The year was 1984, Ronald Reagan was president and Apple unveils the Macintosh computer to the world while Sports Illustrated names Mary Lou Retton Sportswoman of the year. John De Lorean is acquitted of all eight counts of possessing and distributing cocaine, Prince releases Purple Rain and Cyndi Lauper will go on to win the Grammy for best new artist.
Chip Simons, a 26 year old New York City transplant struggles to make it as a photographer. Living for the last 2 years with his girlfriend in an apartment across the street from a whore house on 27th and Broadway, he finds himself spending most of his time in the parks with the trees, grass and dogs. On a whim he makes pictures of dogs down on their level with a wide angle lens and gelled lighting. Interview magazine publishes the series of pictures called “I am a dog” and it eventually catapults Chip into the upper echelon of photography.
In 1993 his fame and fortunes have grown to the point where Chip and his girlfriend (now wife) move to Bosque Farms, NM where they feel confident they can keep the business flowing and they do, clocking up to 250 jobs a year through 2000 and the dot com bust.
Then, the business starts to struggle and stock sales start to crumble and suddenly divorce. And, wham, the money is all gone and the business is really drying up and suddenly you’re a 49 year old former wunderkind thinking “what in the hell am I going to do?” If you’re Chip Simons you hit the effing reset button, sell all your gear, pack your shit in the car and drive from New Mexico to east 13th street in NYC and start pounding the streets again.
Read his bio (here) to see for yourself (Via, Russell Kaye (here).
I had a few questions for Chip.
So, you hit it big in NYC with a wide angle/gelled out/POV’d photography style that you basically invented. Right? Moved to New Mexico for quality of life and to raise a family but the stress of trying to make NYC level pictures without a talented crew or support system around you burned through your marriage. Now the jobs have dried up and the stock market is tanking so you’re thinking it’s time to go back and start from scratch in NYC?
Are you crazy?
Well… maybe. The problem I have here is that I was having so much fun motorcycling, mountain biking, skiing, hot tubbing, and playing with dogs and kids that I didn’t realize I hadn’t made new contacts or pressed the flesh in a million years. I wasn’t meeting anyone that could give me opportunities; on top of it the local market here is so dopey that they hire the worst photographers in town. I had no help here, my ex-wife cashed the checks, did the taxes and bills, and helped produce shoots.
And, about New York and making it big: More people have made more money copying me and my ideas and styles than I have made being me. I never capitalized on any of it like I should have. I’m not sure if I am dumb or what, I’m just waiting for the next round of people to do light painting, slapstick postcards, and fairy-tale bunnies. I went through one hundred and ten assistants in sixteen years in NM. I had eight in NYC in ten years. There were two makeup people, and still I was usually telling the stylist what a 50’s dress looked like at the same time I was telling the assistant how to turn on the lights. Fighting with people who had two weeks to find red heart boxer shorts and instead showed up with white or red was very frustrating (In the end we used a stencil and spray paint while the client waited). I have done four jobs since December 1st. In 1998-2000 I averaged two hundred and fifty a year (Six in one day, was my record) and one a day was common. I spent one hundred days on the road but would never hang out because I would fly back to the wife and kids.
It seems like you would have been fine with your photography business slowly kinda dying off or just becoming whatever it wanted to as long as you had your freedom if it wasn’t for a divorce that took all your savings away and left you broke. Is that correct?
I had to trade in all my retirement to pay my ex-wife alimony in a lump sum because I have no cash flow. I have the same money now as I arrived here with sixteen years ago.
I was not content to see my photography die off. I have a competitive ego and well, I am stumped by what has happened to the industry. The lack of loyalty and the betrayal. I and many others put our hearts and souls into our work, so when we need help, we just get walked over for a dollar download. The internet is destroying publishing, the digital camera is making anyone a photographer, Getty destroyed the value of original imagery and resale and Photoshop can make anyone seem extraordinary.
And, I have the daunting task of going back to a 450 sq ft lower east side apartment and leaving my dreamscape behind… all with the belief that I can do it all over again.
Can the photo industry be fixed?
Doing photography for purely commercial reasons kills off the reason the best people did it to begin with. Who cares about your stupid product, your stupid idea, your copycat ads. We do it for money but it strips us of our souls and we get tossed out with the trash.
Yes, thank you for all the work and money, but guys, I need to be inspired and given respect and input and feel the surprise and delight and excitement again and so do most of the best. This is not a game to me. I have a long story I am writing about the death of the celluloids (alchemists) and how video gamers and digital natives have brought their dark, sinister, 3-D back-lite rendered macabre perspective into the imagery we use to frame our picture of the world.Their designers and art directors are the same way. They all plagiarize with no remorse.
Honestly, if I never saw another wide angle heavily gelled shot again I’d be OK with that and it seemed like you’d made a move away from the style that made you famous and wealthy several years ago but can you really reinvent and distance yourself from a something that basically defines you?
I have evolved and I hate copying myself. That was then, but I do revisit things. I’m kinda into the idea of going back to my cubist light painting days. But, the world is not in my face like it was then. I stand back and I am more innocent. I like good things and humor, surprise and delight and maybe that will win out over the dark world that video imagery people have brought to commercial images. I’ll do what I need to but it will be different this time. To me love and relationships are more important than busting my ass for an ungrateful client.
Looking through your website you’re clearly a very talented photographer so is this just a case of John Travolta needing to find his Quentin Tarantino?
I hope so. I’m pissed that I’m broke and have been so used by everyone that has ever come in contact with me but it’s my own fault because I am super generous and I have no secrets or motivations outside of seeing people that come to me make something of themselves. I’m honest and real and I don’t copy. I need a rep and I need some help, so I’m hoping NY will help me pull this off. I need to build a new farm with someone that actually loves me and get back to my dogs and motorcycles and bikes and hot tubs and cooking and solitude and then go places to expand my small world. I can not survive in a cave for too long. Nature is what I am made of.
If you did your photography career all over again up till now what would you change?
Well, I don’t know. I have a feeling of fate and timing and that this is for a reason and that I’m a better person for all of this. I may sound bitter, but I’m not. I’m very excited. I have fullfilled my obligations, and then been tossed out in the trash, but it’s OK. She grew to hate me largely because of the same reasons that made me what I am. My ego, my work ethic, and my critical nature. We created two wonderful, unique kids and an amazing amount of great memories.
It kills me that it all fell apart, it kills me.
I may not recover from this one.
My only hope is love and trust and understanding with another woman and getting back to goodness and innocence. I have learned a lot about myself and relationships and I’ve realized that I gave my heart to this industry and it chewed me up and spit me out. And now I’m kinda pissed and I’m going to do something about it this time around.
There are so many impostors out there, so many copycats and people just making money on others ideas and images. It’s time to call a spade a spade, we all know it.
I think it’s a luxury to be a photographer, if you added up all the 1/250th of a second images… I have worked maybe an hour and made about seven million dollars. We all have the greatest access and opportunities and we don’t have to live a dull life of being uncreative and heading off to a dead end job everyday. So, if I had to do it all over again I would not change a thing except I would wish that i had not been so blind as to not see it destroying my life and family all along while it gave them a fairy tale existence. Irony, fate, dreams and reality.
I don’t know if my silly story matters anyway.
Can you really not expect photographers and art directors to borrow styles, ideas and techniques from each other. Everything has been done before at least once I find it hard to believe anybody was the first to do something even if they were unaware of the other person doing it before them.
Yes, I do expect photographers to be influenced by other photographers. I am a cross between Guy Bourdin, Meatyard, Augest Sander, Hiro, Arbus and mostly Magritte. Oh, and toss in whoever the guy was that did the camera work and lighting on the Beatles movies “help” and hard days night and the beatles humor and acting (the pov stuff). Also, Dr Seuess and Tom Thumb and Johnny Quest and last but not least all those cheap effects they used to make it look like someone took acid by accident, like from the mod squad episode.Oh yeah, I’m forgetting the original star trek, I am Kirk and Spock rolled into one.
But, getting back to photographers ripping off styles and art directors hitting the copy button, it is the worst it’s ever been that I’m aware of. Maybe it is the internet, maybe photoshop but we even have a term in the industry for my case, it’s called a “chip rip.”
Ok, are you really headed for NYC?
Yes. I will load up my Toyota Sequoia with computer, photo gear, espresso machine and some clothing. I need to keep it light. I stored 600 sq feet of pictures and slides, and my studio gear that I just love and hate to sell (it took me twenty years to build a studio). I’m leaving my dogs and puppies and the rest of my photo gear with a wonderful woman that will sell them for me raise the puppies and sell them as well. She is the angel in this story, I am so lucky. I hope this all goes well and I can make my way back.
I think there is a 50/50 chance…
I will be there in a week…
Update: Comments turned off
Comments 97
Seriously?
What a bunch of whiny drivel. You sat on your hands, were lazy, and now blame your wife and copycats? I’m sure there’s another side to that story.
Stop with the victim mentality and maybe you’ll have a 1/2 a chance at “getting back to goodness and innocence” you’re referring to.
marc
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 8:32 am ¶I once spoke to chip on the phone. nicest guy in the industry. very generous. go get em tiger….
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 8:36 am ¶Although I can honestly say I never copied him cause I kinda hate gels… I do admire his work, the incredible influence he had (has), his consistent sense of humor, and absolutely believe he can do this. That kind of talent is rare enough to still have the power to shine a little brighter… All the best to you Chip…
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:02 am ¶I’m with Marc @1.
Hmmmm… let’s see, Helmut Newton, Soth, Shelby Lee Adams, and a whole list of other photographers can make relevant work in other places and maintain a strong career in the NYC market and Chip’s blaming it on A) his ex-wife, B) New Mexico and C) pretty much anything other than himself.
If you ask me, the reason the jobs dried up is because of the screw picture above - bad photoshop and cheesy ideas. If a stylist comes to set with the wrong clothing, it’s your own fault for not managing the production well. I have seen it happen in NYC too, so it’s not New Mexico’s fault. Regardless of where you are located, you should never, ever let a client see that sort of disorganization.
I’m sure he is the nicest person in the industry in person, but in this interview he comes across as washed up and bitter.
I wish him luck here in NYC, but my advice would be to tone down the ex-wife talk, stop showing the old work if you want to move on from it and stop talking about how broke you are.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:12 am ¶No one want to do business with a loser. Or hire someone out of pity.
Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM would send his sales force to major cities, have them dress in the best suits and be seen checking into the best hotels. Perception is as important as reality.
People want to be close to success.
marc
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:19 am ¶Note to Chip…pay attention to Dude @4.
Good luck. Hope you manage to get over it, reinvent your photographic self in New York with or without a rep, find your dream girl, take the kind of pictures you love, concentrate on the positives and live happily ever after.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:22 am ¶Depressing…
Success is more of an attitude than a bank statement. Successful people keep the same company.
I noticed “Chip Simons” SWC being sold on ebay. I wonder if his name brought in a few extra bucks for the auction.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:34 am ¶As someone on the outside looking in; thanks for your story. It is all too common across many industries. Hell, it’s where I’m afraid I could end up.
Good luck; even if NYC doesn’t work out, it isn’t the end of the world.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:35 am ¶Good interview Rob, like to hear the ex wifes take on it.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:59 am ¶damn, so depressing.
chip, you ever see the movie hard candy? rent it and then do what the photographer does in the final scene.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:10 am ¶good lord
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:10 am ¶Hey, lets be easy on Chip. You Chip haters make it NYC and then get dumped and robbed by the woman you loved? I’m guessing no. It’s about the most stressful combo I can think of, and I’m sure it led to Chips current attitude. You can’t really hate on Chips look either. Sure it looks dated because it’s been played out by the masses, but it was fresh in ‘84 just like Lauper.
Buck up Chip, all you need is to really, really want it, a camera and a ticket to NYC. You will make it happen again. Change always sucks in the beginning, but in the end you will be in a better place that you can imagine. Don’t give up the “nice guy” thing either. Jerks may seem like they get it all, but it’s the nice guy that wins in the end
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:11 am ¶Well, he’s honest and that will surely attract criticism as he lashes out at all the shit that bugs him but I really enjoy his honesty because I know he’s not thinking for one second how people will perceive him just throwing it all out there at once.
I’m also surprised at how well the dog photos hold up after all these years.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:21 am ¶good luck to chip.
word of advice, don’t nod when you can wink.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:36 am ¶Check out his stuff before you slam him–there’s a depth, variety, sense of humor and aesthetic not always found together in one person’s output.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:38 am ¶bitter. should be a barista in new mexico for a while and humble that ego. then it could be a true comeback story.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:43 am ¶I take that back after looking at the work. Contempt prior to investigation. My bad. Bunny series is genius. Where can we buy prints?
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:48 am ¶This is the most depressing and sad story. Of course Chip had some of his own issues with the divorce, but it seems he is a personification of the current photo industry. So sad.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:09 am ¶Oh my… guess I’m staying single!
Interestingly, my own father just went through a similar ordeal with his 2nd wife (now ex). Luckily, the fact that they live(d) off US Soil has left him better protected. He’s tired and has been very low. Sounded a lot like Chip does above, actually. He’s doing better than he has in years though now. Hang in there, Chip.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:31 am ¶Take that rage, contempt, bitterness and use it. It’s (Canon) fodder for a new body of work and you’ll eventually pump the metaphor enough to come up with things visually you never would have, had you not gone through all of this shit.
I never had seven million dollars, but went through a layoff, a divorce and a relocation in the span of one month. A rough time, for certain, but also a very, very creative and inspiring time.
Best of luck in NYC.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:41 am ¶when i first read that link on russell kaye’s blog, my jaw dropped. amazed that anyone would be so candid on their own website.
i remember when chip hit big in the nineties, and yes, it was pretty interesting work, when everyone else was doing safe shadowless octobox stuff, trying to be annie or seliger. so you gotta give it to him for stepping out. i might not be a fan of gels like that, but at least it’s a different (less serious) view of the world.
still, i just hope his kids don’t grow up and read some of this stuff that he’s posted. i just don’t know if kids would understand the context. it’s one thing to be candid about your own life, but to mention ex-wives and children, well, i’m just not sure. i also hope her lawyer isn’t reading this blog too; he might have to go digging for more hasselblads to ebay.
as ugly as all this is to read, i agree with rob that the honesty is refreshing. in this day in age where every photographer is “look at me, look at my shoes, look at my apartment, look how many cities i have studios in”, it’s just refreshing to read. who knows, maybe, if truth were known, chip is not so much the exception…? don’t pull back the covers on a lot of these “successful” guys; sometimes the truth is not pretty.
i just want chip to get past this point though. nobody wants to be that guy at the party during photoeast, and everyone’s standing there with their plastic wine glass, talking under their breath about him, over in the corner. hopefully he moves through this chapter, and creates a new chapter. my money is on him, that he can.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:42 am ¶Great post. Glad someone touched down with Chip to see what was up, the bio was getting around the blogworld alot last week. It is clear that Chip is seeing everything thru the lens of the divorce, which is clouding things and making everything seem a bit more apocalyptic than it may indeed be.
Looking at his site the other day, his work so clearly has held up over time.Those dog images have a sense of fascination and wonder that none of the “copiers” have ever been able to appropriate. Anyone can gel lights and make a flashy photograph, but there was something else woven into the fabric of Chip’s images that allowed them to have this staying power.
Then…all this talk about ” should he be sharing this info so openly about the divorce, etc.”, references to IBM dressing their dudes in suits and all. Why fake it at this point? Being honest about what is going on and sharing it with one’s community is a real thing. Anyone in photography right now is going to be able to relate to his tale, be they a p.e or a photographer. People can appreciate honesty.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:47 am ¶I’m at a loss as to why you put this up on the site?
Nothing to do with photography…just a “whoa is me” story.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:48 am ¶This is why, as a poor photographer, I’m only going to marry a rich woman. Then, I can take all her money and move to Paris.
Good luck Chip. I’ve been a big fan of the “Bunny” photos for a while now.
Jeff
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:52 am ¶marc and dude, remind me never to meet your kind, and the bit about quoting corporate america, priceless!
“and then Ken Lay said: we do business with winners here and make shareholder billions”
WTF? where do you people come from?
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:52 am ¶@Rob: yeah, he’s honest, but there’s a time and place for raw honesty and in this context, it doesn’t impress me. If be were Bob Richardson and he had consistently amazing work, I’d call his hard luck story “street cred” but here, it’s just a bit pathetic. The dog pix do hold up because they were really, really good, but the rest of it is godawful IMH(&critical)O. If Chip does more great work like that and minds his perception he will do fine.
At least Bob’s story gives you cause for sympathy, even if his personality didnt always - was a cantankerous bastard (may he rest in peace, although wasn’t a very peaceful chap), but Chip’s story sounds like a Hustler cartoon. He comes across as a mysogynist cliché, even though I suspect he is actually a nice guy, as the above posts suggest.
I’m really not trying to dis the guy, but it’s a perception thing.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 12:00 pm ¶Damn there’s some haters here. Chips work is great and it still is. Now more then ever it sticks out because its not all the fiscus and nadav copy work we see everywhere.
He went through some awesome times then through some shitty times too and he’s being honest about how he feels.
So don’t be hating if you don’t get it. Chip’s career has most likely way cooler then any of ours and its not even over yet.
I hope Chip and others like him give a kick in the ass to the industry and brings some color back.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 12:01 pm ¶We as photographers historically have a tendency to eat our own, that I think is a bad idea.
We could end up with mad photographer brain! Whether or not Chip Simons deserves his plight the photo gods will decide. But the ironic thing is that Rob runs this right after Easter, let the resurrection begin!
Good Luck Chip.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 12:15 pm ¶I like the honesty. I don’t know that I’d have the nerve to be that honest. And while it’s obviously bringing out a lot of anger, from a lot of anonymous posters, it is bringing him a lot of attention, good or bad, that he hasn’t had in years. If it works, good for him, if it doesn’t, who cares, it doesn’t sound like it could get worse.
I wish him the best of luck.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 12:18 pm ¶Maybe I shouldn’t be amazed in this era of reality TV that people are so willing to put the most private details of their lives into the public arena for analysis and dissection. Much of this stuff is the kind of discussion that people used to have only with their closest friends and family, or a therapist, not the great anonymous public. But if someone wants to put it all out there, for whatever reason, then they have to accept what comes back, good or bad, helpful or not. Chip certainly knows that. It’s clear he’s suffering and his story makes for some uncomfortable reading. I hope his efforts pay off and that things turn around for him soon.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 12:44 pm ¶Willie Nelson said “the reason divorce costs so much, is because it’s worth it”
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 12:51 pm ¶here’s a very good pdn edu interview with chip simons from 2006-happier times one can presume-which shows the range of his imagination and quality of his work:
http://www.pdnedu.com/qanda/pro_q_and_a_5.shtml
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:12 pm ¶Great work. Great post. Refreshing honesty. But…
My wife has been the art buyer for an ad agency in a fast growing company, spending 22 Mill a year on producing offair advertising. One thing I can tell you, nothing ends a relationship with her faster than a conversation that smacks of self-pity. She wants to hear three things:
1. You have what she needs.
2. Nothing in your life or your process will get in the way of getting what she needs finished.
3. You are solving the problems on your end so she can solve the problems on hers.
There is a reason that you show up for sales meetings with shiny shoes and your game face on. You are saying that your problems are taken care of so that the people you want to hire you know (think) that you can help them take care of theirs.
The difficulty for many photographers is that it gets so damn lonely keeping your game face on for everyone when in private it looks like the whole thing is swirling down the sh*tter. We are a corporation of one. Most people in big companies bitch constantly to each other about how bad everything sucks. We don’t often have that luxury. And I think it can drive us crazy.
I would completely re-write Chip’s story to be honest and at the same not bitter. There’s nothing wrong with starting over from scratch. Hell, a lot of photographers would like to get the chance to do that. Just pitch it as part of a creative adventure, not as the result of the string of failures.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:22 pm ¶never confuse vulgarity with honesty
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:24 pm ¶Y’know, some of the judgmentalness in the comments is understandable and some of it over the edge, frankly. I hope, for instance, that whoever suggested Chip walk off the edge of a building and kill himself is being pretty facetious.
It’s understandable from a reader’s perspective to think any of the following:
Chip’s had a bad experience — of his own making — not of his own making — partly of his own making.
He is being — publicly introspective and honest about it — sharing too much information — for pity’s sake — because it’s real — just because he is. His bio is — strategy — oversharing — painfully honest — the truth and people can make of it what they will.
Not knowing Chip, I’ll err on the side of giving him the benefit of the doubt and wishing him well. Maybe I’m just naive, who knows.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:34 pm ¶One additional: I do consider it completely reasonable to question whether including all of that story is counter-productive in a bio. Certainly people in the know will be aware of it anyway and others won’t care.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:37 pm ¶Whatever. Clearly, from the variety of posts, we all have issues. If he wants it, he’ll get it. If he doesn’t, then he’ll just write snarky comments on someone’s blog.
The bunnies rock.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:41 pm ¶Good luck back in NYC, Chip.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:53 pm ¶Maybe CS needs a little CJ in his life.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 2:40 pm ¶OK- lets hear a bit more background if Chip’s going to blame everyone for everything. First off his wife was the biggest supporter of a photographer’s work I ever saw. Ask anyone who worked with them. Every photographer who met them wished they had Chip’s ex-wife as part of their team. She was well respected and well liked in the industry- hardest worker you could imagine. Then- as reports have it- she got ovarian cancer in ‘06 and Chip ran off with his 20 something year old assistant/ wanna be photographer while his wife was going through chemotherapy. His work might be wonderful but nothing justifies doing that to his wife and family and then publicly posting about it. If she walked away with the lion’s share she probably deserved it. Make lemon-aid with all those lemons, Mr Simons.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 3:55 pm ¶“the digital camera is making anyone a photographer”…Amen.
I hope he makes it big, i have a feeling is gonna do it,
Good luck
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 5:03 pm ¶Always a flip side to the story.
“Then- as reports have it- she got ovarian cancer in ‘06 ”
Sorry I know this is off topic but for anyone going through cancer this may be of interest :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warburg_hypothesis
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/pharmacology/research/talalay.html
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 5:19 pm ¶I think many of you can see right through Chip’s bullshit.
Please refer to another post which I will also include in mine:
“lets hear a bit more background if Chip’s going to blame everyone for everything. First off his wife was the biggest supporter of a photographer’s work I ever saw. Ask anyone who worked with them. Every photographer who met them wished they had Chip’s ex-wife as part of their team. She was well respected and well liked in the industry- hardest worker you could imagine. Then- as reports have it- (yes, reports CONFIRM it) she got ovarian cancer in ‘06 and Chip ran off with his 20 something year old assistant/ wanna be photographer while his wife was going through chemotherapy. His work might be wonderful but nothing justifies doing that to his wife and family and then publicly posting about it.”
My two cents:
“I went through one hundred and ten assistants in sixteen years in NM.” my ass. Perhaps those 110 assistants quit?
“I have a competitive ego.” bigger than Texas.
“the local market here is so dopey that they hire the worst photographers in town.” and this makes you think you’re gonna get work in NYC?
“The lack of loyalty and the betrayal.” ironic, isn’t it?
“To me love and relationships are more important than busting my ass for an ungrateful client.” that’s ironic too.
“I’m pissed that I’m broke and have been so used by everyone that has ever come in contact with me.”
Do you hear it? The world’s smallest violin. We get back what we put out there in the world. Think about why you’re “pissed and broke” for just one second, and maybe you’ll get it.
“I need a rep and I need some help, so I’m hoping NY will help me pull this off. I need to build a new farm with someone that actually loves me.”
Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself, Chip. I do feel sorry for you though. I hope you find some happiness in NYC. Perhaps a 20-something female assistant would do?
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 5:22 pm ¶I hear Vincent D’Onofrio is available for “The Chip Simons Story” and would very much like to do it.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 5:48 pm ¶“the digital camera is making anyone a photographer” = bullshit.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 5:49 pm ¶Well, what a Chip off the old Blog…I think, in the words of Kelly, “I’m gonna betchslap you, ya shetbag.” What a whiney-ass, Zuba-wearing baby. Betsy’s comment can be substantiated clearly by various people; what Chip’s sob story embodies is a lack of professional discretion at the expense of very personal, very PRIVATE matters. His story, his INTERVIEW, is a cliche’…Leave wife when she is ill, shack up with some twenty-something assistant WHILE the wife is ill, and then bitch about it rather take some responsibility for his own fiscal irresponsibility. It certainly does take two to end a marriage, Chip; perhaps you could take on a little of the responsibility yourself.
A true professional would keep the whining about personal matters private unless, of course, you are bucking for a spot on the cover of the People magazine. Grow up. Granted, we live in a ridiculoulsy confessional culture, but that does mean slamming your ex-wife, assistants, the industry, etc. I, for one, would never hire you, especially after reading this interview.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 5:59 pm ¶What’s that old saying about, there but for the grace of god ……..
Staying fresh and vital in this constantly changing industry and hanging on to your personal ethics for 20 + years is damned hard to pull off.
Let’s face it this business is not kind to it’s elders. I don’t know Chip personally and am sure there are two sides to the story, there always are. But that said, I wish him well. If his work continues to be as innovative as it always has been he will succeed.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 6:11 pm ¶i agree, chip on shoulder. The digital camera just upped the supply of images, making the value drop. People preached about the ease of digital capture, as a selling point when it didn´t reach film´s quality levels and now we´re paying for that.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 6:14 pm ¶project concept for chip: colored gel / on camera flash photos of his navel.
@Lulu - right on - self knowledge and discretion is so much more appealing
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 6:24 pm ¶From Chip’s Website:writing
I plan on putting my writing here.
I write alot.
My first writing is a statement for the year to others.
“cast the first stone”
When did he write this?
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 6:37 pm ¶Just got done watching “King of Kong.
If you haven’t seen it you should.
I believe you can be a talented underdog and get screwed by people less ethical than yourself.
I’ve tried really hard to remain honest and open and it’s gotten me in trouble when competing in the marketing world.
Sometimes believing and trusting in those around you without a good deal of skepticism is really damaging.
You can’t be a good guy/gal and succeed in this business. Not for long.
My recommendation to Chip is to not take any crap from anyone and push ahead. There’s always going to be someone out there more than ready to take advantage of your skill and honestly.
Kick some ass and don’t take names.
Good luck!
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 7:06 pm ¶Chip,
sorry to see you leave NM. I live a few miles north.
I wish you all the best and fuck the naysayers.
be well. be strong.
And thanks to Rob for posting this.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 7:52 pm ¶listening to this depress-shit story reminds me of an old advertising photographer i did retouching for a year or so ago. i worked in his newly formed stock studio, and all he did was constantly bitch about the industry… moan… whine… blame others… all while being extremely egotistical. he could never find fault in anything he did. i eventually had to quit because his negativity made me hate photography and photographers.
maybe it’s just something that happens to photographers after 20+ years in the business. their inflated egos can find no fault on their part.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 8:09 pm ¶@ 43
Then- as reports have it- (yes, reports CONFIRM it) she got ovarian cancer in ‘06 and Chip ran off with his 20 something year old assistant/ wanna be photographer while his wife was going through chemotherapy.
Holy Shit
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:03 pm ¶Public flameouts are rarely pretty to watch. There is a particularly squalid and voyeuristic tone to this one and it seems like the person who started it all has done himself no favors. I’ve now heard way more than I wanted to know about his dislikes and his sense of victimization. Some of us have weighed in on his private life and supposed defects, failings and transgressions, things that are really none of our business. Even if some or all of it is true, so what? So enough. Let’s get back to the photography and business discussions and leave the gossip behind. On to the next topic. Pleeeease…
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:09 pm ¶I don’t think we should get in the middle of this when nobody knows the facts. I guess I opened this can of worms but really I was fascinated by the idea of starting over on the ground floor in NYC and the market has changed so much in the last 24 years so is it even possible. The divorce forced this to happen but really, I don’t want to debate if he’s good or evil just can it be done.
Photographers always want to be judged solely on their photographs but then when we talk about photographers here we end up debating their personality. What does that have to do with taking pictures? If you like what you see in his book would you suddenly change your mind about hiring him if you heard all of this? Do you like being judged on you bio and client list and whether some photo editor told me you were weird? Or, should it just be about the photographs?
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:31 pm ¶It’s hard to feel sorry for a guy who blames everyone else for the demise of his OWN career, let’s see wife, assistants, stylists, hair and make up, New Mexico, Clients, the internet (you can blame Al Gore for that one), digital cameras and the list goes on. It’s YOUR career, if you don’t like the people around you, find good ones and bring them to to NM, if that’s where you choose to live. I live in a tiny market, much smaller than any Santa Fe and I don’t rely on “Dopey clients” in town for work, it’s the 21st century, you can live where you want and get on a plane and work where you need. There are many successful people in smaller markets than NM
I think Chip will have a hard time jump starting his career with this kind of attitude, will a client/agency really want to hire him to shoot their “stupid product or stupid idea”
Toyota Sequoia, Espresso Machine, Mountain Bike, full suspension no doubt and hot tubs, we know where some of the 7 million went. No one needs to know your dirty laundry, a lot of people go through much worse and don’t add it to their bios on the web.
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 10:43 pm ¶lets not get too cocky we all go thru phases of ups and downs , and it all comes back to us, Hopefully chip u manage to rise and shine like u did once, and his time get a pre-nup.
karma will catch up, and put u where u belong, at 1 point I worked in a mag clocked 150 + shoot’s in a yr , and then there was a lean period of 25 shoots in a year… so keep at it , ideas will always sell … and that is ur forte so …
cheers
R
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Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:55 pm ¶There…are you all happy now? In the course of 12 hours, at dsl speed, you all ingested this guy’s statement, made a decision how you felt, got more information than you ever probably wanted to have about this guy, and now what is on the menu for tommorrow? He is kind of right…everyone using him for folly.
Who is next? How about that Seliger guy? He’d be fun to eviscerate.
This probably was blogging at it’s best, but I can’t help but feel kind of filthy about it all right now. It all transpired so quickly and went so full circle. Can we take this all back, pretend it never happened?
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 12:59 am ¶“Or, should it just be about the photographs?” Its never going to be, is it ? most people in the photo world, in my experience, are conditioned to such a subjective level. Almost everyone goes through those kind of life experiences, perhaps with not such extremes but it still warps and distorts, one would hope, in the
analysis, intense and better photo art would be an out-come, but one thing is for sure, discrimination will happen.
It maybe a can of worms, but it gets at aspects of human nature that affects us all, and in my view should be aired.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:07 am ¶well i decided i like his pictures. that’s that to me.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 4:41 am ¶@APE:
You have told us that Client List, Bio and word of mouth are pretty important. Have you changed your advice now, or are you regretting getting into this subject ? You have said before how you like to read people’s personal stuff and like to hire people who you think you will get on with. This would logically seem to be obliged to also work the other way round ?
>>>>>>>>>
“if you added up all the 1/250th of a second images… I have worked maybe an hour and made about seven million dollars”
Well for the love of JIM - there you have it !
NO WONDER his career has gone down the pan. He has only been charging $7.80 per photo.
Yet [from the linked interview], even at those rates…
“I don’t have any one that hires me consistently…so they must end up not liking something about me or my pictures. I kinda take it personally that I drop everything and bust my butt to make something out of nothing and give them my all, and then they reward me by never hiring me again.”
>>>>>>>>>>>
“I am Kirk and Spock rolled into one.”
The Hubris is Strong in You, Luke.
Robert
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 6:55 am ¶I am sorry to see this very public meltdown to a photographer I have long admired.
Right or wrong, I think the confessional writing on his site, and to some degree, the interview and comments have trashed his reputation. Which, Chip agreed to.
Frickin shame is what it is.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 7:32 am ¶Wow - what a nice group of people! Do you guys kick bums on the street?
Regardless of his personal life, having to start your career over again takes guts….
Good luck Chip and welcome back to NYC - you’ll take this town like you did then!
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 8:22 am ¶The digital camera makes everyone a photographer? If your ability depends on being able to expose a piece of film properly your screwed. The hard bit is looking through that hole, pointing it in the right direction and pressing the button at the right time and that hasn’t changed.
It seems to me that the real story isn’t that you were screwed over by everyone. More like you got a little bit of success, got lazy, screwed over your wife and now your angry, bitter and a failure.
It’s almost heart warming to see there is justice in the world.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 8:43 am ¶The only constant in this business is constant change. It is great to be able to land on a trick, schtick, or style, that garners attention and clients. But you can damn well be sure that as you are riding that wave you had better keep an eye on the next one and adjust your stroke because it will be different.
It is a temptation that once you start making a little money, have a family, you can kick back a bit and go mountain biking. Not in this business, not anymore. Family issues, kids, kid issues, business cycles, (some people call this life) affect everyone. It is how you weather this and keep your eye on the prize that determines who you are. Highlighting your struggles to help those interested is edifying. Whining and blaming is better left to Dr. Phil. Do you really want your kids reading this in 10 years? The best advice that I got during my divorce was to always take the high road. Swimming in the sewer serves no purpose and leaves a stench.
Every successful photographer out there has had to reinvent themselves. That is the creative process - that tension, that struggle is what brings out one’s best work. It’s not going to happen though if you continue to slosh around in those waves of negativity.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 9:23 am ¶Perhaps I am so interested in this story because it’s about starting over. I don’t really need to know all of the details. If he has wronged people in his life, he knows it, they know it. I’m not feeling sorry for him, just wishing him the best, as I would anyone who’s potentially reached rock bottom.
Almost everyone in photography has experienced or will experience a time when they need to remake themselves and start over. To me that’s incredibly interesting. I didn’t start out in photography, but had to make a huge leap to get here, and now I am doing it again, as I move to a new region of the country, so I’m always interested in reading about those who have started over. And the lower they sank the better the story.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 9:29 am ¶Brittney, Lindsay, Paris, ET, Perez Hilton, Page Six of the NY Post, and now this…At what point, and for what purpose does it serve to take one’s personal life so public? Maybe doing an interview felt good for Chip to vent, but to publicize this is the worst type of journalism in my opinion. As photographers, I would venture to say that most of us have been in the same boat as Chip at sometime in our careers. It’s what keeps us staring at the ceiling at 3AM wondering what we were thinking when we decided to get into this crazy business. What many of us figure out is that we really didn’t have any choice, as being an artist and creative person the profession CHOSE US. We then try to flog through life the best we can understanding that despite the rough times, we have had some pretty neat experiences and opportunities to grow as a citizen of the world…
I wish nothing but future success and happiness for Chip and I hope that after this public “venting” period, he’ll get his nose to the grindstone and start controlling his universe in a positive and more private manner.
BTW…All the negative/name calling posts with people who don’t have the balls to post their real names sickens me. This is the dark side of blogging and one that shouldn’t exist on something that is supposedly “professional”…
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 10:38 am ¶wow, what a mess.
if all the backside stuff about the wife and illness and the 20something assistant/flingee is true, why, oh why, would he open himself up this self abuse?
does the Spitzer thing come to mind here? Both Chip and the Gov had to know there was something else going on behind the bedroom door. Did they think it would stay quiet forever? Didn’t he realize that the wife has to have some friends in the biz who are gonna come on here and defend her?
I just can’t imagine why someone would expose themselves to all of this if they weren’t damn close to 100% innocent of any involvement. Leaving your wife when she is undergoing cancer treatment leaves a Newt Gigrich taste in my mouth.
Once again this proves we are as human as everyone else.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 11:29 am ¶some harsh folks chiming in on this. As someone said above “do thay kick bums on the sidewalk too?” I have enjoyed his Bunny images since I first discovered them and I hope that he has some renewed success in the near future in NYC. Great interview and a depressing tale. Good luck Chip.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 11:35 am ¶Chip invited this on himself by posting the bleeding heart bio on his site. He could have written a positive bio about wanting to leave the slow life behind in NM and getting back to NYC. And left out the divorce stuff. But then no one would be talking about him. APE wouldn’t write an interview. And his site wouldn’t be getting 1,000’s of hits a day.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 11:53 am ¶What vitriol!
@marc, anonymous, dude, et al:
You can’t be both critical and anonymous. It just doesn’t fly like that. I applaud Chip’s honesty and his photographs. We wish him the best.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 11:56 am ¶I have no idea why me hanging my name out on the internet for all to see would change anything. Anonymity simply allows me to express my views honestly without recourse, it’s a very small industry.
With regard to the question do the people who are critical of Chip such as me kick bums on the sidewalk? Well no we don’t. I think a more accurate way of saying that would be, do we stop and help when we see a bum being kicked on the sidewalk. Chuck is kicking his ex wife and we are saying hold on a minute to him. I think the world might be a better place if people spoke up when they saw injustice being done.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:24 pm ¶“Never get involved in a boy-girl fight”
(William Burroughs - from Words of Advice to Young People.)
It seems to me that, everything else being equal, Chip should really be bitching about his lawyer.
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Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:33 pm ¶Bitter? Bitter, party of one? Your table is ready.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 7:41 am ¶Yikes! When Mr Simon reads these I’m sure he will be re-discovered…. by the maid at Motel 6, beneath his most recent work, “My Life in Red and Gray”. He will be survived by his ex-wife and her attorney.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 9:32 am ¶I find Chip’s astonishingly open interview inspiring. He has a guileless, childlike quality he doesn’t bother to dress up. There’s no posing here, no playing it safe.
Chip is a true original. I had the pleasure of working with him on a tricky assignment at a time when his marriage was already imploding. Distracted, openly vulnerable, confused, unfocused, he nevertheless captured the assigned subject with beautiful, unsettling photographs — and provoked a queasy self-questioning in me about my own bland, conventional approach to life and work.
Photo editors, take note: Muster the nerve to hire Chip Simons despite his apparently self-destructive urge to lay bare his demons. This is a man of tremendous talent and creativity. Let’s put it to use and ditch all that banal crap we have to look at every day.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 10:05 am ¶Chip Simon display a “Narcissistic Personality Disorder”. Characterised by a pattern of grandiosity and self-importance, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, he overestimate his abilities and inflate his accomplishments, he is boastful and pretentious, while devaluing the achievements and accomplishments of others.
Chip Simons has fragile self-esteem, a need for constant attention and admiration, fishing for compliments (often with great charm). Chip with his narcissistic personality disorder have difficulty recognizing the needs and feelings of others, he is oblivious to the hurtfulness of his behaviour and remarks, he show an emotional coldness and a lack of reciprocal interest, envy, arrogance, disdainful and patronizing attitude, and he is quick to blame and criticise others when his needs and expectations are not met.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 10:25 am ¶Wow!
It amazes me how many “expert” people are so willing to cast stones without even signing their names.
It is very difficult to stay on top forever - so few do.
It is very hard to lead a perfect life.
If honestly was more respected, and illusion and dishonesty less accepted we might all be better off.
Maybe Chip deserves being broke or maybe not.
As for me, I wish him and his wife the best.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 10:28 am ¶I am happy to say that I did not ruin my morning by reading all of the gory details of people’s commentary on Chip’s personal life. Yes, we are certainly living in new times - and yes, we can choose to skip over the things that are put out there that are petty.
Since this is a forum for people in the photography industry to learn and express, I will do so here. And, I will emphasize that this is my opinion - and I recognize that there are those out there who support Chip’s work strongly.
Chip Simons is literally THE name that I have used for 15 years to express what I found frustrating about “commercial” photography. In my mind, art - all forms - is good if it is a well executed statement of some kind - whether telling a story or expressing an emotion or simply a portrait. I have always felt that Chip Simons’ work was simply technique and - if I dare say, without sounding petty - quite garish. I believe that I have compared him as the Patrick Nagel of photography. What he “started” in photography - and what became so popular - is what made me want to leave the industry. I was shocked that it had the level of success that it did. So, I have to say that outside of feeling badly that Chip is suffering as a person, I am beyond overjoyed to hear that the interest in fish-eye lens, colored gel imagery has finally, finally died.
It is nice to hear stories of starting over. Yes, we do all go through ups and downs, and these stories can be great inspiration and great learning experiences. Thank you Rob for, once again, bringing up something that is relevant and interesting. I hope that Chip finds success in starting over - but this time, please please just try to be a good photographer with a solid vision, and don’t look for a new shtick!! My opinion is that if you do this, you will have sustained success. And isn’t that what we are all hoping for?
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 11:35 am ¶To everyone calling CS’s bio and interview honest:
If he left out the part about leaving his wife while she had cancer, is CS’s story really “honest” and brave?
The bio and the interview remind me of the guy on the F Train on the long ride to Coney Island for the Mermaid Parade regurgitating the seminal bitter experience of his life for an hour or so.
To CS: You should remove the bio and ask APE to remove the post and the comments. No one wants to deal with this depth of emotional turmoil in someone they are hiring. This is an industry and by necessity a business and no, its not just the pics. Its how you present yourself. Personal angst doesn’t make anyone want to hire you, and the rebuttals from Betsy re cancer and young assistants might make people actually try to black ball you.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 11:39 am ¶Yep. APE, pull the post. If you can’t protect him from himself, at least protect him from us. This ain’t pretty.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 11:56 am ¶Wow, the Comments are as fascinating as the original post. What a range of responses; runs the gamut of the human experience.
I predict a Movie of the Week, on something like Lifetime Television, and seeing the screw picture above, maybe Michael J Fox could play Chip.
I also wonder if Chip gets up every morning, with beads of sweat on his forehead, makes his pot of Joe, and sits down fearfully about what’s been written about him the prior day. What a trip. We’re one step away from a Britney situation here. Either that, or how everyone crowded around the televisions, in diners around the country, to watch Jim Carey in “The Truman Show”. Mesmerizing television. Train wreck with a capital “T”.
Still, in the end, hopefully there will be a Hollywood ending to this, and someday, the bitterness will fade, and more than anything, hopefully the kids won’t be reading this.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:41 pm ¶I agree with the above posters about pulling this post, or removing all comments.
This is ugly, and not what I think anyone really wants to be reading when they come to this site.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 12:55 pm ¶“This is … not what I think anyone really wants to be reading”
I think the world is on tenterhooks waiting for Chip to comment.
It has certainly got a good number of comments and is giving some good food for thought about how one needs to present oneself to the market.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 1:53 pm ¶“No censorship please” we agree to disagree. This article is part empathy, part catharsis and part Chip Simons emotional voyeurism -
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 2:29 pm ¶I wrote a long thing, but I canned it. In reality we’re all afraid of ending up in Chip’s shoes. This industry continually kicks us in the balls (or in the ovaries, I guess, for women) expecting more for less. Eventually, something’s gotta give. I think we all can relate to Chip’s story in our own way and I suspect we’ll see more “breakage”.
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Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 8:02 pm ¶this should have never been published this went straight on from talking about his work to talking about things that should never be brought up, the author is totally egging him on its BS his ex wife should have never been brought into this. come on dad i thought you knew better than to keep bashing mom, she is not as evil as you want to believe, this was hard for everyone and even though you refuse to take the blame for what you did, you started this dont try and say she didnt love you, she did, you were her world weather you believe it or not. i love you dad but honestly stop living in the past, your work is amazing your talented, if you just stopped crying over spilt milk your work could flower again. life is life deal with it or dont but stop blaming everything else for the fact that the job market photo wise isnt what it used to be. i love you, i wish you the best of luck i hope your life can be what you want it to be…and to everyone on here…his personal life should be personal no one knows the full story, if you read this and think its the whole story your so off. his work is great (if you like it or dont you cant deny the worlds response, dont be bitter if it did better than your work) he is a hard person to understand, i barley get him and im his daughter, but dont comment on these silly blogs like he is this evil man, or this amazing genius, wish him luck but dont pretend like you really know him.
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Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 11:43 am ¶Divorce is a horrible thing and thanks to our “Justice System” via lawyers people are encouraged to fight and get as much as they can! Chip appears to have alot of strength although he seems to feel stomped on. A famous highly successful NYC industry woman once told me in the depth of my own divorce saga…”out of ashes can rise great things”. An Eleanor Roosevelt quote… ” A person is like a tea bag, you never know how strong they are until they get in hot water”.
The heavy break up maybe just what he needed to get inspired again!
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Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 12:13 pm ¶Let us respect “Peneloppe” desires and bring to an end “FURTHER REMARKS ON TRUTH AND CONTRADICTION”. Mr. Simons best wishes for present success of the present tense.
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Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 12:53 pm ¶who would hire and who would not?
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Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 1:27 pm ¶Please at least pull the comments. No one wants to deal with this when assigning a job. There are too many talented shooters to hire who do not pose the risk of melting down before the film is delivered. I wouldn’t hire Chris S. as an assistant after reading the comments. Too much information.
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Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 2:14 pm ¶this was an orchestrated event by a narccisistic fool, sad that the child got involved…only time will tell
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Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 8:42 pm ¶Hey Chip, you’re the problem.
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Posted 28 Mar 2008 at 7:20 am ¶To the editor: PRIORITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The thin demarcation line between private and public life has been crossed with “Chip Simons- behind the Photos”. Lives have been affected along the way, and I believe at this point one would have to question has any of this behaviour made Mr. Simons’s life any better? Where do you draw the line Mr. Editor? Can ideas be articulated without the line in the sand can be crossed? Is it the responsibility of the reporter to make distinctions between public and private? Just how much information about people’s private lives can you publish?
Did you weight the ethical or editorial suitability of covering Mr. Simons’s intimate details concerning his family? Have you considered your online magazine’s legal liability in disclosing private facts, whether they are true or false. Your attorney should remind you of the second branch of the privacy theory which is often referred to as “publicity given to private facts.” The readers who are not lawyers usually think of this kind of claim when they hear the words “invasion of privacy.” The “private facts” claim consists of:
“The public dissemination of intimate but true details about a person’s life”.
As a responsible editor did you weight the moral considerations, or just implicitly allowed yourself to intrude on the security and sensitivity of Mr. Simons’s family. How do you feel as professional allowing private lives intrusively displayed on your blog? Surely you realise the consequences of your misjudgement, you have moral sense of the opportunity to rectify the situation. It was a serious misjudgement and a very severe mistake on your part.
This is an appeal to your” moral priorities” and “ethical responsibilities” to do away with the article.
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Posted 28 Mar 2008 at 8:15 am ¶@95 - that’s a spoof of poorly written internet “opinion”, right ?
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Posted 28 Mar 2008 at 8:38 am ¶isnt all of this already exposed in CS’s bio on his website? seems to me like CS likes to tell this story…
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