Nude vs. Naked

Art Model, Alisia Copyright 2020 Terrell Neasley 

"Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display. The nude is condemned to never being naked. Nudity is a form of dress."

~ John Berger

I got a chance to talk about my nude art work a few months ago in a pizza shop. The conversation with a couple and their female friend got fairly in-depth as we talked about my art. This picture usually develops often in my travels when I mention I do artistic nudes. And in this case, like several others, it's the women that usually drive the discourse. First, they want to see the pics. I take them to my website (PhotoAnthems.com) or show them some of my latest work on my phone. After that, the questions, discussion, or debate commences. 

The absolute most common question I get is... 'Why do they have to be naked?" This comes from a more conservative circle who don't understand why I do this. I get that. My art is not for everybody and I'm not trying to persuade anybody into my court on this. And therefore the answer I give to this question is, THEY DON'T. They do not HAVE to be naked. They are nude because I CHOOSE to photograph them this way.

Other times there is instant appreciation and the discussion turns to inquiry. How do I find models? What do I look for in a nude model? Who are my inspirations... both model and other photographers? How did I get started? The girlfriend wanted to know what kind of nudes I enjoy (other than my own). I initially thought they were trying to get me to talk about porn. But that wasn't the case as they explained to me that my style was different from what they were familiar with, however, surely every artist must also appreciate different styles and and hate others.

The friend of the couple pointed out that she liked how I used "real" women who look like somebody you might see shopping in a store or standing next to you in the elevator. She felt it was cool that somebody could find beauty in people like herself and not just "Hollywood" women, as she called them. The conversation also brought to mind the debates, in which I sometimes engage, on the distinction between a photograph of a nude woman vs a pic of a naked chick. I'll scroll past the latter all day. 

Art Model, Alisia Copyright 2020 Terrell Neasley

So what is the difference between art nude photography and a photo of a naked person? That's a simple, yet complex question. On the face of it, nakedness simply implies a condition of being without clothes or something that covers your modesty. Yes, there are other functions of clothing, but let's stick to the point. Any image depicting nakedness can be claimed to be art or artistic by the creator or subsequently by anyone who views it. I used my cell phone to take photos of a girlfriend while she showered or sometimes when she exercised outside on the back patio. Is it art? I can be, if I say it is. And subsequently so, it is if I display it in an artistic environment with other similar depictions and call it, "Life of the Domestic Nude". Therefore, weight is given to the creator, the viewer, the context, and the environment in which the photo is displayed as to determinant factors to answer the question of artistic value and merit. 

Conversely, if I take the same shot with a camera that allows me to slow down the shutter speed, I can blur the cascading water and maybe her hands as they pass over her face and through her hair. I could shoot with a wide-angle lens and capture more of the surrounding bathroom for the environmental portrait aspect and shoot upward from a low angle. I might narrow the aperture down to reduce the light which illuminates her backside more than her front as she faces the shower head... and intentionally underexpose it. This creates a vignette on the backside of the composition whereas the front side is already in shadow. Maybe I'll shoot at a higher ISO to introduce grain and edit the shot in Black and White. 

Art Model, Alisia Copyright 2020 Terrell Neasley

At this point, I've employed fundamental principles of photography, introducing motion, perspective, balance, light and shadow variance, depth of field, grain, and use of monochromatic techniques. I'd bet if you saw the shot, you could see geometric shapes in the composition. If I never used the photo in an art gallery or if I never even called it art, it would still likely be widely accepted as an artistic composition on it's own merit. Why? Because I used artistic tools to consciously create something. You don't have to be called an artist to create art. Art is an expression. A person who creates something that is an outward manifestation of their expression, views, or emotion has created art. If you do it repeatedly, your an artist whether you get paid for it or not. If you get paid, then you're a professional artist. 

I don't often put a name to my style of nudes, but what the girls were used to seeing was glamour nudes. What they saw in my art didn't reflect much of that. I'm glad for it. I hardly ever need a make-up artist or a hair stylist. I like my nudes as raw as they come. I shoot the nude in whole or in macro parts, but I shoot all of her. Nudity restrictions hamper my creative abilities. I usually find my models by asking or they get referred to me. It is not often that I get someone who sees my work first and then contacts me, although it does happen. Over they years, especially in the US, word of mouth is what garnered the majority of my model finds. 

"There are few nudities so objectionable as the naked truth." 

~ Agnes Repplier

Art Model, Alisia Copyright 2020 Terrell Neasley

Shape, hair, eyes, are usually the first things that get my attention, in that order. However attitude is the prevailing factor. I say it all the time. I shoot as much as what's inside the model as I do the outside. If the attitude is not a fit, then I can't do it. That's not to say she or he has a poor attitude, just that for whatever reason, their hearts are just not in it. 

Edward Weston, Harry Callahan, Diane Arbus, Jerry Ulesmann, Sally Mann, Spencer Tunick... these were my initial inspirations. My photography professor, Michael Johnson first encouraged me to try nude photography. Dave Rudin was huge for me when I was still fresh and had finally switched to digital. He shoots film however and was already an established art nude photographer in New York. He contacted me offering encouragement and insight. He attended one of my art nude workshops and I got to see him often on his trips to Las Vegas. I get inspired by practically every model I work with. There's always something that is unique which they bring to the table. 

I love working with the muses who I shoot often and they let me play, experiment, and have the patience to stick with me when I do crappy work. There have been some I only worked with once and it was just as impactful. I can say I've shot hundreds of models. It seems like at damn near every point in my life, since I began shooting nudes, there has been someone there to help me. Since I first began, I once went a whole year without shooting a single nude. In 15 years, that's only happened once and I pray it never happens again. Top 3 models I've shot the most... 

• Tracie (Art Model Covenant) 
• Panda 
• Kristi C. 

Art Model, Alisia Copyright 2020 Terrell Neasley

I don't need for other art nude work to be like mine for me to enjoy them, but I don't particularly like implied nudes, nor nudes that trend conservative. It's so subjective. My favorite nude/photograph of all time is Dave Rudin's art piece of Carlotta Champagne. In fact... I think I will do a blog post on that one photo at some point. But it's an easily conservative piece that is nonetheless the best photo I've seen. I'm not particularly a fan of sexualized nudes. And there is a difference between that and erotica. Your idea of what sexualized is may be different from mine. Mine even has degrees to it. Maybe I'll talk on that at some point, too. Can sex be art? Sure. But more on that later. Everybody has their range on the art nude spectrum. I can only explain mine... ambiguously, so.

I've been happy to work with 4 women here in Vietnam. Art Model, Alisia was someone who was referred to me and we put together our collaboration soon after. It was a long photo shoot! I was ecstatic that she had that kind of patience for a first shoot. We discussed the possible concepts and then just got to work. I let her move, pose, and tried to provide as little direction as possible. I wanted to take what was given and see what resulted. That has been my approach most times, but if the model has difficulty and needs help on how to move, I can step in and direct. I placed Alisia where I needed and just let her go for it. My job was to capture her performance with the right light, perspective, and angles. We did that and I think we created some fine art. I am very appreciative of her. I thank her for helping me celebrate the female form with this art.

Art Model, Alisia Copyright 2020 Terrell Neasley

On the Question of Greatness

Art Model, Covenant © 2016 Terrell Neasley

Let me just break convention here and start right off with my premise that staying in your comfort zone will preclude you from being better in your photo work. At least that's what I believe. I'm unconvinced that you can do the same thing over time and improve your overall skill set. You may not want to be great. In fact, to my recollection, I don't think I've ever heard anybody say they wanted to be great at photography. Its always "I want to be better". Either way, I'm going to say I'm certain you won't do so by simply "shooting the things you love"...without stretching yourself.

Art Model, Covenant © 2016 Terrell Neasley

Art Model, Covenant © 2016 Terrell Neasley

Let me get a little deeper with that. I shoot the things I love. I shoot the things that make me feel good about what I produce. However stagnation occurs in photography when you ONLY shoot the thing you are most comfortable with the same way you've always shot it. You don't grow and you don't expand your horizons to Betterland. I don't care what it is that you shoot, you can always add a little twist to it. Do the same thing but utilize a more involved process. Want to shoot landscape? Cool. But how about getting out more than just 20 miles from home? How about doing it at night? Pull out the tripod and cable release and get some stars involved. Ever head out when every body else is heading in from inclement weather? Maybe some light painting. Get creative. What else can you do at night. Leave the steel wool alone for a while though. In full disclosure, I've used it to some great achievements. But I'm sure as hell tired of dumb butts not being safe with it and stupidly destroying landmarks and local monuments.

How about a different lens perspective? You do portraits? Okay, well maybe stop shooting wide open on that 85mm f/1.2 and utilize a wide-angle lens intead. Switch it up to some environmental portraiture. Get out of the studio and bring in the subjects surroundings that may tell a story of where they live. I mean, after all...are we not trying to tell stories with our pictures? Ever try light painting? Maybe some figure work utilizing a slow shutter and dragging your flash? What about seeing how to implement that stroboscopic feature on your Canon flash (Repeating Flash for Nikons) and seeing how you can creatively incorporate it into your favorite genre of work.

Art Model, Covenant © 2016 Terrell Neasley

I mentioned that I don't hear many photographers ascribing to be great...only better. I can't say I know why that is. And I would imagine there are different definitions to the concept of "greatness" and maybe most photogs only aspire to be the best they can be as opposed to being recognized as the best in their field. And then I guess you'd have to find a way to measure greatness. Is it an attribution to how well-known you are? How popular you are? How much money you make or what you drive? And then can you define it by their greatness in photography or maybe their greatness in business. There are certainly those who are great at photography education. As well as those who are excellent in photography marketing. Do these go down in the annals of great photographers.

Peter Lik has sold the most expensive photographic work to date at $6.5 million. The New York Times makes the case that he is more of a businessman (to paraphrase mildly) who does photography in that despite selling an estimated $400 million in fine art sales, his work rarely fetches the original sales prices on the secondary market. So then those who buy his work as investors are purportedly in for a shock should they choose to reappraise their investments in the future. Don't get me wrong. I ain't hating on the guy. I'd love to have his business model. I can't fault it by a single shot.

Art Model, Covenant © 2016 Terrell Neasley

"Arguably, the person best versed in Peter Lik comparables is David Hulme, a fine-art valuer based in Australia for a company called Auctionata. For years, he has been getting calls from Lik owners around the world, and he finds the calls depressing.

“People tell me all the time, ‘I’ve been in touch with the gallery, and they say my photograph is now selling for $150,000 a copy,’ ” he says. “So they want to know what they can sell theirs for.” 

A tiny fraction of that sum is the answer. A subscription service called Artnet — which bills itself as the most comprehensive database of its kind — captures the resale value of Lik photographs by cataloging auction results, and the most anyone has ever paid for one his photographs is $15,860, for a copy of an image called “Ghost,” in 2008. (It’s a color version of “Phantom.”) After that, it’s a long slide down, to $3,000 for a copy of “Eternal Beauty (Antelope County, Arizona)” in 2014. Fifteen images have sold for between $1,000 and $2,500, and four have sold for between $400 and $1,000. Another handful failed to sell. And that’s it."

Art Model, Covenant © 2016 Terrell Neasley

So does he go down as a great photographer? You can't deny the man makes bad ass imagery. The only real question is is it worth what its selling for. I can't give you any advice on how to be great. I'm for damn sure not great, myself. I can tell you and teach you how to be better. I can do that. I can also define who I believe are great to me. Well, let me at least say who my favorites are. Everybody agrees Ansel Adams is the Michael Jordan of photography. Particularly for me, greatness is epitomized in Edward Weston, Harry Callahan, Gordon Parks, Sally Mann, Alfred Stieglitz, Man Ray, Carrie Mae Weems, Diane Arbus, Jerry Ulesmann, Spencer Tunick, Helmut Newton, and Imogen Cunninham.

Art Model, Covenant © 2016 Terrell Neasley

Of those, my personal faves are Weston, Callihan, Mann, and Parks. Of course, there are other photographers I like and many more who have taken iconic images, but I can't say I follow their overall work. I'm not a Steve McCurry fan, but who can not be a fan of "Afghan Girl". Of my aforementioned list, (of which, is not exhaustive nor comprehensive), only Spencer Tunnick is of a more recent ilk. For me, I think greatness is defined over the career of the photographer/artist, although I do include Mr. Tunnick as an exception.

Who knows? I guess if you're always striving to be better then greatness will take care of itself. At the very least, I think any photog owes it to themselves...NAY, even to US...the viewing public, to put out their best work. Anything less is cheating yourself and ME!

Back Again... And 5 Good Things About Traveling

Art Model, Covenant ©2015 Terrell Neasley

“Unless you photograph what you love, you are not going to make good art.”

 –Sally Mann

Three months is a long time to be gone from home as a traveler or tourist. I did the same thing last year dividing my time between Nicaragua (mostly) and Mexico. And much in the same fashion as then, today is much to do about catching up. Pouring over all the missed mail, unpacking all my things, doing a data dump of a half terabyte worth of imagery, and getting your house back in order takes a little bit of time. Then there's catching up with friends and family. I got to see good friend, Pierre-Luc and his girlfriend, Katie at the theater today briefly while standing in line for movie tickets. Yes. Lot's of movies to catch up on.

Art Model, Covenant ©2015 Terrell Neasley

But I must say this was a most interesting trip. True to form, I can't seem to come away from these things unscathed. You saw the stitches in my thumb in my "Midway Through" post, which occurred in April. May saw me with my wrist wrapped up from some sort of pinched nerve or carpel tunnel thingie. It hurt far worse than my thumb did and I still suffer from it to-date, though not as intensely as before. It prompted an early return by about two weeks. With my wrist in so much pain, it was useless to continue on further north in Nicaragua. The plan was to head upwards to the Northern border and hike Somoto Canyon. We had already decided to forego our journey further south. The heat was really pouring on and we were not going to do Costa Rica or Panama. Since I had already been in the south, the cooler north made sense. We stayed in Matagalpa for a full two weeks. After my wrist showed no signs of getting better, we checked online for ticket prices and found that ticket prices didn't really change at any point during the month. So we booked our flight for the next available which was two days later.

And now we're back in Vegas! I didn't get all the shots I wanted on this trip, but I still came back with lots of goodies. It can be a bit overwhelming looking at all these shots I need to go through. Fortunately, I'm starting my edits with shots of some properties I did work for during my journey. My first gig has been waiting since the first day I arrived in country, so I need to get hot on their shots. But I still hold all the memories fresh in my head. I had dinner with some good friends today and they cooked with coconut oil. The house smelled just like the cottage we stayed in on Little Corn Island where we cooked with coconut oil as well. We ate the hell out of coconut, had fresh baked coconut bread delivered to us by our hosts, and made fruit salad, mainly of star fruit and mangoes, from the trees around the property. We spent less than $30 in total on food for a whole week! I can't wait to get back to Little Corn and our spot on the northern end.

It feels good coming home, but I'm already missing Central America. You learn so much when you travel that I feel it definitely elevates you as a human being. I've had lots of people, over the years, ask what I get out of leaving my own country so much. I'll give you 5 good reasons why you should endeavor to priorities overseas travel in your life.

Art Model, Covenant ©2015 Terrell Neasley

1. Learn New Ways of Doing Things - One way to expand your horizons is to understand the American way ain't the only way. Other people have ideas too. If there is one thing that I learned for certain is that you don't need as much as you think you need in order to be happy. I've seen it with my own eyes! If you take a look at all the things you've accumulated in life...all the stuff...what does it do for you? Trim down the clutter in your life. Start valuing and accumulating life experiences instead of stuff. This will teach you how to be flexible when life throws you a curve ball. These experiences help you to see different solutions. Travel teaches you so much about life.


2. Tolerance for Humanity - When I travel outside the U.S., I see a different culture that has adapted to their environment, established communities, and care for one another. It may be a little different than the way we do things, but you begin to understand your fellow man a little better when you see where he has come from. When you visit his or her home and you see how important hospitality is to them, you want to do the same when they come to your country. Seeing how they live helps establish a deeper connection. And when you understand we are all connected, humanity is enriched. And don't forget about the other people from other parts of the world you meet while traveling. You won't learn only from the country you visit. I have standing relationships with people from all over the world. Again...we are all connected.


3. Better Appreciation of How Well You Actually Live - America has long been called the Land of Opportunity. And I believe this is so. But believing this and taking advantage of it are two different things. If you spend your days bitching about how hard life is and how little you make and have, let me take you to a few spots in Guatemala where guys go to work every morning to clear fields with machetes and get pennies for it. But then go home to their families proud to put food on the table. Go ahead, bitch about you car or how bad your feet hurt after work. Those boys down there do work!

Art Model, Covenant ©2015 Terrell Neasley

4. Better Appreciation for the Planet - You also get to see areas of what your planet used to look like before it was deforested and cultivated for urban sale. Want to see something beautiful? Western United States has got plenty sites. But if you wanna see something different, follow me to El Salvador and take a look at some jungle waterfalls! Let me take you out into the Caribbean and swim in some of the clearest waters you'll find along with sting ray and barracuda! And while we're out there, I'll show you the dead reef areas where it has been killed off by irresponsible tourists. You will begin to understand conservation a bit better. Its like throwing garbage in your own home.


5. Broadens Out Your Scope of What's Actually Possible - But when you visit these places, especially ones not so flourishing as the U.S., you get a chance to witness what these local people do and what they can accomplish with only a fraction of what you have. You just might return home and see possibilities in areas that looked void of hope before. You may even bring back some of those new ideas and cultivate a new attitude that inevitably serves you well at home. You want a boost in self-confidence. Hit the road. Its not near as scary as you've been lead to believe.

On Sally Mann

“…it’s always been my philosophy to try to make art out of the everyday and ordinary…it never occurred to me to leave home to make art.” 

- Sally Mann

I'm not sure what I would give to spend some time with renown photographer, Sally Mann. I'm sure you know how some people want something and claim they'd trade a first-born child or right arm in exchange for their object of desire. My first born is a man now, so he's in charge of his own life. I kinda still need my right arm seeing as how I'm right-handed. I'd rather not give it up in trade just yet. However, if the opportunity were to present itself for me to go spend a month on Sally Mann's ranch home in Virginia, I'm quite sure I'd be willing to take a loss in the trade in order to do it.

There are several photographers whom I can readily identify with. I've mentioned Edward Weston and Harry Callahan as being some favorites of mine because of their work with photographing nudes of their spouses. They've each produced some of the most iconic images of not only this genre of photography but in also in art, period. Both of these figures have been originators of inspiration that hooked me into the concept of the nude. As I've evolved, however, I've come to realize that the nude is only part of my call to action. A passion, though it may be, it's really the pursuit of life that excites me. Recording the art of life from birth to death and everything in between is my true vice. Nobody patrons that cause better than Sally Man for me. I'm actually having a hard time articulating and organizing my thoughts in writing this so bare with me. I may jump around a bit.

Why do I like her? First, she doesn't give a damn. When some notion strikes her, she's all in. Controversialities, be damned. This woman is going to do what she wants to do, despite popular opinion and she doesn't cater to the current trends. Everybody knows about her "Immediate Family" collection of work, whereby she uses her own children as subjects who are often nude in the series. The outcry was huge, but it was, nonetheless, an excellent body of work that put her on the map. This is when I became aware of her. It was her work titled, "What Remains" and the HBO documentary that followed that really made me take a look at what this woman was doing. I studied articles, interview, and documentaries on this work not only in appreciation for her as an artist, but also on this artist's impact on myself.

Model, Melanie

Next, I think I enjoy her choice and use of the old school methods and processes capture and development of an image. She uses an old 8x10 view camera like you might have seen used in the 1800's. She also chooses the collodion wet plate process to make her negatives. This isn't a film based negative, but rather glass, coated with collodion and dipped in a silver nitrate solution. You expose the plate while its still wet and the image is imprinted on the glass. This is definitely not the easy way and slow does not even describe this process comparative to digital. I'm shooting about 100 images an hour. She might do two. So you know every shot is deliberate and precise. She's the military equivalent of the sniper.

She also shoots nudes of her spouse. After 40 years of marriage, she still gets to do this. Her husband Larry is probably somewhere close to 62 or 63 years old with Muscular Dystrophy. He's not complaining about being too old. You can hear him talk about the muscle loss in his legs. You hear her discuss how he appears much more frail now. Yet this guy is completely sold out to his wife. He understands how important her art is and he takes willfully becomes her subject. I've got mad respect for the both of them.

Another reason is that I think she's a beautiful woman. Granted she's a photog, but she's also my ideal type of woman to photograph. I wouldn't say there is anything glamorous about the woman. She's just got this earthy quality that I like in a model. I'm not sure whether there is an unwritten taboo about asking a photographer to model, so I don't think I'd ever ask. She can ask me to shoot her, but I'd never ask her to model. I may have broken that rule once or twice, but I'd not make an exception in her case. I could probably spend the rest of the next day blogging about this woman. In my haste, I forgot to even mention what has spurred me on thusly. NPR did an 8 minute segment on her regarding her work with her husband, Larry, "Sally Man: The Flesh and the Spirit". Click the link for the NPR segment, "From Lens to Photo: Sally Mann Captures Her Love". This is a remarkable woman.

Yeah, I'd kill to be able to spend a month with her. Now, would I really kill somebody to do this as a trade....well, I can't say until she asks.

On Sally Mann, plus Erica's Intro

...I struggle with enormous discrepancies: between the reality of motherhood and the image of it, between my love for my home and the need to travel, between the varied and seductive paths of the heart. The lessons of impermanance, the occasional despair and the muse, so tenuously moored, all visit their needs upon me and I dig deeply for the spiritual utilities that restore me: my love for the place, for the one man left, for my children and friends and the great green pulse of spring. - Sally Mann

This past week, I took my LOTR extended version DVDs over to Felix's house. We did a LOTR Marathon which is just over 12 hours of hobbit-watching. (Faerie, I'll be giving you a call to do the same thing with you and the girls later. We'll need lots of pizza!). Anyway, between movies, Felix mentioned a Sally Mann DVD after discussing my Edward Weston Eloquent Nude DVD which I had loaned him previously. I just watched the Sally Mann DVD yesterday and it was really good. I've followed her and her photography for some time now, but I had not known that there was a HBO documentary done on her until Felix told me about it, entitled "What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann". We went right over to the library and rented the it. It was splendid. It began, of course, with the telling of how she came to do her controversial Immediate Family body of work, which dealt with the nude images of her children. She discusses the aftermath of this published work and its affect on her family. It culminates into her latest body of work (pun intended), which was just as controversial, in which she photographs human bodies in various states of decomposition. This was made achievable from her visit to a body farm at the University of Tennessee Forensic Anthropology Facility which studies how bodies decompose by placing donated corpses out in the open outdoors and various other methods of exposure. This is her attempt to explore death and the process of decay. It begins with her dealings with the death of a family pet, but is really pushed to a new direction when an escaped prisoner kills himself during a shootout with authorities on the property of her farm. I'm wondering if she's trying to come to terms with her father's death as well as watching the muscular decay of her husband who suffers from Muscular Dystrophy.

She also discusses events in her life and how her family deals with her photography. I can recall a discussion on the point in a photo class where someone objecting to her "forcing" her kids to pose nude, maintained that these would be troubled kids who would grow up into scarred adults. Well, those photos were taken 16 years ago and those kids have grown up well adjusted and strong contributors to society. They discuss the point themselves. You should hear their commentary on the matter. Jesse, one of Sally's, daughters is a prolific model to this day with her own web site at JessieMann.com. I can say that, as a photographer myself, I love the fact that she has done what she's felt she's needed to do for the sake of her art. I respect the fact that she's been able to follow her love with close family ties. She's been married to the same man of close to 40 years. Her children love, adore, and defend her (as if she really needs defending). At one point in the DVD, I adore where she discusses how she and her husband spend hours at a time most every day simply looking out of the window of their spacious country farmhouse. Now that I think about it, if you've read my blogs over this past year, you've heard me repeat the fact that I love photographers who spend a lot of time photographing their spouses. Well, I've never seen a female photographer who photographed her husband until Sally Mann. Her latest series of work is just that. Three beautiful kids, a husband who loves her and supports her, a beautiful home, and a career doing ONLY what she loves to do... How can you not envy this woman? Get the DVD. If you can't find it at your local library, get it on Amazon. There are many articles on Sally Mann. Here is one I found interesting from the arts and culture section of the Smithsonian.com.

Segue...speaking of another interesting woman, let me also introduce you to model, Rebecca Lawrence. For whatever reason, I am just now discovering this wonderful girl as I came across her Model Mayhem profile just the other night. That lead me to her OMP site and most notably, her blog. I like models who blog! Hello, Iris! You can also check out her goings-on by visiting her Twitter profile. Rebecca maintains a large body of work on her profiles. Granted, she's beautiful...that goes without saying, but let me cover what I else I like about her. First, her large portfolio shows her dedication to her craft and her openness to a myriad of concepts. That says much about her versatility. I am certain she's been able to lend a collaborative hand at developing these concepts, thus helping to make a good project better. Next, I like the fact that she makes use of several different outlets to keep her fan base informed and they are ALL maintained! The girl is doing what it takes to make it as a professional model. Oh, and speaking as a former art model, I also love the fact that she's a figure model for drawing and painting, which is damn hard work, for those of you who have never experienced it. Overall, you just get a good feeling about the kind of person she is by reading what she writes and viewing work she does. I like the girl and I am sure you will too when you check her out.

With the first full year of blogging under my belt, I'd like to think that I've done a fairly decent job. I've been largely consistent at posting. I've posted at least 3 images of models with virtually every post, and I've also tried various forms of additional stimulating content. I think 2009 will be an adventure into unknown territory, but my photography and this blog with sustain. Its my endeavor to continue to deliver. I love my photo work and I love blogging. As challenging as it may be at times, its still a fun thing to do.

I want to finish this post with one of the last models I photographed this year. Folks this is Erica. For a first time project, we shot several images that consisted of portraiture and of shots that emphasized her self-proclaimed best asset, her backside. This was a fun project, albeit challenging at times. I am hopeful that we'll be able to continue to do more work in the coming year. For now, as 2008 comes to a close, I would just like to say that I have been honored that you have taken the time from your busy schedules to follow what I've written. My subscribers have doubled and new viewers are popping up ever day. Return readers are visiting even more often, now. If you have suggestions, please let me know. I am always open to your contributions. I'll be back with new models as well as new images of models you've already met. I should also be introducing my first series of maternity work fairly soon. Its going to be fun, ya'll!

Come on back! Ya' hear!

Thanks for being so wonderful,

Terrell