As soon as Christmas hits, everything slows down. It seems the entire world is slowly shutting down to celebrate the holidays with family. Photographic things happen, but a lot less often as they would during the rest of the year.
It is nice for someone living on the road, and ready to pack as soon as they call, to have a it of rest. Seeing the extended family again. Good food, great music and a lot of presents in the physical and metaphysical way.
I worked on New Years Eve. Hitting the clubs, and photographing to fill a complete page with pictures. (The best kind of pages in the paper for a photographer!). But apart from that, it was slow, and slowly the itch came to travel again, and to shoot.
Until yesterday, when I was woken up by ‘The Call’. And there it was, the assignment I was waiting for to start.
It was time to delay the other plans and kick it in high gear. In fact, it was more of a flying start. So at the moment I’m on the train to Antwerp and shoot a brand new Shell gas station. In the meanwhile it’s a good time to photograph a friend’s handmade wood products and catch up with other friends.
A photographer is someone who captures memories and feelings into a picture. And while that’s important, there are some skills that I think are equally important as knowing your camera and knowing how to tell a story. Those are simple: Flexibility and problem-solving.
While everything in your mind will work absolutely perfect and awesome as planned, but then you realise on location that everything will have to be changed on the spot.
One tip: Gaffer tape and zip-ties.
ps: To all a happy new year!
