“I must say that I don’t remember many of the things talked about in this text quite in the same way. I do realize that our memories are not really reliable as I have been shocked in the past that things weren’t the way I thought they were. That is my thinking about some of the things I just read in this book — but the text is not what’s important; it’s Chas' stunning photos, that bring back the experience.” -Francis Ford Coppola
‘REAL to REEL’ bridges the gap between the life we live and the story we become.
Chas Gerretsen spent his entire life chasing the dreams of his youth. Confident that he would always find a job and get something to eat, Gerretsen set out into the world at the age of sixteen. He wrote his autobiography in the same matter-of-fact style; what he experienced was often so extraordinary, it needs no embellishment.
Chas invites you to see his journey unfold like a film on screen – from a hitchhiking backpacker to becoming a well-known photojournalist covering the wars in Vietnam, Cambodia and the 1973 coup d'état in Chile. He moved to Los Angeles and became a sought-after portrait photographer in Hollywood, and the set photographer on Francis Ford Coppola’s epic war film, Apocalypse Now. Then he decided on a radical career change, he bought a 44ft sailboat and started on a journey around the world, that would take him and his partner Monika, 34 years.
From quiet, ordinary moments to unforgettable scenes - raw, honest, and deeply human. This collection of insights, reflections, and revelations turns an extraordinary life into something timeless. ‘REAL to REEL’ bridges the gap between the life we live and the story we become. Illustrated by 148 photographs.
Autobiography in EPUB or PDF files
REAL to REEL: What I Saw and… What Saw Me
ISBN: 978-3-9829379-0-8
Language: English
Available on Amazon or direct from Chas
English edition (Hard cover)
Winner: Best Photobook, FELIFA 2023, International category.
German Photo Book Award 2024; Silver, in the category: documentary photography.
Chile: The Photo Archive was Chile's #1 non-fiction bestseller
This photo book has all the images from the twice extended 6 months long photo exhibition in the Nederlands Fotomuseum a retrospective of the working life of Chas Gerretsen: 1968 to 1989. From Vietnam and Cambodia, the 1973 coup d’etat in Chile to Hollywood and Apocalypse Now.
Autobiography in paperback
‘Het Wonderbaarlijke en Vreemde Leven van Chas Gerretsen
Language: Dutch.
Straight from the publisher Boom.nl or through Amazon