Blame CS4
June 4th, 2009
Yes, I haven’t been here posting updates because of CS4. I’d been putting off upgrading my version of PhotoShop for quite a while, mainly because I knew my old studio computer would not be able to handle the newer versions. I was still using the original CS. My studio computer was so old that I had to add boards to it to give me USB2.o and to get an ethernet port. It still ran pretty well, but was showing signs of future problems.
So, I finally bought a new computer. I’ve been spending this week getting the new machine set up, working out a new backup scheme for my files, loading software…all that stuff. I’m not done, but I’ve made a lot of progress. My old scanner isn’t supported in Vista, so I decided it was a good time to upgrade that too. I don’t use a scanner much, but with the new Epson V500 I ordered I may start working on scanning some of my old negatives. I’m also about to shoot a polaroid project, using up the last of my stock of polaroid film in the process. I want to be able to make good scans of those prints when that project is finished.
So, I’m working on the new computer now…and editing files with the new CS4. I don’t see a lot of changes, but I think that’s because I just don’t know what I’m doing with the new program yet. I’m one of those old weirdos who actually read the manual that comes with software…but, alas, no manual was in the box. I suppose there’s one stashed somewhere in pdf form, but I haven’t found it yet. I think I’m going to break down and buy a book about this version and read it…I really should take a course since I’ve never had any formal PhotoShop training. Or maybe I’ll just take another drive up to Stephen’s in Minneapolis and pick his brain. He seems to know everything there is to know about PhotoShop.
I’m still driving the truck, but it will soon be going into the shop for major repairs. I’ll be riding around on my motorcycle for a few weeks while the work gets done. I’m going to have the transmission rebuilt while the engine is out, so I’ll have a new truck when it comes back…ready for another 200,000 miles.
So, here are a couple of my first photos edited on the new machine with CS4. That’s Brooke and _G_, of course. Above, taken on our first day of shooting at Glacier in the very cold morning light. Below on a later day after a steep climb up an occasionally snow-covered trail to reach that waterfall in the background. My models are tough as well as beautiful.
Flathead Lake and Tina
May 30th, 2009
One of the things I enjoy about traveling to do my figure work is the chance to meet and work with a variety of models who live in the areas I visit. I’ve encountered some very beautiful and talented models this way. Tinytina is a perfect example of this. I contacted her through Model Mayhem and am very glad we were able to work together.
First, she is a very accomplished model…totally professional and brave and bold enough to go ahead and get nude for photos despite the terrible weather on the day of our shoot. It was cold. It was sleeting. There was a strong wind blowing. Tina is a tough lady.
Also, she took us to a location that I would never have found without her guidance. I really appreciate her willingness to share this bit of local wisdom with me. Not every model or photographer is open to sharing location information. But that’s a subject for another blog post.
One of the advantages of bad weather is sometimes beautiful light. I really like the light and color in these photos. They would be very different photographs if it had been warm and sunny. Of course I wouldn’t have had to worry about the models turning blue, but that’s another issue too.
So, thank you Tinytina for being willing to freeze for me. Thank you for being beautiful and talented and making a very difficult situation work despite the weather. I hope we get to work together again, perhaps in a bit warmer situation.
This last photo of Tinytina is pretty different from most of my work. I’m usually looking for a somewhat romanticized sort of photo with everything all beautiful and perfect…a romantic illusion of what nature might be in paradise. But I find myself really drawn to this much more “real” photograph that communicates a bit of the struggle Tinatina was going through to make the photos work. I’m not sure why I like this one so much, but I keep coming back to it, so I decided to go ahead and share it with you.
The news on the truck is not good. The deer did a lot of damage. And the engine isn’t running well now…can’t tie that directly to hitting the deer, but the engine started running a bit rough right after that happened…and it had been running just fine before. Now one cylinder is way down on compression. So the engine is going to have to be rebuilt. A couple weeks of work and several thousand dollars of expense. The radiator also will need to be replaced along with some other stuff that got smashed. I’m looking at possibly having the transmission rebuilt while the engine is out, just because it has a lot of miles on it and will need that done sometime in the future. So, no trips for a while…no wheels for a couple weeks. I’ve been trying to sell my motorcycle, but guess I’ll put that on hold so I can have it to ride around on while the truck is torn apart.
At least the truck kept running through the whole trip and got us all safely back home. So I can’t really complain about anything. These repairs will probably ultimately extend the service life of my truck for a few years longer than I had planned. It only has 200,000 miles on it, so it’s just getting broken in well.
May 28th, 2009
I’m at the studio today catching up on e-mail and setting up my new studio computer while my mechanic figures out how much damage the deer did to my truck.
Not much new to report here, but here’s another photo from the trip. That’s _G_ freezing on a fallen tree at Flathead Lake. You may want to click on the photo to see it larger.
Home Again
May 27th, 2009
And now for something completely different…
May 24th, 2009
We are on our way to Dave Swanson’s home for a visit. Stopped for the night in North Dakota and went to check out a ghost town not far from where we are staying.
No time for words…have to get on the road…but here are a few shots from our quick ghost shoot.
Up The Creek
May 23rd, 2009
Don’t Let The Wildlife Get Your Goat
May 23rd, 2009
The wild creatures in Glacier are in the majority. We’ve seen all sorts of animals. It’s been great. And we haven’t had to use our bear spray yet.
Yesterday we did see a couple bears. A mother black bear and her cub were right beside the road when we drove slowly by in the Many Glacier area. They were about 10 feet from the truck. We didn’t stop or take any photos because momma bear did not look like she was happy to see us.
We’ve also seen elk and, of course, more
deer. _G_ saw a moose, but Brooke and I missed it in the woods as we drove by. Today we saw a bald eagle fly low right over the truck as we were driving.
We had seen mountain goats high up on the cliffs above Avalanche Lake on our first day here, but yesterday we managed to get a lot closer look at a whole herd of them, as you can see here. What a great place this is.
We leave in the morning and start the drive, first to Dave Swanson’s place, then on back home 
after our visit with him. But Glacier is a place I’ll want to return to. It’s beautiful and wild and wonderful. And uncrowded compared to places like Yellowstone.
Icing the Models
May 20th, 2009
It’s cold today. And windy. And cloudy. And rainy. Great weather for photos, unless you happen to be a nude model. Then it’s bad news. But I work with the very best, bravest, toughest figure models in the world. And they proved that again today.
We met Montana model Tinytina at 8 a.m. and headed to a location she had chosen for us on Flathead Lake. It was totally exposed to the wind and to the rain that was falling. It was also beautiful in a very different way from what we had been seeing up in Glacier National Park.
Tinytina is a great model and a great person. It was a pleasure to meet and work with her. I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a model in northwest Montana. You couldn’t do better.
I contacted 14 Montana models through Model Mayhem to find someone local to work with on this trip. Only three responded. Two of those said they didn’t do nude work. That left Tinytina. What a great stroke of luck to have connected with her for this one day.
It was a short shoot. Each model took a couple turns braving the cold and wind. And I couldn’t resist doing a shot with all three of them together, as you can see above. In more reasonable temperatures we would have spent several hours shooting at this great location, but that would have been far beyond a safe level of exposure on a day like today. In a very short period of time we were able to make a number of fine photographs.
And below is a photo just to show what the glamorous exciting world of figure modeling looks like between shots.
Thank you ladies for all the suffering you do for my art. I really, really appreciate it. You are the best.
Cold, Wet and Dirty
May 19th, 2009
I often tell my models that they will get cold and wet and dirty if they work with me. That’s what happened to Brooke today. At least for a short while in the morning.
It was cold and raining this morning. We got up early and drove to the park to shoot at a spot we saw yesterday that Brooke wanted to return to for a shot. It was along a very popular trail. But by arriving early in the morning in a pouring rain we saw no one else at all on the trail and we got the shot. At that point Brooke was pretty cold and Gaea was sure she wasn’t interested in getting naked in that weather.
But we didn’t give up completely. We went to the visitor center to see what the weather was doing on the other side of the park. The weather often differs from one side of the mountains to the other. The web cam showed it was raining hard there too and the forecast was for more of the same all day.
So we went back to the condo and napped and relaxed. Tomorrow it’s up early again and off to meet a local model for a shoot at a different location that she has suggested for us. The weather is supposed to improve and stay good for the rest of the week. I’d actually rather shoot in overcast, but it sounds like it will be sunny and warm the rest of the time we are here. And today it was just too cold, even though the light was very nice. So I’m going to try to schedule things for Thursday and Friday that will put us in the shade of the mountains each day while we are shooting. We’ll see if that works out.
We’ve been getting some good photos. The trip is already a success, even if we didn’t take another shot. But we have lots more shooting to do in a bunch of locations that we have yet to visit. That’s Brooke up above, of course, from Monday’s day of shooting near McDonald Lake. And below is Gaea by Avalanche Creek on the hike up to the lake when we were sweating in 80 degree heat yesterday.
Old McDonald Had A Lake, Gaea, Gaea, Oh!
May 18th, 2009
Our first day of shooting in Glacier went very well, as you can see. Temperatures were in the upper 70s. We ended the day by hiking to Avalanche Lake. We hadn’t intended that to be the last thing we did, but the hike was more strenuous and took longer than we had expected, so we were ready to call it a day when we got back down.
Here is Gaea at McDonald Lake:
And this is Brooke at McDonald Lake:
The closest thing we saw to a grizzly was an old guy with a “Griz” t-shirt. But the deer are still after me. I figured they were looking for revenge for what happened with their sister on the way here. But we were prepared with Bear Spray, so we were able to fend them off. As you can see this vicious beast was just looking for an opening to attack:
People often ask me about the hazards of working in the wilderness, which is my favorite thing to do. There are hazards to be concerned about, of course. But I’ve been doing this all my life so I’ve picked up a few tricks.
Of course it’s always important to make sure you stay on the trail so you don’t get lost. Missing a turn can be deadly. As you can see in this photo, one could easily lose the trail, become hopelessly lost and provide a meal for a bear:
But, as I say, I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’ve learned to read the signs you find along the trail. Some of these are hard to notice, but for the trained woodsman it isn’t difficult and learning to read them will keep you from getting lost. Here’s an example of the sort of obscure things the novice might fail to notice when hiking in the wilderness:
OK…I’m tired and I’ve had some beer. Sorry.
