After four months of not working due to chemotherapy effects, money is running out. Going back to what we did last year isn’t an option. In fact, it may have contributed to the leukemia getting as bad as it did. So, here’s a quick poll of the most obvious options. Write answers in as many of the options as you wish. Answers can be as simple as Yes or No, but I’d love it if you’d explain your answer. An explanation of the options is below the survey. Scroll down if you want to read those before making your decision.
Obviously, this is what I know best and have the most experience doing. However, at this point, doing so means finding someone willing to help invest in the cost of equipment, studio space, and portfolio models, in addition to basic business costs. The estimated total comes to about $50,000. That’s a lot of money! The only way that begins to make sense is to charge a minimum of $300 for a basic photoshoot. Are people willing to pay that? I don’t know, and the cost of doing such a survery exceed my budget.
I’ve never been involved in book PR all that much. Online sales alone aren’t cutting it. This is an example of having to spend money in order to make money. Only, I don’t have any money. I would need a sponsor to cover travel expenses and pay for copies of the books to sell at the event. I have only the most vague idea how any of this works, so I would need some serious and detailed advice.
I can do this. I’ve always been able to do this. Remember, growing up there was a pretty decent chance I would be a preacher. I’ve had the training. So, why not put that to good use? I could speak on topics such as 10 Things Photography Taught Me About Life, or My Mother Wouldn’t Approve Of You, among other things. For this to work, I’d need to charge a minimum of $1000 per event, plus travel and expenses. Who would want me to come speak?
This one is frustrating because we’ve had prints on sale online for quite a while and, despite the number of people who browse, no one ever buys. It could be the content, I’m willing to accept that. But what would sell? How do we make online sales work without hiring a third party?
This lovely piece of advice seems to be the default answer from most PR people. Okay. I have merch for sale. No one buys it, even when I’m pushing it aggressively. If I’m going to sell more merchandise, I need to know what types of merchandise people are most likely to buy. This could be challenging given the narrow markups on things such as t-shirts and other clothing. I need some direction here.
This is what we have. If you have other ideas or care to offer some clarification on any of the subjects, feel free to contact me!
I know I’m not the only person who is a wee bit disturbed by the current popularity of the Lensa app which has people giving this relatively unknown company multiple photos of themselves so that their AI bots can work magic. Lensa is owned by the software company Prisma, based in Sunnyvale, CA. The app was first launched in 2018 as a digital background remover (the one thing it does reasonably well) and recent additions have marketed it as a selfie-improvement app. And the Internet, being as vain as it has always been, was quick to notice. Lensa was the #2 most-downloaded app in the US this past week.
HOWEVER, AI isn’t perfect and we’re not seeing all the images that the app creates. One dear friend was brave enough to share one of Lensa’s less-than-stellar results.
Mangled fingers, crossed eyes, and a chunk missing from her left arm are just the most noticeable problems with the AI-produced image. [Significantly better pictures of Shannon are in my book, We Did It In The Tub. Click the link to purchase your copy!]
AI is flashy and new and easy to use without knowing a damn thing about digital imagery. I understand why it’s so popular. As I was discussing with a friend who just happens to be a therapist (she was a friend first), artists have had to deal for centuries with the vanity of people not wanting their portraits to look “too real.” We want what we perceive to be our flaws covered or masked or, at the very least, diminished to the point no one notices them. Portraits of world leaders from the 14th century and beyond can hardly be considered authentic because being too accurate could cause an artist their job, or possibly even their life! What the AI is doing isn’t new, just faster!
So, how do we respond to this challenge? I can only answer for myself and thanks to the effects of that lovely chemo pill I’m taking my answer has to be brief. Let me show you how an image progresses in my hands. We’ll start with one from 2009. Here’s the original RAW image:
The image was shot using natural light relatively late on a summer afternoon. This is real. If we’re being totally honest with ourselves, there’s nothing here to not like. She’s a beautiful young woman.
Now, here’s how I originally edited this image in 2009:
One can see that, at the time, I chose to remove the puffiness under her eyes, darken her skin tone, and give just a minimal amount of balance to her flesh tone. There’s not a lot of editing here and I doubt I spent more than 30 minutes with the image.
Now, what happens when I drop the same image into the current version of Photoshop with all its built-in AI tools and let them run havoc over the whole thing? I couldn’t bring myself to show anyone that original image. It was a mess! Her features were completely blurred, the new background was totally inappropriate for the image, and the highlights were completely blown out. Nope, you’re not seeing that one.
However, when Photoshop drops a bomb like that, the image is still recoverable! All the effects are added in layers, so each piece can be manipulated until one achieves a suitable image. Is the process fast? Oh hell, no! My sick ass spent roughly four hours fixing that mess. Here’s the end result:
I’m still not sure what’s going on with that background. While it’s better than the first one, it gives the appearance that she’s a giant floating among the trees, or something of that nature. I’m also reasonably sure that the dear girl in question has never worn that much makeup, or at least not that color, in her life. While I know who it is, I doubt facial recognition software would identify her. At this point, this is a picture of a different person.
Okay, that’s one image. But would the results be the same with one that was, let’s say, shot in the studio? Well, let’s find out. Here’s a raw image shot in the studio in 2010.
I only processed one image from this series before now, so I don’t have a comparison shot to show you. I turned AI look with the basic “clean up” of the image, removing background spots and noise. Here’s how it handled that task:
Uhm, okay. The ways it “softened” her features really aren’t acceptable, in my opinion, but for the sake of the experiment, I’ll let it go. For now. The photo is still rather bland, though, so I let AI select a background for the image. Here’s how that went:
Ugh. Holy perspective, Batman! There’s a giantess in the middle of the road! The sun is still behind her (allegedly) and there’s no shadow!I Shadows are something AI seems to struggle with quite often. I did some work on the perspective by hand and then let AI take over once more. I gave it instructions to change her hair and eye color and to make the image more electric. The results returned required a lot of intervention, especially in blending the various layers. Four hours and a nap later, here are the final results:
Well … at least you can see the “electric” part. But who is that person? I am not sure how to begin describing everything going on in this image! And once again, the model is indistinguishable in this presentation. I know I wouldn’t want this thing floating around as something I’d done by hand! This is … something less than acceptable.
The one photo from this series that I processed, looks like this:
I assume you can see and appreciate the difference.
Whether we like it or not, AI is going to be a part of digital photo processing. There’s no escaping it. What’s important is that we make a distinction between the real and the fake. Since “deep fakes” are already an issue, and AI is only going to complicate that realm, I won’t be surprised if at some point in the future there has to be some legally-binding declaration of authenticity on ID photos and the like.
In the meantime, I’m going to keep doing things the hard way, taking my time, fussing over this and that, and giving the AI something to watch.
Disclaimer: These are not “new” images in the sense that they were taken a year or so ago. One of them is 12 years old. This is the first time any of the images have been edited, however, which makes the resulting image a new work, strictly speaking.
The email hit my inbox a couple of weeks ago, with an “important” label attached to it; the Seattle Erotic Art Fair had issued its annual call for entries. Previously, that would have been my signal to start shooting contest-worthy content. That’s not happening this year but that doesn’t mean the email didn’t solicit an urge to produce something artistic.
Since this was the first weekend in quite a while that I haven’t been completely exhausted, I thought I’d go through some of the unprocessed images we shot last year and see if I could create anything that might be worthy of inclusion in any of the increasingly picky erotic art shows around the country. Not that I plan on submitting anything. Even if something were selected, the cost and effort of pulling prints and framing, and shipping is more than I care to tolerate at the moment.
Still, it’s fun to imagine, “What if…”
What follows is a full day’s worth of editing with only minor interruptions and frequent software crashes. AutoSave has been my friend on this adventure. This has also been a day of continually questioning, “Am I done?” and “What would happen if I…” A tweak here. A broad change there. Oops, have to reboot the computer.
Instead of the normal gallery, I’m listing each one here with a description or “artist’s statement” if you’re into that sort of thing. At the end, I would be very interested in knowing which of them you would enjoy seeing hanging on a wall. No telling when/if this will happen again, so enjoy.
How one chooses their definition of “erotic” is personal. For some, it is the sight of a bare ankle, a well-formed deltoid muscle, or the slightest hint of cleavage. Others need more provocative imagery. This image plays to the former. There is the outline of underwear. The curve of a breast might be visible, but the nature of the work makes it unclear whether the subject is genuinely nude. I’ll not tell you if she is.
Stretched out across the bed, exhausted, not bothering to get under the covers. Her legs dangle off the side. She won’t sleep long, her body won’t allow it, but while she sleeps her dreams whirl in circles that are vaguely familiar and, at the same time, wholly forgettable. She won’t remember the dreams when she wakes, but her body feels their effect.
Who can say what draws one to study an ancient civilization? Are we attracted to the history, the culture, and the lingering effects of a people now marginalized? Or could there be something deeper, a spiritual connection that draws one to the iconography of a scarab, a cat, or a bird? Perhaps it is a longing to play in all that sand, those ancient grains that have been present in the land since the time of pharaohs. History and culture stir a unique form of eroticism, an unknown yearning that reaches deeper than any physical touch.
Nights with a lover are wonderful. The enjoyment of bodies coming together is perhaps the most special event we experience. When morning comes, however, and one finds themselves alone, the pleasure of the night before fades, and questions enter our minds. Was the encounter meaningful or just a passing dalliance? Do they love? Am I worth loving? Silently, she sits there, gazing out the window, pondering questions that have no answers.
I’m not a fan of putting long titles on things when short ones will do. Tease fits this image because the action involved is but a precursor of things to come. This is where excitement builds, anticipation is ignited. The quality of everything that follows is determined at this moment and yet either person can still stop, wait, or even leave. For some, the tease is the best part of the game. Knowing exactly and when to tease is an art and there aren’t nearly enough artists.
Take a moment to adjust your view. If you’re looking at this on a small device such as your phone, the details of this image may be difficult to see. This is one of those pictures that looks better in print than it does digitally. I find mirrors are an important part of the erotic experience. They allow us to witness more deeply the joy our partner is feeling while also silently showing us where we need to improve. Most importantly, mirrors reflect how we feel for each other, and that makes all the difference in a relationship.
As a pianist, the importance of finger exercises was drilled into my head at an early age. Building muscle memory, strength, and endurance are critical if one ever hopes to perform the major pieces. The same is true for anyone who has ever loved a person with a vagina. Knowing where, when, and how to touch takes careful and repeated practice. Every person’s erotic touch points are unique and require the same amount of finesse as one might use with a major concerto. In those dark hours of the night when the only illumination is the dappled reflection of a street lamp sifted through the leaves of the tree outside the window, the exercise pays off as pleasure is provided in wave after wave.
There are times when I struggle with how best to represent the eroticism of a moment. At times, a photograph can be too real, to the point of taking an act of fun and beauty and turning it into something cold and grotesque. I firmly believe that emotional disconnect is what leads some to refer to erotic art as pornography. My answer to that problem is to remove the reality of place and time and instead attempt to represent the emotion. Of course, that still doesn’t mean everyone will see an image the same as I do. That’s okay. At least we provide a different perspective.
Nothing changes faster than technology. When I purchased my first digital camera in 2003, image files needed to be small to upload to the internet. They weren’t the highest quality to begin with. Yet, over the years, as hard drives have crashed and discs were corrupted, there are many instances where those images saved to various online accounts are the only versions i have left.
Technology to the rescue. While today’s cameras are considerably stronger and have the ability to take much higher resolution images, the software has often lagged in keeping up. Only in the past couple of years has it become genuinely feasible to go back and rework some favorite images.
Eventually, I’ll want to revisit everything shot before 2020. For now though, hers a first set of several favorites from the past 20 years. I wish i could remember the names of all the models, but too many have long escaped me. I hope they’re all doing well and enjoying their lives.
And I hope you enjoy these images. Remember, click on any of the pictures below to view them full screen on your device.
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Most images were shot from my front yard as tens of thousands of people once again strolled past.
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What you see below is the last picture we took as a professional photographer. I am now retired. Well, okay, officially not until midnight New Year’s Eve, but for all practical purposes, this is it. And, just as there was a story to my first professional picture, there’s a story to this one. Typing it out, though, felt bland. So, I’ve put that story on this week’s podcast on Old Man, Talking. You’ll find the whole explanation there as well as a brief discussion of what comes next.
As we’ve said a couple of times recently, thank you for your many years of support. We move on now thankful for all the friends we’ve made, the lives we’ve touched, and the beauty we’ve brought to the world. Goodbye.
Most years I’ve struggled to find anyone who wanted to shoot a holiday set, especially one that was even mildly erotic. The last holiday set we did was three years ago when I coerced family into pretending to be Santa and his elves. The sexiest holiday set, though, was shot ten years ago. That model has now moved West and recently gave birth to her second child. A lot has changed. Kids have grown. Lives move on and, hopefully, improve.
The gaps between those years, though, are telling. The greater majority of the time, I haven’t shot in December at all. People are too busy, concerned with whatever is going on in their own lives. It’s been a good time to update the website, do an annual review, and make plans for the next year. The absence of a holiday set is not something that has been egregiously noticeable. No one’s pounding on my door, anxious to get in some holiday portraits.
This year is different, though. A little over a week ago, I happened to find myself at FocusOn Studio at the same time as a group of friends and acquaintances who were all gung-ho about getting in some final shots before I put up the camera. They came with ideas in tow and we filled the evening casually moving between taking pictures and pleasant conversations. The sets weren’t excessively large, we processed five or six photos from each, just enough to capture an emotion or a brief storyline. They’re as fun and enjoyable as we all want our holidays to be.
So, here is my final holiday gift to you: five fun, erotic sets filled with holiday spirit. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. With all the sets, remember to click on a thumbnail to view the images fullscreen on your device.
Those who’ve been paying attention for several years know that Shibari, the Japanese form of body rope art, is something I’ve enjoyed shooting. My first date with Kat involved shooting a rope suspension set. Some of my best pictures have been along this theme. Being invited to shoot this particular set was an unexpected honor. The person tying normally takes his own pictures and did on this instance as well. He requested that I shoot at the same time, however, because the nature of the suspension was such that he needed to be free to act quickly should anything go wrong. There’s always a risk level to these shoots and everyone I’ve worked with has always been diligent about safety. This was no exception. The set was fun to shoot and makes a beautiful end to that part of my career.
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You should have seen the expression on her face when I showed her the rocking horse. That she’s well past the age when most people amuse themselves in such fashion was irrelevant. Her excitement was contagious and fueled this fun holiday set. Sure, the horse is only in one shot, but sometimes one little thing is all it takes to take a set from meh to marvelous. We can only hope everyone has this joyous a holiday.
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I’ve always been careful about shooting with the sets available at FocusOn because I know they appear in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other pictures shot by other photographers and I’m reluctant to shoot something that might appear as though I’m copying someone else’s work. After we shot The Santa Suspension, though, I looked at this facade, noticed some nearby fabric, and had an idea. The concept is a bit involved, so bear with me.
In the now-classic Christmas movie Home Alone, Kevin watches and makes use of a faux movie called Angels With Filthy Souls. While the movie inside of a movie is fake, it’s based on a 1938 movie with James Cagney called Angels With Dirty Faces. Cagney plays a gangster (a frequent role for him) trying to corrupt a bunch of street kids, mostly teens and young adults.
The concept of playing off a religious theme in reference to something obviously not religious isn’t new, but as I pinned the fabric to the model’s hair, there was no denying the angelic overtones created. Perhaps, had we put her in a white or light blue gown, the images might have resembled religious iconography. We didn’t do that, though. She’s damn-near naked and the resulting juxtaposition is, in my opinion, nothing short of glorious.
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Almost from the moment it was published, How The Grinch Stole Christmas! became a holiday classic. We’ve read the book, watched the movies, and been constantly amused by the multiple iterations and representations of the green grouch who threatens to spoil the holidays for everyone in Whoville. Over the years, I’ve been amused at how seriously we take the story. Psychological analysis has been done not only on the Grinch, who some look upon with sympathy for having been bullied and outcast but also on the citizens of Whoville and their obsession with the holiday. Our attachment to the Grinch is personal.
The story in this set runs along the line of a voluptuous young woman offering our nearly-naked Grinch the simple gift of a ribbon and, by the end, maybe a little more. This is no children’s bedtime story. Think of it more as holiday cosplay with a happy ending.
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Everyone gets all hyped over the gift-giving holidays and the tales and legends of the jolly old gift-giver in the red suit. The emotion and energy employed getting us to December 25 outdo any effort on any project the rest of the year. Our entire focus is on that one day.
And what happens afterward? For many, it’s the busiest shopping day of the year and returns and exchanges are made while others try to take advantage of end-of-year inventory sales. The assumption is that Santa goes home and snuggles in bed, presumably with Mrs. Claus, and takes a long nap. But as he does, who’s minding the shop? Admittedly, there wouldn’t be a whole lot to do on the day after Christmas. A normally busy admin might tend to get a bit bored and with no one else at the North Pole working that day, she might just find creative ways to amuse herself. This is what happens when Santa forgets that very specific toy she wanted.
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There you have them, five wonderfully erotic sets for the holidays. What a fun way to close out the year! Yes, I’ll post a year-end review on Sunday, but I wanted to offer this special entry that I hope you’ll remember for years to come.
The pandemic isn’t over. Plenty of people are still quarantined for at least a week following exposure to COVID-19. If you’re locked in with a partner or playmate, then you have sufficient distractions. You can hold a conversation, or argue over what to stream next. If you’re by yourself, though, the options are less, and if you don’t keep yourself busy that line of insanity inches closer with each passing second. Hobbies are only good as long as one has supplies. We learned last year the dangers of eating everything in sight. How does one stay busy?
You know-how. We’re not going to pretend that masturbation isn’t a regular activity regardless of what else one might be doing, but online sales of vibrators and other personal pleasure instruments have skyrocketed the past two years as we’ve looked for new and exciting ways to keep some form of pleasure in our lives. This is part of who we are, a natural expression of pleasure that begins before we’re born. There’s no reason to be shy or ashamed in admitting that.
Instead, let’s celebrate the beauty. Let’s celebrate the freedom that comes from being in control of your own body. Let’s celebrate the wonder of deriving pleasure from yourself, for yourself, without needing the complications of another person. That’s not saying that relationships aren’t nice, but being in lockdown by yourself isn’t necessarily a complete negative.
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There’s nothing particularly sexy about the average set of stairs in the average house. Sure, there are some wonderfully exotic staircases in special places around the world, but when it comes to the normal subdivision in the typical suburban neighborhood, the stairs are designed to be utilitarian, not statement pieces. Occasionally, especially this time of year, one might see a banister decorated a bit, giving the staircase its only bit of pizazz, but the rest of the year we hardly think of them beyond how tiring it is having to go up and down them all the time.
All that changes, however, when one places one of our favorite blondes on the staircase and then steals her clothes. Okay, we didn’t actually steal her clothes. She had already disposed of them before we got to this point. Still, one shouldn’t be the least bit surprised at the degree to which such a lovely body lends a whole new perspective to a set of stairs. Suddenly, they’re more than just a means of conveyance from one floor to the next. They’re an attractive and interesting frame for an incredibly sexy figure.
Staircases all over the world long for this kind of attention, this moment in the sun when they’re not being trampled upon by mindless feet that didn’t bother wiping off the mud first. In a world filled with mediocrity and boredom, an event like this is a distant dream for most staircases. Sure, we wish we could put an attractive naked person on every staircase in every home, but the chances of that are too slim and, quite honestly, there’s no way we could photograph them all.
Until there is more sexiness on more staircases, this photoset will have to make do in providing you the kind of multilevel entertainment you desire. Click on a thumbnail to see the image full screen and enjoy the view.
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I don’t like shooting underwater. I tried it several years ago, before cameras were digital, and found that I was too focused on my own breathing, making sure that the camera casing wasn’t leaking, and watching out for jellyfish to focus on getting good pictures. I haven’t tried it again since. I make that caveat right here at the front so no one gets the idea that I actually asked this delightful couple to make repeated dives without as much as a snorkel in order to capture these photos.
The photos were shot back in mid-October (just a hint of how large my current backlog is), in a studio, at the end of a session where we had shot hundreds of other photos on a totally unrelated topic. It was raining out. and having long been a fan of the movie Dancing in the Rain, I thought it might be fun to play off that concept and I would add the rain in post.
Time does an interesting thing to one’s perspective, though, and by the time I got around to actually processing the photos, I was feeling a need to create something more fun, to the point of being ridiculous. After a bit of experimentation, layering multiple effects on top of each other, we came up with a look that seems quasi-believable if one would choose to dispense with the whole needing-to-breathe thing. Are there still issues? Sure. The light displacement wouldn’t be as consistent, among other things. But we’re not after that level of accuracy, are we? We’re having fun, not trying to create an alternative reality.
And fun is what I think we achieved, which is why I’ve saved them for this Sunday. We need something light, not heavily introspective, no social commentary hidden in the context, or any expectation that the photos might change one’s perspective of the world. There is enough seriousness wandering around at the moment. We need images to help us smile, to imagine what it would be like trying to open an umbrella underwater and take our minds off the stress for a moment. I hope this set of photos does that for you. Enjoy.
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Friday night after a long week at work. It’s pouring rain and the chill in the air leaves no question to the coming winter cold. A warm bowl of soup. A hot cup of tea. You’re relaxed and cuddled up next to the person you care about. You take a deep breath and relax. Life may be far from perfect, but at this moment it’s at least comfortable and that’s saying something.
You’re neither one in the mood to go out. There’s nothing overly exciting to watch on television. Another cup of tea, a little guitar, and you both realize it’s a little warm inside. Shirts come off, blankets come out. You move close together, enjoying the feel of each other’s bodies. You’re feeling good, and you’re both in the mood for a little bit of intimate pleasure. It starts with a soft touch, and then…
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A Unique Look At The Photos (with music)
We’re still enjoying the set of vintage pinup images we shot earlier this fall. There’s something almost refreshing about the style, something that carries a bit of nostalgia while simultaneously keeping the look fresh and exciting. For some people, the look is a part of their everyday lifestyle and for many others, it’s a choice they take advantage of whenever given the opportunity. Pinup is a forever style.
The three sets in this week’s collection are all individual, shot separately with independent themes. Each one is a play on original themes from the 1940s, modernized just enough to keep it from looking like an attempt to make an exact copy. One of my personal rules in shooting this style, and a primary reason I’ve not done it too often, is that while we might enjoy the vintage look, the images themselves need to be fresh and original.
This is the last pinup collection I’ll shoot and I’m pleased with the results. Enjoy the video and its unique transition process. The full images are below. Click on any of the thumbnails to view the collection full screen.
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Pinup is such a classic style that it gets plenty of treatment from photographers around the world. Stylists love it because they get to show off vintage wardrobe. Makeup artists love it for the bright red lips and rosy cheeks. Hairstylists enjoy the opportunity to show off their skills with styles not seen quite as often. The whole look has proven eternally popular with magazines and websites by the dozens devoted to celebrating the look.
If there’s a weak link in the chain, and the preposition is meant to cast some aspersion on whether there is an issue at all, it is in the photography. No matter how well everyone else on the team does, the excitement for the look is lost if the photographer blows it. The two most common errors are too much background and not enough light. When both are present, the pinup style is lost and the model might as well be wearing the latest Yeezy disaster.
We have to remember that pinups were originally paintings and illustrations, not photographs. Yes, they were extremely realistic, but there were certain qualities unique to the medium. First, there was rarely any background at all, and when there was it was minimal. The emphasis was on the body and nothing else. Second, they were very bright with highly saturated colors on the model and soft pastels for the background. Occasionally an artist might include a car, a bottle of wine, or some other prop, but the emphasis was always on the girl.
That’s not to say there’s no room for contemporary influence. Hair color was rarely messed with back in the 1940s and now there are as many options as a hairstylist can dream up. The original audience was almost exclusively male so poses and scenarios were meant to get their attention. Today, the audience skews more toward women and LGBTQ+ topics are popular and valued among that community.
What I like about today’s post is the contrast in presentation. The video treats the images as cherished relics of a bygone era, captured on canvas, worn and washed with age. The photos themselves are high contrast, high saturation with a life ready to jump into your own reality. Both set a mood that makes for a pleasant visit.
This is the first of two volumes of pinups we shot recently. I’ll post the second volume next week. We hope you enjoy our final look at this classic style.
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Critical facts and figures are included here
Reading is important. There’s no valid argument against it. Study after study, over 100 years worth of examination, reiterate the value not only of learning to read well but reading often. There’s no substitute for the endless advantages that come from reading. The case has been made for so long, it’s difficult to consider why everyone isn’t walking around with a book in their hands. In a way, you could. Smartphones are perfectly capable of storing and presenting ebooks that you could read anywhere it’s appropriate for you to be looking at your phone. Some ebook apps will even read it to you if you’re driving and don’t want to put it down.
Yet, somehow, too many people can’t read, and of those who can, too few bother. Adults under age 45 are barely reading at all and when they do, it’s something short. The result is not merely a level of incredible ignorance, but a severe danger to the world as a whole. People who can’t read misinterpret street signs, don’t read instructions, aren’t aware of medical information, and miss important life-saving information. The statistics are in the video so I won’t repeat them here.
So, we thought we’d offer a little encouragement. You see, it turns out that reading fiction is one of the best things you can do for your brain, and yes, erotic fiction counts. Go ahead, picture those steamy moments in your mind. Perhaps you might even recreate them with a consenting partner. As you do, you increase critical neurological skills and may even ward off some forms of dementia. The ways in which we benefit from reading are neverending.
And by all means, never miss an opportunity to read with a unicorn.
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There are many reasons for making love in the dark. The excitement. The open door to fantasy. Perhaps secrecy. Not wanting everyone else putting their nose in your business. Making love in the dark is passionate, thrilling, erotic, and soul-stirring. These are the moments we remember.
Do I really need to say anything else?
Oh, okay, holding your partner upside down is totally optional. Be careful.
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Watch full screen with sound on, please
Imagine showing up to a hotel, exhausted and weary from travel. You get the key to your room and open the door to find the maid there, tidying up, fluffing pillows, adding the final touches for your stay. She smiles. She seems friendly.
But after she leaves, you notice things are just a bit off. The towels are a deep red, the color of blood. An array of bandages sit on a shelf in the bathroom. The sheets are ice cold. The chocolates on the pillow are already unwrapped. And “Hotel California” plays on an endless loop through an unseen sound system.
Tired, you get ready for bed. All that matters is that you get a good night’s sleep. The maid appears to “tuck you in.” Just one of the “special” room services the hotel offers. She turns out the light, but you never hear her leave.
Your sleep is tortured by nightmares. You toss and turn. Then, you’re awakened by a piercing scream down the hall. That’s it, you’ve had enough. You get dressed, pack your bag, and get ready to leave.
The maid is standing in the hallway as you shut your room door behind you. “There’s a penalty for leaving early,” she says. Then she smiles in a way that ignites fear throughout your body. Your mind says run but your feet won’t move.
Don’t worry, it’s just a dream. Maybe.
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When I was first shown the bikini our model is wearing, my initial thought was of all those skimpy costumes worn by pretty much every female comic hero ever created. There was never anything magic about the outfit as there often was with the guys. I mean, let’s get real, Batman would be dead by now without his utility belt. Women, though, had to rely on their own strength. That’s the only protection they had. Well, maybe a sword but I didn’t have a sword to include with this set of photos.
What this underscores is not merely the sexist and often misogynistic perspective of those creating the character but the way in which women have responded to such negativity by going ahead and being dominant, powerful, and amazing. They don’t give in to the vulnerability others try to force on them. They take charge. They win the day. Then they go home and do whatever they please. You can fix your own damn sandwich.
Side note: I chose the opening strains of Beethoven’s Eroica symphony (the 9th) for the video because of all the music I have access to, this is what matches the emotion I hope the photos create.
Enjoy.
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I was admittedly seething with anger as I drove home after this photoshoot. We were working in an area I’ve shot at dozens of times over the past 15 years without incident. The only problems we’ve ever encountered were mud and high water. But this time, a woman jogging nearby saw our model and assumed she was underage and possibly there against her will. So, she called the police. The police proceeded to claim that we were on private property (we weren’t) and double-check that the model was of legal age (she’s 21 if you’re wondering and I have the requisite proof of age).
Once I calmed down a bit, I had to consider that what happened was a direct result of a reality with which I’m not directly involved. In the runner’s reality, the age gap between myself and the model was suspicious. In the runner’s reality, the model couldn’t be more than 12-14 years old. In the runner’s reality, the model had to be in danger. Therefore, in the runner’s reality, it was her responsibility to call the police.
Our realities are not shared. In my reality, I was shooting with a friend, someone I’ve shot before, someone who was excited about what we were doing. In my reality, the age gap was never an issue because there was no intention other than getting the best photos we possibly could. In my reality, we were having fun. In my reality, we both spoke to the runner as she passed, a greeting that was friendly and not the least bit aggressive or creepy.
So, as I struggled with how to capture all the emotions I still feel in looking at these pictures, the idea of creating a separate reality, a reality void of any ill intent on anyone’s part, a reality of music and love and peace, seemed appropriate. The result is a unique set of images that are unlike any I’ve shot in that location.
I do lament the loss of shooting there again. Given that we were watched all the way back to our vehicles until we both left, I’m not inclined to ever return to that area for any reason. While the area is one of the most beautiful in town, I don’t need the potential harassment. This is the last set of images I’ll shoot along the White River.
And so we move on to a new reality, one created by new experiences and understanding. Whether it is better than the old reality remains to be seen.
Enjoy the photos.
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Let’s start here.
“I know her, she’s …”
“You don’t want to mess with them, they’re …”
We all like to generalize. Putting people we know into a single basket makes it easy to decide whether or not we want to associate with that person.
But no one, absolutely no one, can be defined by a single trait. Not only that, the traits exhibited today may not be the properties we see in a person tomorrow. We grow. We change. Just as a person shows different looks and emotions over the course of a set of photos, we can change who we are just as quickly, and perhaps more frequently.
When we ask, “Who Is A Woman?” we have to know that the answer only applies to a given moment, just like a photo only captures a fleeting image. The video uses 18 different descriptors, but they are both accurate and false at the same time. She’s a different person than who she was when the photos were taken. Sure, her hair is still wonderful, she’s still engaging, and strong. But she’s much more as well.
And so are you.
So, maybe we stop trying to put people into boxes. Maybe we get to know a person’s full story, not just the one we see on Facebook. Maybe we accept that people are complicated and that’s a good thing.
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Almost all of us have some form of media in front of our eyes during non-working hours. Many of us find ways to use or view online media in our work as well. Some call our entire society addicted to the images and the sound that now stream for us endlessly, 24/7. There is never a point at which something is not available.
But after a long day at work, when we shed our clothes and drop onto the couch, turning on the television or scrolling on our phones, are we truly entertained? Are we finding joy in what we see and hear, or is what we consume merely a pacifier, something to keep our brains mindlessly engaged in something of no real substance until we finally drift off to sleep?
Sure, we need a break from the stress of work, but does the thing we call entertainment do its job? Are we truly entertained? The internet goes out and the streaming stops. A glitch in the phone’s software and an app suddenly closes. You can’t find the content you were watching. More stress. More negative emotion. Are we benefiting?
The images take us through that series of attempting to relax, unsatisfied with the content, changing channels, excited for a moment, then frustrated at an interruption. Finally, we turn the whole mess off, and perhaps is the best thing we do all evening.
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2021 In Review: The Final Year
Our last year started slow but ended with pictures to carry into 2022
This was the year that broke the proverbial camel’s back. After 37 years, we decided that the costs were too high, the effort too great, and the frustrations too often to bother continuing as a photographer. Officially, we pull the plug on New Year’s Day, but barring some exceptional occurrence, we’ve already taken the last picture. The camera is safely stowed in case I decide to pull it out again, but it’s out of the way, out of sight, and hibernating. One of my chores today is to remove the lights from the back of the car and store them out in the shed along with my tripod and reflectors. We’re done.
Sort of. As slow as this year started, the last six months have been full of activity, much more than we’ve had time to process. Much of this was intentional. I wanted to have enough new material to still enter juried shows for the next couple of years (assuming they survive). As a result, I still have several hundred unprocessed images waiting for my attention. I won’t release them as regularly as I have before, and when I do it may be a single image rather than a full set.
From a public perspective, we’re taking this website into archive mode. There will be no information about booking or hiring. We’ll re-work the portfolios and they’ll take a dominant position on the front page in video format. New material will be toward the bottom of the front page and most easily accessible through social media posts.
Can I be coaxed into shooting again? Maybe. We’ll see how it goes. If I do, it will be on a shoot-by-shoot basis. The concepts need to be original and enticing, something I’ve never shot before, and the people involved need to be exciting. And it will cost more. Just getting everything checked and out the door is going to be more of an effort, so the price is going to be higher. No, I still won’t shoot your wedding. I’ll officiate if you ask (yes, I can do that), but I won’t take pictures.
So, here’s a brief glance back at what we did this year. There’s not a lot. Jan-April was pretty slim. We didn’t post anything the entire month of May because there wasn’t anything to post. That’s largely what prompted this decision. As always, click on a thumbnail to view to collection full screen on your device. Thank you for all the years you’ve watched, encouraged, and commented. We’ll miss you.
-charles
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