HOLE photography

[ morgue ] part 10

2011-08-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

finally. here are the final images of the serie and one of my favorite ones of my all time favorite personal work.

the last one says almost everything.

what can I say about it that it doesn't say by itself ?
nothing is everything.

[ morgue ] part 9

2011-05-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm back.

Back to this lonely dark place. Again.

Like a ghost.

People can see me. People can see me. But people can't touch me as I can't touch them. I'm like a photography. Fading with time. Fading again. Losing all the colors.

Turning to black.

[ morgue ] part 8

2011-04-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

[ morgue ] part 7

2011-04-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

[ morgue ] part 6

2011-04-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Actually taht was the first and only shooting I cried in...

The model is an actress and I asked her to cry to fit with the character, the mood.
And after few seconds, after the silence, all I heard was her lament... and I finally cried ! I tried to keep it to myself (don't want the model thinking I'm deranged - wich I am).
Truth is, I give a lot of myself in these shootings. So when it becomes too personal, well... I suffered a LOT you know. How can you explain all that stuff if I was an happy people ?

Anyway, more VAST. Yes again. This is my blog I can do what the fuck I want.

[ morgue ] part 5

2011-04-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

if you don't want me, well i don't need you.

[ morgue ] part 4

2011-03-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

__________[ cause i am just a cannibal and i will let you see
you are just an animal with a soul soon set free ]

[ morgue ] part 2

2011-03-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

[ morgue ] part 1

2011-03-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

[ MORGUE ] is one of my favorite shooting.
the first one I really began the exploration of [ HOLE ]. Before that the project was not really clear to me. With this shooting I really started to create an universe and a theme.

The model is Jennifer. I worked with her one year ago for some portrait stuff. That was a first nude shooting. I wanted her for [ HOLE ] because of her innocence. It's more interesting to use angel faces for dark characters. I know I'm deranged.
She had such a beautiful angelic face but with a darker inside world. I did some other cool stuff with her. She's the only model I worked several times on [ HOLE ].

I'll talk more about her an other time. So much to say.
Not a muse or an inspiration but a really cool and beautiful girl to work with :)

[ HOLE IV ] morgue

2011-03-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

about the loss...

2011-03-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

Before the next serie I would like to talk about the loss.

In the newspaper I read some article about homeless people. And many of them became homeless because they lost a husband, a wife or a child.

It's an idea that tortures me : how the nothing can change everything.

Well, we know that something can do something. A punch can make bruise. A word can make pain. But nothing can do something. Can hurt even more than a thing.
I mean, "nothing" can make you sad, make you cry, make you desperate, give you suicidal tendencies, even kill you.
The loss, the need, the big nothing has more presence and power that a tangible thing.
When you lose somebody you can have feelings more powerful than when you were with this person.

The abyss is more important than the solid ground.

The hole makes us forget the wall.

I'm still amazed that something that doesn't exist can change what's real.

How we can haunted by ghosts that don't even speak to us.
And how fragile can we be when we face the nothingness.

[ nymphose ] part 10

2011-03-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

[ nymphose ] part 9

2011-03-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

[nymphose] part 8

2011-02-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

VAST - you're too young

2011-02-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

Every shooting is inspired by songs and music. And I want to use every opportunity to talk about Jon Crosby/VAST. He's my number one inspiration. Love the man. Love the work. If you don't know about VAST I beg you to listen to it.
One of his song was a BIG influence for this shooting. If you hear the lyrics you'll understand why. The girl was 17 and I was 33 by the way...

It's after two
And I am all alone
she appears
She says she'll get me home
We end up lost
Inside a suburban maze
And then she says her house is on the way

I should leave
It's time to go back home now
I should leave
You're too young for me

She has a man
She says he's just a boy
And she won't bite
Unless it brings me joy
I don't know where all the time has gone
I don't know where all the years have gone

I should leave
Put your clothes back on now
I should leave
You're too young for me

I should leave
It's time to go back home now
I should leave
You're too young for me

You're too young for me
You're too young

http://www.realvast.com/
http://www.facebook.com/REALVAST
http://www.myspace.com/vast

[ nymphose ] part 7

2011-02-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

[ nymphose ] part 6

2011-02-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

By the way why "nymphose" ? Nothing to do with "nympho" you perverts. Even...
It's about losing innocence. Growing up. Transformation. The butterfly, yada yada yada...
It's the story about the filling of emptiness.
I was obsessed about emptiness. How can you feel something that by essence doesn't exist ? How the void can be a presence ? How something that doesn't exist can create something : feelings, actions, changes...

So she's alone. He or she never came. She is all by herself. Nobody to talk to. No one else to see. Nothing but the void. And the void changed her.

She's passing from girl to woman.

Okay maybe there's some reference to sex in the title. But, hey, that's private matter !

[ nymphose ] part 5

2011-02-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

[ nymphose ] part 4

2011-02-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

[ nymphose ] part 3

2011-02-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

[ nymphose ] was shot in may 2007. During a very productive period for photography. The shooting took place during a "marathon". I rent an hotel room for the shooting, so to save money I did 3 shootings with 4 models in this hotel room. The afternoon, the night and in the morning.
I was very tired after that but that was a cool experience.
This is the shooting we did the afternoon.
The funny fact is that was not the hotel I rent for the shooting. I mean when I checked in at the hotel, they told me there was a problem with plumbing so they send me to another hotel and I descovered so room was not as cool as the room I rent. Design is kidda important for my photography. It's like a movie set.
But I figured it out. Anyway I had no choice !

[ nymphose ] part 2

2011-02-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

So, what is [ HOLE ] ? What for me makes a shooting a [ HOLE ] shooting ?

well... nudity. loss. hotel room. black.

It's all the faces and shades of loss and black.

When I began photography I tried different styles as different colors. Blue, Red, White... but there was always a little part of black.
With this project I finally explored all the black and discovered all the colors in it. Hope you can see it.

[ nymphose ] part 1

2011-02-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

Well [ nymphose ] was not in the [ HOLE ] project at the beginning.

After [ abandon ] I tried several porn shootings to continue [ HOLE ]. It was fun, it was nice but it was not [ HOLE ]. I made these porn shootings more with my dick than my brain. And the [ HOLE ] project is more about brain.
So I finally gave up [ HOLE ]. I made more shootings (including this one). And finally after some works, looking back at previous shootings, I realised I was back in this project without really knowing it.

So I checked out all my series and found this one would be a perfect continuation to my forgotten project. So almost one year after the shooting, [ nymphose ] became [ HOLE III ] and I was back in tracks.

Just like now.

[ HOLE III ] [ nymphose ] model [ silence ]

2011-02-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well... long time no see. You can't struggle with life when life has different plans from yours.
Different phases from "okay" to "same shit already".
Anyway I don't want to let this project into oblivion. Anyway without bringing it to conclusion with all my words.
So here we are again.

HOLE PART III

nymphose

[ abandon ] part 5

2010-05-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

[ abandon ] part 4

2010-05-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

pornography is not always hot

2010-05-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

People ask me sometimes how can I shoot pretty models, specially for erotic/porn shootings. They want me to know how can I keep my selfcontrol. And they're referring to this shooting.

Truth is this shooting was the less erotic shooting I have ever done.

I didn't know the model before. Her boyfriend was here all the shooting for safety and as I said that was a really cerebral shooting.
I did some shootings before where I really cared (even loved) the model. When I discovered her shoulder or her neck THAT was really erotic. And trust me, it was REALLY hard to keep focused.
For this shooting it was more like an experiment. Even a work.
Pornography is not always "hot". And in this case I really wanted it cold.

I really explained to the model I didn't want her to be hot or to tease.
It has to be cold. If somebody wants to see hot sex he can find a billion pics on the web for that.
I wanted to show that sex can be sad. Sex without love is sad.

And there is no quantum of love in this serie.

So she was not teasing. I was not horny. It was just photography.

[ abandon ] part 3

2010-05-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

[ abandon ] part 2

2010-02-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

[ abandon ] part 1

2010-02-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

about [ abandon ]

2010-02-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

[ HOLE II ] [ abandon ] is my most expensive shooting to date. I had to go to Brussels, to rent an hotel room and to pay the model (first time ever).
I did all this because of the model. Because I knew exactly what I wanted to do (pornography) and she was the only model I found on the internet with the style and the mind to do it. And I searched a lot for a long time. So I went to Brussels from Paris to do the shooting.That was a risk for me because I did'nt meet the model before the shooting (as I ALWAYS do).

I did the shooting on september 2006. Almost 2 years after [ HOLE II ]. The reason is I almost quitted photography in 2005. No envy. No good models.
I did some shootings in 2006 (one in fact). So when I planned [ HOLE II ] I had the chance to really think about it. It was really a "cerebral shooting". I mean everything was planned.

It was about pornography. But I didn't wanted to do pornography. I wanted to do Natacha Merrit, Roy Stuart, Nan Goldin. I wanted to proove to the world and to myself I can do pornography with the same quality as my previous work.

It was really pretentious in a way but I said [ HOLE ] is about private boundaries.

And it was a personal messages to some people who fucked up my life. I had nothing to loose. It was an abandon of who I tried to be for them.

[ HOLE II ] [ abandon ] model [ Tara ]

2010-02-03T13:11:00.001-08:00

" HOLE " ?!?

2010-02-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

So. Why "HOLE" ?

Well, first of all, when I say my inspiration is Nan Goldin's work or Lynch's work it's true but it's not all the truth.

Music is my first inspiration.

When I first started photography I knew NOTHING about photography (except may be Sarah Moon's work...). All I knew about photography was on CD covers. So basicly photography and music are linked for me. Maybe it's why I love Nan Goldin's work too. Because of her "sideshows".

Anyway, some musical artist influenced me A LOT.
It's Jon Crosby/VAST.
I REALLY DIG his music and it's such an inspiration for me.
I'm listening to his music right now.

One of his song is named "DIRTY HOLE" (here we are !) and it influenced me. I kinda like the symbolism of the hole. The void. The emptiness. And of course the sexual symbolism.

Here are the lyrics. I'll post more about about Jon Crosby because I have so much to say. If you don't know the man and his work, run to the myspace page.
http://www.myspace.com/vast

i saw the grave stones
i saw nine year old boys
somehow i knew
they hated me
you can live as long as
you want to live
lately all i want is to be
in you hole
sleep without a dream
as cold as it seems
its my destiny
how many men have been
in your sacred hole
(how many dead men god?)
as i spread her thighs
my life flashes
before my eyes
soothing, disturbing
i'm intoxicated with fear
how many men have died?
in your dirty hole
how many men lay dead
from this killing hole

[ HOLE I ] [ CAGES11 ]

2010-01-30T07:12:00.001-08:00

[ HOLE I ] [ CAGES10 ]

2010-01-30T07:09:00.001-08:00

[ HOLE I ] [ CAGES09 ]

2010-01-24T12:35:00.001-08:00

Just more few words about this shooting. That was the first and only time I worked with a make up artist for an [ HOLE ] serie. I don't work with make up artists for this kind of stuff anymore. First because there's no need of complexe make up (let the models do this) and it's all about intimacy. A rendez vous with me and a model. I don't want other guys around (even if they go away after ten minutes like in this case).
That was the more complexe shooting too because of the tv and stuffs. I was alone and I had the tv with camera recorder plugged in to deal with. The light to fix. The smoking machine. No much place left for creative ideas and thoughts.
I am NO technician at all. NOT AT ALL. So now I don't give a shit about lights and stuff. It's just me, the model and the camera.
Simplicity is purity.

[ HOLE I ] [ CAGES08 ]

2010-01-23T04:51:00.001-08:00

[ HOLE I ] [ CAGES07 ]

2010-01-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

The theme for the first serie is about the loss of identity.
The image we try to give to the world, the image people see of us and what we really are.
In this serie the story is about someone who struggles to give a clean image to other and who realizes that this image is not her and suffers about it. It's about how we are, how is hard to be ourselves when we are surrounded by conventions and judgments.
By the time I was questioning myself about how I should be and what I should to. Artists like Nan Goldin or Natacha Merritt were revolutionizing my artistic approach and my personal life was a mess.

So basicly it's the story of me abandoning my old lifes and searching for new dark and personal territories.

[ HOLE I ] [ CAGES06 ]

2010-01-19T13:17:00.001-08:00

[ HOLE I ]

2010-01-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

The first [HOLE] was not something very definitive. About the concept I mean. It was before the "dark nudity girls in hotel rooms". Well it's dark and there's nudity but that was not in an hotel room. Photos were taken in the girl's apartment.

I knew the model because I did some shootings with here an I trusted her (and she trusted me enough) to do this "experiment". That was our first full nude session for each other and it was really like breaking some personnal barrers. I don't know if I want to go to personal stuffs explanations but all I want to say is I tried to keep this goal on every serie. Trying to push the envelope about personal feelings and intimacy. [HOLE] is sometimes about breaking taboos and issues.

Anyway the work here is very influenced about Roy Stuart, Nan Goldin and Natacha Merrit. First time (and only time in [HOLE]) I'm using a smoking machine (as Roy Stuart does). I used a little cheap garden lamp for light (I have NO professional equipment whatsoever) with some blue gelatin paper to color the light.

That was the first time colors were dark and faded and I didn't care.

Anyway, let's check some pics.

[ HOLE I ] [ CAGES01 ]

2010-01-12T13:15:00.001-08:00

[ HOLE I ] [ cages ] model [ Laetitia ]

2010-01-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

it's all about [loss]

2010-01-10T12:17:00.000-08:00

Life here has no meaning. Life here is no fun.

Jon Crosby

[HOLE] is a photographic project I created in 2004. It's about loneliness and nudity.

It's all about [loss].

When I began photography my inspirations were fashion and music CD covers. So all my work was about "beautiful" and colorful images. My goal was to create images that everybody would like.Then I discovered artists like Nan Goldin, Natacha Merrit, Roy Stuart, the photographic work from David Lynch... Since then my beliefs never went the same anymore. A Nan Goldin's work exhibition in 2004 proved me that beauty is not only in glitter and colors. Beauty can be found in some dark places.

So [HOLE] is a journey into those dark places. It tries to capture the beauty of despair. The elegance of solitude.

I suffered loss (who didn't ?). I still suffer it.
[HOLE] is an hommage to those moments. An exorcism too.
It's all about a personal story. And happy people have no stories.

This is dark. This is sad. Hope you'll enjoy it :)