A while back I had the pleasure of working with pro photog Mark Holthusen on a project he was doing for Hasselblad. After winning the Hasselblad Masters competition for 2009, Mark was given the chance to promote one of their new cameras. Numerous photographers were given gear, a budget (very, very small) and a theme (passion) to create a personal project showcasing the newest digital back from the renowned camera maker. Mark chose to shoot his project in his home town of Reno and arranged for various locations around the city. I found out about the project by responding to a Craigslist ad looking for model talent. (Check Craigslist frequently. There is lots of fun stuff to be found in there!) So after a few emails with his producer, Sara and I drove down to Sun Valley outside of Reno to a rented empty house at the end of a dirt road. Sara thought I was crazy to be heading somewhere remote with someone strange who I did not know as this is how people end up being ax murdered. But, I had faith and it proved correct. Mark was definitely a pro, and his team was well put together. His producer, Jason Santos, has helped him with many of his professional product gigs. He hired a make up artist who has worked in film and television and with a couple of college student assistants, we were off and running. My part? I played a father who comes home after work to be shot in the head by the teenage daughter he abused. (Mark’s take on the “passion” theme was “crimes of passion”) There was a guy who committed suicide by running his car in the garage. A guy who gets his throat slit by his wife in the kitchen, and a woman who blows out her brains at the dining room table. I just had to scream and look angry as I was being capped by a .45 colt. So after a half hour in the make-up chair, and 20 minutes of shooting I was done. But what a great experience. Mark Holthusen is a great artist with a fantastic eye and the skills to pay the bills. Check back later when I post the picture I am in. But until then, here is a shot of yours truly with another hole in his head. -R
