Highly Subjective

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Sarah Ellis

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Ashlé Nouveau

This will be the last post until at least Monday. We're on our way to Portland for a relaxing weekend with friends.

I may come back with a few images, but I'm not taking my big camera. I'm only taking my new G9. I want to travel light.

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Sarah Ellis

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Sarah Ellis

Here's another one of Sarah. I think this one came out OK, but I really wish I had been paying more attention to the top edge. I would have liked to have seen a little more of her face

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Ashlé Nouveau

Here's another one of Ashlé. I couldn't decide if I like this one in color or black and white. Any opinions?

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Sarah Ellis

I can't quite put my finger on it, but this image has a slightly different feel than most of the other nudes I've shot.

In general, I would put my nudes into the Art Nude category, but this seems to be bordering another genre. The word that comes to mind when I look at it is, Glamour. It's not something I was intending, but I like how this image came out.

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Sasha

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Ashlé Nouveau

Contrary to how I may have sounded in the last 2 posts, I did get some images that I'm happy with at the Nude Photography Workshop I participated in this past weekend. I really like this image of model, Ashlé Nouveau. It's best viewed large, so click the image.

Ashlé was a pleasure to work with. She's knows her stuff, and she made my job a lot easier. I would gladly work with her again. In fact, if I start hiring models myself, like I talked about in the last post, Ashlé will definitely be on the list.

In addition to modeling, Ashlé has quite a few other interests and talents including:

# Go-Go Dancer
# Stilt Walker (Peg & Power Risers)
# Aerial Acrobatics (Lyra)
# Living Statue
# Characterization Performance
# Clowning
# Fire Performer (Fire fingers, fire umbrella)
# Costume Design & Fabrication
# Event Planning, Theming & Coordination
# Entertainment Director & Coordinator
# Creative Consultant

In addition to Ashlé's Model Mayhem page, you can also find her (under various names) at MySpace and Tribe.

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Sarah Ellis

In the previous post I mentioned that I had the opportunity to shoot Sarah Ellis. The shoot was actually part of a Nude Photography Workshop. There were 4 models and 12 photographers, including myself. If you've been coming to my site for a while, you probably know that this is the fourth workshop I've participated in.

If you read my previous post, you also know that I was a little disappointed with the images I came away with. I'm not sure why, but the last two workshops have gone this way. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to get the images I'm trying for.

The rational part of me realizes that I haven't been shooting nudes that long, and like all things, it takes time and practice to get good. But, the emotional side of me comes home from these workshops, looks at my images and thinks... I suck!

Even though I try to convince myself that I will improve over time, It's easy to get frustrated and depressed when things don't go how you want them to. It's also hard for me personally to get better at something if I can't determine what I'm doing wrong. When I do get it right, it seems like more of a fluke than anything else.

My own inadequacies aside, I've also been seriously considering hiring some models directly, outside of these workshops. I enjoy doing them, but they can be a bit of a madhouse, with models and photographers stepping all over each other in a shooting frenzy. I think that environment can be a little overwhelming when you don't have a lot of experience, like me. I've wondered if I need to slow things down a little, have a little more 1-on-1 time with the models, and time to actually work through some shots in order to achieve what I want.

If I do decide to hire some models directly, Sarah will definitely be on my short list. Fortunately for me, she just moved back to the Bay Area.

Location: San Francisco, CA
Model: Sarah Ellis

I had the opportunity today to shoot well known model, Sarah Ellis. I first saw Sarah on the website of one of my favorite photographers, Chip Willis. Being a fan of both Sarah and Chip, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to work with her.

I think I got a few shots of Sarah that are OK, but in general I was a bit off my game today. That's assuming I even have a game to be off of. Sometimes I feel I don't.

Regardless of how I see my own work, Sarah was a pleasure to work with, and I'm glad I had the opportunity.

It's late, and I'm tired from shooting all day, but I'll be posting more images and giving some more details in later posts.