Photo

A simple soundcheck

April 23, 2013

I recently had the pleasure of photographing the DJ and musician Ashibah as she prepared for a performance at Generator Hostel in Copenhagen.

She’d brought with her a collection of musicians, instruments and a sound system, which, at first sight, beautifully contradicted each other. There was an acoustic guitarist sat warming up on one side, changing between Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida,’ as a cellist joined in against the rhythmic backdrop of a drum box on the other.

In the middle stood Ashibah herself, complete with her bright green urban trainers, a hoody and a voice that made everyone in the room stop what they were doing. Even the Welsh lads on their stag party joined in at one point, even though they only knew a few words from the Coldplay chorus.

Ashibah soundcheck at Generator Hostel

It reminded me of one of the reasons I wanted to move here in the first place. I’d seen plenty of musicians during previous visits and the live music scene appeared a lot more manageable. For instance, London is such a huge place that its easy to get swallowed up by the thousands of venues and other musicians competing for the same bit of space on stage. When you see a poster on a lamppost or wall in Camden it’s easy to ignore it, because there are just so many of them all advertising the same thing. I can remember walking around Camden one afternoon, handing out flyers to promote my own band’s performance that night. In the end we got a good turn out, which was odd because nobody was interested in taking a leaflet from us.

On the flip side, we even managed to blag a gig in Brixton on the very same stage as The Clash had once performed. We were the headlining act in front of a crowd of a dozen – and they were the other bands and their girlfriends. So to come to Copenhagen and see all the open mic sessions and cosy (and often busy) music venues is a great experience. Now all I need are some musicians to join me.

Ashibah soundcheck at Generator Hostel

Going back to Ashibah, I was interested to discover that she’d actually started out DJ’ing around the city several years ago and eventually started adding her own vocals over the music in her sets. Being one of the first DJs in Copenhagen to make music this way, it didn’t take long for other DJs to start requesting collaborations with her and by 2010 she had caught the attention of music producer Phil Jones and songwriter Nikolas Larion from Copenhaniacs Music. The trio began to develop and build on the characteristics that already defined Ashibah and her music and the result is what exists today. Discovering that Ashibah was, at heart, an underground club DJ was what made the soundcheck with guitars, drums and cellos even more interesting to hear.

Ashibah soundcheck at Generator Hostel

I’m a huge fan of so many different styles of music but I’m still definitely fussy when it comes to live performances. It’s easy for big bands to ‘switch it on’ at huge festivals and for bands that you absolutely adore to just make your skin tingle when performing at small, intimate gigs. Some bands and singers often pass me by when I see them for the first time but then there are a few that actually make me listen. It was just a simple sound check, but Ashibah was definitely one of those performers.

Ashibah soundcheck at Generator Hostel

For more information you can visit www.ashibah.com

And if you play the piano, drums, violin, guitar, or any other musical instrument, feel free to get in touch with me regarding a possible musical collaboration. Let’s see if we can make something happen.

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How to photograph The Blue Planet

April 3, 2013

Denmark’s newest tourist attraction, The Blue Planet, is already proving über popular with locals and tourists alike. And rightly so: with it’s majestic size and interesting critters, there hasn’t been anything this interesting to photograph in Copenhagen for quite some time. The Changing of the Guard gets a bit repetitive, doesn’t it.

I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the aquarium on two occasions now and have therefore had a second chance to get it right when taking pictures. So to help any aspiring photographers out there, I wanted to share some tips and advice on how to take some decent pictures in such a large, dark space.

Light is a photographer’s best friend and worst enemy at the same time. It can wreak havoc with our sensors, lens elements and shutter speeds, so we need to control it with a steady hand and as much knowledge about our cameras as possible.

The first thing to do is get your camera ready before you go. Try to learn what a few of those buttons do and learn how to switch off your flash if you have one. Glass reflects light and the final image will look flat. Anyone in the image will have horrible shadows and bright skin, so make that your first priority.

To compensate for a lack of additional light, increase your ISO settings to the highest number that your camera will allow. If you take a picture with these new settings you’re likely to get lots of noise and grain on the image. If this bothers you then dial it down a little bit, but remember: it’s better to have a sharp, grainy image than a blurry one.

Next you’ll need to select your white balance. The Auto White Balance seems to get it right, but it’s worth experimenting with other settings, including the Cloud or Shadow WB (the first looks like a cloud and the second a house with a shadow).

Now for the tough part. You’ll need to choose what is most important – the shutter speed or depth of field. I’ve got quite a steady hand and I wanted the people in the foreground to be in focus, as well as the sharks in the background. Therefore I used a shutter speed of 1/30th of a second and held my breath. If you’ve got the shakes from the night before then 1/60th should do a good enough job, you just might have to brighten the images later on in post production. If you select Shutter Priority on your camera (S for Nikon, Tv for Canon) then your camera will automatically select the aperture. If it’s too dark, try finding a button or menu option called Exposure Compensation and increase the number anywhere between 0.7 and 2.0. Play around with it until the image becomes brighter. Don’t make it too bright, however. You can always put light in to an image in post production but you can never remove it.

Use a nice wide lens to get the awesome scale of the aquarium in and use a tripod or gorilla pod if you have one handy. Try a few different angles to get as much of the tank in as possible. I found lying down on the floor was an interesting approach, but standing at the back of the room and lifting the camera high above my head also provided me with a different perspective. Also, it’s hard to avoid getting people in your shot, so be patient and decide how you want it to look. Busy, solitary? Is there someone interesting close to the glass with a pure look of awe on their face? Be discreet, but try and get close to your subject. Who says it has to be someone you know. (Why not switch your camera to Black & White and see how different the whole thing looks?)

Red is the first colour to disappear under water so of course your pictures will look extremely blue. But by moving away from the aquarium and in to the tunnel that runs through it you’ll find a well-lit area and better colours on the coral or fish that swim past. Now it’s time to crank that ISO number down about a third of the way and your WB back to Auto. Again, lift your camera high above people’s heads to get a true scale of the length of the tunnel along with all the mesmerised people inside it.

These are just a few hints and tips to help start you off, but it’s a fun way of getting to know your camera’s manual settings.

And finally, don’t forget to delete 90 per cent of the pictures you take that day! Trust me, you’ll thank me for it when you’re showing off just ten of your best images to family and friends.

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Opening Doors Part II: Endelave

March 25, 2013

Endelave Ø
Endelave. Population: God knows. Things to do there during early March: relatively little. Worth a visit? Absolutely.
This is my short review of a beautifully peaceful island where ‘taking it easy’ was at the top of our agenda. My partner and I spent the weekend there recently with two friends and members of their family. This included their two young boys, one of whom could already speak better Danish than I at the tender age of three. (Ah, but can he go in to a heated debate about tax, the welfare system or which season is best: summer or spring?)
Endelave Ø
The last time I saw the young man in question he was screaming in pure fear as I attempted to ‘entertain’ him with an array of funny and gruesome faces (I think he buckled as I performed my car crash special). But now, surrounded by the absolute tranquility of the island and several deer, I managed to reprogram his brain with happy thoughts as I read to him such classics as The Princess and The Pea and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. These were all fairytales that my grandfather used to read to me, and the experience of reading them in Danish 25 years later wasn’t lost on me.
Endelave Ø
Over the next few days we had some pretty good hygge going on, especially as we plonked ourselves down by the heater in the conservatory with a beer in one hand and lots of bread in the other. It was also a perfect opportunity for me to switch to Danish for the weekend (something that actually gets easier when you’re forced to do it), though long conversations were definitely not on the agenda.
Endelave Ø
We also managed to get outside and explore the island and meet some of its permanent residents. Many of the buildings appeared old and in their original state, which added to the glamour (or lack of, I suppose) of the place. Down by the sea, a trio of wind turbines purred in the strong, icy wind, and the harbour itself was already frozen over. Of course, the cold weather didn’t deter the locals from going about their daily business. The graveyard still needed attending to and the firewood wasn’t going to chop itself.
Endelave Ø
And in stark contrast to the behaviour of some of my fellow Copenhageners, I was totally surprised (in a good way) to hear several people wish us a very good morning, or wave as they passed by in their tractors. It was the complete opposite of what I wrote about in one of my recent blogs ‘Opening Doors.’ I guess that Anne was right when she pulled me up on my comments regarding friendly Danes.
Endelave Ø
As we walked around we spotted the following things: an apparent Farm Lord, an elderly lady running completely barefoot with her two dogs, and a couple of ponies with odd dimensions. Still good for petting, though. I’m sure from the pictures you can see just how calm and uninterrupted the island is, and you will have to just trust me when I say how friendly the locals were.
Endelave Ø

But can someone please tell me how on earth it’s legal to charge 13,95kr for a bar of chocolate? Daylight robbery, that.
Endelave Ø

(Endelave can be reached by passenger and car ferry from Snaptunfærgehavn near Horsens. For more information go to http://www.oen-endelave.dk/endelave-faergefart)
Endelave Ø

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A touch of vintage

March 14, 2013

Finding something stimulating to do in Copenhagen over winter hasn’t been tough exactly, but of course it seems to get harder as the weeks draw on. At this time of year, finding events to take pictures of has been equally challenging, as most organisers and promoters use the dark nights and cold weather to plan their summertime shenanigans.

For the team at Generator Hostel, a stone’s throw from Kongens Nytorv, it seems that the pace has far from slowed down, as their current exhibition shows. Not content with just running a typical hostel, event co-ordinator Michelle has been busy liaising with locals in the area to make the most of the cosy exhibition space downstairs.




Their current exhibition ‘Boutique 2 Boutique’ has been running since 18th February and was inspired by Copenhagen Fashion Week that ran at the same time. I received an invite to the opening party (having attended their first exhibition for Danish photographer Thomas Skou) and was amazed to see just how much effort EVERYONE had put in. Not only were the mannequins eloquently dressed in vintage clothing, in a room coated in a shade of rich red, but also the invitees, who came dressed for the occasion. Like a scene out of a 1920s dancehall, the girls (it’s always the girls) came splendidly dressed and suddenly gave cause for my camera to be switched on. In between stealing some awesome hors d’oeuvres and sampling a cocktail or two from the bar, I managed to persuade a group of Danes to come for an impromptu photo session amongst the dolls (the results of which can be seen here).

Back in the bar area, the display continues with an array of vintage-inspired jewelry and magazines, which, like the clothing, have all been provided by local boutiques in the area. And this is what I like about the whole idea. Having travelled a fair bit myself, when I go somewhere I want to be immersed in the local culture and history; I want to mix with the people who call that city or country their home. The events and exhibitions at Generator so far have achieved this wonderfully. Walking around that night I could spot plenty of tourists and out-of-towners, but there was no mistaking that glottal stop language of the Danes spilling out from other tables and ambient corners of the bar. It’s a great experience.

Thankfully the exhibition has been extended, so you can still catch it until the 5th April. Expect to see items on display from Carmen Vintage, Frolov Jewelry and FN92 to name but a few.

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Goodbye CPH, Hello Valby

March 5, 2013

So moving house has been an interesting experience this week. I’ve long been against the idea of paying for bricks and mortar and once wrote a column on the subject that received a lot of positive and negative critique.

My main concern has always been the idea of being tied down to one place and not having the option to move or change whenever the opportunity arises. Having bobbed from country to country these last few years, paying a mortgage has been the last thing on my mind. But now here I am in Denmark, ready to (finally) settle down and working hard to make my photography business a success.

Up until last week, my residence had been just a stone’s throw away from the city centre, on Islands Brygge. Can you imagine how useful that’s been for a photographer without a car? Trust me, all that equipment weighs a lot more than can be good for you.

So I was a little vexed when our landlord told us we had eight weeks to find somewhere else to live, especially as I was all the more aware of how expensive it was to rent so close to the city. (For the record, we were paying just 7500kr all in every month). Our options were simple: Buy a shoebox andelslejlighed for 500,000kr and stay close to the action, or leave civilisation behind and move out to Valby (the new New York City, apparently).

We chose the latter.

But oh, how I moaned. “It’s too dark. It’s too far away. It’s cold. There’s a hole in the wall. I can hear the traffic outside. There’s a chaffinch eyeing me suspiciously from the garden.” Etc etc. But now here we are, the proud owners of 1.4% of a property.

For many, an andelsbolig is by far the cheapest option and means that you actually get to take your first step on to the property ladder – especially now whilst prices are super low. The concept is relatively simple: You buy your apartment and own it, but still pay a form of rent that goes towards maintenance costs and the general upkeep of the building. Of course there are many things to keep your eye on, like variable rates for your ‘rent’ for instance. But in general, it makes buying a place to live a lot more affordable. Even if it does mean giving up your shoebox in paradise.

But let’s not pretend that the housing market is in good shape right now. I saw an advert last week for an estate agent that read “Last year we helped sell over 50 homes,” (in other words 51). Is that a healthy amount? It’s less than one a week. It shows that nobody is daring to sell their property right now, as they’re guaranteed to make a loss in most cases. So be careful; be weary. Seek advice first. And if you carry heavy equipment on a bike everyday, make sure you find a place somewhere near a train station.

You can find more information on andelsbolig by visiting http://home.dk/koeb/koeb-af-andelsbolig

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