Metropolis

Wow...never thought a film from 1927 would be so impressive.
Fritz Lang directed Metropolis, a film-noir about a futuristic city with skyscrapers, traffic jams & videophone way before all this was happening or possible. Love the story too, though it's not the Avatar from the 20's (as it's called often) but more like the Titanic, dramatic lovestory with the flooding of the undercity and rescueing the children from the workers below. The uppercity (the happy few) lives it's own seperate life, but due to the son of the city founder, their worlds meet in the end. (and collaps)
Surely a masterpiece, and loads of Lang's photographic points of views, tricks & ways were an example for modern directors.


The movie was originally about 2.45 hours, and soon after it's release shortened. A lot of the removed scenes were forgotten, disappeared and never recovered so the Metropolis I saw when studying at the St. Joost Academy was just a shortened version on videotape. In 2001 however, they discovered a lot of the missing scens in some moist basement somewere in South-America, and filmmakers restored the film to it's original lenght, using the original script and now only a few scenes are missing.
Those missing scenes are described and mounted into the film, so as a viewer we really experienced Fritz Lang's film, not the studio's one, a real director's cut idd :)
I took our eldest son of almost 11 years old to the 3rd viewing (worldwide) of this restored version, as it was Film Festival in Breda last week. There was a pianist playing live and 2,5 hours b&w silent movie didn't really bore him. Only in the beginning it was a bit too slow for him (when mostly Lang is introducing the caracters) but for the rest...I think he'll remember this for the rest of his life. He also was the one pointing out it was like the Titanic, as the son of the city founder tries to rescue the children of the undercity and they are stuck when they run into a closed gate when trying to escape the rising water.
And when going back outside again he said 'he really had to adapt to all the colours' again :) Ans it's not even summer yet, so outside the Mustsee theater it was mostly grey with hardly any sun, just clouds.
Maria is the one who makes the son wonder about the underworld below his city, and what I also found intrigueing was the fact that there were nipples visible sometimes (playfull, jumping lil ladies) and when Maria (above) is turned into the robot she also shakes her hips like Shakira :) and wears hardly any cloths or a bra. The roaring 20's idd! It's good to see how the actresses looked, au naturel bodies and weird 20's make-up. I reckon they are all German as Lang was German too. After worldwarII the centre of the world changed though, and with all artists fled to US we, Europe, lost our leading role in e.g. art.

I think this movie is idd pure art, sometimes a litle too much preaching (7 sins) but over all: very good.
The mad professor, who invented Metroplis for the founder, creates his utter-Machine-Human and in the end captures Maria to transfer her soul into it.
She then, as a robot looking exactly like her, lures the workers (in a frivolous dancing scene) to come with her and destroy the machines below. But then the city floods and she's a real evil witch who gets burned.

Ginger Art - Redheads are beautiful

Red-On-Red by MeRy/Melanie Rijkers www.MeRy.nl/rood | BOOK INFO

iamsterdam

check out my latest Polaroid photos on Polanoid.net & Flickr.com

...went to the Dam for a photoshoot for Holland's Next Top Model of Colour on February 27 2010 when the half final took place

here some backstage photos

Photo Auction for Haiti: over 36000 euro

Over 36000 euros was bid & won in the Photoq Haiti auction, all profit went to the orphanage in Haiti run by Dutch people.
I am proud my photo with Amiso & Jermaine of my series & photobook PURE. Proud young (teen)mothers was sold for 390 euro. I hope our contribution helps Haitians and the orphanage thanx Photoq/Edie Peters!

De meest recente fotoveiling van PhotoQ heeft een opbrengst van 36.181 euro gehaald en is daarmee wat de organisatoren betreft een enorm succes geworden. Het hele bedrag wordt gestort op de rekening van het weeshuis in Haiti dat aan het begin door de organisatoren van de veiling als bestemming is vastgesteld.

Ik heb mijn steentje bij mogen dragen met een foto uit de serie PUUR. Trotse tienermoeders, de foto van Amiso & Jermaine bracht 390 euro op :)

Meer via PhotoQ.nl

I love Polaroid

Lighthouse, Breda the Netherlands

Polaroid. It's been over 20 years since I've used my Polaroid Image Camera. In fact, I think one of the last pictures we took with it was a portrait of the two of us in Hans' parents backyard, sitting on a bench, all young and beautiful ;)

As a matter of fact: probably someone else took it, most likely his sister or brother, as we are both in it. Anyway, when Hans bought me my first SLR camera (a Pentax) the Polaroid Image Cam just came with it in the suitcase. But being students et all we never really used it much, as the instant film was too expensive.

When cleaning up the attic last week we stumbled upon the aluminium suitcase again, the Pentax was gone (sold? broken?) but the Polaroid was still there. Hm. I wonder if it still works. Then the search for new instant film started. The last operating Polaroid plant was in... Enschede, Holland! Yes, in my own country and never before I realised that to the full. But now I needed film.

The Enschede plant was closed down in 2008, but since 365 days ago the Impossible Project tries to loose the 'Im' and wants to make new Polaroid films 'possible' again, as the last stock of Enschede is now expired and sold out mostly. Via Twitter people mentioned Polapremium where you can buy last of the Enschede films. The deal was done in 5 days orso, order & delivery so it's a good (last?) seller of Polaroid films.

I remember us @ One Hour Superphoto (1993-1995) using Fuji Instant Film, which is of far better quality really. We used it to make passport pictures, the colours were really great! Not like my magenta city scapes, oops. Today we went for a citywalk and I had forgotten that best developing temps are above 13C...so the Polaroids are a bit too purple...

But hey, for a first timer I am still proud of my Image camera and the photos, happy that we saved it so many moves, and never threw it out. So now it´s waiting for more Polapics 2010 ocassions :) so I can create some more. I just love watching the photo come up.

It's almost magic. Like when you are working in the dark room and the developing picture is appearing slowly in front of your eyes. This is the magic of photography. Pity we've lost it now with all digital stuff, though now I am more than happy to work with it. But this instant photography...it's kind of romantic. And I love it.

Happy Valentine

Kielegat's Carnival's couple still in love after 40 years.

In Breda we celebrate Carnival too. Though it's not so HOT like in Brazil and we don't dance the samba, but we do dress up and sing, dance and drink too...it's one big party for the people, with the big parade in our town's centre tomorrow.

The photo above is one of 6 portraits for the Kontklopper, the Carnival's newspaper of Breda. They've asked me to do "love" portraits, so I chose for a red background, as RED IS THE COLOUR OF LOVE. The couples are dressed up, like they are with Carnival.

The woman of this couple met her guy dressed like a bride, and now they'll get married soon (March 2010).

So really
LOVE IS IN THE AIR WITH CARNIVAL :)

Architecture Photography

Sagrada Familia, famous Catalonian (Spanish) church in Barcelona, by architect Antonio Gaudi

I just love buildings. And people. To me a good architecture photoseries also has people in it every once in a while. People inhabit the building, use it, live in it. Change it. They leave traces behind, which I try to collect in my Traces Of Silence series.

But finally I've also made a webpage for my commissioned architecture photography and just put online. Not too fancy, but "living" images, as I want to prove that an image of a building can be more than the usual commercial perfect photo. I want traces of people visible in it. And lucky for me, architects do agree and book me for different architecture photography now.

Sometimes I am asked to do a series about buildings being demolished , before & after pictures. I am asked to make a photobooks too, which by using Blurb is easy and afordable. No fancy & big advertising budget necessary, just good photos will do.

Geeren-Zuid, Traces Of Silence

Photoseries made in the summer of 2009, when over a 100 houses were demolished to make room for new and modern housing for Singelveste Alleewonen Corp. from Breda. The photobook is OUT NOW and can be previewed & ordered worldwide.

I make a lot of photobooks, even did another one about the same houses, and this book shows only my crossed E6 technique pictures in vivid colors of Kodak chrome (slide) film. Just love to use analog photography now and then.

It all started in 1994-1995 when I was still studying at the Academie of High Arts the St. Joost in Breda. I was curious about the Schilderswijk in Den Haag/the Hague and made my first urban exploring type images.
Schilderswijk, Den Haag, 1994-1995

The abandoned ball is the symbol of the people who had to leave their houses and move, as the old buildings were torn down to make room for new, modern housing.

I discovered during this period that I am indeed a documentary photographer, who's not just covering a (news)story, but wants to personalize the images, make fine art portraits of the people who are in my photograph. I never stopped doing this kind of photography, and still love to go to empty buildings
and abandoned places and just wander around. "Breda, my city" Breda Photo 2003, first ever publication (small photobook B&W printed by Salsedo drukkerij Breda)