Spring is in the air!

Copyright Eva Krebbers Photography

Interview on blog NSMBL

A while ago the infamous dutch lifestyle blog NSMBL featured an interview with...moi! :)
If you're curious and can read Dutch, follow the link:
http://www.nsmbl.nl/vragenvuur-eva-krebbers/

How to: selfportrait for the Red Line project

Do you know the feeling when you have an idea in your mind, but you have absolutely no clue how to achieve it?
Well, yesterday I felt like that. And since the new year, my resolution has been not to let those feelings stop me; instead of going for the easy way out, changing the concept to something more simple, my resolution for this year is to start experimenting more thus trying to achieve even those impossible crazy -no-idea-where-to-begin-ideas.
For example: I've been meaning to join the Red Line project (http://didyousayeager.com/eager/en/redline) for a while.This is what it's about:

" Wouldn't it be cool to connect photographers all over the world? We think so. That's why we started this quest for the longest conceptual photo series ever!

The concept? A red line that connects us all in a graphical way, combined with our mutual love/hate feeling towards shooting a self-portrait. The red line forming an instrument to express yourself at that."

After contemplating for a while I came up with the idea of stitching the red line through my cheeks, in order to create a 'smile'. A tribute to The Joker from the Batman movies, and a 'f*ck you' to all those people always urging me -since childhood- to look more happy/smile more. ;)

But i had no idea how to create a realistic looking line actually being stitched through skin...(Also, I didn't have any red string, the closest was a pink embroidery thread so that would have to do).
My first attempt was to glue the thread onto my skin. Result: glue on camera, glue on hands, and having to move like a turtle to make the thread stay on my cheeks.
Well, in the end I ended up using parts of these images, but all of a sudden I thought about stitching the thread through paper, photographing that, and then digitally paste it over my skin. And it worked!
It did take me about the entire day though, but I am pretty happy about the more or less realistic result!

"Why so serious?" © Eva Krebbers

So, any photographers out there...feel free to join as well! :)

How to: een gemaskerd bal organiseren

Wat heb je nodig om een geweldig feest te geven?
1. Een goed idee
2. Een goede uitvoering

1. Het idee: een Gemaskerd Bal (of mooier: Balle Masqué), want mysterieus en een goed excuus om je in extravagante kleding te hijsen.
- Zorg voor uitnodigingen die de sfeer goed weergeven, liefst verzonden in mooie enveloppen met een lakzegel. " Find a marvelous costume and wear it well, so your identity no one can tell..."
- Kostuums werden soms zelf gemaakt (!), en soms gehuurd bij kostuumverhuur Hokus Pokus in Zeist (www.hokuspokus.nl)

- Locatie, locatie, locatie! In dit geval werd gebruik gemaakt van de Metaal Kathedraal (http://metaalkathedraal.wordpress.com/) in Utrecht, waarin een magisch mooie sprookjesachtige balzaal werd gecreëerd onder de eeuwenoude houten balken, compleet met hemelbedden en een heuse fotostudio met chaise longue (www.evakrebbers.nl)

2. Voor een goede uitvoering is het belangrijk dat alle details kloppen;
- Muziek: een goede mix voor een bal bestaat uit Weense Walsen, maar ook uit goede bombastische muziek zoals Muse. Later op de avond kan er overgegaan worden op 'normale' dansmuziek, want een bal zonder dans is geen bal!

- Eten: in dit geval was er de lievelingstaart van de gastvrouw, namelijk chocolade-cocos-taart. Kleine taartjes á la Marie-Antoinette doen het natuurlijk ook goed op een bal.
- Vaak kennen mensen op een feest elkaar niet (allemaal). Om de interactie te bevorderen werd er op dit bal het volgende ' spel' bedacht: bij de ingang stond een grabbelton met daarin papiertjes met opdrachten. Gasten konden een opdracht grabbelen en deze uitvoeren. De andere gasten moesten opletten of ze iemand een eventuele opdracht uit zagen voeren, en deze verdenking dan opschrijven en in een pot stoppen.

Voorbeelden van opdrachten: "Organiseer een stoelendans", "Zoek de verstopte bellenblaas en blaas bellen voor de jarige" en "teken een schoonheidsvlekje bij een van de genodigden".
- Vergeet niet om je feest vast te leggen! Bijvoorbeeld op deze manier:

Fashion show studioRUIG

Last friday the groovy Dutch designer label studioRUIG hosted a fashion show at the Dutch Design Week for their 2012 summer collection entitled 'Ronja'. The entire collection is based on the novel "Ronja Robbersdaughter" by Astrid Lindgren, and showed a beautiful palette of natural woodsy colours combined with daring and sturdy accessories.

The real Ronja

Since Ronja is one of my favourite (childhood) books/movies, I was very excited to be invited to photograph the show.
The theme of the collection was cleverly portrayed by a choir of robbers loudmouthedly chanting robbers' songs while the models entered the catwalk.
The catwalk existed out of a HUGE wooden table, along which dining VIP guests and roaring robbers were seated together. The models strutted their stuff on the table, carefully maneuvering between the roasts, groping robbers' hands and wild boars and pheasants (all dead, by the way).

One of the models amidst roaring robbers © www.evakrebbers.nl

Backstage it was pretty funny to notice the difference between the robbers (getting into character by drinking, smoking and swearing) and the models (getting their hair and make-up done, figuring out some last minute costume changes, and drinking mainly water).
To take a look at some more photographs from the fashion show, visit my page on facebook here:


https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.233646420028568.57927.139302076129670&type=3&l=eb6be3c540

Thanks for visiting!

Barca Bastards, and tips for photographing people unnoticed

*First of all, from now on I'm gonna blog in English when I feel like it...as I've noticed I have 2 international followers, yeey! :) *

© E.K.

This week I sold a small copy of one of my most favourite (and funny) photographs, named 'Barca Bastards'. This photo was taken in 2006 in Barcelona, during some sort of dance fest for the elderly. I remember getting excited watching all the people dance, since it provided me with an excellent chance to go all 'documentary style' and take shots of people in their natural environment without them noticing me.

©E.K.

Photographing people -without them noticing you- can be extremely difficult...I know that for me, when I start my 'paparazzi-adventure', I feel quite sneaky trying to do this. And when you feel sneaky, you will come across sneaky. Usually people don't like that. I wonder why...

© E.K.

But when I really get excited about what's going on, those feelings disappear and I really get into my element. I move around more confident, pretend as if I belong there and let people see what I'm doing. It's a lot less secretive, and people will usually ignore you anyway (or even pose for you!).
(Confession: at those moments I like to think I'm a heroic war photojournalist, going for the World Press Photo...:))
I've also noticed that when you smile while taking the photograph, it usually is no problem at all.
Big crowds are also excellent for taking unnoticed shots...and when people do notice you, just smile!

Now, after having said all this, there have been some shots I took where I thought I had caught someone unnoticed... and I was so wrong! When seeing the photo afterwards, those people are staring STRAIGHT at me! Busted!
Like this rastafari's piercing look through his sunglasses...aiii!

© E.K.

There's one other tactic I sometimes use while trying to capture someone unnoticed, but it's not always effective. You need a wingman for this; put your wingman close to the actual scene you want to shoot, and pretend you take a photo of W. Ingman. While instead, of course, you take a photo of the funny looking guy on the left. It doesn't always work, though...

© E.K.

Last but not least, just asking people if it's okay to take their photo is a very effective and polite way of taking that photo. The downside of this 'technique' is that people tend to pose, or start looking unnatural...and that's exactly what you don't want.

As for the lovely 'Barca Bastards', back in 2006 I circled around them like a vulture, trying to get closer and closer, until I had exactly the photo I hoped for.

Barca Bastards, 2006 ©

I guess you can say photography is like hunting, sometimes. Hmmm.

Engagement Photography

Een tijdje geleden toog ik met dit vers verloofde koppel naar een schaduwrijk natuurgebied voor een fotoshoot, inclusief picknick en boomzwieren...

it was a lot of fun!