Bert Stephani

Bert Stephani

The Storyteller

BY BERT STEPHANI

Yesterday I finished Dave Grohl’s book “The Storyteller”. I can’t say that I’m a fan of his music but it was interesting to read the life story of an artist. I admire his fearless way of being himself and create. To be honest, I’m a bit jealous of his mindset. As I see myself as a storyteller as well, the book made me ask myself some questions:

  • Am I too lazy?

  • Where’s the Rock and Roll in my life?

  • Where are the stories?

And last night, while I was lying in bed, I thought about the KAGE Collective. 
We have just paid the rent for our recording studio, aka our Squarespace subscription, just like we did last year, although the studio remained empty.  I don’t blame anyone, not even myself. We all have work and families that rightfully take up the bulk of our time. And we also have our own media channels to fill with images and words. Those are the channels that bring in the work so they should be first on our mind. 

The KAGE studio is not where we perform our greatest hits, it’s a safe place to experiment away from the mainstream audience. It’s a place for failure and growth. It’s a place that I NEED. I won’t keep paying for this studio if I never use it. 

I’ve been an artist for long enough to know that you can’t just sit and wait for inspiration to strike. Sure, it happens every now and then but don’t hold your breath. You can have meetings with the band about ideas for a new album but although fun, these meetings are usually unproductive. The only way that I know of to get going … is to get going. It doesn’t matter on what, just start creating.

So here I am at our recording studio, gently strumming my laptop and tuning my camera in an unfamiliar key just to see where that leads me. 

The other band members are way more talented than I am so I hope someone will drop by the studio to jam together. At this point it’s irrelevant to where it will lead. It’s about just doing it, experiment. Sooner or later part of a riff will surface from the chaos which will lead to a chorus, which will lead to a song, which will lead to an album, and so on. 

One, two, and a one, two, three, four …

Now What?

BY BERT STEPHANI

So we finally got off our asses and kicked them in gear, but now what?

I can’t talk for anyone else, I can only talk for myself, but I’m not too impressed with what I produced in February. For some reason, it feels like I’m done with the more traditional documentary stories that have made up the bulk of what we’ve done in KAGE. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always be documenting life but at this point I don’t know if the short photo story is the way to do that for me anymore. Maybe I’ve worked in this style for too long, maybe it’s the pressure of a project at an inconvenient time, maybe I’m just getting old. Whatever the reason, it’s time to explore other ways of storytelling, other types of stories.

Here are some colour shots that didn’t make the project:

Some observations and thoughts:

  • I might need to give my pictures more breathing room and give them time to speak to me. The whole instant thing is deeply ingrained in my way of working and I need to get away from it.

  • I would like to work less chronological and literal. I’m not a news photographer, I want to share more personal, complex and nuanced concepts.

  • Wow, you guys rock. I’ve seen truly amazing images on Instagram from those who joined us in this project.

  • For the past 15+ years I’ve been carrying a camera pretty much all the time and I need to keep doing that. But I also need to plan very specific photography outings to immers myself completely in making work without combining something else with photography.

  • It was great to be forced to shoot through this project. Often it’s a matter of just getting started and something will happen. Frustration got the best of me a number of times during last month for not creating anything that I really liked. While I need to push myself to create, I shouldn’t be so harsh on myself if the muse doesn’t show herself immediately. I just need to thrust the process.

  • It’s too soon for conclusions but that’s fine. Let’s keep shooting and see where it will take me.

Some black and white images that didn’t make the stories:

As a collective, we are not sure where we want to go next. We’ll see but we are interested to hear your comments. How did you experience this project?

(Blown) Away

BY BERT STEPHANI

The weather has continued to be sub par lately and we’ve been longing for spring. A couple of storms came through our little country and wreaked havoc but that couldn’t stop the two of us to escape for a little cycling trip to Holland.

This is what our garden shed looked like after storm Eunice passed through. We suffered some other damage but luckily nobody got hurt.

We rented a cosy cabin in the Dutch countryside to just be away for a couple of days. Despite the very strong winds we still brought our bikes to hopefully go out and explore.

On day one we managed to do a 35km ride through wind and rain. The parts against the wind were like cycling with flat tires and stuck brakes. The parts with cross wind in the open country proved to be hard to stay upright, but I felt like a pro cyclist when the wind was in my back.

A very challenging obstacle

On the second day, the winds were still crazy but for the first time in ages the sun was out. So we went for a long 72km ride.

On the third day we had obligations back home so we couldn’t stay long. But we couldn’t leave without a last short ride.

The last 3 kilometers of the ride were against that crazy powerful wind again (for the cycling fans: I was pushing between 250 and 300 Watts to reach only 12km/h). By the time we got back to our car the rain came back with a vengeance to mark the end of this little trip.

And this also marks the end of my #kage202202 project. I’ll probably let it all digest a bit and follow up with what this project ment to me.

Gold

BY BERT STEPHANI

So, what gear do you bring to the Under 18 Belgian Athletics Championship? What about a slow medium format camera and a short(ish) manual lens? At least that’s what I did: GFX50R and the Mitakon 65mm F1.4.

But the real reason I was there is that my girlfriend’s eldest daughter participated in the pole vault competition. Because I knew I wouldn’t have good access, I also packed my X-Pro3 and dusted off the XF50-140 to document one of the best days of her life. Before the big day, I gave her my best advice: crush the competition … and boy, she did just that! With a series of beautiful jumps, she went over 3.40 meters, improved her personal best and won the Belgian championship.

Above you see the the sequence of the jump that sealed the deal. It’s art in motion but the picture that we like even better is the one below of the most relaxed smile we’ve seen on her face in ages. The pressure of high level sports is a very heavy burden to carry for a teenager. But when the stars align, it’s all worth it.

Photography on Two Wheels

BY BERT STEPHANI

When the pandemic first hit and we learned what a lockdown is, I was suddenly robbed from the ability to roam and explore. I don’t necessarily think that my “explore pictures” are my best, but it’s where I find inspiration, motivation, locations, ideas en calm. That’s why I invested in a gravel bike. It’s fast enough to bring me to new places and travel decent distances, yet slow enough to be able to look around, interact with people and let my mind drift. I’ve already made good use of the bike: I ride it to shoots that don’t require to carry a lot of gear, I did many location scouting trips and it’s been a great way to work on my project about the borders of Belgium. But I think the bike has even more potential for my work. It’s not just a mode of transport, there’s something about experiencing the world on two wheels. I find myself forgetting to take pictures often and I’ve been experimenting with many different ways to always have a camera ready while on the bike. I haven’t fully cracked the code yet, but I’m working on it. Last week, I rode quite a bit, in different circumstances with different goals. It isn’t easy to get much time on the bike in these winter months, trying to juggle family and two jobs.

Tuesday - Night Gravel Ride

I threw my bike in the back of the car before driving my girl friend to her workout. While she did her workout, I did mine. I didn’t plan of riding offroad but my curiosity took the better of me when I encountered a nice gravel track. In April I have an organised night gravel ride planned with friends, so I figured I might as well get a feel for riding in the dark through a forest.

It’s pretty crazy how perception changes in different light. With just a frontal bike light it’s a lot harder to read the trails. But on the other hand, it gives a completely different experience on familiar ground.

I usually plan a route for my rides but more and more I just get lost and see where I end up. By now, I know pretty much all the usual roads and tracks in our area but when I allow myself to get lost, I still encounter new spots.

Darkness at the end of the tunnel.

Thursday - Wet Gravel Ride

Thursdays are usually reserved for photography, but sometimes I squeeze in a longer ride too. I wanted to do a longer gravel ride but the weather really sucked. The terrain was terribly slippery, muddy and wet. But still, it was fun to be out on my own in nature.

I’m still blown away by how this bike feels at home on just about any terrain, although mud tires would have helped here.

Once I’m pedalling I find it hard to stop but I’m learning to squeeze the brakes every now and take a picture. After all, enjoying the landscape is more important than average speed.

The Vlooyberg tower made famous in Flanders by the hilarious tv show Callboys.

No need to say that my bike needed a good wash after this ride. But cleaning and maintaining my bike is like meditation to me (at least when I’m not confronted with unexpected repair issues).

Saturday - Touristic Ride

On Saturday I went for a ride with Kim, my girlfriend. She has an electric city bike which makes us stay on paved roads or nice gravel (although we had some spectacular muddy exceptions). In summer we avoid the more touristic routes but at this time of year theses routes are usually calm and we always discover some nice new places.

Not quite Dark Hedges

After all the wet, grey days it was so nice to be riding in the sun although it was still chilly.

One of those places that I didn’t know existed despite having been on the parallel big road hundreds of times.

There’s still a lot of work on Belgium’s cycling infrastructure but I like how we’ve been getting more smooth gravel roads along rivers.

Sunday - Indoor Training

To top off last week’s cycling, I did a ride on the cycling trainer on Sunday. In the future I want to ride longer and further but my shape isn’t that impressive. With a couple of longer rides planned in the spring, I’m trying to get a bit better by doing some structured training. In some way I enjoy these workouts in the garage but not nearly as much as a real ride. I don’t care for personal records but the simple truth is that the better I’m in shape, the more I enjoy the ride and the more energy I have left to photograph.

The turbo trainer has been a great help to keep cycling in the dark cold months.

A structured workout. Those red things hurt.

I don’t ride for the numbers but I find that they keep me motivated.

Time for a shower, let’s hope there’s some nice rides next week too.

Just wondering, are there any other cycling photographers in the KAGE community? Let me know in the comments.

all images shot with the X100V

Birds, Birthdays, Basketball and Bad Weather

BY BERT STEPHANI

I’m not necessarily proud of the images i’ve shot so far for this project, visually there’s nothing special. But I am proud of the fact that so far I’ve been able to withstand the Instagram-temptation. By that I mean the urge to create pictures that I know will get easy likes. I know plenty of techniques, locations and subjects that I could use to make work that grabs the attention. But that’s not what I want this project to be. For me it’s not about showing off, it’s about introspection. If the stars align and I’m in a great location with fantastic light and a stunning model, I’m sure going to shoot that. Those picture-friendly moments do happen after all. But life isn’t a long uninterrupted string of perfect pictures. That doesn’t mean life isn’t interesting. I’m very grateful for the sudden appearance of spooky birds, getting the family together to celebrate a birthday, watching my daughter hit a threepointer and experiencing the drama of a rainstorm.

All shot with the X-Pro3 and the 33mm F1.4, except for 2 images with the 16mm F1.4 just to switch things up a bit.

Eclectic

BY BERT STEPHANI

Sometimes, you just need to pick up the camera and start pressing the shutter button. I’m slowly starting to trust the process. It will always lead to something, even if it’s just knowing that you are on the wrong track.

6:37am - First picture of the day, just after I got up.

2:21am - actually THIS was the first picture of February ;-)

6:46am - Before the rest of the family wakes up, I really enjoy taking a bit of time for a coffee and myself.

I spent pretty much the rest of the day at my desk, like most days in the last 2 years. Nothing special, very little to photograph. I’m ok with it, not for the rest of my life, but at the moment it’s all good.

The biggest event of the day was my son’s 19th birthday. Due to restriction he didn’t really get a proper 18th birthday but we tried to make up for it this year.

I usually try to make a portrait of loved ones on their birthday. Kobe didn’t feel like posing for a portrait, but agreed to a quick silhouette shot.

The next day was another home office day but I went for a little walk around the house at night to make at least some pictures.

An apple a day …

Yesterday was a big photo/video day. I had to shoot an intro video and an interview. And then I had to edit it in time for a webinar at night. And I was also in charge of the whole technical part of a multi camera live broadcast while making promotional pictures. It’s amazing what we can do with today’s technology. I sometimes complain about wearing so many different hats at once but at the same time I find it really exciting what we can do these days. When I started in television 25 years ago, this would have required at least 10 people, 2 trucks of equipment and a crazy budget.

If you look carefully, you can see that I always have KAGE on my mind.

Where am I? Where is this project leading to? I honestly don’t have a clue yet. And at this point, that’s fine with me. I’m just happy to be shooting, being inspired by the collective and seeing great work from you on Instagram.

Bert's Letter of Intent

I want to spend the month of February with a camera in my hands, shooting anything and everything. Big concepts are not for me, certainly not this time. I just want to experiment, create and have fun with photography again. I’ve been inspired by many things lately and I want to see what I can do with that inspiration. Most of my days are spent inside my home behind the computer but I don’t want to use it as an excuse. Either I just find something to shoot at home or force myself to go out and interact with the world again. Photography to me is much more than the resulting images. It’s a way to understand, interact and communicate.

The choice of the right gear for a project, or even a short trip to town has always been a huge, stressy decision making process that could take days of pondering. I’m well aware that that is just crazy and I was tired of myself making such a fuss about it. Therefor I decided at the end of 2021 to simplify my goto setup and stick to it.

For many years, the 50mm equivalent has been my preferred focal length. It’s simply the way that I look at the world. It’s not a spectacular lens but I feel it offers the most authentic view. I recently invested in not one but two 50mm equivalent lenses to have the absolute best tools for my use. For my portrait work, my main lens is the Mitakon 65mm F1.4 (used on the GFX50R). The new Fujinon 33mm F1.4 (on the X-Pro3 or X-T3) is my main lens for reportage and personal photography. The curve ball in my goto setup is the X100V. It’s slightly wider than my preferred focal lens but it’s close enough, small, handy and capable. That makes it the perfect camera to take with me when I’m out and about.

My simplified setup is not a dogma, it’s just my way to focus and not lose time and energy in pondering over what to shoot with. I will use other lenses when I have a good reason for it. But so far, the strategy has worked for me.  

The end results are of little importance to me, it’s about the creative process itself. If I have made some nice images by the 28th of February, that’s cool. But what’s important is that I’ll have learned something. I don’t just want to get myself fired up again, I really hope this project will light a fire under this wonderful group of photographers. The KAGE Collective is too valuable to just sit idle.

That said, I’m looking forward to shoot, write, look at the work of the group and discuss it on a regular bases. I don’t know what the project will look like but I’m convinced it’s going to be an interesting vignette of the lives of this bunch.

Bert Stephani
January 27th 2022

202202 - We are back!

202202 - We are back!

It’s been a while … no, it’s actually been f%$ng long.

The pandemic has made us lethargic, or as Pink Floyd would say: Comfortably Numb.
It’s not that we haven’t tried to start a new KAGE project, we just never could get off the Covid couch. Frameworks, limitations and themes floated around but what’s logical, obvious, and clever to one person, feels contrived and artificial to another. So we’re keeping it simple, getting our asses into gear, and photographing February 2022 to the best of our abilities.

No rules
No limitations
No mutual theme
No strict deadlines
Just the desire to create…

Headless

This image, from Robert Catto’s essay Broken Threads was my starting point for this essay.

This image, from Robert Catto’s essay Broken Threads was my starting point for this essay.

Why is it that the head, and particularly the face, has so much importance in people photography? Convention states that the face should be the bright, in focus and get to be center stage in the composition.

A couple of Robert’s pictures of headless statues made me think about the importance that is generally put on the head/face in photography. While the rest of the body can tell the story just as well or even better. I’ve never been afraid to make a picture that doesn’t include the head but until recently I also never deliberately set out to not include the head in pictures.

So in the last couple of days I tried to do just that when taking pictures around the house.

20210604_life_023.jpg

In the last few months, I’ve been also busy figuring out and creating a new body (pun not intended) of work. And one of the the aspects that I’ve been experimenting with is not including the face of the subject.

So what are your opinions on headless photography? Is it acceptable? Is it still portraiture?