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.

NEED INDIA?

September and October! My focus is Modern India. Looking forward to being the midst of the India-buzz. Can't wait to shoot my assignments, get more, see how India has changed since my last trip in 1998, make more connections and just be there. Looking forward to some good Indian food as well. I'll be blogging regularly so check back for new content.

This map shows where I will be based in India. I'll be super easy to reach, have online access the whole time (T1 line) and look forward to being in touch!

Here are windows when I am available to shoot in India:
Pune / Mumbai 9/2-15
Jaipur / Delhi 10/6-10
Pune / Mumbai 10/10-10/30

Casting.

I was casting for 2 very difference shoots this weekend. One shoot was for a cover of an upcoming Scholastic teen book called "Black Rabbit Summer". For that I needed 5 teens, and one a la Paris Hilton. The other shoot was the second casting of my upcoming shoot 'Real Beauty.' To be efficient I cast both shoots on one day and man, what an interesting turnout! There were teen models from a few agencies and then women from around town that my assistant and I approached out of the blue. We decided to have fun with it. Stay tuned for both shoots. Real Beauty is this Saturday, and is going to be a lot of fun. We have such a diverse crowd of women and they are all characters! So fun...

real beauty.

I just cast for my upcoming shoot about real beauty. so FUN! My editors and I like the casting images so much, we can't imagine what the shoot will look like. can't wait to get all these fabulous women together! Stay tuned for production shots from the shoot taken by my fabulous intern, Amber, on the far left.

Don't die with music in you

Yesterday was an amazing day in Seattle starting with an incredible morning. I woke around 5:30, jumped out of the house and headed to Seward Park, my new favorite place to hang. After a perfect view of Mount Rainer serenaded by some random jazz sounds (sounds from a trumpet, my favorite), I turned to the corner and found this guy, playing trumpet out of his car. He told me he does this all the time.

Amazing the beauty and music all around us when we decide to hear it. It truly is a gift to just do what one loves. Happy July!

Real Beauty. Real People. Beautiful.

I am casting for an upcoming shoot about real beauty. casting to me means approaching of course my freinds but then also 'strangers' wherever I am. I want diversity for this. I want diversity in my life period, and definitely in my photos.

It is incredible how sweet people are when i say this is what/why i am doing, want to be a part of it? I walk around my neighborhood (the most diverse zip code in Washington State!) and ask people, can take your picture? I end up meeting new people and learning something new about life. Everyone has a story to tell. Actually.... they have many. My neighbor Barrier was telling me that most people don't say hello anymore, just chat with each other. I walked up to his porch and we hung out for awhile. He asked me to email him my phone number and me and my 'husbands' (oldskool man) favorite song, he'll learn it on the organ and call us on our anniversary and play it for us.

How sweet. "Why do you want to do that?" I asked him. Because he likes to call and say I love you "Before Stevie Wonder sang it!" he grinned. Barrier told me he survived prostate cancer and during all that the doctors found a whole bunch of other medical issues. He live through it all, "I'm healthy now, just too fat!" he said.

Here is Barrier. The song is "Luna" by Susana Bacha.

summer in seattle let's SHOOT!!!

my assistant: amber. cool shades.

Maureen Shirreff + Dove Campaign For Real Beauty

what an inspiring woman. I just got off the phone with her discussing working on the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty (she is the creator of the whole campaign) based in my This Is Beautiful project and tib_movie (see it in the menu of salaamgarage). Also working on the 'Is This Justice' campaign while shooting in India later this year. I'll say it again, what an inspiring woman. The most amazing thing she told me was (paraphrased) 'we leveraged the plight of the whole beauty world ('perfect', retouched, not real) and made it accessible to real women. Instead of fighting it, we gave in to the 'battle' and accepted that space.' That creative space where anything can happen. Right on Maureen, right on. There is more, but that was so inspiring I had to get it down. let's hear it for personal projects!!

Have you seen this video? Awesome!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1731400614466797113

i love digital.

summer in seattle... can't beat it. i've been to a lot of places and this town during late june, july, aug is top on my list. and now that i have a digital camera that i love finally, the canon 5d, this is fun (again). between exploring stock photography and my new camera, it's like being 21 when i picked up my first camera, a used canon ae1 for kicks. that camera is long gone. it really took a beating after my first trip to africa in '93. then came automatic cameras, then came digital.

digital. it took me awhile to love it (about 6 years of shooting magazine and advertising work) now i feel like shooting all the time. the image stabilizer is amazing. when i heard about this i thought it was all marketing. it makes a big difference. and, the battery has a long life. i can shoot nonchalantly for days or shoot all day on assignment without changing batteries. i like that.

i am looking forward to having this camera with me in india, along with my 21 year old enthusiasm. remember not wanting to sleep? just wanting to shoot, explore, see and documnet? happy summer!

India.

I am going to India sept-oct. Why. I am leading a trip. I want to share my experience as a social documentary photographer and overall humanitarianism with a few other people. The trip is small and pre-screened on purpose. I led a tour a few years back with an awesome photographer Phil Borges and built a school in Takaungu, Kenya for his organization Bridges To Understanding. You can read about it in the Kenya journals archive on this blog.

I've been to India as a backpacker in 1998. My traveling companion didn't like it there, left after 2 weeks (also had a full-time job to get back to). I fell in love with India, and stayed. "Are you sure?" he asked. There were tears in my eyes, I remember feeling very stiff, and scared, "Yes" I said firmly. So I stayed. He flew out of (then) Bombay, and I stayed, backpacked and traveled on 2nd class trains down to Travendruaim, flew over to Bod Gaya and Varanassi, went to Delhi from there and flew home, 2 months later with about $58 left (time to go home). Back then we could change our flights around with a little negotiation and backshish.

India has different meaning to me now. It is booming. It seems 'young' in a sense that there is enthusiasm for this boom, inspiration, hope, goals, dreams. This, mixed with amazing, ancient culture, quirky personality and sense of humor sounds like a great adventure.

I have this great opportunity to be in India, work, photograph, lead a tour, create a ton of content and get paid. Huh. I'd be crazy not to.

So stay tuned. I will be blogging while I am there, uploading content, describing what is like for an American woman to go there and give a few things a shot in India today.

Chase Jarvis, Rachel Walley and Patrick Bennett chat about their blogs.

Chase Jarvis, Rachel Walley and Patrick Bennett chat about their blogs. Went to an ASMP event last night. For me it was the best ASMP meeting ever. Patrick and Chase have successful blogs, they live here in Seattle, talked about how simple it is to just sit and blog, and what it is doing for them now. Simple. Simple is also creating their personality on web. My friend Rob talk talked about it too, this idea of cult of personality. These photographers are totally passionate about what they do. First off they are photographers (cool job). They are also 'mavericks' in a way. They just do things. When you hang around them you can feel the fire in them, be it blunt hitting you over the head (Chase) or humble and also unstoppable (Patrick). They are driven, passionate, adventurous, smart and also pretty approachable. Rachel is a writing and blogging consultant. Huh? Blogs are free..? Sounds like we'll know .. but she'll be too slammed to answer... in a few years if that.

I decided to blog about my India trip and also leading up to it. Thanks ASMP, a light went off in my head and I caught some of that fire. I think my friends at the bar afterwards were little annoyed with me cuz i was so inspired that and totally focused on what to do with this. I think they just wanted to catch up....But they love me and know how I get. Thanks panel, and sorry table! Say tuned.

Trip to Rajesthan, India!!
WHY? I have been asked countless times to lead one based on my intimate, international documentary work and adventures. 2nd, I am collaborating with Colonal Singh, whose family has lived in Rajasthan for centuries. 3rd, we will visit an NGO “Vatsalya” that works with women’s microfinance and Indian street children, have a chance to lend a hand and share from our experience. The goal of that visit is to learn about the extraordinary work of Vatsalya, make photographs, stories, articles, and create relationships. We will share any content we create (ex. photographs, articles, dance, etc.) with Vastalya for their website, newsletters, children activities etc. The group will also disseminate this material back in the USA as various forms of media and arts advocacy. If we are photographers, we can make photographs of children who need sponsorship, make photos for their website, if we are writers, we can chat with someone about their experiences and write a story about it, if we are doctors we can bring extra aspirin, teachers can tell their students of their experience, dancers can teach a new form of expression,etc...

We will also see villages and farms, spend time with families, go on a desert trek, visit market places, attend yoga classes, take cooking lessons (local cuisine), learn about Ayurvedic Medicine, and also enjoy some down time. I will be available for photo questions, ideas, technical issues, etc. There will be lots of opportunity for photography, writing, walking, listing, thinking....

INDIAN COLLABORATION: Colonel Singh and I are working together to make this a very custom adventure. It is an honor that he is involved and believes wholeheartedly in this workshop. Colonel K. Fateh Singh is a retired NATO commander who served during two Indo-Pakistan wars and other various conflict zones including the Middle East. He currently resides in Jaipur, proudly employs Hindus and Muslims at his family run hotels where we will stay, and they are first class hosts. He and his family are Rajput, a tribe that descends from the ancient Indian royal warrior dynasties with deep roots to Rajputana, now known as Rajasthan since India’s independence. Basically, he really knows this region.

LOGISTICS: Cost: $3200, double occupancy. Add $150 for singles. $500 deposit is required by 6/15, balance 7/1. Cost includes: RT airport reception/transfers, taxes, all transportation in-country (AC Innova Toyota Vehicle), all lodging, breakfast and 1 major meal, camel safari in the Thar Desert. Not included: tips, personal laundry, drinks (soft and hard), airfare, vaccinations, visas, travel insurance (required), personal first aid kit, spending money. See “India Workshop Logistics” page to learn more about logistical details.

Send your deposit / balance to : (check made out to) Amanda Koster Productions, LLC, 5047 45 Ave. S Seattle, WA 98118 USA
(206) 286-9707

Cut off: June 15. Deposits are fully refundable up to July, balance is due 7/1. 6 people are confirmed as of 6/10/07. To keep the trip intimate, authentic and focused, there is a maximum of 8 people.

more info: http://www.salaamgarage.com

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL!

a project i have been working on since 2001. you can see the work here http://www.thisisbeautiful.org and here http://www.salaamgarage.com or have a look at this video. I am now working on this concept commercially! Wahoo. stay tuned for that info. my dream has come true, i am going to release images of real women, beautiful women into our world of imagery. lovely.

i'm in a book: "In Their Shoes"
Book profile: "In Their Shoes": Amanda is featured as 1 of 50 women in the book: "In Their Shoes." (by Deborah Reber, publisher: Simon Pulse of Simon & Schuster, 2007) The book gives teen girls the real scoop on different careers through intimate day-in-the-life-of profiles of women who are thriving in their fields. The goal is to arm a generation of girls with the information and the inspiration to make smart choices and realize their dreams. "In Their Shoes" also feature profiles of amazing women including NPR's "All Things Considered" host Melissa Block, "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes, Senator Barbara Boxer and Olympic volleyball player Holly McPeak

The Dirty Water Underground

this is awesome. ny time article today: article about gray water, its over-coding in CA making it very expensive to rig your house to code to re-use water. so... here are some guerrilla gray water champs reusing water, do-it-yourself style in SW, USA. awseome!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/garden/31greywater.html

Strike a Pose
Originally uploaded by faveroso

CAUGHT AGAIN! on flickr!

the same photographer "favoroso" caught me again in morocco posing for a photo for a book that I am in "in their shoes" by debbie reber. crazy small world. check out the book http://www.deborahreber.com/its_interviews.html