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.

Get some tape...

...because AngelD's ripped!

That is all... as you were.

Welcome Avolare Fans

Gary M photo., originally uploaded by avolare.

Katie West posted another image from our session a while back on her blog/Flickr, so welcome to all the folks who followed the link here from her page.

Thanks Katie... I'll get another installment to you soon. :)

P.S. Katie's having a print sale, so if you're interested in picking up some cool prints at a bargain price, check 'em out. Of course, you have to pay in Canadian dollars, which are now officially worth more than US dollars, so not the bargain they once were. ;) Thanks, George...

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.)

Thanks Liso...

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to set up a photo shoot with Lisolette Gilcrest, an artist who is also one of the photographers in the MWSEP group. From seeing her self-portrait work and meeting her in person, I knew I wanted to do a shoot with her myself. :) Lucky for me, she took a chance and agreed. I'm very pleased with the results from a fairly impromptu session working in different spots around the RIC in Detroit, acting like we belonged there.

The other day, she decided to post a few of the photos on her Deviant Art page, along with a very sweet entry in her journal there. It was a much-needed pick-me-up in the midst of a dismal weekend. She's really a remarkable young woman and artist, and I'm honored that she decided to work with me, and for the kind words in her journal. With all that's going on in her life, that she took the time to do that means a lot to me. Love you too, Liso. <3

Torn

This goes back a few months, but fits my mood today. Props to Boyd for the rigging and the set-up (he's out in the hall shooting the opposite angle), and thanks to "Capricious Token" for her part, bound and broken on the floor...

Dinner is served

Just a little something from a while back that Raven wanted to try out... if I'd known in advance, I'd have brought some padlock meatballs and maybe some different razor blades, but I think it still plays pretty well. Seemed as good a day to post them as any.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Carving

Just a strange choice for a Thanksgiving post... Miss May will do the carving.

Rethinking "Buy Nothing Day"

In my earlier entry, I suggested people consider turning "Black Friday" into "Buy Nothing Day" and opt out of the wanton consumerism that will ensue in stores and malls across America. While people are already spending beyond their means on stuff they don't really need, it struck me that this weekend could be a "make or break" situation for our economy -- because of the media's obsession with "opening weekend" numbers. Just like a movie's success is now judged not by the reviews, the awards, or if it's any GOOD or not -- it's all about the opening weekend numbers. Nobody cares what it does its second week, or if it stays in theaters two months because of good word of mouth and eventually makes money. It all boils down to opening weekend now. Maybe I'm showing my age, but I remember when people had NO IDEA how much money a movie made -- it wasn't part of conversation. Now it's the entirety of the conversation when it comes to movies.

Take the movie "SiCKO" when it came out this summer. It had limited release, meaning not every multiplex in America had it, and maybe even some cities didn't have it. Whether this important film would "open wide" or even remain in theaters beyond the first week depended entirely on its opening weekend... so it was important that people went out and saw it immediately. I did my part, it was a hit, and went on to be very successful by documentary standards. It became a topic of national discussion and got people talking about the idea of universal health care, which may not have happened if it "only" made a few million its opening weekend.

What's this have to do with "Black Friday" you ask? Plenty. Pundits and news media are falling all over themselves to report whether sales this Friday are up to expectations, and their conclusion could very well effect the economy for the rest of the holiday season, and into next year. If reports are that consumer confidence is high and stores did well, people will believe the economy is OK and feel good about going out and spending, where as if stores don't do well, it will be reported as a harbinger of doom, causing people to stay home and start knitting their holiday gifts. This will lead to layoffs in retail and manufacturing and related industries, tighter credit, and so on and so forth -- based largely on how someone interprets the guestimates from the experts. The economy is on the brink, and this could definitely push things over the edge.

To a large part, the economy only does as well as people BELIEVE it is doing, so whatever the verdict, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just like the stock market... instead of looking at the huge gains most stocks have made over the past couple years, people have the jitters due to some sub-prime loans, so they're panic selling, which drives prices down and creates more panic selling. It's also prompting the US dollar to take a beating compared to world currencies, which could spell real trouble. Of course, it doesn't help that W. has borrowed almost a TRILLION dollars for this pointless quagmire that will only serve to destabilize world economies, or far worse. The world's respect for and confidence in the U.S. hasn't eroded over the past 7 years -- it's crumbled. All due to fear and stupidity...

So, buck up campers, make your list, check it twice, make sure you have headroom on your charge cards, and get out there and spend! If only to help create a placebo effect for our sick economy... or at least score some cool stuff before the shit comes down.

The photo is Mandy, doing an interpretive dance expressing the confusion and angst of Alan Greenspan's failed policies. Or maybe she's just posing beautifully as she does so effortlessly.

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!

Buy Nothing Day

Just a little early reminder that Buy Nothing Day is coming up next Friday, Nov. 23. As I mentioned last year, the objective is to try to get Americans to stop defining ourselves as consumers, and a first step is not joining in on the frenzied spending on the most heavily promoted shopping day of the year. Granted, it's not a big sacrifice for me to stay out of over-crowded stores, but I do try to observe by not buying meals out or shopping online. And honestly, I'm not sure they could discount anything enough to make me want to fight the traffic and crowds on that particular day. Probably will let myself sleep late, then try to catch up on editing and stuff a bit.

With so much economic bad news in the wind, and US savings rates at Depression-era levels, this year it makes more sense than ever to not join the crowd, not go further into debt by charging a lot of purchases, and maybe make plans to minimize gift giving, or go with more personal items, like something home made. So, consider simplifying your life, and Buy Nothing on November 23.

Withdrawn

"Better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt..."

Was talking with another photographer who has a blog, and he said he was probably going to be backing away from the whole blog-forum-comment thing. Maybe he's right, and he's not the only one to express this view lately. Too much drama, so much potential for backlash and hard feelings, things so easily misinterpreted, and for what?

(Of course, does making a statement like this have additional drama inherent in it?)

"Never miss a good opportunity to shut up."

Maybe I should just let the pictures do the talking for a while. Like Mandy here, bending over backwards to please.

"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good... Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood." (The Animals)

_______ Beauty...

On edit: Since two of the three parties mentioned in this entry asked that it be reinstated, here it is, slightly edited to remove reference to the third person, and to render it politically correct.

Had the pleasure of working with the famed Mandy again yesterday, who was joined for part of the session by my new friend Malinda. Mandy has only been modeling for about a year and a half now, but caught fire immediately and in that short time she has worked with many of the top photographers in the midwest, as well as being a featured model at a number of photo workshops around the country. Her physique is truly remarkable, and it's no wonder that she's highly sought after for figure work, plus she's just adorable and is just delightful to spend time with. (That's her in front on the top photo, and in the middle photo.)
Malinda is just starting to get her feet wet with modeling. She'd contacted me to do a private session of pin-up, lingerie and nude photos to give to her husband, and once she got over her initial jitters, she really got into it and enjoyed the experience. We'd done a couple other shoots since, but yesterday was her first experience working with another model -- and we got some beautiful results. I think she's doing great, and she's enjoying it so much that she's planning to start exploring modeling further after the first of the year. As with Mandy, the enjoyment and enthusiasm Malinda brings to the shoot is wonderful. I'm looking forward to working with her more, and seeing how she does when she broadens her horizons a bit.