Signing off for 2007

One of the things that's been occupying my time and mind lately has been entering a few different competitions closing out the end of the year. Just got word from the Erotic Signature Competition that, while I finished "out of the money," one of my shots "Cruel Shoes" (featuring Iris) was chosen as one of the winners to appear among the 200 pieces in the book, "The World's Greatest Erotic Art of Today" Volume II to be published in May 2008. Congratulations also to Johnny Flamethrower, James Graham, Dave Levingston, Lochai, Jim Young, as well as the other included artists. And as always, thank you Iris for helping to create what's becoming a signature image for me.

The ES competition includes photography, sculpture, paintings, drawings, digital illustrations, etc. and while I'm not sure the exact number of competitors, there was an online gallery featuring all the pieces entered, and I would estimate the number to be well over 1000. There also appears to be plans for a traveling exhibit of show pieces from this year and last year, so I might have to venture to one of the exhibit cities when the time comes. The organizers indicate that 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to a charity voted upon by members of the site (they're making their money on entrance fees, etc). If you'd like to purchase a signed copy of the book through me, please let me know with a comment here, or via e-mail to garymphoto {at} gmail {dawt} com. I'll make more details available here once I get them, a little closer to the publication date.

So, between that good news, fun shoots over the weekend, and some other encouraging words and signs from various sources, it looks like things are on the upswing as I head into 2008. I'd like to thank all the models I've been fortunate enough to work with throughout the year -- without you, these images would be a lot less interesting. Thank you to my friends, old and new, for their encouragement and support throughout the year. And thanks to you regular readers of this little exercise in self-indulgence, especially those of you who take the time to comment now and again. Wishing you all a happy new year's and all the best in 2008.

Dream Portfolio

I realize there's nothing less interesting than someone else telling you about their dreams, but I've decided to risk it this morning.

I'm not one who usually remembers my dreams when I wake up in the morning. I wish I were. One type of dream I do vaguely recall is the one where I'm seeing dozens of photographic images, and the impression I'm left with in the dream is that they're excellent shots, but it's not clear if in the dream they're shots I'm dreaming I took, or if I'm dreaming I'm looking at someone else's pictures. Once in a while one of the images will stick with me after I wake up, but it's rarely anything to write home about, but I can't help thinking that among all these images are some good ideas if they would just stick with me -- I just awake with the impression that I've been looking at a series of stunning photographs. I don't know if this has anything to do with my fuzzy real-life memory, or if in the dream state, I'm not literally visualizing the images, but just manifesting the impression of having seen them. Weird.

These usually occur after a long day/evening of editing and/or surfing, as I tend to have these dreams after doing something repetitive, like playing a video game or painting a wall, or driving all day. Who knows? Maybe the technology to record one's dreams will emerge, sort of like that movie, Brainstorm. Then it's just a matter of inducing a weird dream, recording, and editing -- filling the world with nightmares of trying to find the classroom where the final exam is being given for the class you forgot to attend all semester. Aaagh!

The picture is the dreamy Iris, always a source of inspiration.

Post for the sake of posting

Have had a lot on my plate, and a lot on my mind lately, but did want to at least check in and post a couple images.

Anyone still out there?

P.S. Thanks to Iris for the nice mention on her Univers d'Artistes "self-interview" there. They're posting so much stuff, it's already buried down the page, but the link above should take you right to it so you can check out what Iris has been up to and what she's thinking about these days. (BTW, these shots are Zinn Star NOT Iris.)

More Reflected Glory

Another site, 3kix, has picked up on Iris' blog and chose to feature a very complimentary entry she made a few days regarding our "Cruel Shoes" shot. So, thanks to Iris, as always, and thanks to 3kix. Check it out.

P.S. Not long after Iris was featured, 3kix did a little spotlight on my blog, taking a special shine to this shot of London... thanks!

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.

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.

Come on Darkness...

So come on love
And lay your body down, next to mine
'cause what we're longing for has withered in the light
Come on darkness
Lay your body down on us
We've been calling you for so long now
We're weary of your name
Come on blackness
Let me breathe you in
'cause with this clattering and din we are calling you
-- Come on Darkness, Camper Van Beethoven

Just one last reminder that Friday is the opening reception for Dark Visions at the Collingwood. Click the link for details. I'm honored to be invited to participate in the show, and I'm looking forward to seeing the "dark" work the other photographers will be exhibiting. Hope to see you there.

Should be a lovely weekend... it's strange how my mind has sort of been "on hold" in anticipation of this show. I'm hoping that after Friday, I'll be able to mentally cross it off my to-do list and move on. Looks like the day job crunch should be abating some next week as well, which will be a relief.

The image is Iris, finding the balance between dark and light.

Another weekend, another road trip...

Although technically last weekend's road trip happened Sunday night and Monday, this will make five straight weekends I've gone out of town. Smart of me to pick the season of the $3.50 gallon of gas to do all this driving. The car I have was purchased almost accidentally -- it was the loaner I was driving when my mechanic pronounced dead my last car, and he'd take the dead one in trade. It's OK for what it is, your basic four-door sedan, but sometimes I ponder other options... maybe something larger that I could use to actually haul prop furniture, etc. Maybe something smaller for better mileage. Or maybe something like this. Right after I win the lottery...

Or maybe a vintage ride would be the way to go... certainly can come in handy for photo shoots, even though you really can't tell that this is an old Firebird that Iris is lounging in, it still manages to create a distinctive vibe.

"Cruel Shoes"

Got a nice feature over at Deviant Art -- this shot of Iris in "ballet heels" was selected as a "Daily Deviation," one of thirteen images/items selected and highlighted on the site for the day. Went from having a handful of comments to about 6 pages of them, mostly saying "cool image, and those shoes look like they hurt!" Well, I guess the appearance of discomfort (or actual discomfort) is a big part of fetish, so these fit right in. Thanks to Iris for bravely offering to model these "Cruel Shoes" for this shot.

If you're of my generation, you may recall that "Cruel Shoes" was a book of short writings put out by Steve Martin back when he was the hottest stand-up comedian on the planet... could it really have been 1979? While I didn't realize it at the time, or until just now, perhaps what struck me as something of a nonsense story back then was actually a peek inside the foot/shoe fetish mindset. Here's the text, glommed from The Compleat Steve, although you owe it to yourself to hear Steve's performance of the piece.

Cruel Shoes
Anna knew she had to have some new shoes today, and Carlo had helped her try on every pair in the store. Carlo spoke wearily, "Well, that's every pair of shoes in the place."

"Oh, you must have one more pair..."

"No, not one more pair... Well, we have the cruel shoes, but no one would want..."

Anna interrupted, "Oh yes, let me see the cruel shoes!"

Carlo looked incredulous. "No Anna, you don't understand, you see the cruel shoes are..."

"Get them!"

Carlo disappeared into the back room for a moment, then returned with an ordinary shoe box. He opened the lid and removed a hideous pair of black and white pumps. But these were not an ordinary pair of black and white pumps; both were left feet, one had a right angle turn with separate compartments that pointed the toes in impossible directions. The other shoe was six inches long and was curved inward like a rocking chair with a vise and razor blades to hold the foot in place.

Carlo spoke hesitantly, "... Now you see why... they're not fit for humans..."

"Put them on me."

"But..."

"Put them on me!"

Carlo knew all arguments were useless. He knelt down before her and forced the feet into the shoes.

The screams were incredible.

Anna crawled over to the mirror and held her bloody feet up where she could see.

"I like them."

She paid Carlo and crawled out of the store into the street.

Later that day, Carlo was overheard saying to a new customer, "Well, that's every shoe in the place. Unless, of course, you'd like to try... the cruel shoes."

Thanks also to Johnny Flamethrower for nominating the shot for this nice little honor. Cheers Johnny!

Blogrolling...the models

As a part two for the earlier blogrolling entry, here's a quick introduction to the models whose sites I have linked, scientifically sequenced using top secret criteria... obviously, I'd suggest paying their sites a visit for all the latest scoop from them. Tell them I sent ya...
The list starts with Candy (above) and her excellent blog Feminism Without Clothes. I've talked about Candy here a number of times, so I won't rehash it. Suffice to say that she's a wonderful young lady richly deserving of all the attention she's been getting lately. The shot above is from our recent shoot, from which many more treasures wait to be unearthed.

Iris Dassault has been exceptionally supportive of my work, and I really enjoy shooting with her and love the results we've managed so far. I say so far, because I hope to work with her more as the warm weather approaches. Her blog has been praised far and wide both for its images and its thoughtful insights, and rightly so. Check it out! (Or read more Iris entries from this blog.)

Rose and I go back a ways to when I was first getting serious about the model photography thing. While I don't like to play favorites, she's one of the models I always enjoy working with, even though we often seem to catch one another on an off day. Have her on my card for the next group shoot, and I'm looking forward to being on top of my game that day and doing even more memorable new work with her before she graduates and moves even further away. She pops up in this blog pretty regularly if you'd care to see more of our work and read more about her. (on edit: she's since taken down her blog)

...angel del polvo... (Angel of the Dust) is the blog of the magnificent AngelD. Just about as energetic, sweet and funny as a person gets, she can switch into a real zone of intensity in front of the camera and achieves some incredible things with that wrought-iron physique of hers. Of course, she does great with the softer side, and frequently likes to inject her weird sense humor into the proceedings, too. Plus, she appears to be fearless... snakes, rooftops, odd guys wielding nipple rings... she'll work with it and look great doing it. Word is she's moving away soon, too. I miss her already. :( See more AngelD fun elsewhere on my blog.

Beauty is All In The Mind is Crystallynn's blog reflecting her attitude that there are many ways to add beauty to the world. In addition to modeling, she also does work as a stylist/make-up artist (MUA!) among a variety of other talents. Coming off something of a tempestuous year, it looks like she's really going to be directing a lot more of her time into her modeling during the months ahead... which is good news for me! More Crystallynn entries...

Go Back to Sleep is the well-intended, but infrequently updated blog of Sleep to Dream, aka Charity. A sweetheart who always has plenty of ideas, she has a lot more range than she usually explores. Always a pleasure to shoot with her, I'm looking forward to working with her many more times. Read about some of our other adventures

Strangling is the blog of the woman with many names: Mas69ter, Edward, but most simply, Heather. Shoots with Heather always have an accidental quality about them for some reason. Moreso in the planning of the shoots, rather than the results, although I'll admit to things being a bit hit-or-miss with her. My earliest recollection of her is wandering around the Southfield shoot with Andi, topless under a fuzzy white coat with her striking red hair... as she and Andi were walking by, I had Heather stop for a couple impromptu shots with Barbie, so I guess even our first shoot was more or less accidental. She's really only shown up in the blog once or twice before, but maybe more will be forthcoming before long.

Last but not least is The Original Jada, a Chicago model I hope to work with at some point... she was kind enough to give me a link early, and she runs a very lively and entertaining blog, so be sure to check it out. Thanks Jada!

Thanks to all these fine models for their hard work and efforts, and for placing their confidence in me, especially those who worked with me when I was just getting started with the model photography rock-n-roll thing. It's been great so far, and I look forward to a big year ahead.

Of course, I have lots of nice things to say about models NOT listed here, but to my knowledge, they don't have blogs that they're maintianing. Models, if you feel I've left you off my links list, just let me know. Cheers all!

Heart-Shaped Box

Hey everyone, Happy Valentine's Day! Think I managed to hit a home run with my Valentine's card and gift for Andi, even though I wasn't able to deliver it personally. Be sure to take a minute to check out Andi's awesome photography and her oh-so-witty blog. Thanks Andi, for an adventurous year.<3

And I want to extend my thanks to Iris, shown here, for being a great model and a great friend. A class act all the way.

"Your opulent chests..."

Found that someone has "borrowed" the image above as the inspiration for a short erotic story on their blog. You can read it in the original Spanish here or read the somewhat faulty Google transliteration here. (The "translation" is where I lifted the phrase "your opulent chests.") So, I guess Iris and I should be flattered that this image inspired someone to actually write something, even if it's a voyeuristic fantasy for a blog.

The voyeur blog chose to remove my mark from the image, even though they claim that it's used with permission (it wasn't). To their credit they did indicate a copyright in the text of the blog, but instead of linking to me, they link to their source, another blog that gathers noteworthy art nude images from various sources on the web, Imagens.

I initially had mildly mixed feelings about these blogs that merely lift images from other blogs and websites as content to drive traffic and presumably ad click-thrus. But then again, a lot of published collections in books and magazines are basically just aggregates of images, albeit usually submitted by the artists or used with express permission, used as content to sell books or ad space. I must say that the shots collected in Imagens are generally outstanding, and I'm definitely in good company there. And if it gets more people to see my work, and it falls within "fair use" guidelines, then it's a good thing.

For a while, I used to follow a number of MP3 blogs that operate on the same premise. They would do a small review of a song from a band, usually an independent artist, and provide a link where you could download an MP3 of a song or two. I have to say that I did actually purchase music from a handful of the bands I learned about in this way, so they made a few bucks from me. The songs that didn't intrigue me enough to actually purchase are ones I probably wouldn't have taken a risk on anyway based on just reading a review, so it's not like they forfeited a sale by providing me with an MP3. I guess it all boils down to basic marketing...get someone to try it, and they're more likely to buy it.

P.S. If any of you readers can fluently translate the Spanish story to English for me, please send it to me by posting a comment. (Although I doubt anyone can provide a translation to top "high and mighty" nipples.) Maybe I'll present it here in a future entry. Fully credited, of course.

"...and the Fluffy goes to..."

I must say I'm extremely gratified to have received two mentions on the excellent UK photo blog Fluffytek in their "2006 Fluffy Nude Photographic Awards" post. Not to be confused with Fuzzytek (an excellent photographer in Detroit), Fluffytek is an art nude blog run by photographer Richard Bang and his model/collaborator/wife Lin. They've been mutually linked here almost since I started I&E in June, and I always enjoy seeing their work and reading their philosophical take on matters of art and photography and modeling and such. Do check them out if you haven't already.

They selected my little blog here for their Award for Best Fine-Art Nude Blog, and the above image of the amazing Mandy was Richard's pick for Best Blog Image of the Year. It's great to be recognized alongside such outstanding photographers/bloggers as Don Nelson's Hotel Room Nudes, Nad Iksodas, Feminism Without Clothes, Iris Dassault, Pretty Girl Shooter, Magic Flute Nudes, Sascha Hüttenhain, and Marcus Ranum. I'm already making room on my mantlepiece for my Fluffy Award trophies. Thanks Lin and Richard for the recognition, and all your support and encouragement.

Three tall drinks of water...

Here's Sarah hanging out, Kristina taking it easy, and Iris basking. Cheers, y'all.

"...and folks remember this is an exhibition not a competition so please, no wagering." -David Letterman

Iris continues to bloom

The Iris juggernaut of links rolls on, so welcome visitors from around the world who may have spilled over from her site.

Thanks also to Iris for frequently featuring my images on her blog and her OMP portfolio.

Here's Iris one more time...

A quick one...

Things are getting busy as the year-end approaches, and won't be around much this weekend to update, so just a quick one for y'all and the new visitors spilling over from Iris' newly popular blog.

This is the charming Angie, displaying some of her charms. You've seen her here before and you'll see her here again, no doubt.

Thanks Iris

Thanks to Iris for a nice entry in her newly revamped blog. She's doing something of a catalog of the photographers she's worked with, and I'm among some pretty lofty company there. Looking forward to another shoot with her, possibly soon. Here's a couple nice ones I haven't posted yet from our first shoot.

Did something of a "lite" shoot yesterday with Heather, and it went well. Very casual, and just available light shots, but there should be some nice ones once I get to work through them. Felt good to be shooting again... still planning to keep it slow in December. (Hard to believe it's almost December!)

Show off

Nice news tonight, a couple more OMP showcases. The top one is from my shoot with Iris which was recognized on my portfolio. The lower one is of Nia, which was recognized on her portfolio.

What can I say? I still enjoy getting these things. But why is it when something cool like this happens, something else aggravating presents itself to take the edge off? Nothing major, just irritating. Don't bother asking. Guess it's just the yin and yang of the universe...

Iris

A couple from my shoot with Iris Dassault, who has selectively worked with a lot of the top photographers in the midwest. I met her at The Dirty Show back in September, but we'd been discussing working together since April. Took a while, but I'm very pleased with what we produced, as is she. Our shoot actually fell the day after one gall bladder attack, and the day before another, so I wasn't quite at the top of my game, but she helped to energize me during the shoot. Also, she's been very supportive and concerned during my recovery, checking up on me from time to time. I appreciate it, Iris, and look forward to working together again very soon. :)