So Far Away

doesn't anyone stay in one place anymore ...printing fool, new monitor and the way things are.

Oceans Of Time

This past Friday I began editing images on an Eizo, my old CRT monitor was showing serious signs of age and I've been afraid of it dying for the past year or so. I am still getting used to it but so far so good, one thing for certain I am more than pleased with the amount of detail in the display, impressed actually, I am seeing subtle things I was missing when I was using the CRT. The bigger size will take some getting used to, somehow I feel in time I'll be able to deal with that issue.

So Far Away

I've also been printing like a crazy person, updating my print portfolio, well, not so much updating but creating all new and this has caused me to revisit some shoots from the past. One of those shoots was with the awesome Mila, we had a total of 2 photo shoots prior to her moving out of state, the shots here in today's blog are newly edited images from those shoots, some of the others are some of my best work ever. Wish I could figure a way to get her back for a day or two to do some new photos, she is as natural a beauty as the places I photograph.

Dear Summertime

All this reminds me of a quote by Edward Weston... "She leaned against a whitewashed wall--lips quivering--nostrils dilating--eyes heavy with the gloom of unspent rain clouds--I drew close to her--whispered something and kissed her--a tear rolled down her cheek--and then I captured forever the moment--let me see f.8--1/10 sec. K1 filter--panchromatic film".

Figure Study

In the desert

Heaven Can Wait

We are very much looking forward to doing more of these this coming weekend.

Rapture

Little Bit Closer

Living On Dreams

In the meantime,I'm just living on dreams.

Rules

...are meant to be broken.

Disinclination

 

Generally speaking, I'm not one to advocate photographic rules, but I do think it helps to off the lens cap. - Catherine Jo Morgan

Before Your Very Eyes

 Last weekend Pearl and I were on our way to Joshua Tree and during our conversation the topic of rules came up, not photographic rules as much as photographer's rules. Quite often photographers have rules, some have a few, some have many, a few examples might be, no cell phones or escorts. Some photographers never give out unedited images and some will never divulge their 'secret' locations, some will only work with models who fit into a strict set of physical dimensions and so on.

Sepia

 So then I ask Pearl if I have any rules, she smiles, "no" she replied, "you have no rules", which is pretty much true, I'm not big on rules as I tend to view them as restrictive. The same with rules of composition, although as Pearl's husband Ken very astutely points out, over time the rules of composition become second nature, to the point you unwittingly follow them every time you focus the camera on a subject. I agree completely, after-all, the rules of composition have been derived from good photography, but I also think rules can be broken and sometimes breaking the rules makes for a successful photo.


Edward Weston took the photograph below, on the roof of his home in Mexico City in the middle of the day, he was up there taking photographs of clouds and wrote the following about it:  "My eyes and thoughts were heavenward indeed--until glancing down, I saw Tina lying naked on the azotea, taking a sunbath. My cloud 'sitting' was ended, my camera turned down toward a more earthly theme..."

Nude, Mexico

Sometimes all the planning in the world is no substitute for the spontaneous, sometimes rules have to be broken, AND if your name is Edward Weston, you can take a snapshot of your gf sleeping and have it end up in The J. Paul Getty Museum.

Desert Treasures

...that used to roll.

Purple Ford

 One thing for certain about the deserts of Southern California, there's no telling what you might stumble upon.

Last Stop

Joy Ride

And it's always changing, things I've seen in the past mysteriously disappear and other things simply show up.

Along For The Ride

Someone told me once I really should bring props out on photo shoots, I was like huh? Why would I do that when so much has already been setup for me beforehand? It's like having my own private army of set decorators!

Artist Statement

...the first draft of my artist statement, I would appreciate any and all feedback. 

The first time I added the art nude to my landscape photography it was as if I had added a soul, they took on a life and became much more than the sum of each. I was looking over the images after a photo shoot, I could hardly believe my own eyes and the beauty I had captured. For me beauty is everywhere, even in remote, forgotten, abandoned and forsaken places. My goal is to present through photography a celebration of the beauty and harmony of nature. The art models in my work represent the humanity in the environment, and however harsh that environment might be nature provides us the opportunity to contemplate, to explore, to experience and to celebrate.

The Way It Oughta Be

I will drive with a model a few hours before sunrise out to known and sometimes unknown locations, just the two of us and a camera to record what we may find. The desert is my studio and where I feel most comfortable and inspired, it doesn’t take much for me to find real beauty in the desert, all I have to do is be there. Photo shoots are also adventures, I do this work in order to share the adventure and the passion I feel about it, I do it because true beauty is not a measurement, it is a spirit. There is serenity and tranquility that I’ve found in the desert and every time I go out there I can feel it even more profoundly, to me there is no place better to tell my stories.

New Morning

I admire the work of William Mortensen and Edward Weston, both did work in the desert areas of the American southwest and I can see why these artists were drawn to the desert, I believe there is a unique beauty in the landscape that lends itself naturally to the art nude. For me the textures in the terrain and of desert plants can at times both mimic and contrast that of the human body to the extreme, this can make for the perfect blend of form within the landscape and thus the overall picture.

Make The Day

My philosophy is simplicity and my vision is the celebration of harmony, this is what brings me peace and what I would like my work to convey.

Like The Deep Blue Sea

Feeling Memories

The memory of days past and gone

Feeling Memories

As I was waiting in line at Starbucks this morning I was suddenly overwhelmed by a memory from a long time ago, I wish I knew what triggers those.

Longing For A Miracle

I was dating a girl who lived among some rolling foothills in a quiet neighborhood near the local ski slopes, the homes were widely spaced on good sized lots. Across the street in some low land was a shallow pond that would freeze over in the winter and become the neighborhood skating rink. One night in particular with snow falling gently Lori and I were out there all alone skating and dancing, pushing each other into snow drifts and racing each other across the pond, the air was still and our only light were the moon and the stars. After awhile we found a spot at the edge of the pond and sat there together for what seemed like hours, not waiting to leave, not wanting the night to end.

Summer Dreaming

What I remember most about that night were the feelings, the joy of just being and the warmth of our friendship, and I can almost feel it now, so many years later.

Try Something Different

and now for something completely different.

 

Picnic

I think there are basically two schools of thought when going out to try something completely different, should I further expand within my genre or should I leave it completely in an effort to become more diverse. 

Art Nude tv

I've mentioned before that I've made attempts in the past to try different things, pretty much failing miserably and mostly because I was trying to be something I'm not, as opposed to working within my comfort zone and what I've tried to achieve. And here I thought I was good enough to cross over, not so, as I quickly realized stepping out of what I knew meant starting over from scratch.

Days Work

I always like shooting something different, when I can use what we find out on a shoot in a new and different way, I suppose it's more of looking at the same things differently as opposed to trying to reinvent the wheel.

Eye Of The Beholder

In art there are times spontaneity and accidents can overtake the technical and planned in value.

Mother Mother

I'm happy when a plan works out, happier still when some act of God blesses me with a situation and timing I couldn't have created on my own, and of course being in the right place at the right time with the right model is where magic comes from.

Believe

With any luck I'll be able to capture more of the magic, it seems to happen when I believe and try something different.