Cool Melissa

If you are not passionately devoted to an idea, you can make very pleasant pictures but they won't make you cry. - Ruth Bernhard

I took a break from photo work, and some other studying that I am doing to go see the movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage. All I could say was, "Damn..." after the credits began to roll. It started out fast, by impressing you with a plane crash, but then slowed down a bunch and made you try to figure out where things were going. It has few interesting twists, but in the end, left you wondering with a feeling of "NOW WHAT?" Interestingly enough, there is a question of faith that Cage has to deal with and when he comes to his conclusion, there is a reference to biblical prophesy. The thing is, nothing that transpires in the movie has anything to do with a prophet or how the Bible says events will unfold.


But onto photography...



As I write this blog, I am being interviewed via email by a young girl, or woman, I should say, who is the daughter of one of my models. She's a teenager doing an interview on people and their careers. She chose me since I am a friend of the family and she relates to me because I am an artist like she is. And this girl is good. She's got a talent and a potential, that properly cultivated and supported, could blossom into something great. Hold on... another email question... Okay, I'm back. She's asking some very good questions. At first I was wondering if her mom was helping, but she's come back with some fairly spontaneous remarks that would suggest otherwise. This is her own work. So for now, we are going over what its like to be a photographer and some of my background. Its cool.



I was recently featured by Unbearable Lightness, who's been helping Chris St. James run Univers d'Artistes. In her post, "The New Neasley", she made me sound like I was some high profile photog who went into a mysterious hiatus leaving everyone to guess and speculate what I was in the midst of creating. It was a good article that centered on my initial intent to suspend my nude work and the challenges I had in the attempt. Nine images of Brittani, Melissa, Trixie, Erica, and Gabriella were selected for the feature. This was a March 18th post but you can go directly to the link =>clicking here<=. You may notice that for this feature, Unbearable Lightness uses one of her recent photos as sort of a tribute the the Vegas theme for her image ID. Nice touch, Sweetness.



I mentioned before that you should be expecting images of a recent shoot with Model Melissa. This was our 3rd collaboration. It was right after editing the first work that I had the idea to do her with a wide-angle lens to exaggerate the perspective of her hips and legs (Canon EF-S 10-22mm). She's got the deceptive build for it. To look at her, she appears thin as can be, but when the clothes come off all that hidden shape and curvature comes to life. I was thankful for the fact that she allowed me to play with that idea. Not many models are willing to allow you to capture imagery that intentionally makes their butts look bigger. Melissa is very comfortable with the way she looks and trusted me enough to just let me play, 'cuz that's what I did. I experimented with angles and positions, while trying to get the desired effect with the camera lens. Many models would be very uncool with how close I had to get to get the exaggerations, but that's necessary when you work wide like that. When I get my Canon 5D Mark II, the 16-35mm L-series is definitely on the list. In fact, I don't think I will get that camera without two lenses...one of them being the 16 to 35.



One of the more interesting thing about this shoot is that its the 3rd time we've shot and its all been in her house in the same area. Normally, I'd have been bored silly by now and yearning to get her outside. She's even got the most interesting backyard, and I have yet to explore it. Part of that has been weather, but also, its been due to my business with the indoor work. The third shoot in particular took some patience because of the lighting challenges. I knew from the last shoot that coming during the time of day I was there would allow some interesting lines from the Venetian blinds in the window. This day however was very cloudy. We'd have the light for just a second or two and then it was gone. We'd wait for it to come back, but limitations on time forced us to move on. But when we'd see the lines return, I'd have her jump back on the couch, assume the same position and try to snap quickly. Some of it was trial and error, thinking I could bring it out in Photoshop with contrast corrections and blending options, but I finally got what I wanted. I love me some Melissa. And here is some of our latest work.

Hi, Charlie!

Tabitha's Debut

Some of us cynics say that "the quickest way to make a million dollars in photography, is to start with two million dollars". - Anonymous

There was much surrounding this shoot that it almost didn't happen. Several unusual circumstances would have undone the average photographer and the ordinary model. But as fortune would have it, we both stuck this thing out and saw it through to completion. Tabitha is the model that I over-slept on and ended up missing the shoot for. So you can imagine how apologetic and appreciative I was that she even bothered to give me another chance. I would have bent over backwards for her and trust me, I inevitably did. I won't go into much of the details due to the fact that I hold her confidence in regard and I see no need to divulge her business to the public domain. Suffice to say that when we did finally meet, I had every right to bail out and even wisdom may have dictated that I walk away. However this is one circumstance for which I chose to let curiosity reign and see just how deep this rabbit hole would take me. I'm glad I did.

The holiday season is upon us and I am most afraid to even leave the house now. Traffic is horrendous and the last thing you will see me doing is to drive anywhere near a mall, a Wal-Mart, or a Target. In fact, it is my sincere goal to avoid any retail establishment all together. Things get crazy during Christmas and the holidays. I couldn't believe when I heard about the Wal-Mart security guy who was trampled to death during the Black Friday sale day after Thanksgiving. People can be stupid. The man lost his life because of a sale? Come on!

A good friend of mine chose to play a joke on me that took me hook, line, and sinker. The set up was perfect as I played into it perfectly. During a dinner/meeting with a few friends, we discussed some of our recent best shots, one of which was taken by my "good friend" here was posted online and I was the only one amongst the group who hadn't seen it. It is at this point that my friend handed me his camera to check it out on the LCD screen. A few things began to roll the gears in my brain at this point. Since everyone else had seen the shot already, I felt a little guilty for not kept up online to have noticed. However instead of handing me the camera, I am given the entire camera bag. This is the first thing rolling my mental gear works. I'm wondering why he didn't just take it out himself, find the pic and show me. So this must mean he wishes for me to scroll through all of his stuff before I see the shot of the century. Can you see how I play right into this?

The next thing I realize as I unzip the and grab onto the grip is the familiar hold I have. Stop a sec. Let me predicate this next part with the fact that this friend is die-hard Nikon and shoots with the D3 (oh yeah, please watch this funny video on the D3). I shoot Canon, so now you understand the bewilderment I feel that the body grip seems accustomed to my hand. I am drawn in to the fact that the camera feels like my EOS 40D and even looks similar to it because of the thumb wheel and controls. This is certainly not his D3 that he lugs around all the time. Upon closer examination, I notice that the left side of the camera has a vertical array of function buttons instead of the horizontal buttons on my 40D. Vertical buttons... okay, this must be his Nikon D700 that I know he purchased not long after its release a few months ago.

Now my brain is bewildered again because each time I think I solve a dilemma, another one presents itself. Just as I am resolving to believe this is the D700, I see the familiar red ring of a L-series lens, which is a Canon premium brand of lenses. It is at this point that I understand that nothing is as it seems and all my assumptions are incorrect. My friend is watching my face during this entire episode and becomes exceedingly giddy as he sees me turn the front of the camera around. I am sure I must have been viewing my next action in slow motion as I turn the front of camera around to put to rest all doubt on what I am holding. The shot of the day would have actually been my face as I come to terms with the fact that I am holding the one camera I am beset to have... the Canon EOS 5D Mark II. "Bastard" was the first thought that came to mind as I saw how happy my friend was at my expense. I didn't know how to get back at him. Do I throw the camera across the restaurant or do I just run away with it? I had to concede the match to him and chose to do neither. He won that round. He had me take a few shots with it to really reel me in. Its a wonderful camera, but I already knew that. I know everything about this camera except what it feels like to be the owner of one. That's okay. I can be patient. This is what I am suspending my nude art for. I want to purchase this camera with proceeds I earn from my 40D. Trust me...I'll do it. And I'll find a way to get my good ol' buddy back on this.

Instead of a model, I think I'll feature a Make Up Artist/Hair Dresser for this post. If you already live in Vegas or if you plan to visit and do some shooting, Debra Weite is your contact for all your MUA needs. I kid you not when I say the woman is good and knows her stuff. I first met her during a lighting seminar earlier this summer. She liked my photography and we clicked pretty well. I got an invite a few months later to attend Hair Wars where she and her styling salon took first place honors. You can easily come across a hundred photogs and models who will swear by Debra and she's got a nice following. You can readily count me in that line. You'll be a fan too once you meet her and let her do her thing for you. Trust me on this. Holla at my girl. Show her some love. She'll give it back because she is the kind of person who delivers more than she promises or that you'd expect.

And lastly, I just had to share this YouTube video on the D3.