RETANGOLO

Previously on 24 (15.01.09)

in the pic: snowboard crash, or... discovering what magazines really are made for

The following takes place between...

17.59.58 I'm sitting in a bar in a typical swiss village sending out a series of 8 pictures of the ski camp with disabled people I'm doing up here as instructor... to the world press contest. It's always an exciting experience having a deadline to respect in strange situations. Wireless is working so so. That's why I can write two lines on the blog while sipping my beer... Cheers!

18.29.59 It didn t work and I didn t want to spend any more money so I m sitting in a Toyota Jeep (our cook led me), only the macbook enlightening the darkest night ,next to a hotel where I found a free whireless spot by driving around. If it was an American serial TV action drama , broadcasted by Fox, it would look rock and roll: reality is just complicated and cold hehe! Now I have to go back to the warm chalet ,to my disabled friends, for dinner.

22.38.00 Jack Bauer back in thw freezing car parked outside a hotel. Chloe O'Brian (Julien Gregorio) just called from a bar in Geneva, a bit sad but fun. World Press still not working. Cold. Captions going crazy. I m going to cry :.(

24.00.00 It finally worked after editing correctly the dates in the captions My legs are freezing and the computer's battery empty. You can see the 8 pictures on my official site...

a video to this link (HERE)

RADIO/VIDEO (04.10.08)

SSM GAZETTE out this days. Cover and a black and white photo reportage, without journalistic text, on 6 pages. A PAYED assignment done at the IFA messe in Berlin.

ROCK AND ROLL TRAIN (03.10.08)

Even travelling by train from one swiss languistic region to the other I do wedding postproduction on my macbook. I'm overwhelmed with stuff to do. My eyes hurt bacause of the screen. But it's a nice period and a lot of things happen without really wanting it... and again I've seen the friends I really care about and wich whom everything has the taste of a great adventure.
I also have taken, during this days, the decision to quit the collective Strates, for reasons I don't need to mention here. I hope now that I'll concentrate definitely more on shooting my projects in Berlin and eventually rebuild the relations with Milan, closing a bit more the door to an eventual confortable swiss life. I have learned a lot of things recently and I would like to take the entire responsability for everything happening to me, without wishing and hoping for agencies to find clients or for someone selling my pics... I will get back to the simple pleasure of telling stories with my camera, connecting sincerely with the subjects, and simply let the energy flow freely... without great expectations, just for the true pleasure.

photos © www.thierrygrobet.com

Ho-ney! what do you do for "photo-graphy" :)

THE END OF THE LINE (19.10.08)

photo © igor ponti (perpignan 08)

Never before I spent so much days one after the other working constantly that much: postproducing all the things I've done since july! I spend all my time in front of a computer (it's scary)... I just hope that at the end of this all, some money will be there to invest in a personal project, in a trip to somewhere: in a reportage.
I see the number of visits on this blog getting higher and higher but the reactions to my new site are coming from just a few friends (I appreciate so much). I did cancel all informations about my identity from the blogspot profile but still by searching my name on google you'll find this place. And that's not good at all. So I want to start a new retangolo from zero (probably because I like the idea of a reto's perspective, angle, corner and cubby) But for what? I guess just in case of travelling again, I really loved to write about the trip to the west bank and the feedbacks where cool. Or maybe I should just switch the blogging thing definitely down. I won't even ask what some of you think about: it's no use, I guess.
News about my activity, about my location, are to be found on my home page and the one picture you were seeing sometimes realated to each post is there too... Just it's not that fun anymore. And I can't see how many visits I have and if somebody "gives a ph..oto". But thanks to those passing by occasionally! We'll keep in touch anyway! I just don't want this part of my thoughts to be found on google anymore...

IT S REALLY SCARY! i created a retangolo gm"ecs" dot net mail adress. my real name mentioned Anywhere. wanted to create a retangolo2 bloxpot blogg and the names they suggested, even the name appearing then as author!, where related to my real name (not mentioned anywhere) or "menefoto"... whatever we do on the wweb from a specific computer's ID leaves traces wich are kept. That's why by searching my name on the google you'll constantly find the stupid stuff too. I guess retangolo has to be shut down. But I'm not very happy with that idea... suggestions bout how to clean the web behind us? going to internet cafes?

My personal professional web page is almost ready!!!
No official announcement has been done yet and, before, I would like you, my blogging friends, to check the site and give your professional opinion... (as a comment here, even anonymous, or by writing an e-maill).

This is very important to me... Thank you very much!!!

link to the page by clicking (HERE)

EMPTY WALLS (22.08.08)

©julien gregorio / strates (HUG)

My site isn't ready yet. My agenda looks wired. I have a lot of postproduction to be done still... too much.

I discovered having an exhibition in Geneva, at the hospital (see picture). An assignment I got thanks to Julien, back in June, became apparently a show wich makes the kids (sick and probably bored) happy... My name isn't there, nobody cares. And somehow that reminds me what it all should be about, doing photography. I like it. I like the idea.

Wich makes me think about the exhibition my Palestinian pics will have at the end of october in Morbio (POSTPONED TO FEBRUARY), at a vine producer's cave... I really hope that this show will happen and I'm very excited, and I hope it will be more about the subject than the author of the pictures. Let's see...

Now I really have to focus on photoshopping and mailwriting. I have some more weddings to shoot and I'm very happy having taken the decision to go to the "Visa pour l'image" festival in Perpignan in september. I will try to focus more on the pictures wich are shown that on portfolios and agencies... I'm happy beeing more relaxed about all of this. It has probably something to do with the fact that I have some assignments (some are interesting, some really not) and that keeps my brain occupied. It has to do with summertime. But also with a general attitude wich I try to work on. ;)

Will I see some of you in Perpignan for a couple of beers? Would be nice!

PARDOn (080808)

From the 6th until the 16th of August I will be in Locarno at the International Film Festival.
Since Aglaia is here too and working at the "Teatro Pararvento" and since the artist wich is officially exhibiting has left a free wall in the VIP zone... I took the chance and exhumed 5 prints of my "army" series, wich most of you know. Now they are to be seen by a new public...

This year I again have the chance to work for some nice clients: for the press but also for a prestigious company I worked for allready last year... and this time I will not act stupid and I will keep the details of my photographic adventures top-secret! No more counterproductive blogging! But hope having soon a web page to show you...
And: the peacechairs - the still unsold ones - are to be seen also at the Teatro Paravento during the Festival, and can be bought. The money would help children in Chechenia.
Infos (HERE)

JODL&ROLL (29.06.08)

29.06.2008 Punk holds a souvenir image of himself at the jodlerfest. His head having been digitally added to traditional clothes.

Reportage from the Jodlerfest by retangolo & julien: click (HERE)

Backstage images of two photographers on a mission: click (HERE)

Infos about Jodlerfest (HERE)

EMERGENCY (21.06.08)

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 21.06.08, p.57

See a slideshow of pictures by clicking (HERE)

This morning, in shorts and sunglasses, I went to the Kiosk buying the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. It has been the first (press) job I had through Strates agency (thanks to Julien), the first job for the NZZ and a real reportage assignment (wich becomes rare), even if the event to report last only a couple of hours. I am happy with the pictures, the agency was happy and the picture editor too... I could not wait to be sitting somewhere having a cappuccino: I searched for the page walking into people. Looking at it I had thoughts about the colors, the editing, as usual... but then remembered to be happy. Some 160.000 copies are sold per day, and they estimate having 308.000 readers... It's saturday. A sunny day. People will take a short look at the paper on a terrasse, sipping their coffees, and throw it in the garbage (eco recycling separated save the earth compost amazonian tree help garbage, of course). And still I'm happier that way thanhaving an exhibition, and I am more motivated running for an assignment than for a personal project. Now I sit. Waiting to see what will happen next.

(18.06.08)

So many things to say. I'm so impressed about a lot of things, again. I really do appreciate a lot your comments on the last post. It has given me motivation. Thank you! I'm impressed about people I met expecting new posts on this blog, some comments telling not to shut the blog down. I shall keep on writing down my own business.

I'm in Geneva since a week now. The weather has been grey until today. The Euro08 soccer thing is just a big nothing. I spent the last days in my buddy Julien's appartment, toghether with his girlfriend and their one year old son. And I am sooo impressed about this school times's friend having given life to a new guy walking on earth. It looks hard. it looks wonderful. Until now I had one assignment and the person helping me most, accomplishing the task, was Julien. Not happy he is sahring some work with me. A thing today. Another tomorrow. And what could I be else than Impressed.

Thierry came back from Mexico City, from his dream assignment. Something is alive down here in clean switzerland! But I still wonder if I will come "back" to Switzerland... It's SO expensive!!! The appartments, the food.... life. But there is work. And when I have a bit of work I smile. I walk through life full of energy. I feel strong enough to go back to berlin and kick asses. But I somehow suspect that I will fall again. It's about seasons, also. It's about the weather. Friends. It's about friendship. Is it about photography?

West Bank pics to be seen again by clicking (HERE).

Same pics but new link.