Bartolomy’s Diary

Here’s Elina Mitrafanova @ Take 2 Models.
They are not finished yet…..
Hair and make-up: Shelly Manser-Cavanaugh
Styling: Alicia Aimee

My leg is stiff and my elbow hurts and therefore I have had to give tonight’s show a miss, something I was looking forward to.
I have been doing more photoshopping and tons of paperwork, it keeps me in the chair and that’s when I hardly realise I am in pain.

Most of the printwork is ready to go but as I am leaving next week I will wait with the big PR (h8 that word) offensive straight after Easter.

I saw 300 last night and what a waste of time this was, it’s your typical Hollywood slosh, it’s polished, even the bloody scenes look just too beautiful and the narration just got on my tits.
Had the violence been Iraqi style then people would have walked out the cinema puking (can’t think of better PR actually…..).
I have been told that it is based on a true story…..myth is more like it……just like the bible….yahda yahda yahda…

Pop quiz: what do Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common??????
dogemasehtpihsrowllayeht……………that ought to keep yer braincells going….

Earlier tonight I saw Pan’s Labyrinth which was a work of art, definately the best flick I have seen this year sofar, the production was great, so were the computer grafix and the acting was just a joy to watch, and the violence was graphic but well dosed, the audience is being treated like an adult instead of 300 which just takes the piss, coz evil forces of marketing and accountants rule what goes, and goes not………P.L. is an excellent film watch it.

I am buried in paperwork, financial this, financial that it bores the living shit out of me, but it has gotta be done.

Been doing a few bits photo wise, retouching and such and trying to update some knowledge regarding websites/galleries and such.

Also peeked at the new thingies Photoshop CS3 will have, bottomline, any schmuck can be become a so so photographer anytime/anywhere…..the software makes certain things so easy it’s just not funny anymore. The rot has already started to set in a few years ago and it will only get worse.

Went for run yesterday and drifted away while running so much that I forgot to lift my feet when there was a corner of a pavement tile sticking up, I fell forward like no other (right in front of half a dozen kids).
Left knee and right elbow are heavily bruised, right hand a little…..I’ll live but actually I should sue the council

Doing a few gigs over the next seven days at 93 Ft East, Metro and Soho Review then it is of to Holland for a quick Easter break.

I started to work on a shot of Amira from 3 weeks ago, it is a nightmare to retouch this type of stuff, very time consuming as well.
It aint done yet, some point this week it will be though.
Hair & make-Up: Olivia Ferrer
Styling: Alicia Aimee
Model: Amira Ahmed @ Take 2

Holland was a rather quick experience, landed in the morning on Monday at Rotterdan airort, my brother Eric picked me up and we went straight to my mom’s house which is in the east of Holland, Vriezenveen, to pick her up and shoot of to the building where Hans was, we spent about 40 odd minutes there; where anyone who wanted to “say” their goodbyes could do this. Must say he looked loads better than my dad, who I remember I took some shots of, haven’t touched those shots since taking them, maybe one day……
After this there was thye cremation ceremony, this is where there were more people and this was about the quickest ceremony I have ever been to….it lasted not even ten minutes!!!!!! One simple goodbye read out, three songs and bon voyage……………..
Must sort out a full on programm for when I bite that bullet ;). One thing is for sure, Mercyful Fate’s “A Corpse Without A soul” will have to be played when I lie there.

I have been photoshopping yesterday and today, sending the files to Mustafa @ Aydin Colour, quite a lot of music stuff I had to do, managed to get a nice set of shots in just three months.
I have manipulated some of ‘em …

Met Alicia Aimee for lunch and had a discussion over our next shoot for a magazine which hopefully will be done the weekend after Easter, it should be really good. A strong idea, streety and graphic….you’ll see

I am leaving for Holland for my uncle’s funeral, I am back Tuesday eve.

Here’s Colin Forbes done proper…..

I am going to Holland Monday morning for 2 days to my dad’s brother Hans Kamp’s funeral, he died Tuesday eve and just over one year after my dad passed away, he was 3 years younger, smoked all his life and paid the price accordingly…..a fucking tragedy.
Tuesday I am doing stuff for ebay etc. My mum wants to get rid of some of my dad’s collections (mags, books, slides etc.).

The Mexicolas are playing Tuesday eve @ the Barfly and I don’t know whether I will make it to their gig.

Colin Forbes showed up on time and was most pleasant to work with, easy needed just over 5 mins to take the shots that I wanted.

During the talk I took a few, by request of Michael Czerwinsky with my flash to accompany a future podcast, something I did not like doing as the ceiling was rather low and it proved to be a bit full on, especially for the anal retentive wench on the 2nd row who told me “it was quite distracting” during the talk, normally I address a matter like that appropriately (meaning I will tell you to fuck off) but like my missus always says, “one door closes and another one opens”, so I started to shoot without and blurred away, and basically shot what I wanted to shoot, there are a couple of decent blurs which I shall post.
So in hindsight I should thank the wanker, but still would have loved to have a go @ her ……….
The portraits I am going to work on in Photoshop first as I need to create a universal look which will have to be repeated over the next 18 mths, I am not sure whether I will stick to color or go for black and white.
We shall see.
I still have the beauty from a few weeks ago which I have barely touched these past weeks.

I have a meeting with Teiiji the make-up artist (who did the “It was the wind that did it” shoot) to discuss a new project.

Well well, it seems that my PC is not that buggered after all, after talking to a few peeps and trying/testing a few things out it is the old dodgy graphics card that needs replacing, I have just been to PC world where they wanted 50 quid for a new one, as if I am going to fork that kind of money out for an old box like that (bought in 2001). Gateway UK quoted 35 so me thinks I can find one for a score Just gotta find out where…

Anyways, I am getting my kit ready to go to the Design Museum to take a portrait of Colin Forbes, of Pentagram fame, he is 79 and is holding a talk there tonight.
He doesn’t show much in the UK anymore so it will be a privelige to make a nice shot of him.

Taken at 5pm today in Brick Lane while having a chat.

I could mention that I am up for jobs but…..I prolly jinx it anyways coz things have been canceled/delayed whatnot for the upteenth time that I will only mention things after they have happened….

My Internet pc has gone belly up and am using my Photo PC for i.net, somehing Iam not keen on doing but am sadly forced to do, for now.

I saw White Light Parade (Danny Yates - Lead Guitar & Lead Vocal, Jono Yates - Rhythm Guitar & Backing Vocal, Nici Todd - Drums, Tom Emmett - Bass Guitar) last Fri. eve @ Metro on Oxford St.
Great little club with an excellent soundsystem and stage, a place like Nambucca could learn a thing or two from this…
Good show too, sadly I will miss their next gig when they are down here.
I took some quick shots in front of the Center Point and then also on an island on Tottenham Court Rd., the whole thing lasted about ten mins. I love the pix, it came together nicely. The Busses that passed by actually brushed Tom (bassplayer)………..they were a bit apprehensive doing this, next time we’ll do it like I did with the Impersonals on a busy railway line

On the way back I snagged a couple snogging on the Victoria Line, thanks to Terri

WHITE LIGHT PARADE @ METRO

The show itself was ok, although I thought it lacked serious presentation from the band, then again a place like Nambucca is hardly inspriring.

Some shots

ST. JUDE@ NAMBUCCA

I did not go last night due to stomach trouble, soon I will have a camera up there (great shots they will be……), yanno where

Tonight I am of to Nambucca with Terri to see and shoot Saint Jude again and tomorrow eve it’s White Light parade who are coming to town again and then it’s of to see Nick Jones for his 40th.

Meanwhile I am playing with the beauty images from last week, I am not sure what I am going to do yet, I am toying with solarisations and such, you’ll see in due course.

Went to Waterrats last night, to shoot a few bands. I mainly came for Scouting For Girls (funny name), whose music I am not particulary a fan of but the entertainment factor was rather high, on top of that the confidence and the jokes of singer & keyboard player Roy were a joy to watch. It was evident the majority of the crowd had come to check them out as follow up bands The River and 6 day Riot had to do with roughly half of that amount. A good gig and a very promisisng band inded.

SCOUTING FOR GIRLS @ WATERRATS

Afterwards I took a quick bandshot across the road and then took a few shots of 6 Day Riot (Tamara Schlesinger: lead vocals, guitar, ukulele, chord organ, glock, Soren Bonke: lead guitar, vocals, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, accordion, John Beyer: double bass, guitar, Daniel Deavin: drums, percussion) as well.

6 DAY RIOT @ WATERRATS

Tonight I am at the Soho Review bar.

Sunny day today, then again most days lately started sunny for it to piss down like no other a while later.

I am doing 4 gigs this week, one tonight at Waterrats (Scouting For Girls), tomorrow at the Soho review bar a couple of bands, a very nice venue, Saint Jude at Numbucca and White Light Parade in the westend.

Then I am still editing the beauty from last week.

I have also updated the showbiz section at my portfolio (linked at the top right of this page).

Last Saturday eve Terri and I went to see Kaputt and Joanna and the Wolf @ Enterprise in Chalk Farm on a new club night called No One Died.
The pub is is a nice building and has a very lively atmosphere, what sucks tho is the lighting (I can keep on about this and I will ) and on top of that someone forgot to hire a soundsystem (which these days doesn’t cost that much) as the sound of both bands is simply dreadfull, whoever is in charge of this deserves 20 lashes………
Terri and I arrive late mainly due to my indecisiveness whether to go or not to go, and we manage to see Kaputt for two songs, so did not shoot that many pix, I am going to try and cover them when they play for XFM on the 17th.

KAPUTT @ ENTERPRISE

Joana and the Wolf, who I had seen at the Luminiare 6 weeks prior, put on an excellent show, and I came home with some great pix.
Shot them offstage quickly after, great band.

JOANA AND THE WOLF @ ENTERPRISE

The Portfolio exhibition at the AOP gallery was a succes, Ben Bruges brought his film camera and started to interview me, now I did not have a problem with it but the microphone just underneath my chin sorta put me of, it was weird and kept distracting me and I kept starting my answers with “eh……………”
Afterwards the four of us went out for a bite to eat at An Lock on Kingsland Rd. which was very nice.

Today more beauty, and I will have to do some serious photoshopping over the next few days…..

Tomorrow I am shooting Kaputt and Joanna and The Wolf again, and actually I am looking forward to my day off on Sunday………then again there is plenty of stuff left to do.

Last night was a good gig at 93 Feet East, I managed to arrive late but as the bands insisted on using their own drumkit it got all delayed so I managed to see almost the entire set, it was only coz I got pulled away to shoot Cheap Hotel in their dressing room
I was well impressed by Story One (Tom Evans - Vocals/Violin, Barny Barratt - Guitar, Gerald Youna - Bass & Guitar - Mike Woolf - Drums), their material is very good and they got an excellent crowd response. Check them at thru myspace, or their website where they are giving away their album for free……

STORY ONE @ 93 FEET EAST

Cheap Hotel (Anna Calvi - Vocals, guitar, Ulli Mattsson - Bass andGregg Braden - Drums) were on next and they also got a great response, on top of that they are a great band to photograph, great moves.

CHEAP HOTEL @ 93 FEET EAST

Today I am shooting beauty with Olivia Ferrer doing the hair and make-up, I am midway doing this, and then later on it’s of to the Association Of Photographers gallery for two hours of schmoozin’