Weather... or not.

Well, this weekend is supposed to be another "storm of the century" here. I know it's been a pretty big problem out west and up north, but it seems about 75% of the time, these storms never amount to much here. Knock wood...

If the big storm passes us by, I hope to do another shoot with Danaid here this weekend. We've become pretty good friends in the year or so since we first worked together, and it's always a pleasure to spend time with her, and we always get work that I count among my best. So, cross your fingers and hope that the snowstorm passes us by.

Mood vs. Technical

Here's an image from the summer, featuring London (see link at right) and Danaid. I like the contrast in their skin tones, and I think the softness of Danaid lends a nice mood to the image. What do you guys think?


Like Charlie Brown, I could certainly use a vacation and a change of scenery, and it never seems as simple as just picking up and going. I guess the question would be, if I decided to vacation someplace, would I take my camera? Should I try to arrange shoots? Would I end up working and negating the restorative powers of a vacation? Or if I left the gear at home, would I spend the entire trip wishing I'd brought it and seeing every striking shooting location and/or potential model as a missed opportunity? Maybe if I traveled more, I wouldn't feel the need for every trip to be productive. Or take the camera and just spend a week photographing seashells and sunsets and still life details. Snow on the ground and a temperature of 9°F this morning sure has me thinking... yes, he complains when it's too hot, he complains when it's too cold. Evidently, Goldilocks was an ancestor of mine.

Angie in bloom

Angie is a model I first shot with about a year ago, when she still lived in northeast Ohio. She's since moved "home" and lives just a few minutes from me. She contacted me this spring to let me know that she's expecting, and wanted to know if I'd help her document the progress of her pregnancy, which I felt was a nice honor unto itself. We've been shooting every 3 or 4 weeks, and there was a bit of a backlog in the images, so I got a bunch to her last week. She posted several on her OMP, and I posted some on mine, and evidently the folks there like her "great with child" look as these four images were showcased (that's Danaid posing with her). We're due to go again soon, so stay tuned as the story (and the baby) develops. Thanks Angie!

Bending over backwards

Got some good news today on a concern that's had me pre-occupied for a couple of weeks lately... I'm pretty sure the storm has passed. Been keeping busy nevertheless, doing a little shooting and trying to do more editing, and some other stuff. In the midst of a stretch where I'll have a lot more shoots. Going to meet lots of new people, and hopefully make some cool images. After this stretch, I gotta slow down.

These are Danaid, bending over backwards for the great shot... she never fails to impress me.

By the way, the book is still available, and I never did get around to raising the price.

And last time I checked, the blog's "comments" feature still works...

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.

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.)

No reason

Here's a couple of the always splendid Danaid. Sadly, she wasn't able to join the little farm outing last weekend, but here's an outdoor shot we did previously. Should try to get her out again while there's still some green about... And another shot I particularly like, presented for no reason in particular. None at all. Nope. :)

Weekend has been quite busy, but so far quite enjoyable...going to get a little editing done this afternoon, then have a shoot a bit later with a very special out-of-town dignitary. :) More news as it develops.

Art works, too...

Just heard back from Craig P, the artist who previously did an excellent painting based on my photo of Kiki -- the one seen on the cover of the "Dark Light" book. Craig sent me another recent painting, based on a photo I did of the always artistic Danaid, to which Craig has added a colorful twist. I'd say he did an excellent job capturing the gesture of the pose, and the details of the hair and hand are quite good, too. Plus he says he's working on yet another painting base on a shot of mine... I'm flattered that Craig likes my images enough to use for his paintings, and I REALLY appreciate the fact that he asked me ahead of time if it was OK with me. Nice Job, Craig. (And thanks for the bigger photo of the painting.)

Skin City

Slight change in plans has made a window to do a quick update. The "Skin Art" show last night was a good time... not much for sales, though. (I'm learning that at shows in clubs, people generally only bring enough money for drinking, not for buying photos, plus they don't want to have to carry things around with them.) Was pretty good for networking though. Met several potential models, saw a few of my photographer friends from around town, and finally met the elusive Martin Class, but couldn't have much of a chat with him because the band playing at the moment was just a bit too overpowering. So, thanks to Lucky and Bill for staging the event and inviting me to join the fun.

Nice surprise when I checked my computer afterwards... two shots had showcased on model portfolios. London Andrews with Danaid, and another of Vassanta (aka Kristina). Thank you ladies! :)

She's a natural...

Just a quick update as I probably won't be able to do an entry this weekend. Have the "Skin Art" show tonight, the "Dark Visions" closing tomorrow, and possibly the "Club Shadow" event Friday. If you can make it out, please stop by and say "hi." Then the illustrious Collingwood Group Shoot on Saturday which is slated to include a lot of old friends and new faces and should be great fun. Maybe even a bonus session on Sunday, so a busy weekend to be sure. They all seem to be busy lately, and I can't believe the year is nearly half over.

There's still time to let me know what is your favorite picture from my blog, and just for telling me, you might receive a free print of your favorite image. Click the link for details, but I need to hear from you by July 1st.

A couple more from the stellar Danaid...she's a natural in more ways than one. The top one is from one of our more recent shoots and landed her a showcase on her OMP. The second one is from our try at some outdoor nude work, hope to get another opportunity soon. I managed to slip and fall on some wet mud and leaves just before this, but saved the camera. People as clumsy as me should not be allowed outdoors, or in cramped antique stores either for that matter. Anyway, I've said it before, but Danaid is simply a wonderful model and an entirely charming young lady. Still gaining experience, she has excellent instincts and poise, and is going to keep doing great work. I'm looking forward to the next time, and the next time...

Speechless

Just wanted to share three more of the lovely Danaid, but I'll let them speak for themselves... the bottom one showcased on her OMP.

International Appeal

Got a feature today on Cu-Cu, a Portuguese blog with a definite, uh, viewpoint. I think I need to do more from this perspective. So, in honor of my interenational guests, here are a few recent favorites...from the top, it's Nessa, Danaid (twice) and Cheyenne. See if you can find the common element...

Edit: When I first posted this, I assumed that since the blog was in Portuguese and all about the bum that it was a Brazilian blog. The blog owner Gotinha corrected me that the Cu-Cu blog is actually from Portugal. This just goes to show what happens when you assume... My apologies for the error.

Something fresh...

Lots to do, so just a quick picture update. Here's more of the remarkable Danaid...

Happy Jack

Here's "Danaid" -- a fairly new figure model who it was my pleasure to photograph recently. She's trained as a sculptor, and I think that artistic sensibility is transferring well into her modeling. She's already in high demand, and I think is a little surprised that she's getting so much attention as a result of answering an ad another photographer ran in one of those free community arts papers. The portrait shot here earned a showcase on her OMP portfolio. I'm already looking forward to working with her again. Thanks Danaid!