Trick And Treat
October 28th, 2008
It’s that time of year again. If you’ve been following this blog for a long time you know I have an old favorite Halloween photo that I’ve posted a couple times. I was thinking that I’d just post it again this year. But I was over at Athena’s last week and she showed me the pirate girl costume she had put together for this year. I talked her into bringing it in to the studio so I could do a proper photo of it. So this year you get something new…and quite a treat, if I do say so myself.
Then, after we finished shooting, Athena showed me some of her real super powers. After watching me fooling around with PhotoShop on these for a bit she jumped in and did the post-processing herself, with just a little input from me on what I was after. You see, Athena is not only a sensational model, but also a photographer and a graphic artist. She knows more about PhotoShop than I ever want to know. So she worked her magic on both of these photos. She’s available to do photo retouching and I can highly recommend her. She does great magic tricks with the computer and she is also quite a treat to know and photograph.
I Hate Politics
October 24th, 2008
Yes, I hate politics. I hate it in all forms at all levels. National level, local level, family or social politics. I hate it all. Really hate it, in the churning stomach, cringing, run away, run away now, way. I always have and expect that I always will. In my former job I had regular occasion to meet and work with many politicians at the national, state and local level. Usually just being in the same room with them made me sick. I often felt like I needed to shower after talking with them.
Now, I understand that politics is a basic part of the human condition. It’s nothing new and is probably not as bad today as it has been at many times in the past. But I still hate it. There have been some politicians who were exceptions to my general disgust with them. John Glenn stands out from the crowd. I had opportunities to interact with him one-to-one and found him to be a genuinely decent honest man. There were other exceptions, but they were few.
Only once in my life has there been a candidate for president of the US who I really wanted to win. That was John Kerry. Kerry served honorably in Vietnam and then came home to say “That is wrong!” and lead the anti-war movement that ultimately brought an end to that tragic, stupid waste of lives. Right there he had my vote. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the absurdity of the Republican attacks on Kerry’s honorable military service as he ran against a man who dodged service and couldn’t even manage to show up for his National Guard drills. I was drafted myself back in those days and served as ordered. I have respect for anyone who served and also for anyone who left the country or went to jail for refusing to serve. I don’t have much respect for those who worked the system to avoid their responsibility. Like our current president.
Those attacks on Kerry are a good example of the sort of politicking that disgusts me so much. The simple repeating of a lie deliberately, in the knowledge that if it is repeated enough it will take on the power of truth. That is wrong. That is an assault on the very foundations of a democratic society. And that is the program of the Republican party. Those Republicans who have been behind that sort of tactic would do well to remember the words of the greatest Republican president, Abe Lincoln, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people…” you know the rest.
I’ve never been a member of a political party. But as you may have guessed by now I’m supporting Barack Obama in this election. I’m not tremendously enthusiastic about Obama. I think he’ll be an ok president. I’m happy that a black will be president. That is a good thing. But I don’t really know if Obama is a politician who I would want to be in the same room with. And I’m pretty sure I’ll never really know.
But I’d support Attila the Hun if he were running against the Republican candidate in this election. I actually like and respect John McCain. At least I liked the John McCain who was there before this campaign got going. Can’t say much good about the way his campaign has been conducted. But that’s the problem I want to do something about. I want a Democrat in the White House because I don’t want any of those Republican assholes like Karl Rove who have been behind this administration’s dirty tricks and obscene distortion of the democratic process to have any access to the White House in the next administration. The only way to assure that is to put a Democrat in there. If McCain became president the same Republican henchmen who have done so much harm to our country in the past 8 years would continue to run things behind the scenes. And we just can’t afford to allow that to happen. Our democracy can not stand to have that happen.
So, there you have it. This isn’t a political blog and it won’t become one. I’ll be back to photography in the next post. Just wanted to let you know where I stand in this very important election.
More from Vermont
October 22nd, 2008
Here’s a little different view of Kathryn Ann in the cold and rainy mists of the Green Mountains in Vermont. She did a great job in some pretty unfriendly weather conditions. Thanks Kathryn for suffering for my art.
I did another fall colors shoot yesterday down in the Hocking Hills. It was a bit cold, but not wet. Of course with the drought we have going on here in Ohio that meant there was no water at all going over any of the waterfalls down there. But it’s still a very beautiful place. I’ve shot there a lot, but I found some new spots to work in this time. You’ll get to see some from that shoot in a few days when I get time to do some editing.
Meanwhile I have a couple other shoots coming up and I’m trying to get a lot of things done to send off to a variety of places that may be showing my work in 2009. Lots of deadlines to meet in the next few weeks.
2009 Calendars
October 17th, 2008
I’ve just finished publishing my calendars for 2009. They are now available for order here in my store at Lulu. If you click on one of the cover photos here it should take you directly to the page where you can order that calendar. You’ll note that there are two versions of each of the three calendars this year, for a total of six calendars. The larger calendars are 13 1/2″ x 19″ and are printed on heavy textured paper. They have a very nice look and feel and each photo could be framed when you finish the year. The smaller calendars are on 8 1/2″ x 11″ glossy paper. Still nice calendars if you don’t want to spring for the larger version. The large and small versions are not exactly the same because of the difference in format, but most photos are in both versions.
Fall in Vermont
October 15th, 2008
That’s Kathryn Ann again. No, she didn’t fall…but those leaves had. Even though the weather prevented getting any views of the mountains covered with brilliant fall colors, that didn’t mean I couldn’t shoot some close up. And Kathryn adds a nice touch of a different sort of beauty in the mid-ground.
I’m swamped as usual trying to get caught up on things here at home…and also trying to set up a few more outdoor shoots before the fall leaves are gone and it gets too cold. Sounds like I’ll do at least two shoots in the next week or so. Meanwhile I’ll probably post another one or two of Kathryn being nude and beautiful in Vermont.
Leaf Peepin’
October 12th, 2008
I’m back home from my trip to Vermont. The weather didn’t cooperate for me to do the leaf peepin’ nudes with Kathryn that I had planned to do, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the colorful scenery that the state is famous for this time of year. I stopped on the drive home to take this quick shot at Lake Bomoseen. Unfortunately, there was no nude model handy to place in the obvious spot reserved for her figure in this composition, so I just had to shoot it without.
I still might try to get some fall color nudes back here in Ohio before it’s too late. The weather looks great for that this week. Do I have any volunteer models?
Cold, Wet and Dirty
October 9th, 2008
I often warn my models that if they work with me they are likely to get cold, wet and dirty. That really happened today when I shot with Kathryn Ann on a mountain trail here in Vermont. We started out before dawn. I wanted to get the fall colors at sunrise. The past few days have been cool and clear, so I expected the same this morning and hoped to get shots before the sun rose too high and started washing out the color in the leaves.
Well, of course, the weather changed today. It was warmer, and when we started up the trail it was misty but very nice, really. But about half way up the mountain it started to rain. I have a lifetime of experience hiking in the woods so, of course, I’m prepared for rain. I had a gore-tex raincoat, a hat and an umbrella (always handy to keeping rain off the camera while doing shots). And, of course, they were all back in the van at the bottom of the mountain. So I got a little wet this morning.
Kathryn was a little better prepared with a hoodie, but, she had to keep getting naked out in the rain. And it got colder the higher we went. But she is a real trooper and didn’t complain at all. And she looked just so very beautiful out in all that fall color.
The weather didn’t clear up until after we had come down off the mountain. So I didn’t get the vistas of fall color with Kathryn in the foreground that I had expected to shoot. But when working in nature it’s important to stay flexible and work with whatever mother nature has decided to present to you. In this case the mist and rain were beautiful, though they restricted shooting to closer scenes like this one. But it all worked out quite well.
So, I’m happy with this shoot. Very happy. And I’ve added a new model. I don’t like to shoot with every model who comes along…I do better working with a few models who I get to know and who I get along with…models who understand what I’m trying to do and want to be a part of it. Kathryn Ann is now one of those models and I look forward to working with her again on future trips to Vermont.
Thanks so much, Kathryn. Hope you are all warmed up and cleaned up now.
Ruins
October 8th, 2008
I’m on a slow dial-up connection, so this will be short. I’m having a great time and great weather in Vermont. The leaves are near peak and I may have some Vermont photos to share in a few days.
Meanwhile, here is Neva again from our Death Valley trip. After our stop at Big Dune at dawn we went on down the road and spotted this abandoned place, apparently some sort of industrial complex. It was out in the sage brush all by itself, so we stopped and looked around and did some photos. It’s always nice to have a beautiful model ready to shuck her clothes when you spot a place like this along the road. Thanks Neva.
Because I’m here
October 6th, 2008
And I don’t know when I’ll next have internet access, here’s another photo from Death Valley. That’s Vima looking sensational in the ruins not far from Badwater…the lowest place in North America, if I remember correctly.
Again, I’ll check in and post as I have the chance over the next week…but no telling in advance when that will be.
Long Time Gone
October 4th, 2008
Sorry for the extended absence from posting. It’s been a bit busy since I returned from Death Valley. Much of my time has been spent dealing with post-Ike storm recovery. Just today I was finally able to talk with the insurance claims adjuster who set an appointment to come to our home and review the damage…on November 1.
The wide-spread damage from Ike has made this process difficult. We have roof damage. I called the roof company that has done work for us before. They told me that if I weren’t a returning customer they wouldn’t even consider working on my tile roof. But as it stands now I’m in line behind 2,000 other customers waiting for an estimate.
And I’ve been working on photo things too. I’ll have some new 2009 calendars available in the near future.
But, I’m on the road again, on my way to Vermont to visit my mother-in-law. It’s a good trip with my wife and her brother and his wife, who are very good company. And it’s actually giving me more opportunity to get on line as long as the wi-fi in the motels works. Once we get to Vermont there will be only dial-up internet access…and that will be used just for quick checks of e-mail…so updates will stop again for a while.
Meanwhile, here’s a shot of Neva at a spot just outside Death Valley where a sculptor had put up some really wonderful work. I have his name, but it’s at home and I’m on the road. I’ll update with that name when I get back home. Neva saw this sculpture and said, “That’s a nude. I have to pose with that one.” And she did. I’m quite pleased with the result.
More as I get time…and access to the internet.
