High praise...

Once in a while a comment like this comes along...

"Those were some of my favorite images ever. You didn't take pictures of a model, you took pictures of Me and who I am, and that's exactly what I wanted. Thank you, Gary!"

Figure

Love this one... that is all.

Penny turns up again

I know I always say "just because" when I post pictures of Penny for no reason, but I guess there is a reason, in that I just think she photographs so well, and I really like the work we do together. Plus, she has such a wonderful spirit and energy to her, that the shoots are always fun. So, why not? Really should shoot with her again before the weather turns... of course, it's supposed to get to 91 degrees today, so planning for the weather is more than guesswork these days.

Champagne Dreams

Just a quick "congratulations" to Carly on the launch of her new website, CarlottaChampagne.com.

She's been featured in a number of Playboy Special Editions and is one of their most popular website CyberGirls. As the name implies, she does lend an intoxicating sparkling quality to whatever she does, and it's been my pleasure to work with her a couple times. I still have more editing to do, but here are a couple goodies from our first shoot.

Ehme

On the Road

Just a brief report during a few minutes of downtime... weekend has been pretty good so far. At sort of the last minute I ended up going to the opening of the "Menage a Trois" exhibit at the River's Edge Gallery near Detroit. Friend and supporter BT Charles had new work on display, along with fellow MWSEP members Cheryl Button and Patty Izzo. Turns out there was a lot of other work on display, too, from the likes of VATO, Frank Piccolo, DVS, and many others. Plenty of wonderful work, as one would expect from these talented folks. The show will be up through November 19th, so if you're in the area, be sure to check it out.

Saturday was the Collingwood group shoot, which was also a benefit for Lithium Picnic's legal defense fund in his contract battle with SG. The shoot itself seemed a bit "off" as a lot of people seemed to be running late or getting lost or otherwise distracted. Or maybe that was just me. Still managed to get in three good (if brief) sessions -- look for samples here eventually. Some folks have taken issue with the various efforts to support Lithium Picnic -- from the serious ("I have a lot of unexpected medical bills...anyone going to hold a benefit to help me?") to the spurious ("I'm having a benefit to raise funds to upgrade my camera...please help.") The LP thing is something of a universal cause though as the case presents a central question for working photographers... when you sign an agreement to shoot for someone, how much of the work do they own, and how much of YOU do they own, as far as their ability to prevent you from doing other work, and for how long? It'll be interesting to see how this shakes out in court.

Ended up leaving the Collingwood at 2:00 to help Andi shoot Steph and Justin's wedding. Normally not a big fan of weddings, but these kids knew how to do it... the ceremony was outdoors in a sort of ampitheatre in the middle of the woods of a boy scout camp. The weather couldn't have been nicer, and there was enough tree cover that the photos should look good. Nice ceremony, then we took some time for the "formals" which for a change was fun as the wedding party did a bit of clowning around. The reception was nice, too, simple but very tasteful, yet still plenty of fun and someone did a great job of picking music for the assembled crowd. So, get to sort through a big stack of those shots soon.

Today I'm shooting with Suzi, a model I've not worked with in quite a while... we have a few ideas that should be interesting, so again, stay tuned.

The shots above are from last month's Collingwood event...

Cure for the Blues?

Looking forward to a lively weekend on the road again... wish me luck!

Hanging out

Again, another "too busy for a proper post, but don't want to leave you hanging" post... this time it's Raven in her very photogenic apartment.

Mischief

Here's one of my favorite shots from a session at last month's Collingwood group shoot with "Mischief Vixen." It was a little more of a rough look, but some really interesting results to my eye.

The Replacements

This shot is about 20 years old, the Replacements live onstage in Columbus, opening for X. I managed to get a camera in and grabbed two or three frames of the 'Mats before a bouncer came over and made me put it away. When X came out, I maneuvered a ways away from the bouncer (it was general admission with a crowd of people on the ballroom floor), and shot half a dozen frames before he started towards me. I quickly rewound the film and popped it out of the camera and into my pocket, and managed to load my second roll by the time he got to me. As he threatened before, he demanded that I take the film out of my camera and give it to him, which I did, then just enjoyed the rest of the show. When I got back the processed slides from the show, I was really pleased that this shot came out so well... you can see the faces of every member of the band, and they're all in pretty good rock and roll poses. A few of the shots of X came out well, but I'm not sure where I have those stashed... this is not a great scan either, but it popped up on my hard drive the other day, so I thought I'd see who's paying attention out there.

A busy weekend...

It was another busy weekend, worthy of further reporting when I have a bit more time... for now, here are London and Danaid getting a little busy themselves.

Reminder

Any of you Detroit area people, please be sure to stop out at the People's Art Festival on Saturday, and especially look for the Streetwise Art exhibit space inside the main building. Follow the cars, follow the signs... I'll be around the festival most of the day and probably in the exhibit space quite a bit. There will be over 60 framed pieces by 25+ artists and photographers, as well as "loose prints" for sale. I'll have a few copies of my book, Dark Light on hand, too.

I just found out that K Leo and Johnny Flamethrower will have work in the show, and one or both of them may even be in town from the big city, so all the more reason to stop by and take part in the arts festival!

This is Crystallynn, from a shoot in July, obviously the one featured on the flyer. One of my favorite PG-rated shots. :)

Almost Blue

I've added a new link to Blue Art Nudes to the list at right, a blog run by Gunther, who also runs International Glamour Pictures. I'd not visited the sites before today when he sent me a request for a link, but I see he's working with a theme of "blue" nudes. The blue shot at left here is one of mine, Katelyn, from sometime in 2006--a fairly crude example of the technique. The "blue" look can be achieved with simple digital "cross processing" when shooting RAW -- shifting the color temperature of a normal exposure, or the subject can be lit with blue gels, or both.

I point it out because it's another example of someone taking a fairly common technique (or a simple visual element) and deciding to build a theme or project around it, in this case to the extent of having a couple websites devoted to it. This is something I've been considering a bit; whether the idea of doing a thematic project is something I want to pursue further. I've explored a few themes, and actually have something along these lines 90% ready to unveil, but maybe it's time to conjure up a new one. I've had an odd idea in the back of my mind for a while. I think I'll have a few chances to road test it in the next couple weeks...

The other thing I feel like saying is that just because one person starts working with a "theme" of one sort or another, that doesn't make it off-limits for others. Generally, themes are of an elemental level, such as repeated use of a color, or a wardrobe item, or a setting, or a prop, or a trick of the light, or using paint or oil or water or grape jelly on the model, or some simple notion that can be repeated with variations. For some, the theme is a short-lived exercise, maybe a few sessions, or maybe long enough to fill a book, and for others, it endures for years or even an entire career. But just because Richard Avedon did many B&W portraits on a stark white background, that doesn't mean "white" belongs only to him. Granted, if someone does portraits in that style (especially if 4x5 negative frame edges are added after the fact), they bring the inevitable comparisons onto themselves. And some themes are so deliberately unique, such as the Andy Warhol "Factory Treatment," that to get anywhere near them is almost certainly a case of imitation. But there will always be those who look at art to compare and find similarities, and those who look at each piece (or project) on its own merits.

A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, a photographer shot with a model who went by the name Fairy... And at long last, here she is. This one actually goes back a ways, as some communication problems and miscellaneous delays kept the editing from actually being completed until this week. Slowly catching up, slowly. I'll let you know how "happily ever after" works out.

Waifer thin...

Here are a few of Casey from the Collingwood group shoot in July... hesitated a bit posting these because she looks like she might not be of age, when in fact, she's 21. Used to be someone might describe her as "coltish" but maybe "waifish" is a more current term. She does look a bit like she stepped out of a Jock Sturges book though...

I really like these shots, and the cohesive feel they have, while each is pretty distinct unto itself. I guess one thing I might change is the crucifix necklace... it shows up in a LOT of the other images in her portfolio, but then again, it works well in my shots, so does it really matter? Thanks to Casey for a lovely "get acquainted" shoot...

Seeing Stars?

Iris pointed out a little irony that I'd missed relative to the Nerve.com contest. On the non-member page that shows the contest winners, the naughty bits are hidden behind stars, presumably to protect underage viewers from seeing inappropriate content. Or to just entice you to join Nerve.com to see the uncensored content. The funny part is that on this photo, there are three stars, with one added between the knees, even though nothing at all is visible there, but implying that there's something to see. Not sure if it's creative marketing, or a "better safe than sorry" policy or what, but I found it amusing. Nerve.com is a cool site with lots of great photography and much more... so go ahead and get a membership so you can see all the content without seeing stars.

6 years later...

Once again, I'd drafted a lengthy rant, but it belongs someplace else. It was basically a diatribe about how nineteen guys with boxcutters managed to reduce "the land of the free and the home of the brave" to, well, let's just say something far less noble. It makes me sad to see who we've become and what we've done to our own liberties under the pretext of protecting them... I'm sure our own self-destructive behavior has surpassed OBL's wildest dreams.

News from Nerve... and a Vanishing contest

Just saw that the winners of the June Nerve.com Photo Contest were announced, and I'm pleased to say that I finished in the money again. The June theme was "sexiest photo of someone in a moving vehicle" and while technically, the vehicle that Iris is lounging in was parked, I guess the fact that it's a vehicle was close enough, as only a few of the entries actually had a vehicle in motion. Unusual that they didn't post a commentary to go along with the selections, but I think they're catching up a bit so may be short on time. No complaints here... Many thanks of course to Iris for the shoot... a quick session that's proven to be quite productive. (note: this screen capture is edited to remove ads, etc.)

Coincidentally, the winners of the VanishingTattoo.com photo contests were just announced--basically, a contest for photos featuring tattoos. Some are nudes of models who have tattoos, others are portraits of various tattooed people from all walks of life, or there were some that were simple close-ups of the tattoo art itself. I'd entered in April, May, June, and July, but they'd not announced any winners since March... I was sort of wondering if they'd ever announce them, but they kept adding a new contest each month, so it seemed it was still viable. I actually meant to enter in August, too, but was just too busy and slipped my mind until after the deadline. However, they've decided that they weren't getting enough entries to justify the monthly prize, so they combined four months into two contests and simply nullified the August contest. I did manage to "place" in the April/May and June/July contests, but out of the money. I do think I have an invitation there, too, to submit a portfolio of some of my work that features tattoos, so I'll need to get that rounded up at some point to include there. Thanks to Amber, Ginger, for being in the chosen photos, and all the models from the other photos I'd entered.

Dead End Girl

This is Kelly, aka "Kelly Cadaver" aka "Dead End Girl," and these shots are from the House of Nightmares event a few weeks ago. Not sure how I missed posting some of these, so I'm making up for it today... Kelly is also an excellent photographer and, coincidentally, she will also be showing her work tonight at the Dark Arts Expo at the Foundry nightclub in Dayton. Hope you can make it out to the show, and hope Kelly and I manage to find another time to work together soon. :)

Good company

Got a nice little mention on another art nude "aggregator" blog, xmagx. Seems these things are popping up all over the place, and they tend to do a nice job of collecting images and links from a variety of high quality photographers, or images following a particular "theme." One new one, xmagx, is running the gamut a bit, but I think will be worth keeping an eye on. Another new one, Sensual Art and Photography picked up my recently posted shot of Penny (below). I have a list of links to various art nude sites over on the right column. Some of the talent collected on these sites is just phenomenal, from all over the world, and it can be a little daunting looking at the images... but I try to remember that I'm included in these collections as well. To be sure, it's gratifying to be among such good company.

Events on the horizon

FRIDAY, September 7 will be the "Dark Arts Expo v.2.0" at the Foundry Night Club in Dayton. I'll have a large selection of new prints there (including the shot of Aurora above), as well as a few favorites, so if you're looking for those back-to-school art nudes, look no further. Thanks to Kevin at Dark Mannequin Designs for putting the evening together.

On Saturday, September 15, Streetwise Art of Detroit will have gallery space exhibiting work from 25+ artists, including a number from the Summ(er)otica show. I'll have a couple pieces hanging in the gallery as well as a selection of matted pieces for sale. It's part of the People's Arts Festival in Detroit -- during the day, there will be over 140 individual artists and merchandise booths, along with 25 bands throughout the heart of the Russell Industrial Center, as well as an exclusive private gallery hosted by Streetwise Art within the Russell Industrial Center. Thanks to Adam and Lisolette for putting the Streetwise part of this event together. That's my shot of Crystallynn on the flyer, BTW.

On edit: it looks like I won't be displaying at the Detroit Erotica Ball after all... I was relying on a few other folks to have my work "tag along" with theirs, but for various reasons that won't be happening, and I'm not really in a position to handle the details remotely. The Ball will go on of course, and I may even stop by to take a look around, being the tourist that I am, but as of right now, it looks like the Streetwise space at the People's Art Festival will be the place to see my work in Detroit that weekend.

On edit encore: Looks like Boyd's "Fishnet Nation" event scheduled for October 6 has been cancelled... I'm sure he'll find a way to make another event happen before long.

Coming to a studio near you...

A few more of Raelyn, who's becoming quite a popular model these days, and seems to have made a lot of good contacts at FetishCon a few weeks ago. She's planning an around-the-country tour in October, so if you're a photographer interested in working with her, check out her blog or her thread on MM.

The Final Frontier

"Space...the final frontier."

Earlier today I signed the rental agreement on a new studio space. As evidenced above, Danaid and I were able to give it a quick "audition" the other night and got some nice shots, and I felt at home almost immediately. I actually didn't get a lot of sleep that night because my mind was racing considering the possibilities.

I'm getting it "as is" so will give it a coat of paint (probably a few areas of different colors) for starters, but it does come with a working air conditioning unit AND a sink. I'm thinking the sink will allow things to get a bit messier on shoots, so watch out models. Plus, I'm just a few doors down from Dave Levingston's studio, and we've been talking about a cooperative agreement that could work out very well, too.

My plan is to keep this space as empty as possible to have room for more elaborate set-ups, although anyone who's been to my house knows that may not be entirely realistic. But it should give me more of a sense of permanance since I won't have to worry about vacating after each shoot, so some interesting set-ups and such should result, too. Probably won't be booking a lot right off the bat, since it'll take time to get the place ready to go, and I've been looking at shooting less in September and October to catch up on other matters, but it's nice to have a place to call "home" that's not actually my house. :)

(On edit: The shot of Danaid at the top just showcased on OMP... as Iris pointed out to me "your new studio is bringing you good luck already." Ends a long dry spell there.)