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Vassanta: The Magic Continues

Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta

I cannot believe it has been 9 months since I last saw Vassanta. At that time she was 9 months pregnant waving good bye on a NYC subway platform bundled up against the December cold.  She gave birth to a beautiful boy  on Christmas Day and has been a busy learning to become a Mom.  So I was happy when she visited for a few days on her way to visit her family in Russia.  We spent most of the time catching up and visiting friends. However when Vassanta is around, the camera will come out, and she now has a little modelling partner who seems to love the camera as well.

She came up with one idea of the Split Woman – showing the Ordinary and Glamorous expectations of a woman.  In editing it, I made it seem more like a painting.  I think the results turned out pretty cool.   One afternoon, the setting sun’s rays were hitting my front porch like a movie studio light with an orange gel.  I had an 1800′s dress ensemble near by and she jumped into it to create some impromptu images with no makeup and her son.  I love how they turned out because I think in her soul she is a Russian country girl and these portraits bring out the essence of the person who I know as my friend rather then the glamorous art model.  We also did a quick shoot using some Venetian Carnival masks while waiting on another photographer to come to my place to shoot her.  I love the emotional range she portrayed in just a few minutes of shooting. Not bad for just goofing around!

I have been doing a series of fashion, portrait and art nudes using one wall in my home that is beautifully lite by natural light from one window.  We used that approach on a series.  With every model, I call the interaction between model and photographer to capture an image “learning  to dance” with each other.  Each has a unique talent and way of moving and expressing themselves. You either dance well together to create magic, or you don’t and it shows in the images…almost the same result as if a dance partner is stepping on your toes.  Vassanta and my dance routine is long practiced over almost 4 years of collaboration now. I always wonder if the magic will be lost not shooting as much as we used to.

The shutter clicks, the dance begins and the magic returns as if waiting off stage for the actors to return to the spotlight. What I enjoy most at this point in our long collaboration is that it flows like an elegant waltz, no words needed, just both partners in a dance to find the light, the shadows and form.  She is a little conscience about how her body has changed since giving birth, but I think she has never looked better. Like few others, she has that presence that radiates emotion  through her body language and use of  the light.

And, the Magic Continues.

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09/25/2011 | Categories: Artistic, Fashion, Fine Art Nude, Portraits, Studio Work | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Beauty is not Random

Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Nori
Nori
Aysa
Aysa
Aysa
Joceline
Joceline

Beauty is not, but these images are.  I’ve been busy with real life and not had much time for editing and posting. Now that I have a free moment, I thought I would  do some quick edits of different shoots I’ve had since December 2010 and share them with specific posts later on each one.  As I post them, I’m fascinated by the range of subject and styles – portraits, glamour, fine art and fashion.  Well, I ‘m consistently diverse. I get bored shooting one genre too much, so it’s fun to mix it up.  The other thing I find in terms of technique is an effort to do more “editing” with the camera in the use of light and expsoure and relying less on Photoshop .  And except for the obvious color management applied and some dogging and burning, very little Photoshop retouch was done on these images.  So chronologically, the first images are of Carly Erin during some of our Phototreking  in December using natural window light. As with any Carly shoot, her use of available light in posing is superb. As part of an ongoing project to shoot period looks, in February, I worked with Nori at her home that was built  in the 1860′s. She also has some antique farm tools, so she tried her hand at clearing a corn field behind her house, and captured her in repose.  We also got some other period looking shots in her home I’ll share later.  We both have an interest in the Civil War period and future shoots that I’m looking forward to with Nori are going to be in period dress and fine art as well.  Asya Arteyeva (a friend of my Muse, Vassanta) visited from the Ukraine.  I have always admired her vintage work and was thrilled when she came to the US and could work together. Again supporting my vintage project, she brought some vintage lingerie and clothes and we shot some glamour, fine art as well as location vintage fashion. She was also very creative in creating a red dress from some sheer fabric and lace material for a Spanish look.  Such a pleasure to finally work with her.  At last, my friend from the UK, Joceline, visitedin April. We have shot in California and Australia, but I’ve  not seen her since 2009.  So I was happy when she visited the US to have her gracefulness in front of my lens again.  We shot on location doing fashion and fine art resulting in some beautiful diverse images.  As I look at what I’ve created with these talented ladies and the unedited images stacking up, it frustrates me to not be able to share more now….but I look forward to the inevitability!

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04/17/2011 | Categories: Abandoned Places, Fashion, Fine Art Nude, Glamour, Lingerie, Portraits, Studio Work | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Zinn: Le Guignol

Zinn Star
Zinn Star
Zinn Star
Zinn Star

I cannot believe I shot these images almost a year ago and have not edited them yet.  This is the last of a series of Venetian mask shots Zinn Star and I did in March 2010.  On the other hand, I’m glad that I waited because my ever evolving style has changed since then.  When I looked at the preliminary edits I was doing at the time, they were brighter and leaning more to color.  For this final edit, I went with desaturating the skin tones to a large degree – almost sepia toned, darkening the exposure and making the DOF more shallow; maintaining the color and sharp focus on the mask and hand movements to accentuate the hands and mask.  I love the posing Zinn did with the minstrel show-like hand gestures and extreme tension in her body,  hands and “facial” expression behind the mask. It made the images really special.

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02/06/2011 | Categories: Fine Art Nude, Studio Work | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Carly: Halos

Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin

The words “Halos” and “Carly” are not usually used in the same sentence – but thought it best described this set composed of lens flares, sun bursts and headdresses of berries. What is it about  me and lens flares and sunbursts – particularly shooting with Carly.  It seems like every time we shoot I’m trying to capture lens flares.  Well, first of all it’s fun to try to get the right flare without getting blinded in the process. Second, I like the technique, and, lastly, it must have something to do with that red hair of Carly’s that screams to be captured this way. This is the last of the set from shooting at a Long Island B and B Victorian bathroom. I was playing with wide angle, lens flare and shallow DOF; and in editing, some split processing.  I tease Carly about the  one image of the sun seeming to burst from her forehead as the birth of the Magical Unicorn (as she likes to call herself).  The one portrait of her with the wreath is such an iconic image.  We were rummaging in the closet in our room and found this wreath to use as a prop.  When I finished editing it, I immediately deleted all the other wreath shots we took because, while nice images,  they paled in comparison to that one image.  All except for the one landscape image that I include here.  The light is so special.  The lighting, her pose and my editing reminds me of a 1920′s film still. Another iconic image?  With Carly in it, most likely.

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02/03/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »

Paradise Lost: Mission Beach and Cyclone Yasi

Vassanta
Vassanta
Joceline
Soph
Joceline
Claudine
Madame Bink

In 2009, I had the pleasure of joining many fellow photographers and models to shoot around the environs of a true paradise – Mission Beach, Australia.  Not only a visual paradise, but also  filled with some wonderful Ozzie folks. Mission Beach was in the direct path of the recent Category 5 Cyclone Yasi.  The initial pictures look  like the area is devastated with the main (and only) coastal road blocked by downed trees and washed away in places near the shore.  I have also read that the lush jungle forest surrounding the town is completely denuded and there are worries that the forest animals may not have enough to eat.  This includes the magnificent ostrich-like bird the Cassowary that the coast is famous for.  I’m sure the area will recover and it will be a paradise once more, but it will take many years – particularly the more natural areas. So until then, here are some images shot in the jungles near Mission Beach to keep the memory alive and honor those who live there.

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02/03/2011 | Categories: Fine Art Nude, Inspirational, Travel, World Culture | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Carly: When You Get Behind Closed Doors

Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin

As Carly Erin and I finished shooting in the bathroom at the B and B, I went back to the room to check shooting locations/lighting and turned back to the bathroom. I was greeted by this cool reflection of Carly in the bathroom door; that bathroom was not finished with us yet! I did a quick test shot and showed Carly. We then played with her position and the door to get the best angle for her and the door. Very tricky because first I had to position the door to get the best reflection and then guide her so that she was framed properly in the panes of the door.  Then she had the idea of closing the door and getting some silhouettes.   In editing the images, I got a nice contrast of hi and low key images in half the frame for the reflection shots. One lesson doing this type of  shooting is to make sure all lights behind you are turned off. I got a reflection of one lamp that I could not remove in editing without messing it up.  Oh well, the risks of spontaneous shooting.  The silhouette shots I edited as dark as possible to accentuate her shadow as well as the framing of the door and light while removing extraneous things from the image.

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01/22/2011 | Categories: Fine Art Nude | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Carly: Reflections of Lace

Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin

This is a continuation from the previous post where Carly and I were shooting in this sun-drenched Victorian bathroom with the sun filtered through lace curtains making patterns on the whole room and her. From the previous post, we switched positions using a mirror as a prop.  My goal was to play with different exposures to accentuate the lace shadows and shallow DOF sometimes having the mirror image in focus and sometimes with her in the foreground in focus.  In editing it, I also leaned more towards a higher key look than the previous lace images to give this series a different look from the previous one.  With these results, I’m rushing out to buy lace curtains for my house :)

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01/20/2011 | Categories: Artistic, Fine Art Nude, Portraits, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Carly: Lace Landscapes

Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin
Carly Erin

On the second day of our PhotoTreking on Long Island, Carly and I stayed at this beautiful old Bed and Breakfast.  Before we hit the road  to Montauk Lighthouse for further treking, we were going to do some shooting in our gorgeous room.  I was checking my equipment and metering the available light, while Carly was in the bathroom getting ready with makeup, etc.   I hear her scream, “Eric, get in here, this light is sick!!”  I come into the bathroom to see her looking like a contortionist from Cirque du Soleil trying to take self portraits   (which, by the way, she is very good at doing  – but usually a tripod is involved. )  The light was gorgeous and was also being filtered through these lace curtains making patterns all over the room and her.  So we took advantage of the light and just started shooting.  First we did some posed shots. But then I told her just to continue getting ready and I would  shoot her while she prepared, looking for the right position of light and form.  When I saw something I liked, she’d stop and we’d play with her position with the light.  Shooting in the small bathroom, about half these images I actually shot from around a corner and into the mirror over the sink of her reflection while attempting to keep me out of the shot. The images in this blog are all the lace pattern shots we captured in that casual, non posed dance.  We also got several posed back lite shots that I’ll post in a separate blog.  In the  editing process, it took me a long time to figure out how I wanted to edit them. Did I want to do high key and ethereal, or darker and moodier.  With the back lite shots, I knew I would edit them as high key. So, I decided to go darker with more contrast with these and accentuate the patterns of the lace in the room and on her.  With the slight grain to the image, the lace patterns almost makes it appear like she is in a lace body suit.  I was very pleased with the results – very different looking images for me.   I love it when serendipity comes to play on a photo shoot and you get something you were not expecting.  But, you can expect to see a few more series of images from our stay at the B and B.

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01/17/2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Long Island PhotoTreking

Carly Erin
Barlett Inn
Xmas Balls
Greensport
Greensport
Greensport
Xmas Penguin
Abstract I
Abstract II
Northfork Frozen Pond
North Fork Frozen Pond II
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Whitney Museum
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Captain Kirk and Spock had their Star Treking.  For Carly Erin and me….it’s PhotoTreking.  You figure out which is Kirk and which is Spock.   As I mentioned in my last blog paying tribute to Carly as one who inspires me to create, I mentioned the fact that we have actually shot more as photographers out shooting the world, than as model and photographer.  We’ve started calling our little photo adventures, PhotoTreking.  For me, it’s about getting back to the basic joy of just shooting, finding the patterns in life and capturing them.  I have gotten away from shooting this way and Carly dragging me out of my routine I think will help me to exercise the compositional eye and quicken my technical skills to shoot on the fly too.  Plus, we have a heck of a good time exploring places that neither of us has been to before.

For this PhotoTrek over New Years, we explored the North and South Forks on the eastern most end of Long Island, a little around NYC and also got in some model shooting in Long Island as well as shooting for my Village Series out in New Jersey. Those will be the subjects of future blogs.  To start the trip, I picked her up in NYC during the aftermath of 22 inches of Snowmaggedon that had hit NYC a few days before.  The side streets had still not been plowed when I pulled into NYC and snow was piled 6 feet high on the curbs.  But before we could hit the road, we had to hit Adorama so Carly could pick up her new Canon Rebel.  I didn’t understand why she wanted me around for that, but I’m always happy to window shop in camera stores.  Later she told me that she wanted me there becuase a woman making a large purchase should always have a man around so that she is not taken advantage of.  WHAT?  who knew she was such a Southern Belle?!  I think I was really there to protect her from all the flirty sales people…but I digress.

So we left the devastation of the city heading out first to the North Fork of Long Island, staying in Greensport at a beautiful old B and B. It still had all the Christmas decorations and each room was decorated in a different decor.  The town is right on the water and was  deserted.   We walked all over town and piers shooting street and pier scenes. I got some cool abstract shots using lights that were embedded in the pier and  a slow shutter speed to capture light patterns.  The next morning we got up and did some model shooting at the B and B. In one case we found an old wreath in a closet and used it in an impromptu shot with her back-lite through lace curtains in the bathroom. One of my absolute favs now.  More from this session in a future blog.

We hit the road driving through the North Fork to the South Fork  – destination Montuak Lighthouse  on the eastern most tip of Long Island.  We passed mile after mile of vineyards and Christmas tree farms covered in snow and  quaint towns.  I’ll definitely have to come back in the summer or fall to see it then. We found one old abandoned house and shot it.  I’m alsways amazed and saddened to see beautiful old homes gradually decaying.  However, they make for great photos!  We eventually made it to the Lighthouse.  It was worth making the trek to exlore the area to get there…but after getting there..there wasn’t much to it.  We managed to find a passage to a snow covered beach.  She kept telling me she always had wanted to shoot on a snow covered beach.  We found one….but not a willing model. Somehow the image in her head of being shot on the snowy beach did not take into account you had to do it in 20 degree weather!

So we headed back to NJ for New Year’s and shooting in The Village.  We finished up the weekend back in NYC going to a Edward Hopper exhibit at the Whitney and doing some street shooting. All in all a fabulous creative time combining exploring new places, shooting some cool landscapes and fine art photography together.

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01/13/2011 | Categories: Abandoned Places, Architecture, Artistic, Portraits, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Vassanta Delivers

Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta
Vassanta

OK….that was a teaser line.  However, in her ninth month of pregnancy, Vassanta and I did deliver some beautiful images as she approaches her due date in the next two weeks.

On her last trip before her delivery, Vassanta came to NYC to do a final round of modeling jobs.  As things worked out, we had not planned on shooting but to meet for lunch in-between her other shoots.  However, she had some plans change and we winded up spending most of the day together braving the cold December winds in Brooklyn finding a place to eat and hanging out.  I had not planned on shooting her and had just brought a backup camera with only a 50mm, 1.4 lens with me to shoot some scenic views of NYC and whatever trouble we got into.

As night feel and nearing my time to go, she said that no one will believe it that we spent the day together and did not shoot.  Let’s do something!  But what to do.  It was night and no studio or on camera strobes with me and too cold and dark to shoot outside.  Then, in the corner of the room, I see this tall lamp with paper wrapping around it. Maybe a natural softbox? But only two little bulbs in it.  Luckily, I had that prime 50mm 1.4 that would work well in low light, but we only had the one little room to shoot in. Would I have enough space to shoot?  But when two creative people put there heads together, things happen.  I checked every possible angle climbing up high and shooting from afar into the room from a hallway.  So everything you see here was only lite by this one paper lamp with two 40 watt bulbs in one corner of a room.  It became an experiment and a challenge in low light photography (which I love), and depth of field and how to make an interesting image with just a corner of a room to work with.  Vassanta did a beautiful job of using the limited space and light to create some memorable images.  I absolutely love the results and it has inspired me to do more experimenting with just shooting this prime lens in similar situations, experimenting more with DOF and get away from my standard 24-70mm 2.8 L lens. 

Best wishes to my dear friend and blessings to her new family as she nears her delivery date.

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12/19/2010 | Categories: Fine Art Nude, Portraits, Pregnancy, Studio Work | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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