Mette Brandt Photography

My new site

2010-01-20T23:37:00.001Z

Hi everyone!
Have you wondered why there have been so little activity here lately? Thats because I have been busy with my new site. The new site is a combination of a blog and a webpage with my photo galleries. So no I only have one site. All you have to do is visit www.mettebrandt.com
I hope we can stay in touch in this place, you are welcome to my web!
Hope to see you!

Mette

Behind the scenes...

2009-12-20T17:41:00.000Z

I have to post these photos from the last shooting of Lena & Lena, of my husband and co-worker Geir, without his endless patience with me, the light, the gear, everything, well, there wouldn´t be many photos taken I guess...

Thanks Geir!

Lena & Lena

2009-12-20T17:28:00.002Z

Christmas time is christmas card time. We were asked by Lena & Lena if we would like to do some photos for their christmas cards, and how could we say no? Actually I like these jobs, nice people in nice enviroment, but GOD how much work. Very often on shoots like this I come home with 500 - 1000 photos. And its difficult to pick out the best. And the retouching take time...

We went to a nice beach at the right moment of the day when the light normally is perfect. But the lightcondition this day was difficult. Then sun went on and off all the time. Flash? No flash? Reflector? No reflector? Both? Nothing?

But I think the result is very good, and Lena & Lena seems to be very happy with the photos!

Merry Christmas!

Todays before and after photo

2009-11-23T21:40:00.001Z

I love play around with color and shapes. This is a photo of some coctail glasses I "found" on the cruiseship we newly were guest at. It was first the blue color which caught my attention. The shape of the glases and the contrast to the yellow I also liked.
Since I was actually running to a meeting, I didn´t have time to compose to much and just shot a photo in a hurry.
But later I played with the photo in Lightroom and Photoshop and came up with this.

This is the before photo

Places with soul...

2009-11-20T10:29:00.002Z

On a walk in Willemstad, which is the capital of the Netherlands Antilles on the island Curacao, I found this abandoned building, I´m not sure what happend here, but maybe it was a theatre or a cinema sometimes?
There most have been a lot of life I think, but not now, only the soul is left back...and the memories.

Todays color

2009-11-17T13:18:00.001Z

If you go to Caribbean, something you will discover is all the colors. Everywhere you see colors. It´s a colorful world!

This photo I took in Curacao, it show dresses made of wool of a local woman. I could not take my eyes of those beautiful colors and those dresses waving in the breeze. Luckily I had my camera so I could immortalize the moment, a moment of colors...

Todays photo

2009-11-15T19:33:00.000Z

Today I would like to share this photo. The more I look at it, the more I like it. It is so much feelings and passion in his face, you can almost hear he singing. I "found" him in Key West in Florida, it was the Fantasy Fest and he was sitting on a corner under a lamp, wich gave him a wonderful glow. Can´t help it, but I just like this guy. I think he has a story to tell...

Decide what to do with a photo

2009-11-14T16:19:00.002Z

How do I decide what to do with a photo when I have taken it? Often I find photos interesting for doing photo art and others for stockphoto and agencies. And sometimes I have to play around to find out finally what to do with it. Normally I never show a before and after picture, but today I will. In this photo I found the people very interesting, but not the cropping. And if I should have used it as a stockphote, I would have needed a modelrelease, wich I don´t have for this photo. Honestly, I didn´t feel for asking those guys to sign a contract with me there and then...I´m sure they are nice guys but I´m not always that brave...

So I decided to play around with it and since I recently did a visit to Dave Hill´s webpage, I got inspired of him and came out with this result. Dave Hill has indeed his own style, and I like his style. He is amazing!

Though, he is a very mysterious guy, he will not tell anybody how he do his photos and there are a lots of discussions on internet how he edit his photos.

But I did this, just inspired by Dave Hill, not a try to do like him. No one can be compared to him, he is too good at it I think.

After

Before

To get something to happen, something has to be done...

2009-11-13T00:25:00.004Z

When I started taking photos, I wanted just more than take the pictures and then store them on my computer. I wanted to show them to the world. And if I could get paid for them too, oh, that would be great! When you want something, I have learned that you have to do something, not just sit down and wait for the money.

So I started to investigate, how could I use my photos and get paid for them? In one of his books, Scott Kelby gave me the answer, sell them as stockphotos. So I started to search for agencies that wanted my photos.
Since then I have delivered hundreds of photo to Istockphoto, Shutterstock, Dreamstime and other agencies and sold thousands.(I also had many refused).

You sell your photo many times, and get paid every time. They are sold to other designers, newspaper, travel agencies, photographers who will use them in their designs, work, publicity or what ever. And even if you don´t get rich, it´s rather a enjoyment to find out when you log on to your agency that you have sold 20 photos one day and you may sell them next day also, and which you might did sell last week. And maybe you uploaded them last year to the agency.

So, while you waiting to get "rich and famous", do something! And you never know when you find some of your photos in a newspaper, magasin or whatever.

And don´t give up if you get refused, I did, many times, but I didn´t give up.

The three last photos are the ones that I have sold most of all. Those I have sold over 50 times, each of them.

The three ones on the top are some of the latest I got approved at Shutterstock and Dreamstime.

Photowalk with Matt Kloskowski

2009-11-11T02:26:00.001Z

On Aruba we went on a photowalk, hunting for...Well, I`m always looking for the colors, or the light, who brings up the colors. And Aruba is full of colors, the houses, neonlights, the people, the cars, everything on Aruba has colors. Including the garbage...

I don`t know who invented the phenomenon "Photowalk", but every year there is a World Wide Photowalk arranged by Scott Kelby, everybody have the possibility to do photowalks everywhere. Take a look here
It`s very educational and funny.

Todays photo-art...

2009-11-09T18:41:00.002Z

Ok, here are some photos, or let me say, work, of Giovanni. Giovanni is a bus driver on Aruba, he drives a pink, old school bus and gives tourists that comes to Aruba a tour around the island. I grabbed my camera and made him do some posing, did some shots of him when we did that tour on his bus. His nice skin color makes it interesting and I gave the photos that grunge-look, a very discussed look, hated and loved. But I love it...

With the first photo I came third in a photo contest on the Photoshop Cruise.

My exhibition

2009-11-08T00:52:00.000Z

At 16. october I opened my first photo exhibition. In the Norwegian Club in Arguineguín, beside the market place, I have 22 of my work that can be seen. Many people showed up on the opening day and I also sold nine of my photos that evening. So I was very satisfied and happy.

Thanks to Per Egil that runs the café at the club, I got the oportunity to have my first exhibiton. It can be viewed until mars 2010. The theme is "Las Colores de Canarias", The Color of The Canarias.

It´s mostly landscape from the islands done in my way. If you have time, drop by the Norwegian Club in Arguineguin to visit my exhibition.

Thanks to Bjørn Bjervig who took all the pictures (and all the help you gave me with everything).

And to my dear Geir, thank you for being so patient with me and helps me to achieve this.

It´s all about the canarias...

2009-09-29T20:04:00.018+01:00

Of course, I am living on Gran Canaria. But it´s not just only that. I am preparing my first exhibition and it´s about the canarias too. And my work, it´s also about the canarias.

People that have different diseases like asma, allergy, psoriasis and so on have the possibility to live in a fantastic clima such as the warm and dry clima at Gran Canaria. That will improve their health tremendously, make the day much better than if if they where living in a cold clima like Norway. And the essence to make that possible for families to happen, is the Norwegian School at Gran Canaria.

And this Norwegian school at Gran Canaria has this headmaster who I´m sure would die to let every person with that needs, become a part of this possibility to improve their life. Not only the students, but also their families.

He´s not like that headmaster you remember sitting in his office with a suit and a tie that you only met when you had done something really bad and had to step in to the headmasters office. No, he is the funniest headmaster I´ve every met (and I have met some...). And the students love him! And I do understand them!

One day he had somes really crazy ideas, and I followed up with some more crazy ideas. So we went all over the island to take funny-pictures of him. Look for yourselves, you got to love this guy!

What will we do with those photos? Well, I think we will use them to tell more people about this fantastic oportunity to live in this fantastic clima and make the health and life delightful for a while, meanwhile taking education on the Colegio Noruego...With the funniest headmaster there is...
Psst. If you look at the end of this post, you will see the most beautiful video I have ever seen. It´s about the canarias...

This video A different vision from the landscapes and people of the Canary Islands. Fascinating images that show the time in fast and slow motion. An audio-visual spectacle, without voice in OFF. only images and music to enjoy in High Definition.

BTW, I did win a conntest this week. I made this logo for The Norwegian School at Gran Canaria in Spain and it´s going to be used on the new t-shirts.

The King of Hair

2009-08-26T18:31:00.013+01:00

Finally, here comes my pictures from my project with Frederick, The King of Hair. Everyone knows Frederick, he is the best hairdresser you can imagine.

I found this on Fredericks homepage:

Hi I'm Frederick
My history goes a bit like this. I was invented in 1980. Doing friends Mohicans advancing with the then anti fashion, warping into hair art then morphing to style guru in the early 90`s when I landed a top job in the best salon in Oslo. Adam and Eva. Was top stylist and fashion educator trained in London and Oslo by Vidal Sassoon, Tony and Guy, Antenna/ Dome Extensions, Trevor Sorbie, Rita Rusk etc etc. Coaching and judging, photography.
Now I offer what most need but trying to do it with a lot of personality and quality.

Over the years our Salon here in Gran Canaria has grown with a massive number of happy, regular and loyal customers who continue to use our salon when they are here on holidays.

My staff are like family, and you will love them.

He did a fantastic job with the hair, makeup and clothes. This was his project!
Patricia Freeman and Davie Henderson did the posing and they did a fantastic job!

Geir took care of the light and every ones stress and frustration and I did the shooting and the photoshop work.

The main job was to create a new photo for Fredericks hair saloon in Playa del Ingles, and today it came from the printing office. And here it is:

I just love this photo, and it has been a pleasure to work with Frederick, Davie and Patricia, I learned a lot! I hope we can do some more work together!
In the meanwhile, Frederick is of course doing my hair too!!

Some more photos:

Latest projects...

2009-08-25T12:37:00.005+01:00

There have not been so much activity at this blog lately, thats because I have been so busy with both projects and work. But now some of them are finished and I might will have some spare time??? I can´t remember the last time I went to the beach, and there have been a heatwave here lately...

Well first of all, the new homepage to the Norwegian school at Gran Canaria is on "the air", and this have been a very fun project together with the new headmaster at the school, Svennie, and I think we have made a product that is what it was intended to be, informative and with a structure that everyone easily can understand.. You can visit the site and see for yourself...

Another site that I am managing is this site. Last friday we did a photo shoot of the new students. The result can be seen her

Hopefully another project will be finished today. It is another photo-project and next time I´ll tell about it and put some pictures here as well.

My family in-law

2009-07-28T18:28:00.003+01:00

It´s holiday season and whats better than a family gathering? And that of course has to be immortalized with a photo. And how funny it is...just look at the first photo...The last photo is our cool nephew Benjamin.

Interesting backgrounds...

2009-07-25T10:50:00.009+01:00

I am always looking for interesting backgrounds and pattern in the nature. In Norway its everywhere! On Gran Canaria it´s a little bit harder to find, but I´m sure there are...I have to look harder.
This pictures are showing my son Christoffer and they are taken in Telemark in Norway, near Gvarv, in a little park.

Lukas and Noah

2009-07-22T21:25:00.015+01:00

Taking pictures of children is such fun! And of course when its family its even more fun. I met my cousin Ingunn in Norway and her loving boys Lukas and Noah. Aren´t they lovely?

The Sweetest Thing...

2009-07-20T09:27:00.009+01:00

My daughter Camilla and her fiancée Ronny, aren´t they the sweetest thing? I took the pictures in my mothers garden, one of those days with sun in Risør...

I´m a blogger...

2009-07-19T21:15:00.000+01:00

I am on vacation in Norway, the weather is not as good as expected and Photographer Trine said to me: You should do a blog...So here I am, doing this blog. I write in English for two reasons: I need to practise my English since I am studying Spanish. Eh, well, it does give sense, doesn´t it? And the second reason is for my friends living in other countries than Norway.

Ok, lets start this blog. I´ll make this entry short and I want to show some pictures of some nice boys, actually it´s my son Christoffer and my nephew Stian. In Risør there is a lovely place called Stangholmen and we went there for a meal. Stangholmen is a small island outside Risør and it was given as a gift to the town in 1933. There are a restaurant there and a café, sometimes you can even enjoy conserts there. This day I brought my camera and did some shoots. I also brought the reflector, but it didn´t seem to do the job this rainy day of course.