Midnight Smoke

Midnight Smoke

This picture is the result of a late night shooting session in my backyard, weapon of choice, my Mamiya c220 w/ a flash unit attached to it.

A few months ago, Josie and I were watching TV in my living room and for some reason I decided to drag her outside just after midnight and shoot her. Why not do a little night photography? So, I told her to take off her clothes and just leave her bra and undies, then gave her my jacket with the white leather sleeves. I pulled the jacket down to make it drop off her shoulders, gave her a cigarette, and told her to light it. I remember distinctly how it was really hard focusing because it was completely pitch black outside, and from what I recall I focused on the flame cause it is the only thing I could see. Once I was focused, I snapped the picture because lighting a smoke doesn't take to long and you have to be quick. I was trying to capture the raw, and vulnerable state of an addict getting their fix very late at night. We took a few pictures but this is the one that really stood out, and out of all of them I think this best represents that state of mind.

Just before we finished the roll of film, Josie looks up and sees that one of my neighbours lights had just turned on and then saw someone looking out the window and staring at her. That is when I realized that every time I shot a picture the flash probably went into people's houses because it was so dark outside. So thinking that I just woke up my neighbours, had them see Josie standing outside half naked was probably the best time to wrap up the shoot and so we did. This was my first attempt at using a flash with the Mamiya and trying out night photography.

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

Standing On The Shore

STANDING ON THE SHORE (6/6)

This is the final image of the images that were in the 'Face & Film' photography exhibit. I took this photo kind of discreetly because I didn't know how this guy would feel about me taking a picture of him and his daughters. I found this guy very interesting, he wondered along the beach for probably half an hour talking on his phone the whole time, while his girls just climbed and played on everything on the beach.
There are a lot of things I like about this picture, I'm going to start with the guy's pose. His pose is quite unique, his whole body is in a sort of 'S' curve, and then his one arm matches the placement of the other arm. There's quite a bit of balance in this photograph, if you notice the sky takes up half of the image and the earth takes up the other half. Let's talk about colour, there is balance there too, quite a bit of blue and different kinds and it is balanced with yellow. There isn't the same amount but because yellow is such a strong and bright colour it doesn't take much yellow to balance out the blues. I also love how the guy's shorts has the exact same blue of the sea and exact same yellow of the boat, it almost connects them all. I would also like to point out the almost inter-positioning that takes place with the surf boards and the yellow boat, also has to do with lens-to-object distance. It goes larger white surf board, big yellow boat, and then finally smaller white surf board. It almost creates a sort of linear perspective too.
I'll end with giving you a sort of description of why we were there. It all started with the boys wanting to go windsurfing because they had seen a advertisement in a flyer that said 25 euro(40$) for an hour of windsurfing. They got all hyped up and I drove them to this beach which might I mention was quite far from where we lived, even if it is just an island. We got there and I realized that it was a beach that I had not been to since I was a kid, i remember going to this beach and going horse back riding. Anyways, we get to the windsurfing place and we ask about the cheap windsurfing, but apparently if you have never windsurfed before you have to have a private lesson for half and hour and then you go on your own for the other half an hour. So the boys didn't want to do that, especially since it turned out to be even more expensive. We didn't let that bum us out, so we just relaxed on the beach listened to 'Standing On The Shore' by Empire of the Sun and watched hippie jesus-looking people go by with their butt-naked kids. The end.

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

Walking On A Dream

WALKING ON A DREAM (5/6)

Funny thing about this photograph, I took it just to finish my roll of film, the night before we left from Mykonos to go back to Athens. I had just bought the sunglasses that I am wearing, and after taking night pictures all night, I had one last photo left. I went into the bathroom to see what the sunglasses look like and noticed that the bathroom had this very interesting blue glow that was on the cool side, I guess that's the beauty of fluorescent lighting. I decided to try something and figured since I had one shot might as well use it up. I grabbed my camera, wound the film, flipped it so that the lens was facing me, opened the viewfinder and since its a Mamiya 220 the viewfinder is on the top of the camera so you look down. I tilted the camera so that I could see and focus through the mirror in the bathroom. It was challenging but I got it, I framed myself, fine focused as much as I could, and took the picture. I had to shoot at 1/60 because I was indoors and the light wasn't very bright, which is why the image is motion-blurred but I knew it would turn out like that. I like the fact that it's blurred and the tip of my glasses is the most focused part.

If you examine the reflection in my glasses you can see a lot of different things, the mirror starts where that green beam is, then you can see different soap containers along the bottom of the reflection, and finally you can see me shirtless holding the camera. Also, the reflection of the beam and the white sides on each side make it look like the eyes of a night creature. It was an interesting process but it turned out better than I thought it would. When I was taking this photo, I never thought I would be using it in the show but once I saw it I found it very intriguing. I decided to name this 'Walking On A Dream' because I feel it symbolizes me 'walking' on the dream of being a professional photographer. May sound cheesy but it makes sense to me. It's named after a song by again, Empire of The Sun. You should check it out, I like this song more than 'We Are The People' but that's just me.

Happy thanksgiving!

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

Can You Remember The Human Life?

CAN YOU REMEMBER THE HUMAN LIFE? (4/6)

This photograph was taken on a beach just outside of Downtown Athens, Greece. Now I just want to say straight off the bat that I love the colours in this photograph, they look good together, they feel good together, they compliment each other, and they are just so simple. Anyways, we were on this beach because my sister (Tess Spentzos) was having a test shoot for a movie she is currently working on. I brought my camera with me to take a couple of shots with the film that I had just bought. The funny thing is that my camera happened to be the camera that would be used in the movie by my sister's character, so it was used as a prop during the shoot. While it wasn't being used as a prop, I was taking pictures of the different people we were with. Just before we wrapped up to leave I told my sister to stand by the shore and then I got real low and told her to point into the lens. Now i believe she gave me something special in this shot, her expression is very deep and full of sorrow. When I look at this image it makes me think of our world, how corrupt some things are, the pain different people experience both emotionally and physically. The fact that she is pointing down puts her in a superior position and with the sky being the only apparent background it gives her an almost higher being power, she is a 'goddess' pointing down to humanity. But thats just what I think, maybe you'll see it too if you listen to 'We are the people' by Empire of the sun, that is where this picture get its name from.


All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

Lost In Your Eyes

LOST IN YOUR EYES (3/6)

This is a particularly interesting shot just because of the expression on Graeme's face. It surprises me and Graeme because it is not exactly an 'everyday' Graeme expression. When I first showed Graeme he was thrown back cause he himself thinks he can never make that face ever again. It looks like he is in deep thought or deep emotional pain when really he is just chilling on the front patio of my house in, again, Mykonos, Greece, probably while the rest of the guys are passed out inside. And while we were there just hanging out, i told him not to move and i went and grabbed my Mamiya. I then framed him in my viewfinder, told him to look out into the distance and SNAP. And that was that.. Thats the beauty of photography, you can capture some of the most intense looks, expressions, moments, and have the viewer think one thing when a completely different thing was going on during the shot. Anyways theres not much else i can say about this shot, other than maybe the green cacti in the background that add to the whole feel of the photograph and to his eyes which are green as well, other than that it is what it is.
If you still haven't checked out the song 'We Are The People' by Empire of the Sun, then heres another chance to do so cause this is named after some of the lyrics in the song.

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

Break Your Happy Home

BREAK YOUR HAPPY HOME (2/6)

This photograph was also taken in Mykonos, Greece. Around the same time 'We Are The People' was shot. I love this picture because nothing about it is planned, other than putting my friend 'Dimo' there and telling him to hold a bottle that was a few feet away. It is a true representation of what our summer was like, i mean think about it 7 boys living in a 90 square foot apartment on an Island, it just reaks chaos. It may have been chaotic but we got by, sometimes we'd have people staying over which made it 9 people in that small apartment. It was craziness! The background is so dirty with the cracks on the wall, the little tiny door is off its hinges cause its broken, the gas tank is hanging out, the broom is there cause there was broken glass outside, the body wash is there cause sometimes we'd go and shower by the pool right by the beach, the puddle is water from the air conditioner, everything is just there. So i thought the background fits very well with the lifestyle we had, which was constant drinking, i mean you can put the two and two together. He is feeling hungover and probably still drunk he just doesn't know what's going on, it's not exactly a happy home. Which comes to the reason i called it 'Break Your Happy Home', it's lyrics from the song 'Dance With Somebody' by "Mando Diao", a swedish band. Not only does it fit the picture perfectly it was also one of the songs we listened to while getting ready to hit the town and party!

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

We Are The People

WE ARE THE PEOPLE (1/6)

This photograph was taken in Mykonos, Greece using my Mamiya C220, and Fuji Provia Film. I had my eye on this bus for a very long time and I always wanted to have a shoot there. So when my friends got to Greece from Ottawa and one day we were heading to the beach i pulled over and we went to take a couple of shots. We didnt even plan what they would be wearing but it turned out to be perfect because they are all wearing a different variety of colours and designs. They seemed to blend in very well with the colours that were graffitied on the side of the bus. I just love everything about that bus, its got real character, the smashed windows, the suprisingly full of air tire, everything.

Throughout my trip I discovered some great music that just made my summer happen. This photograph was named after one of the songs by "Empire of the Sun''.

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

The 'Face and Film' art show has come to an end. The last day was on Sunday Sept. 27, and we just took down the photographs last night to make way for the new show. The new show called "Living In The City" looks very interesting, it is displaying the photographic works done by Ottawa's architecture and interior design community. This year's theme is "the Urban Fabric" and will be on starting today (Wednesday Sept. 30th) until October 11th. For more information, please visit the 'A&A Gallery' blog.

Starting today I will be showing you my images that were displayed in our 'Face & Film' show.

Greece Panoramas

In Greece, I didn't just relax I also took pictures. Most of the pictures I took were with my Mamiya medium format film camera because I was concentrating on the photographs for the 'Face & Film' show and didn't take much digital. However, in that little bit of digital I shot, were multiple pictures of Mykonos Island. Which were then stitched together to create these panoramas.

Mykonos is an island in the Aegean Sea where my summer house is located. It is also where I took 5 of the 6 gallery pictures displayed at the 'Face & Film' Art show at the Arts & Architecture Gallery(1181 Bank st).

Just a reminder that the show is still on till September 27th, which is this Sunday so if you haven't checked it out you have 5 days!

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

'Face & Film' Opening Night

Thank you to everyone that came out on Friday night for the Opening of 'Face & Film', your support means a lot. Lots of people came out, and everything went well. Hope you enjoyed yourself and had a great night! Don't forget that the show is still on till Sept. 27th, so for those that weren't able to make it, you've got 20 days to check it out! @1181 Bank St.

Mediterranean Cuisine

While in Greece, i got to taste some very delicious dishes. One of the main reasons I look forward to going to Greece every year is the many dishes that I grew up with and are not available in Canada and are just so good. Here is a shot of one of the best bruscheta I have ever had, the mozzarella is straight from Italy, with delicious juicy Greek tomatoes, and to take it down we have a bottle of the finest Grappa. Enjoy..



Mmmmm.... shrimp pasta! Me and my friends went out for dinner in Mykonos, one of the last nights there. This gorgeous looking plate of pasta was indulged by Steve, judging by this picture and his face after he was done, it was really good!

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

Athens on fire

Three days before I left Athens to come to Ottawa, a massive fire broke out. The fire started in Marathon, which is a 45 minute drive from my house, so you can imagine how far away the fire started. Within 30 hours the fire had reached my neighbourhood, putting my house, and family in danger.
In past years we have had a car of ours burnt and it was parked just outside my house, we also had a tree in our front yard burned down. This year we were lucky no one was hurt and our property was not damaged. Some people were not so fortunate and had their properties and fortunes burned to the ground. The two cars above were literally parked within 100 feet from my house. We even had to lend our neighbour our hose because the back of his house was on fire.
When i was packing my bags, it was pitch black because the power lines were burned so we had no electricity and we did not have a telephone line either, i had to pack in candle light.
23 kilometers of land were torched to the ground, sad thing is, happens every year.

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

Face and Film - Art Show

It's been a very long time since I posted something, so hopefully this post will make up for it.
Jen Allison, Thomas Dagg, Melissa Ade, and I are having an art show at the Arts & Architecture Gallery in Old Ottawa South. The show will run from Sept. 2nd - Sept. 27th, opening night will be on September 4th so I hope to see everyone there! Come out, have a drink, and check out some great photographs! I've seen them all ;) hehe

Just got back from Greece so I'll be posting more, shortly. Stay tuned.

Demo & Oliver

My friends Demo and Oliver came by my house last week to have a drink before going out. There was still enough light so i took a picture of them, Demo enjoying a drink and Oliver smoking a rolled cigarette.

All images © Christos Spentzos 2009. These images may not be used without written permission under any circumstances.

120 Film

Since buying my Mamiya 220 ive been shooting black and white film rolls steady. I tried a colour roll but I found the colours not very powerful and I just ended up converting them to black and white and they looked a lot better. My film choice is the Ilford Delta ISO 400 Professional 120 BW Film. And as i prepare to embark on my trip to Greece I have to buy supplies. As you can see one of those things is the 180mm lens i recently purchased which can be seen below. But i also bought 10 rolls of film - 5 rolls of the Ilford Delta ISO 400 & 5 rolls of the Ilford Delta ISO 100 - because it is quite sunny in Greece.

New lens for Mamiya + Street Photography

Just yesterday i purchased a 180mm f/4.5 Mamiya Sekor lens. Today i was able to go out and shoot using my new lens with Thomas Dagg. We walked around and shot some street photography. You'd be suprised at how many different kinds of people you will see. The thing is you wouldnt normally notice them unless you had a camera in your hands. Also, i found that if you really want a shot of someone all you have to do is ask, theres no harm in asking. Me and Thomas asked a bunch of people if we could take their photo and most of them were more then happy to model for us.

Got my spark of film back

This past year i learned a lot about different photographers that changed and shaped the world of photography. The cameras they used were some of the best cameras ever made, sturdy almost built like tanks, and had amazing image quality. When i found a Mamiya C220 TLR for sale, i knew i had to have it, and when i went to see it i just fell in love with it. Bought it instantly! Best $300 i ever spent.

Messing around

Heres a picture i took of my brother while i was in my backyard BBQing.

Became a blogger

Well, I finally decided to start a blog, i thought i would never become a blogger but things change. Plus, it will be a good way to keep up with my trip to Greece this summer. It will help organize and document the different people and places that i will be photographing, as well as keep people informed.