Pics from a couple weekends ago

Here's the one with Tiger. This picture totally creeped me out when editing, which I usually do at night in a dark roonm. So look at it in a really dark room, stare at the eyes, and move your head back and forth. I'd swear I saw her fingers move. Or maybe it's just because I'm viewing the image on a bigger monitor.

 

I can't leave Starfalls out of my blog, so here's Jen doing the girly thing to her. 

Charisma and FemmeMistress

Did another shoot with FemmeMistress last Wed before heading out to Bangkok, but with Charisma this time. I was short a couple of stands and a light, so I took simpler shots and experimented with a more candid look. I even took artsy sharp-but-blurred hot light shots to capture some motion. My strobe shoots are definitely punchier, but I had fun trying something different. It also gave the models a chance to play around more.

Here's Mistress and Charisma showing their hot light sharp-but-blurred shot pose. See, if you accidentally shoot a pic that looks like this, it's called a crappy blurry photo. But when done on purpose, I get to call it art.

Two great shoots over the weekend

On Saturday, I shot with Tiger, a model on FL. As with all first time models, I didn't know whether she'd arrive on time or at all, but she made it early. We shot several concepts, including hentai, objectification (puppet), and a cute chain leash. They all worked out really well and when I examined the photos more closely in post, her skin and figure were great, needing little post processing. Her facial expressions were solid as well.

The Sunday shoot was with FemmeMistress and Starfalls, also models on FL I had shot with Starfalls a couple times before, but this time she had made sure to get more sleep. What a huge difference - lots more energy, looks, and just way more fun to collaborate with. Kids, be sure you get enough sleep before you do any modeling sessions.

It was my first time shooting FemmeMistress, and our first shoot was was really down to earth and with no drama. My concepts are provocative, and models who enjoy this type of work often have issues, but she had none. She was enthusiastic, had lots of energy, and I wish I had been cloned so I could shoot the most of her. She has great eyes, and we got some great shots with Starfalls and some solo concepts in the tub and couch.

All in all, a great weekend.

A tamer pic from a prior shoot, model names withheld.

Good News - Bad News

I had a shoot on the weekend with a pair of great models, but there's a hitch - I can't use some of the shots. I usually ask models what they're alright shooting in advance, but broke my own rule by not getting enough specifics. A bit of awkwardness getting the answers before the shoot results in lots better images after the shoot.

I figured it would be alright because we had shot nudes previously. After looking at the previews, the model felt uncomfortable with shots that stronger expressions, regardless how how much nudity was in the shot. Great erotic art shots are ones that convey powerful emotions while showing relatively little, so some of the best images from that shoot may very well be unusable.

What's even more confusing is some rejected pics showed similar content and subject matter as ones that were considered alright. It was my mistake for not ensuring clear guidelines up front. The last time this happened was 3 or 4 years ago, so I got sloppy. Obviously it's something I need to enforce before booking again. Sigh.

After all's been settled, it seems like any shot that shows her face in an erotically charged image isn't something she wants online. On the bright side, a shot that doesn't show her face or identifying marks is alright regardless of how much it shows. I've had models that wanted to be anonymous before, so this wouldn't be the first. Shoot and learn.

A serene pic from a shoot the week before the one above, with EnderSilence and JessiK:

First post

I've been shooting artistic and erotic nudes for over 5 years, showing my work on semi-private sites like fetlife and modeling sites. I was kicked off the modeling site because my avatar was too provocative one too many times, so now I hang out on fetlife and facebook. I'm the least kinky person on fetlife, but the crowd is fun to hang out with and I've met a lot of great models and friends there. And if there's one thing a photographer needs, it's great models to shoot.

Although I don't do this as my day job, I take my photography seriously. Last year, the jury at SEAF 2010 (Seattle Erotic Arts Fair) selected my work and to my surprise, the print sold. So after 5 years of shooting hundreds of photoshoots of female models, I found the stuff can sell. That was quite a revelation... if you submit artwork to venues, the art can sell. Sometimes I'm a little slow, but eventually I figure things out.

So this year for SEAF 2011, I submitted more work and they selected one again (what is it with SEAF... they select exactly one?) and it sold too. In addition to the exhibition area, I sent some images to the store portion of the event, and some of those sold too. I have no idea how many yet, but it's nice to know people like the work. In between the two SEAFs, I participated in "On the Edge", a photo gallery event in San Francisco earlier this year and some other exhibitions as well.

Although none of this comes close to offsetting the studio rental, gas, equipment, and cameras - I tend to go overboard on my hobbies - it's nice to have some validation that people like the work that much.

So, here I am with my first post. It wouldn't be right to start a photography blog without showing some pictures, so here's the ones that were selected by SEAF in 2010 and 2011, and some more risque stuff.

Passion, shown at SEAF in 2010, featuring the lovely Lily with her boyfriend.

Awaiting Atonement, SEAF 2011, featuring the beautiful TaraRyzeI love the way she looks when the light hits her face this way.   

Finally, a good deal of the stuff I shoot is more provocative than these. In fact, most the stuff I shoot is more provocative so to give equal time to my other stuff, here's some pics out of the couple dozen on exhibition in San Francisco a few months ago.

Twine Puppet, with Ivy.

Nature Lover, with Roxy Danger.