femme verite
Now Playing: the velvet underground - femme fatale
Topic: photographers

 new beginnings by Aaron Hobson

Aaron Hobson's work came to my attention in late 2007. He and I exchanged messages about Crewdson, LaChapelle, Sherman and, of course, self-portraiture.

Nicknamed The Cinemascapist, Hobson creates panoramic film stills for semi-autobiographical films that have never been made. From his bio: "Hobson's work is created by combining several sequential, vertical images, thereby offering more visual information and an obscured rendition of any moment depicted by a single image."

His images, predominantly set in various locations in the remote Adirondack Mountains where he is based, often feature the photographer as multiple characters and have a way of slowly sinking in: the full details of the images are not always immediately obvious but most rewarding when you do absorb all the clues laid before you. His attention to all those little details, his use of light and locations to full effect, and his ability to create believable characters playing their part in intriguing narratives makes the images both beautiful and mysterious. Though the format of his site has changed since my first visit (previously the images spanned the full width of the browser window), the impact of the images is still strong at their reduced size.

There is a sinister edge to his first three "seasons", dark, even darker and winter and I suspect the darkness that permeates his work thus far will continue into his new season, femme vérité.

And this is where, for me, his work becomes even more interesting. Hobson's new season involves the wiry, tattooed man transforming himself into female characters for narratives based on the encounters and the lives he has shared with various women.

From the early images appearing on his blog and within the main part of his site, (as I had suspected) there is no sense of the lampooning of women or female self-portrait artists; simply an artist pushing his work into new areas without observing the limitations of gender when selecting his roles.

I look forward to seeing the series unfold.

huddle
Now Playing: underworld - dubnobasswithmyheadman
Topic: saatchi showdown



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I have an image in the latest round of the Saatchi Showdown. Please vote.

100 people - #1: Feih
Now Playing: the hampdens - brightness falls
Topic: 100 people



Feih contacted me through Myspace back in late 2006. We met up for a drink at Tramways in North Fitzroy one afternoon and have been good friends ever since.

Feih moved to Melbourne three years ago from Wellington, New Zealand. She currently works as a barista during the week, and regularly performs as a jester at various festivals and sometimes in the Bourke Street Mall on weekends.

Though she'll tower over you at 6'7", she's anything but intimidating, and has a cute little cat called Nin whom I finally met a couple of weekends ago after the trip to Apollo Bay on which I took this photo.

road to nowhere
Now Playing: blur - the great escape
Topic: travel



So I arrived back from my road trip about 5pm yesterday. I decided not to continue on to Adelaide with Natasha and caught a lift back to Melbourne with Paul and Sarah instead.

I took almost 300 photos, even just in the three days I was away, and met some new folk from RedBubble on the Sunday.

Just over a month left to get your hands on darkness & light.

sorry, i can't take your call right now...
Topic: travel



I've been almost completely AWOL from all my favourite places online lately as I've been busy working on the next FSPASG book, In Her Own Image.

However, from today until Friday the 13th of March I've hit "pause" on that and am off on an adventure with my lovely friend, Natasha Wheatley.

We're off to spend the long weekend in Halls Gap, then drive on over to Adelaide. Armed with cameras, a video camera and boundless enthusiasm (despite recent lack of sleep!) it should be awesome!

I've been so busy and am completely out of time, so you get an image I played around with when I did my last commission for The Big Issue.

I may be internetless for much of the trip, so look after yourselves, and I'll see you on the flipside!

launch & auction
Now Playing: massive attack - protection
Topic: events



A reminder to those in Melbourne the launch of The Death Mook: How Do We Die, the second mook from Vignette Press is on this Thursday 26th February at Dante's Upstairs, 150 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. Be there 7pm for a 7:30 start. I'll be there.

Also for Melbournites: if you'd like to pick up some awesome art and help out those affected by the bushfires in Victoria, head on down to Brunswick Street Gallery on Tuesday 3rd March from 6pm for the Bushfire Appeal Charity Auction. I won't be able to make it, but have donated a print for auction. BSG is at 322 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy (opposite Bar Open).

intermission
Now Playing: nina simone - a single woman
Topic: self-portraiture



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I've not had much time to work on my own stuff this week as I've been concentrating on putting together the layout for In Her Own Image.

But today I took some self-portraits and tomorrow I am taking a day trip with Feih to Lorne. I have plenty of ideas for self-portraits as well as other photographic ideas to play with on the trip.

I'm also toying with the idea of doing a "100 people" project. Not quite a "100 strangers" project, as I don't want to limit it to strangers (aside from anything else I want to make it possible to complete: I'm too shy to approach 100 strangers in order to take their photos!). But also because I want to get back into the habit of taking candid portraits of friends and family like I used to in high school and during college. Photos of the people I care about that are not just taken to create a concept in my mind.

I'm not saying they will be posted straight out of camera or not at all planned in some way, but more a mixture of capturing people in their own environment or in a social situation, or just whilst spending time with them.

Because I don't have enough projects on my plate right now :P Though this would have no deadline. This is just for me.

Though I didn't have a plan for my self-portraiture today beyond "I want to use the garage as my setting" and "I want to work with those shafts of light and create something dark", this image in particular puts me in mind of the work of a male self-portrait artist I admire, who I will post about soon.

the death mook
Now Playing: various artists - eternal sunshine of the spotless mind ost
Topic: vignette press



Speaking of books, or rather, mooks, Vignette Press are back with their second mook! Following What Is Our Sex? the new mook to be released later this month explores all things death-related and asks the question "How Do We Die?"

A sampler of the mook is now available to download from the Vignette Press website, and an invite to the launch is open to all of those lucky enough to be in Melbourne.

I will have a few images included in the mook, though no writing in this one, and plan to join the other artists and writers involved to celebrate the launch.

in her own image
Now Playing: the darjeeling limited OST
Topic: photography books



Work is currently underway on a second collection of photographic self-portraiture by an assortment of members of the Female Self-Portrait Artists' Support Group to be titled In Her Own Image.

The book is scheduled for release through Blurb in March and will include work from 88 artists including myself.

Featuring a wonderfully surreal image by Erika Pham, the cover, shown above, has been designed by the very talented Elle Moss and Heather Evans Smith.

While you wait eagerly for its release, you might like to pick up a copy of the first collection, She Took Her Own Picture.

drowned in endless night
Now Playing: the jesus & mary chain - the sound of speed
Topic: saatchi showdown



For those who haven't already "heard", I've recently updated my website including adding a few new sections, consolidating a few sections, finally updating the sepulchre section, updating the 365 Days store and making brand new limited edition prints available in the general store. So go and check it out!

I also have an image in the latest round of the Saatchi Showdown. You can vote here.