PHOTO ANTHEMS BLOG: South America

Showing posts with label South America. Show all posts

20 November 2019

Two Years of Travel- Final Stretch of My Americas Tour.

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.”

– Anais Nin

On 08 January 2018, I set out on a dynamic, ever-changing journey to backpack around the world. My endeavor began with tumultuous life events that got worse the next year. It has taken considerable effort and time to center myself and in truth, I should say it's an ongoing process even now. I have marked objectives I need to achieve, but I still have yet to wrap it into a specific purpose and I try to be patient with that process. Right now, all I can do is simply keep moving and figure it out along the way.

In less than a week, I will complete my tour of Central and South America albeit this is not the last I intend to see of this place. I am grateful to have visited Nicaragua, Colombia, and Peru twice yet I have more to see in each of these places. In a few days, I will have spent 5 weeks in Ushuaia, Argentina at the bottom of the world. I have done more writing than photography. I was not able to make it to Antarctica. My plans changed from desiring to see Chile and more of Patagonia. Instead, I elected to stay in one place longer which has been true to my habit. Now I have an excuse to return here again.

My next leg will take me further away, although I have not made up my mind 100 percent. It will either be French Polynesia (Tahiti) or I will skip the South Pacific and go straight to Australia. If at all possible, I would love to sail around the South Pacific Islands with someone who could use a photographer aboard or at least a good friend. But maybe I will have to be cool with doing Tahiti, Fiji, and Tonga by air and THEN fly to Australia.

I'm working on a complete restructure of my photography business that will incorporate and consist primarily of LANDSCAPE, PORTRAITURE, and NUDE photography. This will include a new website, a new blog, and a few other options that will consist of LESS social media. I'm not an Instagram fan and I don't believe it should kill me that I'm not. I hope you don't hold that against me, either.

I wish I could have finished out this year the same way I started. Coming out here alone would have been much tougher when I left in January 2018. Kayci.Lee chose to join me for a month and that steadied me. I've mentioned in previous posts that Oct/Nov 2017 was a wreck for me. And oddly, then again the same exact months for 2018. But when we left that Dallas Airport 8 Jan 2018, I was in a much better state of mind to do this journey.

There's a good chance I would have canceled the whole thing in less than a month, otherwise, had I been alone. Shooting her gave me something to do... something to focus on. My brain was occupied on something that had to be completed instead of dwelling on past events. After she left, well... then I had work to do. I still had mess to deal with, of course, but I was dealing with it from a much better perspective. I would have loved to have her here with me in Ushuaia.

I sincerely hope I don't have to go such long stretches between my nude shoots. Having somebody traveling with me is definitely preferred, but this is not an easy option for 99% of people in the world. I confess travel life would be much easier if I didn't have an absolute need to shoot nudes. The places I will visit over the next year... man! They're gonna be expensive and this will likely be the case until I get to Southeast Asia... probably another year away. But who knows.

I have learned a lot about Latin America, though admittedly I can't say I understand it all. Positives? The diversity of all the forms of beautiful country you'll run into from the tropics to the cold spots and from sea level to 12K feet up. On the negative, damn... I have run into some of the same racial biases that we have in the US, between indigenous people, referred to as locals, Indians, or natives and those of European descent.

I have so many reasons yet to revisit Central and South America. I've been to Nicaragua and Guatemala 4 times each and I'm still not done. There are still places to see and I have friends there to visit. It's the same in South America. I need to get a better feel for Ecuador as I was only there for 3 weeks and all that time was spent grieving my brother. If you have any questions about making a trip to any of these places, please feel free to ask me. I want to encourage you to spend a little time out of your familiarities and travel outside your comfortable element. You won't regret doing so.

Thank you for following along with me this year. A new one awaits and I hope you'll be with me on the other side of the world next year.

I tried, but there's no way I could end a post of her with NO nudes. I was kidding myself and cheating you. Apologies. Let me correct that egregious error now...

15 October 2019

What Is a True Muse? Let Me Show You

"All aspects of photography interest me and I feel for the female body the same curiosity and the same love as for a landscape, a face or anything else which interests me. In any case, the nude is a form of landscape. There are no reasons for my photographs, nor any rules; all depends on the mood of the moment, on the mood of the model."
~ JEANLOUP SIEFF, Photographer, b. 1930, Paris, d. 2001, Paris.

It's been slightly unsettling to me that I don't get to shoot art nudes that much in the almost 2 years that I have been traveling. I went a few weeks short of an entire year between nude shoots at one point. But I understand or at least try to, that it's not the cultural thing to do for the conservative catholic countries I've been traveling through. I tend to not be in places with a lot of tourists and local women in the Central and South American countries are simply not used to such a thing.

That being said, I've learned to be grateful and appreciative of the opportunities I do get. I was grateful when @Kayci.Lee came with me for my first month. I was appreciative when @JennyPoses4u_2 joined me in Peru for three whole weeks. And then there are those entirely unexpected little blessings that come unlooked for.

My good friend, Susan and I were conversing and she brought up the name of a woman she thought was quite impressive whom she wished I could meet and possibly shoot with. She said the woman was in Santiago, Chile. I was in Lima, Peru, so I did not put that much stock in ever meeting her. However, as it turns out, Susan was mistaken. The woman was in Cusco, Peru. I STILL didn't think much of this happening, but this was my friend Susan. Sometimes, you need to shut your brain off and listen to your friends.

Cusco is an hour and a half flight from Lima, so I booked a flight and made the trip and it turned out to be the best spontaneous decision I've made in quite a while. I knew I was going to meet an experienced nude model. What I didn't expect was to meet a true muse. There are models that will get naked for you and there are true muses, whom I often call Godsends, whose purpose in life is to inspire people like me. What I mean by that is this. Her passion to inspire is equivalent to my passion to create. And this woman delivers. This is Athena Demos.

Now understand me. I was only in Lima because it was cheaper to Argentina from there than it was to fly direct from the US to Argentina. On a whim, I decided to spend a little time in Lima to get back to the book I'm writing. I'd written 369 pages over the summer, but for the 3 weeks I was stateside, I wrote 3. So I wanted to play catch up in a quiet spot in Lima for a bit. I lengthened my time by an additional week in Peru in order to fly to Cusco and meet Athena. I was not constrained by a flight to Argentina because I had not yet purchased a ticket. Why I had not done so, I cannot tell you, but this gave me the leeway to spend that week in Cusco.

The gift that Athena gave me was more than just her musings in front of my lens. She had an added-benefit effect on my overall experience in Cusco when she became my tour guide, by inviting me into her world there. She'd already spent months in Cusco. She took me around to the San Blas Mercado (market) and showed me places to eat that got me full on good food that cost me $1.30. Just the day before, my dumbass was eating a single meal that I had waited almost an hour and a half for, paying $25 for the privilege. I walked a half hour to that place when the Mercado was 6 minutes from me.

The people in the Mercado greeted her like a sister or a friend. It was the same as we walked down the street back to where she rented an apartment. Let me give you the perfect analogy. SHE was Crocodile Dundee and I was Sue getting the backcountry tour. Oh... I can tell you why that's such an apropos analogy. She didn't have to do it, but she invited me out to the Animal Sanctuary where she'd previously volunteered. I'll talk more about this later, but the Cchocahuasi Animal Sanctuary was amazing. Because I was with her, I was admitted into some of the enclosures with these gorgeous animals. I had never been up close to an Andean Condor and now there were 6 of them around me. I wasn't getting into the monkey house with her, but I watched HER do it.

And then at the end of it, we stopped off at the sanctuary café there and I had some Capis Coffee. If you are not familiar with that, it is made from coffee beans extracted from the poop of the Coati... a little raccoon-looking animal in Peru. It eats the coffee beans which get processed in the Coati digestive enzymes and is the beans are extracted from its poop, cleaned, and roasted. The enzymes are able to lessen the bitterness that occurs naturally in coffee. Look it up. It's actually a fine, smooth tasting coffee.

The images I was able to capture of Athena were more her doing than my own. In some aspects, I knew what I wanted to do, how I wanted to shoot, and how I would edit. However, the location selection was hers and I had to depend on her muse-guidance to help me do my best work. What I mean by that is this. We'd never worked together before and given that I shoot nudes very infrequently now, I was more inclined to let her dictate the flow. Two years ago, I shot nudes practically every day. Now I begin this blog post about learning how to be grateful for any chance I get.

I did the shoot knowing that she'd be moving on after our shoot. It can be difficult to enjoy a meal when you have no clue when or where your next meal will come from. You just eat. But maybe you save a little bit for later. Maybe you even pass up a larger portion because you know your system isn't used to it and can't handle it. Does it sound like I'm starving? Well, aren't we all in some regard. So in light of these unfamiliarities and uncertainties, it was better to take what was given and direct her within those parameters.

Getting back to being grateful, though. This is what I've come to understand. Timing has been one essential element in all my shoots, grand experiences, and great adventures on this trip. And they've had one common theme each time. They've been JUST what I've needed for THAT specific time, in THAT specific moment. God has put people like Athena, Jenny, Kristi, Osmany in Nicaragua, Cristina in Ecuador, Rosa in Lima, Javier in Argentina, Carola in Guatemala, and several others along the way to help me, guide me, counsel me, and sometimes just be there. So yeah, these have been humbling times.

30 April 2019

How a Cracked Tooth Can Mess Up Plans

"Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor"

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

There are always opportunities around us. The trick to taking advantage of them exists in two possibilities. One, you have to be sensitive enough to see it when it appears before you. Or two, you prepare yourselves in such a manner that you can seize slash create those opportunities. So it's either the opportunities come to you or you go get them. As life would have it, one of the best times to catch these opportunities (or make them) is in moments of crises. This is not a motivational speech, however. Nope! Not in the least. This is my update to you on my adventures AND challenges. I try to be real. I want you to see me struggle and overcome those struggles too. And I don't want to be stupid about this. Hell, maybe you know of some options or OPPORTUNITIES I can take advantage of.

I'm presently stateside in Tennessee. I came back to surprise my mother for her birthday last month in Texas, see the kiddos in TN, road trip from Vegas to Yosemite, and then head back to down south to Argentina around mid-May to finish the South America leg of my journey. Yeah...that was a great plan until I CRACKED a tooth...lower jaw rear left side molar. Dentist says I need a crown which incidentally would take minimum 3 months. Closest appointment date? Mid-July in Vegas. What the hell am I going to do around here til MID-JULY?? More to the point though is where to stay, how to get around, and then the question of making money. I don't want to just sit some place doing nothing.

It's expensive staying here in the States. Last time I was in Vegas it cost me a grand a week between hotels and car rentals. Making money this time around wouldn't be as much an issue if it wasn't for Argentina. Going down there for me is at least a thousand dollars in winter gear and then flights to Ushuaia for another grand. It feels funny when I say I'm technically homeless at the moment. At least I always find it funny to say. But this situation puts me on notice that I need a better plan for when I come back stateside for more than a few weeks.

One option is to go someplace cheap and return again in July to fix the tooth. Mexico or Central America are plausible spots. What I really think I want is a 2-month gig with a fat payday!! I don't care where it is in the US...or the world for that matter. The last thing I want to do is get bored to death sitting around waiting for time to pass to get my tooth done. I can justify spending money for either doing something epic or at least doing something that is making me even more money. I want something to do! I guess I can discount some of my art, too. I still print big, but instead of $3500 for a print, maybe $2k. I don't know. I'm just thinking out loud. Coming up with a plan to sell my landscape work more consistently wouldn't be a bad idea either. I haven't sold anything since last Sept.

But regardless, when I do get my tooth fixed, I still have to finish my travels in South America. Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and one more time in Colombia are my priorities. If I can do this like I'm thinking, it's travel to Southern Argentina and make my way northward. Tierra del Fuego, Torres del Paine in Chile. Then Salar de Uyuni and The Death Road in Bolivia. Fly to Brazil and make a 2nd attempt at the 2-week boat trip up the Amazon River. Disembark in Leticia, Colombia. Fly up to Cartagena, Colombia and redo my northern Colombia trek... praying to God I have a model with me. Actually, I'd love to have a model with me from the time I hit the Amazon. All that done by the first part of September and then getting ready to begin my next travel adventure likely in the South Pacific Islands.

I've completed all of Art Model Jennifer's edits from our Feb/Mar excursion in Peru. Her book is also just about done. Final touches, get it ordered, and then I'll have it in my hands. I won't post a link to view it until she gets her copy, of course. She got naked... it's her gig ...she gets dibbs. We got a ton of work from this project and I sincerely hopes her husband loves the finished product as much as I have loved making it. She was absent from her family for 3 weeks to do this gig and I don't think they are used to not having her around for that long. So I hope in the end, they can look at the book, hear her stories, and conclude that the experience was well worth it.

I want this adventure to inspire others to come out and join me. Even if you're not shooting nudes or even joining me in my travels, my hope is that my stories can inspire you to get out and see what the world is like and to venture outside the US if you've never done so. Get your passport done. You never know when an opportunity will cross your path. If you don't at least have a passport, then you are not prepared to take advantage of an opportunity that could present itself. Either way, if you get it, it's like having a ticket. Now you have to only book a flight. Make a reservation at some hostel. Now you are on your way! Get out and see something different. The world awaits your company.

08 January 2019

What's it Been Like for My First Year of Travel - Part One

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” - Gustav Flaubert

On September 7th of last year, I left the US to begin my backpacking trip around the world. That was a year ago, yesterday. Art Model, @Kayci.Lee accompanied me for that first month flying into Nicaragua. We traveled north up into Guatemala and in early Feb, she flew back to the States. Me...well, I found a home for 6 months in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.

@Kayci.Lee and I traveled fast to many places trying to maximize time to shoot throughout the month of January. After she left, I sprouted roots. I rented an apartment and settled down in the cold mountains. My beautiful apartment was just what I needed and people were put in my path that definitely helped me along the way.

When did you ever get horse lessons while naked?
Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, © 2018 Terrell Neasley

In no way has this been all glorious fun filled days, but its definitely been an adventure. I've learned a lot about traveling and even more about myself. I've had fabulous escapades as well as sudden pitfalls, but its hard to complain about any of it. I still hear somebody tell me at least once a month that I am living their dream or that they wish they could live my life. Granted... I know they can't be serious because they don't know my life, but I get what they are trying to say. I just don't take them literally or let any of it go to my head. I don't fool myself, at least not in that regard.

I'm glad I didn't start my trip alone, but rather eased into it. It took some getting used to, I can assure you of that and the process wasn't immediate by any stretch of the imagination. My first lesson was simply trying to relax and not feel like I needed to have something scheduled every day. Along with that, I realized that I didn't have to feel guilty about chilling out or not doing something somebody else expected me to do (or not do). Next has been finding the "OVERALL" purpose and goals for this trip. I've still got to be about my business and that starts now.

2018 has been a trial period. And for that reason, I say my 5-year stint starts now. I don't count 2018 as part of that. It was a year for acclamation and, as I call it, just learning to breathe easy. Granted I'm still working on that, but I have a much better mindset about it and a more clearer direction. I'm refining and making adjustments as I go. The plan was initially to zig zag my way down through South America. Now, I think its better to hop down as far south as you can go and make my way up again. Its going to be winter there by June, so I'd rather bounce on down there and head back up before the freeze sets in. After South America, I think I will head to either somewhere in the South Pacific or New Zealand instead of Vietnam. I'll see Vietnam now after I cover the South Pacific and come up through Indonesia.

Then, its just keep heading west as the flow takes me. But here's one thing that I've learned and it continues to be reinforced. People are the same. Families here are just like families stateside. Parents love their children. They want the best for them just like us. In Mompiche, Ecuador during Christmas, a predominantly black family came by the beach house rolling in about 25 to 30 strong. I sat with them and drank a whiskey mixed with coconut water straight out of the tree. Do I need to specify that only the coconut water came out of a tree...not whiskey? Surely not... I digress. When we ran out of coconuts, somebody got 4 or 5 more of the tree and filled the pitcher back up.

Yep. She's in church.
Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, © 2018 Terrell Neasley

I even saw the same characters just like one of my family reunions. There was my cousin Sheila cracking jokes and laughing the loudest. My Mama was there as well as my uncle Ulice Ray. There was one brother who brought his white wife, who in this case she happened to be Cuban, but looked white. They had a girl that looked just like my daughter...no kidding, with that. And a son, named Jeremy...no kidding there either. The only and I repeat... ONLY difference is that they spoke Spanish. Well, that and they were mixing whiskey with coconut water. But we are all the same. Its been the same with all the Latin families I've come to know. I could still identify the same characters in my family with them.

I'm learning much more about black people. Not just African-AMERICANS, but black people from Colombia, Ecuador, Belize, and all over Central and South America. Its been quite the enlightening experience. I'll be talking more on this in the future, but its helping me learn a little more about myself, as well. But back to my point, Americans are no different than Ecuadorians, or Guatemalans, or Canadians. We just have different cultures and languages. Outside of that, we are the same.

In each country I find the poor, as well as the well-off. Same in America. Opportunities are better in some countries than others. But I wish like ~~FUCK~~ crazy that we Americans stop looking down on other countries, particularly countries with people of color. Travel definitely helps one's perspective in this. I'm not talking about a trip to Cancun where you get off a plane, travel THROUGH the country to an enclosed all-inclusive resort. So if you listened to that public address from the White House Tuesday night, about the "dangerous people", I'm really hoping you can... damn people ...you can literally Google the facts yourselves. But if you want to believe the racist con man, I guess that's you. But YOU tell me what decent trustworthy human being has ever had his foundation shut down and then gets barred by the courts (along with his family) from running a charitable organization for the next ten years? That's what a CON-ARTIST literally gets busted for. Preying on charity cases! Same thing happened to his "University" just last year for fraud. Racist people market fear. Its like a standard bullet item for them. Stop friggin' giving life to the lies.

As for me, I'm going to try my best to get better at photography. Getting my shots is, like...Goal number 1. Outside of that, its experiencing new people, cultures, and landscapes. And that doesn't always involve a camera, but rather just experiencing and appreciating life. Today is the first full day of my two month Peruvian experience. I pray God continues to bless me with great people along my path.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” – Mark Twain

07 November 2018

Saving Brazil and the Amazon for Another Time

Me and my brother, Greg last year.

I did not make it to Brazil as planned for October 1st. I had my hotel reservations, two flight tickets (one to Rio and one to Manaus), and my eVisa for Brazil. I even had my boarding pass downloaded to my phone. I was all ready to leave later that day to Rio de Janeiro for a few days and then fly up Manaus to being my Amazon River trip. The only question was whether I wanted to take a boat into Peru and Ecuador, or head back to Bogota, Colombia afterwards. All that changed in the blink of an eye. Looks like I will have to try to do the Amazon River another season.

Why? Well, early that same morning I got a message about my brother who was found unresponsive after somewhere between 24 and 36 hours alone in his apartment. 'Nuff said. The Brazil tickets were now useless to me. I booked a flight to Texas and was on a plane within hours. I got back and my brother, Greg was in ICU, but stable. I thought he was good to go at that point, only to realize my hopes were lost the next afternoon. An aneurysm from complications with high blood pressure took out my brother at 47 years of age. The whole experience seemed unreal. My sister, Camille was on top of things. She's a nurse and her training was definitely indispensable in helping my mother and family understand what was happening. Beyond that, she was hugely helpful in organizing the arrangements for my brother's funeral and cremation. I'd have needed a couple of weeks before even thinking about contacting a funeral home. And if that wasn't enough, my grandfather died two weeks later. Even though it was not that much of a surprise at his age and condition, the reality of it still took a toll on all of us. October was the worst month of my life. But I'm not going to get into a bunch of "Woe is me" rants. Its done.

My Grandfather's burial site, next to that of his beloved wife who proceeded him.

I spent the entire month in Texas and then I flew back to Colombia on November 3rd. I am currently back in Colombia's capital city, Bogota. I decided to come back here and give this city some more time. I have never really appreciated capital cities that much, so I only scheduled 3 days here on my original visit in September. I quickly deduced that I was wrong. My stay at Selina Hotel was excellent. I met 2 or 3 new people that quite frankly, were very impressionable. And then I took a walking tour of the area I stayed in and learned some more about the city's history as well as where it all fit into Colombia's history as a whole. I may just take that tour again. Fernando Botero is from here and his museum is just down the street! And its free. That was something he was insistent on. No charge for exhibiting his work here.

I re-booked the same Selina Hotel as when I was here in September, but I got the upgraded, Rockstar room for my first 3 days. Its was a beautiful room, but I honestly think the last room may have been preferred. Sometimes it works out like that where the best room on the property actually isn't. Possibly, that's just me, though.

Four balconies (one behind the bed)

That is a stairway to the left that leads to the downstairs living room and bathroom

I wanted to stay in the same district area of La Candelaria, which is the oldest (500 years old) section of the city. So after leaving Selina, I booked a week at La Candelaria Hostel, near Parque de los Periodistas, or Journalist's Park. Its much more of a basic room compared to my room at Selina, but its also more typical of the hostels I stay in to save money. It's also close to Monserrate, which is another thousand feet of elevation that I'll hike for its excellent views of the city. I'm going to stay here in Bogota for at least a month, but I'm not certain exactly when I'll head out or exactly to where. I know I'll go through Ecuador and see the Galapagos Islands, but I don't know how much I'll see of the county in all. I have to be in Lima, Peru in January. That much I know. My daughter and her husband, along with my cousin and her hubby are coming to meet me there.

So the adventure continues. I'm back on the road and continuing with my journey. So when will I do Brazil and the Amazon River? Good question. The rainy season is well under way there now and flooding is soon to follow. I'd much rather not boat up the Amazon on such flooded currents with the banks overflowed. So possibly, I will likely pass through Paraguay and head into Brazil stopping in at Rio de Janeiro, by next March or April...that's a guess. As for boating up the Amazon River, I can't say for sure. The only possibility is maybe after I am coming back UP South America after Argentina and Chile. Its an option and I'll just have to keep exploring them.

30 July 2018

More About Planning My Trip Up the Amazon River

“The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.”

– Sir Richard Burton

In March, I wrote about traveling up the Amazon River and at the time, I had no real knowledge on how I was going to do it. I'm happy to report I've come closer to some solutions for the "planning stage" that are viable, practical, and a most-likely scenario.

So I'll start this South America venture, early September in Colombia, flying into Cartagena, playing around there and up north, before coming back through Medellin and Bogota. The plan is to be there for about a month. Now my previous problem was figuring out where I'd begin the Amazon trip and here is what I have figured out.

1. I'm not going to do ALL of the Amazon River. Just half of it.
2. I'm starting in the heart of the Amazon Rain Forest in Manaus.
3. I'm going UP the Amazon instead of DOWN.
4. October is a good time to do it, just before the heavy rains hit.

So here's the theory on all that. Once you get past Manaus, the Amazon really opens up when it merges with the Rio Negro. You're talking 5 miles or more across and when you're going downstream, the boats tend to stay in the center to save fuel. Its hard to tell the difference from being out at sea when you've got a couple miles between you and the shoreline. Conversely, going upstream, they stay closer to the banks to avoid the faster moving opposing currents in the center. Starting in Manaus and going upstream is still a 1500 mile trip over close to 10 days depending on the boat. Manaus is a million population strong city in the heart of the rainforest. I think it'll be a good decision to explore it for a week and find my boat there.

My initial plan was to fly there from Cartagena, but that's an $800 one way ticket that can take up to 30 hours. I've found another route that splits that cost to less than half that, by flying out of Bogota to either Rio de Janeiro or Sau Paulo first. I can stay a few days there and then fly from either of those cities to Manaus. Flight time is greatly reduced to maybe 5 hours total direct flight time. I like this option way better. Point goes to "Research"!

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

– Ibn Battuta

From Manaus, is where it gets a bit tricky. The boat ride itself does not seem very fun. I think you have to MAKE it fun. Hopefully, I'll have a model with me to shoot to help with that. Don't ask me who or how, cuz I have no clue at this point. On top of that, the plan was to boat to Iquitos, Peru and stay in a that treehouse resort they have for a few nights and proceed on upriver into Ecuador. However, I just realized, that price for $700 double occupancy for 3 days/2 nights is PER PERSON, which is ridiculous. $900 for that same deal if you are by yourself. I can't see it. Not as I presently understand it, anyways. I have to check into that a little more. Interestingly enough, at that point, I will have traversed borders via plane, bus, walking, and then by boat. Nope...nope...I've done boat before. Forgot about Belize to Guatemala. So now I have yet to cross a border by...um, subway? No, HORSE!

28 December 2015

Who Am I Kidding...I'm Going Back Down South!

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

So yeah, I'm gonna have to post-pone Southeast Asia for just a bit longer. I had to come to terms with the fact that I'm not done yet with Latin America. That's just a point of fact. I've got a couple of choices. I mainly want to focus on Colombia and start in the old port city of Cartagena. And then do extensive traveling down the western coastline, maybe hit Bolivia. But the more I think about it, I believe I want to start where I left off this past summer and begin in Costa Rica. If you recall, I ended my trip after 3 months in Nicaragua. I missed getting to Costa Rica, although I've been to Panama already a few times. So then I'd continue through Panama and sail on to Cartagena. I have much to work out still, mainly with the itinerary and goals, bringing a model, and of course financing. I wanna fly out before March.

I think two months might just suffice this time instead of staying 4 to 6 months as I originally anticipated doing. But the fact of the matter is that I would really like to make Iceland a priority next fall, which means I need to bring my butt back and make some more money before then. So many dreams. So many goals and shots to achieve. But I want to get it done, regardless. Make enough money and I can do it all. Who knows? I might even get sponsored or sell a lot of fine art work, allowing me to spend 6 months in South America and STILL do Iceland that fall. So I don't set anything in stone. You never know what's going to happen.

The holidays are just about over. Its been a while since I've last blogged. Totally missed November and almost missed December. I've rarely ever missed a month of blogging and have never gone two months without a post. Just been tied up is all. That's it. And now, I'm posting again. Catching up, I've gotten to do several shoots with Safia Sarai, KristiC, and I also got Justine again. But its the professional end of things that have had me tied up for so long as I've been working a photo project that has simply taken a while to complete. And every so often I take a break from the pro shooting. Its funny that I take a break from shooting with MORE shooting. I just traded one subject for another, shooting nudes in various hotels with Safia Sarai, outdoors in the wilderness with KristiC, as well as studio work with Justine and KristiC.

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” –

Oliver Wendell Holmes

I'm even more invested in Sony now as I have added the 90mm F2.8 Macro Lens as well as the popular 42MP A7rII camera body. I'm definitely all in on Sony. Its the best decision I've made in photography where gear is concerned. I want to try out their latest 35mm f/1.4, but I really don't need it. It would be good for environmental portraiture, but I can do well enough with the 16-35mm f/4 if I want the wide perspective. I'm satisfied with it. I now use it like I would the 24-70 when I shot with DSLRs. With the A7rII, I now have back the high dynamic range as well as the high resolution kit I was so used to shooting with my Nikon D800e that I used for about 4 years. But as a bonus, I can jack the ISO up when I need to much better than I could with my Nikon gear. You had to trade off high ISO with the higher megapixels with Nikon and most definitely with the Canon 50MP systems where you actually lost dynamic range. Sony is still the top option out there right now. I don't care what you are doing. It fits.

I hope you've all had a very productive year. 2015 is just about at a close. The holidays and festivities are close to ending and then its back to work. The year went by so fast. All we had was 12 months. But that's all we'll have this upcoming year as well. If you're like most people, this is that time of year where you contemplate on next year's resolutions. But if you're really like most people, those resolutions will be forgotten by January's end. So try to focus on things that really make a difference. Get better. Get smarter, so you have more resources throughout the year. Start every month thinking about how you can make another $30 grand (or whatever) on top of last year's income. Don't let the sun go down knowing you wasted the day. Be a better shooter. Study more. Learn more. I teach one on one classes. Schedule a week or two with me. If you see a way I can be better, then hell... let me know. See an opportunity that you think I might be suited for? I'll definitely be willing to listen. I may or may not take you up on the idea if I find it doesn't suit my direction at this time. But damn, I'd appreciate the opportunity to consider it. I need to get into Cuba still. I need contacts in South America and opportunities to earn while down there. I'll definitely listen to opportunities or gigs in other countries. I'm all about that. Let's work together. Come on! Lets do this!

22 May 2014

The Right Time

"Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time."

~ Arnold H. Glasow

I think I've went into enough details on my last blog post about why I don't make money on my nudes. But I'll open up just a little bit more regarding things I've thought about over the last two years and what may change in the near future. Its sort of been a waiting game where I'm looking for the right deal for my work. There are simply ways I wish to conduct my affairs when dealing with my art work. Its personal. And in that regard, with as much as I know about business, I prefer to take myself out of that equation and let more objective people do it for me. At least for now, that is. I recognize my weakness. I've worked various jobs in finance, management, and marketing. I have an MBA. I also have a MS in Telecommunications Systems Management which was heavy on the SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT part and that included business applications. So I'm not saying my weakness is in handling the business end of all this.

I'm just being honest with myself in recognizing that my artwork compromises my ability to remain impartial to the decisions and judgements that may be necessary for this particular moment in time, specifically these initial steps. I know the constraints and conditions as an artist that I'd place on how my work is produced, presented, and promoted. I had turned down two artist's agents in the last 3 years, but now I think I could benefit from the consultation of a professional. So there you have it. In the meantime, I don't want to do any more contests, despite some that are tempting. Exhibition is my main focus for the immediate time going forward. I have so much work that I've accumulated over the years that nobody has ever even seen. Panda remains my most prolific model. I shot her 21 times over the last 3 years. I'll bet less than 20 of her images have even been used or otherwise displayed. So we'll see.

In other news....

I think I'm about settled on Peru for the summer. I still have lots to figure out as to the specifics of the trip, fly dates, and what I want to do in South America. I'll give Central America a break for now and make Panama and El Salvador my priorities next. So at the moment, I'm researching Peru for options and have found a few good things and even met a beautiful Peruvian woman at Valley of Fire last weekend who was hiking with her accomplished photographer husband. It was really inspiring.

I'm going back there with a new Fujifilm camera, the X-T1 along a few of the latest prime lenses. I'm going Fuji-PRIME! I'll have all f/1.4 or faster glass in the 3 main primary perspective formats (for full-frame), the 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. I'd still much rather take a model with me, but I'm going to be fortunate to just squeak by taking my own self there on this trip. And as usual, I have no clue how long I'll be gone or where I'll come back from just yet, so all that's still open. Man, I need help on so many levels. Pitiful. I don't have too many travel buddies to talk to here in Vegas. I say "too many" as if I really mean more than one. HA! Yeah, I only have one.

So lots of work to do in June to be ready for July.

27 March 2014

There and Back Again. A Photobbits Tale

Ha! I like that title. Thought of it myself. Yep. Just came to me.

So I'm back. The name of the game now is CATCH-UP! I clocked about 3 months on the road this time, yet I'm still amazed at the perpetual travelers who are gone for a year or more. I read about travel bloggers who have been at this for a decade and can only marvel at how they organize their lives. I feel slightly overwhelmed at being back, catching up on mail and home responsibilities. My situation was slightly exasperated in the fact that I relocated only a week prior to hitting the road, so upon returning, I came back to my new home with all my things still boxed up. Things were made a bit easier....well, I should say a whole lot easier in the fact that my new landlords are friends of mine. It would have taken me weeks to get settled in, yet Susan had completely unpacked and put away my things in a few hours, while I helped Jerry install some new appliances and do a few adjustments to the place which now feels like a home. Thanks Susan.

I had been back for two weeks and then headed out to Mexico for a week. I just got back from there two days ago and now I can better concentrate on getting pics edited. I still need to get my high speed internet installed next week and set up my computer network again. I'm sure there are some updates to Adobe that I need to install to handle all the RAW shots I did using the new Fujifilm XE-2 camera that I bought just prior to leaving and the updates were not available then. Right now, I can see the images, but cannot get metadata appended to the new Fuji RAW format. Hopefully that issue will be resolved when I get internet and get my home network set up again.

So yeah. I'm finally back and the priorities are getting back to work, finding new and interesting photography gigs, lining up more one on one teaching projects (for my 2-week training course), and pushing myself to the next level in my art nudes. My goal in that regard is conceptual work that is new and original. When I say push myself, that's entirely what I mean. I want my art nudes to develop and evolve into something different and I think my approach will be more provocative and bold and less conservative. I want to be less concerned with societal norms and just play "what if". So I'll be looking to work with models and women who are less inhibited and are willing to give me creative liberties the freedom to explore, experiment, and push myself. This will also push the model as well, but I still want collaborative relationship. There will be times when I have something specific in mind, of course, but most models who work with me understand I like to shoot what is given to me and value model input. And when I say models, I'm also welcoming first-timers and women who have never done anything like this before. I don't want someone reading this who might have ideas, but then keep it to themselves because they don't consider themselves to be a "model". A large percentage of the women I work with every year are have never been naked in front of a photographer before. I've been criticized about promoting first-times/non-pro models before, but those people can go kick rocks. I like working with who I like working with.

So I'll still be shooting nudes that have been consistent with what I've always been doing, but I will definitely be on the lookout for 5 or 6 models this year that have some of the same goals in mind as I do. I can't even articulate as to the specifics just yet. I'm still searching this thing out. Now that I'm back, I can start thinking about how I want this new conceptual style to develop and am open to any ideas you guys might be willing to throw at me, especially potential models who have had something cooking in the back of their minds but just have been too...I don't wanna use the word "afraid", but it does seem to fit.... to do. Or maybe not "afraid", but rather simply have't had the right circumstances or photographer to pull it off. I'll be looking for different body types or body features in models. I like "different". I embrace it. I've been called different all my life. I never enjoyed that term growing up, but I hug it like a lover now.

My next travel plans/goals aren't til the summer. I'd like to head to South America this time and catch up with a model I shot in Nicaragua. She's still traveling right now and should be in Peru and Bolivia by July. It might be cool to catch up with her there and finish what we started a few months ago. I'm also contemplating on bringing a model with me. I'd so love to do that, but its not so easy and I'm not sure my money will allow it. I just learned this week that I might be expected in Tennessee and Texas soon and I have some other considerations that might make traveling with a model on my dime tougher. An ideal situation would be coordinating with another traveler who wants to be travel buddies and doesn't mind getting naked along the way either. How cool would that be! Or better yet, a client contracting me to follow them around with a camera doing nudes in South America! Hey...I can dream, can't I? I definitely want to do more travel work with clients and if they wanna get naked as well, I'm game. But in the meantime, I got lots to figure out and catch up on, yet still keep it in mind that we're only talking about this being 3 months away. I can't let time slip on me and next thing I know, we're in mid-August and I suddenly remember I forgot about everything. That would not be good.

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