Buy Nothing Day

Well, as "Black Friday" approaches yet again, I'll once again mention that November 27 is "Buy Nothing Day" as well. There's a movement to de-emphasize our roles as "consumers" and return to being "people" and not taking part in the spending frenzy of "Black Friday" is a big part of that. Of course, with the economy in the shape it's in, buying something to help retailers and producers get out of the red and into the black seems vaguely patriotic, as the breathless reports of sales and "consumer confidence" will set the tone for the rest of the holiday season, and the economic attitude for the year ahead. It's like a Hollywood blockbuster... if it doesn't have a massive "opening weekend" then it's considered a failure. So, I guess decide for yourself: resist the urge to be defined by how much you spend, or be part of jumpstarting the economy.

A new book takes it a step further... Scroogenomics by Joel Waldfogel proposes that people stop purchasing holiday gifts, or gifts of any kind, because in general, people don't value gifts as much as it costs the giver to purchase them. Only about 25% as much as was spent. So if two friends each buy $100 gifts for the other, chances are, they'll value what they received at about $25, whereas if they'd spent that money on themselves, they would each value what they bought at $100, or possibly more. Little kids get hooked on ripping open packages, and like getting toys and such, so you have a fighting chance that they'll value what you buy them. But teens to adults to seniors, not so much. Many people already have way too much stuff as it is. This makes a lot of sense to me, actually, as being one who's tough to buy for -- to the point of feeling guilty if I get a gift that I don't like, but that the giver obviously spent a good deal of money to buy.

Waldfogel suggests buying gift cards instead of actual gifts, but that's not guaranteed either. A comedian (I can't recall) said something like "a gift card isn't a gift -- it's an errand. You're telling that person to go the the store you choose, and spend time finding something they want because you were too lazy to do it yourself." Plus, the recipient usually can't find something for exactly $25, so they either leave money on the card, or have to spend a little of their own on the purchase.

So, maybe the answer is to give the gift of yourself. Rather than spending time and money buying some "gift item" and shipping it off to a friend, sit down and write them an actual letter, or make plans to get together, or make a commitment to yourself that you'll talk on the phone with them more regularly. It could really be the gift that keeps on giving.

The shot is the gifted Hayley, from about 2 years ago. Sounds like she may be getting back into modeling once again!

Dock Ellis Dee

An urban legend from my youth that turned out to be true. Swiped from Chase Lisbon's blog... featuring guest blogger Katie West.

B & W

A welcome arrival in today's mail... the new issue of B&W Magazine, featuring the winners of their Single Image contest. My shot of Jessa received a merit award and is included in the issue (pg. 72 to be exact). Thanks Jessa!

Only 15 nude/body images were chosen for the issue, so I feel honored to have made the cut!

I received my subscription copy today, so I'm guessing most subscribers will get theirs soon, and that it should be available on newstands any day now. Get yours while you're picking up a copy of the new Carrie Leigh NUDE, promised in stores November 18.

Black Tambourine

This is a little video demo/test I did a few months ago with Kira Nova. Not sure why I didn't post it at the time, but here it is. It's just a very impromtu test, and a jiffy quick edit job, but it reminds me that I want to explore some more along these lines. Let me know what you think, and if the video works ok for you. :)

First Friday

Tonight is "First Friday" -- the monthly night where the art galleries and such stay open late and folks congregate in the artistic "pockets" of town to look at art and things, maybe sip some wine or nosh on finger foods. Will probably head down and see what's going on. May bump into Dave L and his entourage while I'm down there, and who knows who else?

This shot is Spilt Sugar, before the stuff piled in the old entranceway was re-arranged...

Carrie Leigh encore

Got the word that I'll have another feature in the upcoming issue of Carrie Leigh Nude Magazine. I don't know exactly which images they selected from what I submitted, so I'm not yet sure which models I need to thank, but I'm hoping to see a copy in the next week or two.

This is their 2nd Anniversary issue, and I find it quite encouraging that the magazine has been able to thrive in a very challenging market. Many magazines don't get past their first issue or two, and print publications are losing ad revenue and page count for a variety of reasons. Yet CLN has maintained top-notch quality without outside advertising. It's also great to see that a magazine devoted to artistic nude photography is doing so well, with most issues selling out of their press run. Congratulations to Carrie and her team for two excellent years, and continued success in the future!

If you're interested in getting a copy of the Fall 2009 issue, I'd suggest pre-ordering from their website. $9.95 postpaid for a limited time, which is two bucks off the cover price, plus it's delivered right to your mailbox. (on edit: it's now $11.95 plus $3 postage, but it's still conveeeenient.) If you prefer to buy on the newstand, I've found previous issues to be readily available at most Barnes & Noble stores, usually in the photography section, or in the "gentlemen's" section along with Playboy/Maxim, etc. Start looking around November 18. Either way, I hope you'll check it out!

This shot of Reven was one of the contenders, so check the issue to see if it was included.

Unsettled

Well, I'm moved but still unsettled. With a big assist from Ron, last night I got my stuff out of the old space, and most of it into the new space. Some went into storage, some went home, and more of it will probably end up at Goodwill, but for now, it's in a stack in the middle of the room. There's a promising amount of photogenic filth on three of the walls, and a freshly drywalled area that's just begging to be primed and painted black (or white?). I also noticed last night that in addition to no windows, there's not even a radiator, so hard to say what the temperature will be like in the closed system. I do have a couple space heaters for if it gets too cold. Anyway, I want to do a bit more cleaning before I try to "settle into" the space.

One big advantage the new space offers is the nearby restrooms are by far the cleanest I've seen in the entire studio "complex" -- I believe the machine shop next door must be responsible for that. Thanks guys! I'm sure the models will thank you, too. (And thanks again, Ron!)

This shot is the lovely Angie, who I need to get into the new space soon!

The windowless room

Well, for the many of you who have been eagerly awaiting my decision, I've opted for a small studio space, at least on a short-term basis. One substantial change... no windows, so I'll be working with studio lights, in addition to my "shoot and dash" method around the vicinity. I'll have to see how I like the space, while I keep my eyes open for other spectacular studio opportunities.

This is Danaid, who helped me inaugurate my previous studio a while back.

Let's Get Tropical.

Although this was shot in Ohio, for some reason, the foliage makes me think of California... maybe because I watched "Semi-Pro" last weekend, about the fictional ABA team, the Flint Tropics.

That's Amy Rose, soaking up the shade.

On the set

This is a shot from two Junes ago of Trishy, shortly before her "retirement" from modeling. It was excellent getting to work with her, but I thought I'd post this shot partly because it occurred to me that, although it looks like any old run-down house with peeling wallpaper, it was actually part of a movie location set in the Antelope Valley. I think that Jennifer Lopez movie "U-Turn" was shot, in part, at this location, as well as various others.

Compare the shot of Trishy with this shot of Xaina, from an actual abandoned hotel in Detroit. Shooting at the set had something of an advantage in that the building was actually somewhat structurally sound, and was certainly easier to get around. But there was a lot more variety in Detroit, along with a lot more broken glass. To her credit, for Xaina, the grungier a location is, the better.

Thanks to both models for their dedication!

Studio change

Since I got serious about photography, I've had three "permanent" studio spaces, in addition to the countless borrowed spaces, surreptitious locations, hotels and such. So, seems the time is drawing near to leave studio space number 3, and I'm considering a few other options... the space I'm leaving had a lot going for it, as well as a few problems, but overall it's been a very productive time there. One of the big attractions of the space was the giant wall of windows that sometimes worked for me, and sometimes worked against me. The nasty hardwood floor also had a lot of charm to it. Still, it was starting to feel a bit "used up" in some respects, so moving on may be just the thing...

That's Galetea at the top and bottom, with Alexis in between.

Red Dress

Another one from a while back, Jennifer B in what amounts to her trashing her prom dress a few years after the fact. She'd already removed the lining and was left with sort of tattered lace shell, which she pretty much destroyed during the shoot. I like the warm colors from that chilly basement.

Fall

Definitely autumn here in Ohio... chilly to downright cold, winter coat out, space heaters going, furnace on for that first blast of faintly smoky "furnace air" that I enjoy on some primordial level, a little like the distant smell of burning leaves... we'll "fall back" in a couple weeks so it doesn't get dark quite so soon. Supposed to have a bit of "Indian Summer" this week, so I may try to get out and enjoy that while it lasts.

So, to counter that somewhat, here's a couple shots from June when things were quite a bit warmer... although you can't really tell from these shots. The model has changed her stage name at least twice since then, so I'll just refer to her as it was when I shot with her: Cry Kitten.

Resurfacing

This is Victoria out in the middle of farm country, northwest Ohio.

Outside looking in

Is that the same as insight?

Model: Victoria Vertuga, shot in plain view of the street on a Sunday morning.