Portrait of Dyaphanye

The gaps seem to grow ever wider.

My last post here was on January 15^th, 2012. One more day and I would have made it one full month. Certainly not record breaking gaps, as those of you following my work know all too well, but more a gap than I would like. Alas, it’s the proverbial double-edged sword at work; the day-job which allows me to be a photographer has been busier, much busier, than usual.

Nonetheless, I think I can manage one update per month without much difficulty, at least for the time being. However, the frequencies of shooting new material will likely decrease somewhat significantly over the coming months. Unfortunately, this includes my Griffin project in which I planned to document the small town where I was born and raised. Postponed, not cancelled.

Nude in Winter, Savannah, GA

The two images accompanying today’s post are from my most recent session with new-to-me model Dyaphanye. They were shot at my West Hall Street location in early January.

Nude on Pedestal

It’s another short post for today; perhaps a good thing as after all, this a blog centered on photography. Some time ago, I made the promise to concentrate on images and less on words. In reality, there’s simply not too much to write about. Projects are continuing to be planned, although the execution of said projects is moving a bit slower than I like. Nonetheless, there is movement.

On Tuesday of this week, I’ll be shooting with a model in the studio. I’ve not shot in studio or under any sort of artificial light in nearly three years. While I’ve certainly grown to love my re-acquaintance with natural light I have to admit, surprisingly enough, that I’m looking forward to it. Variety is a good thing, and variety is one thing I want to integrate back into my work during 2012.

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Today’s image is another of SueEllen from our Saturday afternoon spent at Harris-Neck NWR late last year. In fact, SueEllen will be the model working with me in the upcoming studio session.

Untitled Nude, Reclining #2

A very Happy New Year to all!

My post today is simple and brief. I’ve been enduring my holiday cold and all of its accompanying joy, as well dealing with those year-end rituals required of the self-employed, and trying to stay busy coordinating my Griffin project.

Griffin, in this case, refers to the small Georgia mill town where I was born and raised. Actually, I’m not sure Griffin still is a ‘mill town’ per se; the textile industry, like so many others, is fading away there. Regardless, I went on a brief scouting excursion there with an old friend after Christmas and am eager to get shooting. It has easily been 15 years since I spent any time in town and much as changed. Still, Griffin’s bones are largely intact. My goal is to begin shooting by February.

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Untitled Nude, Reclining #1

Today’s images are from what became my last session of 2011. They are of model and friend Sarah H and were shot during an impromptu session on a lazy Sunday afternoon at her home the week before Christmas.

The Remains of the Day, Extended

Here are two more from my session with SueEllen three weeks ago at Harris-Neck NWR. I spent a fair amount of time sorting through images to include with today’s entry and finally settled on these two. One is a natural extension of the image I included with the previous post, called “The Remains of the Day” as it was shot near the very end of our session together. The portrait of SueEllen was shot within a few minutes of the other two and captures her mood nicely; somewhat tired, still a little nervous, and just a little chilled. We called it a day shortly after these images were finished.

I had also mentioned in the previous post that this was SueEllen’s very first modeling session – not her first nude session, not her first outdoor session, but her very first session period. She did a fantastic job in every way. She’s enthusiastic for the work and processes, and not afraid to be creative and play. We’re planning a studio session together shortly after the New Year begins and I can hardly wait to work with her again.

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Portrait of SueEllen with Old Fountain

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Personal on site scouting for my Griffin, Georgia project will formally begin next week. Actually, it already has begun, as a long time friend and photographer living there has been helping with identifying interesting and suitable locations. Needless to say, my enthusiasm for the project is growing exponentially.

The burst of creative energy brought about by this undertaking has me considering doing portions of this project on film. This will mean breaking out my old Yashica Mat 124G and perhaps one of my Holga cameras. It will also mean using Ilford XP2, a C-41 process (the same chemistry process for color negative film) black and white film; not my first preference for film, but workable and actually a good choice for the contrasty environments I’m hoping to find and work.

Still, this is relatively new territory for me, particularly where shooting in abandoned and otherwise decrepit structures is concerned. I know many of you are well versed in this type of work. Any input you can offer is appreciated. Feel free to drop me a line to the email address on my ‘About’ page.

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In spite of myself, I’ve indeed managed another blog update. So I’ll push the envelope again by saying I’ll try to get another update here before year’s end.

In the event that doesn’t happen, please allow me a moment to extend to each and every one of my readers and viewers personal best wishes and for a safe and happy holiday, whichever and however you choose to celebrate.

The Remains of the Day

A couple of weeks ago, I shot with a nude model for the first time in an out-of-doors location. Actually, the shoot was a bunching of firsts: in addition to it being the first time for me working with a nude model in a public space, it was also the model’s very first photo session, and it was the first time I’d shot a nude with longer focal-length lenses.

My biggest concern about shooting a nude in public was the presence other people. The area where we were working is a National Wildlife Refuge and as refuges go, it’s fairly small and is crisscrossed with paved and dirt roads, as well as numerous hiking trails. It’s served multiple purposes in the past, beginning as the site of Bethany Plantation, a rice plantation in the early 1700’s and later, a cotton plantation in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. More recently, in the middle 20^th century, a small airfield was built on the site to serve as an emergency landing field for commercial airlines and for military pilot training during World War II. Locally known as Harris-Neck, nearly 3,000 acres of the former plantation and airfields became a part of the National Wildlife Refuge system in the early 1960’s. Access to the refuge is well-marked and easy.

Fortunately, my concerns for curiosity seekers were quickly allayed. The only other people we saw – no more than two or three – were sticking to the main roads and heading in the general direction of the exits as we arrived. But what I hadn’t counted on were the thick entanglements of overgrown brush and saplings which were everywhere and crowded nearly every single frame; hence, the use of the long focal length lenses for selective focusing and shooting with wide apertures to keep depth of field as shallow as possible.

Our best work was done near what little remains of the Lorillard-Livingston Estate. Pierre Lorillard was a tobacco magnate who purchased 30 acres of the original Bethany Plantation sometime during the late 1880’s. Supposedly, Miss Lilly Allien (reputed to be Lorillard’s mistress; she later became known locally as Mrs. Livingston) built a large and luxurious estate, complete with swimming and wading pools and a single large fountain.

The home has long since vanished and all that remain of its former grandeur are the wading pool and the fountain. Fortunately, the weather was reasonably warm and we definitely had the place to ourselves. It was so quiet in fact, that we could hear the rhythmically beating wings of turkey vultures surfing on the breeze just over the treetops.

I’m hopeful to return Harris-Neck with SueEllen in the spring. Perhaps by then, some of the brush will have died off. There are also a great many large oak trees which would be even more beautiful with a lovely nude model gracing their branches and limbs.

More outdoor work will follow.

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Griffin, Georgia is a small town in west-central Georgia. It’s a mill town and a railroad town, and it’s also the town where I was born and raised. The trains I once rode between Griffin and Atlanta, Griffin and Macon, and Griffin and Savannah, which is now my home, have vanished. The mills, where so many of my childhood friends had their first jobs out of high-school are closed and abandoned. Much of the downtown struggles to re-invent itself in the face of big-box stores and franchise restaurants. Still, the old buildings remain and they do so proudly.

It’s perfect for the photographer.

I’m in the planning stages of a project which I hope to start early next year to photograph my home town; to photograph some of the people there, and of course capture some of the majesty of the old brick structures now crumbling and fading. This is, of course, fertile ground for another nude project or two, and I’m very excited by the possibilities.

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I’m going to try to squeeze in one more update before the Christmas holiday strikes. In the event I don’t, I want to wish each and everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

With the Thanksgiving holiday done and past, I was hopeful for a brief period of time before total Christmas insanity establishes a firm hold. After a brief errand run in town today, I can say my hopes have been dashed.

Regardless, for me, this is a great time in which to work new projects and finish old ones. The end of the year, the turning of a new page on the calendar to start a new year is always an optimistic time. I’m hopeful to get at least two and perhaps three sessions completed during these last few weeks of 2011.

In the meantime, I thought I’d share a couple of candid shots taken during nude sessions over the years. I don’t do these shots often as I like to keep the flow of the session moving. However, should an opportunity present itself…

Everyone’s sessions are a little different. Here’s a peek at what sometimes happens during mine when there’s a break in the work, when the background or light may be just a bit off, or a piece of needed gear can’t be located. It’s a look at those places which occur between all of the gallery and blog worthy images.

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I have a shoot with a brand-new model scheduled for tomorrow. This will also be her very first professional session and the first ‘real’ nude session I’ve shot out-of-doors. To say I’m looking forward to it is an understatement; we’ll be shooting in a protected wilderness area south of Savannah, and the weather is forecast to be tolerable: mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 60’s. While I would prefer an overcast day, overcast fall days in Georgia generally mean a blustery cold and rainy day. I’ll take it.

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The careful reader of this blog will note something different in today’s post. It’s nothing big, just something I did in the interest of staying current with the posts. Or perhaps it’s just I’m feeling a bit lazy today.

Regardless, new work will be created tomorrow and this is good news. It means new work will soon be seen.

Portrait of Sarah Nude, by Window. From "The Sessions on West Hall Street"

In the last couple of posts made since I returned from my ‘vacation,’ I’ve talked about some of the changes I want to bring to the work. I’m becoming more aware this is a direct result of my time away from it, a goal achieved, but surprisingly, I find I’m making decisions more easily and am openly embracing the new ideas and changes they bring.

One of these changes is to do less – much less – in the way of gallery shows and exhibitions. Actually, doing less would be difficult. I’ve not done a solo gallery show since 2009. In November of that year, I opened COURSE, a retrospective of nearly a decade of work with the figure. The show was well received and attended, but only one print sold – and that was on the day when the gallery staff was dismantling and readying the work for my pick-up. For the sake of comparison, COURSE consisted of 15 pieces; my previous show, hung 18 months earlier in the same gallery, sold nearly all of the work. Of the 17 pieces in that show, I brought five out on closing day and three more sold by mail a week afterwards.

We’re all aware how things have changed in the art marketplace. This is especially true for Savannah. Reaching out to other larger and more nude friendly markets has been something I’ve seriously considered doing. However, exhibitions are expensive enough to do locally; the expense of putting together and executing a show outside of Savannah would be absolutely tremendous.

My gallery representation is now exclusively with Horizon Gallery in Savannah, GA. Sales there have been so dismal the gallery has become little more than a storage space for the inventory, although it is storage where the work can still be seen. Regardless, when the infrequent but occasional inquiry comes along to do a show, I politely turn them away. And unlike past shows where success was not an absolute given, the reality is a near complete lack of success now seems guaranteed in the current local marketplace.

Sadly, this is not limited to photography. Many painter friends are closing their Savannah studios, moving to other markets or shutting down altogether. The online communities of artists, at places such as Etsy, are growing. I may be joining them.

Of course, I prefer the work to be seen and hopefully appreciated in person. In the past, this was achieved through gallery sales and sales from my own exhibitions and shows. As that seems to be no longer reliable or even viable, I’m looking for other ways to get the printed, touchable, and non-virtual work out there.

There are calls for entries and juried shows. I’ve written before about exploring these as possibilities, but have been hesitant to do so. For one, it’s still a gallery show, and if the exhibition is in a distant city, there are significant costs in getting the work (and possibly myself) to the location should my work be selected for hanging. Secondly, and this applies equally to my current representation, if the work were to sell, commissions would have to be paid. Still, I may consider applying for entry to a few to see what, if anything may happen.

The route which I find most appealing to get printed work in front of those wanting to see it is that of putting the work into print; a book or calendar, perhaps both. Large format ‘coffee table’ art books sell well, regardless of subject matter or medium. I own several myself from a variety of artists; works of Weston, Cunningham, Penn, and Adams; Monet, Reuben, Van Gogh, as well as several others. With the many print-on-demand services available, going to print is an appealing option as an alternative to gallery shows and exhibitions.

Doing a book or annual calendar is something I’m just now considering with great interest but tempered enthusiasm. I’ll keep you posted.

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I’m delighted to report my search for new and interesting locations is going well. I’ve found many interesting spots, and even better, I’m finding that interest in my local landscape is developing. (In the post which precedes this one, I wrote that I found my local landscape to be uninspiring. Change can happen when change is sought with passion and heart.) I’m also set to scout a friend’s family farm, situated west of Savannah in the next week or two.

Also, over this past weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting a brand new model from the Savannah area. And just yesterday, I reconnected with a model I met this past summer, also from Savannah. We’re making plans to work together in the coming weeks. I’m excited to have new work with new models to show. Of course, I’m eager to shoot those models with which I already have a long history in some of the new locations. New work, regardless of its source and origin, is always good and invigorating.

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With reference to my interest in producing a book or calendar, I know several friends of this blog have experience working with print on demand companies. If you’re feeling in a generous mood for the holidays, and are willing to share information and experiences, good and bad, I welcome any input and suggestion you may have.

I hope all of my friends stateside had a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. I’m sure you’re all out spending money, Christmas shopping, contributing to your local economies by shopping locally owned and not big-box. For me, I’ve done my part; I enjoyed a cup of coffee in a local coffee-house as I wrote today’s entry.

I’m sure many of you are traveling for the holiday to be with family and friends as my wife and I have done. Safe homeward travels to you all and I’ll see you again soon.

Portrait of Brittany, The West Hall Street Sessions, 2011

There’s nothing new of photographic significance that I have to report. I’ve not yet shot new material although I am planning sessions, and the concepts and projects that are jelling in my mind are keeping the visionary aspects of my spirit optimistic and energized. I’m excited about what I’m feeling; fundamental changes in the way I do my work will be revealed in these new projects.

The biggest change will be my taking the figurative work out-of-doors. Of course, a great many photographers, many of them good friends, have been shooting the figure in nature as much as I have in studio and in natural light settings indoors. Mine is not to mimic, but to expand; to grow.

The prospect of shooting with sky, earth, and sea as my studio is invigorating on many levels, and two challenges in particular stand out. First and foremost is the matter of fact and brutally honest statement that I find the landscape in which I live to be uninspiring. I don’t know for certain why this is, but I suspect it’s simply a matter of over-familiarity. In a similar vein, I don’t get the 3-D craze with movies and television. I can simply open my eyes and look. I see 3-D all the time. As comedienne Paula Poundstone says, “when I watch TV or got to a movie, I want a 2-D experience, dammit!”

The second challenge is the amount of planning and coordination shooting outdoors involves. I’ve spent a great deal of my photographic life working with the landscape. Being at the right place, at the right time, takes practice. Weather, light conditions, and promised access to private property can all change in an instant. Moving the work out-of-doors creates the opportunity to be spontaneous. After all, my work with the figure began when I took a studio lighting class, pushing myself to come in from the outdoors and to do something new and different with my cameras, hoping for and getting an expansion of vision. I needed a change; was looking for it, wanting something new and different. Quite by accident, I found it. I’m hopeful for a similar bit of discovery this time around.

I love the outdoors and the landscape and am looking forward to working there once again. And of course, I love to work with the figure. The combination of the two should yield more than just new and different images; I fully expect a new body of work, as different as The West Hall Sessions were from earlier studio projects, to develop.

We will see. (Pun intended.)

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Now for a “bah-humbug” moment:

The Christmas holiday season officially opens here in the states with the Thanksgiving Day holiday, which is Thursday, November 24. As with most modern holidays, the roots of all the pomp and circumstance have been created by the retail industry.

Having said that, I do honestly hope people will enjoy them and spend them as they wish. For my part, I’m quite content to let them pass quietly and without notice, though that is seldom the case. So, as I always do, I will make the best of them.

What’s my point? I’m not sure; for one reason or another, I’m compelled to offer an explanation for my behavior and apparent lack of enthusiasm. Actually, enthusiasm is there; it’s merely focused elsewhere, on other things. I should warn that one or two other ‘bah-humbug moments’ will likely be posted here. Those with ‘holiday sentiment sensitivity’ should be aware.

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And, in the spirit of my pre-holiday rumblings: to all of my friends and readers who will be celebrating with their family and friends, I send my personal wishes for a happy and safe Thanksgiving Day.

Savannah Doorway #101

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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about finding new locations in which to shoot; not only new locations in which to shoot nudes, but new locations in general. I’ve wanted to move the nude work out-of-doors for some time now, as I’ve written about in past blog posts, but more than that, I want to see something new.

As I was preparing this post, and looking through recent and not so recent model sessions for an image to include, I came across a grouping of long ignored sub folders in one primary folder simply titled “Unused.”  This was very intriguing.

With some trepidation, I clicked on the folder and began looking through the sub folders, a few of which bore one word titles such as “Test” or nothing but a numeric code. The number codes seemed random at first, but they are the primary means by which I record my sessions. I clicked on one with the code 080104. This was a folder of images created on August 1, 2004.

Approximately 200 images filled the monitor before me. They were random shots of trees and houses, parks and street corners, empty warehouses and old store fronts. And doorways.

These were images from my first scouting expedition after my arrival in Savannah.  Up until that time, I had been working in Atlanta. Prior to Atlanta, I had worked in many different locations around the states, and in some countries abroad. After all, the landscape is everywhere and the landscape was my first and primary subject for many years.

But it was in Atlanta where my work with the figure took hold. Most of that work was shot in studio, and I felt that my relocation to Savannah would afford more opportunities to work out-of-doors, and I included the figure in those hopes. I went location scouting.

Until recently, I was not a good note taker. I was always able to rely on my memory. In truth, I’m still not a good note taker, but the advent of the smart phone has made the act of making an actual note less tedious. The vast majority of locations from that scouting walk-about are easily identifiable. But among the images are several shots of doorways: some are to private residences, some are entrances to courtyards, and some are to public buildings. And for some – I have no idea.

That’s the case for the doorway in this picture. The address is 101…someplace. I know it’s in Savannah, and I’m reasonably sure it’s in the historic district. I just don’t know where, and nothing – not the order of the image files or the metadata attached to this specific image file – is giving me an answer.

These are lovely old doors. I think they would make a stunning background for a nude figurative image. So, I’ll be scouting for them. But, if you recognize this doorway – and can redirect me to it – please, please, please get in touch!

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Other than looking for lost doorways, I’ve not a whole lot new to report. I’ve found a stash of well frozen Ilford XP2 film, so I’m planning on breaking out the Yashica TLR once again; perhaps the Holga too. I’ve been thinking of doing some street photography around the holidays for a change of pace. The Yashica and Holga could be good cameras for the project. XP2 is a black & white C-41 process film, so most any lab still developing color negative film can develop it.

Michelle, Nude Study by Window, #126

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Today’s post is a quick one. A show of momentum, and confirmation that while I’ve not shot new work as of yet, I am continuing along the path.

This image of Michelle is from a January 2010 session, shot in an empty old Victorian era home in downtown Savannah. It was incredibly cold, and we moved as quickly as the work permitted. I had shot in the same space during the previous weekend, and the routine was markedly the same: shoot five minuets – wrap the model in a blanket for 10.

When we reviewed the session, Michelle said she wasn’t very happy with most of the images we had shot in front of an immense floor to ceiling window dominating one particular room. The cold aside, she said she felt her expressions were too intense, or something similar. Personally, I like her expressions in many of those shots, particularly this one. I hope you find it pleasing as well.

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With the holidays and general insanity they typically inspire rapidly approaching, I’m honestly not sure how much work I can get on the books. I’m hoping for at least one or two sessions to happen. You’ll know it when they do.