Pieces Of White

"In a world still largely stigmatized against nudity, one begins to wonder what it is that inspires these people towards works like theirs." ~Felicity

In her just published book, Pieces of White, Felicity tells the story of how she began doing self portrait nudes, and has included 37 of her best images. This book is exceptional, it is a very personal and intimate look into who Felicity is and how she began shooting self portraits, it's about turning adversity into opportunity. Find this book here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3666453 Or by clicking on any of the photos on the blog.

Self-Censorship: Tres

"My story has its origins rooted deep in the coercion and craving for acceptance in a particularly damaging teenage relationship." ~Felicity.

Ridges and Bumps

Her work is truly exceptional, as is her attitude, she is a pleasure to be around and hopefully I will get the chance to be with her and work with her a long into the future.

Chasing Shadows on Rainy Days

"The second turning point, then, hit one morning when I glimpsed strong sunlight on myself. And, once you've seen the light, it's not something you can, or want to, let go of." ~Felicity

Light Waves

"To date, natural light is still my favourite light source for pictures, for the richness it gives to the gradients in photographs." ~Felicity

Afternoon Whimsies

Once she saw the light, her work took on an entirely new meaning and took on a new direction, Felicity has been able to elevate her work from snapshot to fine art. I highly recommend this Beautiful book!

Straight Edges

Everything is shared by everything else; there are no discontinuities. - Frederick Sommer

Taken By The Magic

I've just published my second book - Pearl - Taken By The Magic

Taken By The Magic

I've based this book on my work with one art model, Pearl and I have made many trips out to remote desert locations under all imaginable conditions, simply for the love of art and the ability to create. This book represents the work we've done together up to the present and I've included some of the images we've done based on individual concepts we've come up with, it's not all desert as you'll see. 

The idea behind putting this book together has been on my mind for almost 2 years

What others have said of our work:
"A true muse can have an unparalleled influence on an artist, and inspire a wealth of creativity, Together the artist and the muse blend into a force
of overpowering imagination that grows, matures, and continues to bring a
sense of inspiration to all of those who bear witness to their combined
works.
Having watched David & Pearl's work together over the years, I began to
wonder just who is the artist and who is the muse. They communicate on a
level of trust, and a respectful pushing of each other's boundaries to do
more, to seek an internal originality that allows us, their viewers, a
glimpse into their paired vision. Being able to witness the beauty they can create together is a magical experience, all on it's own." ~Brooke Suzanne, Photographer- Rebelflowers Photography

My muse: Pearl. Three simple words but they signify a great journey that these two have gone on together. I first connected with D Winge Photography at place on the internet called, of all things, Deviantart. I was immediately attracted to the desert scenes and soon found that one of David's primary subjects was a woman called Pearl. These two together consistently created some great art. It was here that I first gathered an understanding of what a muse really is. Now I spend a lot of my time shooting looking for that ultimate connection. You and your muse. Thanks for the fantastic inspiration you two have given me. Now all I need is a muse. ~Kurt, Kurts Stolen Moments Photography

Distracted

"Photographing someone is one of the most intimate things you can do between two people, capturing a little piece of their soul, one frame at a time. It requires a real amount of trust and respect to get something amazing, but the relationship between the Muse and Photographer is something altogether different. A Muse inspires the photographer to be better, they bounce off each other to create something more than either could do individually. The Muse/Photographer relationship not only needs trust and respect but also requires friendship in order to really flourish, if you put all these elements together the images that come from it are always that much better. This relationship is evident in the work that David and Pearl produce because all of their images display this certain magic that can only come from this sort of connection." ~Scott James Prebble

Captivated

"In all the world, there is nothing more intriguing or incredible than the impact of a muse on an artist. In the realm of the photographer, that relationship can become something even more, two artists, the one with a camera, the other with an ability to perform for the lens. Together, they truly can make magic, and here we have a perfect example of a Pearl before the Lens, interpreted and captured by a very gifted photographer, David Winge. I am pleased to call both of these amazing artists my friends." ~Marion Z. Skydancer - Owner and Artist in Residence - Dragon's Chyld Studio

"I've had the pleasure of working with David, the "D" in D. Winge Photography. The man is an inverse hurricane. He is a calm, quiet force of nature on the outside with a stormy, passionate soul that makes itself known through the unblinking, hard eye of a camera. This combination of calm passion allows models to be comfortable to reach, explore and experiment. I've also watched David work with Pearl. While they shoot they speak far less than one would think. Pearl reaches, David captures and together they make art." ~Dave, Luminon Photography

"A photographic portrait cannot be a mere mechanical recording of fact; it bespeaks some kind of relationship between the photographer and the subject, a relationship that must precede the moment of the photograph. Though the photograph is only a two-dimensional artifact, it is actually a record of a conversation between the photographer and the subject. The photograph now speaks for the subject while the photographer is silent. But though silent, he is not unheard. For in a good portrait there is a revelation: the subject reveals some truth about himself or herself and the photographer reveals some truth about himself or herself. So a good portrait is about human truth." ~Al Ziontz

Edward and Charis

In January 1934 Edward Weston (at age 48) met Charis Wilson (19 at the time) and they were instantly drawn to each other, Charis began posing for Edward a couple of months later and by April 1934 they were working and living together. After their second photographic session Weston wrote "a new love came into my life … one which, I believe, will stand the test of time."  In her book "Edward Weston: Nudes" Charis wrote "For anyone interested in statistics – I wasn't – he was 48 years old and I had just turned 20. What was important to me was the sight of someone who quite evidently was twice as alive as anyone else in the room, and whose eyes most likely saw twice as much as anyone else's did."

Edward and Charis were married 5 years later, for the 11 years they were together Charis had a big hand in turning things around for Weston, Charis appears in almost half of his recorded nudes, she wrote the grant application that got Edward the Guggenheim award and she also penned articles for photography magazines that were attributed to him.

 

Edward and Charis spent much of 1937 and 1938 on an incredible road trip, with the money from the grant and an agreement to provide photos for AAA Westway magazine they took 17 trips covering just under 17,000 miles. In 1939 they were married and the pair published the book (Seeing California with Edward Weston) about their travels using Edward's photos and written by Charis, the book was a success and so together in 1940 they published a second one, (California and the West).

Edward & Charis would take another road trip together in 1941, 20,000 miles through 24 states in order to create illustrations for Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.   

 

Edward Weston and Charis Wilson discovered what would be a unique partnership, an artistic collaboration and emotional connection, I would guess their relationship was comfortable and rewarding on many levels. And although I cannot be sure, I do believe I have an idea just how he felt.

"Is love like art - something always ahead, never quite attained." ~Edward Weston

Harry & Eleanor

Harry Callahan met Eleanor Knapp on a blind date in 1933, both were working for Chrysler in Detroit. She was a 17 and he was a 21. They married three years later after he dropped out of college, mainly because he had missed being with her. All the photos in this blog were taken by Harry and not really representative of his work, I chose my favorites of his nudes.

For quite some time I have had a keen interest in photographic partnerships, particularly of some of the better known pairs of photographer and Muse. Not all were married of course but all seemed to spend a great deal of time together and created many memorable pieces of work.

Harry and Eleanor were married 63 years and he began photographing in earnest around 1938, of all the varying subjects he would work with in his lifetime, Eleanor would be his favorite. For about 50 years he photographed her both clothed and unclothed, inside and outside, in various places and different situations.

Eleanor once said of Harry during an interview, “He just liked to take the pictures of me. In every pose. Rain or shine. And whatever I was doing. If I was doing the dishes or if I was half asleep. And he knew that I never, never said no. I was always there for him. Because I knew that Harry would only do the right thing.” (The photograph below is Eleanor and their daughter Barbara).

Regarding Eleanor. "For most of their early life she earned more money as an office assistant than he did as a teacher. But even after the 1970s, when he became [a well known photographer and] had offers from many other models, he seldom photographed anyone but her."

Callahan experimented, he explored, he took pictures of what he saw, he was innovative and did quite a bit of work in color. Many of his works were reflections, multiple exposure, large and small format film, motion blur, etc. He photographed everything from street scenes, buildings and store windows to landscapes, nudes and abstracts, what I find probably most fascinating for me though, was not only his devotion to photography, but also his devotion to his Muse. 

"The mystery isn't in the technique, it's in each of us." ~Harry Callahan

Making Memories

"Kodak sells film, but they don't advertise film. They advertise memories." - Theodore Levitt

Dripping Wet

A couple of times recently chatting with Felicity we got to talking about the memories we made while out on our adventures, things like searching for ice cream, I don't know if you're familiar with Trona, CA but if you're looking for ice cream, good luck! Or the time we ran into the Border Patrol at the Salton Sea, or briefly got stuck on the side of a very steep road in the San Bernardino mountains, then there was getting locked out of our room in Palm Desert, driving 12 miles into Arizona searching for a nonexistent Starbucks, or trying to shoot on main street in a ghost town when out of nowhere a dozen tourists show up. Things happen! And memories are made.

Hands

Does it seem that most memories are made by two or more people? I mean unless it's something truly dramatic I think we tend to remember what we did with our friends, but those times we are alone are some we'd rather forget, more or less. And does it seem we tend to remember the bad moments, or anxious ones, I like to think I remember them all, but often I've discovered it's the unexpected that stays with us.

Inappropriate

I want to share a memory from my first day with Felicity, and it didn't involve law enforcement, drama or tragedy, surprisingly, in fact it was quite unexpected and one I will not forget. We had left near 4am and drove a couple of hours in the dark headed for the high desert, I have no idea what she could have been thinking having barely met me for the first time 8 hours earlier picking her up at the airport. But here we were to make the most of the morning light, shooting, driving, talking and getting to know each other.

Know The Words

About 11am or so we were west bound on the 58 heading toward Kramer Junction to take the 395 up to Trona, we had taken a detour to Harper Lake but the place has been devastated by construction so we didn't stop. I wanted to get fuel knowing we'd be coming all the way back to Victorville for the night, so I pulled into a station at the junction. It was near midday and pretty warm out, Felicity had her camera in hand and was shooting some of the desert scenery, I pulled up and got out to put in gas. While the pump was running I walked back and opened the door, and for an instant I just froze, she was occupied by something she had shot and was looking intently at her camera. The camera bag was in her lap along with a pair of jeans, a bottle of Coke and of water crowding the seat beside her, topless but wearing an old skirt pulled up to her ribs, she just looked at me and smiled, practically laughing. She looked so at home, a look that kinda said 'been there done that', which was obviously impossible, but there I was, and at a total loss for words.    

With Wings

Something happened and I can't explain it, to this day I don't what it was but in that moment I felt something incredibly strong, something that brought me home. I reached into the back seat and grabbed my camera in order to take a couple of pictures of her, she smiled at first but her attention went right back to her camera and what she had photographed. I finished filling the tank and we were back on the road, it wasn't until several days later and after she'd left that I thought back about that moment, and I came across the photos I'd taken. I still can't quite get over how at home she looked, with all that stuff piled up around her, it appeared as though we'd been doing this for years.

Sweet Shores

3 days flew by, chasing the sun and shooting pictures and we were in our element, but before we knew, or wanted it to happen the time grew short and we had to head back to civilization, she had a flight to catch and the rest of her journey through the states to return to, but we managed to make a few more memories and captured them in pictures. Before I met Felicity I believed everything was about the image, the photograph and the feeling of the desert, but as we hugged each other good-bye at the airport I started to realize that this photo shoot was different somehow, I felt we had done well, we had beautiful photos and we both had fun, but this time it wasn't just about the images, it was about the memories, memories and the connection we made out in the middle of the southern California desert.

Missing The Time We Had

"The hardest thing about the road not taken is that you never know where it might have led." ~Lisa Wingate, A Month of Summer

2013 Calendar

Fly Again

2013 Calendar

With Wings

Felicity visited southern California in July & September in order to shoot with me in the desert, we had a great time and we created some amazing images, We have chosen a few of our favorites to share in a new 2013 over-sized calendar! Clicking on any image in the blog will take you to it.

Take It Back

Feast For Me

Proceeds from the sale of these calendars will go right back into making more pictures, we are anxious to go out and shoot more. You could help us tremendously by purchasing a calendar or prints, and we would be ever so grateful. 

Sands

"A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened." ~Albert Camus