Con Man

[Ron_Birks]

2 days ago I met Yvonne and her man Eric-Otto, a couple of Hamburgers, at a party in Pézenas.

Great party, lovely couple, she, part Deutsch part Pölnish, he a Tutonofrank, ( or what ever you call a French guy who has absorbed German Kultur like a sponge ).

Anyway these Frankfurters...err... Guys who live in Hamburg, were to be staying in France for the next three months. When they left the party a little later, they invited me and my friend Kevin to an exhibition, the following day. Nice, I thought as I own an on-line Gallery.

The invite was nicely designed, and at a glance you could see that Eric was a Pro, and the theme of the showing was 'Gangster Cars.' Kevin said, he liked both cars and photography and why don't we go.

I said yeah, she's lovely, let's do it!

So we arrived, with my family in tow, using the ipad as a sat-nav! looking for a slick Gallery.It transpired that it wasn't a private viewing, at all, but an Open Day exhibition in the barn attached to the house.

Wowzers, not only did you 'want to live in the barn', but at first glance you could take in all this creativity, and knew that each photo of a 50s Cadillac, would you cause a shudder, with joy.

There was an eery quality to the photographs, an on the spot realism, car crashes, police scenes etc. An you are thinking to yourself, he must travel all over, hiring classics, or visiting car clubs and scrapyards, and use a lot of Photoshop.

Just as the thoughts are begining to niggle me, in bounds Eric with wine as promised, and said exitedly..."and the trick is they are not real cars!...Well they are, but scale models! Like this...proffering a model no bigger than 6 inches long.

Kevin and I just collapsed, in the sudden realisation, plus the fact that we had been caught out by this visual con trick!

Yes, he uses model cars, the finely detailed ones, and shoots them ( with a bl**dy iphone ) IN SITU!

The blurred back ground of the empire state, is real. No trickery...the only indulgance is that he blows in a little headlamp light in, in Photoshop.

Eric Otto is A real photographer, but check out his web site and let me know if you were taken in by this talented con man?

[Ron_Birks]

Eric admire's young Photographer

[Ron_Birks]

Hey Bri, long time no squeak!

You OK Buddy ?( relatively speaking ) Had a great session, and I have loaned the guy my Strat ( and bass ) so he is going to lay down some tracks in Garageband, for me to add a trill or two and some tonal vocalisations. String up that box, good friend....you know it makes sense!!!!

Ron

[Brian_Milne]

Sounds great, comme grande, still too speedy to string the tin box but give it a few weeks then I'll practice and slide some great blues - well eventually....

[Ron_Birks]

Had a great day with Eric-Otto, ( and Yvonne ) jamming, collecting stuff on the beach, then photos of the sunset Port du Cap D'Agde. Cheers guys.

[Brian_Milne]

Got it in zero-point-two percent of the speed of a self-destructive neuron. To quote the Gumbys: "My brain hurts!" or in second hand car parts or other inflatable currency: YES!

[Ron_Birks]

'LIKE'

[Brian_Milne]

OK, my mind is moving fast enough (tooooo....) to take that in, process it and agree. LICK, oh mon Dieu, that's asses or donkeys, perhaps möchte gern serves better?

[Ron_Birks]

Wake up you fluffies ,get real

[Ron_Birks]

Re.......sult!

[Ron_Birks]

Hey hey, my Jungle Bunny! 'Know exactly what you mean Brian, many hanker after the analogue in many things, the grain of 35 mm, the 'colour' of a valve amp, the purity of a Sure V15 Mark 5....In a way, as you say, the digitisation of, well...everything has knocked the mystique into touch. When you used to wonder how the filmaker 'achieved' that, is now brushed aside with a 'oh yeah, CGI'....

Why I have taken such a shine to this errr... Con artist, I don't know, perhaps it's 'cos we are both trilingual...and jump between languages at will on the phone. Since meeting with him, I have discovered that he is more of an artist than a photographer, and possibly more of a musician than an artist...if one does categorise anything nowadays.

Eric knows the publicity machine pretty well, having been reviewed in many publications, so perhaps ici je frapper le Cheval Mort! I am looking forward to jamming with the dude next week when he comes down with Godess Yvonne.

I am also testing the validity of SFN as a vehicle for web 'visibility' with this article, and various up coming projects of my own. The article itself crept into No 20 in the 'most read' chart, only to be forced out again by other articles ( no further comment ) I am only guessing that one more 'like' would bring it back in ( the story that is ) thus urging others to 'read' and thereafter there's the possibility of hitting the coveted 'worth a read' status, the very launchpad for global visibility, we all so desperately desire.

But one would have to genuinely 'like' the article, not just the author, and not because of a bung, cronyism, Japanese water torture, mind games, in-forced drug therapy, favour swopping, nepotism, propaganda, vote rigging, or anything that FIFA may get involved with.

No Sir, if you genuinely LIKE the article you feel free to click that LIKE button, do NOT feel any morscel of guilt on my part if you don't, it is your choice....you owe me nothing. Zilch.

missing you already

Ron Digital Terrorist

[Brian_Milne]

Using a camera was always par to the course as an anthro in the modern world. So off I went, clueless, with a Pentax and lots of film. Colour let me down but black and white pleased me much. So I asked a friend who to this day in fact still only uses black and white what the trick is. As a professional he was cagey, nut eventually said 'contrast' but never explained. So I looked at his work, OK it was early in his career but I got the message. Then the other pro who set up the darkroom at school and told me to develop my own, print and do all else until I got what I want repeated that. The message for me was always to maintain control over what I did. It has not worked a lot but now and again I have shocked myself with what appeared. Anyway, as film turned into electronic/digital photography I had to work like heck to keep control in a comparable way. By now a Nikon fan I went with the technology and whilst I still use film often find that with Photoshop and a lot of care and attention that I do better than I ever did with film. I think photography itself has become far more opportunistic and dependent on software rather than the way it was truly creative and often very carefully timed rather than planned, so I am split in my opinions. So Eric Otto is an artist but also very, very much a con man and I am quite certain he knows it too.

[Ron_Birks]

Hi, I decided to merely upload some more miniature car pics from Eric Ottos collection, as it is somewhat more on topic with this posting. It is difficult staying in contact with him as, residing in Pezenas, his internet connection is down to a dongle... but when I spoke to him the other day, he seemed very pleased to have enjoyed the exposure on SFN, and hopes that his work has inspired people to get out and do the same.

He was adamant, however, that his 'scenes' are not miniature scenes, but miniature cars set in real life situations.

I'm not sure if this sort of post is of interest to SFN ers, especially as we have not just an excellent photography group, but Neil Whitehead has started the Art Department group which, I hope will become the definitive SFN Gallery/showcase.

One of my passions is that of Art and Art History, I do have an online gallery, and find that I do have many contacts in the field. Those who represent the new wave of Brit artists, street artists, friends who show at the Saatchi Gallery, Royal Academy etc. I was also 'on the scene' and worked with Bridget Riley in the Black and White days and happen to be personal friends with the likes of Anthony Frost, son of Terry Frost from the St. Ives Movement. I shall be doing a piece on these guys shortly.

I am hoping that this sort of blatant 'promo' for others is acceptable on SFN, it's not overly ExPat, but Art and painting is oft part of the pipe dream for those relocating here. If I am off track, please let me know, as I am about to close some of my groups, in which the interest has wained. Anyway, off for breakfast now, a tube of Chrome yellow straight from the tube. Bon Ap moi.

[Ron_Birks]

[Ron_Birks]

would it be in order to upload some of Eric-Ottos commercial pics to illustrate the diversity of his photography?

[Ron_Birks]

Ha Ha Neil....you said the camera always lies. I hope so or I've got early onset alopecia. lol

[neil_whitehead]

no... it's just a trick of life.

[Ron_Birks]

@eric

I have just spoken to Michelle, who suggests, if you have time, you come to the Cap, any day in for lunch, you guys. We can then Boeuf. Ich hab 'ner Strato, SG 1000 unw, mit amplis, sogar einer Mesa Boogie, Keyboards.

Ja?

[Ron_Birks]

am I balding? or is that a trick of the light.

[Ron_Birks]

Hi Eric, your English is vordamnt gut!

I do like to promote good 'Art'

In fact there is a group here I belong to 'Languedoc/Jelly', who are always looking for 'venues' to met up. I met with them all recently in Montpellier, about 8 people. Assuming you have space and parking...and EDF. I may be out of order here, but if you had a 'special' Languedoc/Jelly afternoon, that would be great. Café und Kuchen naturlich! If you are able to, I will approach them.......Ich hilfe mit!

aber nur wenn's geht

Bis Spater