American Express then..now I make Art

Gina-Rae Horvath /photography

Here are a couple of shots from the Amex campaign I did several years ago.What a lot of fun .We shot for three days straight to get everything we needed.Some of it was shot on location at a cafe I used to eat at regularly.Some of it was studio..and the rest was on the street.Great models, great team.This was when Sabu was still agreeing to be my first assistant for special jobs. He was the best ever.Now he's operating a multi-discipline photography/visual/creative studio in Toronto.

Life is like creativity , it's  all about change and growth.It's so much fun to be sifting through my commercial work .After five years of slugging it out building a house , we are finally unpacking some of my studio stuff.

It is interesting to me how much my commercial work informs my personal work.I never would have admitted that at one time.It used to be uncool to admit that one's commercial work had an impact on your art.

 It's  impossible to "un-do" what commercial photography does to a person. But that's okay. It trains the eye. It makes you get up in the morning. It forces you to work hard. It makes you take pictures of concepts that are not all about you.You have to get technically good.

Ego is not something that survives very well in a commercial environment .Everyone has talent.Not just you.

When a job happens ,it happens with at least half a dozen talented people working hard .These people are valuable team members.There is no such thing as a commercial shooter who works alone.We learn that we are not fucking special .

This is interesting to me as I work away on my personal project here on Hornby Island.I am blessed with co-operative models,beautiful locations and amazing light.It's a lot quieter here than my studio ever was.(smile)

I enjoy what I am doing now .Being an artist is great fun.Uncovering these images though has given me a new appreciation for the methodical process that I apply to all my work.

Thank-you Toronto for the training.It was a hoot.

Now I make art. (more smiles )