The Month of August

Birthday dinner with Dana and Jacob, Boulder, CO

Street performer, Boulder, CO

What can be said about this month of August? Its probably been the strangest birthday month to date. Good things...not so good things. Four main parts to this month have been the most significant. First and foremost, I had a birthday. So that was definitely a good thing. Another day above ground is always cool. Along with that, I took a trip to Colorado. This is where it gets a little tricky, but I won't bore you with the details and specifics. Suffice to say, I didn't get to shoot any models. I didn't get to see many of the friends I went there for because I had to cut the trip short. Time was limited for the friends I did get to see. And to really put the crown on the cake, my car suddenly took a dump. It began spitting coolant everywhere.

Street performer, Boulder, CO

It took me about 16 hours to drive back and about 5 gallons of coolant. I went straight to the dealership but they could not even find a problem after keeping the car for a day. It was believed that a gas attendant I saw along the way might have fixed the issue by releasing air pockets through a bleeder valve. Well, I lasted another week before my ride started spitting coolant again. This time, my buddy Felix and his life-long friend Art came over to look at it. Art found a leak in the water pump and thought it might be wise to change out the thermostat as well. He agreed to work on my car the NEXT MORNING. What I didn't know til after I got over there was that it was HIS BIRTHDAY and we spend from 7am to almost 5pm taking apart, replacing parts, cleaning parts on my car. We took apart the entire coolant system almost and flushed both the engine and the radiator. We replaced all the hoses, installed a new water pump and thermostat, and he made my throttle body look like new again since we had to remove it to get to the thermostat. Sadly the car is STILL spitting coolant. I'm giving it a few more days to see if it may have just been overfilling it or something simple. So the jury is still out on that one. Long story short... Papa needs a brand new ride.

The deaf cat

So yeah, its been a weird month. So much so that I've got friends asking me where I've dropped off to. Photo-wise, its been mainly catching up on edits. As soon as I got back, there were two projects waiting on me still and the primary one was from a volunteer session for NILMDTS I had done a week before I left for Colorado. I did more edits on that project than any NILMDTS session to date. I didn't get many shots from Colorado either. Most of my time was spent hanging with friends and when I did try to head up into the mountains, I got stranded on the side of the road while heading up some mountains waiting for my car to quit steaming. And this has probably been the month with the most VA appointments ever!

Street Performer, Boulder, CO

But this month has definitely been a blessing too. Despite the car, I honestly can't complain. Well, maybe a little with the knee and my back, but other than those things all together, its been a blessing. I got to see 3 friends that I hadn't seen in 25 years. The only regret was that I did't get one shot of me with Kev, Jay, or Susie! I spent the majority of my time at Kevin's house and despite the 3 times we went out... not one shot. I only got to see Jay and Susie only briefly but still, not even a camera phone photo. I also to see two former models of mine that I hadn't seen in 5 years. I spent the night with one of them, Dana, (another shot of Dana) and since I wasn't going to get to do any camping, I took my sleeping bag out on her patio that was covered by a big crab-apple tree. Her boyfriend was also a former photo classmate of mine from college in Murray State University in Kentucky. They took me out for a birthday dinner that night.

I haven't done any more nudes since working with Viki Vegas in early July. So I need to change that. I think my next concept will be a little more edgy and possibly dark. Any takers? I've been doing safe and conservative for a little too long so I definitely need to spice it up a little. Come to think of it, I hadn't been doing much hiking either. Its too friggin' hot to do stuff locally, but I could easily head out to Mt Charleston or maybe something out to Utah. My last hike was with Aletha and friends in mid-July and that was Mt Charleston's Big Falls. Before that it was in June where I also camped out and did Little Falls that night and Big Falls that morning. I guess I never posted any pics from any of those hikes.

Well, the month isn't over so there's still lots I'll still have to report on. I gotta finish this thing up quick. Got another VA appointment on the other side of town. Hope the car holds up!

Mary, Katherine... Sorry I didn't get to drop in on you guys in Gunnison, CO. I'll be back that way, though... PROMISE!

Eloquent Nude DVD - Got it!

There are several things I could cover tonight, but I need to limit it. "Shave or Not to Shave" will have to wait one more entry as I plan to cover some different things here tonight. I have also elected to bring back some of my landscape artwork for the next few posts as well.

Today was my first meeting of the Las Vegas Art Model's Group. I didn't have the turnout that was signed up, which was disappointing, but in a way, I was also relieved. The venue I selected could not have accommodated the seating arrangements had everyone who RSVP'd showed up. At the time I selected the venue, I only had 6 or 7 people in the entire group. Well, it ballooned to over 30 within the next week. This was more of a discussion meeting than a group session. So nobody brought easels, cameras, or paint. This was for brainstorming purposes in which case I utilized the opportunity to introduce myself, cover some basics about the group, and solicit suggestions and input from the members.

I plan to grow this group not only in size but also in influence. When you think of the art community in Vegas, you'll think of the Las Vegas Art Model's Group first. I want this to be the "IT" group if you move here and want to make an impact in the local art world. Several group members made outstanding suggestions and we have some valuable contacts to help us get started. I am thinking I may have to run a second blog as well. If this thing goes as I hope, it will not be serving to my current readers (especially overseas) to discuss the non-relevant happenings of the Art Model's Group when they have nothing to do with Vegas. By the first of the year, I will consider publishing a new blog for the LVAMG.

On another note, I just received in the mail the DVD of which I have been searching. Again, I want to give a special thanks to Peter J. Crowley for putting me in contact with Julie Gliniany of NW Documentary, the company which produced the DVD. I have not viewed it yet, but I plan to watch it tomorrow or the next day and then begin my review of it there after. For any new readers who may not have read these specific posts, this DVD is titled, "Eloquent Nude: The Love and Legacy of Edward Weston and Charis Wilson". I am particularly enthralled about this DVD for two reasons. First, I have been a big time fan of Edward Weston. I have not searched out why I identify with his style of photography, but I just know I relate to it. For some reason, I have a sincere appreciation for his methods and techniques. Maybe sometime I will do some self-imposed psychoanalytic inner reflection on why I like it, but its kind of like asking why I like cheesecake? Because it tastes like cheesecake, I guess.

The second reason I was thrilled to find out about this DVD is for the relationship between he and his muse, Charis Wilson. I have had the most affinity for the work of photographers who photograph their own wives. Edward traveled the country side shooting Charis everywhere and anywhere. I recently posted an entry on The Artist's Wife which outlined a NY Times article titled "The Artist's Wife: The Muse Who Never Said No", referencing Eleanor Callahan, the wife of the late photographer Harry Callahan. One thing that made this article so rich to me was the focal point on Eleanor who is 91 at the point of this interview. She was married to Harry for 63 years.

Scouting trips

I am still getting aquainted with the sites of Las Vegas. For the most part, I know the place well, in terms of getting where I need to go, but not for locations to shoot. Thats still a trying task for me. I'd prefer someplace nearby for right now since I like to scout out my locations before I actually do a shoot there. From what I am hearing from several people is that I need to get out of the city to get what I am looking for. I have been out to Valley of Fire several times now and truthfully, I can't get enough of it. That place is just gorgeous. Its crossed my mind to do several sessions out there with different models. I can just shoot in different locations within the park. After a while I know it starts to look the same, but I believe working with different models can still give it a twist of uniqueness.

It was also suggested yesterday to check out Zion National Park. Now I have been to Zion, but my trip wasnt all that long and I didn't get to do the hiking trails I wanted. I have been told to hike the Narrows, which is supposed to be really nice. I understand that a portion of it is through water thats anywhere from 2 to 4 foot deep. Don't know if that's true or if it depends on the seasons but its certainly worth checking out. My issue is that I have to drive out almost 3 hours to see it before I shoot it. I may just go out to hike it and come back with a model. I'd like to go with a fresh face, but a first time model may not want to go that far out with someone they just met which means camping out is also out of the question. Decisions...decisions...

Well, I will get it done at some point. My thoughts are to hike it, come back, shoot a new model at Valley of Fire, and then depending on how it goes, discuss a trip out to Zion. I have heard Spring Valley Ranch should be nice as well. I'd appreciate some suggestions if you got'em. I have included 3 pics of a Colorado adventure in this post. This girl freaked me out when she climbed out over a cliff that had a drop of at least 300 feet. There was a 3 foot long triangular shaped flat rock that extended from the cliff about 10 feet down. I made her come back up and then climbed down there myself to test it out before I agreed to shoot her there. The LAST thing this black guy needed was a naked white girl at the bottom of a cliff in a area where I got to see only one other black person the who week I stayed there. We were all over the Black Canyon near Gunnison, CO. I only planned on stopping overnight. I ended up staying there a week and shooting 4 different models. Loved it. Isn't that an intersting tree?

Getting to know Vegas

I've posted a collection of my nudes, my portraits, so now I am adding a few of my landscape images. They were taken up in the mountains of Colorado, (the meandering stream and the skyscape), as well as at the Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National Park, IL (the B&Ws).

I am still searching for more area in and around Las Vegas to shoot. I am thinking of planning a trip further up north in Nevada as well as Utah. I have visited Zion National Park in Utah already, so I may start there. I'd like to find more rocks to shoot on, but I want to incorporate water.

I am also searching for indoor areas to shoot. An interesting apartment, house, furniture store, it doesn't matter. I want something uncommon, different...something that will draw you in and make you want to see more. Getting to know Las Vegas and Southern Nevada are my primary missions right now. I am getting to network all the time and am constantly meeting new people with ideas and suggestions. I come across people I'd like to shoot often times as well and many people I talk to have been very open to the idea of modeling for me, which is always a good thing. Come on LAS VEGAS...TALK TO ME!

Lets get this show on the road

This is the first entry of my blog, Terrell Neasley Artistic Photoblog. As stated in the title description, this blog is an extention of my website, http://www.tlneasley.com/ which showcases my collection of artistic nude, portrait, and landscape photography. I am in the process of settling in to the Las Vegas area and still have to get organized here. This is not an easy process.

The purpose of this blog is to keep my viewers updated and informed on my photographic activity, thoughts, and endeavors. This is what I love to do and I am only getting better at it. I study continuously and am always trying to improve what I do. I am open to any comments and will respond to any questions accordingly.

So stay tuned and keep checking back! These images are some of what you can expect to see on my website. Enjoy!