How are you?

I have been having requests to write more frequently, and have wanted this for myself as well, so I will endeavor to at least get a post out on a weekly basis, if not more. Time of my own which coincides with motivation to write is rather limited, as I have been on the road for 9 weeks with this current road trip and have friends everywhere who I visit when not working, which means my personal time has become time I share with friends. Tonight I am breaking this and ordering up a night in a cheap hotel by myself. A bit of quiet, "me," time is essential.

I am never too certain what is ascertained from one blog post. My mother appears to believe I was in the depths of depression based upon one blog about my disappointment in a lack of collaboration, and I want to assure you that is not the case. No person can be positive all of the time, but we maintain the impression of this as when walking down the street and asked, "how are you?" people do not truly want them to tell them anything negative. Usually on the rare occasion I am down and asked this, I exclaim, "I am terrible!" with a bit of happy enthusiasm. I have found that making a joke of my glumness can help pull me out. That said, I am doing wonderfully, thank you. :) And most often I am. 

I try to keep negativity off of this blog, and you may notice I have never pointed out specifics in terms of this. I'm a believer in positive thinking, and feel more people in the world could stand to be optimistic and hopeful about things. Yet sometimes a word about difficulties seems more real. 

Photographed by Reiver

Morrisdale, PA - October 2012

So, where am I today? At the moment I am happily sitting in a cafe sipping coffee as I wait for my photographer to battle through traffic to our studio location. The cup of coffee I picked up for him is getting cold, but I am glad today I have a bit of extra time on the back end of my shoot time, so I can stay a little longer to make up for the delayed start. Yes, sometimes photographers are late, too. :) And sometimes models bring photographers coffee.

I'm in DC one more day, then Virginia, and by Wednesday night I will be in Asheville, North Carolina and away from the east coast (I do not consider Asheville to be the east coast, but some may disagree) until about 2014. This notion excites me. I have some fun adventures coming up and my arriving in Texas in November will grant me a few days of "home."

Happy Place

I spent my final days in NYC just last week and was sad to depart knowing I will not return until basically 2014. I used to feel I could not keep up with the pace of NYC and I had no desire to live there, but while now I have financial concerns regarding the logistics of living in that glorious city, I have awakened to the charm of the place. I stayed up late, went to yoga class, drank an abundance of coffee and perhaps too much whiskey, hung out with friends, ate pizza and of course walked and walked and did quite a bit of shooting while in the city. NYC, I shall miss you.

Photographed by Rick Poston

NYC, NY - September 2012

Currently I am happily shooting and resting in the middle of Pennsylvania. Last night I was suspended over the dining room table, after spending the afternoon doing bondage ballerina erotica. With the colorful fall leaves all around me, and the smell of wetplate lavender, I'm in a pretty good place.

The dance

The rain has me down. Or maybe I am tired. Or perhaps shoots which seem they will not result in artistically sound or pleasant to look at photographs disappoint me. Or maybe shoots where many of the parties are in their own spaces, rather than opening up to see the opportunities available to them and taking the occasion to collaborate are what zap my enthusiasm. I begin all encounters with a positive outlook and attempt to maintain this as long as possible, but I am very much someone who feels the energy of the people around me and as their demeanor and the mood changes, I have to fight to keep myself in my normal happy state.

I am on a short lunch break and will head off to do another shoot soon. A new shoot in a new environment, by the time I arrive at Dunkin Donuts to meet the photographer, I will have a smile on my face and the energy needed to be fully me.

Photographed by Rick Poston

NYC - September 2012

People often do not realize what goes into a good photo shoot. An understanding of lights is a good base, then flows the ability to see the art possibilities laid out in front of you. Photoshoots can be like a dance with energy flowing between subject and photographer and light all swirling around a room.  When people are open to dancing, magic can occur, but when one party is disinterested in this dance, things are a bit more stilted.

I must caffeinate and hit the races, I am clearly sounding hippy-dippy and overly brief in my words. I will muse on this with greater eloquence at a time further down the line.