Cheeky...

Just a different perspective this afternoon...

Crash

Had a little mishap out on the icy overpass Monday night... looks like the car is toast, but I'm OK, apart from a few aches and pains this morning. It was a chain reaction of crashes -- one car tapped another which spun out, and another car hit it. Other cars tried to stop to avoid the accident and either crashed or were targets for other projectiles. It was just over the crest of a hill, so even under good conditions, it would have been tough to avoid hitting cars randomly stopped in the middle of the offramp. Weird thing is, it was almost an exact replay of an accident I had about 20 years ago on a Super Bowl Sunday...

Apart from the fact that nobody was seriously hurt and that I'm OK (and that nobody was cited), the "miracle" of the evening is that I had most of my "traveling" photo gear in the trunk -- lights, stands, tripod, etc -- which took a pretty direct impact from a pretty big SUV, and everything appears to be just fine. Again, similar to my wreck way back when. Spooky... there are various other ironies and coincidences that go along with it, too, but I'll spare you.

So anyone have a good used car for sale near southwest Ohio?

Here's Amaya, projecting a mood reflecting how I'm feeling about the wreck and the aftermath I'll get to deal with in the next couple weeks.

I'm thinking about having a print sale to raise some funds... if you'd be interested in purchasing a print or three at reasonable prices, let me know.

Sometimes I'm not quite sure what to say...

Well, the busy weekend has come and gone, with lots of highs and a few low points (for contrast I suppose). Had productive, if brief, shoots with Orixx, Ayden, Crystallynn/Rez, Jesslynn, Ayla, Justin, and last but not least, the always inspiring Iris. The Dirty Show was a good time, and I was happy to see that one of my exhibit pieces sold (at last). Congrats also to Adam, Vato, Andi, Frank, Johnny Flamethrower, and everyone else who sold, too. Have had a variety of weird signals the past few days that I'm trying to sort out, so will suspend judgment. Also laughed more than I remember laughing in a long time. What's it all add up to? I'll try to figure that out, but until I do, here's Amaya.

PS. Anyone in Detroit and/or Columbus who reads this and knows of a studio or location (almost any space would do) that I can borrow for an afternoon in the next few weeks, please contact me by leaving a comment, and include a way I can reach you. Thanks!

Affairs of state

When I first started working with nude models, I showed a set of images to a woman I know, and the first observation out of her mouth was "Well, you'll never be able to run for public office now." I'm not sure if that implies she'd somehow considered me someone who was likely to run for office, or someone who should, or maybe it was just because we frequently discussed politics from nearly opposite ends of the spectrum.

So, maybe that explains why I'm encouraged to read about the "serious relationship" between French President Sarkozy and model/singer Carla Bruni (shown at right in a shot by Mario Testino). At one point, Bruni was one of the top fashion/glamour models in the world, and like most international models, has done her share of tasteful topless and nude work. And now it appears that she may be the next "First Lady" of France, so that's progress of a sort. I haven't heard of any outcry from the French citizens about this part of her resume, although there's the usual buzz and gossip that goes with a politician dating a celebrity. Reminds me of a few years back when Laetitia Casta was chosen to be the model for Marianne, the French symbol for the spirit of France and the revolution. Her face and figure are celebrated in public buildings, stamps, etc. in spite of (or perhaps due to) her forays into nude modeling.

Now, it's a long way from Paris to Ohio, but perhaps the day will arrive when someone who has done work as a art nude/erotic photographer or model would be able to be a serious political candidate in the US. (I'm not sure Mary Carey counts.) Probably would need to be a pretty liberal place initially (Seattle, San Francisco), but as long as there isn't an effort to "cover it up," it might not be that big a negative to hold against him/her. Or maybe I'm just dreaming... this shot is the stately Amaya, driving another nail into the coffin of my political career.