There is a subtle yet important difference between moving away from the shadows and moving towards the light…

I’m still having a bit of a time getting over the amount of fantastic shots that came from a truly minimal amount of shooting with Anna. I had admittedly been a bit worried that we’d have less than a full 24 hours to try to get a good variety of styles in…and apparently my concerns should not have been. Plus, she already knows I’m partially mopey that it meant having less talk and hang-out time (which shall be remedied next time).

Her presence when the camera is on is like a jolt of artistic electricity…which is an interesting analogy to use considering that she effectively defibrillated that expressive outlet in me.

I don’t think it even occured to me until RaeLyn was speaking with me recently on the phone and said: “It’s so good to hear you talking like this again.” The feeling of having those cogs and wheels turning again inside my head…oiled and  inspired, rather than rust-ridden from indifference and maybe even willful negligence (the way you kinda stop babying your new car when she gets that first ding in her because she doesn’t feel so ‘new’ anymore).

Anyways…I’m gonna zip it and get with the pictures!

(Edit: Ooops. I lied. But…I’d meant to mention this earlier but forgot. So…in addition to realizing my tummy fascination, I’m also a huge fan of shoulder freckles [and pretty much freckles in general, hence shots 2, 3 and 5!]…as if there needed to be another  inspirational facet to Anna!)

It’s funny the way paradoxes work. In the darkest and most defiled of moments you can find a spark of beauty that guides you back home. I met Anna Catherine amidst such circumstances…totally unexpectedly. In a moment of fortuitous wonder, two rather socially reserved people found themselves talking about internal artistry, disenchantment concerning pretension in the ’scene’ and the long and winding path from the torment of the past. If I had seen even a hint of the breadth and quality of work she’s done, I would have never imagined she’d care to shoot with me. Lucky me, I suppose!

She was darling enough to come and visit me recently (sadly, for not nearly enough time) and we cranked out buckets of marvelous stuff in the span of less than 24 hours. Coupled with the shoot with LaStarr the week before, this experience was the first time I could feel the engine running at full potency in…a long time.

Meeting Anna also acted as a profound reminder of the fact that, if I took a close look, I had others around me that have fulfilled me in that artistic and personal integrity facet before…and it has led to me finding my way back to those whose personalities actually breathe fuel into my life. You know who you are. Thank you.

I’m still swimming through tons of shots from our less-than-a-day shooting marathon, but I figured I should start with one for now.

In the first shoot that I’ve actually enjoyed in months, LaStarr took some time to pop in during the day last week to get some new results.  It was nice being able to feel the motivation flowing again with someone that I knew and it actually acted as a nice spark that led to the shooting I did the last 2 days…but I’m getting ahead of myself as far as the story-telling is concerned…

(Inspired by asofterworld.com)

In what will hopefully be a transition towards more heavily shooting the inanimate, a good friend of mine who is taking a photography class accompanied me late in the evening two nights ago to practice some motion shooting. The below images are two of the better results I got after a good few minutes of toying around with panning (which I’d actually not tried before).

Inspired by

99 cents today brought a flashback that hit introspective home for the first time in a while. I found this image I’d played with a few months back…and it seemed appropriate.

Today was bright…in many ways.

Fifi, Nemi and Nicotine (from left to right) are perhaps the most interesting (in a good way) triad of ladies to accompany in a club! I pestered Nemi to send me the image, as I’d taken it with her camera during our romp last night. That combined with the massage from the airjets in the whirlpool made for a very nice wind-down day.

(Note: The whirlpool was not part of the club. Just clarifying.)

“The spire is hot
And my cells can’t feed
And you still got that Belle dragging your foots, yes
I’m hiding it well Sister Ernestine
But I still got that Belle
Dragging my foots, yes

Building
tumbling down…

…caught a lite sneeze
Dreamed a little dream
Made my own pretty hate machine…”