Behind The Scenes

Here's to the humble, sometimes silly, skewed, mildly unhelpful, and always highly viewed behind-the-scenes image.

I've always been captivated by behind-the-scenes of photographic projects.

When I was around 13, I owned a skateboarding photo book from New Zealand called "Hardflip, The Illusion." There were two distinct images that fascinated me. The first was a wide shot capturing someone ollieing a large set of stairs, with the strobe firing in the background. The second was a photo of a photographer holding their camera. I would stare at these images, trying to understand them, attempting to find a way to replicate what was happening. It wasn't just about the tools and skills involved but also about aesthetics.

The first image made me wonder, "Wow, can you actually achieve that with lights? What kind of lights are those? How does it work?" I realised that light could capture movement and be positioned in various ways to create imaginative and expressive looks. As for the second image, I mostly admired the photographer's style and mimicked my own appearance after theirs. However, the camera they had was far beyond my reach. At that time, I was using my mum's point-and-shoot Olympus. So when I saw an SLR camera, its size alone grabbed me. I associated that camera with the other shot and concluded that you needed a big camera like that to create such work. It was like peering through a window into a world that raised countless questions and sparked a lot of intrigues. Unfortunately, I had no idea where to find equipment like that, nor did I know anyone with the knowledge.

Reflecting on my journey as a photographer, I've always felt that I 'progressed' at a slow pace (which I view as a positive). The answers to my questions about technical skills, equipment, past photographers, creating photo essays, editing and retouching, and the business side of things were all veiled in mystery (and in some aspects, they still are). I could only gather bits and pieces of information by browsing through magazines, then eventually forums, and finally summoning the courage to ask people directly.

In the New Zealand punk/hardcore/ska scene, there was a forum called PunkAs. There, a particular thread focused on photography. I would share photos from punk shows I had attended the previous weekend. You might be wondering, "Isn't that a quick turnaround for film?" Well, it was digital. I was an early adopter of digital photography, and in that scene anyway, deeply intrigued by it, and it became my primary medium. I relished experimenting with edits, the immediacy, and eagerly sharing my work with bands 3-4 days after their shows. Nowadays, this is common practice, but back in 2003-04, it was quite novel.

A quick search and it looks like the forum is still active.

Since I never formally studied photography, my learning process was fragmented, disjointed, and scattered. The older punks on the forum became my mentors, tearing my work apart and occasionally offering a positive comment. I would spend hours browsing through Flickr and later Tumblr, examining others' work and attempting to decipher their techniques. I was in conversation with people, asking a lot of questions because the community felt open and inviting.

I still hold that approach to learning closely. Whenever I see a behind-the-scenes image of a set, location, or studio, I look at it closely, attempting to uncover what was going on. Sometimes, this knowledge demystifies the work for me. As someone who has been a photographer for nearly two decades, I have become intimately tuned with it all. However, being so close to it often means that I see the image before I feel the emotion or appreciate the story. Personally, I prefer the feeling.

I will always admire and follow the processes of things, especially in photography and, more recently, running. Perhaps that's why I've been recording conversations with friends about their creative processes or why I even have this newsletter. It allows me to find meaning in my own journey and share it with others, giving them a chance to attach their own significance to it.

Here's to the humble, sometimes silly, skewed, mildly unhelpful, and always highly viewed behind-the-scenes images.

Now, let me share some behind-the-scenes moments from a few campaigns and projects.

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Listen to my latest conversation with Berlin-based designer Margot Charbonnier - Unveiling a world of movement and design.

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Thanks for reading, indulging and following along. Please leave a comment, I’ll reply or answer any questions you have. Ciao for now.