A small rant

I am a paying member of an on-line site that provides exposure and a clearing house of sorts for models and photographers.  The site is called (unfortunately) Model Mayhem.


The image below has been posted on the site - accessible only to members - since last February.  Today it was removed, citing the rule against the "non-flaccid" penis.


Censorship is alive and well.

Shot digitally with a one-light source, sepia toned.

Happy Birthday, Rob

I didn't forget.  I sometimes wish I could.

Shot on the Massachusetts shore, August 2008.

Figure in Light

I love photographing in a light-filled space.  In this shoot, we were moving the model into his new apartment.  It was empty and white, with just the mattress on the floor.  A perfect location, and a perfect time.

End of this series.

Figure in Light

Figure in Light

Figure in natural light

Figure in Light

Figure in natural light.

Figure in Light

A simple figure in strong, natural light.

Figure at the Window

The same shoot and location as yesterday, a contemplative moment.


No Photoshop, no frills; available light.

Boy in the Shower

Leaving the "Painting" series for the moment, and returning to straight photography.


The image below was taken in the spring of 2004, just as I was transitioning into digital, still using the borrowed Olympus point and shoot. Shot in natural light.


It is one of my favorites, when light, composition and model combine to produce a perfect moment; one I shall always treasure.

Photography and Painting

This one is based, not on a painting, but on a photograph of a painter, Thomas Eakins, in his 19th century studio.

It struck me, apart with such amenities as lighting, and, if you're lucky, heat, the grubby ambiance of the artist's studio has changed very little.

Here is a photo of my old studio in a historic section of Houston.  Although it had two AC window units, it was sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter.  But it was a marvelous space, with wonderful light, and I miss it. The owner decided it would serve much better as a location for a mid-rise condo.

Rob was waiting while I adjusted a light.

This figure of Rob was taken at another location, but fits beautifully in the setting.  

I used this background with several models.  I will post more of them.

Photography and Painting

This photograph of Rob, one of a series of dance poses, was not intended specifically for this painting, but I thought it fit the spirit of the original.


Because he does not exactly match the figure in the painting, I had him step out of the frame.

The original, "Primavera", by Italian painter Sandro Botticelli:

Photography and Painting

A romantic 18th century painting  of Cupid and Psyche, by the French painter Gerard.

Rob was much more suited to this image of Cupid.

Shot digitally with a one-light source, manipulated in Photoshop.

Photography and Painting

Rob as St. Sebastian, after the Italian painter Perugino.  Artists of the period often painted the subject of St. Sebastian being martyred, as it gave them a "legitimate" reason to show a male figure nude or nearly nude.


Rob's body type did not match the original, but his attitude and stance are true to the genre.

The original, below:

 "St. Sebastian", Perugino

Figure

Shot with Olympus digital, one light source.



Expressions

Sitting on a sofa at an open window, with me sitting on the floor in front.  I put the camera on a tripod and we just talked - about what had happened since we last saw each other, about his experiences in New York theater, about his hopes and ambitions.

From time to time I clicked the shutter.

Shot with a digital Olympus in natural light.  Click on image to view properly.

Portrait in Sepia with Blue Eyes

This February 2004 session was intense and personal.  Looking back on it now, I think the viewer can see the relationship developing between the model and the photographer.

It was quite a ride.

Shot with Olympus digital in natural light, color manipulated in Photoshop.



Portait with Wet Hair

Rob, portrait with wet hair.

Olympus digital, one light source.



Two Portraits

From the Olympus shoot, February 2004.

Two sides of the same coin.





Portrait of an Actor

One of a series done with the borrowed Olympus point and shoot in February of 2004.

The model, whom I hadn't seen in more than three years, was back from the New York theatre.  I almost didn't recognize him when he appeared at my door.

Below is what he looked like on the day he left, in the summer of 2000:

Shot on film in natural light.



Portrait of a Young Man

Same pose, same shoot as Saturday, September 3, 2011, only the model is nude in this shot.

You will see a subtle difference in his expression.  More about this later.



Shot with digital Olympus in natural light.