Production Paradise

Here is your February edition of Showcase Germany, full of the latest news and visuals from some of the best names in Germany's production industry.

Three events that you might like to include in a visit to Hamburg and Berlin:

• In Hamburg, visit the Gute Aussichten exhibition/competition of young budding photographers. 18 January - 18 February.
• Also in Hamburg, Jay Mark Johnson's 'Motion Studies' exhibition is on until 31 March at the Aplanat Galerie für Fotografie - more details below.
• In Berlin, there are two new exhibitions showing less well-known photographs by Helmut Newton at the Helmut Newton Stiftung Museum for Photography - more details below.

Our cover was shot by Urs Kuckertz [Gecko Photographers] with model Theresa [Viva Models], make-up by Stefan Kehl [Viva Style], styling by Laurent Sylla, Fashion Yaron Braha Bezalel. Remember to visit our international directory of visual media companies - it now has helpful 'search' and 'save' features.

muc photography/photo agents: AGENTUR NEUBAUER & SPRINGER

Sandra Seckinger: Sandra has expanded her portfolio with XS (baby), M (kids) and XL (lifestyle/adults). More at her new website.

Myrzik & Jarisch: photographed light artist James Turell for German Vogue.

Markus Pritzi: haute couture fashion shoot in Paris with stylist Ingo Nahrwold

Donja Pitsch: shot in Paris for French Cosmopolitan on "body and food".

Michael Munique: shot for Chinese magazine Soön.

Rasmus Kaessmann: advertising campaign for Uniroyal Reifen, through Gramm Düsseldorf.

Barbara Bonisolli: shot for Gault Millet magazine.

Bernd Opitz: shot the new CRJ 900 in a hangar in Cologne to launch the aircraft, through Wunderman Frankfurt.

Robert Brembeck: campaign shoot for Vereinte Postversicherung, through Serviceplan Munich.

ham photography/photo agents: RENA MOTSCHMANN

Rena Motschmann Photographers & Production is a Hamburg-based agency representing photographers and offering a wide range of professional production services.

The focus of photographers represented by the agency includes advertising, beauty, celebrities, editorial, fashion, food, people, portrait, reportage, sports, wellness and many others.

Latest projects:

• Bob Leinders - Tchibo, Mercedes, Nivea, Lichtenauer Mineralquellen.
• Bernd Grundmann - Zoot Magazine, Gault Mileau's Coulinarische Reisen.
• Manuel Pandalis - Fit for Fun, Villeroy & Boch.
• Maik Scharfscheer - Tendence Messe Ffm, Volksbank, Bosch, Tchibo.
• Werner Pawlok - Claudia Sträter, NC Nice Collection published in Elle, Style.

ber photography/photo agents: GECKO PHOTOGRAPHERS

Gecko Photographers represents Alexander Basta, Che Chapman, Heinrich Hecht, Urs Kuckertz, Szymon Plewa, Wolfgang Reiher and Uli Staiger.

Current projects include:

• Düsseldorf-based Alexander Basta is presented in the book 'Augenblick Deutschland - Germany now' with 14 portraits.
• Che Chapman is down under working for trendy UK magazine Huck.
• Urs Kuckertz just finished a series for H.O.M.E. magazine and is off to Bucharest for a Gecko Media assignment.
• Uli Staiger is off to Argentina on a photo tour to collect images for his award-winning compositions.

For more info, contact Tong-Jin Smith.

dus photography/photo agents: ROCKENFELLER & GöBELS

Andreas Loewenhaus (people, fashion, sport, editorial, business reports) is represented by Rockenfeller & Goebels and shot the latest Adidas outdoor image campaign in different countries including Austria and Costa Rica.

His work on 'Adidas Imagebook 2006' won Finalist Award at the New York Festival. Creation: Agentur Richter, Munich. See Andreas' website for more information and 'making of' video.

The presentation of various sports was published in the special edition of Centourion, designed for top American Express customers.

ham photography/photographers: ANJA BOXHAMMER

• Anja recently shot an 8-page male beauty story in London for the spring issue of German magazine Tush.
• Image Source asked her to shoot a female beauty production in Hamburg.
• She mixed pictures taken on location in Paris with studio work for a 10-page male fashion story for the spring 07 edition of French magazine Icon.
• Up-and-coming German designer label Werth chose Anja to photograph their look book and image folder for their complete autumn collection.
• In Hamburg, Anja shot for advertising client Goertz.

Anja is represented by Daniela Wagner under 'Young Stars' - her entry will be online in 2 weeks.

ham photography/photographers: STUDIO KLAUS STEMMLER

Studio Stemmler in Hamburg is producing the 360° views for the global launch of the special web feature introducing the new Porsche Cayenne.

For the first time ever, a Porsche is being presented using a mix of 3D data and photographic images.

The vehicle itself was never in South Africa! The different backgrounds used in the presentation were photographed in South Africa by Klaus Stemmler and Victor Klassen. The lavish postproduction and extremely detailed rendering were subsequently carried out at Studio Stemmler in Hamburg and Cologne.

More at the Porsche website.

ham photography/photographers: NINO GEHRIG

Nino's main focus is on people and children photography in Spain and Germany.

Recently, he worked on big campaigns for agencies including Bassat Ogilvy, McCann and S.C.P.F. for clients like Nestle, Allianz, Seat, Sol, Estrella Damm, VW as well as regular fashion editorials for the spanish La Vanguardia Sunday magazine.

muc photography/photographers: INGOLF HATZ

Growing up with the music of The Police and The Style Council as well as having his own band touring through Germany, Ingolf Hatz decided to get serious and study journalism.

As it turned out, he finished art school and became a photographer instead.

His true interest in people and his lighting skills together with his passion for the double page and telling a story are the drive behind his pictures.

Ingolf will be in New York in March before returning to Milan in April.

muc photography/photographers: RIESS FOTO DESIGN

Here we show examples of architecture photography from Riess FotoDesign Studio, who are based in Garching close to Munich.

They use a special 'multilayer radiographic technique' to create the effects, which where not possible in the past.

The company focuses on advertising, industry, regional and international companies and their advertising agencies.

ham photography/rental studios: APLANAT MIETSTUDIOS

aplanat mietstudios is a rental studio and equipment rental company in the heart of Hamburg's hip Schanzenviertel quarter.

In business for 16 years, the company has now grown to seven varied studios suitable for all photographic requirements: from loft-style studios to a huge ground floor studio with cyclorama and car entrance.

Equipment for rental includes Canon Cameras, Profoto, Briese, Balcar, Kinoflo, Arri, and all gear.

Aplanat also sells paperback drops, and assistants can be hired as needed - offering a "one stop - get all" facility.

Since April 2002, there has also been an associated fine art photography gallery on the same premises.

dus photography/rental studios: HARBOUR STUDIO

125 square metre modern bright loft studio with almost daylight capacity for rent on the scenic and centrally located Düsseldorf harbour, with good surrounding infrastructure, hotels, bars and restaurants.

Production assistance is included in the studio fee and experienced digital assistants are on standby.

3.6m room height, with 14m maximum camera distance to object

There is a white infinity cove, flash systems are available for rent, mac computers. WLAN, ISDN and parking is available.

Special rates are offered for filming and events.

ham photography/photo galleries: APLANAT GALERIE FüR FOTOGRAFIE

Jay Mark Johnson is an artist with a broad experience in visual effects production, having supervised and/or directed the computer generated imagery for nearly a dozen major studio films and television series. Noted for his work in architecture and design, he has projects in the permanent collection of the MOMA (NYC), as well as at the Smithonian Institution and the Art Institute of Chicago.

His varied and prolific career also spans theatre and performance art, journalism, live musical performance, and photography.

Motion Studies captures and represents the continuous movements of the body, 'isolating discrete gestures to develop distinct, fluid delineations of bodily motion... and attempting to expand upon existing understandings of the body's internal motivations and internal nature.'

The studies use unconventional photographic techniques and the resulting hybrid images are both strange and familiar.

ham production/photo production: CONTRA SERVICE PRODUCTIONS, S.L.

Recent Contra Service Productions projects:

• Erlasee/Würzburg: shoot for XL Capital with photographer Tom Nagy, through McCann Erickson Zurich. AD Tom Kees.
• Hamburg: shoot for Lexware with photographer Robert Wilson through Reinsclassen. AD Ariane Hünecke, AB Sabrina Sanz.
• Bangkok: location scouting for Mexx and Laterna Magica Filmproduction.
• Kyoto & Osaka: commercial for KTM Motorcycles with Filmproduction Sony DADC Austria and agency Kiska. Directors: Michael Hartl and Paul Friedl.
• Hong Kong: fashion editorial for Marie Claire France with photographer Frederic Auerbach.

ham production/photo production: 70SEVEN

70seven is a full-service production company for still photography based in Hamburg with services offered locally and worldwide.

They offer a comprehensive and personal service encompassing research, budgeting, location scouting and shoot production.

For an instant assessment and quotation, email them with your specifications and requirements - they say they will rapidly respond with a budget and estimated production cost.

Production Manager Robert Shahinniya has worked on projects for Deutsche Telekom, C&A, Peek & Cloppenburg and many others.

Images shown here are from locations in Hamburg.

ham talent/artists & stylists: LIGANORD - STYLING HAIR MAKE-UP FOOD DUMMIES

Liganord contributes to many beauty shoots, commercials, advertising campaigns and editorials.

The artists that the agency represents play an artistic hand in the work of international photographers for brands like Shiseido, Wella, Dove, Remington, Microsoft, Adidas, Nike, Siemens and Camel.

ber talent/model agencies: IZAIO MODELS

Serene has conquered the American model scene, being on the covers of magazines like Harper's Bazaar, Elle, American Vogue, Icon, V-Magazine. Also, beauty campaigns for L'Oreal and Mac Cosmetics. Apparently, Mario Testino 'loves her special aura and professionalism'.

Max Vogel was chosen by photographer Thomas Straubchose to shoot for the Italian magazine Io Donna. Heinz Peter Knes shot him for Purple Magazine and Ronald Dick for Zoo magazine. He also did the Lee look book with Mustafa Sabbagh.

Paula Fuhrmann did the covers of the first issue of the new BYM/Young Miss, Vogue UK, Vivienne Westwood Catalogue, Levi's, Iinfinit, Vanidad, and Elle Argentina.

Dragos did the latest Thierry Mugler campaign, as well as editorials for ID, GQ, Dazed & Confused, 10 magazine, VS magazine, Vogue, Dealer de Luxe, Elle, Another magazine, D La Republica and the cover for Squint Homme.

ham photography/post production: [ZERONE] /CGI GMBH

In early 2006, Daimler Chrysler decided to take advantage of CGI technology in the production of the new catalogue for the Mercedes-Benz premium coupe, the new CL-Class.

This means that for the first time in Germany, all location shots of a car catalogue would no longer be photographed, but rendered.

Because Zerone CGI combines leading edge technology with a long experience in car visualisation and high-end post production, the Hamburg company was selected by Daimler Chrysler to handle the post production for this innovative production.

ham film/film post production: VCC PERFECT PICTURES AG

VCC Hamburg is 'Germany's first postproduction house to integrate the Baselight colour grading system in a high-end commercials-based postproduction service'.

The company combines the creativity and knowledge of experienced colourists with the technical features of the Baselight colour grading system, offering advanced quality as well as sophisticated grading/finishing for film and video.

Baselight offers excellent flexibility, and expands creativity through the use of unlimited primary and secondary grades.

The resolution-independent system allows the user to mix formats within a single scene or job, and to output multiple formats within a job, incorporating FilmLight's Truelight 3D colour management system. This ensures accurate emulation of the deliverable on the grading display.

Email for more information.

int photography/equipment rent: DELIGHT RENTAL SERVICES

In its first year, Delight Rental Services Berlin (DRS) supported more than 200 photographers and producers with camera and light equipment in almost 20 countries.

In recent months, they have expanded their range of equipment, introducing Broncolor flashlights, the Hasselblad H3D-39 digital camera with HC 28 mm lens as well as restocking their Profoto equipment.

Hardware is only one part of the service; they also offer light and digital technical support.

zrh event/advertising events: SHOWCASE INTERNATIONAL

The sixth edition of Showcase International Portfolio Review will run again this year at the Kaufleuten in Zurich, 14-15 June.

The event will provide renowned and qualified photographers' agencies, production agencies, model agencies, magazines, illustration and stock photography agencies with an exhibition platform, giving professional visitors an overview over the trends in photography.

The young photographers exhibition will be extended with prizes from magazines such as wallpaper, das magazin and others as well as an international talent screening with an european jury selecting the 20 most promising photographers.

Confirmed media partners are Lurzers Archive, Swiss communication industry publication Persönlich and Production Paradise.

A new partnership with the Art Directors Club Switzerland offers members an exclusive 'Portfolio Hour' on 15 June, an hour prior to the official opening. Art Directors Club members will also be granted free access to all activities.

ber event/photo events: HELMUT NEWTON STIFTUNG IM MUSEUM FüR FOTOGRAFIE

Two new exhibitions - Yellow Press and Playboy Projections - show a series of 200 less known photographs by Helmut Newton.

Of Yellow Press, Newton said in the foreword to the 2002 catalogue, 'for years and years, I have been collecting images from the daily press or magazines, cutting them out and collecting them in a drawer. They inspire me'.

In the main room of the Helmut Newton Stiftung im Museum für Fotografie, visitors can look at his collected work produced for the Playboy.

ham hotel/hotels: SIDE HOTEL

Side is Hamburg's first and only five star design hotel in the centre of the city. The hotel was built by architect Jan Stoermer, designed by Matteo Thun and illuminated by Robert Wilson. Space and light are well related to each other, shaping the heart of the hotel, and making it a sensual location.

The 168 rooms are varied in category and they all share a minimalist style that is welcoming and comfortable, and has a personal touch. The ten 'flying' suites on the 10th and 11th floors are decked out in white.

The lounge and rooftop terrace offer impressive views over Hamburg's port and the Alster lake, providing good venues for summer parties, events or photo shoots. The Fusion bar and restaurant serve as meeting places for hotel guests and visitors. Colour blocking is used in the luxuriously furnished and colourful Side Spa.

The hotel offers breakfast at weekends until 2pm and late-checkout on Sundays until 6pm.