tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67074347803914638502024-03-13T07:00:57.130-07:00Martin PrihodaCanadian-born Advertising and Fashion photographer living and working in MumbaiMartin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-11899692010141749282015-01-15T21:50:00.000-08:002015-01-15T22:00:40.387-08:00 transcending Fear<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As a working artist I've had to develop a somewhat healthy relationship with the fear, doubt and anxiety that are inextricably woven into a career synonymous with uncertainty and laden with peaks and valleys of the emotional and financial kind.<br />
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I've been in the trenches of debt incurred by portfolio building and I've seen paydays from big jobs that have set me up for months. I've seen everything in between as well.<br />
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I've learned to accept the flux of this life I've chosen and although at times I do admire the financial security of my lawyer/banker friends, I have been told on a number of occasions that they in turn envy my jet setting to exotic locations to be paid handsomely for what I love to do anyway.<br />
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So everything is relative.<br />
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Speaking of relativity, a little physics to help illustrated how I work with fear and anxiety:<br />
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In classic Newtonian physics there is a subject (me) who is observing an object (a ball). I kick the ball and though the ball flies through the air there is an equal and opposite reaction against my foot. Subject and object and their interaction was the basis of physical understanding up until the introduction of the more complex science of quantum mechanics.<br />
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What quantum physicists discovered in the 20th century is that there is a third element involved in measuring an interaction between particles and that is the <i>process of observation itself</i>. On a subatomic level, the process of observation effects the outcome of quantum interactions. (See the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.)<br />
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The nature of consciousness is still a big huge massive mystery to almost everyone on the planet. What is consciousness? From where does it arise? Yogis and sages of the east believe that the physical body arises from consciousness whereas many thinkers from the west believe the opposite.<br />
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Regardless, I adhere to the truths discovered by the great thinkers of the last century (and the Yogis before them):<br />
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Observation changes everything.<br />
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Observation and mindful awareness is the root of all yoga, meditation and self healing processes. It is the single most effective tool in easing the patterns of fear and suffering we have accrued throughout our lifetime.<br />
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You can't 'get over' your fears. You can't push them away. They will come back, manifested as something else. Perhaps as disease.<br />
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What you can do is observe them.<br />
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When a wave of fear or anxiety washes over me, I try and simply observe. I observe the fear as it manifests as a sensation in my body, a tightness in my chest or throat. I observe with detached mindfulness, avoiding the tendency to get sucked in to the emotional play of the ego-mind.<br />
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When we observe our emotions with a detached non reactive awareness we create space. Space gives us room to look at our fears and anxieties rationally. When we link this awareness to our breath we have a very powerful tool to ease the debilitating paralysis that the worries of life can impose on us.<br />
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In Yoga we hold uncomfortable postures not to get into better physical shape but rather to observe the mind as it struggles with unease. When we are able to say to ourselves 'holy shit, I hate this, I'm uncomfortable <i>but</i> I'm just going to observe this feeling for a bit," we are actually ripping apart a lifetimes worth of patterning.<br />
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As we get better at this we can start to observe the mind and its fluctuations on a regular basis, in our interactions with ourselves and others around us. In traffic, at work, in our relationships.<br />
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That's how you work with fear, with doubt, with anger, with anxiety. You observe it, you feel it, you watch it ebb and flow and eventually dissipate. You detach from it and observe it as a scientist observes. You <i>become</i> the process of observation.<br />
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Because...observation changes everything ;-)<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-50152595379240358302014-11-29T23:16:00.000-08:002014-11-29T23:23:07.363-08:00The trouble with being creative<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ai0A6hEor_U/VHrFp2Dc3uI/AAAAAAAABZE/nhvNkSW-1aM/s1600/smokydude-8693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ai0A6hEor_U/VHrFp2Dc3uI/AAAAAAAABZE/nhvNkSW-1aM/s1600/smokydude-8693.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></div>
Often I am asked what its like to live and work in a creative field. The challenges, the payoffs etc... For people that hold steady jobs at stable companies, what I do for a living must evoke an equal amount of head scratching and envy. One of the big questions is 'how do you stay creative?' or 'how do you access that area of your mind more effectively?'<br />
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I recently completed my Yoga teacher training up in Rishikesh and I can only admit there was an inner shift of monumental proportions. An understanding about how the mind actually works and how we can move beyond the suffering that the mind creates is at the fundamental core of Yoga philosophy.<br />
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Learning to be creative has more to do with un-learning and de-habituating than anything else. To access our true creative potential we need to learn to still the mind. When we still the mind we start to unglue the narrative that plays through our consciousness like some mesmerising film, or train wreck, depending on where we're at. This ongoing narrative, constructed from layers upon layers of often unquestioned social, financial, religious beliefs keeps us trapped and stuck like a needle in the grooves of a record, playing the same song over and over again.<br />
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You can't just 'be' creative, not at a core level. Thats the problem with it, its not something you can click on and off, not if its to be regarded as an accessible part of your holistic being. Accessing creativity begins with observational awareness. We have to sit and watch the mind spin around in its habituated patterning, we need to understand it and observe it without judgement, without getting caught up in its game.<br />
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Creativity is not about being able to take a better picture or paint an amazing portrait though those are happy outcomes. Creativity, true creativity is the ability to take a novel approach to the most mundane habitual patterns that occur everyday in our lives. When we harness our reactivity and allow for gaps in our old narratives to form, we are on the path to becoming Great Artists within our own lives. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-52618123549294565572014-06-30T03:52:00.000-07:002014-06-30T03:54:09.187-07:00Beauty Images<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This was a fairly standard commercial Beauty setup. Four lights:<br />
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1 head on a softbox above the model about 45 degrees and about 4 feet away, below the model is a sunbounce reflector which bounces the light back up into her face. The other benefit of this is two nice catchlights in the eyes, which enhances that 'fresh and clean' look.<br />
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2 rim lights on stripboxes, 45 degrees behind the model. I love the separation rim lights give, very clean and sharp.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNbvoNa0NIw/U7FAARKpinI/AAAAAAAABX0/rrPSwNB3_DA/s1600/MartinPrihoda2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNbvoNa0NIw/U7FAARKpinI/AAAAAAAABX0/rrPSwNB3_DA/s1600/MartinPrihoda2.jpeg" height="351" width="400" /></a>1 backburst flash behind the model against the backdrop. This gives further separation and creates contrast between the BG and the model, giving a glow as well making masking easier.<br />
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This lighting is perfect for the more commercial aspect of beauty photography. It eliminates shadows on the skin and is perfect for beauty and cosmetic brands. its not as great for that editorial feel I find, which is more conducive to shadow play and mystery.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GjPb_B_4Z7Y/U7EJT1-6ajI/AAAAAAAABXM/03GZTHf9xH4/s1600/IMG_20140519_115952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GjPb_B_4Z7Y/U7EJT1-6ajI/AAAAAAAABXM/03GZTHf9xH4/s1600/IMG_20140519_115952.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Photography: Martin Prihoda<br />
H/M: Billy Bow<br />
Models: Nadine and Cariad.<br />
assisted by Vijit Gupta<br />
retouching: Jatin Lulla<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-81603425353864347202014-04-10T08:12:00.000-07:002014-04-10T22:11:37.564-07:00Breakbounce Shoot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This was one of the more fun and creative shoots that had come along in awhile and I thought I'd share our creative process.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMHhGypRzwE/Uy_mv4OvP9I/AAAAAAAABS0/30fxLk45nNA/s1600/Martin_Prihoda_CAR_05h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMHhGypRzwE/Uy_mv4OvP9I/AAAAAAAABS0/30fxLk45nNA/s1600/Martin_Prihoda_CAR_05h.jpg" height="253" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Car Island image</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ahvaXYS1--k/Uy_mvs8oAzI/AAAAAAAABSw/f8j7WZ9VWqM/s1600/RAFT_05nwidecorrected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ahvaXYS1--k/Uy_mvs8oAzI/AAAAAAAABSw/f8j7WZ9VWqM/s1600/RAFT_05nwidecorrected.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Raft Image</td></tr>
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<a href="http://breakbounce.com/" target="_blank">Breakbounce</a> is a funky startup brand that's based out of Bangalore India and focusses primarily on the youth oriented street wear market. They're a mad consortium of artists and fashion designers that are pushing the boundaries not only in the street wear market but experimenting with art installations and guerrilla marketing.<br />
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I've worked with creative director <a href="https://www.facebook.com/arunstays" target="_blank">Arun Kumar</a> on a few jobs now and we've always had a great time with fantastic results. Probably one of my favourite shoots with him was our <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_s5D99YUaY3w/TO0Xabd6KDI/AAAAAAAAAqY/QgTBFmABltQ/s1600/SignaturewithCopy2.jpg" target="_blank">Signature Golf</a> shoot that we did in Bangkok about 2 years ago.<br />
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Arun had sketched out the concepts and sent them to me. I immediately knew these would be fun as hell to pull off. Logistically it would tricky; balancing strobe with sunlight, heavy art direction and compositing layers of plate images for the background.<br />
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The brief was "Urban Explorers"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ruYLghEkfcI/Uy_jGXZPMSI/AAAAAAAABSg/Zw95zBfOOKo/s1600/image+copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ruYLghEkfcI/Uy_jGXZPMSI/AAAAAAAABSg/Zw95zBfOOKo/s1600/image+copy.jpeg" height="290" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Car Island concept sketch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y4l7QbHUIYI/Uy_ijhTjw-I/AAAAAAAABSU/sAviIFkojU4/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y4l7QbHUIYI/Uy_ijhTjw-I/AAAAAAAABSU/sAviIFkojU4/s1600/image.jpeg" height="288" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raft concept sketch</td></tr>
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On set in Capetown for the car image. The car was painted and we had all the grass brought in. We also set decked the garage to the right, adding signage and tires.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HEsnO1KPKPY/Uy_p_CtLMUI/AAAAAAAABVA/MmqDjG2DLMc/s1600/plates-0340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HEsnO1KPKPY/Uy_p_CtLMUI/AAAAAAAABVA/MmqDjG2DLMc/s1600/plates-0340.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">example of plate used for Car BG</td></tr>
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Below are various plate shots I took for the background composite. Its important to match the height of camera, focal length and focal distance so that the plates can match with the main image seamless without a lot of warping. I also shot a wide assortment of trees, traffic signals, cars, dockyards etc... for the post team to have an abundance of plates to work with. Equipment used was Canon 5D 2/3, 24-70L, Profoto power pack, beauty dish on stand and an assortment of skimmers and flags. The sun gave a nice rim light.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of location plate used for Raft BG<br />
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Here is a sample of the main car image. This is RAW and un-retouched, the x mark the areas for compositing.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epecGvNOoa4/Uy_wQC8s9HI/AAAAAAAABVY/WjFvXI5riYQ/s1600/Car-179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epecGvNOoa4/Uy_wQC8s9HI/AAAAAAAABVY/WjFvXI5riYQ/s1600/Car-179.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Styling of the shoot was key to the Urban Explorers theme. This is me messing around but in reality our stylist Lyal did an amazing job, sourcing all sorts of props and cool headgear.<br />
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Our 3 final selected models: Parker, Josh and Sean and their portfolio images<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its a wrap in Capetown with Nitisha, Arun and Javed's Mindblowing team</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying back to Bombay, tired as hell.<br />
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Client: Breakbounce, Nitisha Kapur<br />
Agency: AKC (Arun Shyamala Kumar Creative Consultancy)<br />
Photographer: Martin Prihoda<br />
Producer: Javed Aboobaker, Mindblowing Productions, Capetown<br />
Production assistant: Liya Baderoen<br />
Camera assistant: Zach<br />
Stylist: Lyal Seba<br />
Art direction: Lana Goodall<br />
Hair and Makeup: Nathaline<br />
Post Production: Featherwax UK<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-23036541088031063812014-02-14T02:42:00.000-08:002014-02-14T02:44:03.626-08:00Adidas Campaign, New Work <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you can believe it, I shot this Adidas "All In" campaign with Virat Kohli the day after I finished a 3000 km cross India rickshaw rally. I was literally going over the shoot briefs and doing conference calls in the back of a rickshaw somewhere in the dusty desert of Rajasthan.<br />
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This was my first shoot with the TBWA team and thanks to my producer Mithika we were able to organize it and pull it off without a hitch.<br />
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I basically shot him in a studio in Delhi with a beauty dish, a fill and a rim light. He was jumping around a bit so off course its a tricky thing freezing the action.<br />
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The main campaign image was all over the place, huge billboards all over the city so the shoot had had major visibility and traction, which is a good thing.<br />
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Thanks to Cocktail art for the great post work.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hxujB5l5MBw/Uv3x9Oi2LWI/AAAAAAAABRo/MXIu7VFNlY8/s1600/077b371a7429e9cbe64a11486cadb9ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hxujB5l5MBw/Uv3x9Oi2LWI/AAAAAAAABRo/MXIu7VFNlY8/s1600/077b371a7429e9cbe64a11486cadb9ad.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXEhvLR5jZU/Uv3x-MarQKI/AAAAAAAABR8/pCQyS4iwtD8/s1600/bf44c6151191a74d4307305b57cc43aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eXEhvLR5jZU/Uv3x-MarQKI/AAAAAAAABR8/pCQyS4iwtD8/s1600/bf44c6151191a74d4307305b57cc43aa.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-89898060330718745602013-07-14T18:48:00.001-07:002013-07-14T18:48:06.607-07:00"We Forget Everything", a love letter to Bombay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/68118048" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-df9DlZcTQ-A/UeNS0_0dHzI/AAAAAAAABQ8/nM-sPkQXk3U/s1600/WFE.tiff" height="223" width="400" /></a><br />
When I first heard Ryan Stively's "We Forget Everything" I was struck by the parallel between my life and the lyrics; I knew right away I wanted to put the music to a visual form.<br />
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Why is photography such a powerful medium? Is it because it helps us to remember? Our memories and experiences are who we are, they are what make our personalities, we are a collection of our past aggregate experience.<br />
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...and eventually we forget everything, memories fade and the crystal ball of our past becomes fuzzy and incoherent. Its a horrifying thought, actually.<br />
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I wanted to create something that reminded me of why I began to photograph in the first place; the un-pressured joy of seeing the world, of paying attention to life, of doing something for the pure aliveness you feel doing it.<br />
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So here's a little film, a love letter to the crazy and madly connected city that has so graciously adopted me.<br />
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I won't say anymore...enjoy.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-2212864642762306422013-05-14T22:44:00.001-07:002013-05-14T23:23:02.484-07:00New Work, LP SS/2013 Capetown SA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here's some new work for the Indian men's brand LP. Its for their 2013 Spring Summer campaign thats running now. We shot in Capetown which has to be one of my favorite cities in the world, kind of reminds me of my home town of Vancouver.<br />
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I ordered a bunch of strobe heads and battery packs but ended up using almost none of it. Producer wasn't thrilled about that one ;-)<br />
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This entire campaign was pretty much all natural light. All the haze/reflection type effects are in camera and I tried to shoot through as many different elements I could: shrubs, grass, branches etc... I even got my assistant to hold elements directly in front of the lens.<br />
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I wanted a very editorial, voyeuristic approach to this campaign so making sure there was always something in the foreground, reflecting or blurring was key.<br />
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Almost no photoshop here save for contrast control and a bit of cross processing.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2qj_6dtsU58/UZMffsp_VEI/AAAAAAAABQA/9W-xufLdQ2E/s1600/LP-064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2qj_6dtsU58/UZMffsp_VEI/AAAAAAAABQA/9W-xufLdQ2E/s640/LP-064.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-edJzkw7DUF8/UZMfiDGSmHI/AAAAAAAABQk/KETHg1zO8iw/s1600/LP-947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-edJzkw7DUF8/UZMfiDGSmHI/AAAAAAAABQk/KETHg1zO8iw/s640/LP-947.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xcDLxofVPo0/UZMffs8KLmI/AAAAAAAABQE/_FKLtBDSQ9A/s1600/LP-1039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xcDLxofVPo0/UZMffs8KLmI/AAAAAAAABQE/_FKLtBDSQ9A/s640/LP-1039.jpg" width="425" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iYo_ZghVHPI/UZMff-0s7mI/AAAAAAAABQI/OkQaJqRVzRU/s1600/LP-2246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G39vsuA8SBs/UZMfh1kcS1I/AAAAAAAABQc/JWBnLoLVrB0/s1600/LP-3504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G39vsuA8SBs/UZMfh1kcS1I/AAAAAAAABQc/JWBnLoLVrB0/s640/LP-3504.jpg" width="425" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G39vsuA8SBs/UZMfh1kcS1I/AAAAAAAABQc/JWBnLoLVrB0/s1600/LP-3504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iYo_ZghVHPI/UZMff-0s7mI/AAAAAAAABQI/OkQaJqRVzRU/s1600/LP-2246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iYo_ZghVHPI/UZMff-0s7mI/AAAAAAAABQI/OkQaJqRVzRU/s640/LP-2246.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qN11MljutQo/UZMfhkUbySI/AAAAAAAABQY/dt2HSWKViIY/s1600/LP-2819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qN11MljutQo/UZMfhkUbySI/AAAAAAAABQY/dt2HSWKViIY/s640/LP-2819.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-87223843772458026562013-05-10T04:57:00.001-07:002013-05-10T04:57:35.290-07:00New Work, Louis Philippe SS2013, Italy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
These images are selections from the Spring Summer 2013 campaign I shot for men's brand Louis Philippe. We shot these images in Italy, in Naples and along the Amalfi coast.<br />
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These pictures were made in beautiful, natural sunlight on a set of warm, cheery days...<br />
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Just kidding.<br />
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It was mid February, freezing, dark with thunderstorms and temperatures hovering around 5 degrees Centigrade. I knew I had a massive challenge shooting a SS campaign in the dead of winter so I set about trying to re-create a sunny morning/afternoon look.<br />
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No better way to do that then to throw a few strobes in through a window just above the models head and let it flare out...just enough. The key words being 'just enough'. Too much flare and you kill the clothes, not enough and you're not getting that summer feel.<br />
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The entire look and feel of this campaign is artificially created. The location themselves were dark and we only had a few hours of sunlight, as well as dark thunderstorm skies.<br />
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I bounced another strobe head right off the ceiling to give an expansive sunlight feel and to add fill on the models face.<br />
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but, really, the best part of this shoot? Pizza and Italian wine on set.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0hZwXmHcS1M/UYzfHDT06NI/AAAAAAAABPQ/u0dauTNkgeM/s1600/LouisePhilippe-19034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0hZwXmHcS1M/UYzfHDT06NI/AAAAAAAABPQ/u0dauTNkgeM/s400/LouisePhilippe-19034.jpg" width="327" /></a></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLXrBBJZu_o/UYzfGE5jJ5I/AAAAAAAABPI/FU5DdDBKTlQ/s1600/LouisePhilippe-18543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLXrBBJZu_o/UYzfGE5jJ5I/AAAAAAAABPI/FU5DdDBKTlQ/s400/LouisePhilippe-18543.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5_Szf8RhWoM/UYzfE48cREI/AAAAAAAABO8/EtGRLVm_Qms/s1600/LouisePhilippe-18202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5_Szf8RhWoM/UYzfE48cREI/AAAAAAAABO8/EtGRLVm_Qms/s400/LouisePhilippe-18202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-11892555464513549542013-05-07T22:43:00.000-07:002013-05-07T22:43:27.817-07:00How to keep your life flowing.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Someone once said that if you're going to be a songwriter you'll eventually have to write a song about a river.<br />
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I'm not a songwriter but the metaphor of a river isn't lost on me.<br />
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A river begins from a source and its raison d'etre is finding a way to a larger more holistic and encompassing source. The journey of a river is the path to oneness and whether we admit it to ourselves or not...becoming whole is the ultimate human accomplishment.<br />
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Our lives are like rivers; meandering and occasionally lost, sometimes moving slowly and sometimes with power, intent and passion. A river will always seek the easiest most efficient route to the source; navigating past obstacles and pooling in difficult spots until it has the power and intent to move ahead.<br />
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A river in its full expression is a beautiful thing; flowing, vital, powerful, direct, purposeful. Conversely a river that has become lost is stagnant, searching, confused.<br />
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For our lives to be like dynamic rivers we have to keep the flow going, avoiding attributes that slow the flow such as fear, hoarding, jealousy, envy, anger and doubt.<br />
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Are you afraid to quit your job and jump into entrepreneurship?<br />
Are you envious of a colleague who appears to be more successful than you?<br />
Do you reject the deserving raise of an employee's salary so you can retain more for yourself?<br />
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There's a lot of ways to constrict the flow. The best way to generate the flow of energy in your life is to give away that which you want most.<br />
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Do you want to become more successful in your career? Help others become successful through investment, mentorship or emotional support.<br />
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Do you want more love in your life? Give it away to strangers on the street via genuine compliments and random acts of kindness.<br />
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The popular assumption is that if you want something in life you have to struggle for it, take it and hold on to it tightly. I don't believe that is so, as hoarding only constrict the flow.<br />
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The Buddha once said that everything we need to learn from life we can observe in Nature. A river is the prime example.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-42551866437205967122013-05-06T21:45:00.000-07:002013-05-06T21:45:12.801-07:00New work as Director: The Making of a Shoe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This little ditty comes on the heels of a larger campaign I shot for Louise Philippe. I wanted to do a fun film piece for them which showed the detailed process of what goes into the making of a shoe.<br />
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We shot this on the Arri Alexa with fast lenses as I was adamant about the shallow depth of field. The edit took a while and the look was fairly drab till we got it into the Smoke room and punched the hell out of the blacks.<br />
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check it out here:<br />
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/65031973"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mJSvu6haka8/UYiGcAD8aUI/AAAAAAAABOo/mi5iccYoW0k/s640/LPShoes.tiff" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">"The Making of A Shoe" for Louise Philippe</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Directed by Martin Prihoda</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">DOP: Vasu Rane</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Music: Sanjoy Dazz</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Producer: Rajiv V, Scrambled Eggs</span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-29222595649426964752013-05-01T18:24:00.000-07:002013-05-01T21:02:32.906-07:00Beware the Collective Unconscious<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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You may have experienced the Collective Unconscious in statements such as these:<br />
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-Good jobs are scarce<br />
-It's nearly impossible to make a living as an artist<br />
-The outlook for the global economy and environment is bleak<br />
-We have to struggle and suffer for our success<br />
-Survival is for the fittest<br />
-The world is a dangerous place, defined by war and the competition for limited resources<br />
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The Collective Unconscious is passed down to us through our parents, peers, teachers, churches and mass media. It defines our thinking and actions not only as a culture but as individuals, masquerading as a set of unquestioned beliefs widely accepted as truth.<br />
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If you feel that life is a struggle, the world is unsafe and that your survival depends on your ability to compete aggressively you may be suffering at the hands of the Collective Unconscious.<br />
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The deeper I dig into my own reality, the more I realize that a lot of what I hold as fact are nothing more than fuzzy half truths and lazy stereotypes rooted in ignorance and the very human need to belong.<br />
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As awareness increases there's a realization that perhaps these long held social beliefs are not entirely in line with one's personal convictions.<br />
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An effective way the combat the Collective Unconscious is to meditate on the positive aspects of your life. Focussing on what's front of you: Your health, your family, your friends and relationships, your mind and the ability to change it anytime you want, your breath and whatever else it is in your life that allows you to be happy, free and at peace.<br />
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Creating space in the mind through meditation helps us break through the dark clouds of doubt and move into clarity and awareness. With the correct intention and practice it is our innate wisdom that begins to define our world view.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-92066180442711059702013-04-30T20:20:00.001-07:002013-04-30T20:20:26.182-07:00Creating Mental Space<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
On any given day I do the following:<br />
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Coordinate with: stylists, producers, retouchers, model and advertising agencies, photo editors, art directors, camera vendors, studio managers. I answer emails, write emails, have breakfast and dinner with my family, pay suppliers, talk to my accountants and finance team, book fights, chase clients for late payments, go to pre-production meetings, go to pitch meetings, spend time with my kid, create reference slides, edit images and/or footage, create estimates, make invoices, maybe even shoot something.<br />
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Its really easy to get lost in all of it and even easier to lose track of why you're doing it in the first place.<br />
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What helps me get through all this and still enjoy a glass of wine at night with my wife is a committed meditation practice. Here's how I feel if I <u>don't</u> meditate:<br />
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-reactive<br />
-mentally drained<br />
-loss of reference<br />
-sluggish<br />
-cluttered<br />
-difficulty concentrated on one task<br />
-loss in sight of larger goals<br />
-negative and limited thinking<br />
-the world seems more closed<br />
-a sense of sadness<br />
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What sitting for 30 minutes a day does to one's mental space is <u><i>incredible</i></u>. I think that with all the scientific study around the practice of meditation its safe to say that the practice is no longer the secretive realm of monks and yogis. Its a legitimate tool for better living.<br />
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Meditation creates mental space. A sense of unboundedness. Breathing room in a cluttered world that moves at lighting speed. Sitting in quiet silence makes room for the awareness we need to set strong, affirming intentions.<br />
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Here's what I feel with a daily, committed meditation practice :<br />
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-Lightness<br />
-heightened awareness<br />
-more 'in the moment' presence<br />-less reactivity, more compassion<br />
-sense of expansion<br />
-able to set clear intentions<br />
-improved relationships with others<br />
-improved concentration<br />
-increased sense of abundance<br />
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overall, happier.<br />
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You can start with 5 minutes a day, and then increase as you go. You'll notice the difference right away.<br />
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1. choose a time you wont be disturbed, I prefer the early morning before everyone gets up<br />
2. light a candle, or incense or whatever you choose to create that 'sacred' space<br />
3. sit comfortably with your back straight, close your eyes<br />
4. breath deeply and focus your attention on your breath<br />
5. when you mind becomes distracted simply bring it back to your breath.<br />
6. when your chosen time is up, open your eyes slowly and take a few moments to relax before starting your day.<br />
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your life will begin to change for the better ;-)</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-16670148027749648412013-04-04T02:34:00.001-07:002013-04-06T20:48:53.903-07:00New Work: GQ cover with Priyanka Chopra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Working with a major celebrity always has its challenges but combine that with a brief from the art director that requires low light shooting, mixing ambient and continuous light as well as a major time constraint and you've got a photographer on his toes.<br />
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My 3rd GQ cover, this one was probably the most stressful. I had a lighting approach in mind but as often happens, it got thrown out the window.<br />
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At one point we had three light sources going: a projector throwing an image against a white wall, a couple of gelled 2k's and 5k's to give a 'concert' feel and of course a few strobe lights on our celebrity.<br />
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All in all I'm pretty happy with how this shoot turned out, as was the magazine.<br />
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Photography: Martin Prihoda<br />
Fashion Stylist: Antara Motiwala<br />
Hair: Gabriel Georgiou<br />
Makeup: Subhash Vagal<br />
Production: Temple Road<br />
Post Production: Happy Finish<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-9232159701335009392012-11-13T20:30:00.002-08:002012-11-13T20:30:27.028-08:00Doors of the Greek Islands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Whenever I travel somewhere I always try and throw in a little personal work, no matter how inane it might seem. You start something and then it basically takes over. I was in Greece this past September, sailing the beautiful Cyclades Islands. On top of the regular family shots I started feeling this compulsion towards doors.<br />
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There were some pretty cool doors; old ones, new ones, rusty, stone,
decrepit, quirky. Once you start you can't stop. It becomes slightly
obsessive... <br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-82425815846666315032012-11-02T21:57:00.001-07:002012-11-02T21:57:40.925-07:00Silencio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Holy crap, I haven't updated my blog in 2 months. All good though, just been slammed and haven't felt like writing much.<br />
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Sometimes you just have nothing to say.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-36893668104354404272012-08-28T20:01:00.000-07:002012-08-28T20:02:02.455-07:00Some thoughts on Dying and the Nature of Mind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H2Y41p5DB-A/UD2CR_PmNDI/AAAAAAAABDI/GAkCdjB-iEs/s1600/Prash.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H2Y41p5DB-A/UD2CR_PmNDI/AAAAAAAABDI/GAkCdjB-iEs/s400/Prash.tiff" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'The Pursuit of Truth' by my good friend Prashant Miranda</td></tr>
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The theme running through my writing (for pretty much as long as I have been keeping this blog) has been this idea that there exists in each of us an infinite wellspring of creativity, potential and wisdom.<br />
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The sufi mystics call it 'The Inner Essence', the Buddha called it 'Buddha nature' and the Christians regard it simply as 'Christ Consciousness'<br />
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Its lies in a deeper and ultimately more obscured part of our being. It is an infinite, unchanging and aware dimension that rests behind the mad, fickle and distracted emotional discord of our everyday existence.<br />
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It is the deep blue sky, hidden behind a flighty, skittish and cloudy mind.<br />
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Pull back the veils of lust, anger, addiction, jealousy and blinding distraction and you'll find a sea of wisdom, peace and infinite potential that is rarely alluded to in contemporary culture.<br />
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I feel compelled to talk about this because accessing this part ourselves is scarcely talked about let alone taught to our children. Our education system strives to socialize and in many ways strengthens the fickle mind through the imparting of rote knowledge and instilling notions of competition and separateness. Everywhere you look you can see we're geared for distraction; perhaps because its easier to sell us stuff that way.<br />
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In the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche explains that all of life is actually a preparation for the moment of Death. In fact he goes on to say that the moment of death is the singular most important moment in the life of a human being, even more important than one's birth.<br />
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This moment is so important because our death is not actually a 'death' but a metamorphosis, a transmutation. Some may call it re-incarnation but the truth is that it is our awareness at the moment of 'death' that determines our next phase of actuality.<br />
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In fact, with every little choice we make we are engaging and re-inforcing the birth/death cycle. A choice is simply potential, so really when we choose we are experiencing the death of one set of potential and the birth of another.<br />
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For example if you're at the used car dealership and you choose a red Mustang over a black BMW, the potential of owning the BMW has dies and the potential of owning the Mustang is born and that sort of thing goes on and on with every single choice we make.<br />
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The same is for our overall physical life. The Buddha says that even in the moment of our physical dying we have a choice.<br />
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By tapping into our deeper mind, we're actually connecting to the awareness of life. If we can make our decisions from this place instead of from the distracted and unstable monkey mind then we stand a much better chance of guiding our lives towards quickened evolution and ultimately enlightenment...which is a breaking of the prison like cycle of Samsara; the wheel of birth, death and re-birth...the escape from which is ultimate goal of every being.<br />
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For me then, creativity is not about taking better pictures or writing better stories, though that does tend to be a nice effect, its about having the awareness to turn right, where I've always turned left.<br />
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Exploring and knowing that inner mind, that infinite god-like presence within me while battling the volatility of my mercurial emotions and evolving beyond them is my life's mission<br />
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and as I've also said since as long as I can remember...I've got a long way to go.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-33747475811311246202012-08-16T13:24:00.003-07:002012-08-16T13:24:50.917-07:00New Work, Bombay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Heading back to Mumbai next week after an amazing time away. Feeling recharged and ready to go.<br />
Here's some new work I shot before I left.<br />
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Model: Klementina<br />
H/M: Tania Travers<br />
Retouching: Russell Dennis<br />
photography: Martin Prihoda<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-61643223529176736222012-07-17T20:20:00.000-07:002012-07-17T20:20:48.188-07:00Take a vacation, damn it!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As entrepreneurs and creative artists who rely on their talents to earn a living, it becomes very easy to get our proverbial noses stuck in the sand. There's this inner voice that compels us to work, to strive, to push and succeed. These are all very admirable traits and most definitely imperative to the nurturing of a career, especially one in the arts.<br />
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But there's the tendency to get myopic, to lose the forest for the trees, to lose sight of our own personal vision and the big picture of it all.<br />
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I always get nervous before taking a vacation. It often happens that there's a plump job that pokes its head around the corner just as I book my plane tickets. The thing is, I know myself and I understand now how important holidays away from work is.<br />
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I've spent the last 2 weeks hiking, spending time with my family, watching snow melt in the July heat and drinking fresh water from mountain streams. When I'm not 'in it' as in shooting, marketing, budgeting or producing and I'm out doing other stuff I love, I find myself dreaming, visualizing, planning and napping.<br />
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Believe it or not, those are VERY important things...especially the napping. After a relatively short time, I find my inner compass re-aligning and my mind is dreaming up new ideas, new ventures and most importantly thinking of new ways to approach my business.<br />
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above all, a good holiday creates the space to let the inspiration back in.<br />
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Here's the tricky thing about holidays. As artists/entrepreneurs we have the power to say when but these important times away very easily get pushed.<br />
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We know what a vacation will cost us but perhaps don't always realize how much it will pay us down the line.<br />
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So stop stalling...take your vacation, you'll be all the better for it.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-18027126174461194912012-06-20T09:41:00.001-07:002012-06-20T09:49:46.137-07:00Big Lights Further Away: Rajasthan Photo Tour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Of the many great partnerships I've formed as a photographer over the last few years, the one I have with GPP is amongst the strongest. I've taught for the last few years at their Dubai events and now we've teamed up to create probably THE COOLEST PHOTO TOUR EVER!!!!<br />
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oops, caps lock off. Kidding aside, this coming november I'm leading a tour through Rajasthan which will involve the Big Lights Far Away lighting style I teach and practice. </div>
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Using large off camera light sources will dramatically shift your photographic style. Learn to use these skills, apply them in remote areas of the world and you have a recipe for amazing, publishable photos. </div>
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Utilizing these techniques is tricky, though. Balancing light, strobe power, the sun and using complex triggering gear in areas that are remote and often times a bit scary is a skill that takes a while to master. Luckily we've got everything set up for students so they needn't worry about their security but rather just making great images.<br />
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We're about halfway sold out so....</div>
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Click below and check out more on the GPP website!!<br />
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<a href="http://www.gulfphotoplus.com/blog/465/Big-Lights-Further-Away-Photo-Tour-India-">http://www.gulfphotoplus.com/blog/465/Big-Lights-Further-Away-Photo-Tour-India-</a></div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-21562610950107084962012-06-16T23:27:00.001-07:002012-06-16T23:42:48.538-07:00Advice from the Editor-in-Chief of GQ India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I sat down with a few of the editors (who have by this time become friends) at Conde Naste India the other day and one of them was Che Kurrien, the editor in chief of GQ India.<br />
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The video interview will take some time to edit but I did want to talk about a few great things Che touched on during our chat. These are not direct quotes because I haven't gone through the entire footage.<br />
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A key thing Che talked about was needing to stay hungry as an artist. He deals with and meets a ton of creative people so he's definitely a source worth listening to.<br />
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He mentions that as creative people we may reach a point where we've worked our asses off and feel that we've reached a certain level of expertise and renown. At this point we may feel that we're somehow 'entitled' to the work that comes our way, that somehow we should be able to sit back and enter what Che calls the 'collection' phase of our careers.<br />
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Once we've done that he says bluntly, we're creatively dead. That's right, entitlement is equal to creative death.<br />
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I notice this in my own life and career. Some of my most creative and alive moments in life were when I had no idea how my work would pay the bills or when the next job would come from. It was a time of blind creative faith and juicy vital output. I was hungry and most definitely more than a little foolish<br />
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So when my editorial and ad jobs started pouring in, the abundance of which, ironically, was based on the strength of the imagery I created in my 'poor, starving artist days', it was tempting to slip into apathy and entitlement.<br />
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Avoid this at all costs say Che; remember the passion that got you to where you are. Don't become 'fattened.' Stay hungry and foolish as one other well known entrepreneur was fond of saying.<br />
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Another interesting point Che made is the idea of personal work and commercial work. GQ is a great combo of creative and commercial style photography. It not a fine art magazine but its not fully of dry, boring commercial style photography either; its a great melting of both.<br />
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Che says at one point in the interview that its easy to be creative with your own work and your own ideas, with no client on board. The great photographer, he insists, can be as creative with a client brief as they can with their own work.<br />
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How you apply your creativity to someone's concepts is the sign of a successful photographer. I can assure you that this is true, for its hard to afford to be otherwise. Bringing your own ideas to the client brief or trying something new once you feel like you have the shot but still a bit of time to spare, going the extra mile not just for the client, but for yourself and your artistry. These are all hallmarks of the hungry photographer.<br />
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There's lots more great stuff but I'm going to leave it for the interview edit.<br />
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-69341960888270686552012-06-11T21:44:00.000-07:002012-06-11T21:44:04.096-07:00Questions for Vogue India editors!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Photographers, I am in the process of putting together a video interview of the Vogue India editorial team and all questions asked will pertain to photography and how Vogue prefers to work with photographers. Please write in with your questions asap and I will ask them!<br />
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add your questions in the comments section below!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-79779616903624429392012-05-15T01:49:00.000-07:002012-05-15T01:49:28.621-07:00Big Lights Far Away, Vancouver and Toronto!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After what has turned out to be an amazing year of working and teaching in Mumbai, Dubai, Australia and Capetown, South Africa, I'm happy to head home to Canada this summer to hold two <a href="http://blfa.ca/" target="_blank">Big Lights Far Away workshops in</a> Vancouver (Aug 11/12) and Toronto (Aug 4/5).<br />
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Though the BLFA workshops are distinctly centered around lighting style and learning how to use powerful light sources I tend to also speak about invaluable things like: staying creative, working with ad agencies, pitching your work and directing models. I've shot a ton and for major international clients since first starting the series and as I grow photographically so does the workshop.<br />
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If you're an advanced amateur photographer reading to make the leap to professional or if you are a pro looking to brush up on your lighting skill set, then this course is for you!<br />
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Our intention is to simulate a real life environment for students. I take directly from shoots I've handled personally and assume the role of Art Director or client to give participants the feel of a real life editorial or advertising shoot. We also keep class sizes small so there's lots of one on one per student.<br />
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<a href="http://blfa.ca/">check us out this summer</a>, we'd love to have you!<br />
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below are some student photos of past workshops:<br />
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<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-50928852181477867572012-04-18T19:12:00.000-07:002012-04-18T19:12:16.901-07:00Creativity lives in expanded awareness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-72UWc8aNohI/T49xRiWfkKI/AAAAAAAABA8/Bm-MZ51eWcg/s1600/MartinPrihoda-3379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-72UWc8aNohI/T49xRiWfkKI/AAAAAAAABA8/Bm-MZ51eWcg/s400/MartinPrihoda-3379.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Within the Buddhist tradition there is an amazing insight into the human mind. The Buddha believed that our thoughts were not just isolated perceptions and insights into the world but rather complex weavings of beliefs about ourselves stemming from the constant re-enforcement of past patterning and conditioning.<br />
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As they say, you have on average 80,000 thoughts a day. 79,900 are the same thoughts you had yesterday.<br />
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those 79,900 thoughts are like a strip of film running through a cinema projector, playing and repeating your story over and over again. Uncreative, non intuitive.<br />
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Another great insight these guys came up with was that all our thoughts and everything that passes through our mind can actually be be FELT in the body somewhere. The difficulty is that many of us in the fast paced chaotic madness in which we live have lost the connection between mind and body.<br />
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There are two basic states we can choose to live in: Expanded awareness and Contracted Awareness.<br />
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Contracted Awareness is a mind body state governed by fear, worry, doubt, stress. Though these states originate in the mind, we can actually feel them in the body. This state manifests itself as a possible tightness in the chest, shallow breath and in an advanced state; some serious forms of illness.<br />
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Expanded awareness is a mind body state expressed by love, creativity, intuition, faith and transcendence. In the body they manifest as deep full breaths, a sense of expansive freedom, pleasant sensations, a general looseness in the body and a smile. Not imprisoned by states of worry and stress, the mind in this state is freer to intuit and be creative. Essentially it is in this state that we can start to loosen or break the 'cinema projector' of our patterning.<br />
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Meditation is the key tool for moving from a state of contracted awareness to one of expanded awareness. No longer the realm of monks and mystics, meditation is becoming regarded as an important tool in the maintenance of mental health. It is used by people around the world to maintain a sense of calm and to tap into that infinite realm of creativity and oceanic unboundedness that is our birthright.<br />
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As an artist my intention is to live within an expanded state. The world is already far too challenging to have to deal with specter of self doubt. Often times I'm pulled into contraction through daily worries and stresses but with the help of simply sitting in silence it becomes easier to catch myself...and change my mind.<br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-19270010184480141932012-04-02T23:09:00.001-07:002012-04-02T23:14:37.397-07:00Louise Philippe Campaign<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The new campaign that we shot in Capetown for Louis Philippe earlier this year has launched. An incredible city to shoot in, with awesome production support, Capetown is on my must return list. These images were shot in and around the Stellenbosch wine region as well as along the western cape.<br />
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Agency: Contract Advertising<br />
Photography: Martin Prihoda<br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img src= "http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" border="0" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com" >Social Bookmarking</a></noscript></div>Martin Prihodahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12672103481738367695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6707434780391463850.post-794902518442651112012-03-26T21:12:00.001-07:002012-03-29T01:51:06.751-07:00"Dirty People"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span></div><i>*Amendement to this blog post. The issue of workers in Dubai is a complex one and goes far beyond the scope of this blog post and the pictures included. It was my experience during this shoot that none of the workers we photographed appeared to be working in any abusive or substandard conditions. I personally spoke to the owners of the factories and was allowed to walk free through out the factories unhindered. As I mention below, many of the workers spoke freely about their wages and the living conditions on site, though sparse and barebones, appeared clean and humane. The purpose of this project is not to make a specific political statement but rather to simply to collect portraits of a section of Dubai society that is rarely seen, but fundamentally vital.</i><br />
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For many of us who have visited Dubai, we've seen a virtual paradise on earth with streets paved with (black) gold. Unaware to most visitors is the stark and grim reality that much of this sparkling diamond in the desert was built on the backs of poor migrant workers from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, often in unbelievably harsh conditions.<br />
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"Dirty People" is an ongoing personal portraiture project and these images were taken in various coal and marble tile factories in and around Dubai.<br />
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Many of the workers live on site or in labour camps allowing them to save what ever money they make and send it home to families in their respective countries. Though they were no doubt dirty, most of these folks had bright eyes and big smiles. They happily engaged with us and sometimes even pulled out little cellphones and took pictures of us.<br />
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</div><div>Special thanks to Mike Jones and Urzala Weiss for assisting me on this project. Please click on images to enlarge.<br />
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