ellipsis…

i shot this a couple of weeks ago for a Vancouver fashion event called Spend On Trend. the event is a weekend show and sale of local Vancouver designers and boutiques, running from August 21-23. these posters will be around the city as well as a whole bunch of handouts that look similar.

here are a couple of behind-the-scenes pictures from the shoot.

i’ve always been a bit hesitant about using social networking to reach EVERYBODY. i have friends and family (including my dad) who try to accumulate as many friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter as they possibly can. it has becomes a status symbol, with the whole “i’ve got more friends that you do” vibe. i’m not saying that social networking is bad, much the contrary. but i’ve always wondered what use 1000 random friends on Facebook would really be. wouldn’t you want 150 good friends who you have a real connection with.

Seth Godin, one of the best marketers on the planet in my books, posted a couple of videos of himself and Tom Peters at an Amex/Open session. one of the videos is on social networking and it’s place in business. he hits the nail right on the head, “networking is always important when it’s real, and it’s always a useless distraction when it’s fake.” give it a watch below, he says it way better than i ever could. the other videos are on blogging, decency, and the fact that no one cares about you. they are all really good, and really short. you can find them here.

tonight was the first of four international firework shows in Vancouver. Canada was up tonight. pretty crazy pyrotechnics.

Robert Benson posted this QBN video of Michael Muller talking about how he got his break. it’s super short, and he’s really candid, and he’s got some good things to say about how your art can lead to commercial work.

Christopher Bates of Ultra Mens Wear

Designer Series is a new personal project that i am starting. i am photographing a series of portraits of local (and hopefully international) fashion designers. Chris is the first.

[update]
a couple more pictures of Chris.

my fantastic new rep loreli posted an interview i did with her earlier this week. interviews are such a funny thing for me when it comes to creativity. trying to explain what goes on in this head of mine isn’t that easiest thing in the world.

who is ian sheh? that is a good question. i wanted to dig a bit deeper and find out for myself, so i decided to have a one-on-one interview him on tuesday, july 7th, 2009. he’s a complex photographer, with ideas always on the go. he has a wide range of influences, and always thinks about showcasing a “grand story told in a simple way”. oh, and how could i forget. he LOVES stracciatella ice cream.

loreli alviz (la): why did you choose to pursue a career in photography?

ian sheh (is): why did i choose a photography. well, as a kid i always had a thing for cinematography, life seems to go by like a film in my head. it still does. i actually almost went to Ryerson for film studies. photography initially was my best creative outlet while studying design; i would take my own images for projects, of friends, of life. even working as a designer, photography was never far from my work. it was a natural progression from design to photography over the years, it just took over my work. i found that photography gave into to my imaginary mind more than design did. the stories and scenes play out much better on film than on paper.

you can find the rest of the interview here.