by photoanthems | Jun 24, 2019 | Blog
“Never forget that the nurturing and preservation of your own muse is job one. Lose it and you may be losing a great deal.”
~ Robert Genn
And when I say a minute, I really mean 2 months. Yay! My 4th visit to Nica!
As much as I “thought” I was up for a Argentinian winter, naaah… not so much. A lot of it came down to money and the expense of gearing up for the harsh cold, and then flying all the way back down there. Lima is the last line of latitude for the cheap flights heading to South America. You can hit all the major cities down south and you’re not spending thousands to get there… til after Lima, Peru.
The budget airlines stop at that point. Maybe La Paz in Bolivia has some decent flights available, but Spirit does not fly to La Paz. I’ll likely end up there soon at any rate. It may not be in the thousands (flying one way. I usually fly one way tickets.), but you’re looking at double the price that you could go to Lima which might be about $350. Again… One way.
After Peru in March, I came home for my Mother’s Birthday, stayed stateside for a bit visiting the kids, as well… which was great, I might add. Taught my grandbaby how to ride a bike. I might have gone military style on her a bit, but she can ride a bike now, whereas the day before she couldn’t. God, the bruises, tho…
When it came down to leaving again, I’d have been flying out into a wall of Argentinian winter. Soooo…. No. I jumped down to Nicaragua for a bit. And you know what I forgot?? It’s hot as f… (okay, Mama might be read this.) So I’ll say hot as f…oreigners in a hot ass place that they are unfamiliar with. (Dang it! Sorry Mama!)
The last time I was in Nica during a June month, it was 2015 and it was so hot and humid, my ex-girlfriend passed out cold and almost went down a flight of stairs. Yep. Saved my ex’s life. I’m sure she’s grateful. Honestly, that was in May. We didn’t leave Nica til June 3rd. I had moved her up into the mountains where it was cooler, but heat rises and so did that temp even at higher elevations. We cancelled the last month of the trip and headed home, after 3 months on the road. I still got some badass shots of her and with her. You can see my 4 blog posts with her here => Post 1 / Post 2 / Post 3 / Post 4
More recently though, I was in Nicaragua just last year. BUT IN JANUARY! I was with Art Model, Kayci Lee for that whole month (See that BLOG POST HERE) . I’d say it was temperate, but not so humid and muggy like now. This is what I was thinking about when I made my reservation and decided to come back here… sort of taking a break from my travels by still traveling, I guess. But you get my meaning. I’m not on the same path that I was on traveling through South America. Nicaragua is a cheaper place to wait out the cold. AND I am getting in some much needed writing, reading, and hopefully some shooting. But damn, this heat! I may forego Isla de Ometepe as I had planned and head north again. Maybe up into Somoto Canyon, past Esteli, near the Honduran border, and explore that.
I’ll know soon enough for all that. I’m going to leave from Granada on July 1st and go somewhere either north or further south. No biggie. I’m going to let my shot selection decide that, I think. In the meantime, I’ll continue my writing and my reading in my exceedingly comfortable bed and breakfast. I doubled my stay here at Casa Silas B&B. I get a great breakfast every morning. The place is owned by Rob, a Canadian who married a local girl here and decided to relocate a little more than a decade ago.
Granada is relatively quiet. I don’t see many tourists here at all. I’ve met a couple of girls twice and a guy from the US once. The travel advisory has this place at a Level 3. I think they should rethink that. Yes, there was some civil unrest last year and it carries on even now, but at no where near the same magnitude. On top of that, one American was killed last year here during the uprising. Before that, 7 US citizens were killed here out of 2 million to visit from 2009 to 2017. Can you say that in the city that you live in? The DR can’t say that and they are a level 2. They’ve had 7… I say again, SEVEN recent tourist deaths that have all be mysterious. Nica is getting a bad break right now and it’s only hurting a good economy.
These shots are all new edits from my last time in Nicaragua. As I mentioned, Art Model, @Kayci.Lee came with me for the first month of my trip, January 2018. I went back through to see some of her images for this blog post and wanted to revisit some new edits with a B&W mindset. I can see this is going to be a challenge. Going forward, I’m shooting with B&W edits already in mind. On the other hand, the edit process is quicker. This is going to be fun, though. Enjoy.
by photoanthems | Jun 19, 2019 | Blog
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| Selfie! |
“If you are not passionately devoted to an idea, you can make very pleasant pictures but they won’t make you cry.”
~ Ruth Bernhard
For the remainder of this year, I’m going to make a commitment to Black and White Photography. Everything I shoot will be edited in B&W… or at least nearly everything. During this backpacking journey, one of my goals is to be better with photography. Yes, I am always talking about becoming better or trying to show YOU how to become better. This will never stop. I’m going to continue to be a spokesman for my craft. I love photography in its various forms and genres. There’s enough learning to last a lifetime. Here is why I am choosing B&W Photography to help me achieve this.
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| Art Model, Leslie ©2015 Terrell Neasley |
1. The Challenge
I want to up my game. Putting limitations on myself forces me to exercise photo muscles that can become complacent when you have the ease of use of color. I am already challenging myself with the use of only two lenses. I presently travel with a 55mm 1.8 and a 20mm 1.4. I have nothing in the tele-range. I even left the 90mm macro at home.
I desire to also see light better. I’m pretty decent at judging an exposure without a light meter when necessary. I feel I need to be able to, not just measure light, but I want to see the potential and the opportunities in it. Black and White forces me to stick to the principles of highlights, the mids, and shadows. Without the distraction of color, I am able to focus more on just the light.
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| Art Model, Safia Sarai ©2016 Terrell Neasley |
My first great challenge, back in 2005 as I began in photography, was exposing for snow without making it appear gray or blown out relative to the rest of the composition. So I learned to be better at measuring light. My second great challenge has stuck with me the most. It was being able to THINK in B&W despite what I saw in color. Before I moved to Vegas, I had the opportunity to visit for a few months (summer of 2006) the year before actually moving there in 2007. I shot a nude black woman using film on the red rocks of Valley of Fire. When I tried to process those shots, there was barely any contrast between the model and the rocks! Try dodging and burning that! I did not consider the tone over her skin nor the rocks when shot on black and white film. It was a painstaking process unless I wanted to just be lazy with bland low contrast work. That’s not me. I should automatically know what yellow, purple, or brown converts to in monochrome.
B&W work will help me with composition development through a greater emphasis on lines, shape, texture, patterns, repetition, and creating art purely via the juxtaposition of light vs. shadow. I want to be able to “see” more clearly and when I can do that, I find the opportunities for impressive compositions. Seeing the potential will help me with the patience to let a scene develop until I have the right compositional elements at my disposal.
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| Art Model, Safia Sarai, ©2015 Terrell Neasley |
2. Learn More About the Sum of Light
This will be a study. I’m going to learn about light, the characteristics of it, how to best use it, as well as when to use it. I say the Sum of Light because I will focus more on the visible aspect of light… it’s sum totality, rather than the spectrum of light, or the color pieces created when light is refracted. In the case of camera sensors, that would relate to RGB pixels which absorbs light selectively via filters. The goal is to be able to make decisions about light subconsciously through repetition and practice. I want to be a more proficient shooter and a more capable teacher of photography by first being a better student.
3. Editing: Back to the Beginning
Sometimes when you want to start over or renew your mind, getting back to the basics of pure fundamentals is the universal start point. It’s like going back home. I started out in photography using Arista 400, Agfa100 and Kodak TMAX100/400/3200. That’s all professional grade film. I developed my film and prints in a darkroom. I made test sheets of each shot and outlined the regions where I need more light and less light… burning and dodging. You found the overall correct exposure for your prints and then mapped out the individual elements that needed the shadows adjusted or those that needed the highlights tweaked. This will help me with my edits.
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| Bodyscape, ©2016 Terrell Neasley |
As much as I like a challenge, I also want to create advantages for myself. Without the color aspect, editing also becomes easier. Gone are the optical color-based errors that are produced from lenses, such as chromatic aberration. Photo editing tools have a much easier time finding tonal range in compositions when color is no longer a factor in brightening or darkening a subject. You get more quality work even at higher ISOs. So Monochrome surmounts RGB in edit quality and ease of use. Grain is also more tolerable in B&W.
4. Minimalism
I’m looking for a cleaner image. I started on the minimalist trail quite a while back. I’ve slowly been shedding everything. Now, I carry my belongings on my back. Backpacking is the ultimate in minimalism… just short of being a hobo. Wait… forget I said that. I see the irony, but I see myself as rather nomadic. Sounds better.
As to my work, I want less in my shot. I want my compositions to be efficient… doing more with less. A minimalist must be a master of balance in a composition and B&W will help immensely with this. You are forced to have better foreground vs. background elements. At the very least, you begin to see effective anchor points within a shot that helps create that necessary balance.
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| Art Model, Leslie, ©2016 Terrell Neasley |
5. The Artistry
I honestly think this will help me become a better artist. I want to sell more prints more consistently. I want more exhibitions of my work. Quite frankly, I’m old fashioned when it comes to this. If the current trend says color will guarantee me more of sales and more exhibition, then… well, I’d be stupid not to consider that. However, I have lived my life being true to myself, despite trends. I can adapt, but where I think it’s important, I still favor the greats; and that, my friend, is in Black and White photography.
I love the extremes. I tend to weigh more heavily with higher contrast in my edits and those are the same type of images that catch my attention from other artists. I lean towards the left side of the histogram more than I do the right. However, I’ll dance around in the shadows or the highlights more than the mid-tones. So the ends are where I play, but I understand grays have their proper place. While I dance on the poles, I still go to work in the middle.
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| Art Model, Safia Sarai, ©2015 Terrell Neasley |
After the love of contrast, drama comes in a close second. I’m not talking social drama, of course. Can’t stand that ish. No, I refer to the drama created in the mood of a shot via the use of shadow and in the creative use or the absence of it.
Shapes and lines are more creatively accentuated which result in better and more meaningful abstract symbolism. I can become an alchemist, so to speak because I am able to transform one photo element into something completely different. Having a 42MP sensor lets me crop in on a subject. That too, adds to the ability to create better abstract. So stay tuned. More to come on this.
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| Art Model, Joanie, ©2010 Terrell Neasley |
by photoanthems | Jun 3, 2019 | Blog
I estimated about 2 months and that’s right about how long it took. Two months after Jenny Anne Rose left me in Peru to go back home, I have completed all the edits and now the book “Jenny in Peru” is now available! TWO HUNDRED THIRTY PAGES in a large 14 x 11-inch hardback book, using high quality long-lasting archival paper. This is definitely an art book suited for the coffee table or living room center-piece.
The book illustrates three weeks of adventure in which I detailed much of this in the recent blog post, “Travel Nudes, Jenny in Peru“. Do yourselves a favor and go back to visit that post one more time. I think I’ve got about 10 images from our trip to accompany that post, which is the most I think I’ve done on any blog post. You can read about the details of our travels from Lima to Northern Peru, back to Lima, then to two locations in Southern Peru, and finally back to Lima again.
What was unique to me on this particular entire photo project was the greater focus I put on the book while I was shooting. Normally, I shoot simply for the shots, themselves. At most, I shoot with the edit in mind. That’s how I’ve always worked. The edit has always been my primary objective for each individual shot. Almost every single one is made to stand on it’s own, sometimes possibly in a series…maybe a triptych.
This time, I followed my normal methodologies, but I also incorporated shots that were specifically for the book orientation, such as shooting in landscape orientation and also some with the intent to make it cover double pages (I want to do the next one in Portrait Orientation) When making a book, the story is the priority. So I want a clear flow for the narrative that gives the viewer a reason to pause and study each page, but also an incentive to leave that page and see what comes after. I want to entice my viewers to travel all the way to the last page. And after having evoked an emotional response one way or the other, they wonder what else I will deliver soon.
No matter how well-structured and creative a story is, Presentation is second on the priority list. Second, but a very CLOSE second. From the beginning, I wanted the story to be, in a way, narrated by the model with not only her moves but also her words. Given that she is an astute writer, I was able to use her talents and incorporate her style in a way that gave a more complete story about our journey from her perspective as well as insight into her thoughts. In this way, the viewers are able to appreciate the artistic use of her body in unfamiliar environments as well as peer into her mind and witness within as well as without. My hope was a better sense of character development and a deeper appreciation for this model’s performance.
Part of presentation is organization and structure. I organized this book mostly chronologically, but also categorically. I used the model’s perspectives to introduce each different segment of our journey. Font, font size, alignment, book title, and book customization all go into essentials in book making. This is an art book, so I chose Premium heavy-weight paper. I wanted to incorporate my same since of quality in my prints into this book which also comes at premium expense. I have used the publishing services of Blurb.com for several years and they have provided me with great results.
Order your copy now to enjoy this most excellent exhibition of adventure, travel, and art. Thank you for your patronage!
by photoanthems | May 28, 2019 | Blog
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| Art Model Covenant, Dry Lake Bed, Nevada desert, ©2016 Terrell Neasley |
***Special Note: This post is commentary only. These shots were not made with the GFX100.***
“The chief enemy of creativity is ‘good’ sense.”
~ Pablo Picasso
Fujifilm has just announced a new camera, the GFX100. This is a medium format 100 megapixel camera. ONE. HUNDRED. MEGAPIXEL! (Actually, it’s 102MP) Oh, and it’s $10,000… just for the body. No lens. Of course this begs the two-part question of “Who needs a hundred MP’s?” and “Why pay Ten Thousand friggin’ dollars for a camera. That’s a very good question, so lets get into it.
There are already 100 megapixel medium format cameras out there. Hasselblad and Phase One are already out there since a few years now. You’ll spend $30 to $50k on these systems…body only! I can’t say this with a high degree of certainty, but I don’t see the dslr/mirrorless pro photographer demographic making a bee-line to these systems. Nope, I’m gonna guess this market is for current medium format high end users with the scratch to purchase personally, purchase via a company account, or lease/rent these bad boys. That means a limited and small market base.
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| Art Model Covenant, Home in Las Vegas, ©2016 Terrell Neasley |
This is where Fujifilm makes a drastically different game-change on TWO fronts. The first, of course is price point. Coming in for just $10K, (I laugh when I say JUST $10K, of course), you can get into this high end medium format market for a fraction of the current costs. Drop another $5K and you got yourself probably 3 good lenses. If I were to jump into this, it’d be the 23mm f/4 and the 63mm f/2.8. That would set me back about $3k, so for a $13K total, I’m in with what I need. For another $2K, I could pick up the 32-64mm f/4 zoom and be golden. So this price point might be a tad steep, I’ll grant you, but it is much less hefty than dropping $30K on a single system and lens.
The other part to this is the fact that Fujifilm made the GFX100 to be emphatically similar to the Canon 1DX or a Nikon D5. What this means is that they made the thing to FEEL like a dslr/mirrorless full frame camera. Not only that, it also FUNCTIONS like a full frame camera. Going from FF to Medium Format would be like going from a Chevy sedan to a dump truck. Works the same, but TOTALLY different feel.
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| Art Model Covenant, Staycation in Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, ©2017 Terrell Neasley |
The GFX100 is actually just a little bit smaller in size and weight as a Canon flagship camera. It has the integrated battery grip and supports 2 batteries. Like a full frame mirrorless, the GFX100 is the first medium format to have phase detect auto focus (3.7 million points over the whole sensor. Not even sure I understand that.) AND in-body stabilization that gives you a 5-stop assist for those slow shutter speeds. Unlike most of today’s digital medium format cameras that give you 1 shot per second, the GFX100 can shoot at 5 frames per second. What makes that unique is the fact that this high megapixel count puts out a ton of information with each shot. So Fuji has coupled this back-side illuminated sensor (made by Sony) with a Fujifilm X-Processor 4 engine to process that info in record speed.
“The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.”
~ Robert Hughes
Here’s one more target market reminiscent of the dslr/mirrorless similarity. Have you ever heard of anybody doing video with a medium format camera? I haven’t. I haven’t seen a single soul have their go-to system for video be a medium format anything. I think that changes with the GFX100. It will shoot 4k video. That’s 30p… INTERNAL. You can do 4:2:0 internal OR output at 4:2:2 all at 400mbs. Damn. Oh, it also comes with F-log if you want to flatten everything out and color correct later. And of course, it has a mic and headphone jack. I can see somebody wanting to do some high end video production with this. I’d like to see what down sampling would look like.
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| Art Model Covenant, Blacks Beach, CA ©2017 Terrell Neasley |
So yeah. I think there are definitely some opportunities with this. I was not on board with the GFX50s series. I did not see a noticeable viable improvement over my Sony A7r2. It was still too much of a medium format system that I haven’t adapted to. But this GFX100…? I won’t lie. I want to see what my nudes look like under this. I wish it was out for me to take to Patagonia in a few months and see what I can do with some mountain/landscapes or some portraiture. Will the 23mm still let me do Astro photography at f/4? And is it too bulky for me to travel with? Those are the only two points I have that give me pause. Deal-breakers, though? I think not. Hell, I’d figure out a way to carry it. Admittedly, I drooled a little bit. Nudes and mountains at 100 megapixels… Hmmm…
Dang…I forgot. I’d need two systems. I’m not backpacking around the world with one camera. Maybe that Rangefinder body-style GFX50r would be up to par.
Here’s what it comes down to.
Do you need it? Good question. It all comes down to two things. ONE, if you are making money and can justify the expenditure, meaning you KNOW you will make your money back this year, then why not do it? I’d talk bad about you if you retorted with memory space issues. The hell with that. Get the friggin’ camera.
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| Art Model Covenant, Mojave desert, CA ©2017 Terrell Neasley |
Second… Let’s say you are not a professional. You know you will not make your money back on the camera and it’s just another hobby expense. Take a look at your current system. If it’s a crop sensor or consumer end full frame that you got used, then just enjoy my pics here and I hope you are entertained. But if you are a hobbyist with a D850 or A7R3 with enough lenses to start your own camera store, Get the damn Fuji. Why would you not want to produce the best possible images you can make? For marginal upgrades, yeah. Sit tight. But for THIS? If you can pay $3k for a camera, you can do $10K, so quit trippin’.
Will I get it? Prob not right this second. Availability won’t be til end of June. I will not be stateside to purchase one. Towards the end of the year, though…I’m going to be making some decisions. Hopefully, the camera pans out and lives up to all the hype. If so, B&C Camera, Here I COME!!
Check out these links for more reviews and info:
Fujifilm’s GFX 100 is a medium format camera that performs like a mirrorless
Fuji GFX 100 Hands-On First Look YouTube
PROJECT REAL: Michael Clark x GFX100 / FUJIFILM YouTube
Here’s the First Timelapse Shot on the 102-Megapixel Fujifilm GFX100
by photoanthems | May 7, 2019 | Blog
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| This backpack served me well. 2012 Osprey Aether 70 |
As a traveler, I tend to do hella shopping at REI. They are my favorite store, but I go there often for a reason. These guys take care of customers and they take care of employees. More on that at another time. For now, I wanted to touch on one of the brands they stock of which I am a big fan. That would be Osprey.
I bought my Midnight Blue Osprey Aether 70 backpack in 2012 for my first trip to Central America. Well, my first time as a civilian, anyway. In any case, a backpack to a guy can be a very personal, dare I say intimate, and very necessary travel accessory. You can’t just let someone else pick it out for you and give it to you as a gift. It’s the same thing as a camera bag for photographers or purses for some women. So yeah… Quite personal.
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| Bus station, Guayaquil, Ecuador |
You saw plenty of my adventures with that pack on my back or by my side. It’s taken the abuse of hard travel, too. About 4 years ago, it fell off the top of a shuttle van doing 80 down a El Salvadoran highway. Later on, airport security, I can’t recall where, cut the waist straps off of it. I assume it got caught on a conveyor belt or something. And just before this past New Year’s, it got soaked in shrimp juice in the cargo hold of a bus in Ecuador.
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| Old backpack, Bogota, Colombia |
Osprey has an Almighty Guarantee that says they’ll repair or replace your bag. I asked about it when I got back stateside last month. They scanned my membership card, checked my account, tracked my purchase receipt, and told me to go pick out a bag, as my Midnight Blue Osprey Aether 70 was beyond repair. Yeah, I picked out a new bag real quick. THEN dude, told me I get a $5.87 credit back to my card. I was all excited to get a new bag. UNTIL the guy also told me I had to hand over my original backpack.
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| New Osprey Aether 70 AG |
I handed it to him. He grabbed hold to take it, but I didn’t let go. He tried to pull again. I still didn’t let go. The understanding cashier must have experienced this before. He saw my anxiety and gave me a moment, before explaining that the exchange required him to take the old backpack. I understood. I did. Letting go was still hard, but I eventually opened my fingers and released the pack. It didn’t occur to me to get pics. I didn’t think to even ask if it was going to a good home. But much like my recent post about the transient nature of travel friends, it still sucks saying good-bye.
So now I have a brand new Adirondack Green Osprey Aether 70. I still chose to go with this style of backpack. It suits me and they have made some upgrades. Some of which I am still getting used to. The top lid actually detaches like the old one, but instead of converting to a fanny pack, the new one has straps and becomes a day pack backpack. I’m going to have to spend some more time with it on my back before I can say whether the new Anti-Gravity tech feels better on my back than the former Airscape design. I can, however say that the new waist-strap is much more stiffer and is supposed to better provide a custom mold to you once you get it on and spend some time with it. All in all, I really like the pack. I have a good feel for it and I expect some great adventures with it.
by photoanthems | Apr 30, 2019 | Blog
“Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor”
There are always opportunities around us. The trick to taking advantage of them exists in two possibilities. One, you have to be sensitive enough to see it when it appears before you. Or two, you prepare yourselves in such a manner that you can seize slash create those opportunities. So it’s either the opportunities come to you or you go get them. As life would have it, one of the best times to catch these opportunities (or make them) is in moments of crises. This is not a motivational speech, however. Nope! Not in the least. This is my update to you on my adventures AND challenges. I try to be real. I want you to see me struggle and overcome those struggles too. And I don’t want to be stupid about this. Hell, maybe you know of some options or OPPORTUNITIES I can take advantage of.
I’m presently stateside in Tennessee. I came back to surprise my mother for her birthday last month in Texas, see the kiddos in TN, road trip from Vegas to Yosemite, and then head back to down south to Argentina around mid-May to finish the South America leg of my journey. Yeah…that was a great plan until I CRACKED a tooth…lower jaw rear left side molar. Dentist says I need a crown which incidentally would take minimum 3 months. Closest appointment date? Mid-July in Vegas. What the hell am I going to do around here til MID-JULY?? More to the point though is where to stay, how to get around, and then the question of making money. I don’t want to just sit some place doing nothing.
It’s expensive staying here in the States. Last time I was in Vegas it cost me a grand a week between hotels and car rentals. Making money this time around wouldn’t be as much an issue if it wasn’t for Argentina. Going down there for me is at least a thousand dollars in winter gear and then flights to Ushuaia for another grand. It feels funny when I say I’m technically homeless at the moment. At least I always find it funny to say. But this situation puts me on notice that I need a better plan for when I come back stateside for more than a few weeks.
One option is to go someplace cheap and return again in July to fix the tooth. Mexico or Central America are plausible spots. What I really think I want is a 2-month gig with a fat payday!! I don’t care where it is in the US…or the world for that matter. The last thing I want to do is get bored to death sitting around waiting for time to pass to get my tooth done. I can justify spending money for either doing something epic or at least doing something that is making me even more money. I want something to do! I guess I can discount some of my art, too. I still print big, but instead of $3500 for a print, maybe $2k. I don’t know. I’m just thinking out loud. Coming up with a plan to sell my landscape work more consistently wouldn’t be a bad idea either. I haven’t sold anything since last Sept.
But regardless, when I do get my tooth fixed, I still have to finish my travels in South America. Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and one more time in Colombia are my priorities. If I can do this like I’m thinking, it’s travel to Southern Argentina and make my way northward. Tierra del Fuego, Torres del Paine in Chile. Then Salar de Uyuni and The Death Road in Bolivia. Fly to Brazil and make a 2nd attempt at the 2-week boat trip up the Amazon River. Disembark in Leticia, Colombia. Fly up to Cartagena, Colombia and redo my northern Colombia trek… praying to God I have a model with me. Actually, I’d love to have a model with me from the time I hit the Amazon. All that done by the first part of September and then getting ready to begin my next travel adventure likely in the South Pacific Islands.
I’ve completed all of Art Model Jennifer’s edits from our Feb/Mar excursion in Peru. Her book is also just about done. Final touches, get it ordered, and then I’ll have it in my hands. I won’t post a link to view it until she gets her copy, of course. She got naked… it’s her gig …she gets dibbs. We got a ton of work from this project and I sincerely hopes her husband loves the finished product as much as I have loved making it. She was absent from her family for 3 weeks to do this gig and I don’t think they are used to not having her around for that long. So I hope in the end, they can look at the book, hear her stories, and conclude that the experience was well worth it.
I want this adventure to inspire others to come out and join me. Even if you’re not shooting nudes or even joining me in my travels, my hope is that my stories can inspire you to get out and see what the world is like and to venture outside the US if you’ve never done so. Get your passport done. You never know when an opportunity will cross your path. If you don’t at least have a passport, then you are not prepared to take advantage of an opportunity that could present itself. Either way, if you get it, it’s like having a ticket. Now you have to only book a flight. Make a reservation at some hostel. Now you are on your way! Get out and see something different. The world awaits your company.
by photoanthems | Apr 16, 2019 | Blog
During my last month in Peru, I got to work with art model, @JennyPoses4U_2, who traveled to Peru from the US to shoot with me. She met me in Lima, Peru’s capital city, and we traveled for 3 weeks up to Northern Peru, back to Lima, and then to two locations in Southern Peru before returning again to Lima. We spent almost a week up north at a beach bungalow resort before heading south to Puno on Lake Titicaca. There, we stayed with hosts on a man-made island built by a family from the Aymaras, (nope, not Incas) who’s culture has lasted for centuries on this lake at 12,000 feet above sea level. Lastly, a visit to a lodge in Colca Canyon turned out to be extraordinary.
Northern Peru
After a few days in Lima to settle in, we took a flight to Piura and bused to our hotel in Cancas, just north of the popular town of Mancora. Why? Well, when you have nudes on your itinerary, less people and more private beaches may come at a premium, but its worth it. We chose a beachfront bungalow at a resort that had plenty of privacy and an interior worth shooting. Working with Jennifer early in the mornings allowed the best beach advantage. The tide was also at a low point. When we couldn’t shoot outside, we did our best to be creative on the inside of our large and spacious bungalow.
Back to Lima
We were actually in Lima 3 different times at 4 different hotels. One, when Jennifer flew in for two days. Again upon returning from Northern Peru. And twice more upon returning from Southern Peru til she flew back home. Each stay in Lima was 2 or 3 days. Of course, there was no outdoor shooting in Lima. But when we were not shooting inside, we went out and just explored. I am not the best city tourist, unfortunately, but I did my best to go shopping and sight seeing around the city without looking like I wanted to be in the wild somewhere. I’m not entirely certain I succeeded, however this was her adventure, too. So being a team player was important. Shopping, museums, and city tours were added to the agenda. Lima had all this aplenty, especially in the Miraflores and Barranco districts.
Southern Peru
Puno
It was beautiful and relaxing on the beach for nearly a week in the north. But for me at least, the adventure began in the south. We flew to Puno along the banks of the famous Lake Titicaca which spans the border, and of which 40% is claimed by Bolivia. We were met by our host Wilbur of the Aymara people who live out ON the lake on an island that HE made of reeds. He keeps adding layers every so often as the island will fully submerge after 20 to 30 years. We spent 3 days with this family where the nights are below freezing despite the fact that they were in the summer season. We got 2.5 liter hot water bottles to keep us warm and this was our only source of heat at night. Of course this is not a large island; maybe 50′ x 50′, so there was not much shooting outdoors and the interiors were not as appealing. Mainly just white walls.
Colca Canyon
We bused for 6 hours northward, (but still in Southern Peru) to Chivay and then a taxi 10 mins down the road to the town of Yanque. Here we stayed at another lodge that sat on the precipice along Colca Canyon at it’s midpoint. Breath-taking is the most literal way I could describe this place. What we missed shooting in on Lake Titicaca, we more than made up for it, shooting here. I endeavor to return here and venture more into this canyon. It’s about 45 miles long and over 10,000 feet deep, which is even deeper than the Grand Canyon at 6,000 feet. That gives me a lot of ground to cover! But alas, only 3 days there, a 3 hour bus ride to Arequipa, and then a flight back to Lima. Jennifer returned home 3 days after that.
I’ve been editing for the last 5 weeks, going over more than 3 thousand photos taken over 3 weeks. Granted, most of my peers would be shooting that total per day! A book on this project is forthcoming, as well. I am confident to have it all completed within the first week of May and am looking forward to having a copy of that book in my hands. There’s no comparison between looking at it on a computer screen versus having a series of tangible prints in your hands bound in a hardback 11 x 14 150-page book. These will be large full-page spreads on some of the best heavy stock paper made for printing. So yeah, I can’t wait to see this. Maybe you’ll like it, too! Or even better, maybe you’d like to do a shoot like this. Well… regardless, stay tuned.
by photoanthems | Feb 21, 2019 | Blog
“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.”
– Aldous Huxley
It has happened pretty much everywhere I go and everywhere I have been. Out of the blue, you meet someone under whatever circumstances and you guys just click. It might be just you and one other or 4 of you. It might take a little bit longer just depending on the time you have in the same proximity, but inevitably, you began to talk and realize commonalities. In either case, you know that you’ll try to enjoy your new company despite the known brevity of the situation.
The most meaningful aspects of these friendships are usually temporary, short-lived, and in many cases non-existent after that initial encounter. That’s just something you have to get used to. Its the nature of the state of travel and is inevitable. I experienced this as a soldier, although it may be for longer periods of up to 3 years at a time. You’d serve together at one duty station, but at some point, one of you gets transferred to another place or leaves the service entirely. If you’re fortunate, you’ll see each other down the road again.
I’m was at my first AirBnB earlier this month. I’ve had an account for years now, but have never actually stayed at a place using that service. I’ve almost been exclusively Booking.com. I saved $160 for my two week stay compared to the hotel I had originally booked. I have my own room with a private bathroom, which is my usual requirement, but this place has about 8 available spaces in this house and we have the option to join everyone for breakfast.
For me, this is where I learn the most. These numerous encounters allow for a more various exchange of ideas. I’m learning more about the countries my fellow travelers are from, as well as getting input on my own travels. I’m in Tumbes this very second because of a German girl I met in Bogota back in November who’d already been here. This place was not on my radar at all and right now, I’m writing this post listening to waves crash on the shore mere feet from my bungalow.
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”
– Anthony Bourdain
I think its also important for me to listen to the world view of perceptions about Americans. This is an opportunity for me to be an ambassador for my country. Sometimes I might be able to change a negative perception or just clarify them. Other times, I can do naught but listen. Case in point, Cartagena. I met a Canadian couple who expressed themselves with relation to the US calling Canada a security threat and raising tariffs back in September of 2018.
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| Andres, Moses, Sasi, Plaza de Armas, Lima, Peru |
About two weeks ago, someone asked me why do Americans hate Mexico. We talked about this for a bit, and I have been honestly dismayed. Right now, the overall perception, at least as far as my travel experiences have taken me, have been the world is basically wondering…”WTF, America?” I’ve been happy to address their questions. I try to do so in the most, I guess you would call it, diplomatic, means possible. I’m never interested in a heated debate. I won’t engage in that. Meaningful dialog is all I will entertain.
Recently, while staying at an AirBnB in Lima, I got the privilege of meeting Andres from Colombia, Sasi from Finland, Eglė from Lithuania, and Moses from New Jersey. I enjoyed getting to hang out with these guys and learn from them. Moses and I even found a Popeye’s (fried chicken)! I spent longest with Eglė. She was there for another week after I arrived and then she packed up her motorcycle and followed her heart. Talk about an amazing woman. Absolutely fearless, but maintains the ability to see a good spirit in people. I think she has faith in humanity still. Talking to her, I was able to offer insight on perspectives important to her and she reciprocated by opening my mind to alternative possibilities that I had been searching out. That is the epitome of the exchange I am referring to.
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| Andres, Sasi, and Moses, Pisco Sours are a huge Peruvian tradition |
For about 30 minutes, I talked with a Croatian woman who I could tell was heavy into yoga. You could definitely tell she is a highly perceptive woman. After a couple of discerning observations, a few intuitive well-targeted questions, I had to ask what she did for a living. Yep… Therapist. I could only guess a good one at that. She called for an Uber soon after to catch her 41-hour flight back to Croatia. Thirty minutes is all it took for an indelible memory.
Btw…I’m just a kid from a small country town in Texas. I now know TWO women named Eglė from Lithuania.
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| Sasi, Andres, Moses doing Cebiche where the locals do Cebiche! |
by photoanthems | Jan 12, 2019 | Blog
Current Location: Peru
Next Location: Likely, Southern Argentina
“If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.”
– Anthony Bourdain
So yeah… 2018 was trial run. Now its time to get serious. And to do that, I have to learn some things, Spanish being chiefest. I’m getting better. I’d say 20% of the Spanish language is familiar to me. I need to work on deciphering the actual words I hear, my Spanish vocabulary, and how to say things in proper tense. Somehow… I have to get used to Peruvian Spanish. I was horridly amazed that I couldn’t understand even the basics of words I know already. I feel like I was given all the wrong study material for the test. Fortunately, I have two months here.
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| Quetzaltenango, Guatemala |
Beyond that, I’d say I still have to learn to budget better. I’ve got to get better with my money and accounting for expenses. Ironically, in my previous profession, I could track millions of dollars and account for the nearest $10. Variable expenses seem to get me the most, but I need to be better at finding deals as well as reducing a compulsion to fly when I can take a bus for a tenth of the cost.
(Whoa…that reminds me…
Gotta go do this check-in for tomorrow’s flight to Lima real quick…)
I tend to stay in private rooms with private baths in hotels or hostels, but maybe some AirBnB or homestays can be smarter. I’ll be checking into this and using these next two months in Peru to talk to other travels and find out how to be better at doing this. Lima’s going to be a good spot. Feb and March are going to be interesting. More on that later. Still planning for Patagonia in late March/April time-frame. Gotta get that figured out quickly, as well. It could be smart to trade out all my camera batteries and SD cards before then… that thought just came to me.
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| Quetzaltenango, Guatemala |
Focus and Discipline would be other objectives for my most immediate concerns. I can do better with my studies and training. This will in turn help me find and see the opportunities around me and thus, I can put myself in more advantageous positions that achieve my goals. Oh yeah…I got things to do when this journey is done.
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| San Pedro, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala |
But here are the things I HAVE learned, (though still a work in progress…)
1. Its Cool to Take a Break and Do Nothing.
This was the first thing I had to learn. Up to this point, its been either stay busy or try to stay busy. Having nothing on the table or scheduled events was not anything I’m used to. In the Army we’d have a DONSA… Day Of No Scheduled Activity. On these days we’d get a normal day of duty off and could spend that time doing whatever we wanted. But usually, it was still staying busy, just not at work. If you got a day off, you got busy at home. There was always something to do or fix. When I got to Xela, Guatemala in the apartment I was renting, I got to be alone and really on my own. It took me a while to not feel guilty or wasteful of time to just chill. Its good for the mind.
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| Punta Gallinas, Colombia |
2. Nobody Can Live Your Life For You.
I turned 50 this past August. I wanted to make some resolution to myself and the first of which was that I wanted to care less about what other people thought about me. Let me clarify. I’ve seen a whole bunch of people getting off social media to get more quality time in their lives. I think that’s a uniquely fine notion to adopt. For me, I think more quality to life is added with less time considering what other people are going to think about me if I do something or don’t do something. From my perspective, people think about you less often than you think. And those that do, when they do so with judgement, are fickle so they don’t matter. Leave’em be. All you can really do is YOU. Do you. Be you. Er’body else can go live their own lives and NOT your’s.
The question you can ask yourself is, “Does it really matter what they think?”
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| Christmas, Mompiche, Ecuador |
At this point, the only real people that can hurt me are the ones I let stay close and it does happen. But I keep that door open, anyway instead of closing up and keeping everyone out. I find that its less preferable to be a stone-cold bitch. And as we used to say in the Army… pain is what lets you know that you are still alive. Besides, a little pain every now and again only helps you fine tune your choices of inner circle membership. So, WIN! And no, that doesn’t mean you spend your time whittling down your circle. Too many people are too quick to do that.
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| New Year’s, Santo Domingo, Ecuador |
3. If You Want to Get to the Right Answers, You May Need to Take a Second Look at the Questions You’re Asking.
Sometimes this has to do with specificity, but more often than not, its going to be more about perspective. I’m sure you’ve seen that one meme that is a paragraph of self-loathing, but when you read the same words in the paragraph it becomes a motto of self-realization and confidence. I’ve had to step back a few times and re-examine why I kept coming up with the wrong solutions and all it took was a different perspective on the questions I was asking. Ask more specifically or change your perspective a bit. Changing perspectives will change your expectations and you won’t be surprised with the conclusions.
This is a bible verse from Leviticus 19th Chapter, Verses 33 and 34:
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
Everybody you see in these shots did exactly that. I am a foreigner in their lands and I cannot even begin to articulate to you the hospitality I have been shown by them. I have been welcomed in their homes, sat and ate with them, given guidance and counsel, a bed, trusted with their families, and I cannot thank them enough for showing a sojourner how people are to act when you come their country and I am forever grateful.
Indeed, I am a work in progress. And you get to see me develop, experiment, try and fail… all the nasty with all the achievements. I hope you enjoy this ride. I want your questions. I want your input. Most of all, though… I want you with me.
So, come on.
by photoanthems | Jan 9, 2019 | Blog
“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustav Flaubert
On September 7th of last year, I left the US to begin my backpacking trip around the world. That was a year ago, yesterday. Art Model, @Kayci.Lee accompanied me for that first month flying into Nicaragua. We traveled north up into Guatemala and in early Feb, she flew back to the States. Me…well, I found a home for 6 months in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
@Kayci.Lee and I traveled fast to many places trying to maximize time to shoot throughout the month of January. After she left, I sprouted roots. I rented an apartment and settled down in the cold mountains. My beautiful apartment was just what I needed and people were put in my path that definitely helped me along the way.
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When did you ever get horse lessons while naked?
Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, © 2018 Terrell Neasley |
In no way has this been all glorious fun filled days, but its definitely been an adventure. I’ve learned a lot about traveling and even more about myself. I’ve had fabulous escapades as well as sudden pitfalls, but its hard to complain about any of it. I still hear somebody tell me at least once a month that I am living their dream or that they wish they could live my life. Granted… I know they can’t be serious because they don’t know my life, but I get what they are trying to say. I just don’t take them literally or let any of it go to my head. I don’t fool myself, at least not in that regard.
I’m glad I didn’t start my trip alone, but rather eased into it. It took some getting used to, I can assure you of that and the process wasn’t immediate by any stretch of the imagination. My first lesson was simply trying to relax and not feel like I needed to have something scheduled every day. Along with that, I realized that I didn’t have to feel guilty about chilling out or not doing something somebody else expected me to do (or not do). Next has been finding the “OVERALL” purpose and goals for this trip. I’ve still got to be about my business and that starts now.
2018 has been a trial period. And for that reason, I say my 5-year stint starts now. I don’t count 2018 as part of that. It was a year for acclamation and, as I call it, just learning to breathe easy. Granted I’m still working on that, but I have a much better mindset about it and a more clearer direction. I’m refining and making adjustments as I go. The plan was initially to zig zag my way down through South America. Now, I think its better to hop down as far south as you can go and make my way up again. Its going to be winter there by June, so I’d rather bounce on down there and head back up before the freeze sets in. After South America, I think I will head to either somewhere in the South Pacific or New Zealand instead of Vietnam. I’ll see Vietnam now after I cover the South Pacific and come up through Indonesia.
Then, its just keep heading west as the flow takes me. But here’s one thing that I’ve learned and it continues to be reinforced. People are the same. Families here are just like families stateside. Parents love their children. They want the best for them just like us. In Mompiche, Ecuador during Christmas, a predominantly black family came by the beach house rolling in about 25 to 30 strong. I sat with them and drank a whiskey mixed with coconut water straight out of the tree. Do I need to specify that only the coconut water came out of a tree…not whiskey? Surely not… I digress. When we ran out of coconuts, somebody got 4 or 5 more of the tree and filled the pitcher back up.
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Yep. She’s in church.
Art Model, @Kayci.Lee, © 2018 Terrell Neasley |
I even saw the same characters just like one of my family reunions. There was my cousin Sheila cracking jokes and laughing the loudest. My Mama was there as well as my uncle Ulice Ray. There was one brother who brought his white wife, who in this case she happened to be Cuban, but looked white. They had a girl that looked just like my daughter…no kidding, with that. And a son, named Jeremy…no kidding there either. The only and I repeat… ONLY difference is that they spoke Spanish. Well, that and they were mixing whiskey with coconut water. But we are all the same. Its been the same with all the Latin families I’ve come to know. I could still identify the same characters in my family with them.
I’m learning much more about black people. Not just African-AMERICANS, but black people from Colombia, Ecuador, Belize, and all over Central and South America. Its been quite the enlightening experience. I’ll be talking more on this in the future, but its helping me learn a little more about myself, as well. But back to my point, Americans are no different than Ecuadorians, or Guatemalans, or Canadians. We just have different cultures and languages. Outside of that, we are the same.
In each country I find the poor, as well as the well-off. Same in America. Opportunities are better in some countries than others. But I wish like FUCK crazy that we Americans stop looking down on other countries, particularly countries with people of color. Travel definitely helps one’s perspective in this. I’m not talking about a trip to Cancun where you get off a plane, travel THROUGH the country to an enclosed all-inclusive resort. So if you listened to that public address from the White House Tuesday night, about the “dangerous people”, I’m really hoping you can… damn people …you can literally Google the facts yourselves. But if you want to believe the racist con man, I guess that’s you. But YOU tell me what decent trustworthy human being has ever had his foundation shut down and then gets barred by the courts (along with his family) from running a charitable organization for the next ten years? That’s what a CON-ARTIST literally gets busted for. Preying on charity cases! Same thing happened to his “University” just last year for fraud. Racist people market fear. Its like a standard bullet item for them. Stop friggin’ giving life to the lies.
As for me, I’m going to try my best to get better at photography. Getting my shots is, like…Goal number 1. Outside of that, its experiencing new people, cultures, and landscapes. And that doesn’t always involve a camera, but rather just experiencing and appreciating life. Today is the first full day of my two month Peruvian experience. I pray God continues to bless me with great people along my path.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain
