Martin Prihoda

New Website is up and Workshops!!

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'm really quite happy to have finally launched my new site: www.martinprihoda.com
Designed by Design Stack here in Mumbai, the site is precisely what I wanted: fast, slick, easy to use, big pictures.

I launched with the following photos from my trip to Pushkar in November

My next piece of news awesomeness is that our next BLFA workshop in Sydney, Australia sold out in 3 days and we've added a second workshop!! after that I'm off to Dubai for Gulf Photo Plus in March and then a personal project which will take me into Oman.

so needless to say its a packed next few months, not too mention all the ad and editorial stuff i'm doing in Mumbai.

anyway, there's a little update for you and their will be lots more in the next few weeks ;-)

Cosmopolitan November 2011 Cover story

2011-11-28T02:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes its the case that the higher profile the client, the less creative you can be. Though they are one of my favorite clients and this is my second cover story with them, Cosmopolitan has notoriously stringent rules regarding everything from the pose of the model, to the lighting and the background.

Its interesting and fun in its own way, to have to be able to deliver with such tight restrictions. I love my personal projects in that they're unbounded and free but working with a strict brief is also good for honing one's skill.

These images were lit simply with a 6 foot parabolic on a stand. The Para allows me to focus or soften the light as I see fit.

Photography: Martin Prihoda
Styling: Aradhana Baruah
H/M: Shaan Muttahil
Retouching: Natalie Buskila

The Perfect Photographer VS. The Great Photographer

2011-11-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't have some sort of aspiration to be perfect, (gulp) right?

Here's my list of conditions for the Perfect Photographer:

1. Astute, in-depth technical knowledge of Cameras, can take one apart and put it together.
2. Art history buff, has studied all the great Masters who have come before; can drop names if asked.
3. Can single handedly produce a job with mind boggling efficiency.
4. Sends out the perfect estimate; makes money while remaining competitive.
5. Amazing marketing and business skills. Blog and website always up to date. Sends monthly e-newsletters to clients.
6. Adept and masterful at all things social media
7. Perfect understanding of Lighting Theory, knows exactly which modifier to use and when.
8. Always a pleasure to work with. Clients love the Perfect Photographer; drinks are always on him/her post shoot.
9. Always meets deadlines
10. Knows how to apply makeup on models in case the H/M girl calls in sick/hungover.
11. Pays his/her crew on the day of shoot, in cash if they want.
12. Communicates well with and brings the best out of their models and subjects.
13. A Photoshop wizard, the perfect photographer retouches their own images and delivers ahead of schedule, with minimal revisions.
14. Their portfolio is the perfect mix of personal and professional work.
15. Always demands to fly business class.
16. Can shoot Product, Fashion, Automobiles, Travel, Food and Interiors with equal excellence
17. Nails the pitch every time and exudes confidence in pre-production meetings.
18. A natural Fashionista, styling their own shoots is a breeze.

Hopefully by point 18 you've realized that no such person can possibly exist. In fact I feel lucky if I'm nailing half the things on the above list.

so whats the difference between Great and Perfect?

The great photographer knows their strengths and weaknesses. They move forward in their strength and fill their weaker qualities with people who call those same weaknesses, strengths.

A great photographer may have an excellent eye for detail but is terrible with people. They may have amazing business acumen but a poor understanding of light fall off and what a Parabolic light actually does. Thats okay, though...they know they're not perfect.

Surround yourself with people who are better and smarter than you.

My producer is better at budgeting and project management than I am, my retoucher is infinitely better at photoshop, one of my lighting assistants knows more about how an dSLR works than I ever will (or want to)... If your ego can handle it and you can build a team on this principle; you're in for a wild, successful ride.

The unfortunate truth is that if you try and do it all yourself, you will stay small and ultimately entrenched upon the gilded path of mediocrity.

To be great you have to commit yourself to Mastery, to learning, to plateauing, to failing, to learning...

and that, my friends, has nothing to do with perfection.

November 2011 Covers

2011-11-21T04:32:00.000-08:00

just got back from an awesome Big Lights Far Away workshop in Dubai and a huge shout out to Mohammed and Hala for putting together an amazing Gulf Photo Plus event!!

I'm going to post about the workshop soon, but in the meantime here was something nice to come back Bombay to.

I photographed these covers all in the last few months and its neat to see them on the stands all at once.

Marie Claire with Shraddha Kapoor

Ok! India with Farhan Akhtar

Cosmopolitan with Anushka Sharma

New Work with Rachel Bayros

2011-10-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

Had an opportunity to work with one of my favorite Indian models; Rachel Bayros. A great person to work with and a super talent. Thanks to my amazing team as well!

Photography: Martin Prihoda

Photographer: Martin Prihoda

Model: Rachel Bayros

Hair/Makeup: Laila Dalal

Styling: Zeenat Hatim

Retouching: Natalie Buskila

Location: XO Studio, Mumbai

Assistants: Vijit Gupta, Vijay Nawgire

New Behind the Scenes video 5 Light Beauty setup

2011-10-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

This ones short and sweet. The images are below, click here to see how they were lit.

Photography: Martin Prihoda

Model: Smita Rao, Anima Creatives

Hair/Makeup: Laila Dalal

Styling: Zeenat Hatim

Retouching: Natalie Buskila

Location: XO Studio, Mumbai

Assistants: Vijit Gupta, Vijay Nawgire

Authenticity

2011-09-26T22:56:00.000-07:00

couldn't have said it better myself, thanks Brene ;-)

The Importance of knowing you suck

2011-09-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Catchy title, huh?

Its not to say you suck at everything but you certainly suck at something. I know I do. I suck at lots of stuff.

Lets start off with a story: Not too long ago a female friend of mine was enamored with a beautiful man. He was one of the top models in town, oozed sex appeal and seemed to vibe a heightened knowledge of the female psyche. He was charming, witty and arrogantly hard to get. He was the type of guy that when he entered the room all heads turned, male AND female. You know the guy i'm talking about right?

Anyway, when she triangulated some basic information and found out he was not gay, she made her move. Now, my friend is quite an attractive woman herself, but whats more she's self assured, graceful and intelligent. So its not such a stretch that she would be able to land the hottest guy in town.

Well...she did.

Back at her apartment things started getting steamy...thats when she noticed something was not right. He seemed fidgety, nervous, anxious. His heart rate seemed accelerated above average and he was having a hard time, or maybe, well, not hard enough.

Since this is primarily a photography blog, I'll simply cut to the chase: Their session was 'over' about 20 minutes into foreplay and this guy just picked up his stuff, red faced and left. The door shut and my friend just sat there for about 30 minutes contemplating the worst sexual experience she's ever had. This 40 year old handsome man, dripping sexual appeal from his every pore, turns out to be the worst lover she's ever been with.

It brings up an interesting question: How can someone who's convinced us they're so good, actually be so bad?

My theory is that human beings will do almost anything in their power to hide the fact they suck and arrogance, in my humble opinion, is one of the biggest indicators that someone's definitely hiding their Suck.

Bringing this post back to point. The sooner we actually acknowledge that we suck at whatever we suck at, the sooner we can transform the suck into not sucking.

There's a few main things to think about:

1: Realizing we suck at something requires us to face our Ego head on. This is painful. Our Ego is the part of ourselves that decides what it is we want the world we 'think' we are. Its the false sense of self that always seems to be at war with what's really going on inside us. When we let down our guard and realize that we're all just a bundle of twisted up, conflicting sets of patterns and conditionings that have been forming haphazardly since we first learned to speak, we can begin the process of facing our shadow selves with courage, honesty and wisdom.

Accept and Own your 'Suck'.

2: Surround yourself with people who are better than you, or at least suck less. We all have strengths and weaknesses, it doesn't help to look upon life as a competition; thats the old model of being. Sure, resources are limited and we all need to struggle to achieve, but I'm sure it can be done in a way that doesn't tear us up inside.

3: Introspect. If you're making the same mistakes over and over again and everyone sees it except you, it means you're caught in a pattern thats so comfortable in its discomfort that you might not even know that its happening. Spending some amount of time in silence will help you with this. Silence is like a wedge that drives into your conditioning and creates the space you need to make sane decisions about your life.

4: Always remember, there's always someone out there, even its just one person, who doesn't think you suck at all. Perspective is key.

Being one with your Suck means to accept your humanity and that's a beautiful thing. Focus on your strengths, know and accept your weaknesses and cut out all negative self talk.

So embrace your suck; just like the line between pain and pleasure, with a little attention that in you which sucks could very well turn out to be your greatest strength.

-M

New Beauty/Fashion work

2011-08-31T03:27:00.000-07:00

Managed to pull together an awesome team during my vacation time back home in Vancouver this summer. This work was shot over a day in my good friend Rob Gilberts studio. Hope you Enjoy!

Photography: Martin Prihoda Hair and Makeup: Felicia Bromba, Jessica Ruth Styling: Vanessa Fors, Claudia DaPonte Models: Lisa B, Kendall Vancouver Modeling Agencies: Liz Bell, Richards Production: Rob Gilbert Studios Producers and Production support: Rob Gilbert, Henry Mah, Ami Sanyal, Darko Sikman, Toranj Kayvon Retouching: Natalie Buskila (Beauty) Pratik Naik (Fashion)

Why every Photographer should work with a Producer

2011-08-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

I started out as many photographers do.

Small.

I fondly remember lugging gear into an old Ford Explorer, barely making it back to Beau Photo Rentals in time to make their 5pm close, lugging all the gear back out into their shop and onto the storage shelving. Alone.

Once in a while a friend, or my brother would help me in this endeavor, but a lot of the time it was alone. On friday nights I would pick up battery packs, heads, various light modifiers, a honda generator, boom stands, c-stands, sandbags, reflectors, flags, extension cords and would get half way home before realizing I'd forgotten the pocket wizards.

At Beau, when you rent on a Friday evening you get the gear till monday morning for a 1 day rental fee. Why is that such a great thing? Because for the price of a 1 day rental you get a potential 5 set ups.

1 shoot Friday night, 2 Saturday and 2 on Sunday...at least thats the way I started out. Shooting 5 setups in a weekend is a mammoth task but it was amazing for portfolio building. I would shoot dancers on Saturday, fashion or head shots on Sunday and maybe a band Friday night. In the beginning, if I could get the rental fee covered I was happy.

The real challenge was pulling it all together, most of the time on my own. Not to mention hauling the gear into my 16th floor apartment at the end of each evening.

Thats how I learned production...and producing. It was a jumble of coordination between hair and makeup, studio, assistant and models, as well as the numerous beer runs in leu of monetary payment. I think you need to pay your dues in life and I have no qualms about paying mine.

Things are different now, of course. Doing everything on my own is no longer feasible. As I grew in my craft and started receiving commissioned work the sheer amount of organization would leave me no room for the type of stress free, unbounded creative space you need when you're shooting.

So as they say; when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I found a producer.

A producer, if they're good, provides one overarching essential service: To provide you, the photographer with the backup and un-diminished support you need to do what you do best: take beautiful pictures.

In the beginning I admit that I often ignored the need for a location permit, for example. If somebody said anything, we would just pick up and move on somewhere else, easy. Nor did I worry too much about post production schedules, because well, their weren't any.

Then, all of a sudden people want to start paying me, go figure. And with that came a whole slew of responsibility, being unprepared was no longer acceptable and my producer took that burden off my shoulders.

A few things your producer will do for while you're shooting and focussed on delivering your best work:

-make sure all location permits are in order
-deal with cranky models who don't like the hotel you've booked them
-deal with modeling agencies
-work a deal with the tow truck driver who's about to tow your car because you can't read signs
-make sure the advance cheque is deposited (you did make sure you got an advance, right?)
-negotiate price and cost with the agency when they realize they need a 5th setup shot (you only agreed on 4)
-book your flights
-organize the power point presentation for your pre-production meeting with the agency
-write the job cost estimates
-make sure you don't go over your estimate
-phone for a new head because you've blown one
-feed you and your crew
-chase down your balance cheque
-organize a wrap party/dinner/drinks for you and the agency after the shoot (this one is important, an agency expects to be taken out...after all they just paid you $50,000 to shoot a pair of sneakers.

anyway, there's a million other things a producer does, but you get my point.

If you have an overseas/out of town shoot, you'll probably end up hiring a local production service company to do the above work.

I've learned that part of becoming successful is developing good delegation skills. You simply can't do everything so you need to find backup, someone that has your butt...because at the end of the day, its your ass on the line. If your shoot messes up...its 100% you.

As with most of the things I write about on this blog, this advice comes out of the hardships derived from experience. I have disappointed a few (not too many, thank goodness) clients in my time simply because I thought I could handle more than I was able to.

Your next question is probably: well, where do I find a producer? You'll be surprised: Usually the best producers don't necessarily have photography knowledge per se but rather a great sense of order and good, effective communication skills. They are people that like to be in charge, are often creative thinkers and most importantly great problem solvers. A lot of producing after all is simply problem solving.

If you think about you probably know someone like this but more often than not you might want to search around for a production company or a freelance producer. They're out there...and I highly recommend them.

Well, that's it for now, I'm off to the kitchen to produce myself a beer. Till next time ;-)

There is no tomorrow...

2011-08-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

I had a major epiphany a few months back and its something I shared with my last workshop class. I thought I'd write about it here as well.

I remember, years back now, when I began this journey into photography thinking to myself:

"I know nothing about this, I don't know how they light these images, I don't know how to build a good portfolio, I don't know where to find models or how to go about setting up meetings with agency art directors. I had no idea how I would begin to build a portfolio good enough to even get me in the door."

The beginning was full of I don't know's, I don't know's, I don't know's.

But somewhere in there, deep down and a quite was another voice, urging and pushing: "I will."

Somehow I will do it. Somehow I will make it. Its been these words that have pushed me through financial hardship, disappointment and an immensely energy consuming but amazing move to India. The successes along the way serve as beacons and reminders that I was indeed on the right path.

I had this notion of 'making it' in my head. I wanted to 'make it,' to 'get there,' and 'to arrive.' As I sat at my desk all those years back I noticed a Vanity Fair magazine to the right of my computer. I decided then and there that shooting the cover to a major magazine like Vanity Fair or GQ was my idea of 'making it' and that when that moment arrived, I would find my success, my peace and my happiness.

Flash forward some years.

I'm sitting at my computer in Bombay a few months ago and on my desk is a GQ magazine but this time its MY cover. I shot it.

and thats when it hits me. I remember all those years back, that promise I made to myself and here it is, the moment has arrived!

But interestingly, there was no feeling of 'making it' to be found, no angels of success trumpeting down on me heralding my arrival. No, there was only silence...and a small cursor blinking at the top of an open excel file entitled 'overdue Invoice for job EH2011-5,'

Thats when it hit me.

There is no tomorrow. There is no "I'll be successful when I reach here, or there or I'll be happy as soon as X happens.

There is only right now. Its a crazy thing but so many of us live in the future. I know this because I have like-minded, goal orientated friends like myself. Friends who say: "As soon as my book is published..." or "I need to be making at least 6 figures..." Those are all valid goals but they have nothing to do with success or happiness.

What I realized is that putting your visions of success and happiness into the future tense really is a negation of your success and happiness right here and now. We are unhappy with how things are so we fantasize about the future and how happy we'll be when we have our new car, house, salary, job, relationship.

But its all bullshit. You're lying to yourself. If you can't feel your success right here in the present moment, then you never will. It will never ever come.

I sat that looking at my cover and I thought to myself, that's a huge accomplishment, why don't I feel elated, or successful about it?? The truth is that I also suffer from the 'right now isn't good enough, tomorrow will be better' disease.

I made a conscious decision at that moment. I decided that from that moment forward I would visualize and feel my success in each and every moment. I would continue to set goals and work towards them, but would no longer look to them for validation or happiness. I would do that now, right here and now.

Its all habitual. The mind wants to wander to the future and wallow in the past. Anything but here and now. It takes practice and meditation.

I said to my class: "How many of you have goals about the future, visions of the future where you feel happy and full of joy and freedom." almost all hands went up. The I asked: "How many of you feel that about your lives right now?":

Noticeably fewer hands.

The truth was that they were successful, right now. They paid good money to hear me speak, they gave their time. It was a commitment to their craft, to their love of what they were doing. THAT is hugely successful. Most people just dream...they were here, sitting, listening, learning. I asked them to honor that.

There is no tomorrow. Visualize yourself as a success in your field, financially free, respected. Feel what it would be like to drive your dream car, live in your dream house. Visualize that and now bring it into the present. Live with the feeling that you are already that which you desire to become.

You remember that old story of Michelangelo and his carving of David from marble? Someone asks him how he could possibly have created something so beautiful and Michelangelo replies simply: "The statue was already in the rock, I just removed the excess pieces."

That's us, our success is already within...we just need to uncover it. Here. Now.

"Big Lights Far Away" Workshop this Sunday!

2011-07-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

Its been absolutely amazing being back home for the last week. I've been attempting to reconcile the incredible differences between Bombay and my home town of Vancouver; two completely separate and opposite worlds...and I feel like I'm straddling both.

We're holding another BLFA workshop this Sunday, June 24th and I'm pretty excited about sharing with people my experiences over the last two and a half years. Big Lights Far Away started as a lighting workshop series but I think I'd be doing photographers a disservice if all I talked about was lighting.

Sunday, June 24th 2011, 6pm
VPN Studios
14 West 7th Ave
Vancouver BC V5Y 1L6

Hopefully you can make it out. I'll be talking about lighting but even better, my experiences and anecdotes in the business of photography...in India.

to check the details of the seminar, click here.

See you Sunday!

Harper's Bazaar July 2011

2011-07-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here's some recent work for Harper's Bazaar, July 2011 edition.

Photography by Martin Prihoda
Fashion editor: Carol Singh
Art Director: Yurreipem Arthur
Models: Pilar/ Inega Model Managment
Models: Eva/ Toabh Models
Hair: Manas/ Toni & Guy
Makeup: Ritila Anar
Fashion Stylist: Akshita Sekhri
Prop Stylist: Ananya Berry
Fashion Producer: Aastha Sharma
Retouching: Natalie Buskila

Cover shoot for Marie Claire India with Sonam Kapoor, June 2011

2011-06-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

For the 5th anniversary of Marie Claire in India, we shot the beautiful, smart and funny Sonam Kapoor. My first cover shoot for Marie Claire, I absolutely loved working with this team. Its amazing what you can do with one big beautiful light, a run down studio in bombay and about 3 set pieces

Photographed by Martin Prihoda

Art Director: Manoj Bhramar

Styled by Nikhil D
Hair/Makeup by Namrati Soni
Produced by Akrati Fulwadya
Fashion Editor: Pearl Shah
Assisted by Vijit Gupta

Retouching by MAVS

New ad work for Royal Challenge

2011-06-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here's an image from the upcoming IPL campaign featuring the Pune Warriors. Special thanks to Arun Kumar at Rediff Bangalore, my producer Mithika and Paul Lang for his post work.

GQ India Cover shoot June 2011

2011-06-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here's some new work for GQ India with cricketer Virat Kohli

Photography by Martin Prihoda
Fashion Editor: Vijendra Bhardwaj
Hair and Makeup (Virat): Sapna Bhavnani/Mad o Wot
H/m (Models): Sara Capela, Sunita Brace, Menaka Chhinal/FAT MU
Models: Rebekah Charlton, Courtney Simpson, Jana Perez/Anima
Junior Fashion Editor: Antara Motiwala
Fashion Assistant: Anuj Lall
Production: Gizelle Cordo
PA: Priyanka Bagai
Retouching: Martin Prihoda/Manpreet Ahuja
Location: Presidential suite, The Oberoi. Mumbai

chillin' with the Tibetans

2011-06-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

Dharamsala is a dope place, not just cause hash is as readily available as Dal and rice but because its so damn chill. Originally an english hill station set up against the foothills of the Himalayas its now home to the Dalai Lama an the Tibetan government in exile.

I'm not doing much work except for coordinating the post work for my latest Harper's Bazaar shot between my retoucher in Israel and the editor in Delhi. Its been pretty much Yoga and meditation classes and long hikes through the foothills with my wife, son and our friends from Canada.

I've been going through some past work putting together images for an exhibition i want to do and found this outtake from a fashion shoot in Rajasthan a few months back.

We'll be back in Bombay around the 17th of June and then its a bunch of ad shoots back to back till we head back to Canada for a few weeks.

So i guess this is the calm before the storm.

Taken outside of Jaipur, Rajasthan at sunset

The Mind and the Movie Theater analogy.

2011-06-02T00:55:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a bit of time off, its too damn hot in Bombay to work, anyways.

I grew up with immigrants for parents whose work ethic made drone worker bees look like Jeff Spicoli. Its difficult for me to engage in relaxing sometimes because I tend to feel like I need to be constantly doing/creating/building something. That's been a great thing when it comes to my career, but not a great thing for the deeper pursuit of spiritual expansion.

Here's a related analogy I love. Its called the movie theatre analogy:

Let's say you're sitting inside a move theatre, totally engrossed, watching Tom Cruise jump off the 200 hundred storey Burj Khalifa. What you're not realizing is that for half the time you're in the theatre you're sitting in complete darkness.

A strip of Film moves through a projector at 24 frames per second. As each frame snaps into place, the shutter opens and a bright light shines through the celluloid and an image is projected onto the silver screen.

What happens next is the shutter closes, blocking all light from touching the film. a small metal claw then reaches out into the sprocket hole, grabs the film and pulls the next frame down into the shutter gate. The shutter opens and the next frame is illuminated.

The image on the next frame to appear is only slightly different that the image before. Perhaps a slight movement of the hand or leg of the actor, or a car, or an explosion. Twenty four of these frame move through the gate in one second.

So if there is complete darkness between frames, why does a movie appear to be so fluid and seamless before our eyes?

The answer is Persistence of Vision. Basically, the the light of the image is retained in our retinas and in our minds long enough for that gate to close and the next frame to be pulled down. Its the persistence of the light that gives the impression, the illusion, that what we are watching is seamless.

But really its a big fat ass lie. We are watching a bunch of still images with a lot of darkness in between. Our eyes have deceived us horribly. Really really horribly if you're not a Tom Cruise fan.

Here's the kicker. Your mind is like that movie theatre.

Our everyday 'reality' is the movie. The darkness between the 'frames' is the infinite creative potential of our deepest being. Its the genius within us all; the intuitive, soulful and mysterious heart of life itself.

Most of us don't know about this infinite potential because we're so engrossed in the 'movie:' the bills, the work, the relationships, the friends, the gossip, the politics, the ego..its all a big ass lie, just like the film you watch.

And just as the movie theatre is pitch black half the movie, that infinite creative potential is always with us; waiting patiently for the 'movie' to be turned off, or at least slowed down.

Once we explore the gaps between the film frames of our lives, we begin to uncover the magic and power of pure potential that the Buddha and Christ were tapped into and that has been experienced by many of humanity's great souls.

Probably the most effective way to start slowing the movie down is through meditation; the practice of sitting quietly and observing the frenetic nature of the mind. Its through this observation that we witness the 'Gap' and experience our true nature.

Its a beautiful thing because our movies get tiring; the insane thing being, its usually the same movie day in and day out. The same reactive mind is reacting to similar stimulus creating deeper and deeper unconscious patterning. Who the hell would want to watch the same movie over and over and over again? Yet thats what so many of us do...myself included.

So thats what i'm going to do. I'm going away to slow the movie down. I'm going to explore that creative space between the frames and who knows...maybe i'll meet Tom Cruise.

Delhi. still working, but poolside at least.

Dealing with Criticism

2011-05-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

ah, criticism.

that stick in the mud voice that calls your party to a halt; triggering the trap door through which your heart sinks to your stomach. That stabbing feeling that sucks the wind from your creative sails, leaving your ship of dreams marooned upon reefs of doubt and islands of worthlessness.

Criticism, especially for an artist, can do untold damage and if given at the wrong time can destroy the seeds of brilliance faster than a morning after pill.

Unless you choose the path of renunciation and go live in a cave, chances are that you're stuck living in some form or another, with lots of other people. This is called society and when you were born you unwittingly signed a contract that made you a part of it. This society feeds you, schools you, takes your garbage away, collects your taxes and makes sure that your un-molded blabbering self becomes productive in some way.

When you choose to deviate from social norms you get dealt criticism. It starts with your parents and extends out through your teachers and peers. Then, like some irksome insect, it burrows into your heart and soul, becoming part of you; questioning your god given right to dream, hope and create.

Criticism comes in many forms; it can be subtle or it can be overt. It can come in the form of eye contact, words, body language or violence. The methods by which we hurt each other through unchecked criticism are infinite.

Outside of us it takes the form of gossip, mockery and ridicule. Inside it manifests as self loathing, worthlessness and impotence.

Sometimes it originates from a place of jealousy and wounded idealism. Perhaps you've always wanted to be a great painter but haven't been successful, so you go to an art show and criticize someone who has found their success. Its not limited to the arts either; if we're honest we'll see we're critical of everything: people's driving, women's bodies, someone's film, her boyfriend, his girlfriend and on and on. Hell, tabloids make billions every year on it.

So how do we untangle ourselves from the nasty web of criticism?

Any fundamental change in our lives begins with self awareness. This is not a theory, its an immutable law of life. The Yogic tradition has always taught that the path to enlightenment, peace and contentment is achieved through rigorous self examination.

As we become more and more aware of who we are, we begin to understand how we got here. We dig deeper into our own hearts and start to unearth our patterning, we begin to see that we are who we are because we've come to believe certain things about ourselves.

Slowly we realize that most of these beliefs have come from outside; from parents, neighbors, peers, television and media. They are things people have said, out of their own hurt (but perhaps masquerading as good intention), that have in turn hurt us. Things we have accepted about ourselves that we have come to believe as true. All these 'acceptances' over the years have created mass tangles of contradicting neurosis that drive us further into madness.

Criticism triggers these painful tangles, these deeply held but mostly unquestioned beliefs. It begs the question: If we could untangle ourselves and heal our destructive patterning...would we be immune to criticism?

No, we'll always be criticized, but perhaps we'll no longer be so hurt and wounded by it. Perhaps we would begin to see the hurtful words of others not as an indication of our own self worth but rather as a reminder of how much healing and love we all need.

As we dig deeper into our own knots we begin to see how deeply knotted everyone else is and voila, we have the birth of compassion. Compassion comes from acknowledging a common suffering and since all suffering is self created, when we investigate ours, we see it in others.

So whats the solution to criticism?

Be aware. Try and intuit where the words are coming from. Be discerning; is there some truth that you're avoiding? If you feel its from a place of jealousy and hurt...can you try to generate the compassion? Most importantly, compassion for yourself?

Sometimes criticism can be welcome. It can come from a place of love, from a person who genuinely cares about you and wants the best for you. Sometimes we really need to be criticized, because our actions are harmful...but we also need to generate the wisdom to know the difference.

The more we focus on knowing ourselves, our patterns, our reactions and sensitivities the better we will be able to differentiate the many different layers of criticism we encounter everyday. Instead of the customary and reactive "F$%k you!" when some says something to us we don't like, we can start to question why it bothers us in the first place...leading us further away from mindless reaction and further into self awareness...and peace.

As was written above the gates of the Oracle in Delphi:

"Know thyself"

Verve, April 2011 Behind the Scenes Video

2011-05-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

There's a ton you can do with only one light and a bounce. Here's the BTS from my recent Verve India fashion story. Enjoy!

New Advanced Lighting Workshop dates announced

2011-04-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

We've announced the new dates of the next Big Lights Far Away workshop, July 24, 25 and 26th in Vancouver!

Learning to balance ambient light with strobe, as in the picture above, is one of the fundamental skills taught in the BLFA workshops. Photo by Martin Prihoda

The workshop is designed to take advanced amateur photographers to the next level by giving them the lighting skills necessary to make their photography more marketable. As well, we'll be sharing essential business tips needed to work with large and demanding clients.

We'll be covering location lighting for fashion and editorial shoots as well as learning how to effectively work with a crew of professionals; from hair and makeup, to stylists and models. All crew used are professionals in their own right, thus allowing students the environment to effectively raise their skill level.

In my experience, professional photography is a juggling act between technical proficiency, artistic vision, tact and patient determination. A superior understanding of light; both strobe and ambient, and the mixture of the two while dealing with various logistic factors is the driving intention behind the Big Lights Far Away workshop series.

Also included in the cost is a seminar and one on one portfolio review and personal career coaching.

Spots are limited to only 10 students and we expect to fill up fast, so come join us!

Yoga Journal, Russian Edition, May 2011

2011-04-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

A selection of photos from my upcoming book "Descent" have been published in this months Yoga Journal. The images feature my friend and teacher, Yogi Vishva in various Asanas in and around the serene setting of the Himalayas.

The spirit of the book lies in a strong Yoga practice set in a backdrop of life in the north Indian town of Rishikesh. Rishikesh is a well known spiritual retreat and perhaps most well known in the West as the place where the Beatles spent some time hanging out and writing music.

The final book will be a coffee table book feature 108 asanas. We're planning on shooting the remainder of the imagery in September 2011.

Hari Om!

Global Fashion Story - Verve, April 2011

2011-04-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Some recent fashion work with Verve. Behind the Scenes video coming shortly!

Photography: Martin Prihoda
Styling: Nirali Mehta
h/m: Sophie Chudzikowzki
Models: Aniko Michnyaova and Nina Mendes
Models courtesy: Anime Creative Management
Produced by Lamya Bhatri Ebrahim

Back from Nepal and Tanzania

2011-04-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been following this blog for any amount of time, you'll know how important it is for me to be able to balance my commercial and personal work.

By personal work, I usually refer to jobs or projects that don't pay much or anything at all, but usually fill me up in other ways.

My recent work with the NGO ChildReach International definitely falls under this category. CRI is a London based NGO that works to improve the conditions of impoverished children in various parts of the world. They help build schools, fund advocacy for child rights, pay teachers' wages, help repair water wells...you name it.

Like any other charity, they rely on fundraising to achieve these efforts and vital to this effort is a catalogue of great imagery to help capture the spirit of their work.

So, lucky me. I get to fly around the world, all expenses paid, to build this catalogue. Pretty much the photographers dream.

These most recent images are from CRI projects in Nepal and Tanzania and I have to tell ya; these are some of the most amazing children I have ever met. Its truly startling how a life of no television and video games seems to keep young eyes so undimmed.

No fancy lights, no battery packs, no truckload of assistants, no nagging clients; just me...and my camera for two weeks. Pure bliss.

Behind the Scenes Video: Adorn Cover shoot with Neha Dhupia

2011-03-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this shoot. Neha was great to work with and although its a challenge to shoot jewelry and make the model look great, I think we pulled it off.

At one point I stopped using strobes and just shot the modelling light off the softbox, with an 85, 1.2.

The magazine is out in April

check out the Behind the Scenes Video!

The Filthiest Train in India- WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

2011-03-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

   Dear Mamata Banerjee, Rail Minister, India,

   First of all, I want you to know I absolutely love and adore your country. Never in my travels have I met a friendlier, more hospitable people and never in my sojourns have I burned this many taste buds on deliciously spicy Chicken Vindaloo.

   My love affair with India started almost 10 years ago when I, a lone wanderer with nothing but the shirt on my back, arrived for the first time. I remember to this day, the Chennai airport, hustling and bustling, the smells, the touts, the hawkers...I loved it from the get go. The wild chaos that was India was the perfect antidote to my structured western mind.

   It was the first train ride that solidified my passion for your vast and heterogeneous country. I rode from Chennai to Varanasi, a three day voyage on a railway that brought me to new lands and new friends, to new sights and expanded horizons.

   How soundly I slept on my top berth, the clickety clack on the tracks lulling me to carefree dreams like a child's lullaby. From my fond memories of that time I recall the trains being efficiently on time and though while not spotless by any means, clean enough to enjoy the ride....and so it was for nine beautiful months, just me, a backpack and an open heart.

  And now here I am, 10 years later, back in your country. But this time its its different. I'm older and I fear my poor heart has hardened a bit since those carefree days of my early twenties. Gone is the back pack with the yellow walkman, gone is the untrimmed beard and flowing messy long hair; all traded in for expensive camera gear, an iMac, PAN card number, bank account, Vodafone Bills and demanding clients.

  That's right Mamata, I came back...but this time I came back to make money. And because Time is Money, romantic train rides were substituted for low cost domestic air carriers. Jet Lite to Bangalore, Kingfisher to Calcutta, IndiGo to Jaipur and GoAir to Chennai. I did miss the trains, but what to do??!! The Indian economy is growing by 10 point something percent and XYZ advertising agency isn't going to wait three days for me to arrive by train to Delhi.

  Oh how I missed the trains. Like an old flame that went out too early, I reminisced about lost love. The screech of brakes, the chaiwalla selling his warm libation between stops, the warm smelling of burning sandlewood...

  So, dear Mamata, you can imagine my excitement when I finally had some time off and decided to travel to Rishikesh...by train! My wife, small son and I planned to fly to Delhi from Mumbai and then board a train to Haridwar. I was so excited, I could hardly wait to re-kindle my old love affair. I could almost feel the days of my youth returning...

Almost...

  What followed at Nizamuddin station in Delhi was heart wrenching. Imagine expecting to see your lover after ten years of separation, her youthful, innocent beauty burned in your mind... but instead you're greeted with some haggard old shadow of her former self, her face looking withered as if wracked by some debilitating addiction. Shocking, disappointing...devastating.

Such was the state of this train, Mamata. The filth, the cockroaches, the uncleaned toilets, the spilled food, the dirty and stained sheets!

I could hardly conceal my horror...where was the train of my past? what had this locomotion become? I was in a panic! Imagine my anxiety at having to convince my wife that this was truly the best way to travel India, her head nodding, confused, as a large rat slid under our feet.

Mamata, I know you are busy, but if you have made it this far, please accept my humble request to have the trains of India cleaned, thoroughly. They are the life blood of the country. People need them. Foreigners use them and then report back to their home countries...is this impression you want to leave?

They say Cleanliness is next to Godliness. With so many Gods here, can at least one of them lead your trains to cleanliness?

thanks for you time,

your ever humble traveller,

Martin

Uncleaned toilets with inadequate soap to wash
your hands make 'holding it' a reality.

Garbage piles up between the cars.

this piece of twine was holding two heavy doors together

I'm pretty sure this tea bag was still usable

Let's get cookin'

random guy with a gun

service with a smile!

A Top 10 list for manifesting Success

2011-03-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

who doesn't love a Top 10 list?!

The below points are all things that I currently 'employ/struggle with' in my climb up the undulating, mountainous, jagged, plateauing and ultimately beautiful journey of a career in photography.

Here we go:

10. Be kind to yourself. It can be a big bad world out there and the last thing you need to do is stand in your own way. Besides, all good things in your life start from a friendship with yourself.

9. Keep your word. As well as keeping it, don't give it out so much.

8. Take care of your physical and mental health. Your body and mind are the primary tools of you soul's expression. You wouldn't believe it but I've met my fair share of overweight, unhealthy photographers who eat fast food, don't exercise but take immaculate care of their photo equipment. Weird.

7. Know your intention. Before you comment or act on anything in life; know your intention behind your words/action. Two identical actions can have very different intentions and very different effects.

6. Speak the truth. Tough one, but if you follow step #7 above, it shouldn't be too hard. Truth carries great power and weight and if you use it wisely you'll garner respect; most importantly for yourself.

5. Commit yourself to life long learning. Education didn't stop for me at university. In fact most of my greatest moments of learning came from outside an institution. Seek out your teachers carefully; they hide in some strange places.

4. Know where you've been. Honor your past and where you've come from. You may not be proud of where you've come from or what you've accomplished but as you learn to love and heal your life, you'll come to see it was all a necessary process.

3. Know where you're going. Visualize, but more importantly try to feel what it's going to be like once you reach your goal. That way, you're living your accomplishments now and not later

2. Sit in Silence everyday. Meditation works for all the points above, creating a space between sensory input and reaction. Its this space that differentiates the enlightened being from the Not. You chose the time and length.

1. Always try to work with people more accomplished and better than you. Surround yourself with Masters and with friends who have the same commitment to their craft as you do. This will aid in your progress.

The Monkey Mind: Fickle, Envious, Reactive. Cute looking, but ultimately the enemy of Inner Peace. Likes nuts.

Outtakes from the Rishikesh 'Descent' Project

2011-03-06T07:22:00.000-08:00

Though we're working our asses off trekking through the Himalayan wilderness to shoot for the book, there is always enough time to shoot portraits of the strange, surreal, stoned and all together original characters that inhabit the banks and of the Ganges and beyond.

Click to enlarge and enjoy.

On assignment in Rishikesh, North India

2011-03-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

Yogi Vishva and I hanging out in Haridwar during the Shivaratri festival.

I've been up to Rishikesh about 5 times now and I absolutely love this place. Nestled in the foothills of the Himlayas, it's known for its incredible scenery, sacred temples, holy babas and escapist hippies from the West.

Its also the place where the Beatles hung out and got high enough to write some of their best music.

As the Ganges winds it way through the holy city, on either bank one can find saddhus mingling with merchants and crippled beggars hitting up the 'fresh off the boat' hot wannabe Yoga teachers in training.

So what brings me here you ask?

One of my great friends, Yogi Vishva, has an ashram up here and we're collaborating on a book project currently titled 'Descent.' Its essentially a fine art/photo documentary project depicting Yoga Asana (postures) integrated with the character, soul and culture of life around the Ganges from Rishikesh to the ancient and holy city of Haridwar.

I'm not going to say much more but I will say that this project will feature some of my best work.

After a very hectic last few months shooting for big advertising clients as well as editorial for magazines...I'm sure happy to be up here.

stay tuned for more and.....

Hari Om.

New ad work for AXE

2011-02-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

here's some new work we just finished up for AXE in Mumbai. I have no idea what a 'Googly' is, but it paid my rent this month.

It's the cricket world cup and everyone is going crazy!!

Thanks to my team especially my producer Mithika and Paul at The Orange Apple. Also a big shout out to my agency peeps; Ameya and Tasneem over at Lowe Lintas.

Hair/Makeup: Shikha

Styling: Leepakshi

Behind the Scenes Video: Cosmopolitan India 2010 Cover Story

2011-01-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

Just finished editing this Behind the Scenes Video of my Cosmo India Cover story with the beautiful Jacqueline Fernandez. Click on the photo to play the Video.

lots of useful info me thinks!

-m

My greatest photography milestone

2011-01-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

I categorize my photography career into two distinct periods; ‘before’ learning how to use off camera lighting and ‘after.’

There's not much point talking about the 'before' part

I had enrolled in an advanced lighting course at a local college because I felt I had reached a plateau; my work had been getting stale and I desperately wanted to grow, to advance and learn. I had photographed every conceivable object under the sun at the widest aperture I could and my portfolio was beginning to look like I was obsessed with bokeh.

I was curious about how all those amazing Annie Liebowitz photos for Vanity were achieved. I was in love with her cinematic lighting and her ability to infuse drama in to her photographs. So I took a lighting course.

Much of the course was indoors; we learned how to use strobes, how shoot against a backdrop. I learned theory backed up with practical lighting scenarios…but somehow I felt that there was still something ‘missing.’

The came the fateful day; I remember it clearly. It was a cold, crisp, wintery blue sky with a spattering of puffy convective clouds spreading out over my hometown of Vancouver. Today was the day we were going to take the strobes outdoors and ‘balance’ light; essentially mixing strobe light with ambient sunlight to create an image. I had no idea what to expect.

We set up the light, a beauty dish, above the subject and the setting 3 o’clock winter sun directly behind her. We metered the ambient and metered the strobe and then came my turn to shoot…

What happened next was perhaps the biggest milestone in my career. I depressed the shutter, I heard a pop and a moment later an image appeared on my little 30d LCD.

I gasped. This was it! This is exactly what I had been looking for! It had that same drama, that same cinematic feel. The clouds in the background were underexposed, making them appear stormy, dangerous, dramatic and the model, illuminated by a perfectly balanced strobe light, her dress flaring in movement, her expression poised…it was perfect. She looked like a goddess, a Cleopatra set against an epic backdrop.

I never went back, I couldn’t, nothing was the same after that. I had done it and it was all I wanted to do…

Of course since then there’s been a lot of refining and tuning, but essentially that type of lighting is the driving force behind much of my photography and the workshops I teach. Photography is like being a singer, you have to find your voice, you need to refine it, to differentiate it. Only then will your work be recognizable.

New Ad work

2010-11-24T05:52:00.000-08:00

here's two new ad campaign shots, one with actor Abhay Deol for Signature Whiskey, shot in Bangkok and the other for Fastrack, shot here in Mumbai.

It been crazy busy here so haven't been posting as much, but there'll be lots more work posted in the next while as I've been shooting like a madman!

looking forward to a Christmas break in Canada....

Client: Signature Whiskey, Agency: Y&R Bangalore, Creative Head: Arun Kumar, Photography: Martin Prihoda

Client: Fastrack, Agency: Lowe Lintas, Creative Head: Lohith Chengappa, Photography: Martin Prihoda

Awesome Student Photos! "Big Lights Far Away" at the GPP - Dubai

2010-11-11T01:48:00.000-08:00

well, I'm back from the desert after a fantastic week teaching with the awesome folks of Gulf Photo Plus; specifically Hala and Mohammed!

I tend to forget how much I love teaching until I'm actually at it and this time was no different. Both my workshops were sold out with a waiting list and the student feedback has been incredible. So much so that I'm ramping up my workshop series with another Big Lights Far Away event, January 2011 in my hometown of Vancouver.

the workshops covers many of the technical aspects of Lighting Big as well as offering lots of shooting time and I also discuss some of the business aspects of my photography and share funny anecdotes of my experiences so far.

the best thing for me is seeing inspired students taking amazing photographs.

Check out some student work below!

Vogue Oct 2010: Indian Icons

2010-10-04T01:46:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite shoots in India so far, the Indian Icons story for Vogue was a who's who of Indian culture, business and art. Shot over 2 days at Mehboob studios in Bandra, I was honored to be photographing such luminaries.

The theme of the story was Indian Icons and their chosen successors. The very best in their fields, these eight people were asked to name the best person most likely to carry their legacy forward. Enjoy!

Chef Rahul Akerkar, owner of 5 star Indigo Restaurant in Mumbai...presents Jaydeep Mukherjee

Usha Uthup, one of India's best known Jazz and Blues singers presents
Shayne Hyrapiet

Ad film director Prasoon Pandey presents Prakash Var

Iconic Fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani presents
Amit Aggarwal

Corporate Lawyer to the biggest business leaders in
India, Zia Mody presents Essaji Vahanvati

Novelist Shbhaa De presents Namita Devidayal

Dancer Shobana presents Asha Rema

Journalist and group editor NDTV Bharkha Dutt presents
Sunetra Choudhury

Photographed by: Martin Prihoda

Art Director: Brendan Allthorpe

Photo Editor: Iona Fergusson

Styled by: Archana Walavalkar

Hair and Makeup: Venus Pereira

Produced by: Lighthouse Productions

Lenovo ad campaign

2010-10-02T04:49:00.000-07:00

It was great teaming up with Hungry and Foolish for these ads. Simple, fun and to the point. Special thanks to Advertising Gangsta Anto Noval and Baldy Rakhra. Produced by Bhushan Pednekar, Dancing Elephants.

Thanks to Manpreet for his great post work!

Yogini's

2010-09-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

This story was shot for the October 2010 issue of Vogue and features a few of Bombay's stylish Yogini's.

Hari Om.

Photographed by Martin Prihoda

Art director: Brendan Allthorpe

Photo Editor: Iona Fergusson

Styled by: Nikhil Mansata

Hair: Shailesh Moolya

Make-up: Pallavi Symons

Location: Gallery Project 88

Portraits of a Slum. Martin's NGO work in Gujurat, India - ChildReach UK

2010-09-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, a key factor in maintaining my sanity while shooting for Deodorant brands is knowing that I'm balancing my commercial work off with personal projects.

I recently spent a week in the slums and rural tribal areas of Gujurat, a state in India north of Mumbai. The documentary project was commissioned by my good friend Firoz of ChildReach UK. The photos will be used for marketing and further fundraising projects in India, the UK and beyond. Assistance to the children comes in the forms of education and advocacy.

The areas I visited were hopelessly poor; the standard of living somewhere between tragic and non existent. Lacking basic necessities such as access to education, rule of law, clean water, adequate food, proper waste disposal, health facilities and facing challenges like alcoholism, physical/mental abuse, child labour, crumbling infrastructure and corruption, children in these areas have an uphill battle to say the least.

Surprisingly, I found the majority of children in these areas to be full of life; literally running and jumping through piss and shit to come and say hi to a strange foreigner with a camera.

Below are a few selected photos from these areas. More to come as the project launches...

Recess time in the Playground. The Centre for Development, with the aid of Childreach International provides funding and access to advocacy and education in the slums

The Kite Runner. A young boy takes time to fly a kite while his classmates study in cramped quarters below.

Without access to clean water, proper sanitation and medical facilities, children in the slums face seemingly insurmountable conditions.

Enrolled in class, little Riddhi is already beating the odds. We met her on the way to class...holding her tablet like a shield.

A child laborer hand rolls incense sticks.

The Glass peddlers. Young children work long hours hauling scraps near the ship breaking yards outside of Bhavnagar, Gujurat.

Children as young as six work hauling bags of plaster near the ship yards. With corruption rife in the rural areas, child labor laws are difficult to enforce

With no television, playstation or computer handy, children in the slums become masters of improvisation.

Home Sweet Home.

Though classrooms are small and teaching aids are scarce, for every child in school there's one less working.

Amongst horrendous squalor and the ever present danger of hopelessness, faith abounds

Photography by Martin Prihoda

New Royal Challenge Ad Campaign

2010-09-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

These were a lot of fun to do. Royal Challenge is a brand of Whiskey in India but these were for a new sport drink they're launching.

special thanks to Arun Kumar at YR Rediff Bangalore, my producer Bhushan and of course the talented Paul Lang at The Orange Apple. Featured are Indian cricketers: Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay.

Photography: martin prihoda

Vogue India: September 2010, The New Indian Aesthetic

2010-08-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

Art Director: Brendan Allthorpe

Photo editor: Iona Fergusson

Stylist: Petal Deas

Hair/Makeup: Namrata Soni

Production: Anusha Lalwani

Location: Project 88, Colaba Mumbai

Photographer: Martin Prihoda

back from Jaipur, Rajasthan

2010-08-21T00:49:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Jaipur yesterday after shooting for my clients (now friends) at Anokhi. One of the great things about shooting out and about the countryside is the opportunity to grab a few portraits of the many great faces of this colorful part of India. I must say that Rajasthan could very well be the most photogenic state in the country.

Tonia and Jai came up with me and it was wonderful to again stay with Pritam, Rachel (and daughters) on their organic farm just outside Jaipur city. Now its back to work in the craziness of Mumbai!

Next trip is early september to Gujurat to shoot for the UK based NGO, Childreach.

Comparison is the thief of joy

2010-08-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

One needn't look far for the signs of a world in violent distress. Its the 21st century and wars still plague us, the disproportionate allocation of wealth away from the 3rd world is mind boggling, our celebrity role models tend towards the gossipy un-evolved alcoholic type, women are still be persecuted for being women and the rate at which we're damaging this planet is truly staggering.

Here's the thing: All the violence we witness in the world is simply an extension of the violence we all carry around in ourselves. Its absolutely impossible to commit violence if you have purged yourself of the anger, jealousy and insecurity that you harbor within.

Most of us take pride in our peaceful interaction with the world but inside there maybe a raging river of violent discontent. Society has conditioned us to believe that lashing out is wrong, so instead we 'lash inwards'

As photographers (or any other artist) we often fall into the mother of all violent 'inner-traps:' Comparison

Comparison leads to envy and envy leads to hate and hate leads to...the dark side.

"Comparison is the thief of joy"

The artistic dark side is a swirling mess of apathetic narcissism which seeks only to perpetuate its own misery. Its the part of us that loves it when others fail and that revels in the smug satisfaction of being judged 'better' than someone. Its the small insecure shadow self that lives in perpetual fear of failure and being found out as a fraud. It paralyzes us with doubt.

In a nutshell...its the source of the violence within us.

The solution is simple awareness. Awareness is like a flashlight that illuminates our dark side, bringing our shadow to light. Awareness heals the divide that splits us and causes pain.

In the Yogic tradition they teach awareness through Breath, by becoming aware of your breath you begin to open up that tight space within, loosening the vice grip. Soon, your awareness transfers to your thinking and before long you are able to positively influence your thought process and from there, well....your world absolutely transforms.

If you find yourself comparing simply take a breath and know that each person's success is really your success. Each brilliant photographers' work that you see simply means that your own genius is possible. Maybe you'll find that another's failing is your opportunity to teach and heal.

Whatever your religious or spiritual or artistic outlook may be, I can't think of a better goal than one's own Wholeness. The fact is that if we are to heal this world, we must first heal ourselves...its the only way.

as Gandhi famously said...'we must be the Change we want to see in the world."

The Path to Mastery

2010-08-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

In his his book "Mastery: The keys to Success and Long Term Fullfilment" George Leonard makes a compelling argument for how we acquire and eventually master any given skill.

I have found his insight has a direct correlation to my own experience with photography. Take a look at the graph below:

Leonard argues that the path of mastery is not linear or as smooth a sloping process as one might think.

If you take a look at the above graph you'll notice that the path to mastery is full of exponential growth, slow downs and flat out plateaus.

Its human nature to become addicted to the exponential growth part of the learning, we're just progress orientated creatures. I remember some of these phases of my life as rapid acceleration of skill where I was pumping out beautiful photo after beautiful photo, adapting new lighting techniques faster than my school could teach them. Later there were phases where the phone wouldn't stop ringing, client after client calling as if the universe had opened a wormhole of abundance into my career and life.

...and then there were the plateaus; boredom, doubt, getting tired of the same one light setups, thinking if I had to shoot one more headshot portfolio I would die. Seeing other successful photographers do work that I wanted to be doing but having no idea how to get there...and of course the droughts that had me wondering how I was going to pay next months rent.

What I didn't realize at the time was that the plateaus are actually a germination period for the next quantum leap. In every one of those 'boring' headshot shoots was a burgeoning seed of my next 'a-ha' moment.

The plateaus are pure potentiality, the exciting growth we experience is the manifestation of that potential.

To preserve your sanity, inspiration and faith during the 'plateau' times takes Herculean effort, simply because around this time everything will start to conspire to create doubt around your passion. This is simply the way the universe tests us and it is the reason why there are far few masters than there are hacks. The truth is simple: Most people will give up.

Take another look at the Mastery curve and know that you are on it somewhere; whether you're a photographer, parent, writer or astrophysicist. Some parts are fun, some are not but whatever your position, know that mastery of your craft is not a destination but a commitment to a life long learning process.

Commit to Mastery.

keep on keepin' on

2010-07-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Being a brand new dad of a brand new human definitely shifts up your priorities. As I stare for hours at my kid the phone continues to ring and many sleepless night have turned into long shoot days and then turned back into sleepless nights again.

One thing that amazes me is the sheer quality of the people i am being introduced to and photographing. Recently i shot a who's who of India culture for Vogue; Tarun Tahliani (fashion designer), Usha Uthup (singer), Rahul Akerkar (restauranteur and owner of our personal favorite, the Indigo Cafe), Barka Dutta (Investigative journalist), Prasoon Pandey (film director) and others. The 16 page story comes out in the fall and it looks damn good. Also shot with fashion designer, Rohit Bal for Signature Whiskey.

There's a bunch of ad work coming out now and there's no shortage of thrill seeing your work on billboards all over town.

Yet another project I'm excited about is the upcoming photographic work with Childreach, an NGO based out of London that supports projects in India, Nepal, Pakistan and Tanzania. These photos will be a combination of fine art and photojournalism and will be used to help further brand and fundraise.

that's it for now...i think there's some diaper that need to be changed.

and maybe i'll put the phone on vibrate for a while.

New campaign shot for Signature Whiskey India

2010-06-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

Photographer: Martin Prihoda
Agency: Y&R Bangalore
Client: Signature Whiskey
Producer: Bhushan Pednekar
Model: Manasvi Mamgai, Piyush
H/M: Shikha Goel

Here's some new work I shot in Bombay with the Y&R team from Bangalore. It features the current Miss India, Manasvi Mamgai. We finished this in a day and spent about 2 in post. Each 'character' was lit separately with a main light Para and side lit by two heads with softbox about 45 degrees behind.

I haven't been writing as much as usual mostly because my wife was in the last stages of her pregnancy and I've been shooting like crazy. Anyway, now that we have a beautiful new baby boy named Jai, I've taken a few days off.

stayed tuned for more new work to be posted in the next few weeks!

a simple man

2010-05-22T00:37:00.001-07:00

Verve May 2010 shoot and some Behind the Scenes

2010-05-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some published photos from this May's issue of Verve. The concept was to dress the model and put her behind the store front as a mannequin. These were all shot at Palladium, a new upscale mall in Bombay; the interior of the mall itself was too dark to shoot natural light so we used a strobe head and beauty dish to give the top light effect and also to isolate the model.

The problem was the reflection of the light. To counter this I simply lit the model how I wanted her, with my assistants in the shot, then removed everything and shot a plate. In post we merged the two to together a voila.

see the very last photo for a behind the scenes comparison.

Behind the scenes

Interview with Vogue India Photo Editor: Iona Fergusson

2010-05-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Woah...okay.

I made a resolution to update my blog more frequently but seriously...where's the time. In the last three weeks I've shot a 16 page fashion editorial for Verve, 10 pages for Elle, 2 ad jobs for Lowe Lintas, a publicity shoot for Sunidhi Chauhan (well known Bollywood playback singer), several model portfolios and an interiors shoot for the new Bang Bang Films office in Bandra. Not to mention looking after my seven and a half month pregnant wife and editing all the above jobs.

but enough excuses...

here's the second part in my interview series. This time its with the wonderful Iona Ferguson, Photo Editor of Vogue India. Iona and I worked together for the first time almost a year ago and since then have become good friends. She's a fantastic resource on photography and a lot of what she has to say will be pertinent for the aspiring fashion/editorial photographer.

So here goes:

Martin: Give me a little bit of your background as the photo editor for Conde Nast

Iona: Well prior to Vogue’s launch in October 2007 I was living in Delhi and working as Fashion Editor for Maxim magazine. I heard on the grapevine about Vogue’s proposed launch and thought that this was an opportunity too great to be missed. I had no prior Photo Editor experience per se but had been working with a lot of Indian photographers and I love images. So I put my name forward for the position. And here I am.

M: What exactly does a photo editor do?

I: The way that I like to think of my job is that I’m conceiving the visuals for a story. Every month we (editor, writer, art director and myself) have an art meeting in which we discuss how we want to treat all the stories for that issue. It could be through research, press, illustration, commissioned shoots whatever. The photo department will go away and find these images.

You kind of need to have a pretty good network for finding the best way to visually bring life to the story. When we research we are constantly referring back to the text so that we choose relevant material. We also need to make sure we identify a good selection to help the art department create beautiful lay-outs. Always at the forefront of the photo editor’s mind is choosing an image that best fits the DNA of the magazine. So if you’re thinking of Vogue, Vogue is fashion, glamour, celebrity and it’s really beautiful. So the pictures have to be 100% within that realm. Thank God I have a great researcher on my team, as there is a lot to do.

I do spend a lot of time commissioning photographers to shoot for us. As we have a broad range of styles we need a broad range of photographers. So if you’re doing something that has a very high glamour quotient, then you’re going to choose a photographer who can depict that in a very effective way. It may be through his use of lighting or how he works with his models. Maybe if you’re shooting an artist you’re going to select a photographer who shoots lovely black & whites or brings a different more creative mood, or you want to give the story a reportage feel then you want a photographer skilled in that field. Building your network amongst the photographer fraternity is crucial.

These are the fun aspects of being a photo editor and I guess in any job will also have the boring admin tasks like managing budgets and making sure our production team get the right res of image. Photo Eds are no exception.

M: How many photography portfolios do you see in a week?

I: To be frank, India is an emerging market and there aren’t 50 million photographers. The younger generation of Indian photographers is definitely coming up but I would say I see a new portfolio every fortnight to three weeks. However we do spend a lot of time on the Internet looking at international photographers’ portfolios, especially if we are commissioning a shoot abroad.

M: What are the things you look for in a photographer’s portfolio?

Iona: That is a very good question and I have to say that it’s quite unusual to see a good portfolio in India, as it is quite a new concept. Equally the position of photo editor in magazine publishing is very new so many photographers have never had to present their work in a formal setting. I think if you have a photographer coming from abroad they have traditionally spent time putting their books together and there’s a lot of thought that goes into what is being shown to the photo editor. It’s just part of the system over there. The book usually seems to be well edited and thought through. I understand that it may cost money to get your book done but in my opinion it is money well spent.

When I’m looking at a photographer’s work I want to see a nicely presented book, well edited with a consistency of style. I like to get a sense of how a photographer shoots, how he sees things. In terms of his work I want to see how he puts his pictures together, his sense of composition, use of light, depth of field, his creativity, that kind of thing. If he shoots fashion how the clothes and model are coming across or how he brings out someone’s personality in his portrait shoots. So to summarize: I look for excellent quality of work, creativity, fresh perspective, beautifully composed images and the photographer’s style.

M: What turns you off in a photographer’s portfolio?

I: for one when somebody hasn’t done his or her homework. It is really great when a photographer knows and loves the magazine they are coming to see. And understands its style! Looking at back issues and familiarizing yourself with the content will really help in determining what pictures make it in the book and what don’t. They must look though their work and if there’s nothing that they feel is appropriate then don’t even bother making the call. Don’t get me wrong I am not talking here about only wanting to see similar work to what we have published. We do want to evolve and challenge our style but if a photographer only shoots very grungy, gritty, avant-garde work then Vogue is probably not the right fit. However, if they feel that there are some things in their work that would be good for us to see then it’s worth the call.

Next is sloppy editing - be brutal about what makes the cut and only put in the best work. I know it’s an incredibly hard thing to do but too many pictures are a pain in the neck. Ideally I like to see work that is a maximum of 2 years old. Again when putting the portfolio together they need to think about the person that will be viewing it. Make it as easy to follow as possible with a nice flow and good segmentation - fashion, beauty, portraits etc. And really think about the kind of work they would like to shoot for the magazine. If they don’t want to do still lifes or landscapes then don’t bother putting them in no matter how beautiful. If it’s fashion work then only put in fashion and beauty. Otherwise it doesn’t make sense. The last thing the photo editor wants is to be insecure about the photographer’s abilities. They don’t want to come away from the meeting thinking ‘oh god I’m not quite sure if they going to be able to deliver.’ What I want is a very clear idea of what the photographer can deliver. There is a lot riding on the shoot in terms of money and time and no one wants it to fall short.

M: How many images would you say are enough?

I: I mean I’m biased because the moment I see a beautiful body of work than I’m happy to spend half an hour going through the images. But I think again from a book’s perspective 30-40 images is really great. Basically what the photo editor wants to see is what the photographer is capable of delivering and you can definitely do that amount of images.

M: How important is the photographer’s attitude?

I: (laughs) good question! What I have learned more than anything else working on a magazine like Vogue is that fashion and portrait photography is a 100% team effort. With other types of photography the photographer may get away with behaving badly because he’s not relying on others to do the job. But with us there will be a stylist, hair and makeup, the producer, personality. It is really important for him to be professional. However, photographers are creative people and they have their quirks and fancies and so a certain amount of leeway maybe given under certain circumstances. My own personal perspective is that I like people to be professional but I don’t mind that people demand great things of their team and under moments of stress nerves can get frayed. That can all be understood under the context of the shoot. But ego tantrums and unprofessional behaviour is out.

M: Do you work with photographers that work with film?

I: we do but it happens increasingly rarely. It does somewhat depend on the shoot. If it is a large story and we can build in the extra time needed for processing then I’m more than happy to accommodate somebody who shoots film. We recently did a shoot of Indian designers in New York and it was a beautiful black and white story and the photographer asked if he could shoot on film and I was absolutely delighted that he did. So we do try and accommodate people but I really think it depends on the story. Most people however are shooting on digital.

M: How often do you guys work with international photographers?

I: For the shoots that I commission I tend to work mainly with Indian photographers or international photographers living or visiting in India. So yes we do and are very keen to continue doing so. The fashion team also works a lot with international photographers for their large shoots. We are always looking at ways to evolve an aesthetic in India and working with people from outside can introduce a fresh perspective. The mandate was to raise the benchmark of fashion photography in India and one of the ways of doing that is to bring outside talent in. We spend a lot of time selecting people whose style will work for our market and I believe we’ve been extremely successful. So yes we’re very keen.

M: Why is it a good time to be a photographer in India?

I: I think it’s a good time because there is a lot of scope for western talent here. The market is evolving with a good number of magazines launching. You just need to read the papers and realize that India’s market is growing at a good % rate over maybe more competitive and saturated markets out West. I think foreign photographers can bring a different aesthetic and professionalism to the market, a quality that is definitely appreciated by the magazine world. It helps challenge certain visual stereotypes. I’m not saying that creativity is lacking here but I think India can just gain from outside expertise.

M: What advice would you give to a young photographer who has dreams of shooting for Vogue one day?

I: My advice to them would be to develop a nice body of work across the same segments as Vogue. The work should give a good indication as to his/her style of shooting and be nicely individual. Once they have done that then the next is to pick up for phone and call. Don’t be shy but be clear about the kind of work they want to shoot.

M: Do you have any thoughts on Post Production?

Iona: This is a debate I’ve had with many people, the difference between a photographer and a digital artist. As a magazine we would prefer to receive an image that is 90% perfect, which needs minimal retouching. In today’s age because of digital photography you can obviously alter your images as much as you want. From my perspective I would rather have a near perfect image than I would one that needed a lot of post. There may be an aesthetic you are looking for that demands a certain type of post production in which case if its in the context of the shoot brief then that’s absolutely fine but skin for example, should look alive, porous, healthy.

M: Thanks for your time Iona; I know there are a lot of photographers out there that will benefit from this information.

Iona: My pleasure!

Martin and Iona at the Conde Naste India offices in south Bombay

Behind the Scenes - Rishikesh shoot

2010-03-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Many people have been asking about the lighting in the Rishikesh/Kumbh Mela shoot i recently did. Here's a behind the scenes lighting setup of a few of the shots. My assistant Vijay and I lugged around almost 40 kgs worth of equipment through the foothills of the Himalyas but it was most definitely worth the effort.

Equipment was: Canon 5d 2, 24-70 2.8, Profoto 7b pack, extra battery (ugh), 4' x 3' softbox, lightstand, profoto 1200 w/s head, misc filters and odds and ends, pocket wizards...water.

Scroll down and you feel see the lighting setups. As well, I posted a before and after post process image. Amazingly little was done in post, basically increased exposure and added some vignetting...most of dramatic power of these images was created in camera!

Interview #1: Shoot for Vogue. Brendan Allthorpe; Art Director-Vogue India

2010-03-18T04:12:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of interviews I will be posting on my blog. Interview subjects will consist of top Art directors, Photo editors, Fashion editors and Ad agency creatives. The Interviews are conducted with an audience of pro-am photographers in mind and questions will relate almost exclusively to Photography and Photographers.

***
Interviewee: Brendan Allthorpe, Art Director-Vogue India

Brendan and I have collaborated on a few projects together, namely last September's cover of GQ with Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan and the infamous Golden Golf Card shoot at the 2009 GQ Men of the Year Awards. He is currently the Art Director of Vogue India and a brand new dad.

In this interview he shares what it takes to become a Vogue/GQ contributing photographer.

Martin Prihoda: Good to have you on board Brendan, lets start of by ways of introduction. Can you give us a bit of your background in the publishing world?

Brendan: Sure, I'm Australian by birth and started with FHM in Australia before moving to Russia. I had originally moved to Russia as part of the FHM team and wound up working for GQ there. After a few years with GQ Russia, I moved to Mumbai to launch GQ India and am currently the Art Director of Vogue India.

M: I take it you like to travel, how have the transitions been?

B: Well, I guess you could call India my second 'emerging market.' As an art director, its been really interesting learning the local aesthetic and expectations, that's one of the reasons I love to travel. In fact I had never been to either India or Russia before being posted there.

M: For folks out there that might not know, what exactly does an 'Art Director' do?

B: Basically I'm responsible for the visual layout of the magazine; from fonts, to photos used to the general layout of the magazine. Art directors can influence content somewhat but its generally the visual 'look and feel' of the magazine that we direct.

M: How many photography portfolios do you see in a week?

B: In India we probably average 3 a week but a lot of agencies abroad send through electronic PDF's and that sort of thing. As far as seeing people in the office, physically bringing in books its not very often, but like I said I get a lot of enquiries over email. Actually its becoming more so, photographers in India are beginning to realize that they have to start pitching against foreign photographers, that the work doesn't fall into place as easily as it used to.

M: And would you say that's different in India than say the UK?

B: I think its different because the market isn't as developed yet. There aren't, relatively speaking, as many photographers around. A larger, more established base of photographers exists in the UK and even in Russia. That being said, there's a wide range of talent that does contact us here, from people with almost no fashion experience wanting to shoot a fashion story to photographers who are very experienced and established in this market.

M: Let's shift gears here a bit and talk specifics. What are some of the things you really look for when viewing a photographers portfolio?

B: One of the first things I look for is consistency, particularly if its a photographer I haven't seen or worked with before. There's nothing worse than hiring a photographer based on a few shots in their portfolio and then the shoot becomes a disaster because they start shooting something completely different. An 'eye for detail' is key as is creativity, of course. One of the big things is use of light and lighting skill. India has some amazing light so I want to know that the photographer can capture and maximize that light. Its important to understand that the photographer is going to have a lot of input into how the shoot turns out so its not only portfolio but what are they like as a person.

M: What are some of the things that turn you off when looking at a portfolio?

B: (laughs) I don't like seeing too much work. You know, everyone has to edit down to their absolute best shots. If its 2010 now, I don't want to see shots from 2000. Also, I don't think its particularly effective to present a book that has a wide range of images; I think its best if photographers stick to a niche when presenting their work. Find out what you do well and stick to that, don't try to be everything to everyone. I think that's a big turn off actually, someone showing me fashion shots, then still life and then some book cover they shot.

M: So if you’re looking at a fashion photographer's work, how many images are enough?

B: I don’t know that you can put an exact number on it, whether its 16 images or 30 images...you have to keep someone intrigued in your work. I think its best to show your portfolio to a range of people, just to get some opinions before you submit, then edit them down. If there’s something there that’s a bit doubtful then take it out.

M: Do you prefer when the photographer comes in or do you just not have the time to see that many people and prefer that they would email?

B: I don’t mind either, it often works that we get an email pdf and then call the person in, just to understand their personality. What I can’t stand is people coming in with data stick/pan cards and asking to use your computer to show you their work. If you come in there needs to be a physical portfolio.

M: My laptop crashed a few months back and I actually showed an editor my portfolio on my iTouch…she actually didn’t mind it.

B: (laughs) yeah, that's fine, its when they come in with a laptop and the battery dies half way through or something doesn't open properly and they're fumbling around for ten minutes trying to get it to work...and believe me it happens.

M: You’d think if you were going into Vogue or GQ to show your portfolio, you’d have your batteries charged...(laughter)…okay next question: when you’re on set, how involved do you like to be with the actual shoot?

B: I guess I’m kind of an art director that hangs back a bit. I’ve hired the photographer based on my belief that they’re competent to do the job I’m after. Things that I’m looking for are more technical; if we’re doing a cover shoot than making sure there’s room for the masthead or knowing where the gutters (centerfold in a double page spread) are, that sort of thing. Of course we look at the shots and I may say something if its too dark or too light but I don’t like to get under the photographers feet too much; I mean if there’s something going on that I definitely don’t like then I’ll say something but I’m also wary until I actually get the shots back to the office and have a proper look at them. I’m not concerned about the nitty gritty small lighting details, that’s the photographers job and I trust the photographer with that. Generally you’ve hired the right person for the job so there’s no need for the art director to get too heavily involved.

M: How important is the photographers attitude?

B: Very Important. It comes down to making sure you’ve hired the right person for a particular job. Sometimes someone might give you attitude if they’re uncomfortable shooting what you’re wanting them to shoot, but that again that comes down to making sure you’re hiring the right person. The atmosphere on set has to be cordial, there’s a lot that depends on that especially if it’s a star, or a cover shoot…a lot hinges on it turning out right and you might have only two hours with someone and that’s two hours you’ll never get back again so everything has to work and work as smoothly as possible.

M: Do some of your photographers still use film?

B: God, I can’t remember the last time someone used film, maybe a few years ago there was a photographer that was still using medium format transparency.

M: But you’d say that’s a rarity now?

B: Totally rare.

M: Are you finding that a lot of photographers are using DSLR’s on shoots or are they shooting Medium format digital.

B: It’s a mixture of both. Probably 30% medium format 70% dSLR. For sure people are using dSLR’s more than say a digital back.

M: Do find any major quality difference between the two?

B: Not a great deal. I prefer medium format for sure, there is a quality difference there but its not down to the point where I would hire someone because of the equipment they were using. Its pretty close these days but there is something special about medium format.

M: What are the major difference you see between the Indian and Western markets in relation to photography?

B: That’s a tricky question, I think its more about the maturity of the market; you have to be more straight forward here in India, we can’t experiment as much…yet. Particularly because the magazines I’ve worked on are quite mainstream magazines; there’s not as much room for experimentation. That might be more of the nature of the magazine perhaps.

M: So you think there’s more room for experimentation with different editions of Vogue abroad?

B: For sure, look at the Italian Vogue, its much more experimental. The magazine reflects the culture of the country in which its published. What’s really interesting is for example, when I was in Russia you would see these amazing locations, you know an amazing staircase in an old apartment or something like that and when I would suggest those as locations to shoot, the idea would be shot down in flames because it was like ‘oh, everyone’s apartment looks like that, no one wants to see that, etc…’ where as you tend to find the opposite in India where everyone is happy to shoot at old forts or in Chor Bazaar (the Thieves Market in Mumbai) or in an auto rickshaw. Maybe it’s a source of national pride or imagery that most reflects the country, I don’t know. I found that really interesting though, that in India you could make it look like India where in Russia the audience didn’t necessarily want to see ‘Russia’

M: So would you say the Indian culture is more of a conservative culture in that sense, re: experimentation?

B: I wouldn’t necessarily say 'conservative' but while India Vogue hires international photographers, I think there’s still a certain level of education going on with the readers about certain 'foreign' styles of photography. For so long the style of photography in India has been quite similar and while the readership is getting there, I don’t think its quite where it is in the west, yet. While the market is maturing quite quickly there hasn’t been the same exposure to international fashion photographers of the caliber that Vogue hires in the west.

M: How often do you shoot with International photographers?

B: Vogue commissions an international photographer at least once a month. Sometimes they’ll shoot abroad in Thailand or Dubai, it depends. There’s a fashion team in London as well who do shoots there, probably every couple of months.

M: What advice do you have for a young/beginning photographer who would like to start shooting for an international fashion magazine like Vogue India?

B: Put together a strong portfolio, obviously. I think to shoot for Vogue you need to be able to show a great depth of experience, to be honest. But we have all kinds of stories, some are cover stories and some are smaller stories and we’re always keen to try new people for smaller stories and they’re usually chosen from a combination of enthusiasm and quality of work. We don’t have any strict prerequisites, if someone comes to me at the right time and I like their work you never know, there may be a project that’s ready for them at that moment; they needn’t have shot for 16 years and assisted this or that photographer, if their book suits the job then great.

M: So someone could potentially walk in the door at the right time and be handed a job?

B: Exactly. I mean the publishing market here is quite saturated. There’s a lot of titles with a relatively small talent pool of photographers, so we’re always happy to see new people. You know as I said it may not be for a cover story but it could something.

M: Why do you think it’s a good time to be a photographer in India, right now?

B: Purely because there’s more and more magazines launching and as I mentioned there’s really a relatively small talent pool of photographers and everyone’s shooting for everyone. Magazines are constantly on the lookout for someone new.

M: Thanks for your time Brendan, it was great to hear your insights.

B: Cheers and thanks for having me!

Brendan and Martin at the 2009 GQ India Men of the Year Awards, Mumbai.

Rishikesh and the Kumbh Mela

2010-03-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

These portraits were taken in and around Rishikesh and Haridwar, North India at the time of the Kumbh Mela festival. Shot over a period of five days the series features a few of the many charismatic and eccentric characters we ran into along the way. It was a honor for me to be able to photograph yoga and yogis, a subject that is close to me...here, where alot of it began.

Together with my assistant, Vijay and friend Ali we carted our equipment up the foothills of the Himalayas, along the banks of the Ganges and into the darkened woods to capture what I believe is some of my best portraiture work to date.

While we sat by the holiest river in India, Vijay summed up the feeling perfectly in his broken english:

"When the Baba is no more...India is no more."

Enjoy and pass along.

In order of Appearance:

1. Naga Baba, one of the naked Saddhus that wander the banks of the Ganges during Kumbh Mela
2. This man lives along the Ganges and takes care of puppies. He is Dog Baba.
3. Dog Baba
4. A little one hides in one of the fields that run along side the Home for Destitute Children, Rishikesh
5. Swami Yogananda. Age: 101, energetic, spritely and opinionated.
6. Swami Yogananda. The bad ass behind him is Siva; the Destroyer.
7. A woman carries firewood for Pooja. It took 2 men to lift that load on her head.
8. Hobbit Baba. Deep in the the woods of the Himalayan foothills...
9. We met this Saddhu on our way to Parnath Niketan Ashram; he invited us in for chai.
10. Yogi Vishva-ji, loves to laugh and presides over the Anand Prakash Ashram in Rishikesh.
11. A village girl with beautiful eyes and spirit.
12. Baba-ji strikes a pose on the ghats near Laxman Jula
13. Yogi Raj; Pranayam master and Ayurvedic doctor
14. A beggar looks over mother Ganga
15. Basanti works as a gardener at the Home for Destitute Children in Tapovan, Rishikesh.
16. Rajendra is a cripple from birth; he is shifting from begging to learning english and taking computer classes.

The power of Visualization

2010-01-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

As I sit here writing this blog post, I look around the room and am amazed at all the events that conspired to bring me to this point.

We have a two bedroom flat in Bandra, a nice(r) green(er) suburb in the chaotic, nightmarishly surreal dreamscape of Mumbai, a city lost in the throes of vibrant decay.... outside the window, passing underneath are rickshaw wallas, fruit sellers, vegetable hawkers, newspaper wallas and strange brightly dressed dudes that whip themselves.

I am writing estimates and concept notes for jobs that will most likely pay me more in three weeks of work than I made in a year in Vancouver. One is a 12 page fashion editorial for GQ that will shoot somewhere in North India. The other two are for large advertising companies here in the Big City.

I'm listening to music, drinking coffee and feeling a great deal of gratitude for my health, the health and happiness of the people I love most and of course, for the opportunities that seem so abundant.

I grew up with the idea that to become wealthy you really had to struggle, to work hard, late nights, work so hard that in fact all you had time to do was save money and then once you had it you had to do everything to keep it....that was how you created wealth and abundance.

I've come to realize that that attitude, and its an attitude shared by many people, is incorrect.

I don't think I've ever worked hard a single day of my photographic life. Every time I pick up my camera and realize that someone's paying me to do this, I'm filled with an awesome feeling of gratitude (and sometimes disbelief). 'Disbelief' because there are still remnants of that old way of thinking within my consciousness...that unless you're 'struggling' or 'nose to the grindstone' you're not really doing anything productive.

Now let me clarify...i say i don't believe in 'hard work' but here's what I do believe in: Excellence in the pursuit of one's craft, sustained perseverance in attaining your goals, clear vision, patience, consummate professionalism, ethical business practices, acknowledgement of one's limitations and then seeking a way to move beyond those limitations...which actually, if you don't love what you do...seems like a lot of hard work.

As I look back on my life, specifically photography, there were many moments of hardship and I know there will be many more to come. This is not a stable profession but what its forced me to do is develop an attitude of optimism, gratitude and equanimity.

Granted, I can get down when things seem impossible, but one of the key tenants of the Yogic philosophy to which I prescribe is: This too Shall Pass. Everything is impermanent and in a constant state of flux, its important not to become too attached to any one emotional state.

One of the ways to help you move through these fluctuations is to keep you goals firmly in mind.

Visualization is a key ingredient for success in any endeavor but due to the unstable nature of a photography career, its importance is heightened. It may sound like a total cliche, but you need to know exactly what you want. I call it "Paint dry visualization" Here's why:

You can think "In five years I see myself owning a house," or you can say

"In five years I see myself owning a house; its on a lake, the water on the lake is shimmering in the moonlight, I see myself standing in the house, the kitchen has heated slate flooring, a Sub Zero fridge and I'm making popcorn on a six burner stove...we just painted the walls a light tan brown and I can smell the paint dry."

The same is true for manifesting a thriving photography business.

Before I made this insane move to Bombay I sat down with myself and had a very honest heart to heart. If I was going to give up my comfortable apartment, sell my equipment, ask my fiance to move to one of the worlds most crowded and difficult cities; I had better be damn clear about what I wanted out of it.

I made a very clear picture in my mind; the magazines and agencies I would be working for, the amount of money i would be asking and the quality of life we would aspire to. I visualized large ad campaigns, magazine spreads and self funded photo documentary projects. I saw myself on set, working with models and art directors. I visualized and felt myself here already with opportunity and gratitude filling my being. I pictured myself in a flow.

We all want to be in the flow, that point in our lives where everything seems to happen with effortless ease. Being in the flow refers to a state of being where present actions and attitudes are in perfect sync with our visualizations and goals for the future. Its a state of coincidence and synchronicity brought on by creative and affirmative visualization.

So, the crux of this blog post is this: Wealth and abundance are not functions of 'hard work' but rather of Mindset. Change your Mind about your life and your life naturally follows. After thinking a certain way for a long time its hard to shift but here's a couple of things you can do:

1. Before you go to bed, write down 3 things you're grateful for.

2. Write down 3 'impossible' goals, no matter how far out they seem.

3. Write down 3 things that are on your mind that you would like to resolve immediately.

4. Take a few minutes and meditate on one of your goals, visualize that goal with crystal clear clarity. Picture these goals as already attained. Smell the paint dry.

There's a certain organizing power that happens when you get your thoughts down on paper; its like the first step in manifestation. Practice this consistently and you'll start see old negative thought patterns loosen the grip, eventually being replaced by increasingly affirmative ones.

Since I am a student of this myself and not a master, it takes me great vigilance and attention to stay positive but the reward is tangible: forward motion towards the life I want to be living; full of happiness, wonder and abundance.

we deserve no less than that.

why a photography career is like a long term relationship

2010-01-22T00:19:00.000-08:00

I often remember back to the heady days when I first picked up my digital camera from Future Shop. It was my first foray back into photography since i was a teenager with a sketchily constructed darkroom in his parents basement.

I had moved into motion pictures after university, leaving the fixer, developer, enlarger and poorly ventilated darkroom far behind. It was many years later that a desire to re-visit photography emerged and by that time digital photography had begun to firmly entrench itself as a viable photographic alternative to film.

I bought one of the first 30d's on the market, really had no idea where it would all lead but i fell in love instantly. It was so different an experience than the old days of film, so immediate and fun.

It was really like falling in love; you didn't care what you took pictures of; leaves, bike chains at a shallow depth of field, bracketed exposures of mountainous landscapes, friends at parties, it was anything and everything. You didn't mind spending your money on a new lens or an upgrade, you took courses and workshops.

It was a wild and experimental time, just like a new relationship is. Lots of sex, late night phone calls, impulse purchases of expensive lingerie... any excuse just to be with the person.

After a while though decisions need to be made, energies and interests shift. Things start to get more serious. A question is asked; "I this thing going to last? Does this have long term potential? Is this someone I want to spend my life with?" and so on.

It's really the same with a photographic career. You ask yourself "Should i pursue this full time or keep my day job and photography as a hobby?" If you keep it as a hobby, photography becomes like your mistress; fun but ultimately on the sidelines. You may buy the occasional lens or take the camera down to mexico and snap a few pix.

but for some of us...we decide to marry our mistress, our photographic dream. We decide that this is it, we're going to make a go, a career, a serious committed relationship. We're going to forego a steady paycheck, draw up a business plan, get incorporated, get educated, buy insurance, get a startup loan, print marketing material, build a website, setup a booth at our local wedding trade show.

And so we marry the love of our lives, an art form that inspires us, that compels us to create, that aids in the expression of our soul.

but all in marriage is not rosy...bills need to be paid so we compromise with clients, mistakes need to be made in order to tweak the business model, new technologies have to be learned. Invoices need to be paid and monies need to be collected from clients who think '90 days to pay' is just a rough estimate, give or take a month.

and what has happened to the love of old? the rainy sunday stay in bed and make out attitude of young lovers? the days where there was a photo around every corner, didn't matter what...as long as you heard the click of the shutter.

like all marriages, your photographic career is a ton of work and I don't mean 'work' like carrying light stands and sandbags...I mean 'work' like "Shit...i can't believe that job fell through, how am I going to pay my rent...ok f**k it, let's go for a walk and take photos, of anything, just to keep that love alive."

You have to keep the love alive, somehow, in the midst of recession, tough times and new opportunities, you need to remember what it is you first fell in love with...and if you can, your marriage will thrive, bring new opportunities and ultimately elevate you.

a good way to accomplish this is to do something that scares you: like approaching a new client, calling a Big Scary ad agency, raising your rates in times of 'economic uncertainty'...or (gulp) moving to India (?!).

love is a force that exists all around us but it can be elusive; a constant test of our will, patience and determination and like a fire it must be stoked or it will shift elsewhere and lose intensity....

...just like in a human relationship.

back in Bombay, but first...

2010-01-14T22:26:00.000-08:00

It was great to be back in Canada for christmas. Equally amazing was coming home and noticing the incredible contrasts between India and Canada. I spent alot of time with my family and Tonia and I had some much deserved space from the chaotic and hectic pace of Bombay. Vancouver did indeed seem a small quiet town in comparison...

I didn't shoot alot, it was nice to take break. I managed to knock off a pregnancy shot for one of my best buds, Tyler and his beautiful lady Jude. Of course we setup some nice, standard, mom friendly pregnancy poses but i have to say that it was this last shot that is my favorite.

I arrived in mumbai today at about 4:30 am and booked a shoot with GQ at 2pm. Its tight seeing as I haven't slept really but what the hell...

Its great to be back and working...missed the sound of the rickshaws, the cows mooing in the streets and yes...even the smell.

GQ India, Men of the Year Awards 2009

2009-12-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

A fun night out at the GQ Men of the Year Awards at the Hyatt Grand in Bombay. It was kinda cool to meet and photograph so many Bollywood stars in one go.

One strobe behind the gold rickshaw to blow out the background and a big Broncolor Para to light and soften the actors/subjects. Kudos to GQ Art Director Brendan Allthorpe and Photo Editor Gizelle Cordo for a great job on the rickshaw.

In these photos: (in order of appearance) Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Karan Johar, Abhay Deol and the GQ India team

Jaipur

2009-12-10T02:50:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing journey to Jaipur recently shooting a fashion/ad campaign for Anokhi. We photographed our model inside the textile factories in which the clothes were actually made, incorporating the workers and processes within the campaign.

Though I can't post the finished photos yet, i did manage to capture a few of the characters that I met along the way. They range from block printers, to silk screeners and gold dusters. It was a great opportunity to see first hand how many of the clothes we wear in the west are made.

click to enlarge

Kalari Photo essay

2009-11-01T06:13:00.000-08:00

The following photos were taken during my stay at the Hindustan Kalari Sangham in Kerala, South India. Run by a wonderfully generous family, the ashram is also an Ayurvedic treatment/massage clinic as well as a Kalarippayat training centre. Kalarippayat is widely regarded as one of the world's first martial arts and legend has it that a Kalarippayat master brought the art to China, from which it evolved to various other practices (Kung Fu etc...)

A typical massage treatment lasts 14 days and practitioners use no small amount of oil to lather the body before grinding into your sore muscles with their feet. Patients come from all around to have fractures and sprains set and young children can be heard battling at six in the morning.

The evenings are punctuated with elaborate pooja ceremonies, often lasting a few hours. In these rituals different gods and goddesses are worshipped and sacrifices are made. Incense is burned and its in this setting I feel the love for India burst through my heart. I adore the festivals, the ancient traditions and the cathartic devotion people bring.

It was a wonderful, eye opening experience and I am grateful that for me, yet another small layer has been peeled away from the infinite mystery that is India.

Thoughts on photography and centeredness

2009-10-25T03:14:00.000-07:00

I'm into my third week at an ashram in the south Indian state of Kerala. My days are consisting of meditation, reading Osho, practicing Kalarypiyattu (south Indian martial art) and receiving Ayurvedic massage treatments. Its been a much needed and well deserved break from life from photo life in Bombay.

Needless to say, I've had much time to think, or shall I say 'not think.'

As you photographers out there may have noticed, I rarely mention anything technical about photography on my blog. I don't talk about the latest camera, or which lenses I prefer or which strobes are better than others. There's so much of that info out there that's being articulated (and in most ways better than i could articulate). I receive many emails relating specifically to what gear I use and though i don't mind answering, I think there's better questions.

When I look at how much energy and time is spent on photography in my life, I realize that very little of it is spent taking pictures. Taking pictures is the tip of the iceberg, its what everyone sees and judges you by. But like an iceberg, so much lies below and ALL that lies below is used to create the buoyancy for that little chunk above.

Bringing a meditative approach to these 'hidden' interconnected aspects of your craft help immensely and soon you realize that its not just how you take photos but how you walk, eat, spend time with family...because EVERYTHING in life is interconnected. By 'meditative' I mean centered, unshakable within yourself. Its the place where the mind serves YOU, not the other way around which is often the case.

The mind cannot live in the present moment. It lives only in the past or future. It is either thinking about something that happened already or its anticipating some event. The present moment belongs to something beyond the mind.

Sometimes artists and athletes talk about the 'zone.' This is the place of pure awareness, of 'no-mind.' There is no past or future, you're not thinking, you're not doing... you've become.

Its a great place to be when you're shooting. Clients can feel it. Your talent will feel it. Its magic.

But what about when you're not shooting?

Being centered (in awareness) is invaluable when dealing with the difficult client who feels they need to change elements of your contract halfway through a shoot, or decides to take a few months to pay you. Being centered helps you deal with the spoilt model who won't take direction. Being centered helps you when your phone hasn't rung for a month.

Being centered saves you from yourself.

The key is awareness and awareness brings perspective and equanimity. 'Equanimity' is meeting life as it meets you...with grace. Its also understanding that everything is in a state of flux and change, all things shall pass and fortunes can reverse suddenly. Clinging to the ups and down of life can make us ill and ineffective, it creates havoc in your personal life and it becomes harder to make clear decisions.

Meditation is the process of moving beyond 'mind' to a state of pure awareness. It is in this space of awareness, without the doubts and fears and chatter that the mind continuously generates, that we can begin to tap in and manifest what it is we truly want in our lives.

From one photographer to another (or to anyone really) I recommend meditation and centeredness along with your new 5D and I think some time spent with conscious breath would go great with that 24-70.

Learning more about yourself, discovering aspects of your personality, mining the depths of your soul and turning the strobe on your shadows are as fundamental to being a great photographer as any equipment you buy.

Now THIS is the stuff i like talking about!

Vipassana Meditation

2009-09-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

I took the plunge and signed up for a 10 day Vipassana meditation course at Dhamma Giri, outside of Bombay. This will be my second course (my first was back in Canada in 2003) and already the hellishness of sitting cross legged for ten days has started to creep into my head.

No reading, no writing, no eye contact, no phones, nothing...only you and yourself, alone, secluded. I remember how profound, painful and eventually liberating the my first experience was and am curious as to how this one will be different.

Briefly, the goal of Vipassana is the cessation of mental suffering by observing the impermanent nature of mind. Through this 'insight' we develop an equanimity towards pain and pleasure. This is done by a technique of scanning the body and experiencing the 'gross' and 'subtle' sensations within. Because the mind and body are inextricably connected; by observing the natural impermanence (coming and going) of both pain and pleasure in the body, we can also do the same with the mind; anger/happiness, frustration/calmness.

From what I remember its a lot of work, a tremendous amount of work,

But worth it.

Faith and the Art of Taking Risks

2009-08-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

I have consciously chosen a career as a working artist. No one pushed me to it, I alone chose my path.

I fully and graciously accept my life as a result of all choices I have made, the defeats I have suffered and the victories won.

That being said, the path of the artist is long and often times difficult path; meandering through the crumbling parched earth of doubt, being cut on the sharp brambles of criticism, both external and internal, squinting through the howling fog of financial insecurity.... anyway you want to describe it, its a journey to be respected.

Eventually though, you begin to find your way. To extend the metaphor further, you learn where to step and where not to step, you learn to wait out storms as opposed to trying to power through them and you realize that there's fellow traveler's out there to help you and guide you...

... but often times as artists we come lose our path and we end up standing on the edge of a huge precipice, a giant yawning chasm of black unknown-ness. Death. Failure.

On the other side of the chasm we can see our path continuing, and it looks so clear and clean, like somebody has swept it. But how to cross the chasm.... there is no bridge. You could go back, thats always an option, but what's back there really?

No, its time to take a risk. Its time to jump.

Only when we jump into that black abyss, into the fear, into the possibility of the unknown do we find what we as artists are made of. Its in this dramatic, faith-filled, insane leap that we grow our wings; long flowing beautiful wings that we never knew we had, wings that will carry us to the other side and set us down on our path again... (or we could fail miserably, hitting the ground in a heap of broken dreams and mushy depression... hence the 'risk' part)

Now this is far from an original analogy, i've read it before but what's more important is that I've experienced it and am experiencing it now.

If we take a step towards our dreams, the universe takes two towards us. Its almost like a law of life, one that we haven't figured out how to measure yet.

one year ago I made a decision. I decided i was going to leave my home town of Vancouver. Vancouver was familiar to me, my family was there, my friends were there, I had a client base there but inside me I felt i was being smothered somehow, as if some latent potential was aching to be brought to light.

Over the years I have become better at listening to that little voice in my head, the one that says "for god's sake, you live once, do it..." So Tonia and I sat down, discussed our future and decided to hit the road.

I had had a dream one night, vivid as can be. I was in India again, practicing yoga, happy, fulfilled. I awoke and I remember thinking to myself; "Bombay, I have to go to Bombay...I don't know why, I just have to." I sold my lighting gear, gave up our apartments, bought a plane ticket to one of the world's most over populated, smelly, dirty but alive cities. We arrived in Bombay knowing one person, a distant friend I hadn't seen in years.

We took a risk, we jumped, but within the universe was listening and gave us wings.

Within six months I had shot some of the biggest Bollywood stars, shot the cover of GQ India, shot for Vogue and an unheard of 22 pages in Harper's Bazaar. I'm working and networking more than I did back home and in an emerging market that's 10 times the size of my sleepy home town.

I think that there are a great many talented photographers in the world and I would be seriously humbled if someone thought I was part of that group, but the fact is, I took a risk...a huge crazy risk that many thought was crazy, including me at times.

So start taking more risks, is my advice. Sure you'll f**k up but life is an art and the more you live it the better you get at it, it just depend on how you want to live it.

peace always...

GQ India Cover story - September 2009

2009-08-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hrithik Roshan needs no introduction if you happen to be a fan of Bollywood movies. Starring in over 20 films, Hrithik is one of the most recognizable faces in India. Its always a pleasure working with a pro and Hrithik brought it.

Most photos are lit with a single strobe above with beauty dish/softbox. On a few setups we had a back burst with a medium grid to give some separation between Hrithik and the wall.

Styled by Arjun Bhasin

GQ art director: Brendan Allthorpe

GQ Producer/Photo Editor: Gizelle Cordo, Alecka Micklewright

Hair: Kanta Motwani-Kromakay

Makeup: Vijay Palande

Set Design: Pinakin

Assistant Stylist: Tania Fadte

Photography: Martin Prihoda

Harper's Bazaar "India Revisited" September 2009 issue

2009-08-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

The town of Hampi, located east of Goa in the state of Karnatika is a cluster of ruins set among an amazing geological mashup of gigantic boulders. Harper's collaborated with Muse, a designer brand store in South Bombay owned by Tarini Jindal of the Jindal Steel family.

We flew down on a chartered place and were treated like royalty at the Jindhal family guest home, which was more like a 5 star hotel.

Fashion editors: Ekta Rajani & Kavita Lakhani

Model: Smita Lasarado

Hair and Makeup: Tanuja Dabir

Stylist: Sonam Chawla

Producer: Mehak Puri

Stay and Flight courtesy: JSW Steel

Harper's Bazaar - "Subtle Sheen"

2009-08-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

This story was shot in the magnificently restored Bhau Daji Lad, Mumbai's oldest museum. A beautiful but challenging place to shoot, we needed to avoid all the glass display cases. We managed to do this by shooting at a relatively low angle and lighting the space so that the background would fall off but the foreground and ceiling were illuminated.

Background was lit by strobe with reflectors and the model was lit mostly with a softbox or beauty dish on a boom stand.

The museum is a fantastic place to learn about Bombay's unique colonial history.

Fashion Editor: Ekta Rajani
Model: Tinu Verghese
Makeup & Hair: Tanuja Dabir
Fashion Stylist: Allia Al Rufia
Photographed by Martin Prihoda for Harper's India
Location: Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Byculla, Mumbai

Vogue Fashion/Fitness

2009-08-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

my first shoot in Bombay for Vogue. Shot with a beauty dish above model and two rim lights behind at 45 degrees.

Photographed at the Four Season's Bombay

also my first time working with a crew that spoke zero english. We managed to light this shoot using my three word vocabulary of Hindi and a serious game of Lighting Charades. They were great and I've worked with the boss man Ramesh (far right) again many times.

Air Jordan Shoot

2009-08-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

This project was a collaboration with Transmission and The Orange Apple. It was part of the 'Extraordinary Abilities' campaign for Air Jordan and the photograph is complimentary to the Air Jordan "Jumper" spot produced by Transmission Films in Vancouver.

Post was done by Paul Lang at The Orange Apple studios in Delta BC.

Indian residency...

2009-08-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

my dear friends, i owe you many apologies.

As i sit here in my 2 BHK (bathroom, hall, kitchen) apartment in the Bandra suburb of Bombay, my beautiful wife cooking lasagna, both of us sipping Indian wine (Sula's Cab shiraz to be exact) I am fully aware that my blog posts have been far and few between, but rest assured there is a reason for this.

the reason is strictly a legal one and to put it bluntly, until a little while ago, well, I wasn't. However I am now armed with an Indian work visa and a residency permit. This means that I am legal to work in this amazingly rich, crazy, insane, beautiful, wealthy, poverty stricken, smelly, friendly, paradoxical country that is India.

I'm working with a great bunch of peeps that run a production company called Bang Bang Films. They've sponsored me and we've worked on some great stuff together, including a commercial for Nokia with the gorgeous Priyanka Chopra.

The opportunity in the 'maximum city' of Bombay is unreal. While everywhere else seems saturated and suffering the pangs of recessionary woe, I'm doing some of the best work I've ever done, here, amongst the 18 million Indian crammed onto a small island city.

Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Parsis...Bombay is a world unto itself. Like a scorned woman ready to unleash her wrath against herself, the island seeths with fury, passion and worship.

Throngs bow to the elephant god Ganesha while statues erected in raging post colonial hangover dot the crumbling streets and cracked tenements. Pan spit covers the corner masonry of every building and children beg at the windows of shiny Porsches and BMW's. In one breath the stench of rotting sewage mixes with temple incense and in a single glance a stray pariah dog, sick with lice and infestation nips at the spotless golden lining of a flowing sari.

I'm falling in love with this city.

Simply because its everything I am. The sacred and the profane. the filthy and the clean. the saved and the lost. the ambitious and the lazy. the sick and the healthy. the arrogant and the humble. the mother and the father. The alive...and the dead.

I'm sending out a newsletter in the next few weeks; it will highlight all the good stuff so if you haven't, please sign up.

thats all i have for now, but let me leave you with this:

do it, for gods sake. don't give in to your fear, don't give into the rationalizations of your mind, listen to your soul; your soul will guide you, always. leave your safe shore and go explore, bring your kids and wife with you if you have to, bring a friend or two or go by yourself. No one makes it big in their own hometown.

peace

Faces of Nepal

2009-07-06T07:03:00.001-07:00

the thieves market...

2009-06-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

the island city

2009-05-24T19:46:00.001-07:00

This blog entry comes from the cool (as in not dreadfully hot) hill station of Mahabalashwar, in the state of Maharastra, India. About six hours ride from Bombay, its a great long weekend respite from the heat of great island city.

The British, when they ruled India, realized that if they were going to have to stay here they'd need to do something about the heat. They sought out and built little hill stations where they could come for weeks on end and escape the persistent heat and humidity of the low lying areas they governed.

Bombay continues to mesmerize, entrance, piss off, violate and seduce the senses. Its one of the tougher places I've lived but the opportunities here seem as endless as the incoherent urban sprawl. The city was founded by traders, thrived on trading, business and commerce and continues to do so. Its a strange combination of national socialist sentiment and every man (woman and child) for himself, a mixture of first world ideas and third world infrastructure.

Its a city of paradox. Homeless child beggars tap on the windows of a newly imported Mercedez. Apartment buildings housing hundreds peels in dangerous decay while next door they put a fresh coat of paint on a Ganesha temple.

High tech and IT booms while the city struggles to keep the power on for millions of slum dwellers. The government boasts of an emerging 21st century India as half the city can't get drinkable water. Such is the paradox of this place and as one coming from a place where things generally work well, there is a strange comfort in knowing that I'm a part of this throbbing mass of life.

more coming soon...

Zen and the Motorcycle....

2009-04-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

I remember reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance when I was in university and since that time, a lifetime ago, my fascination and love of motorcycles has never dwindled.

Though I've ridden many types of bike over the years, i've always had this dream to ride an Enfield through vast Indian countryside. I finally got my chance in Goa a few weeks ago and it was the shit, as they say.

We picked up an Enfield 350 for just under 10 bucks a day and rode the sucker all through South Goa. This thing was classic; the engines haven't changed in 50 years, they sound like a helicopter taking off, none of the blinkers worked, no side view mirrors and no helmet...

Any rational person would agree that such a bike is a recipe for disaster but it was what we got and i couldn't let the opportunity slip past...

We rode through quiet rural villages on windy paved roads, up steep hillsides and down the curving snake-like asphalt to the glistening beaches below. We slowed to pass cows and sheep and sped past rural villagers working the fields.

A motorcycle is truly the best way to see a country, especially a country like India. You witness a way of life that you can't quite see in the rush of the big cities where the trains and buses stop.

I remember thinking, the wind blowing through my hair, sun beating down on my shoulders, the bike settled and thumping in 4th gear that of all the damage we humans have done to each other over the centuries, all the pain we have caused and sorrow we have inflicted...the human spirit still managed to invent the motorcycle, that symbol of ultimate freedom.

...and if we can muster the ingenuity and talent to create something so beautiful and precious as the motorcycle, I have no choice to believe that there is hope for us all.

Thank god I'm a Leo

2009-04-01T09:10:00.001-07:00

off to Goa for a week...see ya on the flipside.

the Dharavi Slum

2009-03-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

There's an interesting paradigm shift when that which you believe encounters the stark reality of how it really is. Such is the case with the Dharavi Slum.

As you may now the above mentioned slum is the largest in Asia and was featured prominently in the overly popular film "Slum Dog Millionaire" (which incidentally most Indians feel is an 'average' film at best). The general perception of the place, at least in my eyes was that of a dismal, economically depressed leper colony made up of dilapidated shanties, beggars, dirty shoe-less children and bad wiring.

Apart from the shoe-less dirty children and bad wiring my pre-conceptions are way off. As we walk though the narrow streets, our trusty guide and friend Rishi at our side, what we find is a little city full of extremely hard working, industrious and talented lower middle class folk. We see women sifting spices, men pulling old wooden carts full of deliciously fresh watermelon. Laughing, bright and curious children surround us at every corner while bakers remove fresh buns from tandoori style ovens. Paprikas dry in the baking sun, while workers stack cinderblocks along the flaking plaster walls.

We scrape through tiny alleyways ducking dangling electrical wire and side stepping oozing gutters. Up a rickety set of steep ladder-like stairs we arrive at a rooftop attic doubling as a tailor's shop and once there sift through and buy enough linen for five tailored shirts and possibly a pair of shorts. Men sit sewing in the crowded room as ancient ceiling fans croak and groan above us, their machines whirling away in the sweat and humidity. At a rate of 15 rupees a shirt, these fellows are working their butts of to earn their wage.

As we walk back we pass chai walas pouring tea, butchers slicing into large chunks of lamb, the smell of blood and guts and incense permeating the air. In a flat bed truck a man throws severed goats heads into a pile while an old woman bakes corn over an open flame in a makeshift barbecue. In a dusty field scores of kids engage in sunset games of cricket and soccer while grandmothers sit chatting, the bottoms of their bright sari's dusting the cobblestone street.

Dharavi exports some of the worlds finest leather and shops line the causeway selling bags and jackets for barnstorm prices. Leather walas chock a block call us into their shops, promising 'special' prices and guarantees of under-selling their neighbors.

Its an amazing place indeed. I think Hollywood would like us to feel sorry for these people, for their 'lot' in life, for their poverty and in many ways its been exploited as that...

but Rishi tells me that there's much more to Dharavi than meets the eye, that if one looks past the initial perception of abject poverty, there is a thriving community at hand here.

Like everything else that is India, there is a much deeper mystery at work, waiting to be discovered by those who choose to look deeper...

finding my way...

2009-03-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to find my way through the labyrinthian maze that is Bombay. I'm not just talking about the physical locations of the city (which are a conundrum unto themselves) but the psychology of this place.

In keeping with its ever present contrast of extremes, Bombay and the people offer me a new perspective on human interaction. Perhaps what is happening is that my western mind has begun to bend to the east or maybe I've just discovered new realms of tolerance and faith within my being.

Things work and get done here in a way that has a peculiarly organic and ever mysterious flow to it. There don't seem to be any rules but its like life moves as if it were a pre-destined river of bubbling chance and opportunity.

Its hard to describe but its like the city breathes. I can feel it breathe; inhale, exhale and then throughout are ripples of ebb and tide, wax and wane. It expands and contracts as its millions scurry through its narrowly congested roads and market squares. No one has an answering machine or voice mail, well known businesses, big corporations and ad agencies have their main phone lines answered by sleepy security guards who don't know how to patch a call through.

Most of the phone numbers don't work unless you add a + or a 2 or sometimes a 9 or maybe a 022 or whatever other number. People don't return emails.

Yet...i been able to get most of what i need and want done.

Its the networking. Its unbelievable how it works here. You make a friend, he knows a friend who can get this and barter for that. I mean, you could argue its that way everywhere but its different here. Once you're accepted into a circle, everything you need is provided, every meeting is set up for you. You need a location, they'll get it. You need to speak to a big time producer? Just make a friend and within three phone calls you'll have a meeting with the guy.

Its why when I first got here it was so damn tough. I couldn't find a studio, I couldn't find lights or where to rent a camera, no one had a website, no one is listed in a book. And I know why now...because its unnecessary. You just need to meet the right people, keep your eyes open, make contacts and everything is provided.

Thats what I love about India the most...the people. They're so warm and kind and even when they try to rip you off...its with a smile and a wave. Of all the places I've travelled in my life, never have I been so warmly and open-heartedly greeted as I have here.

it makes the smell tolerable.

a stranger in a strange land

2009-03-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Brave New World

2009-03-08T23:24:00.000-07:00

One month in and the full blown intensity of Bombay continues to overwhelm. I was talking to an ex-pat the other day and he tells me he's been here so long now that all he has to do is close his eyes, inhale deeply and he can tell which part of the city he's in.

The most fascinating part of this experience so far hasn't been necessarily the people, or the city but rather the observation of how my very western mind is shifting and adapting to this very eastern world.

I like to ride the trains, especially the intercity ones. They're dirty as hell but so alive; pulling into the station with scores upon scores of working class Indians hanging from the guard rails. Children as young as four source you out of the crowd, their palms up gesturing to their mouths. Packs of sleeping dogs lie as Chai-whallas walk the platform selling their wares for 5 rupees a piece. The poverty is indeed abject and the personal space is none but it truly is a photographers dream.

That same day I go to a star studded Bollywood movie premier, food and wine flowing, actresses posing in front of the cameras dressed in immaculately designed gowns. The cream of the Bollywood crop, producers and directors all schmoozing in the cool of an air-conditioned theatre. A totally different world created from the dreams of a billion people.

Once outside its India again. The contrast of extremes.

In a way you stop judging I think. Everything becomes as it is. There is no good or bad, only the constant hum of awareness and the sooner you can tap into that hum, the easier the experience becomes.

I continue to feel blessed for this opportunity. As I look around I feel a deep sense of gratitude that i was able to be born into a life that allows my body to travel and my spirit to grow.

First images emerging...

2009-03-07T09:40:00.001-08:00

Mac Book Pro fixed!!

2009-03-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

okay, you wouldn't believe it but i was checking my email at a cafe and went to restart my laptop and....nothing. Panic sets in. I try again, nothing. Though my work is backed up, I've just lost my lifeline to the world, not to mention all my email and post process tools.

I'm like...shit, I'm in India for god's sake and my laptop goes...

Long story short, after some intense research I found the guys down at RSG Infotech, south Bombay. They were great, they replaced my logic board, cleaned my computer and were super friendly. That's me and them in the photo, with my fixed notebook.

big thanks to them and an even bigger thanks to me for not cheaping out on buying Apple Care. I now have 50,000 extra rupees to spend on Aloo Gobi and Kingfisher.

ok, so now that i'm back in business, keep a lookout for regular photo posts!

India...

2009-02-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

Its been ten years and I can't believe I'm back here.

I love India. The noise, the chaos, the smell, the people, the food, all of it. This country has a remarkable ability to hide absolutely nothing from you. She's like a great mother, wrathful and senseless yet at times vulnerable, innocent and nurturing. I can see how some never want to return but not me...for some reason I feel so alive here; senses on fire constantly.

India forces you to live in the present in a way the West doesn't. If its not a rickshaw almost running you over then its the pungent odor of rotting meat on the side of the road mixed with burning incense. Perhaps thats why its also so exhausting... sometimes I feel two hours out in the streets bartering with hawkers or fending off beggars is equal to a full day back home. Nothing really works in and of itself yet as a whole the energetic movement of the country seems to move with an organic like flow.

Its is indeed a land of paradox; at one moment sane, civilized and progressive and the next blaring, elitist, sexist and stinky. Did I mention yet that I love every nonsensical moment of it?

We're still settling in here in Mumbai so check back for updates.

Big Lights Far Away, Part Deux

2009-02-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love to teach, I'm realizing that more and more. Passing on knowledge and sharing what I'm passionate about is such a gift. I can see that as I offer the part of myself that lives in that ecstatic state of creativity, what I'm really engaging in with students is our common humanity.

A big part of teaching is realizing as well, that we are the student as much as we are the teacher. Technical information is important no doubt, but what people remember far more than anything are those inspiring words of guidance that get them through their darker days.

That is what I remember most from my great teachers. Not necessarily what they taught so much as the smile, the encouragement, their belief in my inherent success...those are the values that I believe will heal the world.

and thats how i try to teach.

Our second ever Big Lights Far Away seminar took place the weekend of feb 6-8, 2009 in my home town of Vancouver. Special thanks to everyone who came out, you guys were amazing. We got some great shots this past weekend so check them out!

below are the members of the funk band Ten Souljers

and the soulful Adam Woodall

Never let a good crisis go to waste...

2009-01-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

Its amazing how overwhelming the bad news is everywhere you go. Recession, depression, job losses...it goes on and on. To be honest, its actually near impossible to ignore all the nay saying and doldrum...especially as a working artist.

But here's the thing. When things are good and easy and the economy is churning and everyone is making money then nothing ever really shifts. Redundant Big car companies keep making redundant big cars and artists keep creating art that sells, even if that means not going anywhere near their personal boundaries.

but when shit hits the fan and we're forced to think, and I mean really think, about our survival some pretty amazing and creative things can happen...

Redundant big car companies are forced to survive by adapting to a market and environment that has been screaming at them for years, and artists are forced to try new things, to expand their boundaries because the same old isn't paying the bills anymore.

Me personally? I'm off to explore new opportunities, new markets, new ways of shooting, new cultures, new photographic vistas...all things i didn't 'need' to do a year ago when things were nuts.

I'm off to Mumbai in three weeks and look forward to updating everyone on my progress there. It feels so good to throw off the cloak of routine and take a risk

So don't let the economy get you down, mainly because its not about the economy, its about you and your willingness to adapt and discard old pattern and beliefs.

Thank god for the recession!