Black Coffee SS & AW 2012

Last week after a month of planning and a few days before the final press kit was meant to go to print as well as a week before the Fashion Show I shot Black Coffee's new catalogue and press material, we managed to pull off 40 shots in one day a new feat for me. With a mixture of Zylight LED lighting and flash we managed to achieve the desired results.

Please read more about the campaign on the Team Uncool Fashion Blog.

Model - Esmarie from Ice Johannesburg
Make up - Liz van der Merwe

Hair - Candice Wyatt 

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Paris & The Giant Impossible Project Camera

So finally, I've decided to start blogging images from my recent trip to Europe. I ran away for the month of February to visit the old world once more, visiting friends and meeting amazing new people. Through that process I documented and shot portraits of the people I met and spent time with.

One of my most enjoyable experiences was shooting on The Impossible Projects 20 x 24 super large format 'Polaroid' Camera. Yes, you heard right, a 24 x 20 Polaroid. It was quiet an experience. Thanks to Alexandra Senes who I had the pleasure of meeting in South Africa a few months back I got the to connect with the Impossible Works, the company which operates the large format camera. The Impossible works are a Paris based company which build their collection of images by collaborating with Photographers around the world by getting them to shoot different subjects on the Large format camera, in this way building their collection.

Below are the images from the portrait set up at Alexandra's event at the 'Ecole De La Chambre Syndicale  de la couture parisienne', I have also included a portrait of Alexandra into the mix.

Thanks again to Alexandra Senes and Valerie Hersleven (The Impossible Works) for this amazing experience and the impending results. Please see more info on the Impossible Works on their website - http://www.impossible-works.com

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kawaïi Junko - Japanese Journalist

Susie Bubble,  Fashion Blogger - http://stylebubble.typepad.com/

Paolo Calia - Decorator & Parisian Socialite 

Beatrice Ardisson - DJ / Musician (wife of famous TV personality Thierry Ardisson) & daughter Ninon Ardisson - Young fashion designer studying at Central St. Martins in London. 

Electric Guest - Band from the USA http://electricguest.com/

Marko Matysik - Stylist, Writer and editor of Vogue International

Baptiste Roger Lacan & Liora Jaccottet - Students

Alexandra Senes - http://www.alexandrasenes.com/

Marko Matysik with his image. 

Self Portrait.

Suzaan Heyns

At end of 2011, Johannesburg based fashion designer Suzaan Heyns approached me to shoot her A/W 2012 Collection which had just been shown at SA Fashion Week in Johannesburg. After a long process of conceptualisation and production, here are the images.

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A Portrait of Loic Prigent

While in Paris recently I got the opportunity to shoot a portrait of the award winning documentary film maker Loic Prigent who is famous for working with well known fashion designers 24 hours before a fashion show. To be honest I have only seen the trailers and have ordered my box set, I will be posting more images from trip to Europe of February 2012 in the next few days.

I couldn't find any tangible links to Loic's work, I a funny feeling it has something to do with the fact that I am typing in english and most of the links are in French. You can see his IMDB page here http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1459873/


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Dirty Paraffin in Dazed & Confused Magazine

I am happy to announce a new image of my mine in Dazed & Confused. The shot is of Dirty Paraffin, the PrimalStof originators from Johannesburg. The shot was done while in Johannesburg working with Rod Stanley (Editor) of Dazed and on the production of the Supremebeing shoot for Styling Concepts last year

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Portraits for Design Indaba magazine 2012

MJ Turpin

For this years Design Indaba, I got the opportunity to shoot portraits of an array of creative folk from Johannesburg. The concept was to spend time with the creators in their studio spaces and get as candid a shot as possible, capturing their environment, themselves and their work. 

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Givan Lotz

Thabo Tsatsinyane from The Smarteez

Adriaan & Katy from Dokter & Misses

Claudia Mohr

Last year I was commissioned by singer and jazz musician Claudia Mohr in Cape Town to shoot her album cover for her first solo release. This was the result.

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Wyatt Hair - Davines WWHT 2012 Miami Shoot

Over the course of last year I worked with the amazing hair dresser and salon owner Candice Wyatt who over the last couple of years has reached international acclaim through numerous competitions. Last year she was awarded the opportunity to showcase her work in Miami at Davines World Wide Hair Tour which took place in Miami, USA.

She approached me after doing a shoot with Eve Rakow from the Johannesburg based based Eletronic band The Frown where she had engineered her hair for the shoot. You should recognise this shot if you know my work as it is the banner image on the blog.

After months of hard work and a process of hair sculpturing, here are the final results which I documented and which where presented in Miami.

Macolm Che', Also made some great videos which documented the whole process up and until the presentation in Miami, see them on his vimeo page here: https://vimeo.com/voltairejhb/videos

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Supremebeing

Late last year Chipo from Styling Concepts a fashion PR company in Johannesburg approached me to conceptualise and work on a photoshoot and fashion film for Superemebeing a UK label launching in South Africa. We had previous success and broken the ice with my Religion series for them but this time wanted to work with a much more street look which I am much more natural at.

While on the shoot I was also working Rod Stanley from Dazed & Confused on a new short film for Dazed TV called Joburg Party so he joined us on the shoot and we managed to fit some of the characters in the film into it too.

We took some of my favorite people from Joburg and shot them on the streets of Joubert park the center of the Johannesburg CBD. On the shoot was MJ Turpin (fine artist, musician), Jamal Nxedlana (fine artist, writer), Bhubessi / Khaya Sibiya (musician, stylist), Eda Rose (radio presenter, musician), Dirty Paraffin (musicians) and Hayley Junkin / Chinxxx (illustrator).

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L'Officiel (Paris) features the Smarteez

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.

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SABC 1 - Entertainment Campaign.

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

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