Frozen

Snow conquered Balkan peninsula and today was first decent day for going outside. Sunny but cold. While I’m writing this post, outside temperature is -25,2 C.
This Fall, I covered fish extraction from fish pond “Saničani” in Prijedor. They liked it and did a calendar with my images and hired me once more for next year “all seasons” calendar (for 2011), so I started immediately.

2009 is at the end, and I believe it is a time when we recapitulate our ups and downs, our success, our bad or good decisions.
I found mine to be successful more than I was thinking while it lasts. I made some images that I’m truly satisfied with. Made more jobs then in 2008. Self-published a book, had an exhibition, bought some new equipment, and despite economy crisis I must say that this year was successful for me. Not so much financially but emotional and with self satisfaction with tendency to be better (husband, friend, photographer, man).
Feel free to share your view of 2009, in general or in your life.

I wish you all happy holidays and successful next year!!!

P.S. A friend told me yesterday that he would like to erase this year from his life. Too bad!!!
Make every year, a year that counts no matter in which segment but make it memorable. Life is too short to have a year to spare.

All the best to all of you out there!!!

I believe I can fly!!!

This Sunday, I had an opportunity to fly a bit with local aero-club pilots. (Many thanks to Vanja and Nešo)
Some 14 years ago I was on a training to become air glider pilot but after my theoretical exams, I didn’t passed the medicals. I have some problem with my eyes which is not treatable. I can not see a difference between green and red color in spectrum. So, after 14 years of disappointment, I’m airborne. I flew on a Piper and Utva plane.

Flight control

A beautiful experience!!! In all that excitement, I forgot to put a CF card in to my camera and all my reserved cards I left in my backpack. I realized that when we were 300 meters high. Stupid!!!
So, my mobile phone was my only witness I recommend this to everyone, but not to be stupid as I was.

Few more…

Here are few more images from Prijedor city theater rehearsal of Danilo Kiš’s A Tomb for BD.
Premiere is scheduled for 14th of November (Saturday) so if you are around, come and see it. At premier night in theater lobby, there will be an exhibition of my photos that I made during preparation of this piece.

Autumn links

I’m trying to make this “linking post” thing regular, at least once in a season

Idea is to put here some stuff that truly caught my attention.

Few days ago, I was surfing a bit, just to rest from work and, while I was filtering (mentally) my RSS reader, one headline over THE CLICK blog looked like interesting stuff, so I clicked. On second thought…, maybe it was on some other feed but never mind, THE CLICK is great. Headline was something like… someone… on … VISURA, or new something on VISURA. So I went there. Nice looking magazine with lots of good images, features, artists, etc. Worth seeing. At VISURA magazine I clicked on artist ANDY SPYRA to take a look at his Kashmir story. Those images I saw, left me speechless. For some time, I haven’t seen such strong and emotional reportage that instantly drove me in to. The rest of his portfolio is great too, but don’t miss to visit his BLOG that is full with images as it is his second portfolio. Very worth seeing… several times. There is a blog called ENGLISH RUSSIA – a daily updated entertainment blog about things concerning Russia and ex Russian Federation. Sometimes, it’s full of snapshots from some (forever interesting) Russian village from end of the globe and sometimes there are truly quality documentary images. For example, this story is called Star wars clone and this one is Star wars for real.
“The Best camera is one that is with You”. I believe I heard it long time ago, or maybe I read it somewhere…never mind. Lately,Chase Jarvis is using that sentence to promote his book of images taken with his iPhone ant to promote his iPhone application. Ok, he is Chase Jarvis and he is commercializing a quote that I believe isn’t his but that’s not the point. Point is that the quote is clean truth. I found myself, for thousands of times not being able to take a nice photo because my camera is not on my back. It is to heavy, or I just finished shooting and left it in my car, or my backpack is just too bulky to carry it around… even there is no excuse that is my reality. So, I decided to get a small camera with decent picture quality that I can carry around in my pocket or small shoulder bag. Not to do some assignment job with it, but to have it all the time with me (I’m not a maniac or camera addict, I’m just a photographer ). This one caught my attention. And at the same end, I like to spice my posts with some images. Those are my phone images I took sometime through this year: (all post production thing is done in phone editor)

A Tomb for BD – by Danilo Kiš

Prijedor city theater, new show – A Tomb for Boris Davidovich, by Danilo Kiš, directed by Gradimir Gojer – work in progress.

Fisherman

Here are few from todays shooting. Great place that fish pond Saničani.

Fish pond story – teaser

Fish pond Saničani, near Prijedor. They are extracting all the fish from all lakes and transferring them in to winter ponds or on market. I will cover it for several days. These photos I took today. I was amazed when I heard that they extract up to 22 tons of fish from one net – same net that I shot them with today.
More to come.

City portrait #18 – Dalibor Popović Mikša (take two)

Again, I tried to do a portrait with Mikša. And again, I let my mind wondering, and as a result, it evolved my original idea to this. I love that process!!!
Original idea was to show Mikša as an all around artist – musician, painter, song writer, wanderer… Then, he showed me his 2D/3D installation of railroad electrification wires. It gave me an idea to do something similar with photography.

GitarFest Banja Luka 2009 poster

I did a poster for IV International classical guitar Festival GitarFest Banja Luka 2009.
Basic idea for it came out of current world economical crisis that affected GitarFest too. So, Festival lasts for three days instead five as past years. Lots of Festival features are decreased or suppressed.
I decide to do a poster where artist will play on a small (decreased in size) guitar as a connection to actual economical situation. Also, name of the Festival will be changed a bit: GitarFest Banja Luka 2009.zip
Here are some of possible posters:

City portrait #17 – Rade Vranješ

Rade Vranješ – street book salesman. Also, great photographer (retired temporarily), studied in Zagreb (Croatia) – agriculture, but never finished it because of war in ex SFRJ (Yugoslavia). He is selling books on streets of Prijedor for several years. That is his life.

I can not decide which one is better to me so I’m posting both of them. What do you think?
On first picture I used one Vivitar285HV strobe set to 1/2 power, 1/125 sec., f8. Second one is taken with two Vivitar strobes. First one on 1/2 power and other one that lights books set on 1/16 power, 1/250 sec., f8.