2008 - Lets Do it Again!

I hope everyone got to enjoy the holidays and spend time with love ones. Its 2008 and I am looking forward to the new year. No, I don't do resolutions. My aim is to just keep moving forward. I don't think you need to wait til January 1st to make up your mind or set goals to do something meaningful in your life. Its should be an ongoing process. I want to get better at my photography and present better content on my blog, but like I said, these are ongoing processes that build upon the previous year.

It wasn't easy staying away from all of you. I had to resist the urge to get back to writing despite saying I'd continue after the holidays. I made a list of things I wanted to write about, but I think I will ease into them, instead of blasting you with it all at once. So I will first start out my blog entry of the year with congrats to my bud, Dave Rudin, author of Figures of Grace for being selected by The 2007 Fluffytek Photographic Nude Blog Awards, as the Best Overall Nude Blog of 2007. For that he received a "Golden Fluffies" award. There are many many Nude Art blogs on the web right now and I can tell you that the competition was stiff. Dave taking tops is no small feat.

And also, if you are going to have a blog for nude art, that means somebody's gotta get naked. Congratulations goes to Iris Dassault for best Nude Model Blogger for 2007. I am pretty sure this was probably not as close of a decision as the Nude Art Blogs. It was more than likely a landslide. There are lots of pretty models from which you can choose to make fine art, but Iris takes her talents to another level as a writer with invaluable and relevant content both useful and entertaining to the art photography lovers. Models and Photogs alike can benefit from her expertise which she offers freely to her readers. Now she has added to her repertoire of writing talents, contributors Unbearable Lightness and Tarachin. I don't know about the rest of you but I can't wait to see what the new year brings from the minds of those three.

I am not sure as to the eligibilities or the award selection process, but I know two other bloggers of note that were not mentioned, whom I believe have done the most for the promotion of art nudes, photographers, and models have to be Chris St. James and Michael Barnes. (I know that was a run-on sentence, but I am not being graded here!) Chris St. James handles Univers d' Artistes, which is content laden like a chocolate chip cookie...just chock full of goodness. Michael Barnes is the chief architect behind Art Nudes Blog. You CANNOT call yourself a nude art lover and NOT know Michael Barnes and his blog, despite the efforts of the jackass who's complaint resulted in a content warning advisory on his site. Both of these gentlemen are the Don Kings of Nude Art ... (but in a good way!) So if you don't know, you better ask somebody.

Now everyone join me in extending congratulations to these individuals for their accomplishments and contributions by visiting their sites and becoming regular supporters, subscribers, and readers of their work. They have put an awful lot of time, energy and dedication to serve us and we owe them no less. [Applaud] ... [Applaud] ... [Applaud]

Three Things

Now this is an omission on my part. Somehow, I've not added the accomplished photographer Dave Levingston to my list of photogs and blogists (is that a word?). You have heard me speak on the incomparable Dave Rudin before, several times I might add, so it would stand to reason that I would also add in someone whom he lauds, Dave Levingston. I mentioned in post sometime in September that I got to have breakfast with Dave R and how he frequently referenced his friend Dave L. I have Dave Levingston in my AOL favorites folder and I visit his blog, Exposed for the Shadows, quite often. I just didn't realize that it wasn't on my own blog til just yesterday while revisiting Univers d'Artistes blog, who properly recognized this photo icon, while I missed it. When I started this blog I was constantly referencing Dave R, Dave L, Michael Barnes and Iris Dassault. So with this paragraph, let me give the man, nay, THE LEGEND, his proper dues and advise you now that he has been included on my blog list.

ALSO, let me extend a special appreciation to Peter J. Crowley for giving me some contact information on how I might obtain the DVD I was seeking aid to obtain, "Eloquent Nude: The Love and Legacy of Edward Weston and Charis Wilson". I have already made it know about my reasons for wanting this DVD so if need be check out the post with the same title done just a few weeks ago at most. If you have not heard of Peter J. Crowley, then this is also a good opportunity to reference his blog and website. I invite you to stop by pay him a visit and and send him a comment to two about how much you enjoyed his art. His contact info is readily available. Please note, he is and already has been on my blog list. His was one of the sites I added originally when I started this only a few months ago.

ALSO 2, you have read some of my posts about select photo books, specifically Kodak Galley mini books. I have been checking out some others as well, and I am about to start doing more of these and offering them for purchase in addition to my prints. "Elizabeth in Series" is a black and white studio session I did a few months back before I came to Vegas, you have already seen some of the work posted on this blog and on my website. In fact I just added several of them to a new gallery on my site TLNeasley.com. I initially had about 20 primary images that I used to affect some darkroom manipulations which I made prints for. However, I shot approximately 15 rolls of this young woman and have spent the better part of a month editing about 100 of those images. This will be the first set I start making full size books of. I will subsequently begin work on a Trisha series. So stay tuned...