How to Shoot Prime Lenses

 

Art Model, Trixie ©2017 Terrell Neasley

Prime lenses can be challenging to shoot with if you are used to using zoom lenses. However in all truth, they simplify your shooting experience more than they challenge it. Old school shooters used DSLRs with a 50mm 1.8, a 35mm, or maybe even a rangefinder style 24mm that was non-removable. 

So what are some of the difficulties of shooting with prime lenses. In truth, there is only one and that's the fact that prime lenses do not zoom. All other issues people talk about usually stem from that one main thing. 

1. Missing the range of a zoom's versatility

2. Changing lenses all the time

3. Having to move around

4. Can't use it if you are in a tight space without a wide-angle lens

Art Model, Trixie ©2017 Terrell Neasley

First, go back and look at my previous blog post, "The Case for Prime Lenses" to see the benefits of shooting primes. The trade-offs might be enough for you to forget about these minor infringements. If you're still having a tough time seeing it, then read on.

None of the cons of a prime lens inhibit your ability to make a good shot. Unless, that is, if you want to make your photographs from the comfort of a recliner with cup holders and a foot rest. If that is the case, then I will concede your point right here.

Art Model, Trixie ©2017 Terrell Neasley

However, I'd wager this is not the case. Prime lenses simply make you an active shooter, but in a good way. You become more engaged and alive. You bring in more movement and it pushes you to "see" and become more creative as your continue to work and gain experience. Dare I say it, it could be considered exercise! Because you will activate and engage photographic muscles that don't get developed as well when you use a zoom lens. 

Here is what you do. Get used to using your feet. Have a comfortable pair of shoes. This doesn't mean you need hiking boots. Just something comfortable to walk in, at least. If you are outdoors in the backcountry, then yeah... have some boots. Just make sure you are comfortable in them so you aren't tiring too quickly as you move around.

Art Model, Trixie ©2017 Terrell Neasley

Understand your shot selection and shoot according to the lens needed. For instance. Moving your person back and forth will usually suffice when you are using a lens in a single perspective. if you have a need to shoot at 50mm you can move in to get a 70mm perspective. It's practically the same. However, when necessary, get all your wide perspective in one group. Then change lenses and get all your portrait perspectives. See what I'm saying. Don't mix the two. If you do, you'll be switching lenses more than necessary, going back and forth more often than you need. 

As far as tight spaces go... well hell. You'll have that problem even if you have a zoom lens. The answer is simple... know your location and shot selection requirements. Then bring the gear necessary to accomplish the goals. 

I get it. Some locations aren't planned. Sometimes, you have a camera kit and see something spontaneously and it just doesn't work. Well, chances are, you'll run into the same problem with a zoom. In that case, you have to live with the hard lesson all photogs have to learn: You're not going to get every shot. Sometimes, you don't have the right gear. Sometimes, autofocus misses. Sometimes, there isn't enough light. Live with it and try to learn from the experience. 

Art Model, Trixie ©2017 Terrell Neasley

You should be able to cover 85% of your shots at all times with your gear. That's 85% of what you traditionally do. If you don't shoot wildlife, don't be pissed because you missed a rare sighting of a Blue-Eyed Ground Dove (Columbina Cyanopis) because you don't have a 600mm 1.4 lens. No... that's not your gig. Eighty-Five percent of all I do is covered between my 24mm 1.4, 55mm 1.8, and my 90mm 2.8 macro. The far away stuff, I let it go or get the best I can with it and maybe crop-in. If you endeavor to stand out, don't look for safe, security, easy, or SOS (Same Old Sh*t as everybody else is doing). Be like Trixie. Trixie don't do safe. Her brilliance will likely leave you feeling less secure about your own. Nothing about her is easy (Except for her hospitality! You will get drunk!) And she definitely does not put up with SOS people. Be a Trixie!

Three Companies that Excel in Customer Service Part II: Paul C. Buff, INC

Beard Project, Jon R., ©2016 Terrell Neasley
Two Einstein 640's 

"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

~ Zig Ziglar

In this 3-part series, I'm covering photo companies that, in my opinion and experience, excel at customer service and have general policies that put the customer ahead of the dollar. Now don't get me wrong. I am not so naive as to not understand that companies are in business to make a profit. A big heart can make you bankrupt. That being understood, I can still appreciate businesses that make it their goal to make that profit by giving the customer what they want and then treating them with respect. In the last post, I covered a camera manufacturer. In this post, I'm going in on the next most important thing photographers have to be most aware of.

Art Model, Justine @2015 Terrell Neasley
Single overhead Einstein 640

Paul C. Buff, Inc.

And that would be lighting. Paul C. Buff is legendary in the field of lighting. Located in Nashville, TN, they've been serving the photographic community since 1982. Driven to provide great service and a quality product at a reasonable price, this "small" company put the big guys on notice. The competition from them brought costs down and opened the door to people like you and me to own high-end lights at much more reasonable prices. 

I own a couple of Einstein 640's and a White Lightning X3200, (both Paul C. Buff products) along with some of their soft boxes. This is what I can tell you. You can't make me switch to another light system. I'll never be without my Paul C. Buff gear. The Einsteins are so superbly made, any further improvements are inconsequential and imperceptible, although they've been recently upgraded. More on that in a bit. These things give me 640 watt-seconds and can still tone it down to 2.5ws on its lowest setting when you need that quick splash for minimal flash duration.

I sorta wish I had 3 Einsteins instead of the White Lightning, but I can't argue having a studio light pushing 1320 watt-seconds when you need it, but I don't use it as much. Okay, so I'll get a 3rd Einstein, because I would indeed use that. I tell you they are unbeatable. Yeah, you can get some battery-powered or TTL lights from other suppliers. I get that. But I've got 3 Vagabonds that give me all the power I need and I do NOT shoot TTL on my studio lights. 

Art Model, Trixie, ©2017 Terrell Neasley
Single Einstein 640 in Large Octobox

But they are more than just great product. I'm sold on these guys because I can call them up in Nashville and they answer the phone. Like...a human. You've heard me talk about a friend of mine who was out in the desert with a large soft box on his Einstein. Well, the wind can pick up unexpectedly when you live in a desert surrounded by mountains on all sided. It blew over his light and busted it. My friend called them up to get it fixed. They just replaced it even though it was out of warranty. 

As for me, well, I worked the hell out of one of my Einsteins and blew the fan in it. I had a jewelry gig that had me blasting this thing day and night for four months shooting a company's entire inventory. So of course, I called them up for instructions on sending it in and asked how much. Listen to this. They charged me $45, plus $15 for shipping to "fix it". The reason I put that in quotes, is because technically, they did fix it...because they rebuilt the whole thing. 

Ring Jewelry, ©2015 Terrell Neasley
One Einstein 640 overhead, Three Speedlites towards front and sides

Apparently the Einsteins have been upgraded since I bought mine FIVE years prior. So instead of just changing out the fan, they put in new circuits, cams, the fan, and everything to meet the new updated modifications, including a stronger and better sealed outer housing! That meant I got a new serial number as well. In all actuality, I'm really not so sure they truly "fixed" it. If you want my honest opinion, I think they just gave me a completely new Einstein for $60! I can't prove that, but I think it stands to reason to just replace the whole dam thing rather than to a complete rebuild. But that's me. At any rate, they dam sure excel at customer service.

Me ©2016 Terrell Neasley
One Einstein 640 on large soft box upper right side

Speaking on Prints and Conformity

Incredible Art Model, Panda ©2013 Terrell Neasley

"The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself."

~ Rita Mae Brown

Incredible Art Model, Panda
©2013 Terrell Neasley

I've advocated the print for some time on this blog and it is still a big point of contention for me as a photographer. I love the print and believe it to be the end all to all ends. It should be the final culmination to an effort of composition and capture. Its been estimated that humans have taken roughly 3.8 trillion photos throughout all of photographic history. Since the advent and proliferation of digital cameras, prints have declined. Most images never even leave the computer and of those that do, Facebook, Flickr, web portfolios and other online media have been the last port of call to most of all images taken these days. How many actually get printed...couldn't find the stats on that.

What am I talking about when I say, the print? Essentially, it's hard copies of the images you take with your camera. Photo sharing is the mainstream now and most devices available to us are not built for the print. Everybody, including their mama's mama has a cell phone, just about. Nobody's taking these shots to create images to frame and hang on a wall. They are not shot to sell to a magazine, (unless of course you work for the Chicago Sun Times.)

Incredible Art Model, Panda
©2013 Terrell Neasley

And what is the standard for images when they do become hard copies? If you go to Wal-Mart, you can pick up frames in sizes of 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, or 16x20. But what happens when a print is irregular? What do you do? Crop to fit? Maybe. Sometimes I do crop an image to fit these standardizations. More often than not, I'm cropping with the image in mind. I'll compose and take the shot. During my editing, I use my eyes to judge the crop and lately I've been favoring an almost panoramic perspective such as 9x19 and it might not even be exact. It could be 8.72x19.04. The fact is that I like to let my eyes tell the tale and make my crops with the image in mind, rather than the frame. You can always custom build a frame yourself, or take it somewhere to have it done. I love helping clients with the print/framing/mounting decisions.

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”

~ Frank Zappa

Incredible Art Model, Panda
©2013 Terrell Neasley

I try to use the same principles in my life, but then again, often I'm not trying...its just the way I am. I've been called "different" all my life. It used to bug the hell out of me and I'd do what I could to try to fit in. But all that did was cause me stress because I was so busy trying to conform to what everybody else thought I should be and do. I think the world is more interesting to me now as I learned over the years that my differences in preferences and thinking made me much happier. Its not always a bed of roses, but I embrace it and take the good with the bad. Normality and Conformity are two words of enmity to me. Conform to the norm? Hate it. I don't fit in that life mold.

Incredible Art Model, Panda ©2013 Terrell Neasley

I know for fact, this is one reason I like shooting Panda so much. Nothing about this girl says normal or conforming. She's a young mom who loves her kid and husband, that's about it. She got married and has had a kid. That's about as traditional as you'll find her. She's easily top 5 of all the models I've shot and I'm pretty sure I've shot her more times than anybody else. I was very fortuitous to even meet her. Just before Trixie, who was my very first muse here in Vegas, moved away, she threw a going away party. I almost didn't go because I was so tired from working, but how could I miss Trixie's last day. That's where I met Panda, who was a friend of a friend who also got invited. One muse leaves....another one falls in my lap. I had no idea Panda was serious when she first expressed a desire to work with me. She gave me a call that very next morning...early, I might add, and the rest is history. Good girl. Expect to see more of her!

Thanks Trixie!!!

"True friends are hard to come by...I need more money." - Calvin, The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes, p86

Having to say it once is really once too many. Good-byes are definitely not pleasant, especially when its with a model you've come to appreciate because of her willingness help you be better. This day last week, Trixie moved off the Mainland and over to the Big Island. She corrected me at her Aloha Party last week. This was no a good-bye but rather an "until we meet again", kind of deal. Then a friend of her's, Gwen, highlighted the fact that I now have an excuse to travel to Hawaii! Sweet. 

I gotta say Trix is one of the main models who have been in my corner since I arrived in Vegas. She bears some of the weight in forging my development as a photographer and has been my partner in crime in expanding my skill with my nude art. She also helped when I ran my Las Vegas Art Models Group for not only my photography workshops but for my drawing sessions as well. When I needed to experiment for my own personal growth, (which often required someone of patience), I knew who I could call and that was Trixie. The news of her departure was somewhat stunning. I don't know what its like to have a man-hole cover dropped onto your head, but that's what I would imagine it was like, except maybe without the searing pain and unconsciousness/death part, that is. But you're left shocked all the same. 

So I just wanted to do a post to say Thanks Trix for all your help, love, support, promotion, encouragement, (I could go on....) I also extend a thanks out to your family for being so cool and understanding. "I got a pig on me!" will ever be ingrained in my psyche now. 

See you in Hawaii!

Make it Happen

"There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love; there's only scarcity of resolve to make it happen."

- Wayne Dyer

Model, Trixie

What I've learned.... There are things you can control and there are things outside your span of control. In the midst of times like these when your backs against the wall, you've still got a choice. One option is to just surrender and let this whole mess take its course. Whenever you land when the storm is finally over, you can begin anew if you wish to do so. Or, you can ride this thing out while doing what IS in your control to affect. The resulting effect is that you are that much more ahead of the game when the tide turns. One thing you can always affect is YOU. When times are tough, you can still make a commitment to improve yourself. No matter what's going on around you, you can still make a choice to actively pursue development of yourself, whether that is physically, professionally, spiritually, or academically. When things in your world are spinning, you can always choose to keep your edge sharp in the meantime.

Model, Trixie

For me, that means studying my trade even more. Take in more online tutorials, re-read the manuals to your gear, staying abreast of the current trends, and looking for more avenues of differentiation. It also means getting back to working out. Sitting on your butt editing photos all the time and only moving when you get hungry can take a toll on the body. I'm down about 15 pounds for the year so far which is definitely a good thing. Another 15 and I'll be where I want to be. I can already feel a big difference in my body and its definitely a good thing to take the added pressure off my knee. I think its also important to spend some time improving yourself by helping others. Volunteer! I think I've mentioned before about my work with the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. We do free portraiture and photo sessions for mothers who give birth to stillborn babies or children who aren't expected to live long. Its a hard gig, granted. I did a session a few weeks ago that made me almost break down. I don't suppose that's anything I'll ever get used to, but I'm making a point to do more with them as calls for our services come in. Something like that may not be for you, but you can still take time to help teach others in your field who are up and coming. I've been a part of several photo organizations and try to do my part to assist my peers in becoming better.

Model, Trixie

I've always been a proponent for multiple streams of income. Most people hear about that with dealings of multi-level marketing businesses. Those are great alternatives, but if they're not for you, then I still think its important to have that mindset. Write a book or a screen play. Hey, you never know! Start working on a secondary business that has nothing to do with your main business. It can be complimentary to your main money-maker, but its better to not have the same tie-ins. When you main line of revenue begins a seasonal downturn, your secondary generator usually takes the same hit if its tied to the main. Something that ain't connected will still allow sustainability while your main rebounds. Slow downs in your business are excellent times to work on personal projects and develop those alternatives into viable options and bring them to fruition. I knew a teacher once who earned a decent living and drove an old car, but lived in a really nice paid-for house. What most people didn't realize was his side gig of about 10 rental houses that he successfully ran. He saved his money from teaching, bought his first rental property and then used the proceeds to purchase more. If he lost his teaching job, the man would still do very well.

Model, Trixie

I think its important to spell out your plans. Write them down. I've been told that for years and have done so in the past. For whatever reason, I had done that in a while and didn't follow my own rules. An opportunity forced me to put everything on paper and a lot of the mystery mist began to clear. I've written several business plans for other companies and individuals. I've consulted and reviewed other people's plans. When it came to my own, for some reason, I just kept it in my head and got all the more frustrated when things simply weren't coming together. It wasn't until I started writing everything out, just as if I were doing one for another person that my scope expanded and possibilities began to develop and present themselves. The dream became a goal-oriented vision, as opposed to remaining as a fragmented ghost-like apparition that I could hardly remember details about.

Model, Trixie

So many people around me are being affected by this economy. I say now's the time to rebound and I hope you'll do it with me. I'm far from perfect, but I do know better. Do the right things. Stay the course. Make every day count as a step towards the goal. Every action and choice should bring you closer to improving your game. Ultimately, it shouldn't matter what the economy is doing. Our success should not be dependent on external factors. I say we move forward, take the hits as they come and deal with the setbacks by continuing to manage the things we can control...ourselves. Learn from not only your mistakes but others as well. Fall, get back up. Do the right thing again. Don't succumb to depression or become weary of setbacks. Keep moving. Make it happen. We can do it.

These are photos from my first ever session with Trixie from about 3 years ago. Trix has her own business, Just 4 Trix, LLC,  teaching Pole Dancing in her studio located here in Las Vegas. I got to do some work with her recently and got to see her students and clients learn the routines. Some of these women do it just for the workout and believe me, Trix will make you work up a sweat. I saw women of all sizes and shapes, but there was one guy who was blowing them all away! I hadn't seen a guy with that sort of skill or agility except for in Cirque du Soleil shows. If you've ever been interested in giving this a try, now's the time. I keep running into women that say they've always wanted to do this. Well, no more excuses. When you meet Trix, you'll understand what I mean when I say she's an exceptional woman. She knows her trade, she has the skill to demonstrate, and she's a natural born teacher. Check her out.

In 140 Characters or less...

These social networking sites are the new wave of communication amongst many in not only the US, but the world. Twitter has slid its foot in the door and forced its way in between Facebook and MySpace as the juggernauts of internet commo. It has grown faster than any thing we've seen before. This thing has become global in just 3 years. I hadn't done the research behind it yet, but I'd certainly like to see how it is profit driven. Its a free service and there are no cluttering advertisements that float across the screen or use dancing figures in triplet to get our attention. To my understanding, one way they do this is to sell member information to 3rd parties. If you wikipedia Twitter, you'll see its use in everything from education, politics, and even space missions. That's right, astronauts were using Twitter to give updates on Hubble repairs! 

So let me ask those of you in the art community...How many of you models, photogs, and artists use Twitter regularly and how do you use it? I think I'll post this on my devianART page as a poll question. Virtual Photography Studio.com posted this article on 80 photographers you should be following on Twitter. WeFollow.com also does this same thing...track photographers on Twitter. I jumped on a few months ago to see if I could get a feel for it. I'm definitely not an everyday...every second user. These constatn updates, sometimes called "microblogging" can be overkill for the regular Joe Smoe. Because of Chad Ochocinco, (wide-receiver of the Cincinnati Bengals), the NFL has banned twitting during the games. The NBA has done the same I believe. Right now, I tweet under Artnudephotog, but I just now created one for PhotoAnthems, as well. So take your collective asses on over there and start following me. Oh, and if you've not clicked on the button "Follow Me" on this blog, You're Wrong! So get right on both accounts. 

You all know Stacey Scott, right. She was like my first model for my Las Vegas Art Models Group art nude photo workshop. Well in case you don't recall, here's the blog post on it. That first workshop was stressful as  hell, but we got it done and Stacey was great. Well, I got to shoot her later on in another Lighting Seminar that also went well. Stacey has since moved to New York were she got to compete in tryouts for America's Next Top Model. I revisited some of the work we did and did some more edits to a few of her shots. At the time, I didn't edit that many and she's contacted me recently about some of our work together. So that's what's prompted this revisit. Is she not pretty? Chris St. James was totally smitten with her. I think she was also the first model I interviewed for his Univers 'd Artistes blog. You can also see her new website here. 


And speaking of model interviews on that blog, I'll be doing another one in the next few days on Trixie. She's got a great story behind her and she's not holding back anything. That's why I love the girl. She tells it like it is.

Some Original Trix

This'll be a quick one since I just noticed Blogger's scheduled outage that's coming up real soon.

So what's new? I got to hang out with Dave Rudin again this past weekend. Dave is a big Star Trek fan. So am I, but I'm thinking Dave's got every episode on a deluxe special edition DVD anniversary set. We did Star Trek at an IMAX theater on Friday, along with Model Melissa. Everything was cool. We got there early. We got our tickets early. But I guess pouring into the auditorium 40 minutes early wasn't early enough. To get 3 seats together we had to make our way down to the 3rd row where in order to see the movie without neck strain, you've got to position yourself as if you are in the space shuttle as it sits on the launch pad for 2 and a half hours. I was all set to call it a wrap and try again on another night, but a lady comes ups as I say lets go and tells us that up close isn't so bad. She says she's experienced sitting close like that before and it was all good. Melissa and Dave look at me with renewed expectation, so how could I resist. For the record, the lady was wrong.

Felix just got back from his fishing trip to Kirch Wildlife Management Area, about 3 hours or so from here. He's going back in a few weeks, so I think I'll look into a trip with him. I wanted to go out and spend a day this past weekend there, but I ended up having to work and I really didn't trust my car for a long trip. The transmission has been acting funny, so before I use it for anything other than the Las Vegas area, I gotta get it checked out. That may take a while cuz, I'm in need of saving up for the 5D Mark II. I need to have it for a wedding in July, so we'll see. I know I need to pack up and head out sometime. I'm getting antsy for a good camping adventure.

I've also got a new goal for this month. Clean up and Organize. As it pertains to all my photo work, that is. I think I'm going to go through my pics and get rid of stuff I know I don't want and do some editing on stuff that I always planned on coming back to but never did. I need to catch up on all my metadata labels for my old images and check my backup drives. Maintaining digital work isn't all that easy. At least not for me. I'm always checking on new ways to organize and archive my work. I thought I'd bring back some of my original work with Trixie. Enjoy.

Cool Melissa

If you are not passionately devoted to an idea, you can make very pleasant pictures but they won't make you cry. - Ruth Bernhard

I took a break from photo work, and some other studying that I am doing to go see the movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage. All I could say was, "Damn..." after the credits began to roll. It started out fast, by impressing you with a plane crash, but then slowed down a bunch and made you try to figure out where things were going. It has few interesting twists, but in the end, left you wondering with a feeling of "NOW WHAT?" Interestingly enough, there is a question of faith that Cage has to deal with and when he comes to his conclusion, there is a reference to biblical prophesy. The thing is, nothing that transpires in the movie has anything to do with a prophet or how the Bible says events will unfold.


But onto photography...



As I write this blog, I am being interviewed via email by a young girl, or woman, I should say, who is the daughter of one of my models. She's a teenager doing an interview on people and their careers. She chose me since I am a friend of the family and she relates to me because I am an artist like she is. And this girl is good. She's got a talent and a potential, that properly cultivated and supported, could blossom into something great. Hold on... another email question... Okay, I'm back. She's asking some very good questions. At first I was wondering if her mom was helping, but she's come back with some fairly spontaneous remarks that would suggest otherwise. This is her own work. So for now, we are going over what its like to be a photographer and some of my background. Its cool.



I was recently featured by Unbearable Lightness, who's been helping Chris St. James run Univers d'Artistes. In her post, "The New Neasley", she made me sound like I was some high profile photog who went into a mysterious hiatus leaving everyone to guess and speculate what I was in the midst of creating. It was a good article that centered on my initial intent to suspend my nude work and the challenges I had in the attempt. Nine images of Brittani, Melissa, Trixie, Erica, and Gabriella were selected for the feature. This was a March 18th post but you can go directly to the link =>clicking here<=. You may notice that for this feature, Unbearable Lightness uses one of her recent photos as sort of a tribute the the Vegas theme for her image ID. Nice touch, Sweetness.



I mentioned before that you should be expecting images of a recent shoot with Model Melissa. This was our 3rd collaboration. It was right after editing the first work that I had the idea to do her with a wide-angle lens to exaggerate the perspective of her hips and legs (Canon EF-S 10-22mm). She's got the deceptive build for it. To look at her, she appears thin as can be, but when the clothes come off all that hidden shape and curvature comes to life. I was thankful for the fact that she allowed me to play with that idea. Not many models are willing to allow you to capture imagery that intentionally makes their butts look bigger. Melissa is very comfortable with the way she looks and trusted me enough to just let me play, 'cuz that's what I did. I experimented with angles and positions, while trying to get the desired effect with the camera lens. Many models would be very uncool with how close I had to get to get the exaggerations, but that's necessary when you work wide like that. When I get my Canon 5D Mark II, the 16-35mm L-series is definitely on the list. In fact, I don't think I will get that camera without two lenses...one of them being the 16 to 35.



One of the more interesting thing about this shoot is that its the 3rd time we've shot and its all been in her house in the same area. Normally, I'd have been bored silly by now and yearning to get her outside. She's even got the most interesting backyard, and I have yet to explore it. Part of that has been weather, but also, its been due to my business with the indoor work. The third shoot in particular took some patience because of the lighting challenges. I knew from the last shoot that coming during the time of day I was there would allow some interesting lines from the Venetian blinds in the window. This day however was very cloudy. We'd have the light for just a second or two and then it was gone. We'd wait for it to come back, but limitations on time forced us to move on. But when we'd see the lines return, I'd have her jump back on the couch, assume the same position and try to snap quickly. Some of it was trial and error, thinking I could bring it out in Photoshop with contrast corrections and blending options, but I finally got what I wanted. I love me some Melissa. And here is some of our latest work.

Hi, Charlie!

All About the Fun

Maybe things will be settling back to normal pretty soon. I'm very hopeful, at any rate. My friend and roommate, Jeff is back home from about 11 weeks in the hospital. It'd be inappropriate for me to go into details, but the dude is back at home, trying to recover and gain his strength back. So welcome home, Jeff.

Photo work has been sort of sketchy as of late. I've still been shooting and editing, but I've not been posting much of my work on my online profiles or website. Part of that is cuz of Chris St. James' fault. Because of his mentorship, I've got this thing with titles now. Since I haven't been able to sit down title my shots and post them, they have been sitting on my hard drive waiting to receive a name. This goes way back to maybe a year ago when Chris first discovered me and took an interest in my work. He began to encourage me, mentor me, and be a friend. Well, one of the things he'd knock me on the head for was the lack of titles in my work. Since then, I think I've really grown from his help and I've cherished the relationship we've had over the course of, wait...I think its been closer to two years now.

I haven't even kept up with many of the blogs that I normally follow daily. I still track Univers d'Artistes regularly. Unbearable Lightness has done a wonderful job at helping Chris. These are two people that I've cultivated relationships with, but have yet to actually meet. I consider both to be mentors and will be glad when I am totally back on track following my friends' blogs and back to posting my own at my usual rate of twice a week. I haven't even talked to my good friend, Dave Rudin in a while. I'm really out of touch. I don't know what's been going on with Iris Dassault, who's like the model queen of this country. And I need to get back in touch with the happenings across the waters with my friends at Fluffytek.

I need to go on some interesting outings. I haven't done that in a while. I think that was one of the attractors for a good part of my readership which was to hear about my adventures in the wild. Yeah, I need to get out more. The weather is starting to warm up and ice is melting off the mountains which means water falls and full streams again. This is what I do. I gotta get back out there. Whatever I do, I think I'd like to take some models out with me on a road trip or something. And speaking of which, I want to make sure I encourage you to utilize the services of the models I present on this blog and my website. If you're planning to be in Vegas and feel like shooting, feel free to contact these girl's links or even myself and plan something. Brittani from New Jersey is coming to reside in Vegas permanently next month. (Damn, I've still got to send her a disk! Sorry B.) I'm happy about that. I mentioned her in my last post along with several others. I've still yet to shoot with Marley. She's waiting on a tattoo to heal up a little first. But you've also seen some of my mainstays like Faerie and Trixie who I shoot quite often and of course there are several more. I shoot with Lieara this weekend. Lorelei has taken off like a space shuttle. The Brittany II maintains her role as one of the most prolific models in Vegas. And then there is Sarah Jane...come on! Really, do I need to say more. All these different body types and looks. I've got like the Wal-Mart of models, here. And wait til you see my next posts of Melissa!

Gabriella is one of the models I've been shooting with who is very up and coming. This girl can be on the cover of any magazine by tomorrow. She's different than the normal style of model I've been shooting because she's very suitable for glamor work that you might find in Maxxim or even Playboy. I've always been doing the girl next door type to produce my artistic style of nudes, but with Gabriella, I've been exploring the more sensual, sexy, and even erotic style of the art nude. She's hella fun to work with and is an instant boost to anybody's port. I think I'm going to start highlighting models I work with on my posts. I don't promote these girls enough and one of my initial objectives to starting my Las Vegas Art Models Group was to support art models. All of these girls are fabulous with great attitudes. For me, attitude is more important than they way they look. Gabriella is super sexy, but she comes with a willingness to work and gives you what you want and then some. You're sure to walk away from her shoot with more than you bargained for. I like the girl. Gonna work with her some more. You will too, so give this artist of her trade a hollar. Isn't she sweet? Tell her I sent 'cha. We'll both get cheese points!

Happy 1000 To Chris St. James

"Dear artists, I'm wide open to all new ideas, creative and technical help ! Because I'm nothing without you, all together "yes we can" make something better, bigger and never seen before...My wish for this so particular moment is that for a better promotion of your work, and to keep the Art alive, you backlink this site. It would be such a nice gift !"

- Chris St. James, Universe d'Artistes

You can mark November 7th down as a special historic day. Chris St. James, Blogger-in-Chief at Universe d'Artistes, has just posted his ONE THOUSANDTH article! That's a thousand different issues, subjects, and bits of information that he has brought to us in the form of interviews, exhibitions, features, book and web reviews, and general information concerning photography centered around the artistic nude genre. You've seen me comment about him several times on this blog. For a while, he had to take a leave of absence from his charge to us, in order to tend to matters of his own health. His will to survive and then come back to us full-force is just a testament to how much this man lives to give. A lesser person would have resolved to a life of self-pity and depression. Chris chose to overcome and become more. Click on his link and scroll down to the Nov 7th post.

This is my message to him in honor of that celebration:

"What Cal Ripken, Jr. is to baseball.... What Brett Favre is to Football... Chris St. James is to photographic art nudes. I am glad and indeed honored to be able to call him my friend, despite the fact that we have never met.Over the last year, Chris has been invaluable to my growth as a photographer and as a writer. My blog would not be what it is today without his tuteledge and guidance.I am very thankful that he is an overcomer, a super-achiever, a survivor, and most notably a man full of genuine love which he bestows upon us on an almost daily basis.His prolific blog has helped countless photographers emerge from the dark confines of obscurity into the light of exposure and visibility.This is a very dedicated and committed man. I love him for it. One of these days we'll meet, I'm sure. I am looking forward to it. Chris, thanks for being so strong and perservering for us! Your eternal Friend, Terrell"

On another note, this was also a pretty exciting weekend for me as well. As I have mentioned, I've pledged to concentrate on a few other things, rather than just the nude. Again, I am not giving up nude photography...I am just going to do some other things for a bit. In fact, Trixie is coming over this afternoon for some work and I have a few other projects that were already planned that I still need to follow through with. This weekend, I got to try my hand at some NHRA races at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Talk about AWESOME!! This was something new to me. I'd never shot race cars before and I quickly learned there's more to it than shooting the nude. As with any subject, it requires its own perspective. I was instructed by the chief NHRA photographer that I'd have to shoot this pretty much like a portrait. I added a few things to that. I quickly learned that I needed to shoot from a lower perspective. Also an extreme wide-angle lens served very well...two things you don't necessarily do in portraiture work.

So right now, I'll post these images for you to enjoy and will speak more on how this all came about later. I gotta get ready for Trix.