Chris Saunders Photography / Film

L'Officiel (Paris) features the Smarteez

2012-02-02T01:17:00.000-08:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More l officiel

Another post that I have been anticipating to release is that some of the more recent Smarteez work has been published in the french fashion magazine L'Officiel! I got to meet writer Alexandra Senes in Johannesburg late last year and she showed some interest, much to my suprise she decided to a fill spread on the Smarteez using my images. If your in France, get a copy.

CTS 2012

SABC 1 - Entertainment Campaign.

2012-02-01T03:16:00.000-08:00

Finally its time to put up some of the bigger projects from last year. I have been waiting for them to go live for ages now and have finally been given the 'authority' to release this work. One of the great advertising projects I shot last year was the new SABC 1 - Entertainment campaign. I was commissioned by Masters & Savant Johannesburg and the job was an array of different shows, namely Seskhona, Selimathunzi, Club Culture, Turn it out (Where is shot some of the dancers from my S'Phara Phara exhibition) and the Real Gaboza.

Enjoy.

Okmalumkoolkat

2012-01-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

So I know I have been super quiet on the blog. You know how december holiday time can consume all your time. But its the new year and Im feeling super inspired and here is my first update. Over the december period I have been DOP'ing my first feature length Documentary with Adrian Loveland and while down here I got to meet some amazing dudes.

One of my favorite experiences recently was getting to meet LV from Hyperdub records in London, he has been working with some amazing musicians down here and recording new songs with them. I shot a music vide with Okmalumkoolkat (Dirty Paraffin) and LV for a song aptly named Spitting Cobra following in light with their last big success Boomslang in 2010.

The video will be out soon, but for now I thought I would put up a new portrait of Smiso (Okmalumkoolkat) shot on location during the music video shoot.

Enjoy and Happy New Year !

Chris 2012

Heat Magazine - Pool Party

2011-11-24T02:02:00.001-08:00

I never thought I would ever shoot for Heat Magazine and every time I work for them I have this thought in my mind. All I know is that Melissa Maxted the fashion editor and good friend of mine has turned the magazine around and given it some street cred. She comes up with awesome ideas, collaborates well within the restrictions and makes every shoot a good experience to be on.

For the summer editorial in the weekly (where fashion is only published every three weeks) we shot a manic pool party shoot with a mixed bag of 'models / celebrities', we had a local actress, girl rock band and a bunch of professional cage fighters. We some how managed to make it work and have a good time. The editorial was shot at the Ellis Park Swimming pool in downtown Johannesburg, here are the images.

Thanks

Chris Saunders

My new website - www.whatwasparadise.com

2011-11-17T02:40:00.001-08:00

So after months of work and curating portfolios I am pleased to announce the launch of my new website, www.whatwasparadise.com. The new branding and url come with a story. The company that was hosting my last website, became defunct but some how didn't take my website down and allow me any access to the ownership of the url. So at the moment it is hosted but I cannot get hold of them to put my new site up under the same domain. With this obstacle in my way I decided to register a new domain, whatwasparadise. I came up with the name while traveling through the united states this year where I came across a table in the back of an abandoned motel between the Texas and New Mexican border on the old Route 66. The table had the words 'What Was Paradise,' etched in it and I found this inspirational because I believe that what photographs do is document what was paradise.

The new website was designed by the multi-talented designer Magdalena Czarnecki who I met while on residency last year at Fabrica in Italy. http://www.tjaneski.com/

Thanks for now.
Chris Saunders

Featured in The Guardian Newspaper UK's Fashion Statement

2011-11-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

Due to the the amazing feature of my work in Helen Jennings's new book 'New African Fashion' (Phaidon), I have been picked up by the Guardian's fashion statement weekly newsletter and blog. Its always been a dream to be featured and have anything published in the Guardian. Check it out further on their website, http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2011/nov/02/south-african-fashion

If you are interested in ordering a copy of Helen Jennings book, New African Fashion you can get it on Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-African-Fashion-Helen-Jennings/dp/3791345796

CTS 2011

Live Magazine Images, Featured on CNN Inside Africa.

2011-10-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

I have had the pleasure the last couple of months to spend my time as photography mentor at a great project called Live Magazine. The project entails giving young people from different backgrounds in Cape Town a chance to make a magazine of their own doing with the help of different mentors. It was originally conceived in London and run in Brixton, where I met the South African founder (who is from the UK) Gavin Weale. The project has been featured in The Guardian Newspaper and recently CNN Inside Africa which is why I wanted to post it. The article will explain much more about the project.

A selection of 10 images from the documentation I have been doing over the last couple of months.

Check out the full article on CNN Inside Africa, http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/26/world/africa/live-magazine-africa/index.html?iref=allsearch

Street Style - Guguletu Cape Town

2011-10-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

I hit up Mzoli's in Cape Town this weekend and shot some street style images outside Mzoli's butchery a popular meeting spot on a Sunday afternoon. Met some pretty stylish people who I thought deserved a blog update.

Enjoy
CT 2011

Religion Clothing

2011-10-13T05:12:00.000-07:00

I was approached by Chipo from Styling concepts a few months ago to put together a concept with Stylist Bee Diamondhead and my ex-assistant and now intern at Marie Claire South Africa Candice Jooste. Together we came up with a shoot with Eve Rakow from Johannesburg based band the Frown in an abandoned hospital in Kempton Park (east of Johannesburg).

It was a spooky day with some very eerie vibes in the building. It was fully equipped with beds and wheelchairs. A very strange place indeed. The images where used for the launch of Religion clothing in South Africa, the London brand is been marketed by Styling Concepts, the well known Johannesburg based fashion PR agency.

CT 2011

Colour Block with Lalla Hirayama & Heat Magazine

2011-09-26T04:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a new fashion editorial shot for Heat Magazine South Africa with Lalla Hirayama, staying in the Colour Block theme. Instead of the usual Melissa Maxted (Fashion Editor) and myself decided to make huge real coloured blocks, much more fun!

Fashion Editor: Melissa Maxted

Make-Up: Natasha Kruger

Model: Lalla Hirayama

Photographic Assistant: Murray Turpin

Wyatt Hair - Architecture via hair

2011-09-26T03:45:00.000-07:00

Acclaimed South African hairdresser Candice Wyatt who has won several international accolades and I have been working on a hair exhibition. Our first shoot was with fashion editor Carla Uys from Cleo Magazine.

Candice is truly a mastermind with a pair of scissors and the new series of images which we have begun shooting has not been released yet. This is just a little taster of whats to come.

CTS 2011

Cleo Magazine - Fashion in Gold.

2011-09-26T02:35:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago before I departed for the USA, I got the opportunity to shoot a Fashion Editorial with Cleo Magazine South Africa. The theme was black & gold.

Fashion Editor: Carla Uys

Make up: Liz can der Merwe
Model: Jordan van der Vyver

Photographic Assistant: Candice Jooste

The Smarteez - Red Bulletin Magazine

2011-09-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I had the pleasure to re-visit one of my favorite subjects, The Smarteez Fashion collective from Soweto, Johannesburg. Red Bulletin Magazine, Red Bulls monthly publication commissioned me to go and shoot a new piece on where they have come from and where they are going. It was an amazing experience and it is interesting to see the new challenges for the prolific fashion designers.

I was accompanied by Tudor Caradoc-Davies who wrote a in depth story into the guys, aptly titled Rainbow Warriors. I have attached it to this blog post for your perusal.

Chris Saunders 2011

James Bhemgee

2011-09-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

A while back I was commissioned by Total Exposure Johannesburg to do a shoot with the opera sensation James Bhemgee in Mitchells Plain close to Cape Town. James's story touched the heart of the nation a couple of years ago when he won SA's got talent a reality television show on SABC.

James used to be a street sweeper on the streets of Cape Town CBD until a lady heard him singing while he was doing his job one morning, she then sent him for training and today he is one of South Africa's biggest success stories.

To read up more on James, please go to James's Facebook page.

Enjoy

Chris 2011

S'Phara Phara video piece

2011-09-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

The thought of my exhibition almost been over is haunting me, its been a month and it feels like days. On that note, I wanted to upload my video piece which was on display at the exhibition in The Resolution Gallery.

The video piece is the culmination of other experimentation with other videos I shot while at Fabrica, originally I was commissioned by The United Colors of Benetton to shoot a video piece which could be used in the video installation walls in their stores of the acclaimed Johannesburg fashion collective the Smarteez. Unfortunately we shot it but it never came to fruition. So I decided to shoot another similar video for my exhibition on the Real Action Pantsula dance crew, this time learning from the mistakes I had made last time and getting to work with the amazing editor Malcolm Che' to finish it off.

The S'Phara Phara exhibition will be up till the 17th September at The Resolution Gallery in Johannesburg.

CT 2011.

S'Phara Phara - 20th August - Resolution Gallery, Johannesburg. Solo Exhibition.

2011-08-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

So on my return from the USA I will be doing the final preparations for my solo show on the Real Actions Pantsula Dance Crew in Johannesburg. Below is a press release and the first invite for the show. The show will open at 12pm on the 20th August at the Resolution Gallery in Jan Smuts ave, Johannesburg. It will have the culmination of the work I shot during my stint at Colors (Fabrica) in Italy where the documentary began when I was commissioned to shoot for the Dance issue and further delving into this amazing contemporary South African culture.

The show will be opened by iconic South African photographer Alf Khumalo and include two video installations as well as an array of framed prints.

CT 2011

Ron Adler, Arizona USA

2011-07-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

On this journey I have had the pleasure to meet some pretty amazing and bizarrely interesting people. Often I stack the shots up on my laptop and promise myself that I will post them as soon as I can. Today I got to meet Ron Adler and Theresa at 'All Bikes' just outside of Payson Arizona on the way to Phoenix. Ron has for the past 30 years collected and sold second hand motorcycle's and bikes. He has a yard with thousands of them and I was lucky enough to come across it. I spent hours chatting with him and his mechanic Theresa in their yard about bikes and life.

Thanks Ron for been so accommodating and knowledgable, people like you make this world worth exploring.

The journey continues with 2 weeks and counting till we reach Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, California.

CT 2011

Theresa, Ron's right hand mechanic.

People come from all over to find this place, California, Finland even other South African's supposedly.

Swimming in Arizona

2011-07-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

While on my trip through the USA I haven't had much time to edit footage or make many videos as we spend alot of our time filling up the van, cleaning and of course filming. Every week we get one day off and this day off I decided to do something with the Go Pro which I recently bought before coming on the journey. I didn't know what to expect, but am pleasantly surprised by the results. We went swimming in a small town in Arizona which we stayed the night in called St John's. Good times, enjoying summer.

CT 2011

A short video by Chris Saunders & Shaun Stander.

2011-07-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a short edit of something Shaun & I recently shot here in the USA while trailing Jon beeby on his journey across the USA.

CT 2011

Shaun Stander and a portrait a day.

2011-07-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

On my current journey through the USA where we are documenting the journey of Jon Beeby's walk across the vast country, I have been working alongside my good friend and fellow film maker / photographer Shaun Stander. I studied with Shaun at the National College of Photography in 2003 and we haven't seen much of each other since he immigrated to Canada 3 years ago.

We have been shooting a portrait a day. Shaun has posted some of the images the shot of me on his blog: http://shaunstander.blogspot.com/

CT 2011

20th June 2011 - Oklahoma

22nd June 2011 - Texas

24th June 2011 - Amarillo, Texas

28th June 2011 - New Mexico

29th June - New Mexico

26th June 2011 - New Mexico

What was paradise?

2011-06-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Travelling through the USA these past two weeks down the historic route 66 has been an eye opener too the world that was, the iconic United States of America. Off the main I-40 highway lies a huge refuge of old Cars, Motels and gas stations. This journey has given us the time (Shaun & I) to travel this historic route and its side roads (which we sometimes end up on some evenings and chatting on the roof of the RV under the stars) inch by inch. With that in mind, I have realised that these places where once thriving towns with people commuting in and out of them. In the late 1960's when the I-40 highway was completed, traffic now bypassed alot of these old towns which intern turned the tap on their economic main vein. It seems people packed their suitcases and left immediately, leaving ghost towns behind.

Even in the towns where people still coincide there is a feeling of quietness,
where people once drove now people fly,
where once there was natural resources now there is a hole in the ground.

We have now left the Texas Panhandle and are heading up to Sant Fe' in New Mexico where we will spend the weekend.

Today people trawl this historic route to see the relics of yester year. In my next blog update I will post some more on the people that I have met along the route.

CT 2011

A wheel chair inside a military surplus store in Amarillo Texas.

Jeff showing me his beard which is now half its length, we will see more of him in later blog updates.

On the side of the service road for the Interstate 40 Shaun & I find another abandoned flea market and gas station.

Yes, An abandoned boat in a corn field. The Texas Pandhandle.

The Historic Route 66 border into New Mexico.

An old year book (1980) inside an abandoned motel on the Historic Ruote 66. We later met the son of the original owners he keeps everything as original as possible and feels very negatively about selling it all, I like him more when he tells me this.

This made me imagine a scene in a 1950's post apocalyptic move.

Shaun fooling around in the abandoned boat we found.

Afropolitans - V&A London (24th June 2011)

2011-06-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

I will be showing some of my up and coming exhibition S'Phara Phara which will open at the Resolution Gallery on the 20th August, when I get back from the USA.

Showing will be a preview of the printed show plus some the video which was featured in Colors magazine last year when I was on residency at Fabrica in Italy. My new S'Phara video which will be installed at the exhibition will also be shown at the event.

Check out http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/f/afropolitans-24-june-2011/ for more info on the event and let me know how it goes if you do go!

CT 2011 (Deep in the USA)

WAY TO FAR AWAY

2011-06-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

So I've hit the road once again. Im in the midwest of the United States of America documenting a guy called Jon Beeby who is attempting to walk across the expansive country.

I arrived in Oklahoma city after 32 Hours via Dubai and LAX and have been on the road since for 3 days in windy farmlands west of Oklahoma City. Living in a RV and hanging out with my partner in Photographic / Film crime Shaun Stander who I studied photography with in South Africa.

So far the stereotypical setting has amazed me, with everything you ever imagined and seen on movies been real in the vast country. Hicks with drawls, cars that guzzle down gas (including our very own Ford V8 RV) and Walmarts every 40 Miles, not to mention the weirdest and friendliest folk I have ever laid eyes upon. Its been tough getting over the jet lag and learning how to live like a gypsy, I always liked to joke in the past about how I feel like a photographic gypsy at the moment, with no real roots anywhere, I guess this is a dream come true.

I will be putting up constant installments as our journey progresses slowly but surely.

To read more about Jon's epic journey and the charity he is doing it for TAG please visit his site at www.steptoofar.com now!

CT 2011

Our home on the road, the gas guzzling Ford V8 RV. Its super cramped with four on board. Myself, Shaun, Jon and Helen.

On my first night while waiting for Shaun, we watched the sunrise in one of the many budget strip malls outside Oklahoma City.

Most of our journey lines up with the historic ruote 66, made famous by Jack Kerouac and Easy Rider. We have now deviated slightly though and are heading down some very desolate parts of the countryside. I love the signs on the side of the road everywhere you go.

Not gonna happen. In Jon's words, there is nothing you could pay me to live here!

Everything is about big food here. The more the better and BBQ is a local specialty!

We hit a town called Corn in Oklahoma city today, nothing but nothingness, wind and churches. Oh did I mention wind.

When doing a trip like this we come across a ton of roadkill.

My good friend and partner on this trip Shaun Stander who I studied photography with back in the day!

It never ends, one straight line of endless road.

The Arch Magazine Fashion (June 2011)

2011-06-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

Finally I can release some new Fashion Editorial work. This was shot for the Arch magazine, Melrose Arch's publication. It was styled by Jenny Andrews, Make up and hair by Liz van der Merwe and the model is the beautiful Kirsty from Star Models Johannesburg.

You can check out the magazine online at www.thearch.co.za

CT 2011

Gazelle Music Video.

2011-05-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today I went out with my good Colleague's from Gazelle and we shot their new music video for a collaboration track called 'Speak Up', which they have been performing live.

The video is a secret but for now here are some shots from the shoot.

CT 11

A Portrait of Lara.

2011-05-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot from a recent shoot of mine with young actress Lara Lipshitz shot backstage at the Wits theater in Johannesburg.

CT 11.

Dazed Digital: Lagos Party: Africa's new Music Stars Video.

2011-05-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Last year I shot at the MTV Mama awards with Dazed and Confused's Rod Stanley. Finally the video part of our project is up and live on the Dazed Digital website.

Check it out. Below is the text from Dazed Digital, written by Rod Stanley.

CT 2011

Cabo Snoop in the area.

2011-05-02T04:17:00.000-07:00

Last year while on shoot with Dazed & Confused in Lagos, shooting the MTV Mama awards I got to meet some pretty spectacular performers from around the African continent. One of them was a Kuduro dancer / musician called Cabo Snoop. He was one of the highlights on our journey and when I heard he was going to be in Johannesburg on tour, I jumped on the idea of doing a street shoot with Cabo, his manager Ho-Chi Fu and a crew of dancers from Angola.

It was a sentimental time too, as the last time I had photographed Cabo Snoop and he was with Ho-Chi Fu's brother who dies in a tragic car accident a month ago which involved the whole group and 3 members died.

On the shoot we hit the streets near Main Street Life and had some fun. The guys are humble, well dressed and ever willing to perform for the camera. Big ups to Cabo Snoop.

Cabo Snoop.

Ho-Chi Fu, the owner of Powehouse records. He runs the label like a military operation. He is the general and Cabo Snoop is the Captain.

CT 2011

Beauty.

2011-05-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a massive recci for a landfill location for the new Frown music video. Shot this while on a site in the South of Johannesburg called 'Waste Giant', problem is, I need a giant Landfill site but this didn't really cut it. Hope I can make it work though.

CT 2011

Myer Taub / Goethe on Main / Florence

2011-04-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

Did a shoot recently for Myer Taub documenting and creating a video installation instead of images of his performance piece, 'Florence'. Myer and I met at the infecting the city festival earlier this year where he had made a 'mad' treasure hunt through Cape Town CBD. I ended up completely hungover on the last day of the festival in an under ground pipe which linked Vredehoek and the Cape Town fort, the tunnel was infested with Cockroaches.

On that note, please be introduced to his next master piece, 'Forence'. It was a pleasure working with an amazing mind and great director as well as actor.

I have posted some of the images shot while on the video shoot. They should give you a small idea of the characters and the basic performance.

Below is a write up from the Goethe Institute website introducing the performance:

"Myer Taub's Florence began as an exploratory, performance project and an experimental intervention in 2010 at the Joubert Park and Johannesburg Art Gallery spaces. As a performance project now realised at Goethe on Main, the work continues to draw heavily on the life of the founder of the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Florence Phillips, drawing links between these contemporary inner city art spaces, marginality and re-imagined historical narratives.

Taub explains that, ‘The project intends to create a thematic presentation based upon the juxtaposition of marginality and materialism. In doing so this intervention-based performance become a particular kind of method that excavates historical and genealogical fragments so as to reassemble them into an eventual dramatic narrative framed around the notions of the outsider. The Goethe Project Space becomes a presented space, meaning it becomes an imaginary space, embodied and dressed and theatricalised as ‘Florence’ – the imagined other city in relation to Johannesburg.’

Myer Taub recently completed his doctorate in Drama at the University of Cape Town and, subsequently, was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Johannesburg.

The performances start at the Johannesburg Art Gallery and end at GoetheonMain - the audience relies on own vehicles to get from the first to the second venue."

Enjoy.

CT 2011

Cuss Monthly - Dirty Paraffin.

2011-03-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

I recently got the chance to shoot Dirty Parafin, a successful Johannesburg new wave Kwaito group for online magazine Cuss Monthly. Here is a little sneak peak into what we got up to. There is also a 2 min video which I am editing to go with it.

CT 2011

Kenya Pt 1. Obama Fever

2011-03-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks I have been based out of Nairobi Kenya. I was up shooting a project for COLE ACP who are part of the European Commission. They help farmers to lift the quality of their food and teach them better farming techniques, lifting them to a standard which can be exported. They assist through the whole agriculture industry and have made a fast difference.

While their I spent a ton of time on different farms, from smallholders to Organic. While on a farm called Sunripe I came across one of the pesticide sprayers wearing a pink Obama shirt. Ominous and fashionable. In Kenya they have total Obama fever, so this was one of the few items I got to capture while on the trip. Some went by so fast, I saw a bus with Michelle Obama we love you written on the back and I bought some Kenyan fabric with his portrait printed onto it too. Amazing, he has inspired so many people in Kenya and even if he isn't getting the support in his own country he will always have Kenya.

Robot Ahead. A collaborative exhibition. Justin McGee and Chris Saunders.

2011-03-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

Recently I was approached by the Salon/Locale to set up a small exhibition in Cape Town. They are a organisition from Amsterdam that set up fashioned themed exhibitions around the world in major cities. They started in Amsterdam where they decided to give people a more interesting alternative to Fashion Week which in Amsterdam.

Justin McGee is a photographer I have always admired. He is brave, willing and street. We hit the streets of Johannesburg together to shoot, Robot Ahead.

The exhibition is on display in furniture designer Gregor Jenkins studio at 84 Shortmarket Street Cape Town and will be so till the end of March.

Read below to get the jist of it:

ROBOT AHEAD
A series of street portraits of the amazing people of Johannesburg

by Chris Saunders & Justin McGee

Robot ahead’s title is inspired by a sign which you see when entering the city of Johannesburg from the South end coming into Doornfontein into the CBD toward Hillbrow from the M2 highway, I like to refer to it as the ‘Welcome To Johannesburg Sign,’ but instead it is a relic from the Apartheid era, with its Afrikaans, ‘Robot Voor,’ above. Living abroad for the last year also made the fact that we call traffic lights robots very odd and made the sign even more humorous and local. For me the sign epitomises the city and its image, that of business without pleasure, commercial art and big brand fashion culture. A 9 to 5’rs paradise with little to offer as a street culture.

Justin and I are both photographers who have spent tons of our time documenting the streets of the inner city of Johannesburg. We wanted to show the beauty in the street culture breaking the stereotypical view point and creating a new and attractive series showing the city for its best asset, the people. The people of Johannesburg CBD are friendly, approachable and very real.

We decided that the best way to do this would be to walk from one side of the city to the other and shoot a series of street portraits over a period of a couple of hours, showing how easy it is to come across amazing people and scenes. Johannesburg is such a badly documented city, it is feared not embraced. We want to show that the people of the city are good and something to be enamored, not ignored.

All Prints are available as limited editions of 2 prints per image and will be re-printed on Archival Cotton Rag in Johannesburg and shipped unframed to buyer.

Prints cost R4500 (A1 Unframed Print Size on Archival Matte Paper) and Exhibition AP which will not be sold and kept by artist.

CT 2011

Narcissus

2011-02-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

Narcissus from Chris Saunders on Vimeo.

During my stay at Fabrica I got to work with some amazing people, one of those been Jono Brandel, fun loving, always cool and very humble with his amazing achievements. He developed a great aplication called Narcissus which renders three dimensional graphics live over human movement in video. Originally developed for use on your home computer we put it to the test and made a little video with our dear friend and another amazing colleague Emmanuel Plougoulm.

Some fun was had and then time went by as it took me ages to find a decent enough machine to edit this video on. But alas it is done and up on Vimeo as of yesterday.

Please check it out and comment away!

CTS 2011

Eve Rackow. The Frown Teaser image.

2011-02-19T04:55:00.000-08:00

Last week I got the pleasure to conceptualise and collaborate with two of my favorite people on a new photo shoot. I collaborated on the Concept and shoot with Murray Turpin, fine artist and film maker who is returning to Amsterdam soon and we shoot Eve Rackow from the new Johannesburg based band, The Frown.

She is a muse.

We are shooting a music video for the band at the end of March and will release all the images plus the music video in April.

CT 2011

Dazed & Confused Lagos in Print

2011-02-19T04:44:00.000-08:00

As I have posted earlier, I headed up to Lagos in late 2010 with the editor of Dazed & Confused magazine Rod Stanley to Lagos Nigeria for the MTV Mama awards 2010. The print article is out in this months print magazine. Check out the Tear Sheet below.

For more go and buy the magazine or check out Dazed Digital.

CT 2011

The Ideal Passport Photo.

2011-01-25T14:53:00.000-08:00

I have been going through my archive of the work I shot while at Fabrica and there is so much I haven't released or used for anything. This was one of the projects I piggy backed on another. I was working on an interactive display with Paulo Barcelos (who is in one of the above images) when I thought about the idea of the Ideal Passport photograph.

I am always fascinated by passport images and always wonder about the funny faces people would love to pull in font of the camera when they are taken and how it would go down if you presented your passport in a airport and the security official saw a totally obscure face. Obviously this would never happen but I thought it would be fun to illustrate.

So to the basics, the one on the left is the ideal and normal portrait as it normally is and the one on the right is the way I wish it could be.

Enjoy.

CT 11

Loffa (Flatulance with no sound) by Ries Straver

2011-01-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

In my one year in Italy I got to work with and learn from some amazing people. A good friend and colleague Ries Straver asked me to collaborate a little on the filming of his short film which was shown at Netmage 11 digital arts festival as well as used as part of its main identity.

The film is about a man who through his creativity finds a way for his flatulence to have sound by using little trumpets which he sucks up the gas with and then squeezes to imitate the effect.

An amazing and subversively humorous film. Enjoy it as it was a pleasure to collaborate on it.

Chris 2011

The Tshe Tsha Boys

2011-01-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start off the year with a recently published article which I shot late last year. The story was on the youtube Shangaani Electro sensation, 'The Tshe Tsha Boys,' from Giyani, Limpopo, South Africa.

Earlier last year while researching stories for the Colors Magazine 'Dance' issue on my residency at Fabrica I came across an absolutely manic video of a bunch of guys called the 'Tshe Tsha Boys' and a South African producer called 'Nozinja' who pioneered the now keyed, 'Shangaani Electro Scene.'

When I came through to South Africa to shoot the story as well as another which was published in the 'Dance' issue (Real Action Pantsula in Orange Farm) things didn't work out due to unforeseen circumstances, I returned disappointed to Italy empty handed with regards to the Tshe Tsha Boys shoot determined to approach it when the opportunity came up again.

A few months later I received an email from the editor of Electronic Beats magazine Viktoria Pelles about her them ironically researching stories for a dance themed issue. I immediately suggested the Tshe Tsha Boys who I know had a contact with and really wanted to shoot. She accepted the story and I jetted offto South Africa once again to do the shoot. Finally I had my opportunity and I was determined to get it right this time.

On the day of the shoot, I had a subtotal of four hours to get my shots as the guys had to return to their hometown of Giyani on a bus that afternoon and couldn't be late. We chose to do the shoot behind and in Nozinja's garden in Soweto.

They where energetic and soulful when approaching their dance, as if they knew nothing else and expressed their lives through this form of movement. I asked them what the costumes meant as they had made quiet a stir on youtube, they answered, 'Children love the costumes.' In Giyani and other small towns dancers like the Tshe Tsha boys are hired as entertainment and dance to crowds of sometimes thousand of people. The beauty of grass roots South African culture is its appreciation for live dance and entertainment. People in the mostly Shangaani area of Limpopo appreciate music in their language which embraces their own music and traditional dancing but now in a modern format (thanks to Nozinja). The community keep the scene alive by supporting local gigs and buying DVD's and Albums which are sold at the live performances. This allowing the scene to flurish and now with international interest possibly explode.

It was a pleasure getting to meet Nozinja and experiencing a non-exploited culture true to its roots.

If you'd like to see the original Youtube video I found please follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocgbLkayfTE

To a successful and Enlightening 2011.
Chris Saunders

Producer, Film Maker and Manager Nozinja.

Dazed Digital, Lagos and the Mama's

2010-12-16T05:40:00.000-08:00

Last week I headed up to Lagos Nigeria with the editor of Dazed & Confused magazine Rod Stanley to cover a story on the MTV mama awards. The first little bit of the story is up on Dazed Digital.

I have pasted the text by Rod Stanley and the pics with it below. If you wanna see it on the dazed website please visit DazedDigital.

There is more to come with the print issue in a couple of months where we will release the full story with all its images.

Fally Ipupa who one Best of 2010 at the MTV Africa Music Awards in Lagos. Here he is with our two appropriately dressed body guards in the streets of Victoria Island, Lagos.

Chuck D (Public Enemy) hung out with us at the EKO Hotel where the event took place to do a very thought provoking interview.

Yeni Kuti, Fela Kuti's first daughter hung out with us at the 'New Afrika Shrine', which is the replacement for the famous original shrine where Fela spread his positive wisdom to his followers.

Sasha the 'First Lady' of the Nigerian music scene performed an interview for us hours before the event kicked off.

A LAGOS PARTY: DAZED AT THE MAMAS

Text by Rod Stanley

There ain’t no party like a Lagos party, or so they say. This weekend, Dazed flew out to Lagos, Nigeria for the third annual MTV Africa Music Awards and spent a few days and some late nights meeting rap, R&B and kuduro superstars from across Africa: names like Banky W, Fally Ipupa, Daddy Owen, Cabo Snoop and Radio & Weasel, from Angola to Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and beyond, all huge stars in their own countries, selling truckloads of records despite rampant piracy and a rickety music industry. These guys are kind of the Jay Zs and Snoops of Africa, basically.

In our brief time in Lagos, we managed to get chased off the red carpet after walking out behind some stars as they posed for the TV cameras, incoherently advise the boss of MTV Worldwide on his business strategy (a man who had just arrived in a blacked-out 4x4 with two AK47-toting police guards), accidentally start a game of musical chairs with Public Enemy's Chuck D, and find ourselves abandoned by our hosts in a packed Lagos nightclub at 3.30am with only a bottle of tequila and our new friends the Angolan kuduro kings Cabo Snoop for company.

Our hotel seemed to have been lifted from the pages of a JG Ballard novel, featuring an impressive split-level outdoor pool with multiple water slides that absolutely no one was using, surrounded by razor wire and rusty freighters rumbling past in the rubbish-strewn lagoon. Inside, escorts touted for business in the main bar – one thoughtfully pressed her boobs up against the terrace window for us to admire as we choked on our burgers. To change money, you had to take your dollars down to the main gate, where a gang of ‘bookies’ would come over to your car and conduct business through your window. Beyond the gate lay a hooting, seething bedlam of motorised madness: weaving and honking cars, trucks and motorbikes rattling over potholes, while the street vendors selling everything from cold drinks to electric shavers risked life and limb twirling from window to window amid the roar.

Our time in Nigeria also coincided with Wikileaks revealing Shell’s insider dealings with the unimaginably corrupt Nigerian government. No one we spoke to, from street vendor to television presenter, seemed to be very shocked, sadly resigned to high-level corruption as a way of life in a country that is oil-rich but unforgivably spends next to nothing on its people. As Afrobeat legend and political revolutionary Fela Kuti's daughter Yeni said when we visited her at The Shrine nightclub she established in his honour, "If Fela was alive today, he would not be surprised."

When we sat down with visiting hip hop preacher Chuck D, he was similarly condemning and offered a slightly baffling analogy: “Wikileaks is the extension of the the digital monster not ever going back into the bottle. Governments now are falling to the leveling of the playing field. Africa is like a refrigerator. The world’s just been taking what it wants out of it for a long time, and now it is time to refill it with some soda.” Despite being a soda-less refrigerator, the good people of Lagos did not kidnap us or blow us up as we had been warned they would, and instead were funny, friendly and generous with their booze, even on the utterly terrifying Air Arik flight we took back to the UK: a 16-hour ordeal that involved a giant Airbus A340 being re-routed around Nigeria like a domestic shuttle, dumping 40 tonnes of jetfuel in the air so it could land, while a plane riot almost kicked off as they left us to bake without air-con in the African sun for two hours as it refuelled. Certainly it’s the only flight we’ve been on where a passenger committee was formed and read out its demands over the intercom. Arik? Air-Wreck, more like.

The awards themselves were entertaining in that stop-start way that performances for television are, aided by our drinking of pints of Hennessy in the local manner – the guest performances from Chuck D, Rick Ross and T-Pain were energetic and genuine, while host Eve threw herself into it with gusto. The finale with them all on stage together with the various African performers was oddly moving, while the final image of one of our boys Cabo Snoop leaving the stage with Rick Ross’s meaty paws draped over his shoulders is one to cherish. Many of the people we had met and interviewed over the two days picked up awards, including both Banky W and Sasha from Nigeria, Congo’s Fali Apupa ("These are men's leggings! Men's!"), Kenya’s Daddy Owen and Cabo Snoop from Angola, so we celebrated our surprising acuity and foresight at the ridiculously brilliant after-party by dancing and drinking more pints of Hennessy all night in a razor-wire surrounded club with all of the above and the beautiful people of Lagos getting wild by the poolside. Keep an eye on Dazed mag and Dazed TV in the coming weeks for interviews, photos and films.

Article from Dazed Digital.

All Photo's by Chris Saunders

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Goodbye Fabrica, Blessed be your soul.

2010-12-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

So after an exciting year of politics, amazing shoots, traveling and damn right good fun, Im heading home. Back to the green pastures of Johannesburg (Oooh wait that sounds silly, ahhh who cares). Fun times have been had and some of the best friends ever made.

On that note, I thought I'd stick up a image which epitomizes as much emotion as possible. Thanks Paulo for your inspiration in this one.

Long live the Fabricanti!

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Lost in Amsterdam

2010-12-15T03:03:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, myself and my flat mate at Fabrica headed to Amsterdam. I was there to see my friend Murray Turpin & Catarina Dahms, as well DOP a music video with Murray (who directed and wrote the script), for Catarina's band Skip and Die. Didn't shoot too many pics while there but here are two memories I'd like to remember.

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Good Friends Murray & Catarina at breakfast in Weste Park, Amsterdam.

This was the most over the top 80th Birthday party I have ever seen. The camera man carried the couch on his back up the road before plonking the people into it. It was almost near 0 degrees which seemed insane to be doing a shot like this. The Dutch are special.

The view from a thai restaurant in the heart of the city.

The Mama's in Lagos, Nigeria

2010-12-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

I recently had the pleasure of attending the MTV Africa Music awards (The Mama Awards) in Lagos In Nigeria. I went up to do a story for Dazed&amp&Confused magazine and was accompanied by the editor of the magazine Rod Stanley.

Adjusting our internal clocks onto African time we hit the streets doing features on the over 8 African musicians from around the continent who where nominated for the awards, Yeni Kuti (Fela's daughter) who we shot at the Shrine which is based on the original one built by Fela in the 80's and another on the organiser of the event and MTV Africa director and creator, Alex Okosi.

It was a crazy experience with most of the dust still settling in side my head.

I thought I would post 3 pics from the trip.

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With a exchange rate of 150 to the dollar we had a pile of 1000 Naira notes. You exchange your notes with guys called Bookies on the side of the road.

Horrific traffic is an understatement when it comes to Lagos. Its busy polluted and the roads are full of potholes. Many business's have been created due to it though and you will find all kinds of products from food to books to DVD's been sold on the side of the road.

Cabo Snoop and his producer and manager where one of our subjects for the Dazed Shoot. Other artists we shot where Chuck D (USA), Banky W(Nigera), Sasha(Nigeria) and Radio and Weasel (Uganda) to name a few.

Music Madness 1. Die Antwoord Live in Sweden.

2010-11-25T02:10:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year I travelled to Sweden to watch some of the most amazing muscians I have ever seen. I only took shots of some of them but wanted to post some of the images over the next couple of days.

I have also put a track with each of the blog posts of the band in shot.

Today I have put up the Die Antwoord, the South Africa superstars who made it big in 2010. It was amazing to see tons of Swedish kids in Gotteborg singing the words to, 'Fish Paste.'

Die Antwoord - Fish Paste

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Colors Magazine 78 'Dance' Tear Sheets

2010-11-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen the magazine or the images posted about the Colors dance issue, here are the tearsheets in PDF so you can see the magazine and experience the written word.

Kuduro

Panstula

If you'd like to see the earlier posting and see the images solo, then go to this link:
http://chrissaunderssa.blogspot.com/2010/10/colors-magazine-dance-issue-kuduro-mc.html for Kuduro
http://chrissaunderssa.blogspot.com/2010/10/colors-78-dance-pantsula.html for Pantsula

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Dubai for a day.

2010-11-17T04:01:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year while returning from South Africa to Johannesburg, I got delayed in Dubai for a day and had nothing better to do than go shopping, taking the new metro train and seeing the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world). It was truly amazing seeing it from the train window.

Thats all.

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Africa is GOOD X COLORS MAGAZINE

2010-11-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year, I worked on collaboration between Colors Magazine (www.colorsmagazine.com) and Good (www.good.is). The intercontinental collaboration between colors which is based in Italy and Good which is based in the USA all about my home continent Africa. We where given a open brief and almost no budget so we decided to use what we had and make friends with the people we needed work from.

Ending up with something I am very proud of, it was also co-conceptualized by myself, Carlos Mustienes (Writer, Spain) and Josh Levi (USA, Designer). It was also my first Photo editing job.

I have included the Issuu link here where you can have a look at the magazine. There are some of my own images featured in the magazine. As well as this I also hit the streets of downtown Johannesburg (Bree Street) where I tried to find as many products from around Africa as possible. Some of these products where photographed in Italy for the magazine.

If you would like to see the mag you can see a digital copy below, if you would like to download the magazine supplement then it is available on the Colors Magazine website and directly at this link: http://lab.colorsmagazine.com/africa-mon-amour

I would love to hear some feedback on the mag.

Enjoy.
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And the Winner is...

2010-11-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Just found out that I have won the ACP Courier competition Best Photograph in Belgium. Good news. I will be jetting up there in December to receive the prize.

The image that won the prize is from Colors magazine 78 'Dance' and is available at the moment. The interesting thing is that the image that won the prize is one of the un-published images. You have to love the irony in that.

Anyway. Check out the ACP Courier magazine website here http://www.acp-eucourier.info/ and Colors magazine here: http://www.colorsmagazine.com/

If you would like to see the other images from the shoot and the video that was made check out my blog update on the Pantsula story here: http://chrissaunderssa.blogspot.com/2010/10/colors-78-dance-pantsula.html

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Super Secret, Tshe Tsha Boys.

2010-10-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

Just spent 3 weeks in South Africa creating an array of different work.

One of the projects was on the Tshe Tsha boys, a Shangani Electro Dance Crew from Giyani Limpopo, the heart of the Shangaani people, we met up in Soweto Johannesburg at their manager Producer Nozinja (Dog) for the shoot. More info will come when its out and about. (Electronic Beats, Berlin, is where it'll be)

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Colors 78 'Dance' Kuduro MC Custuleta

2010-10-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

In the current issue of Colors, Dance, the team was sent on a wild researching goose chase to find stories on youtube to do with the theme. One of the gems that we came accross was a video of a guy with one leg dancing on top of a car about 8 years ago in Angola to Kuduro music.

After weeks of hunting him down we discovered the one legeed prodigy from Angola, MC Custuleta, in Paris living a life of relative fame and fortune. He is the top of his game when it comes to the niche Kuduro scene in Europe.

I got to spend 4 days with him, experiencing his day to day life of training, practice, signing autographs and one powerful performance in Metz 3 hours east of Paris. It was priceless.

The magazine is available in stores around the world at the moment and the videos from the issue can be seen on Colors Magazines Youtube channel which I shot two of. I have also included the video in this post.

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One of the aims on the job was to re-create a scene from the original video that we found on Youtube. Together we found a scrapyard next to the highway where we got permission to shoot on top of one of the scrapped vehicles.

On the first day of shooting the first thing I noticed was that the scenes look to out of location, it looked as if I had shot them somewhere in Angola and not in Paris where we were. So I decided to take Custuleta and his crew of dancers up to the Eiffel tower. A ton of other dancers where around as it was a meeting spot where dance crews come to show there moves and practice. The building which over looked the Eiffel Tower is called Le Palais de challiot

At the live performance in Metz.

Colors 78 'Dance' Pantsula

2010-10-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

I have been dying to put this story up on my blog and now that the new Colors magazine is hitting the shelves its a pleasure to do so. I researched, photographed and produced a video on the 'Real Actions' Pantsula dance crew.

The story is about a group of dancers from Orange Farm South Africa called 'Real Actions'. They are a Pantsula dance crew from one of the most infamous townships in Johannesburg, South Africa, Orange Farm. The dance itself comes from Tsotsi (South African township gangsters) culture which has very negative stereotypes attached to it. The groups founders decided to use the dance form in a positive way and initiated a community uplifment program where they gave guys from the area the opportunity to use their dance skills in a public sphere (generating income) as well teach more kids from the area how to Dance.

I headed off one day into the township with Millisuthando Bongela (local writer) to meet the guys. We took a taxi off into the township where I was shown the ropes and allowed to view an area I had always been to scared or naive to enter previously. The following shots and video where created.

To see all the other Colors videos visit the Colors magazine youtube channel here.

One of the dancers shows me the inside of his tin shack in the backyard of someone elses house.

Outside his house with his mother.

The beauty of the dance is it is performed on the street anywhere and anytime.

The guys prepare themselves for practice in the local community hall.

Colors Magazine on Youtube

2010-09-30T01:46:00.000-07:00

Colors Magazine launched their Youtube channel yesterday. It features two of my videos as well as an erray of other video makers and photographers from around the worlds amazing work. The theme for the new issue was Dance and I flew to South Africa (Pantsula) and Paris (Kuduro) to shoot two documentaries and videos.

The first one is about a group of Pantsula dancers from Orange farm South and the other about a one legged Kuduro Dancer originally from Angola but now living it up in Paris.

I will post the full stories and tear-sheets soon once the magazine has hit shelves.

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The New Colors Magazine on the Vogue Italy Website

2010-09-29T01:03:00.000-07:00

This morning I noticed that two of my images are featured on the Vogue Italia website featuring the launch of the all new Colors magazine, which should hit shelves worldwide within the next two weeks.

I have included one of the images featured, aswell as the link to the Vogue Article.

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Canedicoda Video Piece

2010-09-22T07:18:00.000-07:00

My first edited video piece which I film in Collaboration with Silvia Boschiero and edited myself. Quiet a chore. But Im happy with the results. See the photos in the last blog post which go with the video piece.

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Lave by Canedicoda Photographs

2010-09-20T03:04:00.000-07:00

I decided to put up all the images from the Canedicoda shoot. I thought they looked better in Black and White.

Below is what I wrote on the exhibition blog spot last week :

'Recently I finished a collaborative project for Canedicoda, a hand screen printing specialist I met in Treviso. I collaborated with local friend and photographer Silvia Boschiero (Treviso) who introduced me to Gio from Canedicoda.

We did the shoot and video in the mystical mountain locations close to Vittorio Venetto where Gio from Canedicoda lives.

The project is meant to give a visual representation of a personal emotional response to his creations and the place that he creates them in. When I first met Gio inside his enoviroment, it was quiet and meditational. I wanted to portray this to the viewer.'

The Project was a collaboration between Silvia Bosciero and myself.

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Canedicoda Milano.

2010-09-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I finished a collaborative project for Canedicoda, a hand screen printing specialist I met in Treviso. I collaborated with local friend and photographer Silvia Boschiero (Treviso) who introduced me to Gio from Canedicoda.

We did the shoot and video in the mystical mountain locations close to Vittorio Venetto where Gio from Canedicoda lives.

The project is meant to give a visual representation of a personal emotional response to his creations and the place that he creates them in. When I first met Gio inside his enoviroment, it was quiet and meditational. I wanted to portray this to the viewer.

Three of the images which will be printed on large postcards are with this post below. There will also be a large scale print element to the installation in Black and White.

A 3min long video will be projected onto the fabric from this range.

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The Circus is in town.

2010-09-07T03:38:00.000-07:00

Cycling to Fabrica this morning I noticed that the circus was setting up in town. This little caravan was parked next to it.

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Symmetry on the way to Fabrica

2010-09-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to document my life here in Italy more. This is a house that I cycle past everyday on the way to Fabrica. Everything here is so symmetrical, I love it.

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Freaks

2010-09-02T03:47:00.000-07:00

I was going through my images from the past couple of months of traveling and came accross two that fitted perfectly together. One was shot in Coney Island, New York City where I went when I got stuck after the Benetton Campaign (Stuck because of the Volcano). I was walking past one of the most famous spots on the promenade when I came accross this group of photographers (rather large fellows too) shooting a girl in front of the shoot the freak sign. I don't know if I was shooting the freaks or if they where shooting the freak but regardless we where all shooting.

The second image was taken on a trip to Paris a couple of months after New York to visit a friend I had met on the Benetton Campaign and one of the winners of the Its My Time competition, Magali Berthon. Its strange because she was with me in Coney Island when I shot the other and I regard her as a muse, how else can I explain the shots. This situation was on a bridge a sweltering day (if I could remember the name of the bridge I would use it), close to the main public library. I thought the two shots worked together because in the next one she was shooting a freak and it needed no signage.

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The Little Mermaid is away.

2010-08-30T04:10:00.000-07:00

In Copenhagen recently I found the immense buying power of China very entertaining. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has taken the little mermaid to china. The little mermaid is the famous sculpture by Edvard Eriksen, based on the story by famous Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen. Its on every post card and every tourist flocks to see it when coming to Copenhagen. Now it has been replaced by a screen which you can barely see in the daytime. The irony is fantastic.

I have never seen so many disappointed tourists in my life. Talk about a Euphemism for selling out to the Chinese. I love it, at-least the Danes are honest about it, they became the Scandalous Scandinavians after this moment.

You can see the live feed of the statue in Shanghai at www.mermaidexchange.com

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Listen & Learn

2010-08-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

I decided to get new Tattoo a couple of weeks ago. On the left hand side I got Listen and a little black solid square above it. On the Right below an existing Tattoo I got Learn.

They signify Balance and the challenges I have at this point in my life.

Here are some pics documenting a very personal experience in my life.

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My Tattoo Artist. I live above a Tattoo shop here in Treviso. They where quiet surprised when one of the Fabricanti came down and wanted a tattoo. Its the first time supposedly.

The tools.

Ekene, a friend from Fabrica attempted to take an in focus pic while I was getting the Tattoo but it didn't work out to well. I liked it anyway. I think it suits how I felt while getting it done.

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Featured on Stocktown, Sweden.

2010-08-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

Last year I got approached by Teddy Goitom from Stocktown a documentary production company and great website from Stockholm. The recently did a phone interview with me for their website.

Thank you Stocktown!

See the article at http://www.stocktown.com/stockblog/post/photographer-chris-saunders/

The Smarteez Dazed Digital Video.

2010-08-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

Shot this video earlier this year with the Editor of Dazed & Confused, Rod Stanley in South Africa. The Smarteez are a subject I have been obsessed with for the last couple of years and owe a lot to them.

The video has slightly fucked up sound but its really cool and worth the watch. (Damn my Auto Overides on the 5dmk2).

Check out the rest of the story on the Dazed Digital website, http://www.dazeddigital.com/Fashion/article/7594/1/South_Africa_Special_The_Smarteez

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Fabroulette (A Collaboration with Paulo Barcelos)

2010-07-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Fabroulette Collaboration from Chris Saunders on Vimeo.

At Fabrica I have met some amazing people, one of them being Paulo Barcelos who is a resident in the Interactive department. He came to me months ago to collaborate with him on one of his projects 'Fabroulette' which is a program which takes a portraits and randomly collages them. The program it self has been recorded and put into a couple of the new Benetton stores across Europe. Eventually the idea is that the program will be triggered by other interactions such as movement and facial recognition. I will keep you all posted on this project and plan to release some of the portraits on the blog soon.

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Lolo Veleko & Child

2010-07-20T06:29:00.001-07:00

I visited Paris recently and met up with my friend and fellow photographer Lolo Veleko. She has been hiding out in the countryside west of Paris for the last couple of months after giving birth to her first child.

We took a trip to a nearby forest before commencing a short shoot. They where lovely together and it was a honor to take the portrait.

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Dazed 2.0 - 'Chains' Stefan Ruiz Vs. Chris Saunders

2010-07-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

In the new Dazed & Confused issue (Issue 87, July) I got the opportunity to be part of the new chains feature, where two photographers are asked to have a dialogue through images.

This month we where given the initial theme, 'Heroes,' which we then over a two to three week period sent images back and forth to each other without speaking at all about our motivation and image choices. later we divulged the ideas behind our replies, which lead to a good conversation and idea of how the process worked.

Good one Dazed.

Enjoy.

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One Legged Kuduro Madness

2010-07-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

I spent the week following MC Custuleta, a one legged Kuduro MC from Angola who now lives in Paris.

The story will be in the new Colors magazine, coming out next month.

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One Small Seed / Rozanne is...

2010-06-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago while in South Africa on Assignment I collaborated with Rozanne is for a One Small Seed editorial. We decided to feature people from around the city in a more animalistic manner and also show the relationship between men and women (of Johannesburg) in an abstract way using the downtown environment of Jeppe Town.

The images where recently featured in the fashion section of One Small Seed South Africa.

I would love to get a copy of it...

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Muscle Men

2010-06-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

I have started a new collaboration with Photographer Federica Palmarin here in Italy on Body Builders. Its about analysing the surreal subculture. Been at the Italian Body Building Championships which was held in the beautiful town of San Remo was like a sick dream of sorts. I felt like I was trapped in a world where I could not communicate and didn't quiet understand yet. It interested me immensely and I want to delve deeper.

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Dazed & Confused Magazine: South Africa

2010-06-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

About a month and half ago I flew from my comfortable situation here in Treviso italy back to the madness of my home city, Johannesburg to shoot a story on my good friends the inspirational Smarteez.

This time we went in featuring them more as designers and street savy revolutionaries as apposed to the normal view point that they are just South African hispters.

It was a pleasure to work with Rod Stanley at Dazed and to be part of this amazing feature. A couple of my other shots where featured through out the South African section of the magazine too.

Check out the next issue for a narrative through images which I have just completed with well known photographer Stefan Ruiz.

Please check out Dazed Digital for the web to see the story. To see the whole feature on South Africa plus the other shots of mine that where in the issue please, buy the magazine in a store now!

Till next time,

CTS 2010

2010-05-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Above are two new portraits shot during the shoot for new Benetton interactive window displays which will be launched this weekend in the Milan Benetton shop.

Check it out and if you have chance come to the Milano Benetton shop.

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Colors Magazine - Never seen the sea

2010-05-22T05:51:00.000-07:00

My first assignment when I arrived at Fabrica this year was to go back to South Africa and document the journey a young girl from Soweto township in Johannesburg called Banele Khumalo. The story ended up being a Augmentative reality video piece in the mag and the photographs where never published.

I have included my favorite shots from the documentary.

Enjoy,

Chris

Lucy from Manhattan

2010-04-28T05:58:00.000-07:00

I met Lucy on the corner of 13th and Washington in Manhattan, New York City. She was a real character. Once married to a well known artist who I cannot recall the name of and will will ask when I mail her the print and still lives on the same block where she has been for most of her adult life.

Great to meet you Lucy Berns.

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Fabrica

2010-04-27T03:08:00.000-07:00

Another scene in the bunker Fabrica. how are minds drift from work...

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Red Bucket Films, NYC

2010-04-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

After coming back from New York City this week, I am reflecting on the experiences and people that I met on my trip over. On the trip we got to work with a group eccentric and super talented film makers at Red Bucket Films.

They are the epitomisation hat I immagine New York and the film industry there to be.

See their website at http://www.redbucketfilms.com

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The view from the entrance in.

Green paper shredders, help by Alex Kalman.

Meno, from Paris.

Alex Kalman, son of the well know orginator of Colors magazine, Tibor Kalman.

The view from Alex Kalmans desk.

need I say anything.

What does this tell us about their taste...

They all seem to have an obsession with collecting interesting memorabilia from around the world and this shelf is great example, I love the Red Bull concentrate for those late nights in the office.

An overall view of the office.

What I've been working on for the past 4 months

2010-04-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the cover of the all new Colors magazine. Basically what I have been working on for the past 4 months. Our new issue will be the dance issue and I need as many ideas as possible so if you have any please email me.

Chris

Benetton MyTime New York City

2010-04-17T11:14:00.001-07:00

Its been a while again since the last time I put up something. This is party because I have been super busy and traveling like a mad man. Now that there is a Volcano in Iceland and we happen to be stuck in New York city I might have some time to update you all.

Recently I was in South Africa shooting for Dazed and Confused magazine London for their June issue where they will be doing a feature on South Africa. I joined the editor Rod Stanley in Johannesburg and we featured The Smarteez, Black Coffee and Thandiswe to name a few.

The image with this update is from the Benetton MyTime documentary which I have been shooting on set here in NYC.

I will be putting up more over the next couple of days and you can see more of the backstage on the Team Uncool Fashion Blog at http://teamuncoolfashion.blogspot.com

Have fun,

Chris

Carnivale Chaos in Venice

2010-03-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

I found this image rather appealing and still cant explain why. It could be the super gay blue chicken crest on the outfit. It could also possibly be the fact that he looks as if he was coaxed into getting into this garb.

Either way my memory is good of the Carnivale and this character sticks out among the many fancy stiffs I saw walking around.

Anyway, Back to the real work.

Later,
Chris

Benetton MyTime Casting, Johannesburg

2010-03-10T01:48:00.000-08:00

I recently travelled back to Johannesburg to shoot the Benetton MyTime street casting. Everything went sportingly well and here is a taste of the madness which ensued.

I have also included a video which I made during the shoot and casting process edited here at Fabrica.

Enjoy

Ct 2010

Backstage at Benetton MyTime casting, Johannesburg from Chris Saunders on Vimeo.

Francesco Novara, Musical Genius

2010-03-10T01:40:00.000-08:00

While at Fabrica, I've got to meet some super interesting people and I have tried to document them. Treviso is a quiet town at night with very little happening in the streets, no crime, no traffic, no chaos.

We decided to go into the streets and have some fun one night and do a little promo shoot for Francesco who is a music producer here at Fabrica.

Remember its the middle of winter here and he is wearing a T and jumping into water, madness!

Ct 2010

Benetton MyTime Casting, Venice

2010-03-10T01:34:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I shot a street casting in Venice for Benetton's MyTime campaign. We hit the streets of Venice for 3 days and I have selected my favorites from the shoot.

Have a look.

Ct 2010

Images from Venice & Treviso

2010-02-07T14:41:00.001-08:00

Thought I would post some images that I took in last couple of days while traveling between Venice and Treviso, where I now live.

Ct 2010

Benetton Spots

2010-02-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

Recently wrote, directed and shot 3 Youtube spots for the new Benetton MyTime Campaign. One of them will be featured on Italian TV soon.

Check them out.

Benetton MyTime Andrea from Chris Saunders on Vimeo.

Benetton MyTime Marcel from Chris Saunders on Vimeo.

Benetton MyTime Dongyoung from Chris Saunders on Vimeo.

The Dark Side of Venice.

2010-01-19T01:18:00.000-08:00

Everyone imagines Venice Italy as this perfect postcard, which it is on the island. But when you cross over to the reality, there is a huge industrial sector.

Took this shot while doing some tests for the new Colors magazine. In the background is one of the biggest Aluminum plants in Italy and it is in viewing distance of the Venice we all know.

Ct 2010

Windswept Creatures

2010-01-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

I have recently returned to Treviso, Italy to start my year long residency at Fabrica in Italy. On the first nights here I was thinking of the great holiday I had recently experienced in the freestate 'town' of Verkykerskop.

From cows to dogs, it was a fantastic time away from the chaos that is life.

I decided between the staring cows and the jumping dogs they would suffice and make great additions to my photographic blog.

Ct 2009

FHM December

2009-12-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

Shot this for FHM's december issue, the idea behind the shoot was about two people are enjoying the summer during the recession, cutting back on spending on an expensive holiday and instead enjoying atop a beautiful Johannesburg rooftop.

Styled by, Kirsty Stoltz

Hair & Make-Up by Liz van der Merwe

Ct 2009

CoCo and Joe

2009-12-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

I recently shot this for 'The President' in Cape Town for a publication they produce for Channel O called CoCo & Joe. They made an entire outfit from paper and Richard de Jaager styled it to perfection.

Ct 2009

Styled by Richard De Jager

'The President'

Road Rage!

2009-12-02T06:47:00.000-08:00

I was in downtown Johannesburg the other day when two guys had a bumper bashing incident behind me. Being the addicitive snapper that I am, I decided that road rage is one of those things that really upset me in Johannesburg and that I would document.

While shooting, I was standing right on top of the guys having the argument, not once did they notice me while they where so involved.

Road rage is super unnecessary.

Ct 2009

Narcotics Anonymous Commercial, Directing debut

2009-11-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

I recently got the opportunity to work with creative directors Brad Reilly (Royal Metropol) & Gareth Paul (Draft FCB) to create & Direct my first solo TV Commercial. With the guidance of Suburban, the production company which is representing me at present and help from the amazing Flic animation as well as many others, this is what we ended up with.

Ct 2009

Its harder to get people to WinC than it looks.

2009-11-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

I recently shot the CellC WinC campaign for Morris Jones. Its harder to get people to wink than it looks. Check out the shots with this mail.

Ct 2009

ShweShwe Street

2009-10-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

I recently hit the streets in the Johannesburg CBD with MTV base's Fikile Moeti. We dressed some peeps in ShweShwe garments and paraded around the city. The results where...

Chris Saunders 2009

Everyone loves or loathes Karaoke

2009-10-14T01:59:00.000-07:00

Shot this during a great Karaoke session in Cape Town a couple of weeks ago. Either you love or loathe a cheesy song in front of the big screen, Im indifferent about the subject and it depends how many tequilas I've had before my internal Frank Sinatra emerges.

Enjoy

Ct09

Mickey on the Team Uncool Fashion Blog

2009-10-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Recently put up this update on the teamuncool fashion blog. Check it out at http://teamuncoolfashion.blogspot.com

Ct09

previously un-released Coca-Cola 'The Ultimate Goal'

2009-10-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I shot the stills for The Royal Metropol's, 'Coca-Cola Ultimate Goal' Campaign. Most of the shots where used in the press and as PR, but there where a couple of shots used on Billboard.

I have included some of the original shots and some of the final comps in this update.

Ct 2009

The Future Shock Collective

2009-09-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I got to shoot the Future Shock Collective, a new fashion collective from Johannesburg. We decided to shoot both the mens and womens range on a female model. They will primarily be selling their clothes in Europe but you can contact them directly if your interested.

It was a pleasure working with them.

Ct 2009

Hugh Masakela images on the cover of Songlines magazine (UK)

2009-09-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

One of my images which where shot during the feature shoot for GQ magazine of Hugh Masakela has been made the cover of UK based music magazine Songlines. Thank you to GQ for giving me the authority to use the other shots from the shoot.

Please visit songlines website to see more on the magazine, www.songlines.co.uk and to the art director of the magazines website Ben Serbutt's personal website www.benserbutt.com

Ct 2009

'Concentration' camps in Berlin.

2009-09-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

While surrounded by some of the most amazing art I have ever seen in Berlin earlier this year I became obsessed by the oppressive and rather obscure moving security guards in a gallery, so I decided to document them. The guards instilled a fearsome and oppressive mood in the space, every time a voice was lifted a piercing stare would be in your direction and if you got a little to close to the art on the walls they would slowly creep towards you as if about to pounce. They made for great subject matter.

Cts 2009

New on the Team Uncool Fashion Blog

2009-08-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard about the Team Uncool Fashion Blog then check it out. Its M18j92t and my opinionated viewpoint on Fashion in the world and South Africa. We have recently been featured in GQ South Africa and have some great new shoots in pipe works.

Check out my newest shoot below. Too see the rest of the shoot check out the Team Uncool Fashion Blog at http://teamuncoolfashion.blogspot.com

Good times ahead,
Chris S (2009)

Love to Hate

2009-08-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

In Amsterdam a couple of months ago while at a gig with 'Nobody Beats The Drum,' a friend Jori's electro group we ended up at Artquake music festival just outside of Amsterdam close to airport. As most things close to the airport it was a bit like h20 except 20 times smaller.

Found this character with a great t-shirt sitting on the banks near the second stage. Thought it was great.

Hope you enjoy it.
C

Cleo Magazine Fashion editorial

2009-08-17T02:06:00.000-07:00

I have a new fashion editorial out in the newest issue of Cleo Magazine (South Africa). See some of the images below and get the issue to see the rest.

CTS 2009