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<span class="text"><font color="#ffffff" class="text"> <p><img width="266" height="400" alt="" src="/users/chips2623/Image//_DSC5812%20chip%20from%20raw.jpg" /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">hi...my name is chip (charles clifton simons)</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 102);">Here is a quick Bio to satisfy commercial interests...</span></p> <p>A professional photographer, for over 28 years. New York City based (now in Hershey Pa) photographer Chip Simons has worked for countless publications from, Time, Esquire,GQ,People, Scientific America, Audubon,Rolling Stone, and Forbes. He has done advertising for Coke, Shimano, MTV, Nickelodeon,Apple Computer , to name a few. He is known for his wide angle and fisheye lenses, and his use of colored lights and light painting techniques...as well as his humorus and conceptual approach to all things Americana.</p> <p><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Here is a more conceptual bio....</span></p> <p><br /> <span style="color: rgb(0, 255, 0);">a basic idea/bio</span><br /> I try my best to be a creative, original thinker and image maker.</p> <p>I try to make money doing assignments,selling my images to magazines, advertisers, stock agencies, for greeting cards, and prints to people.</p> <p>I want to find a way to do my best creative work...and have people buy them, or license them...and be able to live somewhere really fun.</p> <p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">...and another...</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"><br /> I have been doing professional photography for 27 plus years.</span><br /> I have been shooting since I was 12.<br /> I dress and act like an off-duty clown...sort of..<br /> I love to eat and cook…ride motorcyles,ski,mountain bike...<br /> …..and take pictures.</p> <p><br /> I like tools and solving mechanical problems.</p> <p>I like making things.<br /> I like science…physics.<br /> I like girls.</p> <p>I like colorful clothing and often the people that wear colorful,patterened,or unusual clothing.<br /> I like graphics and unusual things.<br /> I like mystery and romance.</p> <p>I like chance.<br /> I like kids and dogs..and animals.<br /> I like mowing the lawn.</p> <p>I like going fast.</p> <p>I like hot tubs....under the stars.<br /> I like knives..mostly kitchen knives.<br /> I like ideas and thinking….and seeing new things.<br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><br /> now..bio thoughts</span>.<br /> <br /> What is a biography? What do you want to read about me? I despise name-dropping ego bios….who I worked for,who I shot.why i should be so special.... Most others like to have you believe they are famous and special and..well...keep it professional (and full of exhadgeration).</p> <p>So, it is my ideas and desires and mysteries and passions—not the silly names of a few magazines listed that you have heard of…</p> <p>Fame through association does not make you a good photographer...in my eyes...(just in 90% of the worlds eyes..ha)</p> <p> </p> <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">Now...some facts and dates...</span></p> <p><br /> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">My first memory </span></span>was of myself being in a crib…in the garage,where it was cool in florida….…. as the family all got into the car and left. I looked around, and all of the things around me were”with”me. I had a croquet set, car tires,bikes…typical garage stuff. I wasn’t left alone, I have always lived in this funny and strange world of anthropomorphizing and personifying objects and animals.<br /> I try to realize the perspective of these objects and creatures, real and imagined.<br /> I don’t feel really comfortable with people. I have learned to overcome my discomfort using comedy and playful animation of them. People are monsters, people are cartoons, people hide behind masks,and are often in my face.<br /> The color thing started with dogs I think…kind of a Dr Suess thing. But, it was really a front for me showing, to myself and others, what emotions I was feeling. It was also a playful and intellectual game I played with contradicting the content and emotions of the object or image. A blood red poodle is a lot different than a baby blue poodle. Creepy colors for a happy scene?…and happy color and lighting for a horrible scene. It’s just a way of making you, and me, respond to color and light and have and emotional set up…which happens before you respond to the content of a picture. <br /> I hate imitating myself…or anyone else. I love surrealism-but can’t stand copycat photographers emulating Magritte. I guess the irony here is, photography is a grand and glorious lie…that appears so real..that we believe it. We eagerly accept the illusions and the lies behind the image……but, at the same time, I am really seeking truth in myself and thru my images I find it….yet, they look so fake.</p> <p><br /> I am an entertainer,a comedian, and just a regular guy I think. I was not designed for celebrity and social acceptance. I feel more a folk hero for people that appreciate originality,humor,color,ideas….and most of all….innocence. I like good things,timeless things, and emotions. These are some of the things you see, like looking thru a peephole in my door…or a keyhole into my theater. I hope you get a few laughs and a few wonders out of some of the things I am showing you. It is an ever evolving auto-biographical pursuit.<br /> <span style="color: rgb(0, 255, 0);"><br /> now...a really long story that has not been finished/bio</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Born July 14th, 1958</span><br /> The 4th child and 2nd son of Robert Charles Simons and Grace Elizabeth Clark <br /> Direct descendant of Meno Simons…who started the Menonite religion.<br /> Also related to “Lewis” of Lewis and Clark…and Stephen Foster(row row row your boat)…and George Washington's wife.<br /> Many of the men in my family history were inventors or Presbyterian ministers. Other names from the past are “harbaugh,Johnson Clark….the name Simons came from a misspelling of “Symonds” as my relatives moved to America from Sweden. I also have Welsh,English,French,and some German blood in there somewhere. So, just a 5”9 (and shrinking) brown-haired,brown-eyed WASP-mutt.American.<br /> I was born in Lakewood, Ohio…but the family moved to Florida two weeks later(Fort Meyers)… and settled in Clearwater soon after. I spent most of my time barefoot and half naked, building forts, catching stuff in the creek, and climbing trees. I was into go carts and mini bikes…and growing watermelons. We used to stay up late and run behind the “fogman” a truck spraying DDT for mosquitos. We would tie sheets to our ankles and wrists…and try to fly in hurricane winds… we would blow up frogs with firecrackers (my most sincere apologies to the frogs now). I was twenty –five before I learned it was “barbed wire fence…not “BOB wire fence. I was into little league baseball…and had the highest batting average in Florida when I was 8 or 9….and “750” I never hit it much past the infield…because I only weighed 62 lbs. Florida was all cows and jungle back then….we went crabbing with chicken necks a lot too.<br /> We moved to New Rochelle New York, a suburb of New York City, when I was 10 or so. I discovered that my new friends were always in trouble for being Jewish or Catholic….I had to run home and ask my parents what religion I was one day….and by the time I got back to proclaim my religion to my friends, I had forgotten how to pronounce”Presbyterian”.<br /> This is also when I got my 50 cc Suzuki motorcycle. My best friends quickly became all the black kids, most living in the housing projects, and they had mini bikes, too. We had a blast. They were normal and fun and cool…not in trouble for missing confession or something.<br /> This is where I started smoking pot,doing drugs…at age 12. This did little more than make motorcycling more fun and give me time to think about altered realities. This was 1969 or so. They land on the moon…how cool…my pug”Pooh Bear” was on the back of the couch snoring the whole time(as my pug”Mr. Poo” is now doing as I write this stuff…ha. We got into making Super 8 movies, skiing, scuba, and listening to psychadelic music in the basement with blacklights.<br /> My dad lost his job in advertising…so we moved to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They found a 115 acre farm to rent for 115 a month. I was …let loose with my Labradors and motorcycle (Suzuki 90 at this point in time) on that farm…and I really don’t think I ever left.<br /> This is where I got into photography. I was in the 11th grade newspaper production class….and I had to go shoot the new cooks at the grade school across the way. This took two hours of waiting(wow…out of class) and I got to tell people what to do..and they listened (empowering). The next day, I had the cover of the newspaper and it said “photographer..chip simons” and all of these girls were coming up and saying what a great photographer I was (there came my ego, self esteem, and identity). Ok. I found my ticket to socializing, over-coming shyness, and something to have fun with (as I rode around the battlefields smoking weed). We moved to another 100 acre farm for 125 a month…<br /> And it was one morning before sunrise that I went out with Kodachrome 64 film and a 80-200 zoom Nikon. I never had such a great time exploring the color and light….and playing with depth of field…etc. I was now into color and light and the magic of photography.<br /> By the way, my father never really had a regular job after New York. We had no money and even putting new tires on the car was a two week screamfest Yes, I would wake up to my parents arguing over money most mornings.<br /> I graduated Gettysburg High in 1976. I moved to Los Angeles three days later.<br /> This was fun…beach, bike path, volleyball. More photographs…and I moved to Isla Vista Caifornia (Santa Barbara) where I took pictures at sunset,wore a poncho and headband, and worked at a department store snack bar. This grew old and I went to Vermont to be a ski bum (west had no snow that year). Then I went to Europe with a Eurail pass after the ski season ended…This is where my camera became my best-and only- friend. I just kept going and going. I came back and moved to Aspen, Colorado to be a cook and ski coach at a start up ski school thing….. Then, I lost my job by sleeping in with my girlfriend AND broke a tendon in my hand that same day.. I became a one-handed maid at a condo complex a few days later. Still, to me this was all fun and the best skiing. I even made a good friend and that was a great time.<br /> I got bored of skiing and decided to move back to the farm and help my mom sell off everything…they were moving to Florida/. It was sad. I spent the rest of the summer alone in the house with all the ghosts.<br /> I did a year of college in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. I couldn't afford it…so I moved to New Mexico and lived with my brother and his wife in his garage on the air force base. I went to college for 250 a semester at the University of New Mexico. This is where I got into the idea of photography as a career. I saw Guy Bourdin pictures in French Vogue….and they were so theatrical and fun…and I thought ..wow, I can get paid to theater with products and hot European girls in castles and stuff…bring it on. I taught myself strobes and skin tone..got better at light painting…got into the wide angle lenses, so I could have more depth of field,….I got into Magritte….and his ideas and fun.<br /> I met a girl ... We moved to New York City in June 1982 in a 60 dollar Toyota Corolla named “Bondo mobile”(cause it was all body clay and silver spray paint) We found an apartment at 27th Street and Broadway. Six floors straight up. It was a shocker…across from a whore house. I did a little assisting for a few photogs…and pretty much got depressed and started hanging out in Central Park with grass and trees, flowers and kids,bikes…and DOGS! I decided that I’d rather be a dog…and I put my camera down to where a dogs face would be when he met another dogs. The “I Am A Dog” series was run in Interview magazine in 1984 and I was off to the races, working with all kinds of magazines. I still didn’t have any money and I did not have a clue what I was doing….but I worked all the time somehow.<br /> I went to France, because I thought they would get my photography more than in America. “ Well…no, Chip (or Cheep, as they pronounced my name) the grass is greener in America”. .<br /> Back to New York . My career was going great…I had money for the first time in my life….lotsa cool friends and well…..hummmm<br /> married october 14th 1989.<br /> June 1982(kid #1 is now 2 years old)- moved to Bosque Farms, New Mexico. It was 118,000 for 4 acres and a crappy old adobe house. We had child #2 in 1993. We built a great adobe studio/guest house/office….and remodeled the house into a pleasure palace. We had a ton of toys and motorcycles, 6 trampolines,bikes, skis, hot tubs …and a killer kitchen. I built and maintained a 5 mile trail along the river that we ride on. Friends moved out from New York and everything was coming up roses. Until...one day....</p> <p> <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);">That all melted down after 18 years.....</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">I</span> finally realized that i had been living with someone that didn't really like me for the last 8 years or so. I was so into the family thing...i never put two and two together. So, after a few close calls...i finally snapped and i could not get over it...i had to get a divorce.</p> <p>This is a horrible thing for a man in america...and worse if you are the sole bread winner..and have kids. Basically, I lost my home and studio and farm and had to split all the money and things left over and then give all the rest of my lifes savings and retirement to her becasue she i could not afford the month alimony and child support payments. My hard work and success for so many years...worked against me to take everything i had.</p> <p>She took all the money and all the property....i got to pay the taxes.</p> <p>Anyway,<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"> The industry began melting down in the spring of 2000. Stock photo sales were doing great...so we didn't notice so much. 9/11 hit the following year...and it has been downhill fast since then. Digital cameras and photoshop make it easy for most people not to need a photographer. Magazines were getting less and less ad revenue, and advertising</span> was having to spread it's resources all over the internet and were getting stock images cheaper and cheaper. What used to be 1200.00 for a book cover in 2003 ...became 12.00 by 2008. Income is 1/15th of what it was. 90% of my clients have disappeared. The magazines are going on line and out of business. Nepotism is at an all time high it seems.</p> <p>So, I moved to New York City...thinking that i would meet people and focus on work and getting out of small town new mexico...where most of the people had turned on me...even my kids.</p> <p>I left my dogs with a friend...she liked me..but i could not deal with another relationship and long distance etc...uuugh</p> <p>I got to NYC and subletted an apartment for 6 months...the woman i subletted from,and i. got along really well..so well..she never left back to her old relationship.</p> <p>This made things bad for her and me too. Now we had more people hating us...and since most of the magazines are run by single women in NYC....guess how all the divorce lies being spread around, mixed with the "she's with him "bla bla bla...and well...neither one of us got any work.</p> <p>oh yeah....</p> <p>My "friend" gave away my dogs...what a mean woman. My beautiful whippetts poke and brodie...uuughh</p> <p>so...</p> <p> </p> <p>We had fun in the "cave" on 13th street...but ...she was unemployed, and i was not getting any work either. I decided to stay a year...and give it time. Nothing happened. I gave it three more months...in July.....i left NYC.</p> <p>(Come on clowns....i did 280 jobs in 2000...i did 8 jobs this year...that is unbelieveable.)</p> <p>so....after 16 months in NYC...i am now in Hershey Pa. I moved into my girlfriends moms house. I fixed the place up and did all the guy stuff. I play with the dogs and i ride a bike, use power tools, and i am a million times healtier..but i have little work...and i can't stay here for that long.</p> <p><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">5 months now...and i just sent the IRS the last money i owed and it is getting pretty scarry now.</span> I have nothing.</p> <p><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 255);">I really have to get a place of my own, somehow, and figure out what is up with the relationship with my "landlady", and figure out how to rescue all my junk from garages and peoples attics in new mexico. My kids are still indifferent and mean...and my ex is a monster...she gives women a bad name.(i love you..and want to go on our way and be fair and equal "...from a liberal feminist means</span> "i hate you and i hope you die poor and alone in your own shit...and no one discovers the body for days" ...that is a quote...</p> <p>I guess that means that supporting her for 25 years and she never had to get a job or a paycheck the entire time.... really worked against me in the end?</p> <p>So just thought...since it is almost 2010...in the new people's repubic of the united states of welfare and liers and criminals... that i would update whoever is interested in my little story.I know it is not very professional...but what profession is there? Besides, 99% of all bios are full of doo doo and fluff. anyone that is bothered by this, will just hire their friends any way....</p> <p>I am not very prolific these days....i think becasue i have no market. If any of my ideas and business propositions would have worked out(with hallmark cards even)...i think i would be producing like crazy. I have 400 ideas written down to do. My spirit is broken and my belief in the system is broken...and my belief in people is broken. I worked hard and always did the right thing...and look where it left me. I basically believe that people are greedy and selfish and lie to themselves and others about who they are and what they do. any opportunity to take something will be justified.</p> <p>Other than that..things are good. I still like the same things about the world...like nature, puppies, and kids. I still love cooking and taking pictures, joking around, motorcycles, hot tubs, and tools...bikes,skiis, science ,stars.......and hell...i even like funny people.(all 15 of them)</p> <p>I hate the government, lawyers, the judicial system, fake people, The IRS,my old neighbor, ass's that think they are intellectual and talk like they know what they are talking about(university types) and liers. and ...music like the gypse kings drives me crazy.</p> <p>This story is getting really crappy now huh?</p> <p>HA! Well(a deep subject) Things have been rough...but somehow I have had about 10 days or work and an ad for dynalite...this is a great start to 2010. Hopefully, this curse has worn off. I have to attend to the past now...and sort,scan,sell, and move and re-organize the past 40 years of film and tearsheets etc....</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p></font></span><br> <h1> chip simons writes about his life,career, and his thoughts.</h1>
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