That’s how long I’ve been running this blog…Three Years now, this August. I really didn’t know what the hell I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted to get with the times and get my art in the eyes of my viewers and readers. A few people picked up on me and I acquired a few mentors with bigger names that put me on the map. Eolake Stobblehouse of Domai.com and Chris St. James of Univers d’Artistes were among the first to spot me, advise me, and feature me on their own blogs. Along came Iris Dassault, model/photog, who came to notice me somehow and even scared the mess out of me when she later told me said she’d be in Vegas soon and would like to model for me. Iris is a world renown art model who has been shot by the best of the best and featured all over the place. The first thought that came to my mind, naturally, was “WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO WITH, IRIS DASSAULT!?!” I didn’t see how I was going to do anything that would have compared with anything she’d done before. How was I going to produce a photo shoot that she’d deem as worth her while. I began to scramble and get some help from some locals. One guy understood my plight and offered me the use of his studio and his expertise.
It was only after a few others did the same that I began to think to myself that I might be getting set up by those that were more intent on shooting Iris themselves, more than helping me. That actually helped steel my resolve a little more. I came up with a plan and calmed down. I kept telling myself that she is just another model, which may not have been true but I needed to believe it anyway. I gained more confidence by understanding that I did have something to contribute and I had my own unique style and editing that, for damn sure compared with the “greater” artists. They may have had more resources than me, lights, props, etc., but when it came down to the shot…I felt I was right there in the mix. Then Iris’ travel plans changed and she didn’t get to come to Vegas. I never got to shoot her. It was still a lesson learned though.
Dave Rudin was another powerhouse that got to come my way. I saw his work and felt I could identify with his style. He’s got my fave pic of all time…not just favorite nude, or favorite B&W…I’m talking favorite picture that has ever been photographically captured. It’s his shot of Carlotta Champagne amongst some rocks shot out here near Vegas that I simply adore. Dave has come to Vegas often and we’ve gotten to visit on several occasions mainly having breakfast, a few dinners, and we’ve caught a few shows. He even made one of my workshops when I was running my Las Vegas Art Models Group and hung out with me at my favorite camera shop, B&C camera. I don’t want to miss him when he comes to town. At the very least we always have breakfast at the Original Pancake house. I get the French Toast. We also talk often on the phone and I was surprised when he put me on a three way call with he and Dave Levingston…another icon in the business. DaveL would I guess be DaveR’s mentor of sorts. I wish I could get around to visit DaveL sometime. I’ve only got to visit DaveR once in New York when I went there this time last year for my birthday. DaveR hung out my myself and my Malaysian/Grad-school friend, Shwu Huoy (who at 90 pounds is one of the smartest women I know who can still lead a managerial team like a drilll sergeant.)
I’ve had several other mentors who have kept tabs on me but none quite so much like Unbearable Lightness. Now THIS woman is a phenomenon. Yes, she’s over 65 and is a model of hotness…pun intended. I noticed her for the first time when she became a co-blogger with Iris Dassault. To be honest, (and she doesn’t know this so don’t say anything), I was a little perturbed that she signed on with Iris. I didn’t know who she was and I followed Iris’ blog to read Iris, not anybody else. I didn’t know why she was taking up space on a blog that was already a great one. The first time I read one of her posts was by accident. Up until this point, I’d skip over her postings to get to Iris’. (Damn, she’s going to never talk to me again after this.) She had a point of discussion that I thought was from Iris and I read it with glee. (Did I just say “glee”?) It wasn’t til I had finished it that I began to go back over some of her points to organize my own comment that I realized that it was a post by Unbearable Lightness.
I sat back for a second and the thought occurred to me that I may have erred in judgement. I began to go back over some of her other posts and was quickly becoming a fan. When another blogger joined Iris’ blog, I reverted back to the same sentiments. “Damn. Who is this other person invading Iris’ and U.L.’s space?” Eventually, U.L. got her own blog…a few actually, and I followed her around like a puppy. You have to ask yourself what has made her so popular. As much as I’d love to say its her brain, methinks it’s her body first. Yes, she’s hawt. And the fact that she didn’t even start modeling til she was 59 is an enigma. Why did she deny us for all those years? I’d have loved to have seen a journey of U.L. from back in the day til now. But I also submit that hotness and good looks will only grant you favors and boons for only so long. What has kept us is the fact that she writes with an ability to command your attention, make you feel relevant, and entertain you as well. In a span of 2 hours, she’ll have had 23 comments on a blog post. This isn’t over a day’s time. This is as shoot as she hits the little orange button that says, “PUBLISH POST”, people know about it and are all to eager to be first to leave a comment. I know this because I’ve gone “Damn, somebody beat me!” when I thought I would have been first to make a post. Don’t act like I am the only one to do this. A recent post had 23 commentators in less than 2 hours! I think the most I’ve had is a little over 10 and half were my own responses.
To many of us, I think she’s like that really good looking 3rd grade home room teacher, or your 9th grade Spanish teacher who’s got the really big boobs. Yeah, they get your attention with the physical aspects, but they keep you with their ability to involve you and interest you in what comes out of their mouths. The fact that she is a teacher, professor actually, is a testament to that analogy. She has the gravitational energy to attract us into her orbit. I’ve watched her followers grow to over a hundred now. Hell, I’ve got 18 and I feel special. She collects followers like a hobby. But she is not only being followed. She’s also a follower herself. I have no idea how she tracks so many artist’s works the way she does. Nobody has commented on my blog more than she has, sometimes being the sole commentator on many of my posts. I can find some obscure artist with a blog post and U.L. has already noticed it and left a comment. I gotta say, its encouraging for anybody to get interest and blog participation from U.L. I constantly refer beginner models to her site who ask what an art model should be.
I think a greater question can be made when we decide what we will do when or if U.L. decides to no longer participate with us. We’ve had this discussion before. If you’ve tracked her long enough, you may have seen a few times, where she’s been pissed enough to call it quites. Right now, she blogs almost daily as if its her responsibility to us. You might even wonder if there was some Senate bill that was passed into law over the last few years mandating her to blog. So if you’re reading this, Don’t friggin’ piss her off! We’d like to keep her around as long as she wants to do this. We all like her for various reasons. She’s kind, but thorough in her criticisms and observations. She’s relevant and factual in her debates. She’s not afraid to bring up subjects that some might conversely shy away from. She has the gravity of the sun and she perspires sugar. Okay, so she’s a superwoman and the fact remains that she’s a phenom. Where is your comparison? There is none. I may take flattery to the dramatic heights of a soap opera, but you cannot deny my facts.
The pics you see are my top 5 pics that have received the most hits on my website, PhotoAnthems.com, for the year so far, in order.
“No matter how bad things get, you got to go on living, even if it kills you.” – Sholom Aleichem
Back when I had an office last year
This won’t be a long post, and indeed, I had intended to blog about another matter. That can wait I guess. I think I’d much rather give you an update to the new/updated blog authored by Stephen Haynes, “Truth and Justice for All“. I’ve already touted Mr. Haynes as the quintessential “Go-To” guy concerning the issues related to legal matters of photography, especially regarding 2257. So I wanted to make a special blog post to acknowledge the change in his blog from his Magic Flute Blog to this new one. Why the change? Well Stephen can best tell you about it on his “Disappeared by Google” menu tab. Suffice to say, the man is pissed with Google and he want to take more control over his blog content.
Taken by Model, Joanie…oh yeah, she’s a photog, too.
Don’t be scared…my face doesn’t stay like this.
I most certainly invite you to visit his blog and familiarize yourself with the new layout. One thing in particular that I found intriguing is his menu option for Index to Key Posts. Initially, I thought it was probably a list of his most popular posts, but not at all. I found this to be a vital resource of organized informative articles arranged by category. Wanna see his posts about 2257? Direct links are there. Are you being persecuted and harassed for your photography by the “Man”? Check out his War on Photography category. Have concerns about doing street photography? Its there.
Magic Shave depilatory cream. Its how the brotha’s sometimes shave. TMI?
Simply put, there is a plethora of information…valuable information regarding your rights as a photographer. The man is a retired attorney and writes with a skilled hand. He knows the legal ends and outs dealing with what’s important to you because he’s also a widely acclaimed photographer. Oh…my bad. Yeah, that’s the other reason to check him out. The guy’s got some of the most incredible nudes that you’ll want to see. I’ve updated my link to his blog, so be sure you do the same. He still has his main website showcasing his site, Magic Flute Fine Art Photography. So I fully recommend reviewing his work. I’ve made this post not so much to promote him…that’s secondary, but rather to help you with information you can benefit from. Take advantage.
Bathroom mirror inside City Center, Las Vegas
Segue…
I have been searching through my photo archives for the past 2 weeks looking for a few photos from a year or so ago, that I cannot seem to find. I did however come across several shots that I took, but never did anything with, as well as some that I edited, but subsequently forgot about. Most of these were misplaced because they were left on my CF card when I started shooting another project and which then got loaded up with that project in the same folder. So these are the shots you’re viewing now. Of all these, I decided to portray the many faces of Terrell.
Me so scruffy
True story…
I was in Wal-Mart earlier this week getting a few much needed food supplies. As I turned down the soup isle, there was an elderly couple midway down and I witnessed the man kissing the woman on the neck. As I got closer, I heard the woman ask him, “So which one do you want?”…referring to the selections of soup brands. About that time I was right behind the man and as he embraced her shoulders, he replied to her, “Sweetheart, all I want is you…”. It was such an endearing statement, I couldn’t help myself and said, “Awww, How PRECIOUS!”. To which the man jumped around, startled at first, then breathed a sigh of relief and said, “WHEW! I though you were her husband!”
“I think we’re going to the moon because it’s in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It’s by the nature of his deep inner soul… we’re required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream.”
~ Neil Armstrong
Taking a break from the nudes for a spell. Thought I’d post some other work I got to play with the other night. Friends, Joanie, Darryl, and I went out for a night shoot, back out to the dry lake bed. I really didn’t feel like going but since Joanie and Darryl had to pass by my place to get there, she decided to just pick me up. I hadn’t been out of the house in a while or away from editing photos for quite some time, so I figured, oh well. Joanie had her son with her and the two of them had been shooting for the better part of the day already. As it turns out, the kid’s got some skills slingin’ lenses around and he learns quick. The two of them were doing their own thing while I played around with a couple of Darryl’s lenses to play with the moon.
We were deep into a dry lake bed, but you could still see a steady stream of traffic along the highway. I decided to play with the wide-angle and get some hand-held long exposures. I knew I’d get light trails from the traffic, but since the moon was low enough, I moved the lens around a bit and these are the shots I ended up with. As my first one came out fairly interesting, I decided to play some more and came up with some interesting designs and light play. This is painting with light from the moon.
On another note, I got to watch a movie that I wasn’t all that sure about, but sounded interesting and it had Helen Mirren in it. I know…’nuff said! “Age of Consent”, 1969 which also starred, James Mason. I don’t know him from too many movies, but there was something I recalled him from. I looked him up and it was from the 1977 hit, “Jesus of Nazareth” that I recognized him.
This is the Wikipedia plot summary:
“Bradley Morahan (James Mason) is an Australian artist who feels he has become jaded by success and life in New York City. He decides that he needs to regain the edge he had as a young artist and returns to Australia. He sets up in a shack on the shore of a small, sparsely-inhabited island on the Great Barrier Reef. There he meets young Cora Ryan (Helen Mirren), who has grown up wild, with her only relative, her difficult, gin-guzzling grandmother ‘Ma’ (Neva Carr-Glynn). To earn money, Cora sells Bradley fish that she has caught in the sea. She later sells him a chicken which she has stolen from his spinster neighbor Isabel Marley (Andonia Katsaros). When Bradley is suspected of being the thief, he pays Isabel and gets Cora to promise not to steal anymore. To help her save enough money to fulfill her dream of becoming a hairdresser in Brisbane, he pays her to be his model. She reinvigorates him, becoming his artistic muse.”
“Hands of God”
There were lots of things I liked about this movie. Let me just wrap up the first three,
1. Helen Mirren,
2. Helen Mirren nude,
3. Helen Mirren nude often.
Beyond that, I’d say I totally relate to the movie’s theme of artist and muse. I won’t go as far as to say OLD artist, teen-age muse; just artist and muse. The movie was shot on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the artist goes there and makes a home out of a raggedy old shanty of a cabin. Its perfect. He doesn’t have much in terms of comfort, just the minimal sustenances in supplies and has canvas, paint, and other art materials shipped to himself. He also has the company of his dog, Godfrey. I couldn’t help but to continuously imagine myself in the same situation with my long gone Doberman, Keenan. This was a beautiful setting with so many places to shoot and just be at peace with no one around except your muse.
The only part I was having a difficult time trying to wrap my brain around is the title, Age of Consent. This is usually connotated with a legal determination of whether or not consensual sex involves a minor or not, but a young person, nonetheless, which may be different from one jurisdiction to the next. Sex wasn’t the theme of this story. At one point the artist is accused of the girl’s grandmother of paying her granddaughter to have sex. And a few times the point is made that the girl is under-aged. So then the issue isn’t one of sexual nature, but rather the moral ethics of using a minor as a nude model. This, in and of itself is not technically illegal, (but I don’t want to get into that), so there really isn’t a Age of Consent issue in that regard. Its not until the very end of the movie that Helen gets pissed that he is only interested in her as a model. To which she runs into the ocean and he chases after her pledging that its not true. They embrace after the artist confesses how much she means to him for giving him back his passion. That is the only time the issue of Age of Consent pops up in my mind because you’re instantly reminded of the grandmother’s haggling voice yelling that she’s under-aged. You are led to believe that they get together, even though in his repentant rant, he never says, I love you or pledges a commitment.
“Binary”
Good movie. I am fairly certain, I’ve posted this 10 minute short film here before, but I came across it again and well, here it is for your enjoyment one mo’ gin, “The Perils in Nude Modeling“
“The music that really turns me on is either running toward God or away from God. Both recognize the pivot, that God is at the center of the jaunt.” – Bono
Well…So, what do you think? You haven’t even noticed the new changes have you? Now I feel like the girl who gets her hair done and her man doesn’t even notice! Fine, I’ll just point it out then…
If you will cast your eyes to the top, just below the header, you’ll now notice I’ve added a menu bar where you can view additional pages to the blog. Some were along the right column and some are new. But now you can click on the menu options and get a bit more detail ABOUT ME, ABOUT THIS BLOG, well…you can read. So I invite you to peruse the menu bar and check out the newness of Photo Anthems Blog. I liked it. You’ll also notice I’ve added a slide show on the right. Its the best I could do. I wanted to add on that featured a particular gallery of images, but Blogger doesn’t seem to allow that, at least as far as I can tell. These are pretty much all the images that have been posted on my blog, but they also include the comic strips and any other pics that I’ve posted that are not personally owned by me.
What is the Artist’s Paradox? I know I’m not the only one dealing with this dilemma, but it does frustrate me to no end that we live in an age of tech geniuses where just about anything is possible, yet artists can’t get protection for their work. I’m talking reasonable protection, that is. I know there are ways to circumvent anything. Its a war of upsmanship. (I don’t think that’s a word, but it expresses my point). Much like the viral wars, as any new security feature is invented, somebody creates a virus or hack to breech it. Then the tech powers that be, have to plug the hole. And it creates a never ending cycle. That’s been the nature of war since Cain. I’m sure Seth then came up with the idea for a helmet.
Model, Melissa
The only absolute answer most people will reply with (usually non-artists) is, “Well, if you don’t want your stuff stolen, DON’T put in in the world wide web!” True, but that’s like telling us abstinence is the only thing that’s 100% guaranteed to prevent unwanted pregnancies or STDs. It might be correct, but do we really want to stop having sex? No, we do assume a certain level of risk, but we at least have the option of reasonable protection in a condom. Its not 100%. They do fail at times but that failure rate is reasonable and its mainly due to user error. Not only that, we don’t pay the equivalent of a car payment for a condom and they are not only for the upper echelon of the social classes. Bentleys…yes. Condoms…no. I don’t have 12 Bentleys in a garage, but I’ve got 12 condoms in a box…wait, maybe less. (Crass, I know).
“Old Hacienda”, Model Samantha
All I’m saying is that I wish somebody’d satisfy the artist’s need…dare I say, compulsion to share and display their art with reasonable protections against theft. I know there’s somebody that can get your stuff whatever you do, but damn I don’t want to make it easy for the masses. If you break into my house, you’ve got to do some damage and you risk discovery very easily. People on the web are way too anonymous. Where is all this coming from? Well, I’ve always felt this way. Many of the popular online galleries we use don’t have adequate protection. Model Mayhem doesn’t. They moderate sites for decency which protects their interests, but have no security features to protect our’s. Model Brigade, however does, only they are not as popular. One Model Place also does. Deviant Art does not and its very popular world wide. I’ve recently found a profile that spits obvious theft like an old diesel engine spits oil. Yes, there is the “style” of images that are not the same throughout the gallery. But there are other clues as well. For those grade of images, you’d think the creator would have a watermark on them. He’d have a website or another reference linking back to more of his work. There would be contact information to solicit more work. Meta data for the camera used, date the pick was taken, focal length, etc. might be displayed. This profile was completely blank. No ID. No About Me. Nothing except for commentary of other people saying, “Love your work”. I did a quick TINEYE.com search on one of the images and despite the title profile identifying him as a US student, I found the author of the work to be in the Ukraine. A few more searches came up with more European and Russian authors. Deviant Art only deleted the one image when they should have deleted the profile. I found this same instance a year or so back only the profile user was selling the images he stole. This passive style of “protection” should be more proactive in my humble opinion.
“Sun Bath”, Model Samantha
What can we do? Keep exposing ourselves to risk? That doesn’t make good business since, though. Maybe that’s where the adage “Starving Artists” originated from. I often hear about talented artists who never make it because of lack of business savvy. On the other hand, how many times have you seen a guy making millions and you KNOW your work is better. Chances are, he or she was a better marketer and promoter of themselves. People make money on less talented work every day. So what do we do, my friends? Is there a better way? I may have to look into this further, but I also have to take a look at the man in the mirror and I ask the same of you. Who among you has a boot-leg movie from the guy who approached you in the Wal-Mart parking lot? How about a fake Rolex, software, perfume, or a Gucci bag? Who has unlocked an iPhone or is big on movie/music sharing? It would seem like its part of our nature to circumvent the rules even if we justify them as Us Against Big Business, or Sticking It to the Man! I’ll let you draw that line. In the meantime, I want to protect my stuff.
“If you want total security, go to prison. There you’re fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking… is freedom.”
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
~ Ernest Hemingway
Every now and again, all photographers run into some kind of ordeal with their models. I’ve been very fortunate to not have had this happen to often. Most times, probably since I have been a model, I get along with my models and we do some great work in a collaborative effort that brings credit to the both of us. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m starting this blog post off in the wrong way. I’m giving you the impression that an episode transpired between myself and a model that I have worked with. Well, YES and NO. Yes, an episode occurred, but NO, it was not by the free will of the model. This actually had to do with a model whom later married and now said husband has issues. Thereby forcing an undesired episode between the aforementioned model and myself.
Another opportunity with Joanie
I feel it necessary to discuss the matter because for one, it is front and centered on my mind for the last two days or so. I hate drama. I detest it. This is drama that has arisen from a model I worked with more than 3 years ago. While we have spoken often in that time, our communications came to almost a halt when she got married about a year ago and now I fully understand why. Now this girl and I were very tight. We were friends for a good year before I even worked with her. It was just before I came to Vegas when she asked about posing for me before I left. This girl is close enough of a friend that I refuse her nothing. She had special requests and I accommodated. We did a lot of great work, even though I was frustrated in that I had no more pro-grade film. I had just finished school and had used every last roll I had. So I was stuck using consumer-grade along with out-dated slide film that my instructor gave away at the end of the semester. Okay, I digress.
At the heart of the matter is that the new husband is not keen on my friend/his wife having male friends. It matters little that I now live roughly 1800 miles away. Presently, contact has been shut off with the exception of a request to remove all her images from the web. Granted, I have a model release. I could do whatever I wish, but out of respect for her, I chose to acquiesce to her behest. This came about after I kept getting requests earlier this year to see more of this model by an someone using an unknown identity. After a while, I became somewhat anxious about the situation and warned the model as I had reason to believe she might know this person. I took the precautions of scrubbing all my profiles, sites, and blogs of all of her images because I simply didn’t know who this creep was.
All was quiet until I decided to resurrect and re-edit some of this model’s images. I used only anonymous shots and even asked for permission to display them again. In no time, Creepy-guy was back again. I had had enough. I wasted no time doing search after search with what little info I had and plugged in assumptions for the rest. I finally discovered the possibility that the culprit was either an in-law or her husband. I didn’t know for sure in either case and I could have been totally wrong all together. I contacted the model and let her know my suspicions, which I needed for her to confirm or negate. My next contact was going to be friends in the area that could easily put a face to my enigma and dissuade any further harassment. When she discovered it was her own husband trying to “test” my responses, what could I do? His repeated tests to ascertain whether or not I am an honorable man were exhaustive and futile. I never showed him and especially not her any disrespect. He should have gotten a clue when I pulled all my images of her the first time because I thought he was a creep. I never identified her or even used her real name. He was suspicious of me profiting off of her. I’ve never made a dime! If all that didn’t illustrate that I had her best interests at heart, what would have? I’ve only been a good friend to this girl and now, to alleviate any more difficulties in her marriage, I have to willfully bow out and agree to act as if I ever met her. That’s bullshit. The main thing that gets me is the grief from thinking my friend may have been in danger. I don’t understand why either of us had to be put through that. So now I volunteered, for her sake, to show him the ultimate show of respect and walk away. His wife-card trumps my friend-card in every hand. I only hope this doesn’t get worse for her. She may as well don a burka.
Sam… being a BAD GIRL! I don’t treat all my models like this. Sam can handle it, though.
I want to thank everyone else, especially Unbearable Lightness and AlexB for helping me not make any rash or hasty decisions. I got several acknowledgements that I was doing the right thing by my model and I appreciate that. Can you tell that this really bothered me? Yeah, she meant a lot to me. I hate to lose her on these terms. It was difficult to even write this. I don’t want her to think I am writing this out of anger for her and its not my intent to be disparaging to her husband. At the same time, I didn’t initiate any of this and all my efforts and dealings with his wife have been honorable. This is the primary reason I respond the way I do when a model asks, “Is it okay for my husband/boyfriend to come along?” But that opens up the door for personal choices in policies. For me, I never let the significant other accompany us in a shoot. Ain’t happening. Okay, its done.
“Each day is a special gift from God, and while life may not always be fair, you must never allow the pains, hurdles, and handicaps of the moment to poison your attitude and plans for yourself and your future. You can never win when you wear the ugly cloak of self-pity, and the sour sound of whining will certainly frighten away any opportunity for success. Never again. There is a better way.” – Og Mandino
Its hard not to be constantly reminded about the tough economic times in which we find ourselves in. Especially if you live here in Las Vegas, which is now the worst in the nation, you are constantly bombarded with sights and pressures of poor economic conditions. You can check out the different indicators that tell us how healthy the economy is, much in the same way you might see monitors hooked up to a patient in the hospital that measure heart rate, blood pressure, and vital signs. NPR’s “All Things Considered” did a recent report that discussed the effects of unemployment in the nation and covered the debate as to whether or not the Unemployment Extention will have a positive effect on the economy or if it will simply be another drag on the nations already multi-trillion dollar debt. While Republicans filibuster the current bill, (H.R.4213 – American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010), citing the fact that America can’t afford it, Democrats claim that the unemployment extension will actually have a positive effect on the economy. According to Moody’s Analytics, for every dollar that goes out in unemployment benefits, the economy gets a $1.61 stimulus shot in the arm. Now, I’ve got a minor in economics, but I haven’t looked up how that figure is calculated, but either way, it can still be debated, as the Republicans are currently doing.
Another shoot with the lovely Sam at my place
There are measurements and monitors that gauge every aspect about our economy. We know tourism was up slightly last month from the flights and hotel bookings. We can measure the recent slight drop in unemployment and sadly deduce that its wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The drop was due to less people actually looking for work, moving away because they may have lost their benefits. Vegas is like the water hole on that one National Geographic episode where you see lions, elephants, hippos, and alligators jockeying for position around the best spots, when only muddy slim remains. I don’t know…maybe its not that bad, but can that vision be far off.
I’ll tell you one thing that isn’t being measured and that’s the health of families. I’m struggling to make it, myself, but all around me, I see families being ripped asunder. Just a little while ago, I couldn’t help but to listen outside my apartment door to a woman who was talking on the phone to her man. She was basically fed up with their current situation as she described how she’s barely able to take care of her two girls and how he’s become distant and is avoiding them. The woman was pissed. At times, she spoke as if they were problem solving, but in an instant she’d hammer him with something that he was being insensitive about or that he wasn’t doing enough. I’d hate to be here with a family right now. I most definitely wouldn’t stay. I’m glad my kids are not here. They are both grown and are holding down their own fairly well. A mother with two girls, though?? And a father who is obviously feeling less of a man?? It makes me think about some of these fathers you hear about that just up and leave. Or the mom who goes to the grocery store but never comes back. Will this couple inevitably divorce? Who’s to say. Even if the economy heals and they both find jobs, the damage is done. Even if their relationship heals over, there remains yet still a scar.
How do the children fair? I heard no evidence as to the children’s welfare in the woman’s conversation, but you can only imagine. My kids were pretty hardy and understanding. My ex-wife and I showed them enough love that they understood times were tough and they acted accordingly. I don’t recall them bitching about not having the finer things like some of their friends. At times, our hardships were precious. We have one particular remembrance that we refer to as “Christmas Out of the Trunk”. My wife and I were determined to have a Christmas for the kids and we finally got them toys and gifts at the last minute. There was no time to wrap anything. We just gathered around the trunk of the car and said, Merry Christmas! Times weren’t always that bad of course, but I am highly thankful and most grateful to my kids, even Jeremy, for being so understanding during those tough times. I am here for my own reasons and I stay here for the same. I could go back to Texas where the economy fairs much better, but that’s not where I need to be right now. My mission is not complete here and I refuse to be driven away by economic issues. The time is not right, yet. I stay because I feel I must. Stubborn…yes. I won’t deny it. But I’m here, damn it. And I’ll get it done. When or if I leave, it will be of my own choosing. But what are we going to do about these families who have more responsibilities than I do? How do we measure the pain of broken homes and scarred children? I don’t know, but in the meanwhile, I hope this unemployment extension bill passes soon. Its no where near enough, but for many families, its certainly better than nothing.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
~ The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776
I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday today. I’ve got several memorable July 4th holiday celebrations, but this year will be a tad bit more calm for me. It always particularly special for me when my kids were younger and we’d do whatever fireworks we bought and grill some meat…steak or fish, out back. Actually, this July 4th is a bit more special this year for another reason, though. Today is the 100th anniversary of “The Fight of the Century” where Jack Johnson’s defeated James Jeffries in a Mega-fight. He had already become the first Black Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the world two years before. Jeffries was the last “Great White Hope” to stand a chance at regaining the Title and restoring it to the white race. The fight even took place here in Nevada, but not in Las Vegas as you might think. I don’t think Vegas was the capitol of the world for boxing venues at the time, although I could be wrong. The fight took place in Reno, instead. It was an NPR segment which brought the significance of the date to my attention.
“Tripartition”
He was already a star at this point, but on July 4, 1910, Jack Johnson became the first black SUPER celebrity. Lots of controversy surrounded this man. He collided with White-America, Congress, the media, and even some of his Black constituents who never saw him as a pioneer, role model, or civil rights activist. They contended that he was more on the look-out for the advancement of himself, much less colored people and Johnson gave them plenty of reasons to hold to those opinions. He frequently consorted with prostitutes and had a strong penchant for white women, which many-a-white people could not stand. Remember this is the early 1900’s and his victories in the ring, his open flings with white women, and his tendency to flash is cash drove white people crazy. If I recall correctly, I think I read that he got $65,000 for that fight. Jeffries had already retired from boxing with an undefeated career. With one win after another, Jack London, (yeah…”The Call of the Wild, Sea Wolf, White Fang”…THAT Jack London) had finally had enough. I know he is widely celebrated, especially among literary academics, but the dude was a racist from where I stand. His argument and fear of Asians taking over the world was just as distasteful and evident in his essay, “The Yellow Peril”. London, I believe, coined the term “Great White Hope”, in his pleads for a white man to step up and beat Johnson. He helped persuade James Jefferies to come out of retirement and return to the ring. Now in his defense, I don’t know why Jefferies took this fight. He hadn’t fought in 6 years and it was reported that he had to lose 80 pounds to get back to fighting weight. He was beaten badly and soundly. I believe I read one ESPN analyst state that he might have gone down as one of the best fighters ever had he NOT fought Johnson.
“This fellow, Johnson, is a fair fighter, but he is a black. And for that reason, I will never fight him. If I were not champion, I would as soon meet a negro as any other man, but the title will never go to a black man, if I can help it.”
– James Jeffries, before he was finally persuaded to regain the Title
“Theoretical Brickhouse”
It was the federal government that finally came to the aid of white supremacists. And mind you, this isn’t just white supremacists like the KKK. These are white people who would be outright offended if you were to call them racists. They simply did not see themselves that way. Johnson operated outside the norm and the regular societal hierarchy of the times and this simply could not be allowed. I may need to check this fact out, but the race riots that were as of a result of the fight was second in its wide-spread effect only to the Martin Luther King assassination. (Nat Turner led a slave revolt…not so much a riot.) Most of these riots were as of a result of police trying to quell African-Americans celebrating in the streets. Wikipedia has a death toll of 23 blacks and 2 whites across the nation with untold numbers injured. But back to the feds… Congress initially pass a bill banning interracial boxing films from crossing state lines which was a source of Johnson’s income. This severely limited his earnings power. But the next blow was a loose interpretation of the Mann Act (Anti-White Slavery Act), which forbade crossing state-lines with women for immoral purposes. Jack Johnson made a living criss-crossing the U.S. and frequently did so with white prostitutes. He was tried and convicted even before the bill became law. Johnson, once convicted, fled the US and lived abroad through much of his prime fighting career. He finally returned serve his year+1 day jail sentence. President Obama is being pressed right now to posthumously grant Johnson a pardon. A bill to pardon him in 2008, under Pres. Bush passed the House but SOMEHOW failed in the Senate. Why? Who knows… So, for this Independence Day, I think is appropriate to give props to Jack Johnson. I plan on watching the 2005 PBS documentary, “Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson“, tonight. Enjoy these shots of Melissa.
“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” ~Ansel Adams
First, I want to say thank you to Stephen Haynes for his commentary on my last blog post regarding copyrights. Posting a link on his blog, Magic Flute Fine Art Nudes was definitely a kind enough gesture and I appreciate that. His own blog link has been on my blog roll for some time as a resource to all of you and I honestly hope that you visit it often, first to admire the artwork of a master, but second to be privy to the issues that face photographers and what you can do about it. As I mentioned in the last post, Mr. Haynes is on hiatus from the blog, but he has not taken it down or denied anyone access to it. You can most definitely learn a great deal from heeding the words of this professional. I’ve had to address with two models issues regarding 2257 and you can guess who’s book I am referencing again before I speak on the matter. I’m afraid it might be prudent for many of us who have an affinity for the artistic nude to become a little more familiar with this issue as it presently stands. Having the means to protect yourself with due diligence cannot be outside the scope of wisdom. A defense of ignorance will be no aid to anyone who’s work is challenged on the matter. A model I met with this very day puts that issue to practice and I also just mentioned today as well, in a message with Brittany II, that I need to change my current policies to more, and better, reflect the newly amended regulation.
Its been interesting to go back over images I’ve taken in the past. Some of which are shots that I’ve taken during modeling sessions that I either overlooked or didn’t bother to edit for one reason or another. On those images, its been interesting to take a second look and peruse the gallery for possible compositions with potential. Some are also a few shots that I’d taken on a CF card of one subject and then filled the card up with a model shoot or another event. I discovered some old barns that I had taken while in Kentucky, maybe two years ago, in the same gallery of a model shoot. I shot the barns while on the way to see the models, but had forgotten them. I wish I had gotten more, but there were only a few. Other images were “in-between” images, I shot while I was shooting something else. For instance, during another model shoot, I took some shots of flowers and rocks, but I never reviewed them again. So, I’ve spent the majority of this weekend doing just that and its been rewarding. The best of this past week’s results have been model shoots I did not long after I began shooting digital. I shot film before this and I’ve very much progressed in my skill in Photoshop since those shoots. Granted, I wish I still had a darkroom…if only for the option, but I could not help but laugh at my original attempts at photo editing using PS7! So yes, there has been a dire need to re-edit many of these images. Presently, I am reviewing some of my galleries of images that were shot in film. Of these, almost every digital scan is very poor in quality. I’m contemplating rescanning them for better results in the future as the expense is not presently necessary.
“…Frankly, I don’t know if anyone thought we’d go from among the nation’s lowest for unemployment to its highest….” -Jeremy Aguero, a principal in local research and consulting firm Applied Analysis, Las Vegas Review Journal
On another note, I’m sad that I have elected to finally let go of my Las Vegas Art Models Group. Too many current concerns demand my more immediate attention. I haven’t held a workshop in some time due to a lack of participation, mainly. For about two years, these workshops were central in my priorities, but at some point last year, the people just stopped coming. Part of it, I would imagine might be economic concerns. For the longest time, Las Vegas was No. 2 behind Detroit as the worst hit metropolitan in America. As of this past May, Vegas went over 14.1% unemployment and now lead the nation. And despite this, Congress, namely Republicans, kill the Jobless bill that would have extended unemployment benefits for all of these Nevadans across the state who are out of work. So that’s one issue facing my workshop participants. The other is competition. My vision for the LVAMG is one that was never a function of profit. I charged money to pay the model and supplement my expenses to organize an effective workshop. It was nothing I could plan on living off of or pay bills with for sure. However, other organizers popped up who were able to provide better facilities, multiple glamour models, and have credentials of 20 or more years of photographic experience that they were willing to impart upon any and all who were willing to fork over the bucks. I paid the models out of pocket when participants stopped showing. And to be honest, my group was called the “art models” group…not photographer’s group. The group was started as an effort to help art models get more work outside of the classrooms in art departments. Maybe I’ll revisit this venture again, when my focus can come back to it and my resources can more effectively acquaint such an endeavor.
“Only one thing is impossible for God: to find any sense in any copyright law on the planet . . . Whenever a copyright law is to be made or altered, then the idiots assemble.”
– Mark Twain
Some things about copyrights are tricky, and then there are those that are clear cut. I admit that I don’t understand everything myself. I’m not an attorney and I don’t speak Legalese. I’ve listened to and read several blog posts, forum articles, and much commentary about how to copyright, what gets a copyright, and what’s necessary to do it. I recently read an extensive article on copyrights and not one time did it mention the U. S. Copyright Office or the Library of Congress. Now it should be taken into consideration that I’ve already addressed the issue that I am not an attorney. Anything you read here about copyrights should be researched by yourself and concerns need to be taken up with someone who has passed a state bar exam for your area in the field of law. So in other words, Consult An Attorney.
Once you’ve taken the shot and included the copyright notice, all that is left is proving it’s yours. This is where most people get into trouble. I’ve heard several theories as to how this is done, but there’s no need to go into all that. The only thing that will stand up in court as proof that you own said image is your registration with the U.S. Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. Here is the difference between a registered image and one that is not. As it relates to theft, if another agency or someone else uses your image without permission, you can take them to court if you deem the offense serious enough. Mind you…court a’int cheap. Without a copyright, you have to establish somehow that the picture belongs to you. If you can’t tough luck. But lets say the image still has the metatag data embedded in it and it identifies you and your camera as the owner. Great, now ownership has been established. All that happens now…I should say probably happen is that the judge will slap the offender on the wrist and say, “Hey…Cut it out! Quit using this guy’s images. Court adjourned.” And then you have to give your lawyer some money and pay the court fees. You might get fortunate enough to get the judge to order the defendant to pay some of that. ON THE CONTRARY… if you ARE registered, it would go like this. You produce the registration, the court slaps the offending party with Actual Damages by using the industry standard for licensing fees had the defendant legally acquired your permission (depending on how the image was used); You’d get Statutory Damages upwards of $150,000 just for him being a butt-head, AND the guy would have to cover your legal bills. See the benefit here?
So how do you register your copyright? Well first, you have to answer one question. Has the image been published? If it has, you need to make two copies of it. If not, one will suffice. You can’t send in published images as a group via electronic means though. Its got to be hard copies. The C.O. defines Publication as:
PublicationUnder copyright law, publication is the distribution of copies of a work—in this case, a photograph—to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership or by rental, lease, or lending. Offering to distribute copies to a group of people for purposes of further distribution or public display also constitutes publication. However, a public display of a photograph does not in itself constitute publication. The definition of publication in the U.S. copyright law does not specifically address online transmission. The Copyright Office therefore asks applicants, who know the facts surrounding distribution of their works, to determine whether works are published.
Go to the website, fill out the forms, include it with the disk, send it in, and wait. It can take MONTHS for electronic submissions to get the certificate back (or even 2 years for hard copies), but that’s okay. It’s backdated to the day the copyright office gets it in the mail. By the way, send it registered mail and get delivery confirmation on it and file that away too. Within 90 days of creation, your image is covered. Outside of that, your protection is limited if the image is not registered at the time of an offense. So on day 50, if you see your shot in a magazine, you can still go register the shot (with the next 40 days) and take the magazine to court. If its day 93 by the time you see your unregistered image in that magazine, you can still go register the shot, and then sue, but damages will be limited or could be nil. So a newly born image is automatically protected for 90 days, registered or unregistered, at the time of offense. After that, it has to be registered before the offense. So if its a whole year (365 days) after creation by the time you register, and then at day 366 someone offends, you can still take them to court and make’em pay.
As a rule, many photogs send in all their new works created every 3 months. So every 90 days, they send in everything they did as a collective unit or single body of work at a cost of $50 (Its $65 for a group if published. Check current fees). You can save $15 if you use the electronic submission. You can visit the website to figure out what forms you’ll use for hard copies. These have changed recently so you may need to check again, if you think you already know.
There is a plethora of creditable information governing copyrights. My second most valuable source is Photo Attorney.com, run by Carol E. Wright. She is an attorney specializing in the law for photographers. In fact, right now her latest blog post covers protecting your images. You can more than likely search or peruse her blog to get a bunch of professional advice that cover the basics and bring you up to date on current issues. I’ve detailed only the basic info that you can easily find. Things like Fair Use, Licensing/Creative Commons, and Reg 2257 are topics that the pros and legal advisors specialize in. I can only generalize. In fact, here are some of Carol Wright’s important articles as posted on her blog, of course if she says anything different from me, go with her’s:
I also recommend heavily Stephen Haynes. He has taken a hiatus from his blog as of a week ago, but you can still search through it for plenty of details and issues. He’s an attorney also and wrote the definitive book covering this Reg 2257 stuff, “A Photographer’s Guide to Section 2257” . You can get the soft cover version or buy it in PDF. I got it, its worth it. I recommend it. He’s helping with a lawsuit against the government because of some of the rights photographers have that are infringed upon by 2257.
I think this is one of the longest posts I’ve done. You’re probably tired of me by now. So I’ll forgo Creative Commons Licencing Agreements, and International Copyrights. I’m sure you can look that stuff up anyways. Take a look at TinEye, the reverse image search engine. I advise researching how to use metadata in your shots and being careful of where you place your images for display online. Its a simple thing to capture an image from online. It makes me wonder why we use unprotected sites like DeviantArt, Flikr, Model Mayhem, and even Blogger, to display our work. Why do we do that? What do we truly gain from the assumed risk? Anyone…
“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.”
– Og Mandino
(This is how I feel sometimes!)
I can honestly say that I have just about adapted to digital photography in the way that I did with film. I could spend seemingly endless hours in a darkroom. While in grad school, a few years back, I’d easily say 75% of my time was spent developing film and prints in a lab. I’ve clocked more than 24 hours straight…minus the bathroom break and food on more than a single occasion. My academic peers struggled to understand how I could expect to handle the various class projects, papers, and exams since scholastic endeavors were not my priority. Nonetheless I finished among the top in my class for both degree programs. I’m not going to lie and say it was easy. There were many sleepless nights and days, for that matter. I just did what I had to do. Photo was important to me and I had to have it. It may not have been the wisest thing, but it has paid off. I’ve learned so much more because of my film background and its helped me appreciate fine art photography to a greater degree. The above cartoon was really funny to me. Trust me, I can relate.
Model, Samantha
I had just begun to play with darkroom manipulations when I ended up moving to Lost Wages, I mean, Las Vegas. I was dismayed because I was just beginning to discover my own style in the darkroom. Inspired by Jerry Ulesmann, I began to see what was actually possible with film that I never imagined could be true. I liken it unto Roger Bannister‘s quest to be first to break the 4-minute mile. It was imagined impossible until he did it, after which several other runners accomplished the feat within the next few years. This was the sort of effect Ulesmann’s work had on my own art. Granted, I don’t place myself in a Ulesmann category, but you get the idea. As for digital, its taken me another almost 4 years to began to feel comfortable enough to pick up where I left off in film. I’ve been doing more of this style lately, basically playing around in Photoshop and figuring it out as I go. I can pretty much look at a shot and get a general idea of what I want to do with it, but lots of it is trial and error. I still feel that there is a slight loss in craftsmanship in digital photography. Partly that may be because in most cases, a craftsman used his/her hands to mold, build, or create something from raw materials. It had an aesthetic value that was created from the common and your style or technique differentiated your own work from similar creations of another craftsman. I guess the same can hold true even though your efforts are in effect, inputs into a computer. I’ve looked at enough artwork though, that I can in many cases, discern and identify a particular photographer’s work just by the style of the photograph.
Back Patio, Sam’s Place, Las Vegas
These are shots of Samantha. Its been more than a year since I’ve worked with her last. Things got a little busy in her life and we just never touched base with one another again. I was very much surprised to get a call from her while I was in Tennessee to express an interest in continuing where we left off. Sam has actually become a photographer in her own right in since I last met her and we’ve discussed a few collaborations of our own. Its always good to talk to Sam. You always leave her feeling upbeat and having been inspired from great conversations. These are some preliminary imagery that I sort of took off running with. I got almost 200 images in this session and have edited around 30 or so. You can follow her happenings on her blog Anais Productions as she details her activities as a photog and model.
