Mike Vass - solo artist photography

A dreich February Sunday. I am weary. I have been so busy that my head feels like it is detached and foraken in a glass jar, enveloped in formaldehyde. Mike Vass is on his way to the office, I am glad to not be sitting in front of my computer. My expensive modern lens is away getting fixed, I wonder how I will cope with out it's technological aid. The italian coffee is finished... I ponder my creative outcomes. Solo artist photography? What does it mean? How do you do it? One man and some instruments... Can this be interesting?Shot completely manually with two cheap, undesirable lenses. A 1976 cosinon 50mm f1.7 and a 1986 vivitar 28mm f2.8. These lenses cost less than £40. It is true that great time has to be taken to achieve sharp focus with these things. However in well crafted light and once focus is achieved it is sharp. Sharper than the modern lens?!?! In fact the crutch of autofocus is often better discarded and the decision to persevere with a limp in this case has proven fruitful if somewhat protracted.Technical hurdles aside... I thoroughly enjoyed this shoot. It was relaxed, convivial. Mike is a deeply creative fellow and we spent much time drinking poor quality coffee and discussing, recording, production, looking for interesting sounds and the greater state of humanity and nature. I have been impressed with Mike's music and in particular his toilet seat snare. He has a very fine collection of instruments on show here, they all posses that vibe, that mystical quality which creates the illusion that inanimate objects can have soul.It is an interesting time on the music scene these days. Musicians are growing bolder and Mike was at the forefront of this shift with his album DecemberWell. Long may he continue to create, well constructed and meaningful audio art. Buy his records and listen to them. You have been told!http://mikevass.com/shop/