John Grant @ Winter Swing

Photos and a video of a ‘Winter Swing’ show produced by Dance factory on board of M/S Baltic Princess. John Grant, featured in the show, is a fantastic and radiant performer who seems to be an inspiration even for his co-performers. Gotta love him and his talent! He left many behind missing him on this side of the Atlantic.

John Grant @ Winter Swing

John Grant @ Winter Swing

John Grant and Raimondo Laikre @ Winter Swing

John Grant @ Winter Swing

John Grant and Raimondo Laikre @ Winter Swing

John Grant @ Winter Swing

John Grant @ Winter Swing

John Grant and Raimondo Laikre @ Winter Swing

Eneli Rüütli (middle) @ Winter Swing

Winter Swing on board of Baltic Princess

Tanja Mihhailova, Raimondo Laikre and John Grant

John Grant @ Winter Swing

Winter Swing on board of Baltic Princess

Photos taken at midnight show on January 5th, video recorded on January 13th, 2012, John’s last show, with canon EOS 60D. Below is a 6 minute composition of the half an hour show.

No no, it is not as if that was all I could say while shooting these photos of Joe – sometimes I said ‘Oh, God!’ instead. His defined, muscled body is amazing piece of art at whatever angle I look at him, he is just a living sculpture!

The red textured wall was a nice background for the photos, but since I could not bring along my studio lamps, I had to come up with some lighting solution.

First I dismantled a floor lamp and tried some complicated choreography to make it work as a sort of a softbox on my flash. Mh, did not quite work out.

Eventually I just bounced flash off of the back of the room at full power. Seemed to be great solution until after about 30 shots my flash overheated and refused to co-operate. Once it had cooled down, we were already hungry and done with the session.

Photos are taken Joe’s place last weekend. Always excited to be able to take photos of him and especially happy for his approval for publishing the photos.

Joe in kitchen

My eyes are still wet as I watch Joe in the kitchen preparing food and telling me the story. At first it seems very unappropriate for the story to be told with some chuckles instead of tears and devastation, but it is his story to tell and in time his manner of telling it feels completely natural.

We had just finished watching a movie Blood Diamond. Throughout the movie I kept crying my heart out; next to me I heard Joe just sigh long and plain ‘f*ck’ for few times.

I know he has been in the army, but seeing him as sane, fun and non-traumatized guy I just assume his army time must have been merely trainings and shooting blanks. Well, yeah, I am aware that I am a naive guy living in fairytales.

A week after leaving the military training school he was hit by reality when there were real bullets flying over his head and shooting out of his gun too. That time and for many other times in the seven years he did not think he was going to come out of it alive. He was indeed killed in the war – at least his family was told so. They were mourning him before they were told it had been a misinformation.

I have a number of questions in my head but I am scared to ask; I don’t know whether I would want to know the answers. Joe continues his story and is already answering some of the questions I am afraid to ask.

Yes, he saw people dying. Many of them sank at the swamps. Some, as expected, were killed by bullets. Guys next to him were killed, his best friend there was killed.

Yes, a lot of what we saw in the movie, was how it happened. Rebels chopped off people’s hands, women were raped and killed or vice versa, children were turned into killing machines, and so on and so on. But there was a lot more that was not shown. People were cut open, their intestines were used as ropes at the rebel camps.

I can now only think of one question. How can anyone who has witnessed all that remain sane in mind?

Again, without me asking it, he answers my question.

Sure, life is precious, but.. this is how the life is. One can only try to get best out of the given life and to enjoy it as much as possible, despite all the unpleasant stuff in it, since we don’t know how long we have it left.

.. somehow he has the strength to look back at the military time and see the good things he experienced rather than all the stuff that scares the hell out of me.

Margus was in Russian army, but by the few comments I have heard from him, I don’t think I would dare to ask him more.

Joe in kitchen

Eduard on sofa

It is cool and flattering that guys so often ask me when when when will I take photos of them. Eduard was featured on my blog few months ago, but by now he has been to gym regularly and built up more meat on his cute bones.

As grateful as I am for the interest of guys, I am all dry on ideas and context for the photos. At the last photo shoot I just sat with the camera on my lap and most of the times just mumbled “mmmhmh, sure, lets dry that…”, even though Edik is such a cute and adorable guy to take photos of.

I moved away from my apartment where I had my mini-studio and haven’t figured out where  I could use a studio in Tallinn. Then again, I am more eager to have something more on the photos than just the white or black studio background, would really love to have some context on the photos and behind the models.

Eduard on sofa

Well, I do have few ideas; there is one quite cheap studio I could rent, some people have rather nice apartments which could serve as good background for some sort of context, maybe I’ll manage to get more than one guy on the photos at the same time. Oh, at the gym my jaw dropped as I got a brief glance at what one of the guys was trying to hide in the corner of the shower cabin – even though I am known to be a shy guy, I was so eager to ask whether I could have him for some artsy underwear shots. No, did not dare to ask yet, but maybe some day :D

Eduard

Boogie Shoes

Muscled guys ripping off their shirts on stage and the whole cast enjoying and having fun on stage – of course I loved the whole performance.

William Hall in Boogie Shoes

Rick Waldock in Boogie Shoes

William Hall in Boogie Shoes

William Hall and Harrison Barnes in Boogie Shoes

Rick Waldock topless in Boogie Shoes

Rick Waldock in Boogie Shoes

Rick Waldock in Boogie Shoes

Eric Potter in Boogie Shoes

Eric Potter in Boogie Shoes

Elisa Mackle in Boogie Shoes

Larenne Vine in Boogie Shoes

Boogie Shoes on Emerald Princess

Photos taken on August 15th of 2011 at ‘Boogie Shoes’ show on board of cruise ship Emerald Princess.

Rick Waldock in Boogie Shoes

With the cancer awareness campaign last week I heard it a lot – this is not the end. Recently the phrase has become so familiar, whether I have tried to convince me in it myself or have been told. I keep humming lyrics ‘this is the end’ while forcing ‘not’ to the middle of it. I have been through devastating times, and yet, the world and I both seem to be moving on.

Today child of my dear friend died at birth.

..and the world still seems to be moving on.

Eneli Rüütli

Contrabass on stage

Guys in black behind the stage

Birgit Õigemeel and guys

Eva-Lena Raenok and guys

The photos are from a fund-raising concert of Estonian Cancer Society held last week at Nokia Concert Hall in Tallinn. I was very excited to be involved in it and to do my bit of the performance on stage in front of 3000 people including the President (as I was told). I know I was an anonymous fellow on stage behind the singers, but even so I took full enjoyment out of facing the full house gracing us with standing ovations; I just cheered and laughed out loud, oh what a moment!

Oh, btw, these are the first photos from my new toy, Canon EOS 60D.

Lisa Kieffer and Rick Waldock in Motorcity

The few days on the huge cruise ship were perfect for my short vacation! As one of the bonuses, aside from just spending great time on the ship, we got to see our host Rick performing in two of the shows of Emerald Princess cruise ship.

I am one weird guy – I can not truly enjoy a stage performance unless I can take photos of it. Fortunately, on the ship I could go to enjoy the first show with both of my eyes and later I could return to the same show for one-eye-through-the-lens action!

Photos of the second show are yet to come, and I will also try to show and tell more of the ship and our amazing host.

Lisa Kieffer and William Hall in Motorcity

Lisa Kieffer in Motorcity

Lisa Kieffer and adorable Harrison Barnes in Motorcity

Eric Potter in Motorcity

Motorcity

Rick Waldock in Motorcity

Eric Potter in Motorcity

Eric Potter in Motorcity

Lisa Kieffer and Larenne Vine in Motorcity

Eric Potter in Motorcity

Photos taken on August 13th of 2011 at ‘Motorcity’ show on board of grand class cruise ship Emerald Princess.

Motorcity

Ranno and Margus, island Aegna

A day out on the sea on kayaks, indulging in the warm sun, getting dressed up in swimsuits just for some of the pics.

Margus, island Kräsuli

There I was, unemployed after six years, packing, moving, and still trying to take most of the week that I had for myself.

It has become kind of tradition to visit our friends on a small island Aegna which is about an hour away on kayaks.

Ranno, island Kräsuli

Thanks to Juku for taking such a good care of the hungry sailors :) Photos taken on 3rd of August, I have just been busy going through the changes.

Ranno on a kayak, island Kräsuli

New design for ranno.eu

After four years of the old design and after couple of weeks of actually working on the new one it is done. Its simpler and smoother and just cuter and I just love it  :)

Old design

And the comments look oh so cute! If You don’t yet have a Globally Recognized Avatar, then You can associate one with Your e-mail address at Gravatar.com.

Oh yeah, few changes in my life too. In a week, over six years after joining the company, I will leave it. After living in Tartu for twelve years I will move to Tallinn. After five years of relationship with Margus I will finally move in with him. There have been and will be big changes in my life. Even though there might be storms ahead, I am looking forward to my new life.

Ranno in white underwear

Another attempt to take photos of myself — I know, “What a narcissist!”. This time with the tripod on top of my sofa so I would not have to lean down for the camera, ..still so complicated!

Did I fit in the frame? Why on earth could not the camera find me for the focus? Why does it shoot when I close my eyes? So damn hard and complicated!

Photos are shot with my white wall, texture is a photomontage. Although there are flaws (background is sharper than me), I like these pics :) Now, few days after I took these pics, I am quite happy that I did not delete the whole folder as I was about to do after I first reviewed the photos. They all looked hideous that night but thanks to miraculous photomontage I became to like a few.

Next post will probably be about changes — I have been working on a new cleaner design for this blog, and maybe will tell about some changes in my life too.

Ranno in white underwear