Hedi Slimane's Photography

Vintage L'UOMO vogue May-June 95

I came across this issue of L'Uomo Vogue. All the fashion stories seem so timeless. The second one by Steven Meisel was his inspiration for the Calvin Klein Ad's and commercial banned back in 96...see my early posting's to see the video :)

UFO

This is not a typical posting you might find from Denny, but last night was not a typical evening and I wanted to share it with you.

While walking the dogs with my boyfriend last night around 7 p.m. we spotted a strange light off in the distance. We were upstate New York in Ulster County. At first the light seemed to be hovering in place. There were no stars visible in the sky yet and the light was too low and immobile to be a plane. Suddenly it began to move up into the air then abruptly made a move diagonally going south. At this point I ran into the house and retrieved my camera. The lights continued to move sporadically. They seemed to travel quickly across the sky then stop and hover at random points. At its closest proximity we saw what appeared to be nine rectangles, almost like windows. We could see the trace of red and white lights appear then fade as the craft disappeared behind the trees.

The pictures are below. I have zoomed in and sharpened them as much as possible.

Damien Weighill and Your Face Blog

Damien had a theory that Real People don't read your blog. So he started YourFaceBlog.blogspot.com. You send him your picture and he will transform it into an illustration, but beware you may end up looking like an alien or animal of some sort. Denny says we love Your Face Blog!

Denny:From your bio I know you were abandoned at birth, deep in the idyllic woodlands of the North East of England where you were adopted by a local clan of Bigfoot. Do you think being raised by a hairy mother and father influenced your desire to transform many of your subjects into animals and aliens?
Damien:Yes, I definitely blame my parents.

How did you come up with the concept for Your face blog?
It really just came out of me not being much good at drawing portraits. When I started the blog I expected a few of my friends would send me their photos, I would get a little practice and then that would be that. The mysterious ways of the internet meant that somehow other people keep on stumbling across the site and know I'm not necessarily any more proficient at drawing portraits but I'm supremely confident at producing inaccurate attempts at capturing people's likenesses.

Why the choice of Tom Selleck as your introductory face?
I've got a worrying obsession with facial hair. Tom Selleck is a hero for obvious reasons.

Each of your illustrations have so much personality. Is there an area of the face that is the key to capturing this?
I'm not sure I know the answer to this one. I try to focus the parts that make each person individual. Quite often the key seems to be in the eyes and mouth. And the if I'm in doubt about anything I just add a huge beard.

Any advice for young Bigfoot’s looking to break into illustration?
I really feel like I'm still learning the ropes myself. I think it's important to have a good idea of the strengths (and weaknesses) of your work and how other people (potential clients) perceive that. Whether it's a distinct style or a certain way of thinking that is unique to you.

Do you now believe real people do read your blog?
I think you could safely say that I'm convinced of that fact now.
http://yourfaceblog.blogspot.com
http://www.damienweighill.com

Ryan Pfluger - Photographer

Ryan Pfluger is and an insightful artist Denny had the privledge of asking interviewing. Denny says one to watch.

Where did you grow up? When did you find your passion for photography? Where did you
study?
I grew up in Flushing, Queens and Long Island. I always enjoyed looking at photography but didn't start photographing until about 5 years ago. I wouldn't have even called myself a photographer until about 3 years ago. I did my BFA in Photography at SUNY New Paltz and my MFA in photography at the School of Visual Arts.

The series called Not Without My Father that you did with your own father is very powerful. You mentioned an estranged relationship between the two of you through most of your childhood. I’m curious what that relationship is like now?
I'm extremely close with my father and he is probably the biggest supporter of my work. The project really brought us together and cultivated our relationship more than I think anything else ever could. To go from a non-speaking relationship to something as special as what we have now is really incredible.

How do you think being gay plays a role in your work?
It's interesting to me, because being gay definitely influences my work tremendously, but my work is about much broader topics and photography itself as a medium. Being gay is just an aspect of me, so it's just an aspect of my work. While in a lot of my portrait work the subject matter is gay men, the photographs are really about relationships in general.

What do you look for in your subjects?
I look for people who are unique. People often tell me I photograph people that look like me, and maybe it's because thats what I am initially attracted to or can relate to since most of my subjects are strangers at first that I cultivate relationships with during photographic sessions. I really can just look at someone and know whether or not they will work for me and my style in front of the camera.

If you could photograph anyone who would that be?
By far it would be Tilda Swinton.

Is Men I’ve Met an ongoing series you continue to work on?
I think it's the body of work that I will never actually stop doing. To me it's like a good beer on a hot day. It's something I always want to do but don't want to be the defining aspect of me as a photographer. Since it was the first real project I started doing, it's become rather special and nostalgic to me.

In your series About a Boy you illustrate largely with self-portraits how “young boys are programmed with ideals and activities they must strive for.” If that series were called About a Gay Boy how might it differ…if at all?
I'm not sure actually. I have never been someone who has defined himself by his sexuality. While there are definitely different issues for gay youth, there is still an ideal expected of all boys as they are growing up. Having to be a masculine man, a provider, being good at sports and so on. I think dealing with my sexuality made me just more emotional about it all. I Felt like there was something wrong with me. Thus going back and looking at my youth, the project helped me deal with certain things that I locked up for awhile.

What advice do you have for other young photographers?
Really really love what you do. There are going to be so many ups and downs along the way that you really need to be secure with yourself and your work. Things kind of fall in place when they are supposed to. I still struggle with it and I've been photographing professionally for a few years now. You always have to remember there is always another photographer who has just as much ambition as you do. You need to understand what makes your work special and really cultivate that. Also, don't be afraid of trying something outside of your comfort zone because it might become something extraordinary.

To see more of Ryan's work go to:http://www.ryanpfluger.com/portfolio/

Dsquared Spring 2010

Dean and Dan Caten designers of Dsquared were inspired by the outdoors this season. The theme of their Spring 2010 collection was a summer camp out. Denny loved it. It was quirky, fun, sexy, and wearable. The styling choices of band aids, eye glasses, various boots and little insects placed over select Speedos gave the presentation wonderful character. They have not reinvented the wheel,but they gave a collection filled with charm. Denny says one of his favorites from Paris or Milan this season.

Markus Bollingmo - Photographer/Artist

We recently came across Markus's work and have fallen in love with it's alluring beauty. It reminds us of early Nan Goldin, but with a refreshing innocence.

Denny: When and how did you discover your passion for photography?
Markus: It is something that came gradually, starting maybe a few years ago. I was always bringing my compact digital camera with me everywhere and somehow I started more and more to do photos that were meant to be more than just a "facebook photo". I also started playing around with doing self portraits.
D: Who are some of the artists you are influenced by?
M: My friend Laurent Delaroziere has taught me a lot of what I know about photography, so for me the obvious answer is him. If you mean more "famous" artists I am not really sure. It would be stupid to say that none have influenced me, but it is not something I have given much though.
D: What inspires you?
M: Many things! Cute sexy boys, beautiful lighting, those people that give off that certain energy, cute kids, street art. They all make me itch to have a camera in my hands.
D: Where are you from? And where do you live now?
M: I am originally from Trondheim, Norway. I lived for a while in Stockholm, Sweden as well, but now I have been in Paris for 2 years.
D: If you could shoot anyone who would that be?
M: That kid of Angelina Jolie, the one with the mohawk...Maddox? He is so cool!
D: There is a beautiful intimacy in your art. Is this intentional?
M: Thank you! It is 100% unintentional.
D: How would you describe your work?
M: No no no don't ask me that. Look the photos and decide for yourself :)
D: Do you always have a camera with you? And what do you shoot with?
M: I am so paranoid that something will happen to my big expensive one (a Canon EOS 5D Mark II), so I don't dare to bring it with me everywhere. I used to have a little compact digital camera for that, but it is broken now.
D: What are you working on now?
M: I am retouching some photos I did today of a Brazilian boy.
D: What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?
M: Use the internet! Without it I wouldn't have been able to do any of this. Use it for getting your stuff out there and use it for learning how to be better. It's such a great resource.

You can see more of his work at:http://markusbollingmo.com/
and on flickr at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/sipho84/

Denny says one to watch!

You Animal!

Denny says make an animal donation.
www.worldvision.org
www.aspca.org
www.worldwildlife.org
www.theanimalrescuesite.com
www.hsus.org
www.thehumanesociety.org
www.petsineed.org

Simply Hats

Denny says guys go get yourself a hat.

Jeffrey Kilmer - Artist

The envoy gallery is a contemporary art space located at 131 Chrystie St in NYC. (http://www.envoyenterprises.com/home.html) “It brings together visual and performing arts, film, video, music, multi-media events, poetry reading, artist talks, publications and aims to provide opportunities for artists to exhibit their work within a context of current national and international practice.” Denny says it's one of the few galleries willing to take risks on unknown artists and it's largely supportive of the gay arts. Love it!


Jeffrey Kilmer recently showed some of his work at Envoy much of which can be seen in his new book called 23% Pure. Jeffrey has a masters in Architecture that can be seen reflected in much of his work as a photographer. His portraits are a glimpse into the youth of today’s society.

You book is called 23% Pure. Tell me how you came up with that title?
There’s no real story behind it. Its abstract. Architectural. It was a “working” title that seemed appropriate to the finished book.

What do you look for in your models?
Authentic, rebellious, skinny but toned, shaggy haired, strong featured, often with tattoos, scars, black eyes, broken noses. Interesting imperfections.

Subjects with tattoos are prevalent in your work, what is it about tattoos you are draw to? Do you have ink of your own?
It seems almost everyone has a tattoo. They are difficult to avoid. People with tattoos often appeared more interesting to me than those without tattoos. When tattoos were a rare occurrence, even just 10 years ago, they seemed more revealing. They told a story and offered clues about the person, the music they liked, etc… But now that tattoos have hit the mainstream they are becoming a little less interesting to me, and often less revealing, but I’m still drawn to certain people who have them.
I have two tattoos. The largest one was taken from an etching from the 1800's. I wanted something that looked “old school”, but also unique. I grew up hunting and fishing in Northern Michigan and Canada as a kid, before Post Punk/New Wave hit me. It’s a reminder of those days outdoors in the forest or on the lake.

You have been educated as an architect. How do you see it playing into you work today as a photographer?
Architecture is a fantastic education for a variety of disciplines. Art, Film, Industrial Design, Graphic Design, Photography.

Talk about your editing process. What is it you look for when choosing your final images?
There were 190 images selected for the book out of thousands. xxxx

What camera do you work with?
I’ve been using Nikon digital cameras over the past 6 years. I began shooting with 35mm film. None of that work made it into the book, due to the cost to digitize the film for print. I’d love to shoot with medium format film, but it’s too expensive.

You travel all around the county gathering your subjects. Where would you most like to visit again?
I find most of the kids via websites such as Myspace. The majority of my paid professional work is photographing architecture and involves travel. If I locate a bunch of interesting kids in a city that I’m scheduled to work in, I’ll try to stay an extra day at my own expense in order to shoot them. I love medium-size cities that are not on the radar, places like Tulsa, Oklahoma or Louisville, Kentucky.
The kids that interest me tend to have a certain moody or rebellious look to them. Perhaps they remind me of my teenage days?! Scars, black eyes, and tattoos tend to make them more interesting to me. The majority of the kids are cool, "creatives," and we often have common interests, such as music or fashion. Many of them become friends over time. We exchange music mix CD's and art via the old-fashioned mail.

What advice do you have for a young photographer?
My advice is to get a good education, take a lot of pictures!
Graduate school isn’t for everyone, but I matured so much there.

Are you planning book two and if so what can we expect from it?
Many of the subjects from Book 1, have been shot several times over the years, beginning when they were 18. Now they are 25. Mature. I’d love a Book 2, to be a series of 8-10 photographs of each subject, shot over a ten year period.

To see more of Jeffry's work or to purchase his book you can go to his web site at http://jeffreykilmer.com/

Denny says He's one to watch ;)