Sunrise Sunset

"You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn't waste either." - Galen Rowell

Black Star Ranch

I stumbled on the above quote while poking around the Interwebs today, and it hit me a bit hard because so many times I've been driving to work and watching the most beautiful sunrise, powerless to even pull my camera out of my bag. (Note to self, buy a point & shoot!) Every morning when I see a gorgeous sky and the light changing color it feels like another missed opportunity.

Once Upon A Time

There is nothing like it, the anticipation as the sky grows slowly brighter, watching the hills behind and trying to gauge where the light will hit first and where the shadows will fall. Before I started shooting seriously I never gave it a thought, just captured what I could when the timing allowed me to be in a position where I could take a photograph. Now I'm more careful of my timing and I strive to be in the best location for those first rays of golden light.

Shine On

There are some people close to me who think I'm crazy for chasing the sunrise out in the desert, they just don't understand that it's magic.

Hope Lives With The Morning

And how can you not love the view?

Last Light

A Net friend of mine collects photographic related quotes for his website, PhotoQuotes and he would love to receive more, if you have a favorite photography related quote, please send it to Hákon Ágústsson he would very much appreciate it! And tell him I sent you, he's good people.

Comments

say what you will

Under A Velvet Sky

I appreciate when people take the time to comment on my photos, though I don't always appreciate the comment itself, when someone comments on my level of skills or the way I present a photo I appreciate it very much. But when someone makes a negative personal comment about a model, I take it very much to heart and I feel very hurt by it.

The Way It Should Be

When I first started working with models and before I was shooting nudes I received a couple of personal negative comments, something to the effect that I needed to find better looking models. At first I took this with a grain of salt because I was working with good looking models, but then I realized something vital, it wasn't the models I was working with, it was the way I was capturing them. I didn't need to find better looking models, I need to take better photos of them!

Sea Wind

So last night I happened upon a comment left on one of my images in a model's portfolio, while the comment was actually positive, it was also quite personal and descriptively graphic. And points out just how much people can look at the exact same thing and see it quite differently, it reminded me of a line from the 1989 movie "Look Who's Talking". John Travolta's character and Mikey (the baby), are looking directly at Kristie Alley's breasts and John says, "are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"  Mikey responds "Yeah. Lunch!"

Watchful Eye

When I post a photo, some will like it, some will dislike it and some just don't care, everyone will see it differently, comments and opinions are as useful as you allow them to be. Once the photo is out there it's no longer about me, the model, the subject or the scene, it's all about the viewer.

Thank You Art Models

art models are gifts from the Gods

Radar Love

In my time working with models I've had the pleasure of working with the best, people that have brought life to my photos, inspiration to me and beauty to the world, I owe each of them such a debt of gratitude.

Peaceful Gardens

Getting up early in the morning and driving out to desert locations, braving the chill of the wind just before sunrise and all the time making me look good. Art models are incredible individuals and without them I'd be out there taking photos of rocks and shrubs, they are the soul of my vision and lend beauty to my work.

Fear Of Flying

They say every picture tells a story and it's true, also true is that there is a story behind every picture and I would happily re-live every one.

Soul Train

If a photographer tells a story with their camera, an art model tells a story with their entire being, not just part of the photo but the essence of it.

25 or 6 to 4

The models I have worked with are nothing short of amazing, each one stole my heart.

Availability

all the while I continue to shoot whenever possible

Daybreak

But it's not enough and I don't have an answer, yet. I just live in the hope my day is coming.

Breathless

I envy the people who discovered their passion early in life and followed that passion wherever it lead, I long for a time I can devote more than an hour or two a day to photographic work. Not that I'm complaining really, but I can feel the time coming soon that something will have to give.

Midnight Sun

I was contacted yesterday by someone seemingly wanting to model and we sent a few messages back and forth, then the last message began "...we should keep in touch". I was a little shocked because at first I believed this person to be serious, or perhaps it was the way I came across to them? People are funny.

Nature Made

I have a goal that is pretty well defined and whether something will really come of it someday I honestly don't know, what I do know is I've found my passion and I intend to follow it.

Getting Caught

you have the right to remain silent but anything you shoot may be used against you.

Desert Daises

I took Monday off so I could have a long weekend and it worked out great, Saturday I went out with Rebel Smith who I hadn't worked with in a year and Sunday the awesome Sunshine In The Desert, our second shoot. Both models are wonderfully talented and a real pleasure to work with, plus it being the middle of April you are bound to find fields of desert wildflowers, which we did!

Or Bust

I have been been out to what I thought was the middle of nowhere only to run into fellow off-roaders, in fact, it seems we run into people most often when you least expect it and in some of the most remote areas of the deserts. Several times when out shooting nudes in natural settings we've been stumbled upon by other people, one time the model I was working with asked two mountain bicyclists to help us out by holding reflectors to direct light, (they did a great job!) 

Cry No More

I've been caught by a state park ranger who opened some gates for us in the mountains so we could shoot in freshly fallen snow, I was shooting in an abandoned night club and was joined by the Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy who gave us a list of great places to shoot around the Salton Sea. When I am out shooting nudes so often and in so many places I think the law of averages just works this way, half a dozen in 6 years is something I can easily live with. Probably the worst thing that ever happened when getting caught shooting nudes was a state park Ranger asked us to move further out of sight of the main road.

Love In Song

Saturday Rebel & I got caught at the location above, we were next to a dirt road several miles outside Adelanto, CA when an older couple drove up the road approaching faster than I had time to grab Reb's robe, so she ducked down next to the tree, trying to stay out of sight as they passed. However, apparently the couple saw the scene much differently because they dialed 911 emergency to report seeing a guy with a naked girl handcuffed to a tree! We, on the other hand shot a few more images and hung out while Rebel put on some sunblock, but it didn't take long for the San Bernardino Sheriff's Deputies to find us to investigate.

Life In Paradise

It quickly became a non-issue because the deputies were able to size up the situation rather quickly, after a few minutes they became almost apologetic for the interruption and holding us there, after-all we were doing nothing illegal.
I spent Monday editing shots from the weekend, every weekend should be this amazing, and when I posted the photo of Rebel she sent me a text message, "Nice...that's me...hand cuffed to a tree. That image will forever remind me of those three chuckle heads".
I love this business!

Minions

and the devout followers of the puritan ethic.

Devotion

It's a double standard in a true sense, all in my uneducated opinion of course, but I would like to know why violence of all kind is allowed in main stream media but an exposed boob is strictly forbidden, something is incredibly wrong here.

Shades of Gray

One thing I really do not get, this idea that nudity is offensive, I mean, where in the universe did this ever come from, more to the point how is it even possible? I can see being offended by words or actions, for example I am continually offended by congress, but the logic of being offended or even affected by the sight of a naked human completely escapes me.

The Devils Dunes

My guess is most people don't think about it, they are busy with their lives, their aspirations and distractions. I say this because a couple times after someone modeled nude for me, I was soon contacted by one of their friends wanting to do the same, they wanted to see themselves ala naturel. Naked in front of a camera no longer held the same contempt.    

Riding The Wave Of Discontent

I'm thinking people may have modeled nude since cave people drew on walls, for certain throughout all of recorded human history, and still, this puritan ethic runs very deep in society.

Fake Natural

I guess there's always hope that one day society will be allowed to embrace and even celebrate the beauty of being human, in the meantime I'll be out in the desert with my camera.

Observations & Influences

on the most basic level I think photographers are natural observers

Nature's Lover

There are two things I do immediately following a photo shoot, I make at least one but most of the time two verified backup copies of the photos, regardless of how late it is or how tired I am, this is one step I never skip. Secondly, I will randomly open images from different points in the shoot to make sure I got what I thought I got.

Living With The Memory

My image selection/editing method is all over the map, I go in no particular order with no pattern or plan, at any given moment I could have a dozen images up on my screen all in different stages of being edited, any given photo could sit in my photo editing software for days while I ponder it. I would like to be more organized or at least more methodical but for some reason it's just not in me.

Say It Anyway

When I'm editing photos I am listening to music or the television in the background and I'm in my own little world, I'm putting myself into the images, it's occurred to me that I travel inside the photo while I'm editing it, I am living the feeling that it gives me. Sort of like an out of body kinda thing, I become part of the scene and when I choose a title all I do is convey that experience.

Every Story

I feel I have two main photographic influences,William Mortenson and Edward Weston, both were well known but had vastly different lives and outcomes, Weston was well respected and is now considered a master, Mortenson was disliked by the photographic purest of his day and sadly much of his work has been lost. I discovered theses photographers after I began my work with nudes and still refer to their photos sometimes.

Soul Horizon

I guess I just do things the way that works for me, or more to the point, the only way I know how.

Some behind the scenes stuff

On location with awesome people

Seat Belts Save lives

Safety First!

Shooting Miss Bunnie

Occasionally there's more than just two of us out shooting, when that happens we've been known to turn the cameras on each other.

Rachel & Scott

Pearl & Ken

 Awesome memories with amazing people.

Collaboration

Conundra & Tyler

Can anything be better than this.

Dave & Rosie

Very Thankful

for the awesome people I've met and the beautiful moments I've been a part of.

Ascension

Another amazing day yesterday shooting in an area between Lucerne Valley and Apple Valley, I woke up this morning tired and a little sore from the day, and that is such a good feeling.

Earth

We again found some amazing locations and as usual not all of them worked out as well as I envisioned once we began shooting, but some of them worked better than I hoped so overall I'm very happy with the results, and it was oh so worth the effort. Several times yesterday I felt a deep sense of simply being thankful for the opportunity to be there, in the desert with a camera, a beautiful day and with a wonderful friend & model, if there is anything in this existence better than this I've yet to find it.

Untitled

Not surprisingly 99% of the people I've met and worked with doing art nude photography have been really exceptional individuals, talented, down to earth and genuine. I can't speak for model's experiences with other photographers but several of the photographers and models I have worked with have gone on to become friends, it's made this experience very rewarding and another reason to feel so fortunate.   

Rebirth

I learned a couple of important new things yesterday about photography & perspective but I think the most important lesson was that the best collaborations are of the spirit, and how truly grateful I am to have found the people I have that have shared these adventures with me. When everything is right it's like capturing magic.  

The Employment Office

As always it feels good to be a little sore, tired but really no worse for wear, and to be honest I'm just looking forward to the next one.

Dreams

they come and they go and you have to try to hold on

End Of The Rainbow

They say we dream every time we sleep but don't always remember, it's a very rare occasion that I remember my dreams, I only remember the dreams I have when I'm awake. But those are more wishes than dreams I suppose, because it seems I chase them until they shatter, but don't we all.

Medicated

I haven't always had a dream, for much of my life I think I was fairly content to just go along, oh I had moments when I would ponder what it would be like to do this, or that, or be someone else. But in 1994 I searched and found my birth family and at that point I found out I really was someone, I think from that point on I really never wanted to be anyone else.

Living On Dreams

Things seemed to have changed dramatically recently and I believe it's due in a big part to finding a dream, it's that one thing. Like in the movie City Slickers there was an exchange between Curly, played by Jack Palance and Mitch who was played by Billy Crystal that went like this.

Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is? [holds up one finger]
Curly: This.
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don't mean shit.
Mitch: But, what is the "one thing?"
Curly: [smiles] That's what *you* have to find out

Absolution

That's how I felt when I went out on my first nude photo shoot in the desert, like I had found that one thing, the one thing that made everything else seem to mean less. I just hope I can hold on to it.

Desert Solice