summer
A coloured photographic investigation that was supposed to happen in California, in the 70's. Sometimes I take assignments from the past. Never so far from the future, though…
Read MoreI was hired to investigate a strange love exhaling group in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's members were practising love exhaling exercises, under the pretext of the widely encouraged act of smoking. Smoking was cool and "safe" whereas acts of love weren't. The method consisted in inhaling all the pain and misery and the dark shades of the world -or of the surrounding environment- visualising them transforming into light and exhaling then as pure love (although in the eyes of many it looked just like exhaling smoke). One of my favourite assignments, since I love learning new skills while photographically investigating… Which reminds me… I have to go practise my exercises now…
Read MoreLife is a good mexican telenovela. I know, because I love them. So I can't help but noticing that it is based on the same fundamental rules: 1. truth always reveals itself 2. nobody is absolutely without a heart 3. desires come true but are never what you expected them to be 4. obsessions drain your energy so that you will almost certainly need a plastic surgery before the telenovela ends (if it's a long one) 5. beauty opens all the doors 6. in the end, balance is restored 7. it's not real, it's just actors, costumes, a play and a director. Having shared this revelation with you, I'll go back watching Ramona, a great mexican telenovela from the late 90's starring Eduardo Palomo (R.I.P. our beloved Eduardo…). Even the most impartial and dedicated to observation photographic investigator has her soft spots… (Another telenovela characteristic: even though you are just a watcher, you feel affection for the characters. Ramona makes me cry.)
Read MoreAll along this particular photographic investigation, the words from ELO's "Secret messages" were playing again and again in my head: "Those secret messages that spill
Into the air from far away, So far away, A flowing river of illusion, Running with confusion, Never gone - it goes on and on. The secret messages are calling to me endlessly, They call to me across the air, The messages across the atmosphere
They whisper in your ear, they're calling everywhere".
My only clue was that she used exclusively panama rolling papers for her cigarettes. Things like that may seem insignificant to an untrained observer, but they make an experienced photographic investigator's life much easier… All I had to do was follow the imprint that the smell of the panama papers left everywhere they were used -sometimes for weeks- and wait. As it must be obvious to you by now, a successful photographic investigator must sharpen all of her senses with diligence, discipline and determination with every change she gets so that she is always ready to follow a sensory lead instantly. Of course the objective of my investigation about this particular subject was totally unrelated to the panama papers, but thank god she used them.
Read MoreSometimes a Photographic Investigator finds herself in between assignments and they wander around observing. Everything is really amazing when you are silently observing it. Unfortunately, old habits die hard, so I ended up investigating two people… Luckily, it happened in Burano, so I did it in colour. So, one thing was out of the ordinary.
Read MoreThe Vappa Light is essential to space and especially, time travel. It is the only known -to a very few, I assure you- way to cross great distances, not only interstellar and inter dimensional, but also emotional and psychic, in both space and time, without serious consequences. Not very serious anyway… Because time travel has always some consequences. The Vappa Light Drive has it's own will and only when it agrees with the will and the intentions of it's "user" something can happen. It can be approached in a few very distinct and very mystical places around the world and fate has led me to one of it's sources, following a tip about a job. It was a routine photographic investigation, but, what I did not know at the time was that I would be given the opportunity to "catch" my subject moments before a Vappa Light trip would take place. In the shots you can see the traveller girl bathing in it. A few moments later she disappeared.
Read MoreThis was the password phrase. I was investigating "The woman without a face", a notorious and mysterious ufologist and ancient civilisations specialist who had recently made a groundbreaking discovery… She was hiding in Plain Sight, a coffee shop that everybody could see but only the password would get you in. It was a 4 shots investigation and I can say one thing with certainty: she had beautiful hands.
Read MoreShe was known by the name of Penthesilea, the tragic, beautiful and heroic queen of the Amazons. Achilleas fell in love with her after he killed her in the Trojan War… The Roman poet Vergil wrote of her: "The ferocious Penthesilea, gold belt fastened beneath her exposed breast, leads her battle-lines of Amazons with their crescent light-shields… a warriors, a maiden who dares to fight with men". And he called her "Bellatrix". I investigated her in 4 shots. An Amazon Queen would'nt allow me more than this, anyway…
Read MoreShe was an art curator on a secret mission. The China Syndrome was a 1979 movie starring Jane Fonda. The connection? Only I knew it.
Another mysterious character I was hired to investigate. I picked up a very bright sunny day to do that… and I managed to make her sunglasses disappear… But she was very resourceful, as you can see. Nobody really knew anything about her… Only that she travelled a lot… Was she dangerous? Maybe? Was I scared? You will never know.
Read MoreSmoking in New York is not easy for normal people… it seems to be extremely easy though, for the subjects of my investigations…
Read MoreWhen an iconic photograph of a famous, but relatively newly discovered photographer disappeared from Momma, New York's top art curators knew for the first time what real panic felt like. I was sensing their fear. I could feel it in my bones. I admit it felt kinda nice… I knew it was a matter of time before the phone rang. And it did, later that night. The Italian connection was on. Of course, I have suspected that too… The only woman -the only person to be more accurate- in the western world that could retrieve a lost art treasure in less than 48 hours, was coming to Athens. It was believed that the photograph was there. I was hired -as I usually am- to follow her and document her work, without her knowing who I really was… What else was knew? Was I working for Momma? Was I working for the smugglers? You will never know.
Read MoreWaiting is never easy… especially if you don't like it. I usually shoot my subjects in B&W but this time my subject was missing. I was doomed to wait and wander. Things could be worst, I thought… I could be in any other city of the world… But I was in Venice. I decided to have some fun. Intense colours seemed appropriate. I took the chance, hoping my clients wouldn't hold it against me. How would they know, anyway?
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 MoreI was killing time between cases, so I decided to take a walk around Acropolis, in Athens. The title is just a Dan Fogelberg song that I was listening inside my head when I was taking these shots… It could very well have been something like "in the shadow of Acropolis", but what can you do? A P.I.'s mind is weird, to say the least…
Read MoreIpanema was the name of the bar. She was working there. Not in the morning when I took these shots, though… she was in Ipanema for some other business. I was there for her. I recognised her by her tattoos. I had to investigate and if I thought it necessary, to shoot her. I did. For a strange reason I always thought of a blond girl whenever I listened to that song… Well… who knows how a P.I.'s mind works? Certainly not me…
Read MoreShe came out of a Bollywood movie just for a quick cold coffee with some of her funs, in a athenian suburb… I happened to be there for another case… I didn't let this opportunity go wasted. Her name was Leela (play) Chanda (pleasant) and when she dissapeared she left behind a mesmerising scent of sandalwood.
Read MoreThese are some high contrast jpg shots taken with the Ricoh GR… Completely unprocessed. I am impressed, because I was always shooting raw. It's like the feeling you have when you discover forgotten money in a pocket… Very cool.
Read MoreA lot of aloha, a little greek island, a lot of sun, a little sunset, a lot of smiles, a little illusion of happiness…
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