California. Day Off.

One of the benefits of freelance work is the ability to set up my own schedule. Of course, in general I need to work around the schedules of others, as being selective on time and date will leave me without work on days I could work, and there will always be days I wish I had work when there is no work to be had, but on occasion I need to schedule days for myself. Before my big South American trip, I had a difficult time prioritizing days off, but have found that a few days set in advance, where I can do whatever I please, go a long way in keeping me happy. People with normal day jobs get a full weekend off every 5 days, and know they will get those days off in advance, so doing the same is not so abnormal. Sometimes photographers can only shoot on specific dates, and if unable to schedule on those dates, I will have to wait until a later trip, but I have decided that every once in a while I should enjoy the luxury of a specific day set aside.

I am taking the weekend off after a week of working in Portland, and while I know I had to turn down some work to make this happen, I am relishing the chance to use a normal weekend however I see fit. Right now I am catching up with a good friend, watching her cat walk on the mantle of the fire place and beg for attention, and will likely put on some shoes and a sweater and go on a walk. Nothing monumental here, but low key days help me recharge.

I spent a few weeks in California, visiting family and my new niece and nephew, and catching up with some good friends. I had the opportunity to do a handful of great shoots with photographers I have not seen in more than a year, and meet some new contacts. I love my time in the Bay Area, and while I considered myself living there briefly, I have a feeling I will keep returning as a visitor rather than a resident. My friend, Candace, has a new studio space called The Lighthouse and I was able to do a messy workshop there which involved photos with water poured all over me and into a basin, cream poured over me, and a huge amount of wine (which was used in photos, not consumed). I do not recommend bathing in cream on an everyday basis, nor in wine, as the smell left even after a handful of showers and hair washings was reminiscent of a drunk dairy maid who seldom bathed, but the photos did turn out well.

On my California trip, I also was able to shoot in a mannequin shop, where I found myself a blue cuddle buddy to entwine myself in for the duration of a few photos, but our temporary love ended when I knocked off his arm while trying to give him a kiss. I found myself enthralled by the mannequins and if I ever settle down, correction, when I settle down for a bit more time, I might just need to buy one to decorate - some of the mannequins available are truly cool. On a random note, I may photograph tall, but I found I could not live up to the stature of fashion model height men and women, with their plastic and unreal skin, but for once did show I had a glowing tan compared to their pasty color. :)

I generally use the policy of not asking for permission when shooting nude on a location, and hoping to not get caught, but when I went to a park in Berkeley with photographer friend, he went ahead and used his charming Australian accent to ask about shooting on the Merry-Go-Round that was closed for maintenance in the park. We ended up with the place to ourselves and a cheerful man working, who even let us know when other people would be showing up. Being naked on a giraffe was pretty exciting.

As the weather is finally warm across the US, a good handful of my shoots have been outdoors. Within a couple of weeks, I explored a lovely nature reserve with one photographer friend in Sacramento, leaving the area when a full caravan of boys with binoculars showed up, I basked in the sun on the nude beach in San Francisco with a newer photographer, and was part of a photographic series with different combinations of nude friends of the photographer existing in grasses and trees.

I need to get back to writing more as by now I feel so behind in writing about my adventures that I do not even know where to start. (This is my personal reminder to do so.)