Photo Book - Jenny in Peru

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

I estimated about 2 months and that's right about how long it took. Two months after Jenny Anne Rose left me in Peru to go back home, I have completed all the edits and now the book "Jenny in Peru" is now available! TWO HUNDRED THIRTY PAGES in a large 14 x 11-inch hardback book, using high quality long-lasting archival paper. This is definitely an art book suited for the coffee table or living room center-piece.

Jenny in Peru

By Terrell Neasley

The book illustrates three weeks of adventure in which I detailed much of this in the recent blog post, "Travel Nudes, Jenny in Peru". Do yourselves a favor and go back to visit that post one more time. I think I've got about 10 images from our trip to accompany that post, which is the most I think I've done on any blog post. You can read about the details of our travels from Lima to Northern Peru, back to Lima, then to two locations in Southern Peru, and finally back to Lima again.

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

What was unique to me on this particular entire photo project was the greater focus I put on the book while I was shooting. Normally, I shoot simply for the shots, themselves. At most, I shoot with the edit in mind. That's how I've always worked. The edit has always been my primary objective for each individual shot. Almost every single one is made to stand on it's own, sometimes possibly in a series...maybe a triptych.

This time, I followed my normal methodologies, but I also incorporated shots that were specifically for the book orientation, such as shooting in landscape orientation and also some with the intent to make it cover double pages (I want to do the next one in Portrait Orientation) When making a book, the story is the priority. So I want a clear flow for the narrative that gives the viewer a reason to pause and study each page, but also an incentive to leave that page and see what comes after. I want to entice my viewers to travel all the way to the last page. And after having evoked an emotional response one way or the other, they wonder what else I will deliver soon.

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

No matter how well-structured and creative a story is, Presentation is second on the priority list. Second, but a very CLOSE second. From the beginning, I wanted the story to be, in a way, narrated by the model with not only her moves but also her words. Given that she is an astute writer, I was able to use her talents and incorporate her style in a way that gave a more complete story about our journey from her perspective as well as insight into her thoughts. In this way, the viewers are able to appreciate the artistic use of her body in unfamiliar environments as well as peer into her mind and witness within as well as without. My hope was a better sense of character development and a deeper appreciation for this model's performance.

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

Part of presentation is organization and structure. I organized this book mostly chronologically, but also categorically. I used the model's perspectives to introduce each different segment of our journey. Font, font size, alignment, book title, and book customization all go into essentials in book making. This is an art book, so I chose Premium heavy-weight paper. I wanted to incorporate my same since of quality in my prints into this book which also comes at premium expense. I have used the publishing services of Blurb.com for several years and they have provided me with great results.

Order your copy now to enjoy this most excellent exhibition of adventure, travel, and art. Thank you for your patronage!

Art Model, @JennyPoses4U_2 ©2019 Terrell Neasley

A Butterfly Emerges: How One Woman Came to Redefined Her Life

Jungles of El Salvador 2015 touring waterfalls

I'm way past due on doing my photo books. 2012 was my last book that I did, an annual of all the nudes I shot earlier that year. I've done books for other people since then (travel, bereavement, and commissions), but not any of my own books for my own art work. So I've put my mind to three projects and this is the first one.

A Butterfly Emerges

By Terrell Neasley

This is my latest art project, an intimate, sensual, and even explicit pictorial narrative of a woman's transformation from a stifled life to one of her own will and exploration. She's made life changes after a divorce that now prioritize travel, exploration, and being much more positive about her body. There are over 230 full-spread images in this book and two editions are available. Both are hard back and large format. However the higher priced of the two editions is printed on the best quality heavy paper the publisher has to offer. The other has a dust jacket and printed on premium paper, but not the heaviest stock.

This is the largest book I've done to date, primarily because of the volume of accumulated work over about three years. Trying to curate these edits down to the maximum allowable by the publisher was quite the daunting task. I could have easily added another 500 images to this collection and I am considering a separate volume with nothing but cell phone images...easily another 1,000!

I titled this art piece, "A Butterfly Emerges, How One Woman Came to Redefine Her Life", because its very appropriately describes her life's journey to this date. I won't get into specifics, but suffice to say she has come to terms with where her life has brought her and has chosen to live much more liberated going forward. She's my personal muse, companion, and soul mate and we've chosen to share our adventures in this series of work with more to come.

Copan Ruinas, Honduras 2015

The butterfly honestly embodies who this model is on several levels. A delicate creature, emerging from her past to find her wings and fly skyward. Fitting with this analogy is the story of transition and transformation. Often when you hear of butterfly used as a verb, as in "to butterfly a fillet", its often describing the act or splitting something apart, almost in two and then spreading it open. As you will see in the pages to follow, we've chosen to not shy away from exhibiting this model's natural tendency to be seated with knees high and spread open. She truly relaxes and is most comfortable with her legs "butterflied", if you will.

And for my part, I photograph the nude. All of it. I do not shoot to miss, cover, or hide genitalia. I use discretion in some cases and then again not in others. I know I run the risk of over-saturating your senses with pussy shots (and even penis images in some spots), but again, I remind you of my volume dilemma. We have photographed in and around our home and studio, but our journey has also taken us on travels throughout Nevada, Utah, California, the Outer Banks in North Carolina, and three months in Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.) We enjoy camping, backpacking, and day trips.

El Salvador. Yes, sometimes it got THAT hot!

Therefore I ask for you, the viewer, to try to see these images and my art as the way it was intended; as a real-life depiction of a woman's emergence into a will of her own and shared by myself. It is intimate, provocative, and yes, explicit. However, I have faith that you can see through all of that and see the journey for what it is and enjoy my artwork.

You can see previews of this journey on my Blurb bookstore site. I must tell you the edition with the highest quality, heavy stock paper is damn sure worth your investment. I will generally sell a single piece of my art for 5 times that amount and in this case, you get more than 230. Its more than a book of a hard binder and pages. My hope is that I have been successful in my attempt to stimulate your senses and bring you into our experience. Click on this link. Buy my book. I know you will enjoy it.

Thank you.