Had a great time photographing the Skimmer Rescue Platform both indoor in a professional photography studio and outdoor at Castor Bay beach in Auckland. The studio photos show both dramatic directional light as well as soft/diffused light. The outdoor photos are showing the terrain and the landscape to demonstrate this vehicle functionality.
The Skimmer Rescue Platform is a unique vehicle technology which provides augmented and smart assistance for disaster relief, rescue and asset management teams. Skimmer is single person, ultra lightweight, battery-powered smart vehicle with high power electric motors, buoyant air-less tires and extremely low ground-pressure. It has automated drone capabilities and adaptable modular chassis platform.
Skimmer’s ultra lightweight construction and smart electric drive systems, combine unmatched terrain traversing capabilities with fast, agile mobility and minimal environmental impact. Its advanced drivetrain and drive-by-wire systems allow for maximum control and performance. Skimmer is a highly configurable personal transport vehicle or an autonomously deployable drone platform for a range of scenarios including: rescue crew augmentation, casualty extract, hazard identification and mitigation, re-supply, mobile communications, scouting, disaster-relief and reconnaissance.
https://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/DSC07954-Edit.jpg484725Ilan Wittenberghttps://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ilan-Wittenberg-Logo-version-4.jpgIlan Wittenberg2017-08-25 22:38:232023-09-13 10:36:15Bare Truth on TV3 Story
https://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ilan-Wittenberg-Logo-version-4.jpg00Ilan Wittenberghttps://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ilan-Wittenberg-Logo-version-4.jpgIlan Wittenberg2017-08-25 22:21:362017-08-25 22:33:42Bare Truth on World TV
We spoke to Auckland photographer Ilan Wittenberg about the thinking behind his latest collection.
Beyond the shiny, white-toothed fitness models who beam out in all their taut glory from men’s health magazines, images of topless men in the public sphere are all but absent. In obvious contrast to photographs of near-naked women’s bodies, at this point part of the furniture, we’re rarely invited to inspect the male torso.
That’s one reason Bare Truth, a collection by accomplished Auckland photographer Ilan Wittenberg, stands out. Another is his knife-sharp focus on every bodily detail of his 100-or-so unsmiling subjects, which include a former drug addict and a burns victim.
“I treat the photos in such a way that you see the hair, the pimples, the scars, everything,” Wittenberg says of his unapologetic approach. “It’s interesting, because we don’t see people like that anywhere. If you go to the beach you’ll see topless men, but you don’t get close to them like that.”
“Raw”, says the artist, whose work can be found at Auckland’s Northart gallery from June 5-22, is what he hears most in response to Bare Truth. But the photographs have no rough edges; they are exquisitely, acutely rendered. That’s intentional: Wittenberg chose specific lighting and processing techniques that would bring the literal mark life leaves on our bodies into sharp relief.
It’s also something of a warning. “There’s this idea that men are stronger,” says Wittenberg, whose 18-year old son features in the collection (he bares the scar of a tumor removed when he was small). “That may be true in some strength-related areas; men have more muscle tissue, for example. But when it comes to mental health or emotional health, the fact is that women actually talk more. They share more. They’re more open.”
Conceived when Wittenberg took a topless portrait of a friend and was struck by the result, Bare Truth is designed to flip any lack of openness on its head. “I looked at the image of my friend and I thought, there’s some meaning behind his eyes. I could see his vulnerability.”
He began to approach men on the street. “Out of every ten, four said maybe, four said no, two said yes, and one showed up.” But as the collection grew, so did their trust, and the project picked up pace.
Stories are unavoidable when nakedness enters the picture. “Suddenly [when] they take off their shirt I see they’ve had a triple bypass, or chemo, or some other surgery,” he says.
“I asked them about their tattoos: What is it? What does it mean to you? One of them said, ‘Well, I was a drug addict and this tattoo helps me to remind myself how to be sober, and how good it is to be clean. Another said, ‘Oh, this is about my best friend who died.’ We’re all vulnerable.”
He gave his subjects a print out of their final image and, overall, reactions were positive. The men loved their portraits and were proud to have taken part. One even used the word “therapeutic”.
That didn’t mean they were all ready to share the experience. “Some men didn’t show it to their wives, because they think [their image] is too confronting. They’ve asked their daughters to do it for them; to explain the context to their wives for them when they pass away. Because it is confronting. We never show ourselves like this to other people.”
Bare Truth will show at Northart gallery in Northcote, Auckland from June 5-22. Admission is free. The collection is also part of the 2016 Auckland Festival of Photography.
https://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/DSC04432-Edit.jpg484725Ilan Wittenberghttps://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ilan-Wittenberg-Logo-version-4.jpgIlan Wittenberg2017-08-25 20:25:472019-03-05 08:37:56Men stripped bare
A compelling collection of images showing bare chested men will feature in the Auckland Festival of Photography 2016 Signature Programme.
5-22 June 2016
Northart Gallery
Norman King Square
Ernie Mays Street – Northcote Shopping Centre
Open daily 10am -4pm
One of the key aims of Wittenberg’s ‘Bare Truth’ campaign was to counter-balance the portrayal of men as strong, physically and emotionally. “This stereotype sometime leads to dire outcomes when considering how poorly typical men treat health symptoms such as depression, stress and anxiety,” he says.
“I wanted to raise awareness; give men the freedom to express their feelings and connect with their emotions. This fresh look at men is an eye-opening opportunity to see real people without the ‘shield’ of clothes. The project simply reminds us of how fragile we are.”
The combination of shooting in monochrome, using soft, directional light and adopting a special post-processing technique allowed Wittenberg to enhance the features of his ‘models’ so that the images are raw and crisp. The simple backgrounds eliminate distractions so the viewer can focus on their body language and facial expression.
The biggest challenge was finding the first man to agree to pose. After a few rejections, Wittenberg created portraits of close friends and family members. As the portfolio expanded, he formalised a consistent style and became confident in approaching strangers – men who had an interesting appearance or whose face told a story.
“While some men are very comfortable with having their portrait created, others feel this is completely outside their comfort zone, particularly when asked to strip down to the waist. One man expected the experience to be therapeutic while others were slightly nervous. The results show a captivating mix of men that are humble, courageous and vulnerable.”
The project gained momentum after selected prints from the body of work won awards in the Portrait Classic category of the 2015 Iris Awards from the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. ‘Bare Truth’ was also selected as an Associated Exhibition at the 2016 Head On photo festival in Sydney.
About the photographer:
Having studied and worked in industrial engineering and information technology, Ilan Wittenberg is a relative newcomer to professional photography, only starting his journey in 2011. But his talents were quickly recognised, winning him a plethora of national and international awards. Ilan is a Fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand and a Master of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. Selected works from the Bare Truth portfolio won Ilan the title: 2015 Auckland Photographer of the Year.
Shot in Talarc’s home, the photo was as much about the subject as it was his environment said Wittenberg who won NZIPP Auckland Photographer of the Year in 2016.
“One continues the story of the other. The environment that he sits … all of that tells a story.”
“The artifacts behind him actually tell a story about his life and about his parent and the things he does in his life,” Wittenberg explained.
Wittenberg met Talarc while buying vegetables at the Takapuna Sunday market on Auckland’s North Shore. The photographer approached the man selling bric-a-brac out of his truck to ask if he would have his photo taken.
It took several moves around the house, Talarc had inherited from his parents, to find the winning spot in the living room.
“You look at him and you look at the background and they are on the same plane field.”
“I like the fact that he looked straight at me. I think that, when a person looks at you, you sort of make a connection,” Wittenberg said.
https://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Black-Whites-Spider-Award.jpg518725Ilan Wittenberghttps://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ilan-Wittenberg-Logo-version-4.jpgIlan Wittenberg2017-06-23 00:00:002017-08-20 17:49:35Black and White Spider Awards – Honourable Mention in Portrait
https://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Black-and-White-Spider-Awards-Winner.jpg605756Ilan Wittenberghttps://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ilan-Wittenberg-Logo-version-4.jpgIlan Wittenberg2016-11-07 00:00:002016-11-07 00:00:00Black and White Spider Awards Winner
https://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSC09353-Edit.jpg6831024Ilan Wittenberghttps://ilanwittenberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ilan-Wittenberg-Logo-version-4.jpgIlan Wittenberg2016-09-15 00:00:002016-09-15 00:00:002016 Auckland Photographer of the Year
Lola Robinson
Samantha Amelia
Skimmer Rescue Platform
Had a great time photographing the Skimmer Rescue Platform both indoor in a professional photography studio and outdoor at Castor Bay beach in Auckland. The studio photos show both dramatic directional light as well as soft/diffused light. The outdoor photos are showing the terrain and the landscape to demonstrate this vehicle functionality.
The Skimmer Rescue Platform is a unique vehicle technology which provides augmented and smart assistance for disaster relief, rescue and asset management teams. Skimmer is single person, ultra lightweight, battery-powered smart vehicle with high power electric motors, buoyant air-less tires and extremely low ground-pressure. It has automated drone capabilities and adaptable modular chassis platform.
Skimmer’s ultra lightweight construction and smart electric drive systems, combine unmatched terrain traversing capabilities with fast, agile mobility and minimal environmental impact. Its advanced drivetrain and drive-by-wire systems allow for maximum control and performance. Skimmer is a highly configurable personal transport vehicle or an autonomously deployable drone platform for a range of scenarios including: rescue crew augmentation, casualty extract, hazard identification and mitigation, re-supply, mobile communications, scouting, disaster-relief and reconnaissance.
Lilith LaLune
Kristine Green
Giselle
Check out these edgy portraits of Giselle at Wow Photography studio!
Beautiful Beatrys
Had a great experience testing the new Sony A7riii camera with the beautiful Beatrys inside the photography studio and outdoor in natural light!
Beautiful Jessica
Bare Truth on TV3 Story
Bare Truth on World TV
Men stripped bare
Tuesday 31st May 2016
Rebecca Kamm, The Wireless
We spoke to Auckland photographer Ilan Wittenberg about the thinking behind his latest collection.
Beyond the shiny, white-toothed fitness models who beam out in all their taut glory from men’s health magazines, images of topless men in the public sphere are all but absent. In obvious contrast to photographs of near-naked women’s bodies, at this point part of the furniture, we’re rarely invited to inspect the male torso.
That’s one reason Bare Truth, a collection by accomplished Auckland photographer Ilan Wittenberg, stands out. Another is his knife-sharp focus on every bodily detail of his 100-or-so unsmiling subjects, which include a former drug addict and a burns victim.
“I treat the photos in such a way that you see the hair, the pimples, the scars, everything,” Wittenberg says of his unapologetic approach. “It’s interesting, because we don’t see people like that anywhere. If you go to the beach you’ll see topless men, but you don’t get close to them like that.”
“Raw”, says the artist, whose work can be found at Auckland’s Northart gallery from June 5-22, is what he hears most in response to Bare Truth. But the photographs have no rough edges; they are exquisitely, acutely rendered. That’s intentional: Wittenberg chose specific lighting and processing techniques that would bring the literal mark life leaves on our bodies into sharp relief.
It’s also something of a warning. “There’s this idea that men are stronger,” says Wittenberg, whose 18-year old son features in the collection (he bares the scar of a tumor removed when he was small). “That may be true in some strength-related areas; men have more muscle tissue, for example. But when it comes to mental health or emotional health, the fact is that women actually talk more. They share more. They’re more open.”
Conceived when Wittenberg took a topless portrait of a friend and was struck by the result, Bare Truth is designed to flip any lack of openness on its head. “I looked at the image of my friend and I thought, there’s some meaning behind his eyes. I could see his vulnerability.”
He began to approach men on the street. “Out of every ten, four said maybe, four said no, two said yes, and one showed up.” But as the collection grew, so did their trust, and the project picked up pace.
Stories are unavoidable when nakedness enters the picture. “Suddenly [when] they take off their shirt I see they’ve had a triple bypass, or chemo, or some other surgery,” he says.
“I asked them about their tattoos: What is it? What does it mean to you? One of them said, ‘Well, I was a drug addict and this tattoo helps me to remind myself how to be sober, and how good it is to be clean. Another said, ‘Oh, this is about my best friend who died.’ We’re all vulnerable.”
He gave his subjects a print out of their final image and, overall, reactions were positive. The men loved their portraits and were proud to have taken part. One even used the word “therapeutic”.
That didn’t mean they were all ready to share the experience. “Some men didn’t show it to their wives, because they think [their image] is too confronting. They’ve asked their daughters to do it for them; to explain the context to their wives for them when they pass away. Because it is confronting. We never show ourselves like this to other people.”
Bare Truth will show at Northart gallery in Northcote, Auckland from June 5-22. Admission is free. The collection is also part of the 2016 Auckland Festival of Photography.
Photoforum
Ilan Wittenberg – Bare Truth
May 23rd, 2016
BARE TRUTH – Ilan Wittenberg
A compelling collection of images showing bare chested men will feature in the Auckland Festival of Photography 2016 Signature Programme.
5-22 June 2016
Northart Gallery
Norman King Square
Ernie Mays Street – Northcote Shopping Centre
Open daily 10am -4pm
One of the key aims of Wittenberg’s ‘Bare Truth’ campaign was to counter-balance the portrayal of men as strong, physically and emotionally. “This stereotype sometime leads to dire outcomes when considering how poorly typical men treat health symptoms such as depression, stress and anxiety,” he says.
“I wanted to raise awareness; give men the freedom to express their feelings and connect with their emotions. This fresh look at men is an eye-opening opportunity to see real people without the ‘shield’ of clothes. The project simply reminds us of how fragile we are.”
The combination of shooting in monochrome, using soft, directional light and adopting a special post-processing technique allowed Wittenberg to enhance the features of his ‘models’ so that the images are raw and crisp. The simple backgrounds eliminate distractions so the viewer can focus on their body language and facial expression.
The biggest challenge was finding the first man to agree to pose. After a few rejections, Wittenberg created portraits of close friends and family members. As the portfolio expanded, he formalised a consistent style and became confident in approaching strangers – men who had an interesting appearance or whose face told a story.
“While some men are very comfortable with having their portrait created, others feel this is completely outside their comfort zone, particularly when asked to strip down to the waist. One man expected the experience to be therapeutic while others were slightly nervous. The results show a captivating mix of men that are humble, courageous and vulnerable.”
The project gained momentum after selected prints from the body of work won awards in the Portrait Classic category of the 2015 Iris Awards from the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. ‘Bare Truth’ was also selected as an Associated Exhibition at the 2016 Head On photo festival in Sydney.
About the photographer:
Having studied and worked in industrial engineering and information technology, Ilan Wittenberg is a relative newcomer to professional photography, only starting his journey in 2011. But his talents were quickly recognised, winning him a plethora of national and international awards. Ilan is a Fellow of the Photographic Society of New Zealand and a Master of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography. Selected works from the Bare Truth portfolio won Ilan the title: 2015 Auckland Photographer of the Year.
GOLD
Auckland photographer wins prestigious gold award
FLEUR MEALING
Last updated 17:08, July 28 2017
Ilan Wittenberg’s Man With a Leather Jacket’ was taken in February 2017.
Ilan Wittenberg won a gold award in the Portrait Classic category for his photo Man with a Leather Jacket in June this year.
The NZIPP Iris Professional Photography Awards is New Zealand’s only professional photography competition.
“Winning a gold this year was a big achievement for me, simply because they are so hard to come by,” Wittenberg said.
READ MORE:
* Photographer Ilan Wittenberg exposes the Bare Truth in portrait exhibition
Although the photograph of a Takapuna native Ken Talarc did not win the category, it was the only gold-winning portrait not to have been taken in a studio.
Shot in Talarc’s home, the photo was as much about the subject as it was his environment said Wittenberg who won NZIPP Auckland Photographer of the Year in 2016.
“One continues the story of the other. The environment that he sits … all of that tells a story.”
“The artifacts behind him actually tell a story about his life and about his parent and the things he does in his life,” Wittenberg explained.
Wittenberg met Talarc while buying vegetables at the Takapuna Sunday market on Auckland’s North Shore. The photographer approached the man selling bric-a-brac out of his truck to ask if he would have his photo taken.
“You look at him and you look at the background and they are on the same plane field.”
“I like the fact that he looked straight at me. I think that, when a person looks at you, you sort of make a connection,” Wittenberg said.
– Stuff
Ilan Wittenberg wins Gold at the 2017 Iris Awards
Tracey and Brendon Wedding
Black and White Spider Awards – Honourable Mention in Portrait
2017 NZIPP Iris Awards
One Eyeland Photography Awards
Black and White Spider Awards Winner
2016 Auckland Photographer of the Year