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September 27, 2010rainy monday mornings work, Aubrey in corsets
September 27, 2010this past sunday i worked with a young woman model named aubrey doing an Edwardian corseted shoot. i’d been toying with the idea of using a mirror i’d found on the street years ago which had some damage which i thought would be easily fixable, i was right and can’t notice the repair, even my critical eye.
the last female nude shoot with keira grant i did was to complete my adam and eve series but in thinking about it, while i got some good single nudes what i really need are images of them together which seems harder than i thought it would be to find the right couple. so i moved on to panama project which is still very much in the works and forgot about nudes for a while.
i found aubrey through and adv in manhattan figure study group, a group i’d left along time ago because i would light something and people would take pictures and post then on the internet as their work, yes they did push the shutter so it was their picture but i never got credit for lighting it. i don’t mind teaching people how to, which is what i use this blog for but these are my images and i mark and copyright them as such.
aubrey intrigued me with the offer of having edwardian corset props. i wondered how i’d look in one but we are different sizes. but letting my imagination run free anyways i remembered the mirror so i contacted her. she was excited about the idea as well so when she had some free time we booked it for sunday afternoon. mary was able help set up the studio beforehand but had to leave due to prior commitment.
the set up consisted mostly of blacking out the room as i had figured the lighting positions beforehand, three lights – one with a softbox strip over the mirror and one from each side. simple.
although in this image there are only two lights being used due to my fooling around with them, but it worked out because the back light also lights her face due to reflection in mirror.
female nude with white edwardian corset
i’ve decided to start taking head shots of all my models because a lot of people are looking for the perfect photographer to capture their images, make to make themselves a star and why not? we are all here together.
this is an un-retouched image straight from the camera, nice to have great skin.i am a master of finding ugly angles but having young models helps.
female nude with curtain & mirror
this was the big set up even for the head shots, i wanted to try and get the curtain pattern projected on her body but it didn’t work here. i’ve done this on movies and television but would have taken more hands than i had. so do the shot and move on.
female nude wearing white corset
i think we got some nice images out of this afternoon, btw it does take a lot of time getting into and out of these things as they lace up.
female nude adjusting white corset
but i do think the afternoon was well worth the effort although i didn’t have to get in and out of those corsets
corseted female wearing blk mask & boots
these are her street boots that i think add an (erotic) dimension to the session, that of course depends on ones pov.
masked corseted female putting on stockings
but stockings and garters are always fun unless you get caught up in them, ouch.
did someone come in ?
but then i said gee i’ve got this study i am finding it hard to find people to work on which is about peoples ability to be able to touch each other both physically and mentally which these
wearing pearls & black gloves
represents.
this one below is one of my favorites as everything lines up nicely. of course we changed the set up somewhat and got all the lighting working for this shot.
looking in a mirror as young girls do
but there are a lot more images, it’s just i am tired of working on computer. it must be lunch time, what i missed lunch again and it’s now dinner? now i know where my life goes, down some pixel hole working to blind the photographer. do you know there are a group of blind photographers working?
i’ve got to do something about my web presence these half measures aren’t cutting it. well it’s suppose to rain again tomorrow.
Panama City, panama, los diablos rojos reflections
September 23, 2010today it’s been two weeks since i returned from panama city, where did the time go? here it is thursday and two nights ago i just finally burned the cards to dvds and today i researched the los diablos rojos. now if your looking to put yourself to sleep on siesta i suggest you research the web for information. now the world wide web is an excellent source of information which can be overwhelming.
then as usual being alone in front of a computer screen with no other distractions, like walking a doggie, there comes pangs of hunger as the sun passes my window leaving me in a darkened room.oh i recognize that feeling gnawing at me…. hunger. so i make dinner and not do what i had on my days agenda for today. which is to write my blog.
look at that dusty book shelf it needs cleaning so on my way to make my salad i give it a wipe and notice another shelf, well they must all be dusty. yes you guessed it, i’ve got pretty clean shelves and nothing entered on the blog. now i’ve had dinner and the chocolate truffles in the fridge are talking to me, eat me.
but slowly, very slowly i am moving forward with errant fingers and keystrokes. i know what i need………. music so i look thought the cds and i don’t have any real spanish music but i do have some tapes. well anything to help me concentrate on the task at hand so i pick Los Flamers su historica muscal and some Tito Puente. i know not panamian at all but desperate times call for desperate measures.
now that the truffles are sort of drowned out for a time…. altho i can hear them during pauses in the music. i now have the proper setting to remember panama city although i am missing the smell of diesel fumes, i’d rather have chocolate myself but i won’t get up again and get distracted.
so i land at Tocumen International via Continental Airlines at 9:38pm and go to turista desk to ask about the cost of a taxi into the city $28.00 bucks. gone up since four years ago by $12.00 an dreading my lonely planet book. hotel marabella which nobody understands so i pull out the brochure i got the last time there, wisened traveler i am and off we go, but first a stop by the turista polica to see where i am from. Nueva York and off we go in my white turista taxi. regular taxis are yellow now , wonder where they got that idea from? but traveling through the night as lights pass by and dark shapes in the background wizz us towards Plaza Concordia and the marabella, which isn’t on the plaza but a seedy street behind. we found this hotel from a travel agent who recommended it us as an inexpensive alternate panama city hotel when we stayed in bocas de toro four years ago at the la veranda.
calle 55, panama city panama
no this isn’t where i stayed but around the corner. on the right side of picture is where i ate a few meals. arriving that late at night i was hungry so i knew about the place and headed there to get something to tide me over until morning. mixed fruit salad, pineapple, banana, papaya….. how i’d forgotten what fresh fruit tasted like.$2.66
manolo's
where the elite meet. but i really couldn’t wait being so excited until i when down to the plaza concordia to see los diablos rojos. after all that’s why i spent money i couldn’t really afford but then again i couldn’t pass up an invitation like this. how many times are we asked to dance before the offers stop?
los diablos rojos panama city panama
there she is…….my grey whale…….. only different…… waiting for passengers . now i could go to bed a get some sleep so i could begin this great adventure. as i laid my head down on my pillow i already missed mary but it would only be a week away from her, but a week can be a long time, we had scheduled our vow ceremony nine days later from my return and so much more left to do. was this crazy….maybe but so life can be at times.
the next morning before picking up the hertz car, good idea to be here early sunday morning at Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Church of our Lady of Mount Caramel) as the people arrived for mass, i didn’t think it was right to go inside and take pictures then. i wandered around getting the lay of the land
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Church of our Lady of Mount Caramel)
This church is the only Gothic architectural style building in the country. This structure was built by the congregation of the Carmelites which have been in Panama since 1940.
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Church of our Lady of Mount Caramel)
but here is my quest, at least my first attempt to tell a story about these creatures and my associations with them.
los diablos rojos, panama city, panama
but my distractions are many, did i mention chocolate truffles? oh and the mercury xr7 comes out of the body shop tomorrow so i can put it back together, i guess in my spare time.
1970 mercury xr7 cougar convertible
our own diablos rojo. well i’ll say good night now, i’ve got a date with a truffle,
Canon Expo, September 2010, nyc my impressions ‘we speak image’
September 15, 2010the beginning of september i had an opportunity to attend the Canon Expo here at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center held once every five years, guess i am lucky. i’ve ment to post this sooner but the trip to panama came up so quickly i had no time, now the hard part is getting the money for expenses promised.
i must say Canon Expo is quite an event from the opening impression on. it’s nice to see a show hiring a lighting designer to do the lighting and i wonder who the team of set and lighting designers were. the unsung team
Canon Expo entrance
Canon Expo seminar entrance
to the seminars i attended, a couple as i was only available for opening day. but to quote Canon Expo web site This unique event showcases the full scope of Canon imaging as you’ve never seen it before. You’ll experience the latest imaging products and technologies in real-world scenarios. You’ll also get personal insights and best practices from industry experts. And you’ll learn how the future of imaging can have a profound effect on your life and your business. Now is your chance to discover it all at Canon EXPO 2010 New York, where the possibilities of imaging are infinite. so this post will mostly be pictures of the event.
Canon Expo image montage
with lots of color slide presentations and 3D images
Canon Expo photo montage
Canon Expo
to demonstration areas for DSLR cameras and accessories
Canon Expo demo area
the whole expo had some pretty cool lighting, trusses with theatrical lighting everywhere and miles of black velour blocking the daylight making the Javits Center one big black box
Canon Expo hallway
with cool hallways leading from one pavilion to another. Canons whole line of products were displayed from medical imaging. no these guys were actual doctors and not actors playing a part. i had an interesting conversation with one fellow about amounts of radiation given off by one xray machine. they have lowered the amount of radiation a great deal from past machines and are continuing to make advances. i asked about software limiting the maximum amounts a machine could operate under thinking about the UCLA scandal were they were unknowingly administering lethal doses with their machines and didn’t pay attention to their patients complaints.
Canon Expo medical area
Canon Expo environmental room
to a full scale fashion shoot replete with , fashion models and lead photographers who’s images were projected on a large overhead screen
Canon Expo fashion gallery
Canon Expo fashion gallery
Canon Expo fashion guest photog
the guest photographer i saw was , names aren’t my strong point, but i think it was Douglas Kirkland
Canon Expo my fashion image
but i gave it a few moments trying my hand at this fashion stuff which looks pretty easy but looks can be deceiving, then getting discouraged with my location traveling more hallways
Canon Expo hallway
all leading to free coffee and soft seats
Canon Expo center lobby
oh did i leave something out?………Product ROW introducing the new Canon 60d camera with a swivel led screen and lenses. a camera without an on camera flash or a pc connection on the camera, cool huh?
Canon Expo product row
this was a feast of Canon products.
Canon EXPO 2010 New York is a remarkable gathering of the extended Canon community, including thousands of imaging professionals from around the world. Much more than an exhibition, it’s a total experience unlike any other. So take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to explore new products and technologies, celebrate the ongoing innovation of Canon – and experience the infinite possibilities of imaging.
so we in New York say good by to Canon Expo for another five years wondering what the future holds for us we are left with a few pretty images and questions. i wonder what Nikon is up to.
The Breezes Panama, not my kind of place, but the Los Diablos Rojos
September 11, 2010i was invited down by a friend who said they were considering in looking to maybe buy a place in panama. my first reaction was then why are you going here? JP said come on down ,we’ll have some fun enjoy ourselves as this place is an all inclusive vacation spa. i had to think about it for a few days.
Panama yes there is something i want to do down there i thought. something i hadn’t really had a chance to do my last trip and one doesn’t get offers like this all the time. all i had to do is pay my way down and everything else would be taken care of. so after much consideration i booked my flight.
i was to rent a hertz car in panama city and drive the 2 hours or so down to playa santa clara, playa meaning beach of, but the breeze isn’t actually in santa clara just a little before it. driving in panama city is interesting especially when the GPS goes blank and i’ve never driven there before. but that’s another story.
breeze hotel & spa
spanish speaking armed guards at entrance, reservaction? well because i am a cute american i did get to the hotel even though the guard and i never understood each other, this isn’t esalen just a hotel spa in panama. i didn’t look like a desperado on the outside.
well i’ve been to these types of places before but then i was working a venue like a fashion show that would but the place out for the week or so but i’d never book something like this for myself. i am too much of an individualist to fit in with this type, yes they are a type and i won’t say anything more about them. it’s i have different values and tastes than people who go to these places do.
lovely place,constantly painted brand new opened october 2009.
breezes back & pool
hotel along with a condo tower and smaller residences
condo tower
golf course where one can play a round alone being the olny one on the course, lots of wadding pools for the kiddies and this one fairly large pool for the adults but no olympic size pool although they do have an ocean behind me but panama is a growing country and sewage disposal is a new term to the infrastructure, why else would they have a big ocean right at their doorstep. shit and plastic are growing problems everywhere especially here.
breeze drainage stream
not sure where sewer treatment plant is but this is a drainage for streets and glof course. as someone said on trip advisor after walking the ocean front at low tide and seeing the debris in the sand they had second thoughts about swimming there again. but this may not be the case here, i really don’t know. this drainage does drain right into the swimming beach.
view from the room
breeze pools day
breeze pools nite
lovely to look at but no night swimming or hanky panky. rooms are nicely decorated with flat screen tvs but have paper thin walls which i don’t understand because concrete is the building material of choice in panama. this is a family resort with canadians, colombians, costa ricans and panamanians in attendance.
guests
Breeze does have a hertz office but they only speak spanish. driving in panama is pretty easy so renting a car and exploring can be fun.
wine and liquor flow freely but since i only taste wine my experience is limited but i found the wine rough. the dinning room is large
dinning room breeze
something quirky about the banquettes being close to 9″ lower than the chairs at the tables, convient for just pushing food from your plate into ones mouth. but if your short and you companion is tall you’ll be looking up their nostril all evening. the coffee is good panamian coffee, the kind starbucks wish they made instead of the burnt beans they use in their shops. the food is mediocre i call is middle class swill. plenty of it though and many were going back for their favs.
i did get jp up to el valle to the artisan flea market, we all bought some stuff, i a nice fiber bowl which goes into my collection of bowls. but i was itching to get on with our adventure once on the road.
unfortunately things happened by beyond my control and the very next day we began the unplanned portion of the trip. i did get my chances to take some final pictures of panamain Los Diablos Rojos that roam the streets of panama city acting like buses. but the night is old and my body is tired so i’ll leave that leg of the trip for another post.
these and the people who work on then are my subjects
panamaian los diabloes rojos
so with this i’ll say good night
panama’s diablo’s rojos
September 7, 2010well dear readers i haven’t found anywhere to load some jpegs up nor a computer or photo store to get a card reader. sorry about that, the weather is nice but hot, i don’t have to go in the steam room because after a few hours my clothes are soaked.
the project of shooting the diablos rojos as they are called is working out pretty good would be better if i knew what i was going but the drivers and their, i don’t know what to call them as each bues has a fellow riding with it who calls out where the bus is going to the awaiting passengers.
each buse is painted by different artist any way they see fit, of course allowing each owner there due. some of them have extensive lighting on them for night driving.
the buses were left here by the us army when they left the canal, sold i guess or maybe given away and are pretty solid but how they’ve been maintained isn’t the greatest. so are even yellow school buses but they are boring.
the helpers or callers for want of a better word sometimes pose in front of the buses and most of them seem to love seeing their pictures. their age groups differ from the old guys to just kids. i was thinking while waiting for a new batch of buses who has ever cared for them? they are just disposable workers who are lucky to have jobs.
at some point these diesel smog spewing diablos are going the way of the doo bird and be replaced by bright shinny new ones. maybe even air-conditioned and bigger so more people can fit in, don’t know how they do it now. but will the city give these buses to these old drivers and clean uniforms?
what do you think? my bets on keeping the new buses clean along with new drivers. the city has added traffic lights a first along with sewerage treatment plants. this place is coming along.
to see the amount of new building and renovations i s unbelievable, money is just pouring into this place along with cars and people oh did i mention traffic jams?
i can’t wait to share this new project with everybody.
dateline panama
September 4, 2010well here i am in hot humid panama city, not sure if il be able to post any pictures for awhile and learning a microsoft keyboard is challanging.
mary had her opening this afternoon so i am hoping she will post something on her blog. another photographer we know vlad kenner was part of the show so that was nice.
i wasn´t able to be there as i had to get lost in newark airport. wouldn´t you know it, oh well at least i was early, mary seems to be having a positive effect on me.
panama is still a third world country in many ways but this city is full of skyscrapers and street people. what i came down her eto photograph seems to be getting fazed out, the diablos rojs. the wonderful busses that we found last time, four years ago. but life has a way of moving on.
i just how in the daytime i can fine more than i did tonight. i thought of jay mazel wandering al the streets and airports of the world taking pictures. it´s something i don´t feel comfortable doing and may never feel.
i am not him and sometimes i don´t feel like myself whom ever that is. just trying to keep my readers abreast of my life.
money pit painting
September 2, 2010warning warning will robertson. i should have listened but i was blinded by the possibilities of owning a convertible of my dreams.
robbie
we go from this back end original color
to just this peak
the final phase is in progress as we read. we picked out a metallic red for the car the last time we went to the body shop ugh. trying to match original Ford colors with new water based paint ain’t easy, at least not going back to the 70’s as is our car. do red cars get more tickets? guess we’ll find out.
doors & trunk
but feeling the sanded metal quarter panels gave me chills as they were as smooth as a babies bottom. the body work was excellent although we’ve no idea of the cost which will probably open our eyes to the reality of car restorations.
then the other side, i haven’t seen the car yet these were taken by mary from outside the paint booth but from the looks of it this is being done the right way. so much of our time, blood, sweat and tears have gone into this car. i’ve lost count how many times we’ve taken out and replaced the heater, learned easier if we disconnect the dash board from the body and pull it out of the way in order to pass the support heater bracket.
here is our new quarter panel and striker post, well the post is old but much better than the one we had. the more i look at these pictures i get excited just thinking about driving it. the best part of all is mary doesn’t have to change lipstick colors.
we maybe able to exchange some of our photography talents to the body shop as they want a web site for the shop and a brother-in-law’s beauty parlor. oh well we’ll see what happens.
so far all we want to see is the car put back together, i’ve got another big job ahead.
this is how my day is going so far
September 2, 2010i was gonna get some stuff done
Corinne Day, Photographer of Kate Moss, Is Dead
September 2, 2010By DOUGLAS MARTIN Published: September 1, 2010
Corinne Day, whose frank, unadorned photos of a teenage Kate Moss in the early 1990s helped inaugurate a new era of gritty realism in fashion photography that came to be called “grunge,” died Friday at her home in Denham, a village in Buckinghamshire, England.
Dafydd Jones/WireImage
Kate Moss, left, and Corinne Day at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2007.
The cause was a cancerous brain tumor, said her agent, Susan Babchick. According to her Web site, Ms. Day was 45, but public records indicate she was 48.
Ms. Day’s passion to record the most profound human experiences with a camera was never more evident than the day in 1996 when the tumor was discovered after she had collapsed in New York. She promptly asked her husband to shoot pictures of her, and they continued the project through her treatment and decline.
“Photography is getting as close as you can to real life,” she said, “showing us things we don’t normally see. These are people’s most intimate moments, and sometimes intimacy is sad.”
Ms. Day built her reputation on unrelenting visual honesty. She refused to airbrush the bags from under models’ eyes or de-emphasize their knobby knees. She eschewed pretty locations or even studios in favor of shooting people in their own environments.
see the rest of the NYTimes article here
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