Another massive hands-down to Susan and Sergej of "HejVite" in Sweden, where I got to spend a whole week on a brand shoot. The two of them just let me experience a whole new take on the idea of a workation, in the space they're creating there. In this house, with their good food, with the animals wandering through the garden, right on the lake. It was a real first taste of the principle of how work can feel not draining, but nourishing. And so a truly huge inner invitation grew in me — simply to create beautiful things and put them out there and step out into it, which for me is something fairly special. And so it wasn't only my own expectation — even though of course you'd somehow planned it, you're here now for a brand shoot, you're supposed to capture and work through this, this, this and that — but somehow, out of such a lovely shared flow over that week, it turned out that in the end both my own expectations and the two of theirs were massively exceeded. And in the end it became a win-win-win-win-win situation for all of us. It was endlessly beautiful. Anytime again. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your energy, for the space you're creating there. Again and again. Merci. www.hejvite.com
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'You're coming to the festival, right? Can we do an little video for my new website?' Loving the festival, loving Ava, loving Cacao, how could I refuse?
The BGO da! is a cooperative in a very special area in the alps, specifically in South Tirol in northern Italy. It is an association of traditional agricultural farms of all kinds, all with the main objective 'good life for everybody'. And everything starts with the food. Pesticide free food! Often grown and processed within socially integrating structures, locally marketed in all of nature’s forms, colours, tastes, smells. It is a connection of incredibly inspiring people, often rather young, with high standards for themselves and for this society.
Random encounter in Costa Rica, living in neighbouring bungalows in the jungle: an american singer-songwriter and a german photo-videographer: 'Hey I'm about to finish my album that i will be recording in the studio soon and will release my favourite song as single. I'd love to do a little live video for it featuring some of this amazing nature here!' Well, yes, of course, me too! This encounter and request actually reminded me of my almost forgotten passion and connection to music and how much i enjoyed moving, observing, capturing in silent moves around the main actor. Thank you for this amazing little project, I loved and still love it!
A radiant person we first met at the theatre festival in Isny. A long time later, a new contact — including the news that she has breast cancer. With her partner and two small children on a beautiful farm, helping to shape a free school among other things. Alongside it, a colourful sewing studio where LEBENSLUST-full clothes come to life, because life is simply beautiful. When she asks whether we could do a little fashion shoot, of course I say yes! Outside at her favourite swimming lake, on the jetty among the reeds, my wife joining in, the dresses swinging, playing with the cloud reflections in the water — wonderful… …later, a meeting at a hidden stream. ‘Can we do it again?!’ Of course… but quickly… only half an hour of light left. And again the two women in the water, splashing, diving, having fun. And now, with the light almost gone — might as well lie right in, no? In the dress?! Of course… they’ll dry again… splash!! Yeeees… that’s how you do Lebenslust, the sheer joy of life! Thank you for your Hanna!
Music in the full bloom of its experimentality — mechanics and electronics playing together, responding to each other, taking over from one another. Cables and knobs and faders alongside strings, resonating bodies, effect pedals and a loop station… A little fireworks of experimental music, and an honour to actually get to play along, right there in the middle of the stage! THANK YOU!
A heart-business project through and through, from the very start. That’s how a branding, colours, a logo come into being — in a shared flow and shared creativity, ‘on the side’, while listening, chatting, inspiring each other. Branding, website, and then content too. Intimate content. In a very personal space. With people who don’t usually stand in front of a camera for a shoot. And here they show themselves anyway, let themselves fall for the photos. A recipe for that? If there were one, it would only be the honest, awake, innocent, unprejudiced being-THERE together, that builds the trust — and the daring — a shoot like this needs. ;)
A feature portrait of our friend Keyiona C. Stumpf — her work, her presence, in one exhibition. A collaboration with a violinist who improvised her own interpretation of Keyiona's work over my video of the show. It set off all my 'thin spaces' triggers — the place where the magic happens: three artists making something together, each one potentiating the others' work into an interwoven realm of flow, emotion, expression, silence, fulfilment.
Getting to stroll around one of the most amazing and iconic places for climbing with a bunch of top-notch climbers? It was definitely hard to having to stick to the camera instead of just cragging with them, but then also probably i wouldn't have had much of a mission in the routes we went to, even if it looked mostly super relaxed... hahaaa... yeahyeah... What a bunch of amazingly relaxed down to earth guys'n'gals so amazingly strong and playful on all kinds of rock! Huuuuge pleasure to be out there with them!!
This was definitely one of the most interesting locations that was allowed to set foot on. The glass and tarpauline part of the roof of the munich airport. Every time I'm there now there is this little proud look up with the silent voice 'I've been up there! Yeah!'
'The printing deadline is in ....n...coupleof...nnn... soooon, but we only have this sample here. Can you photoshop something?!' Was sometimes the call. Not always, right, still so often that it got burnt in somehow. But then also i enjoyed this 'excuse' to go hide and focus in the little photo-box that we had with some fishing-line, a box of coat-hangers, paper-clips, and yes, some proper photo-equipment as well... true. The harness had three different colors, the leg-loops were too small and wrongly coloured, so i shot the other harness for the leg-loops, the rope loop was something totally different, and then i would be beautiful if this webbing could be playing up in the air somehow! Yeah-riiight... getting this angle etc right was... well... nevermind, it worked out somehow. Still a bit proud of it i have to admit... ;)
The further un-folding of Living Vinyasa — through the love of truth that runs through everything (Sanskrit: SATYATA) — into a new form, colour, image and brand for my wife. The queen e-merges from her cocoon and learns to fly, deeply rooted and softly dancing all the while. Thank you for this shared flow that we get to translate into forms like these, again and again!
Discovering those special places is one of the big treats being allowed to live with this woman / girl / lady / racoon / queen...
'Let's go out in the morning before we meet the others for breakfast and do something really really special in the tide pools! Just the two of us... Let's play and get wild. ;)'
The most striking feature when meeting Benno in the kitchen af a 'random' Bed and Breakfast for the first time were his eyes that looked so familiar... 'Hi, Simon, do I know you from somewhere...?!' - 'Hi, I'm Benno, not sure, what do you do, where are you about?' A bit later it was a silent 'oh man... so embarassing... assuming that i know him from somewhere, didn't recognize him, etc-blaBla' No harm done, getting to know him a bit more was incredibly inspiring and funny. I made more than happily the test-bunny for a public reading that he had to give shortly afterwards, closing my eyes, enjoying his wonderfull deep narrators voice in a private space. And when after a little content shooting for the place we were living at he asked me 'I like your observation style, I'd need a couple new portrait shots' I was a bit nervous and star-struck, but YES, of CouRsE I'll do it! After a little tour through the farm (in white sneakers) from grass to chicken shack to barn to garage we found our favorite background to play with and basically had a good time with amazing outcome... Thanks a lot Benno, love you, anytime again!
When spending time together on regular beach strolls ideas jump from head to head and eventually form into pictures. Into a new perspective onto oneself, onto ourselves, onto our surroundings when we go and play with it... ...or when we have to accept that it also play with us and it's hard to plan and time the shooting in a way to get stuff done before we get washed. Or we just surrender to the washing and go and have fun with it. This one was immense fun! Thanks you from all my heart! ;)
With friends, especially if they as close as those two, it's really special going for a shoot. Such shoots do have their very own highlights and challenges. Resistances, shame, shamlessness, unconditional fun and experimentality all in one pot, bouncing between us, always holding and supporting each other on the various levels. Mainly having fun, dancing in the light, learning and growing together on every occasion on manymanymany loving levels!
Surfing in Guiones, Nosara, for a few months. So many shining, beautiful people — among them Wylie Bee, living in a hut belonging to the ex-German 'Lotus', working on commission on two huge paintings: a lion and a shark, two archetypal figures that mean a great deal to a person. For Wylie, a dream is coming true. Until now she'd worked mostly digitally; now, big physical PAINTINGS on two canvases that fill almost the whole side of the hut. In Costa Rica, on the beach, with some of the best waves in the world right under her nose every day… One day she comes up to me and says: 'I need you with the camera. I'm delivering the paintings and I'd like it documented.' Of course — an honour. A few days before, I drop by to see what's waiting for me. I watch her lay down a few brushstrokes, we chat easily, I take a few photos. Suddenly she's sitting between the two pictures, looking at them, and says: 'Wow, oh God, I think I'm done…' A step back, silence, tears begin to flow. Over the completion, over the size of the work — outside and within. What a wonderful, moving moment to be allowed to witness. A thin space, straight out of the book. Between the worlds, connecting universes, joined with one's own divinity. Truly THERE.
A shooting with Anja would definitely be as outside as possible, especially as she is living in the Allgäu with its mountains, rivers, waterfalls that she is so connected to. The dog Enzo strolling around and sneaking into pictures quite some time we're always playing with the elements, their transcendence, their thin layers, our thin layers.
My Story: 'Hey Simon, I heard you're in the area... I'd need some pictures for a Magazine cover rather soon, do you have an hour spare time this week?' This was about the briefing that i got... no idea what's happening, what the deal was, what the expectations were. When she told me it was for a cover of an big UK Yoga Magazine I was a bit intimidated in the beginning, not only due to the given timeframe. But then, why not?! So I came to her place, spent half an hour strolling around in her garden, spotting some scenes while she got 2 outfits and then we just went for it... ...and were equally surprised about each other how easy going, quick, flowing and relaxed it was. Even more after reviewing the results we were both happily surprised about each others efficiency given the circumstances. I'd do it again! Kesaris' Story: I've already had the pleasure of having two photo shoots with Simon. Once for the cover shoot of the biggest yoga magazine in England. Working with him was highly professional and yet very relaxed. With his calm, friendly manner, Simon manages to make you almost forget about the camera. You feel more like you are at a meeting with a friend and wonderful pictures are created along the way. I can particularly recommend Simon to people who are not used to being in front of the camera. Many thanks to you, Simon.
Brigitta's Flowfarm, looking out over the Stelvio Pass, quickly became a place close to my heart — above all because of the people. Lending a hand at every turn: abseiling down to clean the windows, gathering plums and turning them into juice, making breakfast for guests, enjoying the view, fixing winter heating failures by diagnosis over the phone, building the website, tending the garden, chopping wood, nursing two little kittens back to health, photographing the rooms, a portrait shoot with Benno Fürmann — the usual... A place of transformation, inside and out, that the indescribable energy ping-pong ball Brigitta has built there as the home she chose for herself.
Kismet means something like providence — fate. For Terry and Lizzy these houses were exactly that for their plan to leave the US: a twist of fate that let them live their dream. We’d met at the yoga retreat with Shiva Rea, liked each other, stayed in touch — ‘we could use some help here’… whaaat, yes, of course, gladly! This is where we came back to after Guatemala. As different people and in a different mode, sure, but here too it was a wonderful time that gifted us a few wonderful contacts — ones we’d meet again in Guatemala and the US ;)
This noble place with direct view onto the lake Starnberg near Munich does have a unique relaxing atmosphere among ancient oaks, open fields and Demeter vegetable garden for the kitchen. The goal was to transport the feeling that awaits and invites the guests here.
Somehow the whole region does have magnetism and a positive gravitational field for very special people. Visiting friends, strolling happily through the little village, of course the puppies did their job really well, I mean... 8 little fur-balls with a serious lack of being cuddled, you know how this works, right? Some three hours later we left with an amazingly familiar encounter, a new project, two invitations and an incredibly light-full feeling of being on the right track of life, just right where we were and how we were and what we did and how we do this in this world. Within a week and another visit there were another couple of new (old) friendships and encounters and projects that left us totally amazed and grateful to experience how it feels when things really really really feel like they flow...
During 1,5 years of travelling you meet some people of course. But not all stay with you somehow like Caitlin did, who me got to know in Costa Rica during a yoga retreat. We really enjoyed her wild, playful, happy life-force there already. That's just something that reminds you of life in general, and maybe even sometime of HOW-TO live to the fullest. At least that's what I took with me. Staying in loose contact along the road we were incredibly delighted to hear from her that she was about to distill this into a project in Guatemala, and when we ended up there (again) of course we wanted to meet again! And then we found ourselves in this amazing place that she just bought and started to develop with local food (partly directly from the land) and kitchen, weaving into the local community as well as just creating a place within nature to just stay and enjoy.
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