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Photographing people drinking coffee or smoking is a routine for a photographic investigator… Photographing them eating cookies on the other hand is more challenging and a great deal more revealing. One way or the other, most photographic subjects have mastered the art of gesturing while enjoying a coffee or a smoke. Cookies are more unconventional. But I think much more enjoyable both for my subjects and me.
Read MoreThat was the name of the 2 girl rock band I was investigating a few months ago. They were very reluctant to have their faces photographed. Not their feet, though… And what would be more appropriate, considering the name of their band? In fact, one of them had indeed new shoes, while the other one was just "hangin' out" shoeless. Coincidence? Nobody will ever know.
Read More“Sitting here in limbo, but I know it won’t be long”, sung Jimmy Cliff and that phrase was the clue for my next photographic investigation. My subject was Zenobia, the daughter of a wealthy family from Chicago who was taking a vacation on a tropical island of the Pacific with a suitcase full of golden coins for her expenses. It was a tradition in her family to pay only with gold, but in this island the authorities in the airport had never encountered a similar case -most of them had never seen golden coins before- so they confiscated her gold until a higher authority decided it was OK to give it back. Until then, Zenobia was living in limbo, spending her days in a coffee shop near the airport, waiting for a new development. I know that my powerful, mysterious employers had the power to arrange for her to have her gold back, but they wanted me to photographically investigate her. So I did it fast, because I don’t like for my subjects to be miserable…
Read MoreA photographic investigator knows that the most revealing and successful photographic investigations are the ones that happen in between assignments, the ones that she doesn’t care how they will end up or the ones that are already done and therefore are considered no big deal.
Read More"Pollyanna's door to happiness" is still one of my favourite reads in times of stress, turmoil and disappointment. Yes, it's a child's book. Keeping the Pollyanna principle (seeing always the positive side of everything) alive and active at all times requires great vigilance and alertness concerning one's thoughts and emotions -if they are not predisposed that way. Training myself in achieving the "Pollyanna" attitude has proven straining at times, which is kinda funny, given that this is an attitude that has been proven to increase significantly a photographic investigator's energy levels. We are what we are after all and that's fine. That doesn't stop me from being amazed though by my models' natural inclination to that way of seeing life. A very encouraging thing, surely for "hopeful optimists". Although a hopeful optimist is never an optimist...
Read MoreThere is a space in between shifts that it's size and length in the time/space construct not only is unfixed, but, as anything that includes the concept of time, is very subjective, psychological, even. The job of a photographic investigator is not to unveil it's mysteries, but to fully take advantage of it.
Read MoreChasing subjects is an every day reality for a photographic investigator. And sometimes the temptation to just let them walk away without being investigated is too strong. Most of the times this photographic investigator resists, though...
Read MoreKanella means "cinnamon" in greek and as I am sure you have guessed by now, the word was the only clue I was given about this particular assignment. But nothing can beat an assignment on a greek beach so, I went, I investigated and the only thing I can reveal about my subject is that she gave me the opportunity to taste the best lamb stew in the galaxy. Kanella made it spicy, just like her name and her personality... To be continued...
Read MoreI saw once a documentary about New York. I remember something a Queen's resident said, sitting in the stairs in front of his house, smoking: "You can go around the world meeting all kinds of people or you can stay in your porch day by day, watching people go by... It's exactly the same thing...". I know now this is so true! This photographic investigation took place in la Pizzeria delle Zattere, in Dorsoduro, Venice.
Read MoreSometimes a photographic investigator has to invent her own words...
Read MoreLight can disrupt the darkest shot, whereas dark can't do the opposite. Another great truth an experienced photographic investigator inevitably finds out...
Read MoreNo, it's definitely not easy being a comic book hero... You have to live up to your loyal fan's expectations... On the contrary, it's wonderfully easy to be a comic book hero's photographic investigator. Because when comic book heros find themselves outside of a comic book they are subject to a certain number of restrictions: for example, they cannot use the 90% of their super powers for obvious reasons (one of them being that most of the people around them, actually believe that they see some weird guys dressed up like comic book heroes - which is very convenient). The only super power that is allowed in full force is the power to disappear -for the ones who possess it of course. Not being able to use their powers makes comic book heroes easy subjects to photographic investigators such as I, although this time I must admit defeat, since I lost 2-3 of them by disappearance. Ah well... maybe next year!
Read MoreIt is essential for my photographic investigations!
Read MoreIn between photographic investigations, random shots of Venice. Sunday mornings I always visualise of moving there... And I always wanted to make a post with the word "untitled" in the title!
Read MoreMagazines rime with routines mostly because you read a magazine whilst you get on with your usual routine... Having coffee, smoking, laying on the beach or in bed, commuting on a bus or train... Simple things that a keen photographic investigator notices...
Read MoreA good year to achieve photographic investigation goals and to investigate interesting, mysterious people... But this is also a year that a photographic investigator like me, who is born under the sign of the Rooster, is supposed to wear always something red -with the option of red underwear that someone gave her as a present- to avoid bad luck. What can I say... I don't like to wear red, so it must be the underwear option. Life was unbelievably much easier when I thought that this would be my lucky year. Now I must ask someone to give me my birthday present in advance. Red underwear...
Read MoreIt's a freelance photographic investigator's -like myself- dream... Temperatures are ideal for photographic investigations, subjects are more open and the aloha spirit flows through everything... That's paradise.
Read MoreShe was working on a top secret "James Bond" style kind of tracking device that could be attached to a cigarette... Her code name was "The Golden Girl" because she loved James Bond movies and in her leisure time she liked to experiment with golden paint -that explained the fact that all the furniture in her house were painted gold and her shoes always left a golden trace wherever she went. I would like to tell her that she should probably adopt a lower profile -maybe a silver one- while she was working as a spy, but my job was to track and photographically investigate her. Golden vibrations are very powerful, I thought, so she wasn't without protection...
Read MoreOr Light VS Dark... A 5 minute secret photographic investigation.
Read MoreIn between investigations, listening to the Xanadu soundtrack and drinking black coffee, dreaming of Christmas magic, miracles, abundance of all good things and seeing guardian angels shining their sparkle all around me... But most of all, being grateful... Someone should seriously think about introducing Thanksgiving instead of Black Friday in our little place of the world. My photographic investigations are certainly more fruitful around subjects that are thankful as opposed to subjects that are fighting in order to buy very cheap things...
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