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.