Magic Flute Fine Art Nudes

2008-07-26T10:00:00.010-05:00

Julia

Daughter Bethany is with us for the weekend, so posts will be abbreviated.

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Kind of went hog-wild for dinner last night -- grilled dry aged T-bone steaks, grilled marinated asparagus, and a potato gateau (shredded potatoes, herbs, sauteed onions, and goat cheese done up as a large hash fries in a cast iron skillet). A 1996 Echezeaux. And a grown, successful, professional daughter to enliven the conversation. Life couldn't be better.

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As mentioned a few days back, Julia had a waif-like look and an appealing innocence.

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

2008-07-25T10:00:00.006-05:00

Tina at Sleeping Bear

While I was in Michigan last week I took the opportunity to undertake a rarity: a shoot with a model engaged from the location where I was staying. My home town, Beulah, lies very close to the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, a beautiful part of Michigan featuring these very large and very photogenic sand dunes. (I won't go into the rich history of the area, including the Native American lore that leads to its name, but you can read some of it on the National Park Service pages linked to above.)

I contacted Miss Tina-Marie, who readily agreed to work with me. After some confusion regarding where to meet (and how to get there), we hooked up at about 6 p.m. one evening. I drove her on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive to the Lake Michigan overlook parking area, and we walked along the dune face to a point where a barely visible trail led off through the sand. Taking that, we reached a secluded area and began photographing, first with cloud cover but then (as above) with the strong late afternoon sun.

She's a beautiful young woman with a real enthusiasm for modeling, much of which she said was on nude shoots. I can understand why. It was a wonderful way to spend my last evening on this Michigan trip. (Another from the shoot below.)

Tina at Sleeping Bear

Interestingly, although she's lived in the area for at least a couple years, she'd never visited the Dunes. I shouldn't be at all surprised if she didn't now bring a photographer or two there herself.

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Many throughout society are concerned regarding the plebeian records of our times. Between the emails and blogs, what is written goes into the aether and for all intents and purposes disappears. Sure people may be archiving to hard drives, but what of those masses of emails stored on remote servers in the "gmail" or "yahoo" domains? What do people do with their blog entries? (Personally, I archive my blog entries (with images and comments) each month.)

I was reminded of this issue once again recently when my 87-year-old uncle sent me a sixty-year-old handwritten letter. Here's the story:

In 1947 my grandfather and grandmother drove to Vancouver, B.C. Grandpa was hospitalized in Spokane, however, and a gallstone removed, a serious operation in those days. My grandmother remained by his side, but never had a drivers license so could not drive them home. My uncle flew out to Spokane (imagine the state of the airline industry in 1947!) and drove Grandma back, leaving Grandpa to recuperate in hospital, returning by way of Kansas City where my parents and I (age 1-1/2) were then living. They picked up my mother and me, and Mother shared some of the driving chores back to their hometown in Michigan. (Grandpa later flew back to Detroit, where another uncle picked him up and took him home.)

It was from her childhood home in Ovid, Michigan, that Mother penned (literally) this letter, which I've reproduced at right. Click the image to see the full size. Even today I recognize Mother's distinctive penmanship. The letter has modest interest as a family relic, but it is emblematic of what we are losing. No one writes letters like this any more. Mother wrote hundreds to both her parents between going to college in 1927 and their deaths in the mid-70s. (Even now and even with her memory problems, I still receive an occasional letter written in this same hand.)

Not even I write like this, with one exception. I sometimes will write a personal note to a model thanking her for a session. When I am in one of my more reflective moods, I think with considerable pleasure of some future child or grandchild stumbling across those notes and filling in a little bit more of the mystery that is "mother" or "grandma." Try that with texting from your cellphone!

(Oh, yes, and something that I share with my mother: I only write these notes with a fountain pen. I hate ballpoints and felt-tips -- they just don't have the right "feel" and they definitely look ugly, both in the hand and on the page.)

Maybe You Have to Live Here ....

2008-07-24T10:00:00.008-05:00

Erin

Again from the Star Tribune's "Police Blotter" (towns mentioned are all more-or-less affluent western suburbs):

DEEPHAVEN

JULY 2

Fire. A resident reported a smoky fire at a neighbor's place in the 3500 block of Leroy Street. An officer found that the neighbor was cooking food on a grill.

INDEPENDENCE

JULY 9

Shots fired. A caller said a woman in a silver car that was pulled into a driveway had gotten out of the vehicle and fired several rounds into the air from a handgun at County Road 6 and Nelson Road. The driver was located and she admitted she fired blanks into the air to get some fox hounds to come in from their hunt. The driver was warned.

JULY 12

Animal complaint. Cows were reported in the road along County Road 10 and Moline Road. The owner corralled the cows.

MEDINA

JUNE 22

Vandalism. A caller from the 300 block of Clydesdale Trail reported that some children had wrapped his vehicle in plastic wrap. No damage was done to the vehicle.

JUNE 24

Animal complaint. A loud peacock was reported in the area of Walnut Street. Authorities were unable to locate a peacock. The caller was advised to call back when the peacock made noise again.

(Perhaps not as richly funny as the first set, but thanks to my wife for again pointing me to these.)

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The first shoot with the "box" yesterday, with favorite and long-time model Meg, was very good. I'm playing with the results and should have something to show shortly.

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Tomorrow, a paean to handwritten letters, and -- at last -- photographs from the sand dunes of northwestern Michigan. Stay tuned ....

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Erin, again from Friday last. One of these days I'll tire of red satin, but apparently not yet.

2008-07-23T10:00:00.002-05:00

Meg

I worked yesterday with new-to-me model Irela, who was more cautious about working together than most who come from Model Mayhem. She asked that we meet first, and even then only after appraising the "tone" of my correspondence, looking for hints of weirdness. After the meeting (at which I apparently passed muster) we set a date, which had to be postponed once, but we did finally work yesterday, and good work it was.

A pic or two here in due course.

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On a grocery shopping trip a couple days ago one of the items needed was toilet paper. Forgive dealing with such an earthy subject, but bear with me.

Our normal brand is "Scott," and Patricia plucked off the shelf our usual larger 16-pack of rolls. Arriving home and after unpacking the bags, I carried the TP package upstairs. As I prepared to open it and distribute rolls to various bathrooms, I took note of the plastic packaging's front, where above the "Scott" logo was found the legend, "Unique Ridges Leave NOTHING Behind."

"Now," I said to myself, "that's a direct and candid bit of marketing!"

(Dashing thoughts of new heights in product candor, however, it turned out that Patricia had mistakenly grabbed an 8-pack of Scott paper towels.)

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Meg again from our recent session.

On the Cheap

2008-07-22T10:00:00.005-05:00

Erin

In some ways, I'm impossibly cheap. Not in my wine buying (although others are hugely more extravagant than I), certainly, and probably not when it comes to opera (although my level of fanaticism is well controlled). But when it comes to spending money on sets for my photography, I've done it mostly in a bargain fashion.

Now, mind, it's not as cheap as using the great outdoors, but even there money like for gas, lodging (or, for some, camping equipment), park fees, etc., must be spent. Those photographing in nature, however, don't need strobes and seamless paper. If they have an assistant (or willing spouse), then they might have large reflectors and diffusers, but most au naturel photographers of my acquaintance don't use them.

As to sets and setups, about the most complicated I've gotten has been a variety of chairs, other furniture to be found around the house, or a futon (I've rather had a recent love affair with deep red satin, but it's a phase, I think).

All has changed this week, however. Yesterday I picked up a large piece of custom made cabinetry, in essence a wooden box, that I'll be using over the next two weeks with a number of my favorite and best models, at my larger northside studio. The ideas are pretty good, I think, and the box is definitely more substantial than Ruth Bernhardt's cardboard.

This is by no means a promise that I've changed my skinflint ways -- but consider it a soupçon thrown to my detractors.

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Last night. A quandary. What to do with a beautiful Minnesota evening? Recite Chaucer to my patient wife for the twenty-seventh time? Speed-read Carl Sandburg's Lincoln: The War Years? Conjugate the hundreds of Latin verbs I still remember?

No. I opted for an evening of mindless, hedonistic excess.

We went to see Mamma Mia!

You haven't lived until you've seen Pierce Brosnan sing "S.O.S."!

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Erin from Friday last. This was her valedictory session, as she will be living in England henceforth.

THe Legal and Constitutional History of England

2008-07-21T10:00:00.007-05:00

Meg

Last night, as I was working on the web page for Julia (a photo of whom you will see here in a few days), I watched Al Pacino's powerful semi-documentary, semi-performance of Shakespeare's Richard III, arguably the bloodiest of England's kings (at least as Shakespeare would have it). It brought to mind probably the best college course I ever took, "The Legal and Constitutional History of England," a seminar taught by Marjorie Gesner. I had not long been a pre-law major, and Gesner was someone I absolutely had to impress. Why? Because she was principally responsible for the awarding of a single full-tuition scholarship to The University of Chicago Law School.

The substance of the course stays with me even today, over forty years later. We covered major events in the evolution of English law from before the Conquest (1066) until modern times. We followed the gradual loss of royal power, and of the lords, into the English "constitution," and into the Commons. Since so much of our American law relating to interpersonal relationships (notably contracts and torts) derives from the English Common Law, and that Common Law came about in the English courts, I have had a healthy appreciation for courts' ability to evolve the law above and beyond the momentary foolishness of legislatures. We would be well to remember this long and honorable tradition whenever conservatives rail against radical judges and "judge-made law."

And Professor Gesner? Well, I did very well in her courses (I took another, the name of which I don't remember), and in my senior year was awarded that scholarship, which went a long way toward making possible my attendance at UofC Law School.

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Meg from a recent session using HDR (High Dynamic Range) techniques.

2008-07-20T10:00:00.003-05:00

Scarlet Abed 7

First, before you do anything else or even read the remainder of this entry, go over to "Speaking Truth" and read Dave's latest story. It is priceless beyond measure. Lin and Richard need to invent a whole new "Fluffy" category this year just to encompass Dave's contributions to the genre.

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Worked with a new model yesterday -- new to nude modeling. Again, as I've said before, I do enjoy guiding these neophytes into the wonderful world of posing nude, and Julia was no exception. I think she has potential -- and definitely has that waif-like body that I like so much (pics here in a few days) -- and I shouldn't be surprised if we work again.

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More of a portrait, this was a momentary reflective pause during a free-flowing natural light session.

2008-07-19T10:00:00.004-05:00

Building, Soho, NYC, April 2005

Yesterday's valedictory session with Erin had a bittersweet quality. The sweetness was there, as she has always been a wonderful model, even though we worked relatively few times, and she produced a goodly number of new and inventive poses. We finished with an intense set filled with red everywhere.

The bitterness of course derives from her imminent departure for Great Britain. I am hoping she eventually makes it to Richard's studio, and she assures me many photographers have already contacted her about work, so she will not lack for modeling opportunities. But we will miss her here. In that regard, I must stand in line. Brooke will miss her most, and perhaps Dave next.

I've threatened her with bodily harm should she return to the neighborhood and not let me know. Hell, I don't even care if we don't work again -- I'd just want an opportunity to get her together with model and photographer friends over dinner and wine.

A shot or two from our lengthy session to be seen here in due course.

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The cast iron building style found in lower Manhattan, both directly and in the reflection.

2008-07-18T10:00:00.005-05:00

Body Viewpoint 1

Today will be a very busy day. Actually, so was yesterday, with multiple tasks building new site pages from last week's sessions -- I haven't even begun building pages from the gorgeous photos taken just a couple days ago -- and archiving stuff to make room on my hard drive for what's ahead. Fortunately, I was able to process everything from the past few sessions while on the Michigan trip, so that at least is not hanging over me (you should have seen me in the back seat of the Honda CRV working on photos on the laptop while my wife drove us across Wisconsion on Rte 29).

Faithful, beautiful Erin is scheduled for this afternoon -- or at least she should be beautiful. But Dave Swanson says on his blog he rather abused her while she was up north over the past few days, so I'm expecting to apply Photoshop to bruises, mosquito bites, scratches, etc.

This brief posting must suffice, therefore. To make up for it, here's Kat from last week's session:

Intensity 5-17

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From my very first "Body Viewpoint" work. I've used the series effectively to explore personality-free nudes, sometimes with a measure of explicitness theretofore not found elsewhere in my photography.

Saint or Sinner

2008-07-17T10:00:00.005-05:00

Sadie 8

Two recent email exchanges thrust me back into the real world:

The first came from a totally unexpected source: a model's mother. Normally, when an email leads off, "Hi, I am X's mother," a photographer of the nude might have reason to expect the worst. This, however, was such a wonderful email that I feel I must share a redacted version with you:

My name is ___, and I am X's mom. ... I am so excited for X, and so very pleased with the work that the two of you do together. It is truly beautiful!!! I am so proud of her, and it is so wonderful to see how far she has come from being the confused teenager she was not so very long ago. ... Anyway, my point is, I credit you and your incredible artistic style and talent for a lot of that, and even though it seems to fall so very short of what I really want to convey to you, I want to deeply and truly thank you for that. I don't know if you can ever really understand the profound impact that you have had on both X, and myself. ... I want you to know that I know that you are a very special gift who has been sent to us, no matter how peculiar the circumstances behind it all may be.

At another extreme was an email from a model herself, asking that I not post photos of her for a time because her ex- is using her nude modeling against her in a custody battle. So I'm holding off as requested, and won't even discuss extraordinary details of the shoot. Sooner or later you'll learn them and see a couple of the results. Of course, it has nothing to do with me, or even with our photography per se, but I'm somewhat out-of-joint at the thought that what I do -- which I think is beautiful -- might be used as a weapon against one of my models. Such is the real world, I guess.

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Meanwhile, I have returned from Michigan, which in six days included over thirty hours of driving: a portion of a couple days with my in-laws; an afternoon and evening with my brother, his wife, and my ex-sister-in-law; and then two-and-one-half days with my 97 year-old mother. The weather largely cooperated, with the first day-and-a-half in my hometown of Beulah being as beautiful (sunny, no humidity and temps in the 70s) as I might wish for.

Now I'm back, however, with loads and loads to do (including three sessions scheduled over the next two days, two of them with newbies). As I post this just before 10 a.m., it's about to rain.

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Sadie in her first session. She was thinner than any model with whom I've ever worked. Also enthusiastic and filled with the adventure of modeling. (Yes, the same "Sadie" as featured yesterday.)

The Cherry Hut

2008-07-16T10:00:00.008-05:00

Sadie

Going to be out of touch most of today, but I'm getting this post in beforehand.

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Many towns across this country have “home-town institutions.” Mine – Beulah, Michigan – is no exception. There it is The Cherry Hut. (Another that comes to mind is Hudson’s Hamburgers in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which I’ve gone out of my way to visit on a couple of occasions – truly memorable hamburgers.)

The Cherry Hut has its own history, most of it related to the sour (“tart,” as they like to say) cherries grown in the northwestern lower peninsula of Michigan. A World War II veteran who survived the Bataan Death March, George Petritz, invented a method for fast-freezing pre-made cherry pies, and marketed them for decades under the “Pet-Ritz” brand name. After he started Pet-Ritz along U.S. 31 in Beulah, another entrepreneur started The Cherry Hut next door, specializing in simple meals and, most importantly, cherry pie for dessert. While Pet-Ritz was eventually sold to Pet (of condensed milk fame) – in no small part because of a very compatible product name – and moved to a larger plant in Frankfort, the Cherry Hut has remained in the same location along U.S. 31, although considerably expanded. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner from a simple menu (shaped like a cherry pie), and a large selection of cherry-related products (and another selection of fruit jams and preserves that are as good as any you’re likely to find on grocery store shelves), we are sure to eat there at least once every time we’re in town to visit my 97-year-old mother. And we stock up on jams and preserves to take with us back to Minnesota.

If you are in the neighborhood, drop in for a bite (or a sip of the cherry-ade).

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One of the tamer photos from a very recent session with Sadie. What fun we had!

Stealing wireless

2008-07-15T10:00:00.004-05:00

Kat

As I write this I am sitting at a location near a coffee shop that provides wi-fi access for its customers. Now, mind you, I have done the ethical thing and purchased coffee there this morning. But I’m not presently sitting in the shop, yet I’m close enough that I’m able to connect to their wireless signal and thus gain Internet access.

Right or wrong? I’ll continue to use the service for much longer than the longest time I’d ever sit at their premises, and certainly will not purchase another latte to pay further “dues,” at least not today.

This just one manifestation of a conundrum the Internet has gotten us into unlike any encountered before, I think. It all comes back, however, to a classic case study in social engineering and lawmaking – the so-called “tragedy of the commons.” Without recounting the parable, in essence the moral is that when property held in common (a community park, for example) is used by too many people, and by some in an abusive manner, its use for all is eventually ruined.

In its way, the Internet threatens to become such a “commons.”
Corollaries of the “tragedy of the commons” apply to theft of copyrighted materials on the Internet, to over-use of Internet bandwidth by some, and to “borrowing” passwords to gain access to sites to which one hasn’t properly subscribed (or paid a fee, when appropriate). Eventually, publishers fail, or Internet providers charge more (or charge for excessive use, which is currently proposed by a number of bandwidth providers), or a subscription site’s restricted nature becomes meaningless and the owners suffer diminished revenue due to proliferation of shared passwords.

I’ve sometimes wondered how many of my subscribers have “loaned” access to my site to others. Based on the tools I have available to track such activity, so far I’ve observed no abuse, which speaks highly of their ethical conduct.

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Memory: My father was fairly accomplished with a barbecue grill. One particularly fine dish I remember was a large filet of Lake Michigan whitefish. He was given the fish in partial payment for his services as a doctor (yes, such payment-in-kind really did happen in northern Michigan at least as recently as the 1950s). I remember him grilling it with butter and paprika, and I remember that it was done perfectly.

I mention this because last night we visited a restaurant that offered a broiled fresh Lake Michigan whitefish fillet, with lemon, butter and tartar sauce. Again, to my great pleasure, it was done perfectly – moist, without any hint of dryness, but cooked all the way through. Much as we may like ocean-sourced seafood, fresh fish from streams or (in this case) the Great Lakes have a special taste.

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Today I shoot another gal in the great outdoors, the third visit to nature in as many weeks. I think that is some kind of record for me.

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A straightforward portrait of Kat, with whom I've worked repeatedly, each time with great results. She's an adventurous gal, who takes as much pleasure from life as she can.

2008-07-14T10:00:00.005-05:00

Christine's Hands 1

Dave’s posting from yesterday was as entertaining as any he’s offered in the brief but very humorous history of his blog. He spoke of using models to test the ice; I prefer to think of it as an allegory for the hardships we ask our models to endure. Some endure them better and more willingly than others. The best will walk through fire for you if a great photo will result.

My problems – and the problems I always have when shooting out of doors, are timidity and empathy. I am timid in the face of environmental adversity (steep climbs, chancy river crossings, nasty biting bugs, etc.) and have great empathy for my models when they are suffering same. Which tends to lessen concentration on the task at hand. Which results in lesser-quality photography. Sorry, I’m really more a studio kind of guy.

Which is not to say I’ve not made some good outdoor photographs. One posted here not long ago ranks as one of my better. I was actually pleasantly surprised on that occasion -- given it was northern Minnesota – since we had virtually no bugs, and the rocks were firm underfoot. Maybe that contributed to the photos’ quality.

I did a shoot very recently with a new model in a location near the Mississippi River. It had rained only hours before, and everything was wet. Rocks we climbed over were wet and slippery. And the mosquitoes were out in force. I forgot to warn her about scratching, and the result was red welts on her back, making many of those photographs unusable.

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Speaking of studio work, some interesting new models are on the near horizon. As usual, I don’t want to jinx things by speaking in advance or in any detail, but I’m very excited about these particular young women.

And then there was the session late last week with Sadie, who returned after a long absence. What a great evening that was! There will be a lot of photos going on my site, and perhaps a couple here.

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First session with Christine. She was a fun model the three times we worked.

Does Driving a Prius Make You Feel Immortal?

2008-07-12T10:00:00.005-05:00

Praying to Maximon

Had a near nasty accident yesterday. Cruising along in closely spaced traffic, and this gal driving a Prius from the right lane decided she wanted to be in the left lane no matter what. So she executed. Right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and missed crumpling her little car (with my Honda SUV) by inches. Luckily, whoever was behind me was also awake, since he managed to avoid rear-ending me. If you drive an ecologically more-green car, does that mean you're privileged or something? Do you think the gods smile especially for you? It would have served her right, except that it would have ruined my day, too.

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Some interesting comments on my "Section 2257" post just below. I'm waiting for more before jumping back in myself. Come on, people, surely there are other photographers having something to say. (For the record, I've added a 2257 notice to my own site's erotica, in -- as I say -- an abundance of caution. And because some stuff to be posted there shortly rather ups the ante, so to speak.)

Also worth your consideration: what Lin says about photographing erotica over at Fluffytek.

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Maximon is a semi-pagan deity worshiped in several areas of Guatemala. The cult co-exists with the Catholicism, as witnessed here by worshippers praying, burnig incense, and chanting in the courtyard of a Catholic church. (Click image to see full sized.)

For this photo, I originally was shooting from the church's steps, straight at the subject through the smoke haze; the workshop leader, Nance Ackerman, pointed to my left, saying, "The better light is over there." She was absolutely right!

Section 2257

2008-07-10T10:00:00.005-05:00

Jill

Posts may be sporadic over the next six days.

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If you photograph nudes (male or female) and your work sometimes moves into the "erotic," do you know about Section 2257? This is the U.S. statute requiring a notice at the beginning of every porn DVD. If you've not seen it, then you're not watching enough porn. The question is, does it apply to us photographers who occasionally touch on eroticism.

I've sometimes wondered about D. Brian Nelson and his "(Not Only) Hotel Room Nudes." It's not unusual for Don to post pics that show apparent masturbation, which (except for the "apparent" aspect) is one of the triggering activities for Section 2257. I suppose his argument might be that it is only "simulated," which is a safe zone under 2257. There is also a question whether still photography ever falls under 2257 (the media identified are "any book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape, or other matter," so arguably it does, and Department of Justice regulations confirm this). The statute was enacted in essentially pre-Web days and requires that the material be "shipped" in interstate commerce -- but subsequent DOJ regulations have extended coverage to Internet activity. Also significantly, there must be "actual sexually explicit conduct."

I'm wondering, have other photographers considered Section 2257 and its applicability?

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My friend Russell likes Montreal seasoning on his steaks. I bought a small container and rubbed it on a strip steak last night. Too much pepper!

Want a delicious rub for steaks and other meats? Check out Penzeys "Turkish Seasoning." I've used it for years, and it adds a wonderful flavor.

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Her pixieish face and very small breasts drew me. Her enthusiasm and desire to push herself kept my attention.

Photoshop Innocence

2008-07-09T10:00:00.005-05:00

Nut Rolls

Dave wrote in his blog yesterday:

I have been playing with Photoshop. Two days ago I thought I knew what I was doing. Now I am more confused than before I thought I knew what I was doing. The good part is I now know that I don't know what I am doing.

It's my fault. Mea culpa. In my hubris I dragged him into the complexities of advanced Photoshop usage whether he wanted it or not. When we had discussed a visit to his northern home, one thing I offered was to help him with Photoshop, which he conceded was not one of his strong suits. Essentially, he brings images into Adobe Camera Raw, makes a few global adjustments, transfers them to Photoshop, and prints them. The images are saved from ACR in sRGB and are printed in sRGB. He does healing and cloning directly on the Background layer. In fact, layers are a mystery to him.

During the two afternoons and two evenings we were together at his house I showed him stuff in Photoshop that (I think) opened his eyes considerably. But it was too much information, imparted too quickly. For which I apologize.

To paraphrase another common aphorism, "Innocence was bliss." Dave makes superb prints -- I know, I've seen many of them. And he has collectors all over the country who pay well into four figures for his environmental nudes. Most of them in color.

So why disturb his Photoshop innocence and complicate his life. Well, first there was the matter of editing and printing from sRGB. By converting to sRGB from ACR Dave was actually doing the best thing he could do in not knowing about "relative colorimetric" vs. "perceptual" printing, in not soft-proofing, etc. That's because for most purposes the Epson inkset (Dave prints on an Epson 3800) actually has a larger color gamut than most of sRGB. So he'd never see a problem in his prints compared to what he saw on his monitor. On the other hand, he was probably capturing colors with his camera that lay significantly outside sRGB, and he would benefit if he knew how to process in Adobe RGB or even Prophoto RGB and then print correctly from those color spaces. (Another problem is that he's working on a teeny, tiny monitor that I'm sure displays no better than sRGB. Which, as those who have been doing this as long as have I already know, merely cramps your style and is not a reason for restricting your images to sRGB.)

Then there was the problem of editing directly on the Background layer. Which is another way of saying he was not using Smart Objects coming out of Camera Raw. I think that revelation made his eyes open widest. When I showed him how to save as a Smart Object and what benefit it provided, I think he immediately converted. (It's too long a subject to discuss here; read Fraser/Schewe Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS3.)

And I think I converted him to the benefits of non-destructive editing using layers. Like I said, information overload. I told him then, and I'm reminding him here and now -- "Dave, call me! Write me! I apologize, I got you into this! Let's get you beyond your confusion!"

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Speaking of Photoshop. Those who have played with the "grain filter" know the devilish problem of sharpening images to which the filter has been applied. You want to sharpen without sharpening the grain itself. That means that the grain must be applied on a separate composite layer created after you have sharpened the base image. Or -- bless CS3! -- you use Smart Filters! That was the issue faced in a recent session with Kat where I wished to make a set of natural light photos look especially grainy. Here's an example (the grain is not as prominent in this reduced size).

More from the session to show shortly, perhaps.

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Yesterday evening was a double-mint treat. I purchased some fresh mint at the grocery and early in the evening made myself a mint julep. While sipping that, I started one of my favorite risotto combinations, which because Patricia does not like it as much, we rarely have. But she's out of town just now, so I made up a batch for myself: baby sweet peas and mint. Yumm!! (If you wish to spice it up a bit, instead of using a dry wine as the initial liquid, use a late harvest riesling or gewurztraminer -- really adds a "zip" to the sweet peas.) (Actually, in the end I had two mint juleps, which made my evening proceed really, really smoothly.)

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If you want saturated color, visit the Minnesota State Fair at night. I use a photo like this to demonstrate the importance of Prophoto RGB for photos of subjects other than flowers. The sheer extreme gamut of the neon signs makes accurate representation in a JPEG virtually impossible. (Click on image to see full size.)

2008-07-08T10:00:00.005-05:00

Alysun

Doesn't look like we will have relief from temps in the 80s and 90s any time soon. That means lows in the high 60s or low 70s, which also means the A/C will run pretty constantly. Bah!

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Last night was Famous Dave's for dinner. Ribs, that is. A half slab of baby backs. Among the better I've had from there. The weather being what it is, I also decided a beer would be in order rather than anything with tonic. (I can hear the **GASP** from two hundred miles north all the way down here.)

So I visited the local liquor store. When I carried my six-pack of Summit Pilsener ("in a Bohemian style" -- the Czechs need not worry) to the check-out, and handed over my credit card, I was met with the rejoinder, "Sorry, cash or checks only." Cash or checks only! Who ever heard of such a thing in a liquor store? I can't begin to guess why they turn away credit cards yet accept checks, when many merchants have banned checks in favor of credit.

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Saw a cute movie last night: Irish Jam. Nothing profound, but worth catching for an evening needing a little uplift and a predictably emotional ending.

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Another from the Prairie River shoot with Cedar Rapids model Alysun.

2008-07-07T10:00:00.004-05:00

Lauren at Home 103

Yesterday was a very warm and humid day in Minneapolis, so aside from a walk in the backyard to water a few pots of plants (being enjoined to do so by the good wife), I spent the day in air conditioning.

Which was just as well, since while up north one of my collectors ordered eight prints, which kept me busy at the computer all afternoon. They do look nice now that they are done, however. Most were 12x18s, which means they definitely looked better than anything I can see on a monitor.

Speaking of prints, conversations with Dave about his pricing policy, together with Lin's posting not so long ago, have me thinking about changing my own policy. All sorts of issues arise in my case, like the hundreds of prints already out there at various (lesser) prices, and the question of how many additional prints to permit in my presently generous editions. The matter still requires a great deal of consideration, and I've not decided whether to air the matter here.

Speaking of Dave, he posted an excellent companion image to mine of yesterday -- check it out.

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More regarding taking photographs places that some "authorities" consider off-limits, that really aren't: in the case, in airports.

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Lauren in her apartment a couple years ago. It was a successful use of natural light balanced by fill flash on the left.

Study in Contrasts

2008-07-06T10:00:00.006-05:00

Alysun

The past 48 hours have been a study in contrasts, if ever there was one. Yesterday's posting recounted a July 4 morning stream photo shoot with model Alysun, a serendipitous opportunity unlooked for only a few days before. Then developing the images and dining with Dave and Roberta at Chez Swanson. Such a nice day, relaxing, working in pleasant surroundings, and enjoying unstructured and meaningful conversation.

Then yesterday I packed up cameras and clothing, put them back in the car and bid adieu to my hosts, knowing I'd soon miss the quiet and hospitality of the northwoods.

The drive to Minneapolis was uneventful. I was even able to pick up a latte in Aitkin, a small town on the way south. Traffic was steady, which surprised me somewhat -- people heading both north and south in the middle of the holiday weekend. One state police speed trap was observed, but they were stopping motorists heading north. I arrived home about 1:30 p.m., knowing that now things would change drastically.

After a couple hours work on the PC catching up, I dressed up a bit and drove to the post-wedding reception mentioned yesterday. This was literally post-wedding, since they were wed in May in southern California. On the way I had a flat tire, which pissed me off somewhat and delayed arrival, but not too greatly. I can never remember which way those lug nuts turn, plus since the tires are put on with pneumatic power tools, there was no way I was going to budge the nuts to remove the tire. Called my motor club and was rescued about fifteen minutes later.

I spent some time at the reception, held in a townhouse across the Mississippi in downtown Minneapolis (I met the hostess but not the host, which is significant in the end of this tale, below -- sorry it's taking so long to get there). By the time I arrived the better wines had all been consumed, so I just didn't drink much, snacked a little, and talked with the new couple (a little) and with other friends. Close to 7 p.m. I left to drive home, pick up four bottles of wine, and join the couple, friends, the husband's sister, and our hostess from the reception at La Belle Vie for dinner.

The dinner was as usual superb, including a course new to their tasting menu, a richly flavorful ragu-based ravioli with melt-in-your-mouth pasta. Ten people and (I think) eighteen bottles of wine. A large number of Shafer "Hillside Selects," which is sort of the groom's signature wine. My notable contribution was the first bottle many of us had had of '05 Bevan Cellars from my friend Russell's new winery, a wine which held its own against some rather "big guns" from California.

Now to the real purpose for this narrative: Across the table sat our hostess from the reception, a lovely Irish gal who's lived in the States for about twelve years. She and I carried on a sprightly conversation, ranging from tasting wines, to cooking, to Minneapolis restaurants, to Ireland (including exciting detective work between the two of us trying to identify a particular president of the Irish Republic -- Erskine Childers, if you're curious), to living in Minneapolis, to opera (which she likes less fervently than me), and finally, to theater performances at the Guthrie.

I spoke enthusiastically of some of the past year's productions there, and of how wonderful the staging was. We briefly discussed the fact that the Guthrie, under Joe Dowling's leadership, was giving prominence to Irish playwrights, including the wonderful Brian Friel's The Home Place.

As dinner was winding down, my dinner companion asked, "So by now do you understand my connection to the Guthrie?"

"No," I responded.

"Well, you've heard me mention my husband, Joe? That's Joe, as in Joe Dowling."

You could have knocked me over with a feather. Here I was sitting across from the wife of the Guthrie's Director.

I'm glad I didn't insert foot in mouth as I do sometimes. It certainly put a gloss on our conversation, however. And a wonderful conclusion to a stimulating 4-1/2 hours.

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The young lady Dave Swanson and I photographed July 4 in the Prairie River in northern Minnesota. And I do mean in the river. For the technorati among you, I was lying down on a rock bracing my 28-300mm IS lens with elbow against the rock, but nevertheless hand-held at 1/20th. (I am conscious of this image's similarity to one of Dave Levingston's best nudes in nature; trust me that it is accidental, and I only realized the (very slight) similarity after the fact.)

Report From Dave's

2008-07-05T10:00:00.009-05:00

Kenzie and the Chair 28

July 4 morning arrived with a chill in the air, but rapidly morphed into a beautiful day. Breakfast at about 8 a.m. (skillet-fried eggs, and bacon, c/o friend Dave), got dressed, and awaited our model's arrival.

Alysun showed up right on time. With boyfriend (who turned out to be quiet and not at all a hindrance). We struck off on a 25 minute drive to the stream where we'd photograph for a couple hours, hiked the short distance down the slope below a dam, and began working. Dave would pose Alysun and take a couple shots, most of the time without me poaching on the setup, then he'd hand her off and I'd take her through a variety of poses in twenty or so photos. The pattern repeated itself in about seven locations. We ended with as good a set as we began, returned to the car, and drove back here.

Here's Dave showing Alysun how he wanted her to pose (she looks so much better doing it, as will be seen on Dave's blog):

(Click to see image in full size.)

Much of the remainder of the day I worked on images, so should have something to show here in a day or so.

Oh, yes, the rumors that the lord of the manor pads around house and grounds stripped to his bare essentials -- i.e., a pair of sandals? True, gruesomely true.

A nice dinner (with Dave still al fresco, plate with steak and baked potato balanced on his bare legs) led to a relaxed evening sitting around telling tales (some whoppers, not many of them remotely candidates for retelling) and molesting his dog, an older but very friendly Siberian husky.

It's the next morning as I write this. Roberta has promised waffles and maple syrup.

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As this posts I am on my way home. A post-wedding wedding reception this afternoon in the Cities, followed by dinner at La Belle Vie with the newlyweds and a bunch of our wine friends.

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Another from Kenzie's recent session. She could express well with her eyes, so I took advantage. The remaining 50 from our session you will find only on my site.

At Dave's

2008-07-04T10:00:00.004-05:00

Erin 4

I'm at Dave's in the northwoods, and it is just about as imagined. He says he put on clothes anticipating my arrival this afternoon, but that tomorrow they are likely to come off, to hell with it!

We shoot this morning (actually are probably shooting as this posts) off in a favorite stream location, with a young woman who is actually vacationing here from Iowa. I expect it to be an interesting experience, since he and I have never done a shoot together.

Dinner last night at a local restaurant (of which he has written on his own blog -- see link at right), which was pretty decent. I took two bottles of wine, but should have remembered to bring my own glassware, since I think the glasses they provided had a total capacity of about 4 ounces.

More in tomorrow's post. Just imagine the wildest, most remote place you've ever been and you'll have some idea of what it's like here. Dave and Roberta obviously love the lifestyle, love their place, and I can see the appeal -- once you get over the fact that the nearest decent grocery is thirty miles away, and all that I am used to in the way of live performances is two hundred plus miles south. Oh, yeah, and the normal wintertime temperature is -40 degrees (F).

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Erin, with whom I worked recently once again after a two year hiatus, and who will be seen in David Swanson's work.

2008-07-03T10:00:00.010-05:00

Kenzie and the Chair 4

As this posts, I have already begun my drive to friend Dave Swanson's in the state's far north. I expect to have a semi-relaxing but intense (if that's not a contradiction) couple days. Patricia is not coming along, having other things to do. I'm taking seven bottles of wine; doesn't mean we'll drink them all, but it's an option.

As mentioned yesterday, I did indeed meet with the new prospect. We had coffee. I've not done that with a new model for some time, since most MM models just want to jump right in and work, without meeting beforehand. This gal, however, is approaching the matter very cautiously and, IMO, very properly. We had a good chat and will be working in a couple weeks. Very nice young lady, by the way. I think she'll make a great model.

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I stripped the rotational set screw on my Bogen tripod ballhead, or rather I think airline handling did it. Actually, what stripped was the female portion in the ballhead itself. I tried getting the hole retapped, but to no avail. So my dealer will ship it to Bogen for repairs. I purchased a new Bogen head that has the same model number but a different mechanism for both locking the head's rotation and for locking the ball itself. However, the latter does not work, or at least I've not figured how to lock it down. It has a "friction" setting like the previous model, but on this one I can't turn it closed enough to stabilize the head. So back to the dealer tomorrow before I drive north. I'm sure they will instruct me as to some simple error I'm making.

(Dave, if you're reading this, it means I'll be a bit later than I thought, but hopefully not by much.)

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One from Kenzie's in-studio session a few days ago. She chose the pose; I liked it for its sense of melancholy, perhaps even despair.

New Models

2008-07-02T10:00:00.008-05:00

Clair Geometry 3

I worked yesterday with Kenzie, a model new to me and relatively new to the fine art modeling game herself. She's a very affable young lady, with a fair amount of worldly experience, and a great attitude. As she says right up front on her Model Mayhem page, she's in it for the art. She reminds me in dedication, focus and enthusiasm of Brooke in her early months, and we all know how far and how well Brooke has proceeded. I should have something to show you in a few days.

This morning I'm meeting another model for coffee. She is another who is in it for the art, and is aggressively seeking artistic nude opportunities. Her MM pics are dark, and it looks like she has multiple tats, but since I've been there and done that, we'll see what develops.

Then, as David Swanson has already reported, he and I will be working Friday with a model who more-or-less dropped in on him out of the blue up there in the wilderness where he lives. That should start the 4th of July fireworks a little early!

Nothing else of note to report this morning.

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Clair was one of several models who ably interpreted the "loops and lines" theme.

2008-07-01T10:00:00.009-05:00

Feral Pistol 9

Sunday evening Patricia and I drove up to the neighborhood where the new artists' condos will be built, to look it over. As expected, lower middle class, at best. Several houses with foreclosure notices out front. I fear that, various other positive aspects of the project notwithstanding, the neighborhood shock would be just too, too much. She's still favorably disposed, however, so we need to discuss.

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A channel played The American President the other night. A little piece of fluff the conservatives love to hate. A young, dynamic, somewhat liberal President in love. What a novel concept. I do enjoy the movie. I'm sure it will be repeatedly broadcast on other channels this election year.

(A curious approach to movie watching: I have a perfectly good DVD of this movie sitting at my left hand, yet I watched it on a semi-commercial channel. Granted it was widescreen and in hidef and therefore looked better than the DVD copy, but still ....)

A salient excerpt -- think about it in terms of of the present incumbent and in 2008 election terms:

Lewis Rothschild [an aide to the President]: You have a deeper love of this country than any man I've ever known. And I want to know what it says to you that in the past seven weeks, 59% of Americans have begun to question your patriotism.

President Andrew Shepherd: Look, if the people want to listen to-...

Lewis Rothschild: They don't have a choice! Bob Rumson [the John McCain standin] is the only one doing the talking! People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand.

President Andrew Shepherd: Lewis, we've had presidents who were beloved, who couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty. They drink the sand because they don't know the difference.

Thanks to IMDB for this. Oh, and Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the brilliant screenplay (as well as creating the wonderful The West Wing series).

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If things go as planned, as this posts I am beginning a session with a new model, one for whom I have high expectations.

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Pistol with some of her adornments, in a series where we tried to depict the model as feral predator.

I Miss Johnny Carson

2008-06-30T10:00:00.012-05:00

Bridget

In these days of late night shows devoted 95% to shilling for their corporate multimedia parents' shows and stars, I miss Johnny Carson. I was reminded of just how much yesterday morning when "CBS Sunday Morning" (another shill-meister) had a feature on potato chips (huh?) and replayed a classic Carson clip.

My most intense interaction with Carson came in 1977. I had just had an exploratory laparotomy, a procedure you should avoid if at all possible. Recovering from the surgery, I had stitches running stem to stern(um). For some perverse reason, I watched one of the "Best of Carson" specials. If you've ever had a bend-over fit of laughing with stitches in your abdomen, you have some idea of what "pleasure-pain" really means. I couldn't help but laugh. Every time I laughed I'd clutch my stomach in pain. Then tears would come to my eyes. Then Carson would do another bit that brought on more laughing. I never had the good sense to turn it off.

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In what must be a minor optical miracle, I have dispensed with reading glasses altogether. I have no idea how this might come about -- going from +2 spectacles not that long ago to now being able to read the NY Times, do photo editing, almost everything except low-light reading, without glasses. My distance viewing remains as good as ever, except for the slight astigmatism that I've had for years.

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God, last night I was in a totally maudlin mood. Sentimental to the nth degree. Sorry, you really didn't need to know that. But then, as I write this I was well into a double (or maybe triple) Old Fashioned. That may be an explanation, somewhat.

Now I'm beginning to sound like friend Dave Swanson and his stream of consciousness blogging.

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Just What the World Needs

Another GWC has materialized on the local photographic scene. (For you uninitiated, "GWC" refers to Guy With Camera, a mostly derogatory term referring to men -- sometimes caricatured in our minds as drooling with bad complexions -- who use a camera to get women to undress for them.) Let's call this fellow George W. Cuddchew. George is telling the world that he is a respected photographer;and his primary subjects are "lingerie, nude, art, art nudes, and erotic/adult photography."

George also provides examples of his work, Exhibit "A" of which is a cheesecake photo of his (I presume) girlfriend, topless but with hands placed strategically, standing in heels in front of a white wall. For reasons I'm sure you understand, I'm not showing you the photograph itself, but it is atrocious: small, poorly cropped, poorly formatted, and dark, dark, dark. It's like this guy forgot he has the upper third of the histogram available to him.

Also out-of-focus. It looks very much like it was taken with a point-and-shoot with on-camera flash, and that he has no idea about post-processing. The rest of his portfolio is no better. Almost 50% of the portfolio consists of blah pastoral scenes having no relationship whatsoever to model photography.

In short, this is a GWC whose chances of ensnaring a model to pose for him are slim and none. Posting his profile for all to see, he's actually done the modeling community a service.

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Yesterday PBS finally rebroadcast the simulcast hidef production of La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) about which I've previously written, here and here. What a romp! If you missed it, you should be able to catch it again Saturday evening, July 5. It is an astounding combination of humor, high camp, and beautiful singing.

Juan Diego Florez really did nail those high C's, received a stupendous ovation (even the conductor applauding), then the conductor made a little circling sign with his hands, and they proceeded without the encore that was headlined in the Times in the article linked-to earlier. Florez apparently doesn't want to overdo the encore thing. Too bad.

I'm sure someone will eventually upload a video of the Met performance, but in the meantime here is Florez performing the solo in Vienna, with the same staging the Met used.

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Bridget in our first session. At 4'11", still one of my most diminutive, but definitely perfectly-proportioned, models.