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Flow Kolektiff

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:53:07 +0000

From mid-January, BlackBoxPhoto is a contributor to Flow Kolektiff, a group focused on PR and management. Our first assignment was to shot some portraits of the girls and overall pics. Turned out pretty fun – Magda and Natalia know how to behave in front of the camera.

Big thanks goes to Michał Jaskólski for his help during the shot and letting us to mess in his flat. Cheers mate!:)

Off Festival 2011 – Day 2

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:26:46 +0000

I don’t know what else can I add to what I wrote in the previous update. Oh, and it was raining a little. But it wasn’t as bad as what happened during the third day.

NOTE: Do NOT use any of those photos. All the coprights belong to me (Joanna ‘frota’ Kurkowska) and some pics belong exclusively to Wp.pl. And I’m good at sending invoices ;)

Off Festival 2011 – Day 1

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:02:45 +0000

Best festival? Best party? Best mates? I have one answer for that: Off Festival 2011. Everything was just perfect (except for the thunderstorm and me going back in the train with too much stuff) – we reserved four rooms in one hostel, talked about music and gigs all the time, swaped CDs, met some new people and ate in the best veggie place in Poland (in my opinion).

And the people. You’ve got to love off because of the people. All kinds of friends from all over Poland (and abroad), some you see every day, some just for a couple days in a month, some you meet once a year… But the music junkies are all there. Metalheads, ambient-lovers, drone troopers, pop fanatics, cold wave surfers, experimental geeks, dance dudes – Off, like any other Polish fest I’ve been to, brings them all together for three days od musical bliss. I don’t know ANYBODY (that’s right!) who didn’t like this year’s edition. Talked with around a 100 (or more…) people and everybody were happy as hell.

The bitter part was that the day before my clients server went down and because of some malfunctions, I had to upload the pics one by one. The biggest drag of all time and before I got to enjoy some free time before the gigs, I found myself uploading the pics one-by-one like crazy. Even worse, days before Off my D300 went crazy. Bogna Kociumbas helped A LOT lending me her D700 with 24-70 2.8 plus 85 1.4. A company of brothers that is hard to forget and for the three next days it was pure bliss to shot with this gear. I think, it was then when I’ve decided to buy the D700 as quickly as I could. And if anybody asks what’s the best festival coverage I’ve done in 2011 – I’m putting all my bets on Off 2011. Really nailed those shots!:)

NOTE: Do NOT use any of those photos. All the coprights belong to me (Joanna ‘frota’ Kurkowska) and some pics belong exclusively to Wp.pl. And I’m good at sending invoices ;)

B., M. & some random mess

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:05:20 +0000

During November & December I had to stay in Warsaw for a couple of weeks and stayed at Ola’s wonderful flat which has the largest number of CDs/vinyls per square. Meanwhile her boyfriend, Michał, came to visit and my friend Basia came around a couple of times so we managed to snap some random shots around the house. Nothing too serious but how can you be serious when there’s a pink flaming looking at you from you neighbor’s windows? Despite the opinions running around, Warsaw can be fun!:)

Some geek info: Mostly used 50 mm (plus Sigma’s 20 1.8) and natural lights. I’m totally in love with Ola’s walls. Great background!

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:45:03 +0000

It was a very intense weekend (which started on Wednesday..). It began in Warsaw and ended in Gdańsk, where I shot SpaceFest for T-Mobile-Music and Projekt PR. Concentrated on spacerock/indie/drone/alternative sounds it’s one of the best indoor festivals I’ve seen this year and I hope a second edition will take place in 2012. Pure Phase Ensemble’s gig was just mindblowing. See for yourselves:

There’s gonna be a CD released from the gig and I’m so excited!!!

Muzyczny Pchli Targ – 6 XI 2011 – Desdemona, Gdynia

admin — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:58:53 +0000

More pics from previous editions:

First edition
Second edition

COKE LIVE MUSIC FESTIVAL PT.2 – 19-20 VIII 2011 – KRAKÓW, POLAND

admin — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:51:53 +0000

(First part can be found here)

Coke always marks two things for me: the dawn of the summer festival season and time I’ve started comming to Kraków more often. This year it was also a beggining of an almost 2,5 week trip with three festivals, some vacation time and lots of drawing (thanks to Ulson, who made me come back to drawing..again!). And almost every time I come to Coke there’s always something wrong – in the previous years it has been my camera, my almost-broken knee. This year it was the uncertian weather, which affected the Pukkelpop and me limping (kids, never try to go into a moshpit after the doctor advised you not to do so – but the Deftones gig was AWESOME!). However, it was the most awesome Coke ever – lot’s of friends and workmates, great gigs (Editors blew me away..) and the weather turned out to be more awesome then Barney Stinson will ever be.

Coke was the first time I’ve managed to test out my new lens Nikkor 80-200, which worked just great (Of course, it’s not the Nikkor 70-200 mm F2.8 VR II, so it has some flawns). Pretty different focal length from what I was used to (50-150). So after completing some new lenses, lamps and acessories there was only one target left – a full-frame body. And because my D300 was not in such a great condition and I was tired of waiting for Nikon’s new model to be announced in the late October I purchased a D700. But that’s another story. If I ever win the lottery. I’m going straight to the store to buy a 14-24 2.8, 24-70 28 and a whole bunch of primes…

Kraftwerk Porn @ Soundedit Festival – 28/29 X 2011 – Łódź

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:34:38 +0000

Another year, another Soundedit festival. I’ve been there for two days, met some old friends, got an awesome birthday gift (thanks to A&A!)tested my new camera (finally it’s full frame, baby!), listened to some great music and shot some in-depth pics. But the most fun to do was to shoot the custom-made synthesizers. Really, I’ve spend like two hours around 6 machines, that were put up in the main hall for display. Screws, cables, switches – it all facinated me to the point one of my friends said shooting all this stuff is like shooting a synth porn… Maybe he’s right ;)

So no gigs today, just plain, sexy, stylish electronic porn. Just for you!

Any unauthorised usage of the photographs is prohibited!

Coke Live Music Festival Pt.1 – 19-20 VIII 2011 – Kraków, Poland

frota — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 08:49:24 +0000

I hate shooting a big festival and having the worst lights ever. The small tent had only rear and upper lights and no fronts. ISO as high as 3200 won’t help a thing and the only lights available are really shitty. You either have to have Nikon’s SBs scattered around the set or be a Superman to come up with good visual stuff. Apart from that it was the first time I’ve tested Nikkor 80-200, which, with a crop, happens to be a great zoom. I’m selling my old Sigma 50-150, because it’s not an FX lens. If you’re interested in buying, contact me (froger3[@]gmail.com).

The publication got the colored ones but I played more with the pics and did the no-so-festival-like black and white style I usually use for hardcore and small club show. The rest of Coke Live is too colorfull to be published in BW – just the gigs from the small stage + Interpol, because their light sucked even more then those in Barcelona. However, I’m pretty happy with the shots and the post-production. Never seen such pics of Olivia Anna Livki or Parias done in that way!
Fans of You And Me At Six or The Kooks be patient. Those will be coming in shortly!

Didn’t have time to upload stuff from the summer but I’m still trying . “Pitty” more and more photos come in:)

Muzyczny Pchli Targ – 18 IX 2011 – Desdemona, Gdynia

frota — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:50:31 +0000

Pics from the first edition can be found here. This was the second one and, to our suprise, even more people came and, after the whole market-crazyness we’ve decided that the next MFM will be held in Desdemona’s basement.

It’s really a great place for some vinyl hunting and casette scouting with various kinds of sounds. Modeselektor, Plum, Butthole Surfers, Aphex Twin, Slayer, Husky Rescue, Blue Raincoat, Air, Decide, Muse, Kenny Rogers, Kiev Office, Metallica – drop a name and it was probobly there. Also some guitars and drums were put up for sale. Nice stuff, decent prices!:) I’ve managed to stuff my pockets with 5 CDs with 2 of them being Delux Versions of Joy Division albums. Like Berney Stinson would say – Niiiiiiice!

We’re ready to expand the formula of the market and we’ll be planning something special for the next editions. We’re also setting up a facebook page so if you want to know what’s up and interested in the whole idea od MFM just search “Muzyczny Pchli Targ” in your facebook’s search box. Won’t be dissapointed, I promise.

PS. Thanks to Paweł Jóźwiak for borrowing me his photo gear.