto the blog (see right) was entitled ‘Hiding’.

Hi, can you tell us who you are and a bit about yourself?

• My name is Natalie Vaughan and I’m seventeen years old senior in high school. I live in Pleasanton, California. Photography is my passion and I plan on making a career out of it. I am interested in “This Is Now” because it’s a fun group to share photos in.

Why are you interested in ‘This is now’ and what does it mean to you?

• In my mind, ‘This is Now’ refers to new, hip, modern photography showing unique and interesting images. There is so much going on in the world everyday that I think it is cool that people capture these events artistically through pictures.

Tell us about the selected photo, did you plan it out, what was involved in it?

• For the picture, I was trying to think of a cool way to photograph myself with the lollipop. I looked through my closet and tried to find bright clothes and accessories to match it. After getting everything together I went in my back yard, put my camera on my tripod and took the picture. It was fun photoshopping this picture too because I had a lot of colors to work with.

What do you think of the group on Flickr and do you have any other favourite photos?

• This is a great group with a lot of awesome photos. Photographers have put some of their best images into this group and I think it’s a great opportunity to view what other photographers see in the world today.

What is your best tip for creating a great photo or picture?

• Do whatever cool idea pops into your head and develop your own unique style.

Thanks Natalie!  Everyone at ‘This is Now’ thinks you’re doing amazing work.  Keep it up and we hope to see more great stuff soon!

tagged Interview Photography

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A few days ago whilst browsing through the flickr group for a photo to go up on the blog, I found Night drawing in the sky by Digital-Eye.

The photo is done using a camera on a long shutter speed (allowing lots of light to come in over a long period of time) in the dark to line art in a photo.  Below, a friend from university, demonstrates what else you can do with this technique when you plan it out to perfection!

all rights reserved (c) Marvel Knight

I caught up with Digital-Eye this week to ask him a few questions…

Hi, can you tell us who you are and a bit about yourself?

• My name is Matt Davenport and I’m a primary school teacher in the North East of England. I specialise in ICT and I’m an advanced skills teacher, promoting animation, photography and movie making in the classroom. I joined Flickr last year, and the creative people I’ve met a long the way on this site have inspired me to try and be creative with my photography. I’m just an amateur whose learning new techniques all the time.

Why are you interested in ‘This is now’ and what does it mean to you?

• This is now caught my attention because of the concept itself. How do you define now in a photograph? It’s a challenging concept to photograph and I was interested in how my images would be interpreted.

Tell us about the selected photo, did you plan it out, what was involved in it?

• Can you guess what my photo was?! It’s a fairground ride! I was experimenting with slow shutter speeds to create light trails. The rotation and up and down movement of the ride seemed to fill the frame naturally. It was more a moment of chance rather than planning.

What do you think of the group on Flickr and do you have any other favourite photos?

• All of the photos in the group have their own interpretation of now. It’s difficult to single out one favourite image.

What is your best tip for creating a great photo or picture?

• My best tip for creating a great photo is to keep an open mind and to not stick to any planned image. You can’t plan for creativity….it’s something that just happens.

On behalf of the community at ‘This is Now’, thank you for the interview Matt.  Keep up the great work and we hope to see much more great work from you!

tagged english Interview photographer

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