moodboarder Mark Langridge is the new kid on the blog featuring his latest images and usage.  He has some very cool new images on there. Check it out here

Nice to see a moodboard pic in this weeks ShortList magazine.  This cycling shoot was by moodboard photographer Christopher Robbins in New York and has been really successful with another of the images being picked up for a Citibank campaign in the states. 

Very interested to hear about this new travel website from Simon Nixon, the man behind moneysupermarket.com which allows anyone to upload reviews and photos of travel destinations. Contributors can earn money based on bookings made with travel partners and from the number of site visits.  I think this could be a great opportunity for any photographers out there who travel a lot to make some extra cash. For those of you not so taken with the idea of travel writing, I think this will soon be one of the go-to websites to check reviews before you book your holidays. Check it out here.

Friend of moodboard, Jessica de Lotz offers recession busting 'Make do and Mend' jewellery workshops.

During Coutts London Jewellery Week (June 8 - 14) Jessica de Lotz winner of the 2009 Coutts New Jewellers Award has teamed up with others of her student cohort and members of the Jewellery Designer's Collective (JeDeCo). They will showcase the best of their work, present jewellery making demonstrations and deliver a series of workshop events aimed at helping the rest of us realise our own potential for jewellery design.

Jessica, a recent graduate from Central Saint Martins (2008) will be hosting two recession busting 'Make do and Mend' workshops for children and adults. Live workshops will inspire the makers and magpies amongst us to make the most of their keepsakes by remaking them into wearable jewellery creations.

Contact Jessica de Lotz for more information. Booking is necessary as places are free but limited: jessicadelotz@googlemail.com 

About Jessica de Lotz:

2009: Coutts New Jeweller Award winner.
2008: Graduate of Central St Martins. BA(Hons) Jewellery Design.
2008: Goldsmiths Precious Metal Bursary Award winner.
2007. Goldsmiths Brian Wood Memorial Travel Scholarship Award winner.

Jessica's jewellery collections are narrative based tributes, reflecting on the 'social lives' of objects and the history of their owners'. Largely inspired by her father, a self - employed military history book seller with an ethos of 'Make do and Mend, Jessica is guided by an overriding appreciation of age and history. Her jewellery embodies the concepts of time, concealment and heritage as she strives to create 'heirlooms of the future.'

She is now stocking at Miss Lala's Boudoir in Primrose Hill and Monmonth Stret with an exclusive collection titled, 'A Love Story. Paris 1946' and also at Kabiri in Marylebone, Selfridges and their new store in Covent Garden.

For information about JeDeCo Jewellery Designer's Collective, who are launching during Coutts London Jewellery Week, please go to www.jewellerydesignerscollective.co.uk.

Image courtesty of Jessica de Lotz

Jessica de Lotz Jewellery
E. jessicadelotz@googlemail.com 

Was nice to see Metro using one of our pics in this morning's edition.  

This shoot has been very popular with clients and was shot by the very lovely Christopher Robbins in Spain for moodboard.  Click here to see the rest of this shoot.

From "All Fours" © Chris Buck 2009

I am very excited to kick off the factory this week with a rather fab interview with New York photographer Chris Buck.  Chris is famous for his distinct portrait style and has an incredible ability to create original scenarios for his sitters which are often witty but always intriguing.   I found his interview on about an editor  to be one of the most insightful and honest pieces I have read by a photographer (boy would I like to have a look at his list of ideas) so I'm over the moon that he joins us here on the factory for our very own Q&A - enjoy!...  

You are hugely successful at getting famous people to try something different and humorous for their portraits. Have you got a favourite story of somebody you thought would be difficult to work with but turned out to be great fun?

It’s far more typical for a subject to be less keen that you expect (or hope) but occasionally a sitter will surprise me and be super open and excited.

My favorite story along these lines was when I shot Casey Affleck. Although he was an ambitious young actor, he also genuinely wanted to do creative work, and that extended to his portrait sessions.

Luckily I took the shoot seriously enough to do a number of different and odd set-ups but I wasn’t prepared for how far he wanted to go. By the end of the shoot he was sitting on my bed, with his shirt off, telling me that he wanted us to do some avant-garde shots of him making out with a girl. And he was pretty much open to any girl I could provide on the spot. Boy, was my office manager disappointed that she didn’t come in that day.

© Chris Buck

I know you're a big music fan - have you had the chance to meet a lot of your heros/idols?  Is there anyone you are still waiting to work with?

Having the chance to do a full sitting with Leonard Cohen was a big treat for me. He’s a national treasure in my homeland of Canada and I listened to him obsessively from my university years onward. I had always been inspired by his life as well as his music so when he invited my assistant and I to stay for a Jewish deli lunch after our shoot it was really a dream come true. He made me a pastrami on rye sandwich, with a side of chopped chicken liver (now a staple for me).

I continue to be a fan of new music, and I’ve had the blessing of having done sessions with many of my favorite artists. But my favorite contemperary artists that I’d like to shoot with would be M.I.A., Tegan & Sara, Art Brut, LCD Soundsystem, Ben Folds and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Of the older, legendary artists I’d love to do proper sittings with Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Burt Bacharach, Chuck Berry, Peter Gabriel, Tom Jones and Madonna.

© Chris Buck

Your work is full of humour which is very British I think - do you ever come over this side of the pond for work? What do you think of London?

I’m flattered that you see British humor in photography, as I am a fan of much of your comedy. I grew up watching Monty Python and enjoy recent shows like The Office (sorry, I can’t watch the American version after seeing the English series). What I like most about it is the dryness of the best of it. Growing up in Canada one gets a healthy splash of Britishness and it makes me stand out a little working in the US market.

I do shoot for some UK based publications but usually only in the US. I’m a regular contributor to The Guardian’s Weekend Magazine and The Wire. I do enjoy visiting London and touring around (the Freud Museum is fascinating) but what mostly brings it alive for me is visiting with friends there.

© Chris Buck

You have photographed George W Bush in the past.  If you were able to capture him any way you wanted what would be the scenario?

I think that President Bush is a more complicated man than most people take him as. Having met him shortly before he took office I found it frustrating throughout his term that most people misjudged him so far off base. I’m not saying that one has to like him, or his policy decisions, but to dismiss him as a simpleton or a puppet is just not accurate to reality, to my thinking.

I got the sense that the President was more emotionally affected by the turmoil of his years in office, and his connections to the events of the time, than he let on publicly. I am curious as to how it felt to be him as some of the darker times of his presidency.

I made a portrait with a President Bush look-alike in 2006 and it showed something of my take on him at the time.  It’s part of a series that I shot of celebrity look-alikes called ISN’T, it will be fully released to the public this spring.

© Chris Buck

Your interview on A Photo Editor was excellent and so revealing.  Did you always get on with Rob when he was your editor?

I don’t really know Rob Haggart so well, in fact we’ve never even met in person. But he gave me a number of excellent assignments over the years (at Outside Magazine and Men’s Journal) and he was a smart and generous interviewer.

What is your most memorable experience from starting out good or bad?

What stands out from my early days is how badly many subjects treated me when I was trying to take their photo – insults and disdain. It may have been because I was young and anxious, or it might have been the large amount of drugs that my sitters were taking.

Can you tell us about your latest assignment?

I recently had the chance to photograph Nigella Lawson for the Guardian Weekend. She’s not as well known here as she is in Britain but my wife works for a restaurant guide so she told me all about her. Having spent a little time with her I can see why people are so fascinated with her – aside from being stunning looking she’s quite thoughtful in her viewpoints.

© Chris Buck

Having achieved so much in your career - what else would you like to accomplish?  What's next for Chris Buck?

I would like to continue shooting my style but with bigger names. I often find the more obscure people more interesting, but I won’t really be able to get my point of view out there unless I can make portraits of more household names.

Check out more of Chris Buck's portfolio www.chrisbuck.com (look out for the very amusing (un)common section which is my fave).

Thanks to Chris for very kindly appearing on the factory - Deb H

Here at moodboard we like to do things differently.  We thought we'd share a few of our latest achievements -

We've spoken to our most promising microstocker about shooting macro exclusively for our collection. 

We set up an in-house keywording department with an industry specialist to ensure efficient and relevant search results.

April 2nd became Illustrator's Day at the factory - a whole day devoted to celebrating the joys of illustration.

Have anything you'd like to share with the factory then email - blog@moodboard.com

Deb H

Courtney Reagor not only writes a hugely popular blog "Raised on Sandwiches Redux" she is also a very talented artist ...

"floating downstream on a moonbeam"

"get in the game"

"no, I do not want to cuddle"

To see more of Courtney's work see here or on flickr

All images copyright Courtney Reagor/Courtesy of the artist

Based in Portland, Oregon, artist Hadley Hutton's work is a blend of traditional painting and modern design. She draws inspiration from Asian patterns and motifs, Victorian die cuts, and geometric designs. Her work explores nature’s beauty, people’s influence on their surroundings, and the environment's influence on people.  I came across her work on one of my favourite blogs Design*Sponge and was drawn to the brilliant use of colour in her images which often include flowers and birds.

"Above"

How long have you been working as an illustrator?

 I am a full time artist and illustrator for the past three years. I really couldn't imagine any  other calling. 
I certainly can't type to save my life.

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is the commute from my living room to my art room. I can make a huge mess which is what Hadley’s do best, and the boss mostly lets me get away with it

"Dear, Deer Bloom"

How long does it take to create a new artwork?

I really don't pay much attention to time when I work. It takes however long it takes, which may be less than an hour or more than a few days. It's difficult for me to give an accurate time estimate for one piece. I never really work on one piece from start to finish. First, I work on the monoprints for several pieces. Then I gesso the boards and mount the art on the boards for several pieces, and finally I wax several pieces. I have a more accurate estimate of how long it takes to make 15 small pieces-- about 30 -35 hours.

"In the Mums"

Where do you look for new inspiration?

Inspiration is such is an interesting topic for an artist because often we are not even cognizant of inspirations as we work. Artists are often sponges absorbing all kinds of influences,  be it a feeling, a word, an image and then regurgitating it into a piece of art.  So I find it fascinating to try to name and place these influences. One influence that seems to be a constant is traditional Asian art,  For as long as I can remember, I have  been influenced by Asian 
motifs.  The first book I purchased for my mother at age 8 was a large 
Asian pattern book, called "The Grammar of Chinese Ornaments", by 
Owen Jones.  I have spent countless hours poring over the gorgeous 
pages of this book.  Somehow the book managed to make it into my 
library :)  My love affair with Asian design is still going strong.  I 
recently took a trip to Japan where I had the opportunity to see 
incredible woodblock prints.  As a printmaker, the craftsmanship and 
beauty inherent in Japanese printmaking has had a profound influence 
in my work.

"Dripping Bouquet"

You do very well selling your prints over on Etsy.  Do you get a lot of interest from people seeing your work on this website?

Etsy has been a wonderful way for me to reach a new audience. Yes, I do I have shops, galleries, publishers, and illustration clients contact me after seeing my work on Etsy. I also am involved with several collaborative projects with other Etsy sellers -my art is now made into jewelry and soon into fabric purses, and rugs.  

What’s your current favourite blog or website?

I really don’t have time to surf having elementary age children and more than a full-time work. I do have a number of favourite artists, and I love to visit their sites, and see what they are up to. Here are a few faves:

Brian Cronin, http://www.briancronin.com/brian_cronin.html
Lisa Congdon  http://www.lisacongdon.com/fineartportfolio.html
Christopher Silas Neal, http://www.redsilas.com/illo.html
Jill Bliss, http://www.jillbliss.com/
Gina & Matt, http://www.ginaandmatt.com/ginamatt.html

All images are copyright Hadley Hutton/Courtesy of the artist

To see more from this artist, check out www.hadleyhutton.com 

Mark Beech uses a traditinal pen and ink style combined with photoshop to create his images.  I love Mark's work and find his images utterly charming.  He is a very busy ilustrator so we are thrilled that he managed to find time to create an image especially for us with the theme of property slump (below) - which is coming soon to www.moodboard.com.

You have a lovely whimsical style which I imagine is very popular for books and book covers, is this where you get most of your work?

Yes most of my work is for book covers and for children’s books. I have however worked on food packaging projects, advertising and have also done some animation work too.

Do you have a favourite project you’ve worked on you could tell us about?

I have lots of favourite projects. I am currently working on a picture book for Bloomsbury but its under wraps until its published later this year. I have worked on a couple of posters this year that I like very much so will send you copies of them. One was for a childrens version of Macbeth and the other for a production of the little Mermaid.

What would you like to accomplish next in your career?

Accomplishment wise, this year I am looking very much into working on a series of books in the US. In addition to this I would really like to work in other countries particularly in Asia so am looking to get my UK agent to push my work in that market too.