PHOTO ANTHEMS BLOG

25 May 2013

Why We Like Black and White Photography

“Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.”

- Robert Frank

Black and White, aka... MONOCHROME. This is the way things started out. Of course, you already knew that. Actually, monochrome refers to more than just Black and White. Sepia is also monochromatic, as is Cyanotype, Abrotype, Selenium, and Copper. All it really means is one color tonality combined with white. An image is said to be duo-toned when white is replaced with another color

But when we usually refer to making photos artistic, we are mostly referring to turning them black and white. This is a style. And why do we do this? There are several reasons. Mainly its the aesthetic appeal of vintage artwork, which is once again the trendiest way to shoot. Case in point, Instagram. Half the images we see now-a-days are posted with Instagram retro or lomo(graphy) filters overlaid on top of the image to give it an old feel. Old has become new again.

Art Model, Alethea
©2013 Terrell Neasley

Another reason we like B&W is for the simple fact that it is traditional. We used to not have the ability to capture in color. Traditional photography was more comfortable and familiar. There are reasons we like a certain image and that's because of the unconscious mind's eye which has a tendency to be drawn to certain things and will overlook others. Light, shadow, shape (especially geometric), patterns, balance...these are all elements that the eye sees and notices more quickly. These things tend to appeal to you or will at least get your attention whether you like them or not. Color will tend to distract the eye away from these elements. Bright colors and primary colors may lead the eyes away by cluttering and confusing your unconscious mind thereby making you miss the aforementioned elements the eyes naturally look for.

Remove color information and what remains are the truisms that make up the photograph. Don't get me wrong. There are times color information is paramount. Try shooting a playground in Black and White. Information is missing and which leaves the story incomplete. Shooting a redhead in B&W might even be considered a crime. However street photography is big on black and white. Distractions are reduced. You see the raw mood of the scene and are able to interpret the composition without internalizing it. Sometimes what you see can be painful, but you are able to disassociate it from yourself. Ever look at portraits of homeless people? This was a big trend of artistic work at one point. The natural tendency was to convert automatically to B&W. The pain on the faces...the grittiness of the subject...the desolation, all this was captured much the same way we tend to like shots of abandoned buildings and other facets of decay. The addition of color for human subjects might make you feel guilty for admiring the work or for not doing something to help.

"Life is like a good black and white photograph, there's black, there's white, and lots of shades in between."

- Karl Heiner

What makes good B&W images? For me, I'll take mine moody and contrasty. Sort of like the women I tend to date which oft bodes ill in the end, but that's another subject. Its going to be different for everyone. I like rich blacks that contrast well against the whites (Don't read any other analogies into that!). At the same time, I can go high key on the opposite end of the scale to where the weight of white far outweighs the amount of black in the image. Too many people will let photo-editing software make the decision for them that turn out looking flat. You can even shoot B&W straight out of camera, so the camera makes the decision. The problem here is that these are global adjustments over the entire image and these machines do not have the artistic savvy to render correctly. They may come close. They may give a good starting point, but that control should reside solely with the artist.

I used to develop my own film and prints in a darkroom. There was NEVER a shot that was perfect from capture. Some burning (darkening) and dodging (brightening) was always necessary. It was a craft and a true art. The same holds true in digital. I use Nik Silver Efex because it is the closest software to a darkroom that I have ever used. I've tried several. Nik does it best for me.

Art Model, Panda
©2013 Terrell Neasley

And this is a secret I will divulge of photogs. Sometimes, a shot may be messed up and in dire need of saving. One trick... Turn it B&W! Oftentimes, this can be a quick save for a shot that is possibly out of focus, exposed incorrectly, or otherwise just not right. The easy fix...make it artistic, which means go monochrome. If it works, great. If not... bite the bullet and move on.

And then there are the film-purist photogs who do not shoot digital. These guys will stick to film as long as they can still buy paper, film, and the chemicals to process them. In more cases than not, they are shooting pro-grade B&W film, usually a Tri-X or a TMAX brand. I have no clue what will happen to these guys once film is no more. I am one of those who actually loved the darkroom. It was a sort of sanctuary to me. I'd usually have silence in the near darkness. I'd actually develop my film with my eyes closed most of the time. Doing the prints usually required a light, called a safe light that would not destroy prints during development.

Why do we still like monochrome? In a nutshell, it tells the story oftentimes much better. It maintains a timelessness that is unique to us. And the versatility of it is useful in just about any important situation. Black and White is simple. Its beautiful and unencumbered. And remember, Black and White is not just black and white, but also every shade of gray in between.

22 May 2013

Looking for Something Different to Shoot?

“I shutter to think how many people are underexposed and lacking depth in this field.”

– Rick Steves

Including myself, I've got at least 4 other photographer friends who are looking at that next big thing or trying to find something else to work on with a camera. Coming up with new ideas can be tricky, especially when you are used to shooting one specific genre of photography. Its even harder when you are trying to find a new and interesting angle in that same genre. I put myself in both categories. I want to do new and I also want to give a little punch to my nude work.

So here are a few things to consider, even if you are looking to dust off that old camera and remove the lens cover for the first time in ages. First, look at photos! You can review online sites such as Flickr or 500px, pick up your favorite paperback magazine, or check out the latest "how-to" books, find great work and study them. Spend time catching up with other artists in your field and see what they are doing. Look at the images you like and ask yourself what elements or concepts about the image got your attention. I'm not saying you have to copy or jump on the latest bandwagon, but often submerging your mind in imagery can act like a primer to get the creative flow to pumping.

Art Model Faerie, demonstrating
long-exposure, light-painting, and stoboscopic flash,
©2012 Terrell Neasley

Second, in addition to different genres of photo, you can try your hand at new concepts in photo. Its one thing to go from fashion photography to sports, but what about doing long- exposures or light painting? This is one of my areas of concentration lately. What about branching out even further and trying some time-lapse work? Ever work with flash? ...possibly so. But have you used REAR-CURTAIN SYNC? Ever clicked over to the STROBOSCOPIC feature? If these ideas aren't as forthcoming, then try this: Whatever it is that you normally do, MOVE IN CLOSER! Try a prime (fixed focal length) lens, like a 35mm or a 50mm and come in closer to your subject for a different perspective.

“If your photos aren’t good enough, then you’re not close enough”

– Robert Capa

Fellowship with other photographers. Join a club, meetup group, or just find a gaggle of photogs to hang with and go shooting. Chances are, you are not in this alone. You MUST know at least ONE other friend who is an aspiring pixel-punisher. Team up and go someplace to shoot, whether it be local or a day-trip. Find some place neither of you have yet visited and explore. B&C Camera is an excellent place to learn. Several photo regulars who are experts in their fields come to "shoot the breeze" over coffee, bagels and cream cheese on just about every Saturday afternoon. Hanging out at the camera store and talking with other like-minded individuals is bound to trigger an idea or two. At the very least, you'll develop friendships that can help build your foundation in photography. I say this because this was an excellent source for me when I moved to Vegas and transitioned from film into digital photography for the first time. So I'm passing this nugget of a resource on to you.

An often overlooked idea is to RENT SOMETHING! You can rent a new lens like a wide-angle or even a fish-eye lens to give you a different perspective on your work. You can rent a completely new system or brand if you think you might want to eventually buy or just rent on the occasions you need it. I'm considering the Sony RX-1 to purchase later this summer. So I plan on renting it for $150 for a week's use to see how I like the performance of the camera as well as judging how well I can get used to having a fixed 35mm lens and no viewfinder. This is a full-frame camera for a quarter of the cost of a Leica equivalent. I can even try both and compare the systems. BorrowLens.com or LensRentals.com are excellent sources for this. If you are local to Las Vegas or visiting, be sure to check out B&C Camera rental gear, ready for immediate pick-up.

15 May 2013

Its Not the Camera, Its the Photographer...RIGHT?

“Pictures, regardless of how they are created and recreated, are intended to be looked at. This brings to the forefront not the technology of imaging, which of course is important, but rather what we might call the eyenology (seeing).”

~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

How many times have I heard that statement? Countless. And you'll usually hear it from someone who doesn't have good gear, or its someone who HAS great gear, but who also gets tired of listening to those that don't have the gear complain that their shots would be better if they DID have good gear. What's my take? I honestly hate getting into it, but if you ask me...I'm a gear-head.

To be fair, there is truth to the statement depending on how you look at it as well as falsehoods for the same reason. So for me, it depends on the context in which the statement is made as well as who's saying it.

I'll make my point. YES...IT IS THE CAMERA.

Any true craftsman in his trade is likely to credit his advanced skill to training and great gear. I don't care what profession you are in, in more cases than not, if you are good at what you do, proud of it, and successful at it, chances are you've invested in the good stuff and leave the cheap stuff to the amateurs. You're getting high quality and durable supplies and equipment to meet the standards of excellence you have set for yourself. You may even plan to hand those tools down to the next generation in the family. Or, YOU may now possess the same tools handed down to you from a parent. High quality older gear is still good gear.

Art Model, Viki Vegas,
© 2011 Terrell Neasley

In photography, this is no different. Especially in the more durable components like lenses. No one will argue that glass isn't important. You may be of the school of thought that fast glass isn't all that necessary, but you'll still find yourself agreeing with me that quality glass is. And despite some that have stated the client doesn't care what you shoot, but rather the image is all that matters, I still disagree here. A journalist may be able to get away with a cell phone shot. However, I will not let a client see me rocking a Rebel. I learned that early on when I watched a guy walk up to his photographer and make a very simple statement, "My son has this same camera." He didn't say a word after that but just looked at the photog inquisitively. I knew the unspoken words that yet teetered on his lips..."So why am I paying you so much to do this?"

If you're doing DSLR video, you're going to appreciate that headphone jack to monitor audio in your Pro-level camera. When you need that bad-ass HDR, you're going appreciate being able to automatically bracket your exposures up to 5 or more stops. Ever want to do timed-intervals for some ever popular time-elapse images. Dang...can't hook up an intervalometer to that Rebel. Whoops, no Autofocus drive motor on the D3200...hope you don't have any D-series lenses. Aww... can't get that nice bokeh with your 18-55 kit lens...now you see the difference in having a 50 or 85mm f/1.2. So yes...the camera does matter. I get paid to produce those results.

"Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography."

– George Eastman

NO...IT'S THE PHOTOGRAPHER!

On the other hand, there is one saying amongst light-shapers I do agree with. "The most important camera is the one in your hand." If all you have on you is a point and shoot compact camera, then that's it. I'd much rather get the shot with SOMETHING, than miss the shot because I had nothing. I read just the other day that 21% of all images taken last year have been with a cell phone, up from 11% just a few years ago. I've actually done pro work with my Canon S100 compact camera. It shoots RAW and when I can't pull out the big guns, I'm still ready.

But also know that I've seen images taken with a Canon Rebel that far outpaced some of the flagship cameras. That's because when it comes down to it, its all about manipulating the relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO. All cameras depend on this same relationship to create an exposure. All of them. And in most cases you can still get a good shot with a disposable camera. This argument falls apart when there are specific circumstances that require pro-level features. A sports photog needing 9 frames a second isn't gonna get that in a entry level Nikon. And a non-weather sealed Rebel isn't going to stand up to the harsh environments when extreme temperatures and humidity are present. But all things being equal, in 80% of the situations encountered, I'm going to be able to get that shot in the dark with your very own Canon 40D when you are complaining its impossible without a better camera with high ISO capabilities. Why? Probably because I've put in the time to better understand the aforementioned camera interactive relationships and the nature of light. I've done it. I'm not bragging. I'm making a point.

Art Model, Viki Vegas,
© 2011 Terrell Neasley

All that to say this. Gear is important too. It's the CAMERA...AND...it's the PHOTOGRAPHER. The better solution, however is to be skilled and successful enough to acquire the better gear, while being creative and knowledgeable enough to find alternative when you don't have it.

For further reading on the matter, you can check out postings by Steve Huff and Luminous Landscape.

14 May 2013

Canon or Nikon?...Let me Help with That

"There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are."

~ Ernst Haas

I often get asked variants of this question or hear statements pertaining to Canon vs Nikon.

"Should I buy Canon or should I go Nikon?"
"Canon is the bigger company so is it the best?"
"Everybody I know owns Nikon so Nikon is better, right?"
"I had a Canon once and it broke after 3 months. Canon can't be a good company."

I am pretty sure it will be a perpetual inquiry until one company ultimately fails. I've touched on this before over the last Christmas holiday discussing both, "How to Shop for YOUR Photographer" as well as, "Getting into Photo, Part I...The Camera". But hey...this is a blog. So I'll touch on it again.

Art Model, Emma
©2013 Terrell Neasley

Canon is the bigger company. Nikon is next depending on whether or not we're talking compact cameras or the bigger DSLRs. With respect to compacts, Sony is actually No.2, just ahead of Nikon, but Nikon holds the No.2 spot with DSLRs. You also have to throw in the new mirrorless systems, (Sony NEX cameras or the Nikon 1 systems) as well as the mirrorless micro 4/3rds systems that are increasing in popularity like the Olympus OM-D system.

But lets keep this simple. With respect to the main question, its should you go Nikon or Canon. First make your decision off of two parameters. One, how does it feel in your hands with respect to weight and the natural feel of where the shutter release button is. You might even consider aesthetics, or how the camera looks. Two, find out what your friends have, especially where DSLRs are concerned. You may be able to borrow or interchange gear between the each other. Your buddy may want to check out your wide-angle lens. Your lens could fail and you can borrow your buddy's nifty-50. The point being, you can help each other.

Aside from that, both camera companies are just about even. You won't go wrong with either manufacturer. With regard to DSLRs, you're buying into a system. Later you'll need better lenses or lenses for different purposes. You might need a flash, or a cable release, or any other numerous dedicated equipment pieces for your camera. Any particular year, either company may take the edge in megapixels or some other feature. I used to shoot Canon for quite some time. I changed because my needs changed. I wanted to be closer to medium-format for better depth in my images. Nikon gave that to me in the 36mp D800e system. I switched because Nikon accommodated my need better than Canon, but for the average user, Canon STILL makes great cameras. Tomorrow, they can produce a 46 megapixel camera. Will I switch back to Canon? No. Not as long as my needs are being fulfilled adequately enough by Nikon.

"Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like putting a live grenade in the hands of a child."

~ Norman Mailer

Now...if it were me and I was buying my first camera today, I'd honestly probably still go Nikon, just because of timing. Two years ago, I'd still say the Canon Rebel was better than Nikon entry level systems. Today, Nikon has the D3200 and the D5200 that are both REALLY good systems with 24mp, more Autofocus points, and also cheaper than the newest Canon Rebel T5i. Next year, I may not be able to say this, so I'm talking for today and right now. As a comparison, you can easily check out Snapsort.com where you can compare specific cameras and see how well they fair. This is one I did with the T5i and the D5200.

Just because you bought a camera from one manufacture which broke, remember that was ONE camera. Its not indicative of the entire company or even all cameras of that model, unless there is a actual identified defect in all of them. Working in the camera shop the 2 days a week I do, I see customers come in often with a complaint about a camera model and swear to only buy from the "other guys" from now on. That's not a very tenable solution, because I can tell you for fact, that both manufacturers have products that fail, sometimes right out of the box. I can also tell you that when products DO fail, Canon is "Johnny on the Spot" with getting things fixed.

Buy a camera that has the features you like with benefits that are important to you. Maybe you like Wi-fi, touchscreen, megapixels, or the ability to shoot 60 images a second. Let that be your main guide in camera selections. You can easily visit Las Vegas-based B&C Camera and talk it over with the guys working there to help explain some of these features. Ugy manages the main West location (4500 W. Sahara) and Tony handles the new East location (1550 E. Tropicana). Both have the best TEAMS working there which is why they are now the only camera shop in town and thriving...just just surviving. Check 'em out.

29 April 2013

Its Just a HAT! Right...?

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”

― Robert Frost

Me in my "Life Is Good" hat, Tobacco Caye, Belize

For about two weeks or so, I've been going nuts looking for my navy blue "Life Is Good" hat. Chances are, if you've seen me on the street, I'm wearing that hat and my government issued dog tags. I'm used to having my head covered from as long as I can remember and it drives me absolutely nuts when I lose a hat. I will wear out a hat or lose it before I move on. I've finally recovered it when I got invited over to my bud Chris' house to watch a UFC fight. Just as I stepped in the door, he handed me back my hat that I had inadvertently left there from a few weeks back when we were watching one of the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four match-ups.

Getting it back made me stop for a second to contemplate the sense of relief I was feeling to an object of clothing. Yeah, everybody's got that favorite shirt, lucky tie, or sentimental article of attire, but I can't necessarily articulate why the hat had become so special. I can understand some of my previous head gear favorites. I had a Kangol my brother gave me once. I lost a Dallas Cowboy hat who used to be my favorite NFL team. I was pissed when my girlfriend's dog at my Murray State University hat while I was still in college.

I had no such history with this hat. It wasn't even my first Life Is Good brand hat. I had my first one for only a few days when it blew off my head in strong winds while I was trying to get a shot of a busted-up pier along the Gulf Coast. It blew off into the water. I had hoped it would float back to shore but instead it just skirted about 30 feet off the shore-line for a good 300 yards before I lost site of it. Had it not already been after dark and had I not been alone, I would have left my shoes and cell phone on the shore and gone after it. But I felt I would have been stupid to go into unfamiliar waters by myself in the dark. I still came back the next day and walked the shore line for a good mile before giving up.

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of."

- Bruce Lee

This hat held no such memories, but retained value nonetheless. The closest answer to my self-directed question may just be the brand: Life Is Good. Because it is. It can be crappy and downright seemingly unfair at times, but life is good. No matter how shitty it might be for you at the moment, you are alive and that means there's a chance of hope. There is no hopelessness as long as you draw breath. People have searched for the meaning of life since recorded history. Scientists today are searching tirelessly throughout the visible universe to find other evidence of life. Governments all over spend billions upon billions in an effort to hunt for planets like the Earth looking for possibilities of potential life.

They have found nothing of the sort. As far as we can see, light-years into our galaxy and beyond, we...right here on this tiny speck of dust, are the only life-forms in existence. There are 6 billion people on this planet. There are likely 60 billion more different forms of life for every person. Yet here we stand, bent on killing ourselves and our own planet via wars, crime, pollution, global warming, etc. I just don't understand why we have to be mean to one another despite having differences. As far as we know, we are all we have. Despite our multitudes here on Earth, we are a rarity in the universe. Life is not cheap. Life is Good.

26 April 2013

Got MUSE?

"O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention..."

- William Shakespeare, Henry V Act I, Prologue

I'm still working several endeavors at once right now, but I'm glad to say I'm still on top of my original plan to go big on my nude work. As I mentioned before, last year, I only shot 4 models and only 7 the year before that. I'm not sure what my count is up to just yet, because some of those fell through even after I did the work. But I can still say I'm having fun with it. I've recently had the opportunity to work with two friends of mine that have been at least two years in the making. Its been one of those planned-on things, that just never got done. Until now...

I initially wanted to shoot 20 models for the year. Not quite sure how I'm going to make that goal. I'll be traveling for a considerable chunk of the latter half of the year. I hope to do some on the road, but who can tell how many? I'm a quality over quantity kind of guy anyway. But then there are those times when I start to do more work with fewer models. When you begin to gel with who you're currently working with, its easy to forgo finding new talent. That's a strong tendency of mine, and with Emma and Alethea, I've got catch-up work to do! Like I said, we've been trying to hook up for the last two years. I love these girls and they have been a tremendous blessing to have around and call friends.

And it was a good session to say the least, especially after overcoming the fact that the initial site, which the primary concept hinged on, was no longer available to us. We still worked some secondary and even tertiary sites that still afforded us excellent possibilities. And while we were able to turn out superb images on our debut photo session, I suspect the next one will be even better. Yeah, I like putting that kind of pressure on myself.

“You can only use someone for so long before you dry them out. How long does a muse last? When do you let them loose?”

― Coco J. Ginger (Good question...)

Another thing that makes having a great muse or two fun is having the opportunity to just PRACTICE. As glorifying and romantic as you might think it happens, artists rarely have an epiphany or dream concept that comes to them in the night and then they perfect it first time. Its more often a vague idea, that gets tossed around, experimented with, and trashed long before it comes to fruition, much less gets perfected. A good muse will allow you to work through those processes to hone your craft, refine your concepts, polish your skill set, help cultivate new ideas when original ones don't work.

I'm looking forward to the next series of projects I have planned for these girls both together again as well as individually. They are strong together and I can also benefit from their work independently. My aim is to maximize the potential I see in them by challenging my ability to conceptualize thus optimizing the potential in myself. That may sound corny, but anyhoo...that's the goal. I'm just glad I get to work with these girls.

12 April 2013

Return of the Panda

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

― Ernest Hemingway

Seems like every now and again, I get tied up in a bunch of things and miss my regular blog posts. I'm playing catch-up with a bunch of things right now, including edits from previous shoots/projects and some online classes I'm doing. My nude work is back up, at least. I've had some setbacks with some of the use of my work, but I've had some very satisfying gigs that have resulted in outstanding work. One of those projects is getting back to work with your fave model, Panda!

Art Model Extraordinaire, Panda.
©2013 Terrell Neasley

Where's she been? Having kids! Well, one anyway. The girl's been busy so I hadn't gotten to shoot with her in a year or so. I've missed her, but she's the same girl with a few different priorities and I'm glad to have her. We got to shoot a few weeks ago and I got my first chance to meet Baby Panda, who's a cutie in her own right. But its still kinda funny. Panda and I used to shoot late into the night before I would bring her back home. Now she's in bed before it's really that dark! So yeah, I gladly work with her new schedule.

I guess the biggest thing going on with me right now is prepping for my trip back to Central America. I'm planning on hitting that in July again, same as last year. It seems like only a few months ago since I was there last. Eleven months simply does not seem real. The goal this time is to spend a month with a Guatemalan family where I will learn Espanol. THEN, I'll begin my travels and hit more countries that I didn't get to make on the last visit. If you might recall, on my last trip, I spent a month in Guatemala and Belize with Heather Rae from In Search Of Squid. Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize was the last visit before Heather Rae was to return home. My intentions were to stay and travel back to Guatemala and around Central America some more. How much longer...I had no idea.

“To travel is to live.”

― Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography

However Hurricane Ernesto, (quarter million dollars in damage) had other ideas for us and forced us to evacuate the island. That's how I spent my birthday. With so few options, we basically had no choice but to run back to the States, buying return tickets only the night before. So I left Central America feeling incomplete and unfinished. I still need to figure out how to take a nude model along with me. If I get my desire, I'll be gone at least 4 months, but I really only need an accompanying model for maybe 2 or 3 weeks to hit about 6 return locations. These are spots that I promised myself I would return to with a model. So after those locations, I don't mind finding local talent or other willing travelers who wouldn't mind posing nude as I meander further South.

Art Model Extraordinaire, Panda.
©2013 Terrell Neasley

The plan now is to hit the remaining 5 countries and finish up in Panama. So that would include Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and then Panama. Just depending on how things go, if it works, I'll even consider heading into South America. I would love visiting Columbia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador in particular. This will be on my own dime. Ideally, I'll find a gig that takes me down there. Or better yet!! I'll offer my services to another female client who needs a travel companion, does nudes, and is affluent enough to sustain a continuous travel status. I'd follow her all over the world taking her pictures any and everywhere. Now THAT would be ideal. I can only hope and pray!

17 March 2013

Underwater Splunking (Caving)

"And as I reinvent myself and I'm constantly curious about everything, I can't wait to see what's around the corner in newfound art and entertainment and exploration."

~ Pam Grier

Many things inspire, motivate, and move me. Two things in particular that tend to spur me on is something I fear or something that makes me uncomfortable. I'm compelled to do what scares me and the more it scares me, the more it's embedded in my head that I need to do it. What's brought this on? Let me tell you...

Professional Model, Katia
© 2013 Terrell Neasley

My good buddy John was the first to inform me about the National Geographic 50 Greatest Photos exhibit on display at the Venetian here in Las Vegas until Jun 1st. It was definitely a must see. Any photog should want to see that show, really. I wanted him to go with me the weekend he informed me of it, but that wasn't possible for him. And then I just forgot about it. That is until Heather Rae reminded me about it about a month later. We went a few days after her reminder and I was indeed perplexed and amazed.

I was perplexed at some of the shots that were selected. I couldn't quite make out what made them so special. After reading up on a few of them, there may have been a story or cause that backed the shot up; sometimes not. I'd much rather a shot stand on its own sans any background info. I was amazed at a couple of them as well. "Afghan Girl" by the renown Steve McCurry, of course was tops. Polar bears and women in burqas were in a number of them as well. My favorite image was "Underwater Cave, Bahamas" by acclaimed cinematographer Wes C. Skiles and it rekindled my desire to do some underwater cave photography excursions and exploration.

I first did caving in Mammoth Caves doing the Wild Tour back in 2006, I think it was. It was a surreal experience. That was 6 hours of splunking and only an hour or so was spent standing up. The rest of the time you are on hands and knees or your belly. I later learned about underwater caves and when I got really serious about photography, I knew that was still a very much unexplored genre of photo. The problem is that I know nothing about diving, for one. Two, one of the most dangerous things you can do on the planet is dive caves. There was a video on Skiles' photographic adventure and Heather Rae was quick to note the photographer eventually died on an expedition only a few years ago. Maybe its too cliche to say "He died doing what he loved", but I don't know... maybe that ain't such a bad way to put it.

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." ~ T. S. Elliot

So yeah, cave-diving. Maybe that's why I liked the movie, "Sanctum" so much. What makes is so compelling is that I'm afraid of it, I'm uncomfortable in the open waters, and I know nothing about diving. Which means that within a year, I'll be doing it. So remember this post and call my bluff on it if you don't see shots of me with dive tanks and fins. Chances are, I'll be incorporating a nude in there somewhere! Who's got nudes swimming with whale sharks?

In the meantime, I have a number of projects to work on before the summer gets here. Most notably is my commitment to working with more nude models to reach my goal of at least 20 by year's end. I only worked with 4 models last year and just 7 the year before that. I was used to working with around 4 models a month when I came to Vegas. I want my 2013 book of nudes to be much more substantial than before. WPPI was recently here in Vegas and I was fortunate enough to get to shoot a couple of professional models. This is Katia from LA and while she doesn't do nude work, you'll still be amazed at what you can turn out with her. Talk about a great girl to hang out with, as well. I'm so glad I got to meet her and shoot. Excellent talent.

22 February 2013

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

"To introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with a free gift of professional portraiture."

~ NILMDTS Mission Statement

I received a text message on my phone from my area coordinator that requested a photographer come to one of the hospitals in the Las Vegas area. It was Super Bowl Sunday. I was out of town at the time. I watched my phone during the football game in-between plays to see who was going to respond to the urgent call. There were responses but all of them were replying, "Unavailable."

In most situations like this, if I'm busy but no one else is available, I'll try to take it upon myself to drop what I'm doing and answer that call, but I was 2,000 miles away this time. A baby had died. On Super Bowl Sunday. And of the few photographers who serve with the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation in the Las Vegas area, none were available because there are SO FEW of us doing it. All of us are professionals at what we do and when lacking in numbers the way we are, its inevitable that a call will go unanswered. However, this was a first for me in the three years I've been doing this. A hospital called on behalf of grieving parents and the call went unanswered.

So I'd like to make a special appeal to the local Las Vegas area photographers to consider donating some time to this cause. It is not an easy task by any means. A mother gives birth to a child who, for whatever reason, is not going to make it or may actually be stillborn. The only records that prove this child ever existed will be a birth and a death certificate with dates too close together. Many people will not understand this service and some may disagree with it. Nonetheless, that child still made an impact in this world if only for the briefest of moments. Lives that ripple out from the parents are affected...brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends of the family, and others. That child will be missed and that pain of loss can radiate outwards for quite some time. Having a well-done portraiture will mark the occasion better than anything else, as well as help bring healing, and a more positive way to remember that child.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is a global foundation of affiliate photographers and volunteers who offer their professional services FREE of charge and at their own expense. The foundation serves the community by doing portraits of the babies and families involved. Last year, I photographed the family you see in these images who gave me special permission to use them to promote this cause. I very much appreciate their desire to help me ask you for your help. We are too few in numbers here in the Las Vegas Valley and could use your help. This is not an easy portrait session to so. Taking memorable photos of a deceased child or a dying child will be one of the hardest things you will encounter. Nonetheless, the need for our services is great and is only equaled by the need for more photographers to volunteer the help.

Right now is a great time to find out more about the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep foundation and to see if you can serve. The WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) 2013 Convention is just around the corner and there will be a NILMDTS booth on the Expo floor. Better than this however, are the NILMDTS Certification classes that always accompany WPPI Conventions. So this is an excellent opportunity to submit your portfolios for review, get accepted, and attend the certification course in just a few weeks. So visit the site to become an affiliate photographer for the Las Vegas area and give us a hand in giving back to our community. We don't want anyone else to be turned away.

If you simply KNOW for a fact that this is not for you, then no worries. No hard feelings. I have genres of photography that simply aren't for me as well. That's understood. It takes both a stomach and a heart to do this. No two assignments or cases are alike. I've been on some like the family in these pictures where I was with the family for 16 hours. Others were less than an hour. That doesn't matter. All that counts is answering the call, doing the job, and delivering your best work. For more information on Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, please peruse the website, contact the staff, or contact myself. I can only end this blog with this; We need your help. Even if you are not a photographer, there are ways you can volunteer or donate to the foundation. Thanks.

30 January 2013

More Optimism, Altruism...(less drama)

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that
in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
― Maya Angelou

This is an invite. It's going to get weird, but bear with me.

I'm a people watcher. Actually, more like an observer. I've tried to look at people sans judgments but with understanding. Sometimes you run into those who are just plumb stupid, whole-hearted assholes, and otherwise mean-spirited folk. But I would say this is the minority of the kinds of mannerisms for most people you will meet.

“How can you govern a country
which has 246 varieties of cheese?”
― Charles de Gaulle

As a photographer, being observant is an asset. I feel like I've always been an observer, but now I see people often times through an imaginary viewfinder. I see how they might look with a lens between them and me or how they might appear if I strategically cropped out the rest of the world around them. It's fascinating actually. Ya'll should try to visualize that sometimes. Things can become a bit more easy to see when you shrink the world. And when you can see, you can understand.

One of my life-long goals is to become less angry and fed up with people. I think I can do this by understanding people's affect on my life and put them into true perspective. What this essentially means is letting go of drama. I can't stand drama. Drama should be in the cinema or on stage and never in real life. I've had to deal with my fair share and ever more, even now. But I want to invite you to think about this and contemplate the affect it has in your life. I would wager to say that most drama has very little true impact on a person's life. We tend to empower drama, more so than our drama has its own natural power. Case in point: I've been betrayed or blindsided quite often by people who I imagined were close to me. Hurts every time, I'll admit, but what surprises me most about myself is my ability to get better at recovering from it much more quickly than I have in the past. Part of that is realizing that people's opinion of me don't really matter. They don't affect my income or my ability to care for myself. They don't affect my relationship with God. They don't detour my future potential and they certainly don't dictate my ability to decide what's right for me. That is, unless I empower them to do so.

“All the diversity, all the charm, and all the beauty of life are made up of light and shade.”
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Let me entreat you to try a little harder at optimism. I struggle with it. Make no mistake, I'm not speaking to this like I'm some wise old sage, guru, or mountain mystic sitting above 8,000 feet in a small village above the cloud-line. But I think if we can look at things in their proper perspective and give credence only to those things and people that really matter, it would be difficult to NOT be optimistic about ourselves, our future, others we hold dear, and humanity in general.

Another word I will throw at you is Altruism. Random acts of kindness, a good-natured attitude, looking for the best in people and situations, light-hearted, caring for other people and the world we live in; all of that. That's altruism. Not being divided by social, political, gender, racial, and sexual persuasions...that's altruism. Actually desiring to reach a mutual agreement and working tirelessly towards that goal...that's altruism.

“Be sure to enjoy language, experiment with ways of talking, be
exuberant even when you don't feel like it because language can make
your world a better place to live.”
― Deborah Levy, Pillow Talk in Europe and Other Places

The Hubble telescope is one of many instruments we use to see deep into the universe. We can see so far into the distant expanse of space that we are actually seeing into the past. As far as well can tell, we here on the planet Earth are the only representation of LIFE that we have been able to find. That girl on the job that you can't stand is still, in essence, a miracle of life. We can procreate life because we are designed to so do. But we can't just create life from scratch. Its impossible. Even the most simplest forms of life are yet impossible for us to create ourselves. Can you create a worm? Do you have it in you to re-engineer a fly? None of the most brilliant minds or the smartest brains to ever grace the human race can do this. Yet we often cheapen life and the value of one another.

I am reminded of the movie, staring the late great Michael Clarke Duncan. You know the movie..."The Green Mile". His character is gifted but fed up with how mean we are to each other:

"Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There's too much of it. It's like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand?" - character, John Coffey in "The Green Mile"

“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear.”
― Gene Roddenberry

So I submit these questions: Why can't we enjoy one another? Why can't we just enjoy life? Why do we needlessly get caught up in things and people that don't really matter? Let a mother feed her baby in public. And if she uses a boob to do it, so the f-what. Quit being so disparaging over a naked body. Clean up the heart and nudity won't matter. It doesn't matter what your faith is, God said to love. He didn't specify exceptions at to sexual orientation. I'm Black, but I'm just like you, just with a longer dick, better natural ability with a ball (you can keep your pucks), and more rhythmic responses to music. I'm Kidding! Cuz we're getting a grip on the puck, too! Nah...All jokes aside. I'm actually just like you, maybe culturally different. But isn't that the brilliant thing about life...Our Diversity!! That's what made life proliferate throughout time. Diversity. Relish our differences. I promise you. If you want to enrich your own life, get to know cultures outside of your own. So appreciate and celebrate me. I will love and cherish you. How about we make THAT deal. More OPTIMISM. More ALTRUISM.

....less drama...

You can do this. WE can do this. Help me treat you better. I wanna start with me. You do the same. And we can just see where it takes us. I found this animation over on Peace, Love, Nudity. I thought it was interesting.

17 January 2013

Welcome to Photo Anthems 2013!

"Like all great travelers I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." - Benjamin Disraeli

First post of the year. Hooray! Nah, I don't really get into all that. But I understand many will still make resolutions, break'em, and renew them the next year. I'm normally not a conformist, but let me give it a try.

First, I'm gonna shoot more nude models than the FOUR I shot last year. Granted, 2012 was quite odd. I spent the first 4 months on lock-down from knee surgery. I spent some time out of the country and came back to the US and traveled around some more. So I didn't have a lot of opportunities to shoot many models. That changes. Regardless of travel schedules, or other extra-curricular activities, I'm making time for nudes. I don't care where I am. I'll be shooting. I had the good fortune of starting the year off right. When the clock struck midnight, I raised a glass, drank some champagne, kissed a few beautiful women, and 30 mins later was shooting a nude...for the next 7 hours. That's how I want to spend every New Year's.

The second priority of business is to travel MORE! I know I have to get back down to Central America again. I need to backtrack some of my spots from last summer and this time bring a nude model with me. There were so many beautiful spots to shoot in and nobody was getting naked. Nature = Nudes, as far as I'm concerned and this is a must do. I need to spend some time with a Guatemalan family to learn Español, as I had intended to do on my last trip. But as I detailed before, Hurricane Ernesto had other plans. I don't know how much I'll get to do, but the priority is to do backtrack Central America, head on down to a few more C.A. countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama. I may leave Nicaragua and Costa Rica for another day. And then skirt on down further South into South America with priorities on Brazil, Colombia, and Equador. I'll see how things go and maybe get Peru and Chile in there.

"Full nakedness! All my joys are due to thee, as souls unbodied, bodies unclothed must be, to taste whole joys." - John Donne

The problem is that I like to take my time and sufficiently explore a place. I don't want to do a city or two and hit the next country. I want to absorb the culture and actually learn something. Tourism is not my goal. Experiencing the places and people I visit, is. All that takes time. How much time will I have? Who knows. A better question might be how much money will I have. Yeah, funding is kind of important, because at the same time, I still have Photo Anthems to run. Can I implement more travel into my business model? Well, that's still left to be seen. I'm taking steps as we speak to make that happen.

Which leads to the next priority for the year...My business. Travel will definitely be a part of it, but I don't want to travel on my own dime by saving up and hitting the road with a limited budget. The goal is to have funds coming in WHILE I am on the road...or boat, as it were. I tell you my mind is constantly bent on this notion. I've almost entirely evolved my initial business plan when I first set out to do photo, which was primarily going to be on personal documentaries. Well, while this is still part of my business, I'd like to incorporate personal travel documentaries in the mix. I'd follow a client around and photograph and video their experiences and edit everything into a final package.

I love this thing, photography. And I want to revamp everything about the way I do it, in terms of gear I use, my methodology, and my art. I'll talk more on all that later on, though. But I can definitely envision great things, great collaborations, and EPIC projects. I hope you are on board and are following me. 'Cause its going to be a fun ride!

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