Shooting Days

To organise an event like the International Shooting Days you need some models, some photographers and some magic. Otherwise the Shooting Days don't work. All the photographers must prepare the shooting, look for models and interesting locations.

For this event taking place in Vogelsang, there is no need to look for interesting locations, the whole site is interesting (and we didn't do a shooting in Wollseifen, the ghost town nearby Vogelsang). But we still need models, and the participating german photographers didn't contact models, while the event was located in Germany. It looked like the german photographers were just going on a free vacation.

When the event was cancelled because we didn't found any german models, the two german photographers began at last to work and found some models. But instead on focussing om models from the NRW state, they contacted models in other states. Those models would not drive 800km to come to the event, even if they can stay for two days and take a break on the last day.

You need a minimum amount of people to get it working. When you have enough models a casting director can come to see the models.

This time the photographers were particulary lazy. Even posting the event on their timeline was a task that was too difficult. Not that it makes much difference concerning the models: you have to contact them individually. But for facebook, if some people share the event, it means that the event has some importance, and facebook will begin showing the event to more people. It's like paid advertisements, but for free.

A photographer just send me the list of german models with whom he liked to work, and considered his work done. I had to contact the models and make the appointments. It's quite normal that models didn't respond to a belgian photographer writing in english, while we could have a german photographer writing in german to the models. I had 6 belgian models an no german model.

The event was then cancelled because of a lack of commitment on the part of the German photographers. And then the german photographers began their work, but then the event had already failed. The event took place with 2 models instead of the 6 models that were planned.

We arrived on friday evening, and did a small shooting in the studio. We didn't go to the nearby river, where we took such splendid pictures last year.

It would come as no surprise that the photographer who did the least now took the lead and did his shooting with the model. And when you're working in full concentration with a model, he comes along and uses exactly the same setting for his photos. It even occurred that he pushed you aside to take his pictures. Rest assured: he will no longer be invited to the next shooting days.

We went also to the building that is situated at the outside of the camp. Originally this building was meant for the female staff that would work in Vogelsang. During the war it was converted into a hospital, where his somewhat remote location was ideal: the visiting dignitaries of the III. Reich were not allowed to see that there were also casualties and deaths during the war. After the war the building became the mess of the officers (there were also bedrooms provided) and the name of the building was changed to "La Redoute".

The last day one model remained, I taught him how to do a catwalk, and then we visited the site as tourists (his parents were there). I (finally) got to the water tower: during a normal photoshoot event there is no time to visit the tower. From there you can see the whole region, but the guides do not know much about the history of Camp Vogelsang.

The Nazi era lasted about 10 years, while the Belgians were present for 50 years in Camp Vogelsang. It seems the guides are more ashamed of the Belgian period than of the Nazi era. I caught the guide on two incorrect descriptions: the bridge over the river is not named after the last camp commander, but after the one who normalised the relations with the people in the surrounding villages, and the inhabitants of Wollseifen were not driven away by the Belgians but by the English.

You can get some more information about Camp Vogelsang on these pages (dutch and french).