Our new boss: Martin

Tour now: Bømlo, Next: Bergen
So I am off on the Customer Launch Tour but a lot off things are going on at home. The techies are making Models-n-Shoots better, right now fixing the last bit of VIP customer demo switch, and making easier interface for Talents to handle their Portfolio.

But getting closer and closer to launch, we better have someone keeping it all together so we recruited a boss to Models-n-Shoots Europe AB.

Please welcome my old friend and colleague Martin Pettersson!

We got to know each other in Linköping and got more and more contact since Martin is very interested in photography. So now and Martin worked we me as a project manager and assistant for shoot, especially on my Maltese shoots. You will find him in some of my behind-the-scenes pictures.

It was actually during all the work getting all shoots together with the right team that the idea started of doing a service/application to handle the process from searching to replies from models. So Martin has been around since the start of the project and was one of the first to become a share holder of the company when we started last year.

So Martin will adding strength to our sales department and take care of the paper work at home, while I continue to focus on the developing the service, finding VIP customers and the right Talents.

Rock on! :-)

The Gay Police is leaving Stavanger

Tour now: Bømlo, Next: Bergen
I guess I will have a memory for life from Stavanger: the Gay Police.
It was not really planned.
After the shoot with Carita the apartment filled up with people ready for Halloween, while I was finishing work.

When finished, I shut down my computer, starting to actually talk with the fun people around, had a couple of beer and sharing some shots of Żubrówka, trying to catch up. But I dig not bring any outfit for the night!
Then me and Carita came up with the idea of me too having bunny ears, so we checked out her girl friends room. We did not find any but there it was... the police hat.

Since I got a Belstaff leather jacket the idea was set. I sneaked into the bathroom, put on the jacket with nothing under, added the police cap and went out to the living room with my new looks.

Everyone started to laugh and clapping hands. :-)
Since I do not live in Stavanger I just realized I really had to wear this getting out. (Not from the closet, fools!)

The effect was... intense!
I got high-fives, knuckle bumps and smiles the whole evening.
I could walk up to a group of people loudly announcing "Gay Police!", browsing them and then starting to remove the women with a "Not interesting!" and work my way towards the scared guys. :-)

And I got both men and women coming up dancing with more or less hands on my chest. :-)

There where a lot taking pictures, some quite nervously asking "Can I have a picture with you?" giving their camera to their friend. :-)

 

Picture courtesy of © Kristian Langhelle

 Next to me, around me and  sometimes on me, was Carita dancing as well.

Here are some dialogs of the night:

-Is she your girlfriend?
-No, I am only her bodyguard.
-Really!?
-Yes.

-Can I dance with her?
-It is up to her but I will be watching.

Well, pretty much everyone ask me before even talking to her. Hahaha! Poor guys! :-)
And of course I intimidated the security guards on my way out of the club and at Burger King.

Now, it is time to pack my gear and head off to my next tour stop: Bømlo, a small island between Stavanger and Bergen.

See ya!

/Morre (not gay enough)

Carita shoot in Stavanger

 Tour now: Stavanger, next: Bergen 2-3 Nov?
I guess the hotter pictures of Carita can not be shown on Facebook so I better but them here.

After a Nescafé coffee and a Solo (NOK 55) in Stavanger we headed out in the woods to get some nicer fashion and face shots to widen Carita's portfolio. Yup, customers do not really see you for a type of job if then do not see that style of photo in your portfolio.

Thankfully I brought my life-support machine: the Longbaord.eu crappy VW bus. That can be used both as a set-up table and a change room.

To keep the model's skin from changing color when getting cold-bring a robe. The models look weird but it works. And hey, you're not the one looking dorky. :-)
You should always bring a fake purse. :-)

Then we went home and decided to shoot at her apartment. To get a better portfolio she wanted nice and dark pictures, so the ones at home needed some soot make-up. She is brave having me in the house.

The shoot went very well but I was a slow starter since I was darn hungry. But Carita took care of that just before the party arrived. Good wife! :-)

Pasta and minced meat. Yummy!

And here is the result of the today's shoot. The low-quality two are shot with my pocket camera, Canon Ixus 75 in her bathroom. The other ones are shot with my Hasseblad.

By Oslo-Hi Stavanger!

Tour now: Stavanger, Next: Bergen 2-3 Nov?
Steven too has a lucky sofa too!
The last day in Oslo I got hold of 10 more ad agencies that want to try  Models-n-Shoots and take a peak at our Talents there.We better get more Norwegian Talents!

I'm glad Steven is used to open offices so my talking did not disturb him, while he was coding the next version of Norwegian Fashion. Poor guy—he has a lot of thing to do before heading of to UK.

But we had time to get out and buy stuff for his studio. He wants to build blockers for the background lights with Styrofoam. Even if it does not work (it will) he does at least lock strong when shopping. :-)

I was hungry as hell, so we went for a sushi at Økern center and Steven got some vine for the night. And guess what!? They have boxes for dogs there!!

You godda be kidding me! Would you put your dog in there and pay NOK 10 for it?
I guess a dorky photographer is OK to put there...

Hmm... That is maybe the second-but-last resort as a night stay on the tour. First there is friends sofas, then the shag wagon, then a dog box and last hotel. That's life on a high-tech, low budget tour. Really, we want to save the money for a PR campaign to get even more job offerings for our Talents.

Then CET 15:20 (13:20Z) we threw in the bed in the bus and I sat off towards Stavanger. Then 45 minutes after Drammen the traffic was stopped for a traffic accident ahead. What to do? Well, I just went back in the bus and took a nap. :-)

Then CET 01:05 (23:05Z) I reached Stavanger, or actually Sandnes where the lovely model Carita was waiting with warm baguettes and a sofa.

Now she's getting dressed for the shoot. A beauty! Blond curly hair, great smile and long legs. Time to work on getting the pictures she wants!

/Morre

My wife, dog and customers

Tour now: Oslo, Next stop: Stavanger, tomorrow-1 Nov
-Is that a child I hear in the background!?, Eric expressed in the Models-n-Shoots' phone conference.
-Yeah! I just moved in to a house with a pregnant wife, a kid and a dog. I got a package deal.
-OK..., was the only comment before Eric continued the meeting.

I guess the crew at home is used to me being on tour.  :-)

A later comment was "That explains why you spend so much time in Norway!"

Actually, we are extremely lucky to have a lot of nice people helping out on Customer Launch Tour. This time it was Cecilia who gave me an office, a room, the one day hang-around, Mari, her sister's daughter and her all-time hang-around dog. Good for a low budget—high-tech tour.

Also, included in the package deal was a lovely view from the bathroom window in the morning!

Cecilia lives in a small house 30 min outside Oslo and I was soooo nice staying there! I just love to be out on the countryside sitting having talks at nights.

So in a sofa was where I started chasing jobs in Norway for our Talents of Models-n-Shoots. With my iPhone headset plugged into my Mac I could call via our switchboard in Sweden (I love today's tech!) and get hold of ad agencies in Norway. All I need to work is basically electricity and Internet access. I rather stay in a cold-floored house in Norway with a lovely "wife" working from a sofa, than being stuck at some luxury office wearing a suite. But I miss the fun crowd a the office at home.

The calls went good!
We got interest from ad agencies in Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim and next week we will let them in to Models-n-Shoots.
They have all different wishes for models, but a lot of them are looking for "generally good-looking persons with something special". Time to start hunting!

Another thing I learned about Norway: if you mix banana (36%) with sugar and some acid, you get a bread spread for kids. Nope, it does not taste good, but if you taste thoroughly you can actually taste some banana. :-)

Time to prepare for tomorrow's calls to customers in Norway and pack for going to Stavanger.

Cheeers!

/Morre

Chilling in Oslo

Tour now: Oslo, Next stop: Stavanger, next weekend?
Back in Oslo!
Strolling down leaf-covered streets breathing chilly air with the lovely Iren and the not so lovely Steven by my side, having sushi for lunch and assisting a photo shoot. What is that called? Just another day at the Models-n-Shoots Customer Launch Tour. :-)

Steven is planning to go to some kinky club tonight so we ended up some funky shops... Gay captain anyone? :-)

After coming back from lunch me and Iren planned a shoot. I do not mind spontaneous shoots and the often turn our really cool (see below) but I really like to go through a model's portfolio and see what is missing, finding out what picture/style the shes really wants to have. That takes planning, so just spending an hour surfing the net and talking styling, clothes and colors will most likely be worth it.

Steven had bough some new gear and booked a sweet little blond to play around with. Eeeh... I mean, practice and shoot some great pictures. Since I was off work I could just hang around, hold the fan and generally be annoying.  But I was nice and opened some beers for everyone too.
Just another day at the office. :-)

And after the shoots more beer where used and things went bad...

After Steven was ready I borrowed Therese for an impossible shoot. No real styling, a crappy bathroom with no light, a pocket camera, Canon Ixus 75 and 15 minutes.
You see the result below.
Wadda ya say?

 

The smoke is killing me softly

Tour now: Gothenburg. Next stop: Oslo. On Friday?
-Dear Morre, what is your most vivid memory of Warszawa this time?
-Smoke!

My god, they smoke a lot in Poland!
In restaurants, in bars, in taxis, in the apartment, in my lungs!

But I love Poland! I love strolling around in a different county looking at all the small differences. The small little pretzel stand outside the subway, the old ladies selling lilies to dating kids, the worn down blocks next to the super-modern shopping mall, the gangster rappers and the beautiful models of course!

I was in Warszawa for a reason: to start-up our Models-n-Shoots guy there.

Poland is a big country with lot of talented models, make-up artists, hair stylists, photographers, fashions stylists and retouchers. But they have crappy model portals with 90% bad "models" so the good ones get lost for the customers. The model agencies are few so a lot of Polish models are freelancing.
I hope they will find Models-n-Shoots to be a safer and better place to get job offerings and negotiate the salary.  Tomorrow our Piotr will start calling customers and recruit models needed. I am sure he will do a good job. He was nervous though. At a little negative as all Poles. So he took a smoke. :-)

I am always amazed about all the nice people I meet while touring. Since we have to save every penny  for the upcoming market campaign it is a very low-budget tour. Wizzair helps, but most important are people like Hiram and Poitr with room mates. They borrow me a bed or a sofa, we share meals and sit at the table with three computers working with coffee at the side and smoke stained air around us and jumping around are the mad cats. Then the lights go out. Another day in Poland. :-)

-Hi! Can I help you?
-Yes, I think my bus is trying to kill me.
The customer support guy at Volkswagen in Gothenburg looked strangely at me.
-You see that old crap of a VW bus?, I said pointing at the Longboard.eu bus, I think exhaust smoke leaks in to the ventilation system sending poisonous carbon monoxide to my lungs. I feel really funky in there after a while
-That does not sound good. Please come in tomorrow morning and the service guys will take a look at it.

So there you have it. If you take away the smoke from our tour, we are left with a crappy old bus full of camera gear and an emergency bed, friends with hospitableness and a mission to find jobs to talented people in five countries.

Wish me good luck.
And buy me a beer when I pass your town. :-)

Time for dinner with Hiram!

Later folks!