The Photo Fairy

In mid-2009 I asked Wanda to participate in my Fae in Us All photography project. I asked her what fairy she would like to portray and she chose to be the photo fairy. So I gathered up some props, including the old 4x5 field camera you see in the photograph and we headed out to Dragonfly landing for the shoot.

Wanda insisted that she would need another fae, preferably a male, to shoot as part of the scenario and she convinced our friend Mark to be her subject. He graciously acquiesced to her request and proceeded to pose nude, in wings and shimmery fabric while she pretended to take his picture while I was taking shots of both of them. It was quite fun.

We spent about 2 hours shooting in around the lower field at Dragonfly landing, including a number of shots in infrared. This has given me plenty of images to work with as part of the project.  I particularly like the shot seen to the right and there wasn't a lot of post processing required to get the image to its published state.

Over the next few months you'll probably see a few more images from this shoot posted from time to time, in the meantime, however, I hope you enjoy this image from a fun day of shooting.

Christmas Countdown Day 10

Well, Christmas 2010 is almost here and we've reached the end of our countdown. I hope you've enjoyed it and we wish you all the best for the year to come.

Christmas Pinup Day 9

Xmas 2007

Christmas is almost here and we're nearing the end of our countdown. This shot is from a couple of years ago. The outfit is from the Deeta von Tease collection from Victoria Secrets.

Christmas Pinup Day 9

Xmas 2006

Okay, here's a shot from 2006. Santa's helper never look so good! Anyway, not a lot of writing tonight as I've just spent 4 hours on the road and need some rest.

Christmas Pinup Day 8

Xmas 2005

So here's a shot from 2005 with a slightly different look, lighting, and hairstyle.  This is a fairly standard shot and I wanted to show more of the ornaments rather than the lights on the tree. Also, the shot was intended to be provocative without being explicit.

What makes this shot work, I think, is the lovely smile, tilt of the head, and the placement of the hands on the bra straps.

Christmas Pinup Day 7

Xmas 2004

As we progress closer to this year's Christmas, we'll jump back to 2004 for a quick shoot in our living room.  I love the outfit and the model, but the background could certainly use some work.

Ah, well, the shots were mostly just for fun and we weren't going to any great lengths to create memorable art that evening. We were just shooting and having a good time. It worked for us.

Christmas Countdown Day 6

Winter Wonder

These images aren't exactly Christmas Pinup, but they do have that wintery, holiday fun feel about them. I'm including them just to show what  good sport Wanda has been over the years in posing for me during the brisk winter months.

This shot, for example, was taken at the entrance to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Park. We drove up there one brisk winter afternoon when the sun was shining and the air was relatively warm and spent the better part of 4 hours shooting in the snow fields and the woods adjacent to the park entrance. We had to climb a huge snowbank to get to the fields where we had the privacy to shoot.

Wanda was a great sport about the entire shoot and I think she enjoyed it more than either me or my assistance did. She certainly managed to cover a lot of ground in the hours were were shooting and was smiling the entire time. She treated it as a grand adventure and made it fun. Though she did wear gloves and boots, she certainly didn't mind getting down into the snow and playing around with different poses.

Playing in the Snow

We've also shot during an actual snowstorm in an area not too far from our home. That was a fun shoot as well, though the falling snow made the shoot a bit more difficult and made protecting the equipment more problematic. Once again. though, Wanda made it fun and we got some great images, as you can see from the shot below.

Beauty in the Snow

Christmas Pinup Day 5

Xmas 2003

I'll have to say, this is one of my favorite holiday images of my wife.  For this shot we used studio lights balanced to provide soft lighting on the model, a tripod mounted camera to use a shutter speed slow enough to allow the Christmas lights to glow in the background, and a shallow depth of field to give them a soft glow.

I just love her eyes and her smile in the shot, and the outfit is pretty sexy too without being too overt. In any case, we had a lot of fun shooting that year.

Christmas Pinup Day 4

Xmas 2002

Look what I found under the tree in 2002.  We went with a real tree that year instead of the very large artificial tree we normally use.  I don't think we used as much exterior decorations that year, and as I recall it was more of a subdued holiday season for us. Nevertheless, we had a good Christmas and managed to pull off a few shots around the tree.

We bought this outfit specifically for our Christmas shoot and I still have it in my collection of photography costumes. Who knows, maybe we'll get to use it again sometime for another holiday shoot.

Christmas Pinup Day 3

Xmas 2001

Christmas 2001 was a more modest shoot. We did a quick setup with some lingerie in front of the fireplace and grabbed a few shots, but as I recall that was a fairly eventful year and we had guests in the house most of that holiday season. That meant our private times for photography was limited to quick opportunities when the house was empty.

I do know that we didn't set up the studio lights for this shot and that is was primarily on-camera bounce flash with a bit of fill from a bounce card. I usually try to be more elaborate with my lighting, but as I said, it was a tough time for photography that season.

Nevertheless, I think I got a few decent images and this is the one I'd like to share. The eyes and smile make this image a winner for me.

Christmas Pinup Day 2

Xmas 2000

By 2000 we had finally gotten used to the Pacific Northwest winters - well, as used to them as any human can get - and had established the habit of having a nice warm fire in the evenings. The challenge was learning to light the model and still maintain the ambience of the fire. That, of course, required dragging the shutter and balancing the flash with the fire.

As always, Wanda loved posing by the fireplace because she loves the warmth and the flames. If she had her way, we'd have a fire every night (and sometimes it seems like we do).

Over the intervening years we've done several fireplace shoots, but those Christmas session have always been special - and I look forward to a few more in the years to come.

Christmas Countdown

Xmas 1999

There's just a few more days left until Christmas and I've gone back through my archives and picked some favorite images from Christmases past to accomodate a countdown to Christmas day. With any luck, I'll be able to get a new photo this year (there was no sexy photo from last year - I think we were just too busy with family).

The first image is from 1999. This was shot as a friend's house and was our first time using studio lights for a holiday shoot. We had a lot of fun with this set up and there are many variations and poses from this shoot. This is one of my favorites.

I've used the cape for a few more shoots over the years, but I think this was the only time that I used it to shoot a Christmas series with Wanda.  Don't forget to check out the belly button ornament.

There will be a new photo every day until Christmas Day, so don't forget to check back from time to time.

At the Lake Again

Enjoying the Lake

A couple of years after we moved to Charleston, we bought a 17 foot Bayliner runabout. We used it for skiing, getting to the local beaches, harbor cruises, and for finding secluded spots for nude sunbathing and photography. One of our favorite spots was an island in middle of Lake Moultrie. When we could get baby sitters or when the kids were visiting their grandparents out of state, we would load up the boat with picnic supplies, a cooler of drinks and a bottle of wine and head up to the lake and take the 45 minute ride out to the island for an afternoon in the sun and in the water. In fact, we celebrated our 9th anniversary with a picnic on the beach.

The small island was also great for outdoor glamour photography, and I have lots of images from those days. The problem is, of course, that the images are all on film and even though I've scanned directly from the negatives or slides in most cases, the quality of film and the processing from mumble, mumble, cough, cough years ago just doesn't match the quality of today's digital images. So, once scanned, I've had to put a lot of work into retouching and processing the images so they meet at least a minimum quality for use here. It takes time to do that processing, and it doesn't help that my photographic skills lacked quite a bit in those days. It's not that I'm perfect now, not by any means, but I certainly know more and have developed more skill with the camera over the years.

Having a boat, a secluded place to shoot, and a willing model certainly helped me develop those skills though, so I thought it would be fun to share one of those images here.

A Few More from Death Valley

We just completed a road trip to Arizona and back. We drove down at the beginning of August and spent a couple of weeks visiting with family, then drove back via the Grand Canyon, Historic Route 66, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, etc. We spent most of our time talking and enjoying the ride, but it got me to thinking about a road trip we had made 7 years earlier and some images we made in Death Valley. Here they are for your viewing pleasure:

Posing in Golden Canyon

The above image was taken in Golden Canyon. We stopped there for a hike on our way back from seeing Badwater and the light was so gorgeous, we had to get some figure images.

On the Road in Death Valley

Okay, the image above isn't technically perfect, some would say it isn't even a good image, but you certainly can't fault the bravery of the model. This was right in the middle of the valley and although there was no traffic to speak off, anyone coming along could see for quite a ways into the distant, not to mention you could fry an egg on the asphalt, hence the sandals. 

Finally, here's an image from Salt Creek, which is an interesting little hike all by itself. 

Happy 4th!

Sun, Sand and Water

I joke often that my wife is solar powered. Actually, it's more truth than humor. When there is lots of sunshine she is energized, full of life, and apt to get nude. When it's wet and cold she tends to be sleepy, grumpy and dressed in layers of clothing. I therefore look forward to summers and to road trips. The summers bring the warmth and sunshine and the road trips bring new scenery in which to shoot. We have a couple of trips planned this summer and I certainly hope we'll get some photography done while we're traveling.  The places to where we'll be traveling will include lots of sun, sand and water.

A few years ago we did a great road trip around the western states that included many national parks and forests, and well as a number of state parks and attractions. We shot lots images during the trip but my favorites are those that include the three elements from the title of this post.

Of course, bright sun can make photography quite tricky. The harsh light and shadows are not conducive to the glamour look, but it can be worked around with the right tools. Fill flash can help soften the shadows, as can a reflector (if you have an assistant to help hold it). On our road trip I had to rely primarily on fill flash and positioning the model so the shadows complemented the image rather than distracting from the overall composition. In the image to above, we were in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation area and we were walking back to the car when she surprised me with this photographic opportunity.

A portion of our trip included a stay in Death Valley. We got this shot at the entrance to the park. This was in August, so it was quite warm:

During our 1st full day in the park, we also traveled to Badwater and took a hike into Golden Valley. We tackled Golden Valley in the latter part of the day and we were almost the only hikers in the valley, so we had lots of opportunities to shoot with the harsh terrain and the golden rocks in the background. We were never interrupted during any of our photographic interludes and only met a couple of folks on our way into the canyon and another couple as we exited.

The terrain was quite harsh, but it's a fairly easy hike. The real danger here is the heat, and water is a must when hiking anywhere in Death Valley. We carried several bottles of water and drank them all during our hike, and we didn't go but a few miles up the trail and turned around so that we would get back to the car before sunset.

Fill flash was quite necessary during most of the hike, but I had to dial in back a stop or two to keep shadows off the canyon walls. As the sun dropped there was more open shadow in which to shoot and that helped immensely.

We'd both love to go back to Death Valley for a longer visit, but it's not likely to happen this year. Instead we'll be visiting other parts of the Southwest as well as Central America.

So, as you can see, sand and sunshine make a great mix for glamour photography, but sun and water also create excellent opportunities and, of coure, are my favorite elements in a glamour shoot and I'll definitely go out of my way to get a beautiful woman to pose with water and sun.

The image to the left if from a trip to South Florida some years ago.  We were out on a snorkeling trip with some friends off Key Largo and on the return ride we took a little side trip for some sight-seeing through the many waterways and canals in the keys. The sun is perhaps a bit too harsh in this shot, but I really like the effect of the sun and shadows on the body with the deep blue water in the background.  The slick, wet look also enhances the image, though I think it would have been better with more water beaded on her body.

The trip to Southern Florida was a great photographic experience. We were able to shoot in Orlando for a couple of days, then in Miami for several days, then head down to Key West for even more time in the sun and water. It was especially nice that we were able to stay in a clothing optional resort and the owners were more than willing to allow us to shoot in the lovely courtyard of the resort multiple times. The visit to Key Largo was a stop on our way back to Miami and our flight home.

Water is an essential element in many of my photographs and running water is the best. If I can find a photogenic stream to add to the shot of a lovely model, I know I'm going to have some winning images. I often look for these types of cascades, and sometimes I have friends that show me great places to shoot.

Washington's Pinochet Forest contains many great streams which make great places to shoot. My friend, Jim, a damn fine photographer who specializes in band photography took us to the stream you see in the image to the right. We shot there for several hours and got some great images.

Once again, fill flash was used to soften some of the harst shadows, though the dynamic range still resulted in some blown out areas of the shot (the left foot in this case). With some judicial cropping that element could be removed from the final image, but I like the image as it is and I don't find that area of the image distracting.

So, summer is coming, and with any luck I'll get my beautiful wife to join me on some additional jaunts for some photography. Wish us luck!

Barefoot Glamour

My beautiful wife has been my model and photographic inspiration since before we were married. I met and married her while she was still a young, barefoot Southern Belle, and I'm sure that's what got me started shooting what I like to call "Barefoot Glamour." I have some specific criteria for this style of photography. I define Barefoot Glamour as  photographic imagery containing several essential elements: a girl-next-door look, casual clothing, an outdoor setting, and, of course, bare feet - though, I do find sandals acceptable as well. For me, another distiquishing element of Barefoot Glamour is that it is a planned photo shoot and not just a casual snapshot or image from another event.

That last criteria has developed over the years and wasn't an essential element. We often had to do our photography as an adjunct to our other outings, but my wife always ensured that I was able to get my photography done as well, and posed for me in many different and sexy outfits purchased specifically for those infrequent, but very special, photo opportunities.

I've done these "Barefoot Glamour" shoots with her in many different locales, such as Connecticut, Upstate New York (see the photo above), South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Idaho, Oregon, California and so many, many more places.  In fact, we've often planned road trips with a theme based at least partially on this concept, and we still do so.

The photo to the right was taken in Tioga Pass in the mountains of California. We stopped for landscape photography, but managed to get in a little glamour photography as well. There were other traveler's present at the stream, so we weren't able to shoot our normal style, but there were other streams and lakes along the way where we did do more glamour nude style shots.

Water goes very well with Barefoot Glamour, and I often use a stream or other body of water to complement the shoot. It provides a good reason for the skimpy attire and the bare feet, but also, I just like shooting beautiful women in water.

Many of our photography friends know of my penchant for beautiful women and bodies of water, and a few of them have shown me some great spots for shooting. The image to the left was taken in the Pinochet National Forest which is full of great streams and other bodies of water. We spent an entire afternoon shooting at this spot a few summers ago, and I'd certainly like to go back there for a future shoot - I just need to find the spot again.  We've also shot in several streams and waterfalls near Mount St. Helens, a gorgeous area in which to shoot, even in the desolate lahar area.  We're hoping to get back to the Mount St. Helens area this summer for more exploration and hiking, and maybe even a little camping.

I'll leave you with an image from a road trip we made in 1999. We made this trip simply to explore the wonderful Oregon coastal areas and we found this place by simply following the signs to Cape Mears. The beach area is beautiful and full of huge driftwood logs and stumps that are great props for glamour photography.

A Stream

About 11 summers ago, Wanda and I took an impromptu road trip down the Oregon coast. We were simply trying to get out of town for a break and to do some photography along the way. At that time, I had an Olympus DL620 digital camera, which I thought was a big deal at the time. I think it had a whopping 2 megapixels, but it did a decent job and I believe that this was our first real trip with it. In any case, we wound up driving down the coast from above Cannon Beach and we took our time and enjoyed the trip. We drove as far down as Newport, had some dinner, then found a motel for the night (that's a whole other story that we still laugh about sometimes - think 1960's motel kitsch).

The next day, after a leisurely breakfast, we headed back to Portland, but on a wild whim, I took a side road off Hwy 26 and just drove along hoping to find a nice place to shoot. I can't say that I wasn't influenced by the large creek I had seen off the highway (I enjoy shooting models in water), and after about 8-10 miles off the highway, we came to a nice little spot along the creek where the water was wide, fairly shallow, and actually quite warm for an Oregon stream. There were several rocks not far out in the water and a bit of white water as well as a calmer stretch of shallow water. Wanda being Wanda, it wasn't too hard to get her to get out an pose in the stream for a number of shots, and we had quite a bit of fun that day, shooting in the water and along the banks.  Although the road continued along the creek for a number of miles, the traffic was sparse and no one looked down to see us shooting

Since that summer, I've shot there a number of times. Wanda and I went back there for a shoot about 7 years later, and since then I've shot there at least two more times. In fact, my water fairy image was shot there, and most recently I did a glamour shoot for a young models portfolio in the same stream With any luck, I'll get to shoot there a few more times - and I'd especially like to take Wanda back there for a new shoot.

The water fairy:

Glamour in the water:

In the Beginning

I got my first Single Lens Reflex camera in 1979. Although, I've always had a love of photography, before then I had only had small Kodak's or Polaroid cameras, but nothing that would really capture quality images. One of my best friends purchased an Olympus OM-1 camera and lens the year before just before we took a trip through Yellowstone National Park.  We both took lots of photos during the trip, but what his images lacked in compositional technique, were more than made up for by the clarity of the capture.

So, in 1979 when we were expecting our first child, I knew that I wanted to step up my photography. As a young Navy Petty Officer with a young family, I couldn't afford much, but I found an all manual Canon AT-1 camera and lens that was within my budget. Once I purchased it and started to use it, I discovered that I knew next to nothing about photography and I've been spending the last 31 years learning the craft.

Fortunately, I've had many subjects over the years - not just my kids, but my lovely wife and many of our lovely friends as well. The image to the left was from my very first shoot with two nude models and I still had much to learn, as the image is circa 1980. Still, I like the composition, the natural look, and the relaxed poses. The cropping and the light sucks, but as I said, I still had lots to learn. I suppose I could blame it on the constraints of my equipment - no flash, no light modifiers, and having to shoot in our tiny bedroom, but the reality is that I really knew next to nothing about what I was doing and any good images I got were primarily due to luck.

With practice and help from my beautiful wife, I think I have gotten a bit better:

Two Beauties

One of the fortunate benefits of having a beautiful and willing wife to model for me is that it often encourages other beauties to pose for me as well, especially when my lady agrees to pose with them. These images were taken after I had completed a shoot with Bridgett for one of my projects.

Since we had the studio for the day and Wanda was available, I got the girls to wear some of the custom chain outfits I've purchased for my various projects and we shot some poses featuring the ladies together. Wanda is wearing a set of chains called the Diamond Ensemble, while Bridgett is wearing the Raven Ensemble. I think they look quite good together - the chains as well as the women.

The background is a rather unusual piece that I purchased from a studio owner in another town. He called it his "bird poop" background. The background contains white and dark gray swathes in a random streak pattern, hence the name.  The white areas, however, are thin enough to be translucent and gelled strobes placed behind the background produce a result quite different from a front lit background.

The ability to change the color of the backdrop by swapping out the gels allows for significant versatility but, of course, the background is always secondary to the beauty of the models themselves.

This wasn't the first time that Bridgett and Wanda have posed together for me, so they were quite comfortable posing together, and I think it shows in these images. These two redheads work well together and both are familiar with my style of photography, so little direction was needed from me. I was able to just set the theme of the shoot and let them go.

I'm sure (or at least I certainly hope) that I'll be able to shoot with both of these lovely women together again, but next time I want to do an exterior shoot with a different theme of camo, guns and knives. That should be quite exciting and fun.