Simon Weller

I didn’t expect that December 17th 2012 would be the day I...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:18:00 -0800

I didn’t expect that December 17th 2012 would be the day I would get to see the Northern Lights for the first time. Here are four terribly blurry photos of Mother Nature’s beautiful light show from the window of Virgin Atlantic Flight 20, high above the clouds over Hudson Bay, Canada. It lasted for well over an hour and was one of those wonderful life moments that I will always treasure.

Washington lookout, Highway 20, California

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 11:52:44 -0800

Washington lookout, Highway 20, California

Shoot for Gather Jewelry. More coming soon…

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:47:00 -0700

Shoot for Gather Jewelry. More coming soon…

One of the projects I’m working on is a major...

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:10:56 -0700

One of the projects I’m working on is a major documentation of people and their homes in Nevada County, Northern California. I feel that the Gold Country deserves something like this - interesting now, fascinating in 20 years time. Here are my friends James & Soell and their dear baby girl Amaya at home recently.

I spent Tuesday photographing the Goldrush era ghost town of...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 09:46:00 -0700

I spent Tuesday photographing the Goldrush era ghost town of North Bloomfield, in Malakoff Diggins State Park, Northern California. Sadly due to budget cuts the park is being closed next month, which will lead to the old buildings falling into disrepair and in danger of vandalism. All the contents of the buildings will be packed up and placed into storage and the many years of hard work that have been put into restoring the town to it’s original state will have been wasted. I’m now working on an editorial article about the closure which will hopefully be published in a major US newspaper, highlighting the consequences to this important historical site. Save Malakoff Diggins State Park: http://malakoffdigginsstatepark.org/?p=1261

Red Cloud. Photo © Simon Weller. 2012.

Tue, 29 May 2012 14:30:37 -0700

Red Cloud. Photo © Simon Weller. 2012.

Fecal Face feature on South African Township Barbershops &...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Fecal Face feature on South African Township Barbershops & Salons

Here’s my photo of James Mercer of The Shins in the latest...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Here’s my photo of James Mercer of The Shins in the latest issue of Rolling Stone. I had been commissioned by Sony Music to photograph James working on the album Port of Morrow in LA with producer Greg Kurstin. It was a real honor to spend three days in the studio with James & Greg, listening to a number of songs come to life including the wonderful ‘For A Fool’.

Brain Pickings has selected South African Township Barbershops...

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Brain Pickings has selected South African Township Barbershops & Salons as one of the ‘Best 11 Photography Books of 2011’.

I’m very excited to tell you about a series of skateboard...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I’m very excited to tell you about a series of skateboard decks I have designed with Familia Skateboarding of South Africa. The limited edition boards feature five of my photographs from the township barbershop book and are about to hit stores in South Africa, UK and Sweden.

Photo

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

On July 30th 2011 Red Hot Chili Peppers played secret show at...

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:52:00 -0700

On July 30th 2011 Red Hot Chili Peppers played secret show at the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City, California. The band played three warm up dates in intimate venues across California before kicking off the world tour to promote their latest album I’m With You. Here is a moment from the beginning of the show where Flea crouched at the front of the stage playing his bass to a young fan in the crowd.

Press Release for MBP’s publication of South African...

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Press Release for MBP’s publication of South African Township Barbershops & Salons

Another Africa feature on South African Township Barbershops...

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Another Africa feature on South African Township Barbershops & Salons and interview with Simon Weller

KDVS, a radio station based in Davis, California interviewed me...

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

KDVS, a radio station based in Davis, California interviewed me about my experiences shooting in the townships of South Africa. You can listen to the interview here.

Mt. Humphreys, Eastern Sierras, California. Soundtrack by Iron...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:27:00 -0700

Mt. Humphreys, Eastern Sierras, California. Soundtrack by Iron & Wine.

I’ve started shooting a few short videos with my iPhone 4 and...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:09:00 -0700

I’ve started shooting a few short videos with my iPhone 4 and the quality is pretty good. This movie was shot just south of Owens Lake near Lone Pine, California. It’s not much of a lake anymore thanks to LA’s thirst for water. The Eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains is home to some of the most dramatic scenery in the whole of California. The soundtrack comes from The Shins which happened to be playing on my car stereo at the time.

People often ask me what camera I use. Although I rarely talk...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:47:00 -0700

People often ask me what camera I use. Although I rarely talk about the equipment I shoot with, today I’m making an exception. I do own a Canon EOS 5D MK II digital SLR but I still prefer shooting on film. There are many reasons for this, image quality being a huge consideration. There is a quality in film that I still don’t think has been matched with digital technology. This is not to say that digital photography has no place in what I do and I recognise that it is essential for most commercial jobs today.

I shot my book South African Township Barbershops & Salons on a Contax G2 35mm with a 35mm and a 45mm lens and only Fujicolor 100 speed film. I carried a small tripod for low light conditions and if the shot didn’t turn out then it wasn’t meant to be. Some people might think this strange but I find that the more restricted I am the better the photographs turn out. With a digital camera I shoot so many images I barely know how to begin editing them. I also find that constantly reviewing the photograph I have just taken really takes me out of the moment. Film forces me to have the courage to shoot and move on to the next subject. After I have the film processed I do have my negatives scanned so I’m not completely stuck in the Dark Ages of photography.

I recently bought a 1969 Pentax Asahi 6x7 medium format camera which I’m getting to grips with. The camera is huge and very heavy but it gives the most extraordinary results. I’m now using a light meter for the first time and I hope that this camera will push my understanding of different light conditions. In an age where everyone seems to have the latest digital SLR it feels good to be learning to use a camera that is older than me.

I’m not actually told where my book is available so I have...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:46:00 -0700

I’m not actually told where my book is available so I have been relying on sightings by friends and going into the stores in person. This photo was taken in the great art, architecture & photography bookstore Hennessy & Ingalls in Santa Monica, California. Thanks to my friend Henry for the tip off. During my time in LA I also found it in the legendary Book Soup on the Sunset Strip and in Skylight Books in Los Feliz. I’ve also found out that it is available in the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan NYC and the Community Bookstore in Parkslope, Brooklyn. In London it can be found in the Tate Modern bookshop and one of my favourite spots in the city, Magma Books. Signed copies can be bought from the Gray Goose in Nevada City, California, the town where I live. I’d love to know where else people are seeing it, please send me photos if you can.

It’s a very special feeling to see your own book on...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:27:48 -0700

It’s a very special feeling to see your own book on display in a bookstore. During my time working as a graphic designer for Penguin Books and HarperCollins in London I became quite used to seeing my book covers on the shelves but this definitely felt different. The first copy I saw for sale was in Barnes & Noble in The Grove in Los Angeles, California.