Redhead days 2007 - 2012

BREDA - I'd love to see these letters as big art in my city... 

As you probably already know, I am a huge fan of natural redheads. They are so beautiful! In 2007 I got contaminated with the Ginger virus by Bart Rouwenhorst's first redhead day in Breda.

Tineke, 2007 - Red-On-Red

Early 2007 I made a series of commercial photos to help Bart to promote the redhead day later that year. Next to the photo of him lying down covered with the hair of 11 gordeous redheads, I did a first try out with the Red-On-Red concept. I was stunned by the results, it really works great!

1 September 2007 I was able to take over a 100 portraits during the event. I had no idea that I'd get so much reactions to my work, like: "you can't wear red as a redhead" but also: "because of your photo from now on I'll be proud of my red hair"...

I've retouched the 2007 images and made this new Red-On-Red (e)-book in 2012.

I chose Red-On-Red as it's an abundance of the most beautiful colour in the world: red. Drs. Tim Wentel even mentioned my series in his lectures during the redhead days of 2012! Stating that in this way "the red comes out best" ... Yes, he really said it, and illustrated his words with my photos. At the exact same moment I was taking portraits off-festival, in the Huis of Beelcultuur in the Reigerstraat. I created 'Half' and, by request: new Red-On-Red portraits!

It was really cool to create new portraits of the (same) redheads, amazing they keep getting back to have their picture taken, by me! I love you all!!

In 2008 more photographers were asked to come and shoot TFP. Lucky for us we had a spot inside, as the weather was very bad.

My partner Hans and I created 'Medusa', portraits of natural redheads with long hair, laying down, so we could transform the hair into shapes, art.

The 2007 Red-On-Red photos couldn't be part of the art exhibition in the Grote Kerk though, so we printed some and showed these at the temporary studio that day.

In 2009 we were too busy with our own event, Trash The Dress, "99+ Brides running into the sea", so we had to skip the redhead days.

Medusa - redhead days Breda, 2008

Red hair unites. Next to individual portraits Hans also made group photos of friends and/or family members.


In the end of 2009 I made infraRED, a series of Black&White portraits of redheads. A lot of models returned to our studio and were quite happy not the be in the crowd, waiting, but were able to come in by appointment and pose in a very relaxed way.


InfraRED has two front covers and no real back. Halfway through the book you'll have to flip it, as the B&W pics stop and the original colour photos begin, but these are upside down. All models are in the book twice, once in B&W, once in colour. I used the infrared technique to get 'under' their skin, so does infrared light really make wreckles dissapear? Another question was 'Is it obvious the models are redheads when you look at the B&W photos?"

I had a fab time, meeting a lot of my earlier models again, also the book infraRED is the biggest size book I ever made with redhead portraits.

Photobook 'infraRED' -  model: Roelie

Roelie in 2007 (left) and 2009 (top). Roelie has two sisters and a brother, who finally was able to pose for me in 2011.

After having discoverd my old Polaroid camera again, I wanted to experiment  with instant film (old and new Polaroid/Impossible Project film), with slidefilm cross process developed, and with my D700 Nikon camera. Which technique will show off the red colour of the hair best?

Fair is fair: digitaal wins, on all counts. Polaroid pics aren't bright at all, they lack colour and the once so very special 'bright coloured' cross processed analog film, well... it wasn't so special anymore. It just didn't do the trick.

Red Twins Anne and Malou - Redhead Days 2011 - bREDa

And how lucky I was to get the redhead twin Anne & Malou finally to pose for me, and they are so right being on the cover of my 2011 photobook 'Red'. By their duo photos I was inspired to create 'Half', portraits of half redheads chopped in 'half', with their front & back in one photo.

Five years after my first redhead day, it's done, and I am ready to stop my search for special redhead portraits ...But like Sean Connery says, I might as well 'Never Say Never' ;)

Roelie, 2012

There's one more thing, when being in Amsterdam in 2010 I again noticed the letters iAmsterdam. Tourists just love to pose with them. So ever since I figured: we need sort of same spot in my city too. Being the host of such a great event, 3500+ redheads who promote the city...don't you just want them all to pose with BREDA???

iAmsterdam - Polaroid, Feb. 2010

5 May 1945 Victory Day

The instrument of surrender signed at Reims on 7 May 1945

Breda, the Netherlands,
5 May 2013.

I live in peace.

I live in freedom.

Freedom of speach. Freedom of religion. Freedom TO BE WHO YOU ARE.



I am free to love who I love, to marry who I love.

I thank all our liberators for all they did to make Europe, the Netherlands free country again.



♥

On May 4 we remember the dead, at the Nationale Dodenherdenking commemorating all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of World War II. The last part of the Netherlands was liberated May 5, 1945.

Redhead days Breda 2012 - first results

Facebook album with the first results of my 'back and front' photo experiment,

don't you just love gingers!!

Red hair is beautiful! - Roodharigendag 2012 Breda

Redhead days Breda 2012 - 3

part 3 of the redhead days in Breda (roodharigendag) 2012 - aren't they just beautiful!?

Redhead days Breda 2012 - 2

Redhead day in Breda, 2 September 2012 - 3500+ redheads so it seems?!?

Redhead days Breda 2012 - 1

Holy moly many!!!

Redhead Days Breda 2012

The redhead days 2012 are exactly on the same date as in 2007, when I made my famous series Red-On-Red. Coincidence or not, this year's theme is 'by nature' and the dress code = green. Same colour as the very first roodharigendag (redhead day) in Asten, NB, the Netherlands in 2005.
Since 2007 it's been an annual event in my city Breda.

Spring 2007: I shot my first set of Red-On-Red, as I was involved in creating promo and marketing photos to support the 1st redheadday in Breda. My Red-On-Red try out in Rotterdam was successful :))) yes, it works!! Red clothing, red background and...gordeous natural red hair!
So 2 September 2007 I photographed over a 100 redheads @ Electron in Breda. The results were published in my very first Blurb book.

2 September 2007 - Roodharigendag Electron Breda

In the years following I was asked to help and so Hans van Nunen and I did Medusa in 2008. In 2009 we were very busy with out own group event, 99+ brides Trash The Dress in Scheveningen. Can't remember if I made any portraits but at least I took some 'snap shots' in the Valkenberg park. To avoid the big crowd I organised another RED! shoot in our new photostudio in Breda, Artstudio23.com at the end of the year.

Models are pleased not to have to wait to get their portrait taken, and TFCD is exactly what they want: for posing they'll receive all files HR on cd, and I am given written permission by the model, to be able to use all portraits online etc.

Roelie in 2010 - infraRED

infraRED was my 3rd book. Using post-production to create infrared photos of natural (ginger) redheads. The analog film sort of showed 'beneith skin' layers, as infrared light has a different point of focus then when using normal light. It goes into the skin, deeper. I asked myself: what if infrared light is used on red hair??

Jose en Roelie in 2007 - Red-On-Red

This is what I do. Trying out new ways, things that aren't supposed to be 'done that way' (e.g. never wear red when you are a ginger). Most red hair models are made to pose against nature (green) background, to get the biggest colour contrast, so...I was wondering: why not use only red, and dress them red and make them pose against a red background. Red-On-Red(-On-Red!) :)

Medusa was created to use the (long) hair of the models, to shape it show it pose it! We made the models lay down so we could create new shapes with their beautiful red hair. infraRED was a try to get under the skin of (wreckled) redheads. What happens when all (red) colour's dissapeared?

In 2011 I cooperated with Expo, and held a triple shoot. I am experimenting with analog photography still, and after discovering my Polaroid camera in the attic again, I am also using instant film. The 2011 book is simply RED. 3 photos; 1 digital, 1 analog (cross processed) 1 instant.

For 2012 I've again received a lot of requests, 'aren't you doing something this year????' ...ok...as it's my first lustrum in taking photos of natural redheads, this year is the VERY LAST opportunity to get a MeRy photo as natural red hair model. Walk in 2 September 2012, Huis voor Beeldcultuur, Reigerstraat 16, Breda. 14.00-16.00 h (2-4PM) Dress code: white top/shirt, and optional: red top/shirt.

To all mothers and mothers-to-be: all of your portraits will also be used to help out One minute to stop maternal mortality to support UN's 5th Millenium Development Goal.

Medusa, 2008

© Fotograaf Hans van Nunen

2 Day

baby Day on big size canvas print by: Hans van Nunen

Well, loads of babies are born so it seems. Am hoping for a new babygirl in the family today too, as it is my mother's (March 9, 1947 - May 26, 1991) birthday today and I'd just love it if my cousin Suzanne would have her babygirl on my mother's birthday :)
Also I'd like to share the above canvas print of baby Day and the birth anouncement card of Lenka, the babygirl of my sister: It's very fashionable in Holland to create cards like these, being like the cover of a magazine. Inside there's more photos and fun stuff like where the name Lenka comes from. It's very different from back in the days, when my sister was born and I had to pose myself ;) I'll look the card up and scan it too, it's hilarious, like this pose, taken by Huub van Happen -the only professional photographer in Bakel in 1975- and my mom and sis were still at the hospital so my parents were far ahead of their time: LOL: photographers don't want to be at the other side of the camera haha :) We like to hide behind it and shoot other people's pictures yeah, so true. Anwyay, am happy people allow me to do so and give me full trust when taking their photo. Sometimes it feels like being in a intimate relationship with that person, even if the shoot only lasts a (few)moment(s).
Well, more coming soon, am too busy with my photobook about teenage moms atm, the publisher calls me like every day and I need to look at proofs etc. Tomorrow a day at the Vitalis College to do a series on the project Check-In, where a big bus with my images on the outsides tours from school to school to let students have a look & listen to stories elderly people tell.