The Red Cloth

"So, yeah, the photo that James came up with for the contest was really good. The barbed wire was a great touch. It definitely made it WAY more deviant than Chris' photo."

We sat at Opal Divine's that morning discussing the bet between Chris and James. The aftermath was kind of hilarious. James with a resounding 11-to-1 win over Chris. Especially with all the smack Chris was throwing around.

"But, honestly, I think the photo I did of Morgan wearing the gas mask was definitely more deviant than James'."

She walked into the game room where we were sitting. "oh! Gas masks?"

My ears perked a moment and I turned around. She was cute. Spritely.

"Yeah. I recently took a photo of a friend wearing this gas mask she picked up."

"Photos? Are y'all photographers?"

I looked around at the other six guys at the table. "Yeah. We meet up here frequently to talk about photography and stuff."

"Cool! I love having my picture taken. I could model for y'all sometime!"

Everyone laughed. Sure, why not? I looked back at her and said half-jokingly, "Sure, give me your contact info and we'll set something up."

Funny. Some of the guys assumed that was meant for everyone. She laughed, took some of our drink orders and wandered off. We went back to discussing the photos and other random Strobist stuff.

About fifteen minutes later she came back in and walks up to me, a slip of paper in hand. "Here you go!"

It was her contact info. Heh. I turned to look at the guys and saw jaws drop. Yeah. Definitely funny. As I started to slip the paper in my pocket, one exclaimed, "But that's for all of us!"

"Yeah, sure." I laughed, "and you're more than welcome to ask her for the same ..."

A few weeks later, we had the shoot set up.

One thing I've learned in the last year is that if you don't have the balls to ask someone for something you'll never know if they'll do it. When an opportunity presents itself you'll do one of two things: take it or sit there kicking yourself for not opening your mouth. Be bold, live notoriously, whatever moniker you want to attach to this idea ... all it takes is opening your mouth and asking the question that hangs at the tip of your tongue.

This is Donica. She's a sweet girl. We had a lot of fun in the studio. This was one of the shots I was explicitly looking for that night. It's variation of something I picked out of a magazine last year, the main focus being a red cloth sweeping down across the back and just barely hiding a nude woman. We're definitely going to shoot again, though, next time I think she'll be in a mohawk. She's wild like that. Gotta love a woman who'll let you fuck up her hair for art.

Links for 2009-01-19

Interesting links gathered from all over the Internet

Flickr: Discussing OT: developing an artistic eye in Strobist.com Wizwow's notes on developing an artistic eye. (tags: wizwow photography ideas artistic)

Doom on you! Doom on you!

Oy! It's already well over a week into 2009 and I've yet to post anything useful, thought provoking, or incendiary, or eye catching! Crazy. I ended up in the studio Wednesday evening with my friend Wes. She designs costumes for fun and does a pretty awesome job at it. A few weeks back, Morgan showed me the costume that Wes was working on for a New Year's Eve masquerade ball here in Austin. It wasn't finished at that point, but I mentioned to her that I'd have to drag Wes into the studio once it was done.

Now, Wes is one of those fun people that you want to have in front of the camera. She's comfortable with herself and has an intensity about her that makes you go click-click-click! with the shutter button.

So, back to Wednesday. I'd stopped by Morgan's place to pass some time before the shoot. Wes was there getting ready and putting on makeup. What I hadn't realized at the time was the accent color she was putting on to match the dress: a green that faded to yellow around her eyes and that wrapped across to her temples. It's great working with someone who knows what the hell they're doing with makeup. (Aside: I really need to find an MUA that I can consistently work with; but that's for another time.)

I headed over to the studio and started the setup. I've realized that I'm getting faster with putting everything in it's place, which is great, but the downside is that I tend to stick with the same setups, so I need to work on that this year.

James came by for a bit and dropped off the smoke machine he purchased for the studio. We talked about some ideas for the studio going forward; it's clear that I need to get a few muslins of my own because we're definitely going through seamless paper far faster than we should. The downside to having more than a handful of people in the coop. Meanwhile, Wes showed up, got all set up and in her Doomsdame la Douche persona: a fitting name considering the tone and timbre of the dress.

We didn't get fancy, but we certainly used a few props that someone had left in the studio: a chainsaw and a hobby horse. One thing that was self-evident, albeit after the fact: don't lick a chainsaw if you don't know where it's been. Apparently the taste is quite unnerving, if not disgusting, according to Wes.

I've had a few comments about that photo including: it would be better if it were a gas chainsaw and if it were running! I could see the first one. But really guys, the second? Really? I think what we did worked. Especially since it was one of those unrehearsed and unprompted moments of the shoot. Wes is entertaining like that. I mean, c'mon, would YOU give it a second thought before licking a chainsaw? I thought so.

The hobby horse was just cute. I couldn't resist dragging it onto the seamless and putting her on it. It kind of reminds me of a bizarre bastardization of Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, only more adult but still getting her way. I could just hear her saying, "But I want a pony NOW, daddy!"

One of the other shots we did was with the fog machine. Now, I have to say I expected it to work differently. I was expecting the fog to more or less hug the floor, making it nice and dense. Since we had no fans going there wasn't going to be much air movement in the room. Did it work that way? Of course not. It just filled the room. And filled it some more. And then some more. It was clear that, two minutes into it, we were going to me smoked out of the room so I turned it off. The only shot I really got that turned out well was one of the first ones where I had her backlit by one of the strobes; the smoke behind her was being illuminated so you could see some of the small swirls of whatever air current there was from us moving around.

The big lesson learned? Playing with that damn fog machine made it impossible to do anything for a good 15-20 minutes afterwards while I got the room flushed out. Talking with some of the other photogs later, the suggestion was made to use dry ice for the effect I wanted, which was to have a myst hugging her feet. I'll have to keep that in mind because I'm sure there will be other times I can use that.

After we finished up with the Doomsdame la Douche, we did a few shots without the brunette wig. Wes has lush red hair with blonde streaks in it that complimented the dress amazingly well. Once I got home and started doing post, the thought that struck me was that she could easily pass for Poison Ivy from Batman. The green makeup and dress, flaming hair. Definitely.

Finally, towards the end of the evening, she changed into a flowing silvery skirt and black leather corset. She's got these great wigs that just work as excellent detail touches, so I got a chance to throw some blue gels on the lights and bring some complimentary light into play. While I had her on the seamless working on a shot, I happened to glance over at the wall where one of the mirrors was set up and was like, "DON'T MOVE!" I'm not sure what she thought at that moment, but I turned and started snapping photos of the mirror. The reflection was great. I loved how the blue light just framed it all, with the softbox lighting her up from the other direction. It worked. I love those happy accidents.

I think my favorite photo of the evening is the first one shown. I'm not sure why really. The lighting is just striking. I love it when a face is half hidden in shadow the way Wes' is in this photo. I need to play with that idea more.

Goodbye, 2008.

Goodbye, cruel world
I'm leaving you today
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

Pink Floyd

I can't believe we're on the cusp of a new year; 2008 has flown by so, so quickly. Looking back at the last twelve months, I've come to the realization that I've progressed much farther in this art than I had ever expected. I've been working with the Strobist stuff for a year and a half, soaking up everything I could like a beached sea sponge. But, it wasn't until earlier this year that I really began focusing on photographing people.

And would you believe, before that, I abhorred photographing people. Not because people were uninteresting but because I just sucked at it. I mean, thoroughly sucked at it. I couldn't capture the essence of a person if my life depended on it. Photos would were mired with half-closed eyelids, the cheesy "do you really have to take my picture?" smile, sometimes even the really bad horror photo that people wish had never been captured. It was bad, bad I tell you.

I made a lot of mistakes. This, mind you, was never a bad thing. I've learned from every one of those, no matter how big or small. In fact, one of the problems I see myself experiencing is getting too comfortable in any one style or method. The dark photos, for example. I love dark photos. I love the simplicity and timbre found within. A thief in a pitch black room with only a flashlight and all you get to see is the shape and body I reveal with the beam.

But. Really, that's not enough. I know it. It's a mistake to think that I could spend my time creating a body of work where it, eventually, all looks the same. Robert Heinlein's character Lazaras Long is quoted as saying, "Get a shot off fast. This upsets him long enough to let you make your second shot perfect." I'm not looking to make perfect photos, but I do realize I need to keep plugging away at it to continue improving.

In The Secret to Success in Photography, Chase Jarvis talks about two things you need to really make it: be undeniably good and spend 10,000 hours doing it. The second part of this photographic "Pirate's Code" doesn't surprise me. I know artisans and craftsmen who've spent years perfecting their artform and experience. Heck, I've spent years doing the same in my 9-to-5 job. It makes sense. To master something, you need to do it a lot.

But, the first one. Like Chase, it just hit me. "Be undeniably good." It's simple and obvious. Be so good that people won't ignore the work you're doing. This is the hard part of the whole equation: knowing what works for you and getting so comfortable with it that it becomes an extension of you. Second nature. The art of photographing without photographing, if you will. Show it off, but don't beat people over the head with it. I'm getting to the point where more people are noticing what I do. And they're asking if I can do the same for them. It's an odd feeling to be complimented on your photos ... and complimented enough that you begin to believe that they really are good.

It's validating. And the more I'm reassured, the more I've realized my mistakes helped me sculpt an eye for good photography. Not only in my own photos, but in the images taken by other photographers. I know what I like. It's an amazing feeling to look at a photo and to pick out the details that make that image gel for me. Yeah. Validating.

And it's all happened so quickly in this last year. I'm somewhat sad to see 2008 flying towards it's end. But, without question, I am looking forward to what challenges and mistakes I encounter in 2009.

The lovely lady pictured above is Morgan. This is from a recent photoshoot with her in the studio. Looking back over my last year's worth of shoots, this photo is one of the best (if not THE best) portrait I've done to date. Yes. Definitely an exciting year for me.

The Painted Veil

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I was talking to my Dad the other day about my photos. He's been following what I do since he meandered his way onto the grand ol' Intartubes. He made an interesting generational conjecture about women being tattooed. To be short and sweet: he doesn't like it. He's not the first person of his generation and upbringing that I've encountered this opinion of.

I found it rather interesting in all honesty. Not because he doesn't like them, but because in a single generation, he's encountering someone who is the complete opposite of that idea: me. I find tattooed women to be intriguing. Hmm. Let me rephrase that: I find certain tattooed women to be intriguing. I'm not talking about the college coed that goes into a tattoo parlor on 6th Street to get the classic tribal tramp stamp. Picking an image off the wall has no artistic allure for me.

I'm talking about the woman who goes in with the empyrean idea of allowing ink and thousands of tiny bee stings to color her body in ways that make Michelangelo take a second look. A living canvas of flesh covered in nothing more than a lifetime supply of art. Those are the women of singular photographic attraction.

Of particular note is Morgan. I shot with her and her friend Natalie two weeks back. Morgan and I didn't really have a plan, other than to shoot something with her gas mask. I wanted to do something different and edgy. That's about the only direction I had. Oh, and tattoos. Morgan has these amazingly detailed tattoos. We ended up doing a significant number of pin-up style photos before and after we played with the gas mask (and a Christmas tree ... how's that for a combination). Natalie joined in on a few and we ended up having a lot of fun with that.

After Natalie left, I shifted over to doing more artistic shots of Morgan. I wanted to see what I could arrange with the tattoos in order to show off the detail and coloring within. A little post with some cross-processing and I came up with some absolutely stunning photos (like the first one).

One of the things I found after doing the photo shoot was how much better my photographs look when I spend just a bit of time on them in Photoshop. Previously, I tended to stick in Lightroom for 99% of what I did because ... it was easy and I was lazy. In this case, I wanted to see what trouble I could get into by combining Nik Efex and a little bit of skin work.

Oh. My. God.

The quality of some of my photos increased tenfold. Easily. It was a very pleasant surprise what some work with the healing brush would do (compared to using the spot tool in Lightroom), for example.

I still prefer to do most of my work in Lightroom right now because of the ease of using presets, but my notion on which photos should get some extra work is changing. Spending the time to make some things "stunning", as a friend exclaimed, is worth it.

As mentioned, the models shown are Morgan (with all the tattoos) and Natalie. Playing with the gas mask was definitely the highlight of the evening. Definitely different and edgy.

You may see more of Morgan and Natalie in my flickr stream.

Welcome to the UK: please check your art at the border.

“Art is never chaste. It ought to be forbidden to ignorant innocents, never allowed into contact with those not sufficiently prepared. Yes, art is dangerous. Where it is chaste, it is not art.”
Pablo Picasso

Over at the Fluffytek Art Blog: Destroyers of Art, Lin writes about a major changing coming to the UK when the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act of 2008 comes into effect in January. The act makes it illegal to own or possess sexually explicit imagery that is defined as "extreme." So, what's extreme? Well, based on their reading of the act, "any images involving bondage, BDSM and any images which so much as hint at (pretend) violence." As a result, they've gone through and started deleting significant chunks of their portfolio. That's ... mind blowing.

I mean, think about it. Imagine you're an artist. You have a large body of work associated with you. Things you've created, lines of thought that you've explored and turned into something tangible, heck stuff you may never have even published but made for yourself for the sheer enjoyment of doing it. Now imagine that three weeks from now, some of the amazing balloon paintings you've worked on, depicting clowns and their big shoes, is deemed unwholesome and disturbing to society. Why? Because there's a small sect of people out there who lust after hurting balloon-wielding clowns and your art might ... might serve as a catalyst for them acting out on their inhibitions. And by creating that art, you enable them to act upon those thoughts, whether or not they are real or imagined by the bureaucracy at large.

Now, go and burn your art depicting any of this because you fear the reprisal that could potentially come. Oh, and all those people you happened to collaborate with or take inspiration from? You might want to distance yourself from them too.

Mind blowing, isn't it?

This is what they're dealing with at the moment because they genuinely fear the changes coming in January. I don't know what I'd do if faced with the very real possibility of having to delete parts of my portfolio because someone in authority thought it was bad.

WOOT!

Well, I went and did it. I did my first for-pay shoot last Saturday. My friends Todd and Elizabeth (whom you've seen before on here; I shot their wedding) decided they liked my photography so much that they asked me to do some family photos for them. I had slotted two hours in the studio for them because we weren't sure just what they wanted. I can say that was WAY overkill. They showed up, had the kids all ready, and 25 minutes later I was done. I did three groups (two of the kids, one of the whole family) and then did portraits of everyone.

In all, I think I did a pretty good job. I can see where I need to improve a bit, but that's fine. I can certainly do quick shoots like this. The money is good and the time even better.

One thing I've noticed is that I want to play with more lights when doing portraits like these. There's a particular style of lighting (I don't know the name) that I want to try where there's a nice soft light coming from the front and above with two side lights rimming the head/body. I'm not yet sure how well it will work for me, but everything I've seen it on, I've liked.

Oh, and sorry, no photos from this one. I've only just sent T & E the photos and I haven't heard back from them on posting a few.