Sydney

I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them.   ~Diane Arbus

Kati

I wanted to do something like it was out of a vintage bondage magazine. You've read some of those, right?

Lola

Nice film noir feel to these.

Izzy & Dessa

Revisiting an older shoot, but presenting newer images. I've been doing a lot of that lately- I've been a photographer for over twenty years now, which means that I'm now sitting on a huge body of work. Most of the film I've already well picked through, scanned, et cetera. Digital is a whole other beast, though. I tend to shoot much more- because you can. Consequently, there are so many images that eventually get forgotten about. I have to say that it's a treat to discover there are these gems that you didn't realize you even had!

Crystal

Smoke & Mirrors.

M

This image is from a shoot with a woman who was involved in a horrific car accident a few years ago. I initially met with her right before the last major operation of her recovery, and then I did a shoot with her a few weeks later. She wanted to both document herself, as well as feel good about herself with some glamorous images. I have to admit that I was initially apprehensive, since I hadn't actually seen her scars at first and I had to wait a few weeks. In the end both of us were very happy with the results. I did get some pretty shots, which actually wasn't difficult- she has a nice body and a attractive face, which amazingly was untouched in the accident. This image here, though, is the one that I thought is one of my most powerful images. It seems to really affect people who see it, as well as myself. On a side note, I did two versions of this image for her- one with the scars retouched out, and one with no retouching. I think that the untouched version is all around a better image, and I was happy to hear that she felt that way too.

Di

The moments of undressing are wonderful to catch, but you have to be quick. I try to catch these moments often, but usually they don't look nearly as interesting as they seemed shooting them. Every once in a while I get something exquisite...

Devorah

I've been playing around with versions of this shot for years now. It often does not work out the way that I want- timing is everything. I like this one.

Helen

This one has a nice realness (even rawness) to it, while still being somewhat glamourous- a balance that I'm always trying to aim for.

Daniella

Daniella hails from Austin, Texas. This is from a shoot was on a day that she was passing through in travels. A short shoot, but I love this window image, which figures in the window series. The window series is a large body of work that always features one of the windows of my 2nd floor studio. I hadn't cleaned the windows on the 2nd floor for ten years (as well as toys that have sat on the sills), so they had developed a wonderful patina.

Meira

These are some out takes from a shoot with Meira, for her paysite. Of course the images used for the set of 40 pics look completely different- pretty much formula soft core porn, in color. The lighting was even and straightforward, and I only employed my film noir lighting for the more interesting shots. I'm not very fond of doing sets because the post production is very time consuming, despite the fact that I try to rip through it. The typical porn producer would consider my "ripping through it" extremely time consuming. I need to work on letting go and just setting some auto levels to each image. I don't know how to be a hack. There are many days when I wish I could be. I do have to admit, however, that it's a blast shooting these sets! Porn formula is so easy. I don't even have to think about it. I just shoot and have fun. In my personal work I need to be so intensely focused- constantly moving lights, looking for the right angle, checking the camera parameters, et cetera. In the work that I post here, I'm always trying so hard to come up with something that is on a different level. I tend to forget that, perhaps, I should be enjoying these shoots more. I just saw your eyes roll... I'm serious, though. As Ming-Ming always says on Wonder Pets, "this is Seer-wious!!"

Adrian Louise

Sweat.

Jena

I don't post very many straightforward (my idea of straightforward) portraits here, but this one has been on my mind lately. Nothing much going on in this one except that intense stare, which attests to a credo that I've always tried to adhere to- less is more.

Scarlett

This is from a series that is like the old-timey boardwalk photographs, except that they more resemble actual vintage images, rather than being campy or hokey. I find it interesting there is such a fine line between being genuine versus stereotypical. It's like what David St. Hubbins says in Spinal Tap- "it's such a fine line between stupid an' clever". I, also, like to turn it up to eleven.

Trea

Trea is a dead on Josephine Baker look-alike. Josephine Baker was a 1920's Parisian dancer, famous for barely-there dresses and no-holds-barred dance routines. The moment I met her I knew that she was my opportunity to create a perfect homage. I didn't want to do an exact replica- so I based this likeness on existing Baker portrait, but that image is a crude one, rather than one that was iconic or particularly memorable. Of all of the vintage looking photographs that I've created, this one is probably my favorite.

Li

Yeah, I've always had a thing for super long lashes. I'm particular, though. They usually don't look good straight out of the box- at least the cheapie ones that I buy. So I get ridiculously long ones, and trim them to my liking first. That seems to make them a little more original...

Little One

Another, as I mentioned yesterday. This is very much inspired by one of my favorite Edward Steichen photographs.

Jess

The last post has inspired me to start posting some selective focus shots over the next few days. Actually, just about all of my images employ selective focus- but here are some that feature very particular or even odd points of view. Some are old, some are new, but I have never shown any of these...

Samantha

Abstract Expressionism is my favorite art movement, and it has always inspired and influenced my own work- although it's probably hard to tell from most work that I show here. I often shoot images like the one below, but I don't show many of them to anybody. I consider most of them to be indulgent exercises that no one else would want to look at. Every once in a while, one strikes me of having enough merit to show with the rest of my body of work- I think that this may count as a good example. The impressions left behind from a corset (an old theme of mine) make for a nice touch- I don't think that this image would work without them.

Devorah

I thought that these were some less interesting out takes from a set with Devorah, but they have been growing on me. They show her wonderful dreadlocks better than any other images that I've taken of her. It's really difficult to show the nitty-gritty detail of dark dreads the way that I shoot- it all simply disappears. It seems that perhaps capturing a good silhouette is the way to go...

Kelly

I seem to have a trend of turning floors into textured & graphic compositions as a background. I like this trend.

Autumn

These are out-takes from a suspension shoot, although they may be nicer than the suspension shots themselves. They seem to be much more soulful than my usual rope work images, which are typically much more intense or kinetic.

PXE

More fun with water.

Tali De'Mar

There always seem to be so many diagonals happening in the shower scenes. Tiles make slants when skewed, of course- but this really inspires me to pile on more and more lines. One more thing: You can't go wrong with water- it it so inherently sensual.

Jena

There is something wonderfully dirty and gritty about this one. Gritty, dirt-under-your-fingernails kind of raw. I think that I now need to actually shoot someone with dirt under their fingernails.

Meira

A first for me- I'm in the image. A self portrait. Sort of.

M & M

I think that if there were no ropes or rope marks (they tell an ambiguous story), that this might be close to straight porn. Or perhaps not- there is the low point of view and fade to black which makes it interesting and/or different as well. I'm always worried when shooting that my images look too porntastic- because then I'll have to discard it completely. I not concerned about some closed minded viewers that may think all of my work looks like porn- they can fuck off because they're wrong (says me). If someone who tends to admire my work thought an image looked like porn, though, I'd be embarrassed.

Lady Lazurus

I shot this in a cold, dirty, and actually very unexceptional basement space. Yet it doesn't look much different than my usual "spiffy" studio shoots. I've always said, since I starting photographing twenty years ago, that I could probably shoot anywhere and make it look striking. I tend to get very close in on people, so the only thing that matters are a couple of small details of the background- fancy settings tend to go to waste.

H & L

Here is a point of view that I've never tried previously. Can't say that I've ever seen it done elsewhere, either. I'm quite sure that it has, though- everything's been done before...

Li

I think that this is one of the strongest images that I've shot so far. This is the only past image that I tend to think of when I'm shooting, as a guide to what I'm trying to achieve.

Manchester

Tattoos may not seem out of place among other images posted in this blog, but they are something relatively new to my body of work in general. The reason that tattoos are conspicuously absent from much of my work is certainly not because I don't like them- I do, actually. The reason is that most of my influences come from classic masters, and I've always wanted my images to have a timeless feel- so I've always either avoided using models with tattoos, or made sure not to show them. I've always had the same policy with contemporary clothing, hair & makeup- I've seen some otherwise great images from the 80's & 90's that look painfully dated simply because of the clothes, hair or makeup. Lately it seems that all of the most interesting models, or models that are the most uninhibited, have many tattoos. Not to mention body modifications, body piercing's, scars, et cetera. So I've kind of given up excluding these things from my work, and I've actually embraced them. I still tend to stick with vintage looking hair, makeup and lingerie, though. I honestly don't think that there have been any great new strides made in those departments in the last 30 years. I'm very happy with the recent work I have been doing, but only time will tell which will hold up better- my newer work (which is also digital), or my older work in film...

Tali De'Mar

This seems to fit in with what I've been posting this week...

Jade Vixen

These are best panty hose that I've ever photographed- or that I've ever seen, for that matter. Crotchless, buttless- but the way the back makes an upside down heart, and the wraparound overlap... Priceless.

Sable

These images are going back in time, rather than forward, as I have been the past few years. I tend to be unstuck in time, Slaughter-House Five style.

Grace

This image may not be erotic, or as moody as most of what I typically post here, but it seems to fit in with what I've been posting lately. It does show my 1940's Hollywood glamour and film noir roots, which was my main inspiration for years. It still is my main inspiration, but when I use very contemporary subject matter (tattoos, piercings, graphic sex) the images now seem to bear my own fingerprint, rather than just emulating an old style very well.

Caroline

I like the mystery in this image. What is that thing? What does it do? What does it look like farther down? I'm not telling!

Tali DeMar

I sure do miss those windows from the second floor. For over ten years, I never cleaned them- just to give them that extra grimy look.

Mistress Thora & Slave

This was definitely an interesting shoot. Lighting something that was all black, without much detail, yet keeping it all dark and moody- not so much fun. I was not happy with most of the shots- but I do like this one. Nice point of view.

Lady Lazurus

I love the point of view on this one. I don't see this point of view often in images, and that's a shame. I can see why you never see it in fashion mags- the focus needs to be on the clothes rather than the face. Blurry clothes don't sell well. I suppose the same goes for porn- everything needs to be more straightforward and real. Formula always trumps what may be more interesting when an agenda is involved...

Thora

I'm mot really Panda. So I dlack spot myself.

Maeve

The first image has nice, abstract quality to it, concerning the background. It would be interesting to me without the figure- but perhaps only to me. If a simple close up on a breast can be moody, this might describe the second image.