Vassanta’s Pick
October 23rd, 2007
I’ve mentioned before that I consider my models to be co-creators of our photos. I always give my models all the photos we do together on a disk in full resolution. I’ll also photoshop their favorites for them if they don’t want to do that work, or are not skilled at photoshop.
I often hear concern from other photographers that models will chose the wrong photos or that they will do a bad job preparing them. My point is that I think the models have just as much right to do as they please with the photos as I do. After all, that’s THEM…that is their image, their body, their face. In many ways they have a lot more of themselves invested in those photos than I do. Why shouldn’t they make their own choices and do with those photos as they please?
Sure, sometimes I don’t think the photos a model may chose are the best photos from our work together. But models often look for different things in photos than what I’m looking for. And why shouldn’t they? Is my vision the only one that is valid? Of course not.
But, more often than not I benefit from the editing that my models do. Sometimes they find photos that I might have overlooked in my own editing process. And, seeing what they like from a shoot tells me more about them and helps me understand what other people may be seeing in my work.
This photo is one that Vassanta chose from our last shoot together. She did the photoshopping on it and sent me a copy to see what I thought. Well, I think it’s a fine photograph…if I do say so myself. Vassanta’s great beauty really shines through here. Thanks, Vassanta, for finding the shot and getting all ready for me to post on here.
Wood Nymphs
October 19th, 2007
Simply Vassanta
October 16th, 2007
Here’s another photo of Vassanta for you. I’ve spent some time today editing my last shoot with this beautiful model and it looks like I’ll be posting more of her over the next few weeks.
French Feature and an Anniversary
October 13th, 2007
A French web magazine has done a feature on my work. You can read it here: http://universdartistes.blogspot.com/2007/10/dave-levingston.html
I’m also doing an interview with them, so maybe there will be a second story sometime soon.
Also, I just noticed that about the time I was dealing with the death of our friend this blog passed its first anniversary. Sort of snuck up on me. I’m not sure where I’m going to be going with this thing, but I guess I’ll keep it up a while longer and see where it leads me.
Vassanta
October 13th, 2007
From warmer days, here’s a shot I did with Vassanta http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=209943 under a bridge in a little town north of Columbus. The light and backgrounds under bridges are often very nice. And, even in busy places, people seldom look under bridges, so it’s possible to shoot nudes, even with busy traffic going overhead.
There’s more to this story, though. If you look closely you will notice some small dark marks on the cement behind Vassanta. We both just thought they were marks on the wall…until Vassanta backed up against the cement and then noticed that those “marks” were actually little caterpillars which were now crawling all through her hair. The resulting screaming was loud and long…and put an end to our shooting in that location, lest someone come to investigate the screams of a woman in distress from under the bridge. There are hazards to doing figure work outdoors…but the bugs were harmless, other than upsetting Vassanta to no end. We were still picking them out of her hair as we drove back to her apartment…each newly discovered bug producing a new round of screams and convulsions.
But despite all that, Vassanta still is willing to work with me again…and we may do some more shooting this coming week. Thanks Vassanta, you are great!
It’s Getting Cold Outside
October 10th, 2007
Plant a flower
October 8th, 2007
Something a little different today.
We returned from our trip to Long Island and Vermont late Saturday night. Yesterday we went to visit a friend who has been in a series of hospitals for the past three months, ending up in a hospice. When we arrived his wife dashed out to run an errand, leaving my wife and I there in the room to stand beside his bed while he finally gave up his fight and breathed his last. He had had his 61st birthday the day before he died.
So, today feels a bit different from other days for me.
This is a photo from a few years ago of the bleeding hearts I planted beside our front door. I’ve always loved bleeding hearts. They are the first flower out in the spring, a sign of the new life and beauty that is coming. And I find them remarkably lovely.
So, I just suggest that you stop for a moment today, and every day, and enjoy the life and beauty that is all around you.
Back Home
October 7th, 2007
We are back from visiting Long Island, NYC and Vermont. It’s a busy day today, so here’s a snapshot I did with my little Casio pocket camera while we were walking to an Indian restaurant for lunch while visiting the Metropolitan Museum with some friends. I’ll be back to editing photos in a day or two and have some more things to share.
A Friend Indoors
October 1st, 2007
My friend posed in her house as well as in the river behind her house. She’s actually more “at home” in the indoor setting.
Friends
September 25th, 2007
It’s always nice to work with a model who is also a friend. That’s always my preference. It’s not necessary, it’s just nice.
This is an old friend. I first met her when she came to my old portrait studio many years ago to model wedding dresses for a local bridal shop. There were several models that day, but the two of us just hit it off. Later she would model a wedding gown in my booth at the annual bridal show. That was a huge success. My booth was the only one with a live model in a wedding dress. Of course, the next year every booth had a live model in a wedding dress…but that’s another story.
When I decided it was time for me to return to figure work after being away from it for more than ten years, my old friend was one of my first and most enthusiastic models. She brought her then boyfriend/now husband, a very artistic individual, along to the shoot and he helped with ideas. The shoot produced some photos that stayed in my portfolio for many years.
From time to time over the years we’ve done more figure shoots and I shoot photos for her whenever she needs something for her businesses. But she has a very busy life and we don’t get together nearly often enough.
So it was a real treat when she contacted me to say she needed some new headshots and thought it would be a good time for another figure shoot too. I only wish we got to do this more often.
