Julie, Julie, Julie
August 21st, 2011
The internet world of models and photographers is a strange and often puzzling place. I was doing nude photo work long before there was an internet. It’s been both amusing and troubling to watch the culture that has grown up over the years around the internet modeling sites. Sometimes I feel like I just want to remove myself from the entire scene. There is far too much drama. There are so, so many models with serious delusions about what the world of modeling is about and what their place in it could be.
But often just when I think the whole internet thing is something to stay away from, I’ll get a message through the tiny tubes that make up the internet from a model like Julie Max. Out of the blue she said she loved my work. I wrote back, of course, to ask if she would like to work with me. She said, of course she would, to let her know when I’d be in NYC. And, as luck would have it, this was just a few weeks before I was going to visit the city.
So, we set a day and time while I was there and did a shoot in her lovely apartment in Manhattan. It’s too bad there wasn’t time to get out of the city and shoot somewhere in the woods…Julie would make a fantastic “naked chick on rocks.” I hope we’ll get to do that someday in the near future. But this shoot gave us a chance to meet. Because of that I now know that Julie is not only lovely, but she is also a very talented, skilled model and a very pleasant person to be around. In other words, exactly the kind of model I’m always looking for to use for my work.
So, even though the internet seems to bring with it a lot of dirty tricks and nasty surprises, it’s worth it for the beautiful gems like Julie who come into my life and my work through those tiny tubes.
Thanks, Julie.
Theda in the Stairway
August 18th, 2011
Whenever I go to New York City I always try to schedule a shoot with Theda. I’ve worked with her many times over quite a few years. She never fails to deliver a “keeper.” She’s beautiful, interesting and I like her. Couldn’t really ask for more…well, maybe if she were able to get herself to travel she’d show up in some of my photos from more exotic locations. But I doubt that that will ever happen.
So, we try to find places to shoot in the city. The first time I worked with her I shot her in my hotel room. Over the years we’ve found other places to work, but most often we just work at her apartment. One time I got her to take a ride out of the city to shoot at a park…that was her first nude in nature shoot. This time we decided to look around her building for some different spots. This is from the stairway.
There’s more to come from Theda, but the next post will be something from my shoot with a new (to me) model. It was a good trip to the city.
Cam on the Rocks
August 15th, 2011
I’ve been busy. My trip to New York included shoots with three very different models in three very different settings. I’ve just begun to work on the editing of those shoots, but I’m thinking I’ll mix them up and post from all three over the next couple weeks. I might get distracted from that, though, since I have two more shoots scheduled this week with three very different models in two very different settings. At any rate, I should have plenty of new photos for posts for some time to come.
First, from my trip, I stopped along the way to the city to do a shoot with Cam Damage near her home in Pennsylvania. She took me for a hike in one of her favorite places and there were ample opportunities for excellent photos. Cam is a fine model, although this turned out to be her first shoot outdoors. But she figured things out pretty well and did a fine job. With some experience she’s sure to be a great outdoor figure model. We had good luck with the light that day. There were plenty of clouds to provide the softer light I prefer. The sun came out between the clouds now and then and that provided some variety in the light…and I could just wait for the next cloud if I thought the softer light was better.
The Wet Is History
August 13th, 2011
I took my friend Lost Coast Photo to see this waterfall yesterday. The stream was completely dry. That usually happens in June, but because it was so wet this year it didn’t dry up until now. But no more photos of water going over this waterfall until next year.
So, here’s another of Angie while there was still plenty of water. Angie has worked with me at this waterfall many times, but she did a great job of finding new things to do that worked very well. And she is so beautiful too. That always helps.
Lost Coast Photo left this morning to drive back to Chicago. So life is back to normal here. I have some new shoots coming up in the next couple weeks and lots of editing to do on all the things I shot on my NYC trip, so those will start showing up here soon.
The weather has finally gotten back to normal with tolerable temperatures and humidity for outdoor work. And the air conditioning in the studio now seems to be able to keep up with the temperature, so it’s pretty comfortable there too. It will probably get hot again, but not for much longer. September is only a couple weeks away now. I love the fall, and I have some big plans for some amazing photo work in the fall, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Angie Even Wetter
August 11th, 2011
Here’s another of Angie at that waterfall that should have been dry by this time of year. It was hot that day, of course, so all that spray didn’t feel bad at all. And Angie, as always, looks pretty wonderful while she’s getting wet.
The drive back from NYC was uneventful. The first 20 miles getting out of the city, which had taken me an hour and a half on the drive in, took only 20 minutes on the way out of town. So that got things off to a great start and I encountered no significant traffic issues on the drive at all. Made it home in time to have dinner with my family.
Tonight my friend from California, Lost Coast Photo, will be arriving for a short visit. He’ll spend some time tomorrow shooting with some of my favorite local models at some of my favorite locations.
Soon I’ll be getting to the photos from my trip.
Angie in the Water
August 8th, 2011
The day after I did the shoot with Char I took Angie out the the local waterfalls. I’ve shot Angie at this spot many times, at all times of the year, including the dead of winter, but we found something new to do with all the water there on this day.
I’ve been in New York City for the past few days visiting my friend Dave Rudin. The Elliott Erwitt show at the International Center of Photography was worth the trip, but I followed that up with great shoots with Theda on Sunday and Julie Max today. So I’m going to have lots of new stuff to post after I get home.
But I’m going to make this a short post because it’s late and I’ll be getting up before dawn tomorrow to get an early start on the drive back home.
The Last of Char
August 5th, 2011
Well, I certainly hope it isn’t the last photo of Char Rose to be posted here, but this will be the last one for now from this one day of shooting. What a totally successful shoot that was. It helps to have a beautiful and talented model. This was up the creek above the waterfall where we had been shooting. Nice little waterfalls to enjoy with the stream flowing much more than it usually does this time of year. In fact, it is often completely dry by now. But there is nothing normal about this year.
If all goes well there will be more shoots with Char coming in the near future.
And, speaking of beautiful and talented models, I worked with a new one (to me) yesterday. On my way to New York City I stopped off in Pennsylvania for a day of shooting with Cam Damage. I noticed her when she modeled for some friends of mine and we had been talking for more than six months about doing a shoot. So I finally found the right time and we did it. You’ll be seeing the results here in the near future.
And, yes, I am now in New York, staying with my friend, Dave Rudin. Tomorrow we are meeting some friends and going to the International Center of Photography to see the Elliott Erwitt show there. Erwitt has always been one of the photographers who inspire me. He was a star photojournalist back when I became aware of photojournalism and decided that was what I wanted to do with my life. I later became disillusioned with photojournalism as a career, but never lost my respect and admiration for those, like Erwitt, who were able to show how it should be done. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to seeing this show.
I also have shoots scheduled with a couple NYC models while I’m here. One is one of my all-time favorites who I try to shoot every time I get to the city. The other is a new model to me, but one who is a true beauty and has much experience and obvious talent. So it should be a great visit if all goes well. And I even found a parking space almost immediately when I got here, only a block from Dave’s building. That kind of made up for the hour and a half that it took me to go the last 20 miles to his place. I’m glad I don’t live here. Love to visit, couldn’t deal with it on a daily basis. But it’s a great city with much to offer. I once thought I wanted to live here, but I think I’ve gotten too old to handle it.
L’Allure des Mots
August 2nd, 2011
The second issue of this wonderful on-line magazine has just been published. It’s as beautiful as the first issue, even without any of my photos in it. Really, check it out. It’s a work of art.
http://www.lalluredesmots.com/issues/issue2/issue2.html
Up The Creek
July 31st, 2011
After Char Rose and I shot all those photos at the last waterfall we decided to wander on up the creek above the waterfall. Usually by this time of year this creek is dry and there is no water going over the waterfall. Obviously this is not a normal year. I’ve shot in this creek when it is dry and it makes a very nice setting. But it works when it has water in it too, as you can see.
I’m still suffering from the heat and not doing much outside. And it doesn’t look like it is going to cool down to normal temperatures any time soon. But I have some new shoots coming up…some in and some outdoors…so there should be lots of new material for the blog soon.
Meanwhile, I have more of Char coming too. This was a great shoot with a great model and produced more “keepers” than I usually get on a shoot. And I’ve also done a shoot with one of my old favorite models that will be showing up here after I finish posting the Char photos.
Now, if we can just keep the air conditioners running long enough at the studio to actually get it cooled down I might be able to shoot some new stuff in there too.
More of Char Getting Wet
July 28th, 2011
Yep, I got a lot of keepers on the shoot with Char at this waterfall. This is the last one of her at this waterfall that I’ll be posting here. There are more to come from the shoot, though…we moved on to a couple more locations after this one. The spray was really getting her in this spot. Sounds good today as the temperature is back up in the mid-90s.
There’s a tree trimming crew working on the the giant Elm tree in our yard today. It dropped a limb on our house and the neighbor’s house last week. I actually had a note to call the tree trimmers for this week, so I did and they are cleaning up the mess from the limb that fell and cleaning up the tree so it won’t happen again. We have the tree worked on regularly to try to avoid problems, but got caught this time. Not a whole lot of damage to the houses, though, so it’s not a big disaster. Still waiting for the insurance adjuster to come and see it, though.
I’ve been looking for a few more models to work with on a regular basis and I think I found one this week. I’ll be setting up a shoot with her in August, so if all goes well, you’ll be seeing her here soon.
Plus I have shoots with several other models, some new and some old favorites, coming up in the next week, so we’ll have some new material here soon. But I’m sure you aren’t getting tired of Char yet, are you? Who could get tired of a beauty like her?
