INDIA!!!!

I am HERE! Wow. its been a few weeks as well. It's been great and soo busy. I would have never predicted this boom based on my last trip in 1998.

The IT buzz is everywhere. The converstaions are amazing, those involved with IT are keeping US hours, chatting about conversations with US clients, telling hilarious stories about call center customers. Ex: "OK ma'am, please open the next window (on you computer screen) , people get up to open the window in the room."

The food of course has been amazing, all fresh home cooked and just beautiful.

I'll start the blog with a road sign, in Hindi English. There are so many photos and stories to come, so stay tuned.

So much more to come.

my book!

My pal Rob kicked be in the butt again. Fist it was the blog, now my book. I just published a book of my work over the span of 9 years. Made it through Lulu self-publishing. Took about 3 days total to work on (part time), though everything was already scanned. I designed if myself, didn't use the templates. Wanted it just so. It is just a quiet collection of 5 projects. I will take a bunch to India as gifts. It is called "Amanda Koster / Photos of People." You can have a look and order a copy here:

http://www.lulu.com/content/1083236

artists district?!

STILL working on the VISON project, deadline is this weekend. they really want 'Seattle's arts district.' ok okokokkok. yes there is a concentrated district tho its so hard to compartmentalize anything. Seattle IS art to me.

(Any) Industry. hurmph. that's the deal.

Actually life IS ART to me. everywhere, walking, running, climbing, cooking, sneezing, being, there is music to everything. there is a rhythm to life and once we grasp it all comes together. for me, with music, art, photo, conversation. all an art and all based on rhythm. everything. most people don't know but at the end of university i had to choose: singing or photos. was singing since age 5. photo was quickly made since. clicked so fast. was/is great at it. didn't want to work at night (music). also dig anthropology and saw a way to connect photo with anthro, my own way. so a career was born. and boom, wow.

so. though. i still look for rhythm in photos. there is an energy, a physics when things just flow, or not. both is good, both make art and a good photo. depends on the perspective. and multiple perspectives make it all happen. thank God for that.

heading to india sat., for 2 months. last time there in '98 i caught a rhythm. it took 2 weeks and then i got it. i really gave birth to my photo there. i just let go, absorbed, invisible. was alone as a backpacker. took trains all over the country. precious. alone in chaos. perfect. some thought i was crazy, 'alone, in india???" you're crazy... maybe.

look for the rhythm, with everything. I'll get back to music, and live on a farm, make photos. maybe not in English. from another country, think and dream in French + the other languages i've picked up along the way. i really love photo, but its not total participation. i'm not totally on the court. i make a court, but its mine and people have to step in, but i'm not totally contributing to the overall court, raw. make sense? some of you will get it.

peace, amanda

Breaking into China!!

Still shooting the amazing project for a magazine out of Beijing called VISION. The project is an 80-paged feature all about Seattle and its culture. I am shooting constantly and writing about 14 articles to accompany the photography and content (I write periodically for magazines). Its been such a fun project to work on before heading to India. I great refresher of the town where I am based.

Seattle has so much talent. I've been interviewing and photographing fashion designers, musicians, visual artists, entrepreneurs... There is so much creativity and collaboration going on here. I don' think what gets accomplished in Seattle is possible in a larger or smaller city. It's a tight pool of talent and I've found that everyone supports each other be it a guest appearance while recording an album or venture capitol. Visually Seattle is also breathtaking. I will always feel so lucky to have lived here.

The magazine found me a few years ago and has published several of my documentary projects and is now giving me assignments. It's great to work with them and get involved the editorial and photography scene in Beijing. Will have to visit next year for sure.

What is cool?

Have been shooting and writing a project about Seattle for a magazine out of Beijing, VISION . The feature is all about Seattle: art, music, coffee, neighborhoods... you get the idea. Its been a huge project, ultimately 80 pages, especially considering I am leaving to live in India for 2 months at the end of August. I couldn't resist. This is a beautiful publication. It is an awesome opportunity to create Seattle for a young Chinese audience. The chance to go beyond grunge (which I missed) and whatever else we are known for.

We are definitely aware, very smart, diverse, socially concious, international, still drinking lots of coffee and yes, very cool. While shooting the coffee piece, I stumbled upon some smart young men, one being Dominic Canterbury of DC-Strategic. He saw me photographing some cool green sneakers, hoping to show Chinese what Seattleites were into, footwear wise. "I though you were a cool catcher", someone how shoots what is cool around the world for designers, marketing, etc. "No." Well not really. Why did I shoot the green sneakers, anyway?

We chatted for awhile about what made something cool. After plowing though and nixing some surface possibilities we landed on something. Dominique asked "What do you think is cool?" Quite for awhile. "Cool is when one is detached from it all. When someone chooses what IS, rather than what it isn't or what it should be". We were a quiet. Didn't mean to be profound, just though about it, let my mind get past all the typical reasons for what makes things cool. "Tipping Point's" Hush Puppy theory flashed through my brain as well. I landed on detachment. Not, 'not caring' but instead 'being ok with what is.'

That's cool to me.

Real Beauty Shoot
By Amber French
(Amanda's assistant on the shoot)

What an incredible experience. The women that came to model just made the entire day! They were so full of life and joy. Young and old alike. A particular experience that really moved me, was when Amanda was photographing an 5 foot tall, 87 year old half deaf women, with milk chocolaty brown skin, and long wavy hair, so silver it could line all the clouds in the sky. She was the most delightful women you could ever meet.

She was wearing a crisp white shirt against a pale white wall. Towards the end of the shoot Amanda and I both could see her going somewhere beyond the studio in her mind. We could both feel that something really incredible was happening, but I could not have dreamt how much of an impact that moment would be on all three of our lives. The words that the women shared with me after the shoot, I will never forget. She told of her friend that had died recently, and at her memorial service her family put on a slide show of images of this women throughout her life. She told of how beautiful her friend was, and how everyone sat in complete silence while viewing the photographs of this women's entire life. And then she preceded to tell me where her mind went when it wasn't with us. She was thinking of her own memorial service, and how wonderful it would be if the images that Amanda was taking would be shown there. To show people how beautiful she was, to show people WHO she was.

After that I walked her, and her caregiver/best friend (who is only 7 years younger, and just as beautiful) down to their car. As she struggled down the stairs from the studio with a glowing smile on her face, I realized that she had spent all the energy that she had saved up for the remaining weekend on this afternoon of shooting. When they drove away in their car, I was so completely taken back by the experience that I was moved to tears.

It was an amazing day with five amazing women! It wouldn't have been the same with professional models, it wouldn't have been the same at all.

Ian Thow.

Ever hear of him? Ian Thow (according to my editor) he is on the lam, scamming Canadians upwards of 40 million in bogus investments. I get a call from a magazine in Canada Globe and Mail who is doing a story on Ian and they need photos. Ian is hiding out in Seattle. So, my assistant and I staked out his apartment building for 2.5 days. We tried everything, and I can't tell you what, to find out if he was in fact in the building and then photograph him on his way out. What I did try had an adverse effect and 'smoked him out'.

New to this kind of assignment I chose not feel like a paparazzi. I began to wonder how many criminals I have actually photographed unknowingly. Many, I now think. So I chose to look at this like any old assignment "someone did something, and I am photographing them", how I usually describe editorial.

Why not just talk to the guy I told Lucian, my assistant. Why not just talk to him and get the job done and then everybodies happy. We can't leave, and Ian can't leave till that happens anyway. Meanwhile the building is spooked by our tack ticks.

And that's what happened. Ian must have been watching us the whole time from his apartment and snuck out during our staggered food break. He drove up from behind Lucian, tapped him on the shoulder (Lucian was watching the doors) and said "I heard you were looking for me." Lucian said wait here, let me get Amanda.

"Hi, I'm Amanda. We need photos of you for some Magazine." What magazine? ... Not sure... never heard of it... a Canadian Magazine... never heard of it or you before... want to talk to my editor? (editor would have been thrilled, a chance for information) "No."

Ian and I make a deal."I need photos of you." "OK. How about this: we drive up the street (maybe to not identify the building) and you take a few photos and then we're done. No photos right here, and none in the car." "OK." "Want a ride?" "Sure." We get in, i was cool and then I heard the power locks. Ah yes, I remembering this feeling, right before I was mugged in Cuba and various other places, the sound of footsteps getting faster, gravel kicking up, extra shadows from the street lights. I sat calmly, quickly forming a checklist of "outs": -where is the cell phone (911) -cover the elbow to bust open the window -situate weight / heel to firmly nail the steering wheel. The checklist felt complete.

Sigh. No big deal. We are up the street, Ian gets out, we all get out. I take a few shots. "That's it." "Wait, the light isn't just right... wait, the flash was screwed up..." stuff like that. We got a few more, then I could see it was time to get out of there. Ian took off, offered a ride back but we walked. It was a beautiful day in Seattle.

Thinking back, key was to balance Ian's near range with my needs in each word of each sentence. A good exercise in clear communication, something I am eternally polishing.