Lenore Volume One

One of my favorite shoots from the Me in My Place days. I can’t recall how I found her, but I’m sure glad I did. We shot together in her then home in Oakland on a warm morning on the Vernal Equinox. The first day of spring. I love these old Oakland houses and she had it decorated in a perfect, bohemian, slightly macabre style. This one is a little naughtier than normal. Sorry, not sorry. Lenore is on a hiatus from social media, but you can still follow her Instagram here. She moved to New York shortly after this. I’d love to shoot with her again some day.

Lucy in Red

A few years back I was on the East Coast for some work. I decided to extend my trip by a few days in order to check out Philadelphia. I’d been there once as a kid, did the whole history thing. Liberty bell, birth place of our Nation, etc, etc. For some reason, there have always been a number of independent models of note to come out of Philadelphia. I booked with three of them over two or three days. We shot together in between cheesesteaks and historic wanderings. I booked an Air BnB in Fishtown. It felt a lot like my place in Oakland. Old, brick, former factory of some sort. Plus, bonus, it was like, three doors down from a really good brewery and restaurant. Super dangerous to be walking distance to fresh beer. That town has got a lot of grit. I feel like the area I was in was just or still going through gentrification. A lot of art, coffee shops, beer, etc. I’m pretty down to go back. If only for the cheesesteaks.
This set with Lucy Magdalene was the first batch in the space. Actually had pretty great light and atmosphere. Lucy has a knack for finding amazing abandoned spaces. It seems like those are all over the East Coast. Schools, mental institutions, factories. It feels so much older than the West Coast. She’ll take you to one if you book a shoot with her. Highly recommended. She’s got a lot of beautiful work on her Instagram. Give her a follow.

More Heather Monique

Heather became a mother last week! Mom and baby Felicity are healthy and home from the hospital. In honor of this amazing woman who I’ve gotten to know over the years, I present our second shoot together. It centered primarily around the tintypes, but as is my custom, I tossed in some digital shots around and in between, as well as some Polaroids. Heather is the embodiment of working hard and constructing the life you desire. It’s been inspiring to watch. Instagram here, and from there you can find all her other content.
Love to you dear Heather!

Leena in Tension

This space is generally used to announce new photo sets on the member’s only site. I’d like to begin using it as a more general, broader topic blog. Starting now.
I’ve been dabbling in NFTs. Mostly to educate myself about this new and expansive technology. I feel strongly that if you don’t endeavor to keep abreast of what’s going on in art and technology that you’ll get left behind. Or at the very least, miss out on some potentially sea changing innovations.
I entered the photo profession just as digital was transitioning to mainstream. Most everyone was still shooting film. Most clients were not comfortable with digital files. I was. I’d been using a Macintosh since 1989. Photoshop since I could afford a computer that could run it. I think I still have my 3.0 floppy disks around here somewhere. When the digital revolution hit, I was positioned to embrace it. And to help photographers I assisted to embrace it. The new profession of Digital Tech on photo sets emerged and allowed me to pay rent while honing my image making skills. Working alongside photographers, managing their data and workflows, helping them operate their cameras. The photographers that survived, embraced and learned this new technology as innately as they knew film. The ones that didn’t, didn’t. It reminds me a lot of this time that we’re in now. And its not just about the NFT. Its about everything that surrounds it and supports it. The concept of the blockchain, cryptocurrency, wallets, marketplaces, minting, etc, etc. Its a whole world. Just like digital photography isn’t just about the digital camera. Its about everything that surrounds and supports it. File/data management, workflow, filetypes, compression algorithms, colorspaces, etc, etc.
I see people on line all over the place, shit talking NFTs and it feels so familiar. I remember when computers were just “fancy typewriters”. I remember when the internet was just a fad. I remember when people said that no one would want to shop online when you could just go to the store. It’s completely natural I suppose. We don’t embrace change as a species. We’re resistant to it. But the cliche holds true. The only constant is change. You can try to swim along with it, or you can get pulled under and left behind. I don’t know what will be come of this current NFT/Art phenomenon. It may all collapse. Cryptocurrency may collapse. It may all get regulated out of existence. Web3 may never come to fruition. But I do know, that the lessons and innovations that are happening at breakneck speed will carry on. They’ll be applicable in the next iteration. I do kinda, really love the juxtaposition of this brand new medium coupled with my preferred medium of 1860’s wet plate.
But hey, what do I know? I’m just a guy with a camera who pushes a button for a living, who’s just a little bit curious.

Enough of that, about the below image. I was commissioned to shoot a cover for a newsletter by The Society of Janus. This was my favorite shot of the evening. Pictured is Leena, an accomplished Shibari rigger and model. We shot a number of poses/ties that night. One of which ended up being the cover. I may share that shot later. This is a 4x5 inch TinType and available to purchase as an NFT on OpenSea. Many of my NFTs come with unlockable content that allow you to receive the original, physical plate. Which is part of the reason why they’re priced as high as they are. They’re one of a kind, physical objects, represented digitally with a high resolution file and minted on the Ethereum block chain. Also, this one is particularly dear to me.
When you look closely, you’ll notice rope marks on her body from previous ties. You’ll also notice a fragment of my fingerprint on the lefthand edge. This happens sometimes. I probably should wear gloves when shooting tintypes, but I don’t. I love the tension in the arch of her back. The tie to her hair, and her toe hooked on that rope. You can’t hold these poses for long. Tintype is not a particularly quick thing to shoot. Timing was everything and tightly coordinated. There’s a lot going on here. Probably one of my favorite images of all time.

Devi Model

I can’t recall how I came across Devi. What stands out most is a pictorial she was in for the short lived Belle SF magazine. Belle was a really nice quarterly publication. Natural models and photography. Right up my ally. I think they only put out eight issues total. Her feature was really eye-catching. I tapped her to shoot some tintypes and later on, these digital shots for Me In My Place. We shot on a gorgeous afternoon in Northern California in her mid century modern home. Couple setups, this one and another to come. I really need to book with her again. I’ve got some ideas. Maybe when the world starts to feel normal again and the days get warmer. (In hunting down her URL, its looking like she’s shadow banned on Instagram. That’s the practice of them suppressing a user’s profile if they don’t like their content. If I search for Devi, even though I follow her, she won’t show up in search. Instagram is the devil.) Follow along with Devi here: GooglyMonstor Click thru for lots more images from this day.

Kali in Honey

Kali had this vibrant Honey Birdette lingerie set we had to shoot in. HB seems to be everywhere these days. They make nice things. And something about the color combinations is simultaneously fun and uplifting as well as 80’s nostalgic. I dig it. I shot a lot of this set with a soft focus filter in camera. Its kind of a special thing. It was gifted to me by a talented portrait photographer. He had a set of these filters commissioned, hand made. It’s what’s called a Harrison Field Filter. Popular in 40’s cinema. An artisan will take a sheet of glass, sprinkle ash over it, lay another sheet of glass on top and fuse them together. Cut circles from the sheet and mount them in a threaded holder. No one makes these anymore. Dead art. Enjoy! Follow Kali here. Click thru for 60 more images.

Verronica Kirei in Pink

We’ve just tipped over the winter equinox, the longest night and shortest day of the year. It certainly feels like a cold dark winter this season. A far cry from this week’s photo set. A hot afternoon in Northern California. I along with pretty much everyone is looking forward to next summer and the potential promise of warm, pandemic free days. I crave care free creation and the ability to move about the world un afraid. That may be a long time coming but I’m feeling optimistic

Veronica and I spent an afternoon shooting together on one of my neighbor’s sun drenched lofts. This huge set as well as a handful of tintypes. This is one of maybe 5 or 6 batches of photos, so there will be a lot more of her to come in the future. Take a look at her site: https://verronicakirei.com/modeling/ and Instagram. Click thru to see more.

NiaAgain

A late-week update with a second set of images of Nia. Apologies for the later than usual post. I usually try to get these things out by Wednesday. I just got back from a shoot for the day gig, down in LA. Lets go to LA they said. It never rains in LA, sure we can shoot for Spring in December. Well, over an inch of rain and sub 40 degree temps say differently. But it all came together. We’re good under pressure. Even when we’re pushed to our limits. Sometimes that’s when you’re the most creative. When you’re forced to be. Bending and stretching is good for the body and soul.

Anywho, enjoy this second batch of images with Nia aka DatDeerDoe. Some serious Amy Winehouse vibes going on here. As an experiment, try to hit play on this as you browse the gallery after you click thru. If you’re a member, of course.

Lia Source

Lia and I know each other through some tangental community connections. She’s one of those people who seem to have endless amounts of energy. Artist, motorcycle rider, model, solid career, relationship wizard, constantly traveling. I have no idea how she does it all. I think if we could harness her energy we could solve climate change. After spending some time shooting tintypes, we headed down to the daylight space and shot a ton of digital images. @lia.source Rumor has it, she has an OnlyFans out there somewhere. . .

Kisa In Abandon

This is the first official post since soft launching this site. Exciting? Anticlimactic? Yeah, sure, both things can be true.
This one is from a ways back. I’ve shoot with Kisa a number of times This may have been the first time. Can't recall. . . I think she’s probably one of the most physically beautiful women I’ve ever worked with. But then again, you know. Freckles and red hair and a body to die for. What else do you want? Some dear friends recently moved out of my building and left this empty space behind. Fantastic light and character. I could shoot here over and over. Something about empty spaces ;-)
Peep her Instagram and her website. Click thru to see a bunch more gorgeous images that have never seen the light of day: KisaInAbandon

The Sweetest Devil

I have no idea what I’m doing with myself these days. Is it just pandemic fatigue? Am I just getting older? Has the culture shifted so much that I have no idea where I fit or if I even want to try? Has photography become so disposable and ubiquitous thats its lost any meaning? Enjoy these images of Bambii shot in my studio a number of years ago while I fantasize about running off to a cabin in the woods and becoming as subsistence dirt farmer. . .

DatDeerDoe!

Nia used to live around these parts once upon a time. Budding, talented tattoo artist, alt model. Incredibly sweet, fun and funny. Great fun to shoot with! This is one of two sets we shot that day, along with some tintypes and some Polaroids. She just happened to grab some namesake antlers from a pile I had laying around. Turned out quite iconic! Peep her Instagram, follow her socials!

Nina

This recent weather reminds me of the day Nina and I met and shot together for the first time. Gray, chilly. Atmospheric river, bomb cyclone. . . Definite weather weather. Pretty much all I want to do is curl up with a hot cup of tea and read a book. I love her look. Always had a thing for red hair and freckles. I really should shoot some tintypes of her. Check out her Instagram, subscribe to her Patreon. Click thru for a ton more images and a few Polaroids.

An Evening With Bunny

Its been about two years, in the before times, since I got to hang out with my dear friend, collaborator, muse, Bunny. Felt great to catch up, shoot some tintypes, eat some pizza, have a few cocktails. Things are definitely heading the right direction pandemic wise, but it doesn’t quite feel normal yet. I still feel constricted and cooped up. Held back. . . These nights of normalcy make for wonderful memories though. Oh, and I discovered I could use my little Canon point and shoot with the built in flash to trip my studio strobes. Thats how the color images below were made. Might have to play with that some more. I quite like the results.

Leola, Pleasure Preistess

Leola was a model that was making frequent trips up to the Bay Area. Building a life and profession around her Tantra practice. For one reason or another, the Bay Area is an epicenter for personal growth, development, exploration. There is a current of sensuality and sexuality just under the surface. Plant medicine has been decriminalized in Oakland. Burning Man is based here. If you dream it, you can be it. The only constraints are your own imagination and inhibitions. She’s incredibly comfortable in her skin and in front of the camera. Really fun and easy to shoot with. I look forward to the next time we can make some images together. Give her a follow on Instagram. Maybe book a session and shed some layers. Leola, Pleasure Priestess. Click thru to see the rest of her images here.