welcome back inspiration. & welcome back layla. (rob)

Well, I've spent very little time shooting this last year. A number of things caused this.

1st, and most important (for a number of reasons) we had a baby (ya!!!... he's awesome and healthy and we are ecstatic). I don't like leaving my lovely family for long periods during the first year, and this was one of the main causes for not shooting much.

Because of this, and because of my new(ish) partnership with Mclain shooting weddings, I thought I could spend my year practicing taking good, clean, evenly and lovely lit pictures (I don't like lovely) to improve my wedding photography. I feel I did this (and continue to do this)... but not without struggle. I am a very oppositional and stubborn individual, and this applies strongly to my photography. I need to learn things my way, even if I have to take 2 steps forwards, and then walk 19 figure 8's, take a nap, and then mow my lawn just to get there. It's just how I work. I intrinsically do not trust automatic features (like TTL)..., AND I like dramatic lighting. Rejecting these things would make my wedding photography much more predictable, and palatable (but I hate easy, and I hate lovely!!).

It was a worthwhile thing to practice, and I feel like my brain made good strides working some of this out. Stupid brain!

I also spent a great deal of time really, truly thinking about my artistic vision, and the strengths and limitations of my equipment. All technology has it's pro's and cons - whether you play electric or acoustic guitar, or shoot film or digital. I love digital. I started out shooting film, and the creative control, and advances of digital just sold me from the beginning. I enjoy perusing some of the old work of the medium format (and other mediums) photographers from bigone era's... however, I am also a big proponent of embracing current technology (if it's not garbage, of course).

If you consider yourself to be an artist, I encourage you to think carefully about this.

I will give you an example; The richness of colours, and the ability to control saturation seems to me to be unprecedented in digital vs film. Also, as much as I enjoy old wet-plate and medium format film shots, the crisp focus, and ability to control depth of field is again amazing and just seems incomparable in new digital vs any kind of film.

Now, of course older medium and large format film techniques have amazing texture, incredible dynamic range (man that's a good thing!!!!!!!!!), and just a certain quality that is very very very cool.

Knowing the very very very cool qualities of your technology is, well, very cool!

Using them, mastering them, and understanding their strengths from an art history perspective is something I am trying to do; to try to see how these tools are creating a technical history right now.

Understanding this really informed the kind of photography I am exploring right now.

So, without further rambling, I welcome back Layla from baby retirement.

I am looking forward to getting Jane in studio again soon too, now that I have returned from diaper hell!

Rob

Erotic Photography on Location - Hallways - repost from Torrid Art

This is a fantastic post by our friend Ryder at Torrid Art. Take some time and read about complex lighting from a true expert!

Mclain and I are heading down to visit him again very soon. We are really looking forward to hanging out, catching up, and assisting at another shoot!

Here is his blog post;

Erotic Photography on Location - Hallways

Click Here for a link to our old post from our last visit with Ryder

and click here for another

Art Nudes Blog Slowing Down (Mclain)

Yes...I am still alive and happy new year. I sat down this morning to engage in my favorite weekly ritual of a Tim Horton's coffee and an hour at my computer reading Art Nudes Blog by Michael Barnes. Michael has announced a slowing down of the updates he does on the blog - I feel his pain. I have been absent from here for several months and I haven't been doing much if any photography. Hopefully in the new year I will be inspired to pick up the camera.

a post (rob)

I had the opportunity to work with a lovely new model. She was only in town for a short while, so I lucked out. She had great energy and creativity, and was excited to be in front of the camera. It was nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, instead of being solely responsible for coming up with the ideas myself. She also had a cool wardrobe to match with my stuff. I continued to play with some composites... making them a little bit simpler here. My other ones were fun, but a bit elaborate, and complicated. I am very happy with my studio as well. That's it. Off to bed.

I'm alive... barely (Jane)

I am lame. I feel terrible that I haven’t posted in so long. I could also make a bunch of excuses, but I’ll skip it. I miss modeling… a lot. It has definitely been a couple of months and my confidence level has taken a toll. Maybe that sounds shallow? But I think some people really have to work at being confident and comfortable with who they are and like any other skill, if you don’t keep practicing and working at it, you start to lose it.

Time to catch up on blogging! It has been a really long time since Rob and I have done a shoot together and I hope we can get our shit together soon and change that. Going back in time to the strippers when Mac asked me to gather a group of girls for a side project he is working on my first thought was “ugggghhh, not again!” I loved doing the group shoot with Rob and seeing the girls transform was amazing and an experience I would never trade, but finding people and getting them to commit is a giant pain in the ass. I thought this time I would just ask a whole lot of people and expect about half the people that said yes to actually do it. It ended up being the exact same process at last time. So many yeses, so many back out, scramble, beg, plead and find a couple of scared shitless girls last minute to come do the shoot so we have enough people to make it worthwhile. But once everyone was finally together and my heart rate could come back down, it was AWESOME! I love seeing people who start out saying “I’m keeping my pants on and am just going to keep my back to the camera” get totally nude by the end of the shoot! It was so much fun! Mac had a blast, all 7 girls were totally nude by the end of the shoot and they all wanted to do it again! Makes me feel like I am liberating the world one naked girl at a time!!

Maybe Mclain will follow my lead and talk about his side project and maybe post some pictures as well! ;)

ago again (rob)

I took so many shots from my last shoot with Kita, that I decided to make one more stitched shot. Which one do you prefer?

stitched (rob)

Second shoot from Kita. This one is a stitching together of 4 shots of her. Shooting was reasonably simple... just using a tripod, and a sketch pad to attempt to conceptualize before hand. We played around, and took several shots in several different positions. That was the fun part. The work came when I took it to the computer. It was about 3 hours of stitching, restitching, and layering, and relayering, trying to get things right. I am overall very happy with the shot. As I said to Mclain, I know the things I could have done better... but there is no way I am doing this shot again. I will use the flaws in my technique as a means to improve.

It would be very time consuming to explain the whole process, so I have included the 3 main shots I used - pre-processing, and you can see for yourself where I started from. I used a lot of layering, and painting in photoshop, and a lot of shots to start with to get the fabric lined up just right. Hope you enjoy.

new studiooooo (rob)

Well, I thought I'd been a bad blogger before, but this has really taken the cake! But there is always reason. My wife and I had a baby over the summer, and I spent a bunch of time slowly renovating my studio. I am very very pleased with the results. Jane has also been stupid busy, so that has added to the impossibility of shooting. I actually hadn't done a creative photo shoot in something like 4 months. It ended up being a nice recharge, but I also started to go stir crazy. I spent the summer doing family portrait shoots, and weddings.... which I actually really enjoyed. I have been working hard on my consistency as a photographer, and my ability to make a photograph look 'like a real image.' What I mean by that, is creating an image out of the camera that is as close to the way the image looks to the eye, and using additional creative lights only to enhance the dynamic range of the image, and to increase a slightly creative lighting look to it, without dominating it. I have always liked dominating creative light, but it isn't always necessary, or appropriate, so a summer spent focussing on that, I believe has made me a much better photographer. I have also been using lightroom a great deal, and really enjoying that. There is always something to learn in this hobby. Other things I have been tackling, is slowly transitioning into using my wacom tablet more. I have had a funky mouse for years now, which is much much better ergonomically, and control wise than a regular mouse... but I believe the wacom tablet will be even better than that.

So, this model in these images is Kita. She is a new model, and we had a blast taking these pics. We have another shoot booked this week, and I already have a couple big ideas.... we'll soon see if I can pull it off.

Glad to be back. Happy Halloween.

Rob

omg (rob)

Mclain at a wedding we were shooting after I told him his fly had been down all day.

free photography (rob)

http://tonysleep.co.uk/no-budget-for-photos

very very true. if you are giving your services for free, you will eventually be jaded, drained and bitter. i understand the desire to click your camera button in a way that feels necessary. but it is exactly the same as being a girls 'best friend.' you are performing in the hopes that some day you will be valued in a way that is truly gratifying. but if you are giving your pics away for free, it is like giving your love away from free... in both cases you may as well go home, jerk off, and save yourself the time, effort and heartbreak!

women who just want to be friends, and companies who don't want to pay will drain your soul and make you bitter.

lol.

robbed by shipping (Rob)

I just ordered my new Paul Buff mini vagabond battery. My excitement to get using it was severely dampened by the ridiculous expense of the shipping.

I ordered the mini vagabond, a softbox and grid. Paul Buff's website recommends you use UPS Worldwide Saver to Canada

My total bill for the product was $394.85.

Not terrible, as I am used to camera equipment being expensive, and I enjoy Buff's stuff.

However, my delivery charges came to $132.21 !!!!!!!

That is almost exactly 1/3 the price of the products I purchased.

Are you fucking kidding me!!!???

I could have driven to Nashville myself in my V8 SUV and gas would have been cheaper! I could have flown round trip, and picked it up myself for less!

Of course that is an exaggeration, but the part that makes me sick is... not by much!!!

I wonder, if I had used ground shipping (against Paul Buff's website recommendations) shipping would have cost me $40 according to their calculator.

The website warns against using this method, as you may receive extra unforeseen fees.

I wonder how on earth these unforeseen fees could add up to more than $85.

Basically, this situation makes ordering products from Paul Buff to Canada an extraordinary pain in my ass, and my wallet.

Boo.

The Death of Youth

I found this site by way of Art Nudes. The project really struck a chord with me at this particular time in my life.

The Death of Youth

old photography contest video (rob)

this is a youtube link to a photography competition I hosted years and years ago... shortly after Mclain and I met. It took me ages to convince him to take part in the competition!!!! lol.

http://youtu.be/doW6tUB1Or0

check it out!

new business card help (rob)

I need your help! I am having a tough time choosing the images for my business card. Please check out this link;

http://www.robcaleffi.com/cards.html

and pick your top choice from each category. I need a travel image (Laura and I narrowed them down to 2), and an image based on the loveliness of womanliness (narrowed down to 10). Please email me on facebook or here; robcaleffi@gmail.com, or just respond here with your choice.

Thanks muchly!

Wanna Buy My Truck? (Mclain)

Truck has been sold!

I am selling my 2008 Ford F150 Supercrew 4x4. If anyone in the Calgary region is interested please give me an email.

No, I Am Not Dead (Mclain)

I am a bad, bad blogger. I know. I have lots of excuses, but I won't list them since I am sure no one cares. Jane and I had a fun shoot last week and I'll post some of my favourites in a few days when I am not too lazy to get at them. I really need to set up a home network so I can access my desktop files from my laptop. I also need to do a post about the field trip to L.A. that Rob and I did earlier this year. I also have a little project I have been meaning to do that will help me and hopefully others better understand what a given ratio of fill light looks like as well as various under and over exposures. Sort of like the post I did here on softening your speedlights, I will post a series of photos depicting the results of my tinkering. In the meantime, here is a great post on Neil van Niekerk's blog showing results from a shoot-through umbrella and an on-camera speedlight. Simply amazing what can be done with an on-camera speedlight - when bounced and flagged appropriately that is!

Poop and the difference Mclain and Rob (Jane)

The shoot with Mclain went really well! The wind was crazy though, and for the end of June it was quite chilly, but we managed to get a lot of shots and a good variety. I love watching how Mclain’s mood changes from the start of a shoot, being so discouraged and unmotivated; not knowing where to begin, but then once we actually start shooting he starts getting really excited and happy. I’m happy when he’s happy… awwwwww. I’ll let Mclain post his favourites from the shoot, but here are a couple of mine.

For me, this one came with a feeling. I wonder what other people see when they look at this one. Comments?

Cows – otherwise you won’t know what I am talking about below.

I just like it. Yes, it was a nice view.
I just like this one too.

Things I learned:
- I’m really afraid of finding dead bodies; Mac had to go into the abandoned buildings first
- I’m also a little afraid of getting stampeded by a cow, especially getting stampeded by a cow while I’m naked.
- Neither Mac nor I know what poison ivy looks like
- We should have a checklist before we hit the road
- Animals like to poop everywhere, especially in little huts, and Mac likes to ask you to stand, sit, crouch, and lie in it. I still feel dirty. And not in a good way. :)

Things to put on our pre shoot checklist:
- Tripod
- Beer, mmmmm beer
- I seem to have forgotten the rest of our list. Mclain?

Favourite moment – Mac saying I look glamorous while posing in a pile of poo (can I swear on here?)

Mclain also read my last blog post before we out so I think he was also trying to challenge me more with coming up with more poses on my own and also having my face in a lot of the shots. I really like this; even though it is difficult, I feel like I’m moving forward. I’ve learned a lot, but there is still so much more to learn and improve on. I’m happy with my face in these shots though, I think I look fairly normal! Yay!

One of the main differences between Mclain and Rob for me is I think I find Mclain more physically challenging and Rob more mentally challenging. I’m not saying it’s a or b, it’s always both; but one has a little more from column a and the other a little more than column b. Please don’t take offence to this, I like your differences!

Like in this shot; I’m really glad there is no audio, all you would here is me grunting, then holding my breath, then grunting then holding my breath hahaha. If you’ve never modeled with Mclain before chances are, after the first time you might be a little sore. Here’s an example of Mclain giving me a pose: “Okay, can you bend in half backwards, good, okay now, stretch one leg up in the air and your left arm too, now, can you grab your ankle with your right hand, and go on your tippy toes. Hmmmmm no, that’s not quite it, okay, do the same thing, but facing the wall, now just remove your left arm, I don’t want it in my shot” ***Example might be slightly exaggerated for dramatic effect, slightly.
Don’t get me wrong, lying on a freezing cement floor in Rob’s garage is no cake walk either! I think because our personalities are very different I find Rob a little intimidating. This is hard to explain, mostly because I don’t fully understand why. Rob has always made me feel comfortable and we get along great, but I feel more pressure when I shoot with Rob than when I shoot with Mclain. Maybe it’s just because he pushes me to do things that are outside my comfort bubble, which I think is a good thing.

Side note. My boss and I went for lunch on a patio the other day (one of the only 6 nice days in June) and we got talking about tan lines and I told her when I go to Vancouver this summer I’m going to go tan on the nude beach so I don’t get tan lines. My boss thinks I’m a quiet, little, dork who never in a million years would think that I would do such a thing! She doesn’t believe me for a second; if she only knew… heh heh heh I think just because people are shy, doesn’t necessarily mean they are conservative. I am a quiet, little, dork, but one that doesn’t mind getting naked in front of a few people. :)

Smile (Jane)

I got a text from Rob last week saying him and Mclain were at the strippers and wanted to know if I wanted to come by for a drink. On my way there I realized that I have now known them both for over a year, but I had never been in the same room with them at the same time before. I thought it might be weird for some reason, but it wasn’t at all. We actually had some really good conversations about the project, looked at photos and watched Mclain do the running man. :) When they first asked me to be the Raw Files model for this year they said they wanted to get more into my life and wanted to come take some pictures of me getting ready, or working, or doing whatever it is that I do, but this hasn’t happened yet. However, when Rob asked me to come up with challenges for him as well this gave me an idea. My challenge for him was to take things that are important in my life and somehow twist and incorporate them into his style of photography. The snake was the first one of these. I do really like the photos, but I think we were a little rushed with the sun fading and we didn’t really come up with a clever, subtle way to incorporate him. Oh ya, the make up, nice to have someone do your make up regardless, but the other challenge I have for Rob and myself is to do a shoot where I look bad ass :) Mostly because I think I never do, so I thought having someone else do some make up for me would help. That was the plan for the shoot but then when I got to Rob’s it was FINALLY nice outside so we had to take advantage of that and go outside and I’m really glad we did. Although, I look quite the opposite of bad ass in a big girly hat, we did do a lot of face stuff which is challenging for me. This is my weakness! It makes me really nervous and uncomfortable; I hate that feeling and as far as I know there is only one way to make that feeling go away. I am going to practice and I will get better! I’m really glad we didn’t do the bad ass shoot yet, because I would like to get more comfortable with facial expressions in front of the camera. And thanks Rob for pushing me to do that; don’t give up on me yet! I don’t have any photos to post from the shoot because I think Rob got most of them up there in his last couple posts. After our chats at the strippers I feel like there are so many ideas we want to do I don’t know how we are going to do it all! I am also working on gathering a group for a Mclain project and I have a solo shoot with him tomorrow. Feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve shot with him! I’m excited. I better start stretching now.

snakes and other challenges (rob)

well, 3 posts in one day... must be some kind of record. Baby coming soon, and moving, however, means I likely won't post again for a bit, so it's good to be caught up.

anyways, as I mentioned in my last post, Jane challenged me to do some shots of her snake, and some shots focusing a bit more on the loverliness of portraits and makeup. This is what we got.

These are taken in my back-alley, and in the back yard of a house that is currently vacant, and a bit overgrown. Jane has been improving quite a bit in her figure study posing, and did a great job here with more fashion/beauty type stuff, although it is still very new to her. She took some coaxing to relax, and create some flow in her movement, but I am exceptionally happy with the final results. Nice work Jane!

scrim and bounce (rob)

Mclain and I both got the pleasure of photographing my lovely pregnant wife today. After we were both done, we decided to test out a new product.

California Sunbounce has a product called the 'Sun Swatter.' It is essentially 'scrim' on a pole. However, the reason I picked one up, is I thought it might be useful for 3 reasons. One, as a scrim against bright sun, especially when facing into the sun. Two, as a reflector with the sun as a rim light. And three, as a soft box to diffuse a couple speed lights attached to it when natural light isn't cooperating.

So, Mclain and I experimented. We used it only in the first two scenarios today.

The first image is bare sun as rim light - no bounce. The second image is sun as rim light, and the Sun Swatter as a reflector. We could have done a better job placing the scrim, but this was just a test.

The third image, Mclain is holding it up and to camera left to scrim the sun.

In the fourth there is bare sun to camera left.

And the last image is Mclain being himself.

Not a bad product. The main concern I have with it, is that it takes a fair bit to hold it in a breeze. It comes with a mono-pod for extending it, and I may try it on a tripod on a super calm day with a sandbag. Overall, I think it will be a worth while gadget.

note** all photo's are straight out of camera, and settings were eyeballed (ie no light meter used). Also, both pairs of shots are at the same settings, as these were taken to show the quality of light difference.

5 girls (rob)

ok, so I fear that Jane might kill me if I don't post about the 5 girl shoot. Actually, she has been doing an exceptional job at posting, and at lighting a fire under mine to post... so thanks Jane!

The 5 girls shoot was super interesting. Quite challenging in my tiny little space, but also a lot of fun. I hear all about Jane's problems getting girls to commit to the date, and there were times I thought it might just end up with the two of us... but to her credit (and her friends credit), she rounded up a great crew! The girls were all in good spirits, and there were 5 very lovely, very different personalities and bodies for me to work with. Each girl had a different reason for showing up, and each had a different comfort level, each had a different skin tone, hair colour, body type and energy. All these things added to the complexity of the shoot, but they all were in very good spirits, so it was fun.

Jane and I have decided to create challenges throughout the summer, and this was the first. We have a few others already decided on, and today we just finished off two of Jane's ideas in one shoot. She wanted to do a shoot with her snake, and with her make up professionally done. Now, I am super super fucking hesitant about shooting with a number of props, and snakes is in my top 5 list of super cheese... but I am always up for a challenge, and we gave it a go. If things go smoothly, I may post a few here tonight. If not tonight, though... soon.

So, here are a few samples of shots from the 5 girl shoot. There ended up being a bunch of shots that I could not post, due to some repercussions from the girls families finding out. I normally would be upset by this (partly because I could not use the shots, and partly because few things anger me more than people telling women what to do with their bodies)... but I am surprisingly comfortable. I think it is because the girls were so cool to work with, and it was just a fun experiment for me.

The Value of Interaction (rob)

Our new friend Ryder over at Torrid Art updated his blog recently, and had a few things to say about the value of interacting with other photographers, and mentioned Mclain and I .

You can read some of the thoughts from an experienced and talented art nude photographer, and successful art nude website owner, as well as see images from Mclain and my adventure in California.

Very cool!

Check it out below.

The Value of Interaction

email (rob)

I thought I would share an email from a gentleman that Mclain and I met photographing a wedding together years ago. Before we decided to shoot weddings tandem all the time, and before Mclain decided to shoot weddings at all, he tagged along for one. We met some great people, and one of the groomsman, Joel Yana decided to get into photography.

He emailed me today, and I thought I would share it.

Hi Rob

Just saying hello.

I've been following your and Mac's work on The Raw Files since the beginning. After I met you and Mac at my brother Mark's wedding in 2007 I had started to take photography more seriously and your and Mac's sites were some of the first sites I had looked at for inspiration and also for the behind-the-scenes commentary as to how you came up with a certain image. It's been a great learning experience for me, especially since I started to use off-camera flash last year. I have a long way to go, but will continue to practice my craft and learn how to light my subject.

I noticed that you shot some personal work at Burning Man. I have a friend who attended Burning Man and he said it was quite the experience. I was reading on Wikipedia that the copyright to any images taken by anyone at Burning Man belong to Black Rock City. Is that still the case? I guess you are still allowed to publish your work if it's for personal purposes.

I saw your new website - nice work! You mentioned in your bio that you have a 'unique day job' - what's your day job if you don't mind me asking?

Hope you and your family enjoy a nice, if not super windy, Sunday. I'm hoping the wind dies down since I'm supposed to do an environmental maternity shoot later this evening.

Cheers
Joel
www.joelyanaphotography.com

REPLY:

Hey Joel,

I remember you guys well. I really enjoyed that wedding. Congrats on taking up photography... really good stuff, and I like your website a lot.

I applied for a media pass for burning man. That means that I have to give them credit, and if I remember correctly, it's kind of a joint copyright type thing. It's almost as if burning man is a person; you need a model release for the person you photograph to have no say over their image... burning man essentially refuses to sign that, and in fact, has you sign. One of the main reasons, is that burning man is a place for 'radical self expression,' and many people don't want creeps snapping shots of them engaging in behaviour that might make their boss or grandma, or every person on facebook look down on them. You signing the releases gives them the power to go after you legally if you are using your images for innapropriate reasons. Otherwise, they don't really care.

I am happy to hear you enjoy the raw-files. It is a labour of love... neither Mclain or I are very good at consistancy... lol. But we love it, and do our best to update it.

My unique day job, is I am an addiction counsellor.

I am happy to hear that your photography is going well, and thanks for taking the time to write!

Rob

- Show quoted text -

--

Rob Caleffi Photography

International

Art / Fashion / Destination Wedding

403.923.3686

www.robcaleffi.com

new site (rob)

Well, it's time. I am putting twisted figure fotography, and Phi Photography to sleep.

The reasons for this are many.

Simplicity is one.

Another big reason, is that I am proud enough of my work to associate my name with it. :-) Actually, when I started photography, there were a lot of people out there that I was influenced by, with fancy names for their photography. Like 'Yellow Coconut Orchard Photography'... for instance.

So, I didn't think much about it, and created two names.

I chose two, because I wanted a site for my business stuff, and a site for my portfolio art work.

I didn't want to scare grandma away from the flesh on my site.

So, first Phi, then twisted figure were born.

I still agree with the idea of having your commercial work be focused...

SC Weddings is my wedding focused stuff with Mclain.

my art, however, is far too erratic and attention deficit for that.

my new website is;

http://www.robcaleffi.com

check it out, and let me know what you think.

~

I also had the opportunity to work with a male model recently, and here are a few sample shots. It was an entirely different experience than working with a female model. I just felt I was looking for different lines, and a different story. It was a quick shoot... completely impromptu, but I am seriously happy with my first attempts. I hope to do some more!

exposing big bodies (rob)

Excellent short documentary of a painter. If I was to photograph big women, this is how I would want to do it. The documentary does an excellent job of explaining why it is hard to find big women who are comfortable with this kind of depiction of themselves... which is why it is easier to paint them, than it is to photograph them. A painting is in the imagination, you don't need a real participant, so no individual feels singled out and judged.

For some very provocative photography of big women, check out my favourite photographer;

Jan Saudek.

Thanks Jane for sharing this link with me!

Pay It Forward (Jane)

First off, WHOOOOO!!! Last night was awesome, I don't think it could have gone any better, total success and I can't wait to share the pictures! Thank you ladies! I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls!

ahhh I have so many thoughts! okay I digress, Rob's challenge for me was to try and get a bunch of girls to come do a group shoot with me, not models, just friends or friends of friends, whatever. Alright, well Cousin will be in for sure; she already did one shoot with me and really liked it, and she has a friend who is willing and that friend has another friend who is willing. Awesome, 4 of us. I also have another friend who has seen the photos and thinks it's super cool and wants to do it. She also has a friend who I have met a few times who has danced her whole life and loves performing etc. who I thought might be interested. Not interested. Bummer, well I still have a total of 5 girls, not bad I thought. The week before, confirming with everyone, my friend chickens out and bails; Cousin's friend has a scheduling conflict come up and consequently we lost her friend as well. Now I start to panic, it's less than a week away and there are 2 of us! In this last week, I got a couple maybes, a yes, a yes that turned into a no because of their man, another maybe turned into a no because of their man, another 2 yeses, one yes turned into a no 2 hours before the shoot then turned back into a yes! Phew! It was stressful, but I totally lucked out and got 4 other beautiful girls to the shoot, relatively on time! They all had a great time, thanks to Rob for making everyone feel comfortable and at ease.

For those boys that changed their woman's mind to not do the shoot, this makes me so sad and slightly angry, and I am a really easy going person! This is something I think every woman should experience, ESPECIALLY if they have the guts to do it! I cannot even express how grateful I am that I had a push to get me to my first shoot. This is something I would have NEVER done on my own. I know Rob likes the nervousness because as adults it is rare when we get that feeling or do something that scares us. True, that is one of the reasons I did it in the first place, but now, not having that nervousness is something I truly appreciate. Not just in the studio; not having to change awkwardly under a towel in the women's changeroom at the gym, being comfortable enough in my own skin to walk from the bedroom to the bathroom without covering up is so liberating. Why you wouldn't want them to have that for themselves is beyond me! It is so nice to be rid of that feeling that you are being judged. So damn you silly boys, I hope those women read this and give it a second thought. Thank you to the person who gave me the push I needed, thank you to Rob for the wonderful idea and letting me pay that feeling forward, thank you to the wonderful ladies for giving this a shot. I hope one day you girls will get the opportunity to pay it forward as well.

Here's to the Pay It Forward Shoot! :)

Update (Jane)

Just wanted to say hi and give an update of what I have been up to in terms of modelling.

Rob and I pretty much have opposing schedules which makes shooting difficult, but we did manage to work out a time at a convenient location that works well for both of us. Even though now we have shot there quite a few times, these shoots seem to give Rob the opportunity to work on different lighting and other photography things... Rob? Maybe you want to talk about this? I haven't seen any of the pictures from the last couple yet but I think the most memorable moment was when Rob asked me to be sexy... naturally, I fell over.

Mac and I haven't really done any nude shoots since the tandem shoot with my cousin, however, I did get him to do a clothed shoot for my sister and I so we have something to give to my parents for Mother's/Father's Day. This was a totally different experience! Not only did I have to think about what to wear, but I seem to be way more relaxed when I don't need to worry about what my face looks like! I get nervous and totally self conscious and awkward when I have to look at the camera! But it also makes me realize that that is something I want to work on. That's the point of all this right? To do things that you are totally uncomfortable with to get better at them and experience new things even if it scares the hell out of you? It is for me anyways.

It was also pretty intersting to see my sister at costume change time, with there being no change room in the studio. Me being naked in front of Mac and my sister many times before had no problems changing in front of them. Sister, however, was a little more shy with the "Is he looking?" and changing as fast as she possibly could so he couldn't get a glimpse of her naked body. BUT, that was me a year ago so who am I to judge!

Clever Rob decided to give me a challenge with a kind of social experiment twist. I like challenges, but this one proved to be more difficult than I thought. I thought I was doing awesome, then I thought I was going to epically fail, then awesome, then fail, now I think I got it together and am HOPING Rob will be pleasantly surp... not surprised, I can't find the word I am looking for... Happy maybe? The challenge shoot is tonight; I'll keep you posted.

February's Tandem Shoot (Karolina)

Readers, I apologize for the delay in this post. I should have had it up within a week or two after the tandem shoot that Rob, Mac and I had in February. But life kept me busy and forgetful. Tomorrow, Mac will hand me a disc with all the keepers from that shoot. I can't wait to see them for the first time. Part of the reason why I haven't blogged about it is because I haven't even seen most of the photos yet. I will write an addendum after tomorrow, if necessary.

So for those who do't know about it, Rob, Mac and I shot at an indoor location in February. It was my first time meeting Rob, and I'm thrilled that I finally had the pleasure!! The plan for the shoot was that Rob would be photographer, Mac would be his assistant, and I would model. However, Mac ended up shooting just as much as Rob, and the two acted as assistants for each other.

The day started out mellow. Rob and I puttered around the loaction looking for props and attire that we could incorporate throughout the day. I was soon pulled away from this task by Mac who had been on his own scouting mission and discovered a disgusting stairwell... and I was asked to get in there and pose. Done! I got naked and started posing for Mac. Rob happened upon us and got his first view of naked Karolina. I must say this: I love the fact that I have grown comfortable with my nudity. I just met him an hour before, and was so comfortable with Rob walking into that stairwell for the first time.

And we were off. We shot for hours in this location using different rooms, props, lighting setups, etc. I was being posed by two photographers whose creative visions differ much of the time. Rob generally had the lead, as the original plan was that he was going to be THE photographer. Often he would set things up how he wanted, and ask me to pose a certain way. Mac would offer input and suggestions. At times I would shift or lay in a relaxing position that the guys liked, and we'd develop a pose from there.

The day flew by! Many times I felt a little overwhelmed when the cameras were on me. This is because I was in a precarious pose and had to take direction from two excited, camera-wielding characters. One example of this was on a windowsill. I laid on a freezing concrete windowsill, full of sharp bits of debris. It was slightly sloped and narrower than my body, so I had to pose gracefully while tensing, flexing, and holding myself up so as not to roll off. At the same time, I was very aware of the cars and pedestrians on the other side of the grimy window. Meanwhile, Rob and Mac were telling me to turn my head this way and that, point this toe, move this leg, etc. A couple of times I though I might fall off. I felt like I really had to rush and please both photographers simultaneousy at that point, but had one of the most limited poses and spaces to work with. It was a challenge physically and mentally, but as soon as I hopped down I started thinking of other things I should have done on that sill.

This tandem shoot was one of the most significant learning experiences for me thus far. It was the first time I shot under the direction of a photographer other than Mac. I consider myself unbelievably fortunate for the fact that both of these fellows are down to earth, good men with a great sense of humour. They also have a sense of adventure. These qualities are what make an amateur model like me feel completely at ease. Without their personalities I would find myself lacking a sense of adventure and comfort during a shoot. Basically, I could be asked to do anything (Mac: "Karolina, can you crawl under that bathroom stall, hug the toilet, and please point your toes?") and agree to do it. In this shoot I got to experience the styles of two different visionairies. There are so many things one can do with nude photography. They may have shot me in the same space, but Rob and Mac imagined totally different shots. Rob likes to incorporate material things into his photographs. We used clothing or accessories some of the time, or props like blankets and lampshades other times. I really enjoyed this because it gave me something more to work with. If given an empty square room and just my body I might feel limited. I am not experienced enough to always come up with a unique pose, and for that reason was excited to have "something" on me or in the space with me. It allowed me to think of ways that I might interact in that environment.

Watching Rob and Mac collaborate was another great learning opportunity. They truly do take what the other has to say into consideration, and work exceptionally well together. They were two photographers with one model to share, but were considerate of each others' time and visions. One would help the other fine-tune a shot, create the ideal lighting setup, etc. There were a few occasions when the two of them were engrossed in technical aspects of the shoot, and I was left waiting for them to figure something out. At one point I had Mac's iPhone and took a video of them working together. I guess it was the model's view of what goes on behind the scenes...

...On that note, I took a photo at the end of the day of Rob stuck in a stariwell. He tried to wedge himself in a narrow stairwell in order to get a good angle for a shot, and temporarily got stuck. I took the camera out of his hands and snapped a photo or two, then Mac and I helped him up. Funny.

Rob and Mac also share some similarities. One thing that they are both great at is flying by the seat of their pants and improvising. When I say that the plan for the day was Rob would shoot and Mac would assist, I mean it... that was The Plan. We all walked in together, we'd each seen the location at least once before, and generally knew what to expect. Otherwise, we were all free to do whatever. The guys were great at creating a pose from something as simple as me repositioning myself for comfort. At times I would be in an uncomfortable position and between shots would stretch out or curl up for warmth. Sometimes this led to inspired moments and more shooting.

I really feel like I need to see all the photos from that day in order to blog properly. It was long day, and (from my end) a busy one at times. I had to take in a lot of direction and find it hard to recall everything now. Seeing the photos will help me remember specific thoughts, ideas, or events from the day. I will likely be adding to this blog within the week, as Mac is giving me the photos tomorrow.

For all future models of Mac and Rob: these guys are amazing to work with! They are fearless and imaginative, and will inspire you to be the same if you already aren't. Their gifts to their model are open-mindedness, patience, support, and a sense of humour. A model's gift to them ought to be open-mindedness, a sense of adventure, limited inhibitions, and a sense of humour. I have never had a boring shoot, and will say that this tandem one takes the cake. I hope to shoot with both Rob and Mac again. I think it would be ideal to have a shoot with them and at least one other model. I have shot with Karen and Mac before, so had the experience of a two model/one photographer shoot. But I would like to shoot with Rob, Mac, and a model that has done at least as much nude photography as I have. I think it would be great to compare thoughts and experiences with an empathetic soul.

The spring and summer are upon us, and I am excited with the outdoor shooting possibilities. I hope to get "nekkid" soon and be asked to get into some dingy swamp or mud puddle, get bitten by a million mosquitoes, scrape off some layers of skin on sandstone boulders, and deal with whatever else mother nature and the photographers can throw at me.

Layla (Mclain)

I had the extreme pleasure and fortune to shoot Layla while she is still pregnant. I have put together a gallery of the best images HERE. She is so fantastic to shoot with - I wish she was feeling better on our Vancouver trip as I would have liked to work with her more.

A couple of notes, I figured out how to get my landscape oriented images the proper size on my website. They are nice and large now - the way I intended them to be. I still need to update my maternity nudes to the new gallery format.

Also, our trip to LA to see Ryder from Torrid Art was a huge success. I think a great time was had by all and I will have some images from Ryder to post and talk about here in a little while. I think Rob and I have both made a friend with Ryder and look forward to seeing him again down the road.

Hahaha (Jane)

Rob and Mclain on their field trip.

If I was in high school this is the type of picture I would tape to the inside of my locker.

Question (Jane)

Rob and Mac,

How do you go about choosing which images you post on the blog and which images you post on your websites?

Photograph Format (Mclain)

Article
Ryder over at Torrid Art made an interesting blog post about the orientation of a photograph i.e. horizontal or vertical. I thought his points were bang on and I generally shoot horizontal because the images fit computer displays much more naturally, but the trade off is less pixels on the model than a vertical orientation would deliver. I also try to incorporate much of the scene in my work especially my outdoor work and horizontal format works best for those compositions.

I am off to pick up Rob and then we are on our way down to LA for a few days to visit with Ryder. We aren't even brining cameras :-) I am sure we will post about our trip when we get back.

Field Trip! (Mclain)

I was surfing the net one day a few months ago as I usually do in search of inspiration and things to look at and I stumbled upon a site called Torrid Art. Torrid Art is one of those commercial, nude sites that some people would call porn, some people call erotica, and I don't really know what to call it. Nude portraiture? I dunno. Anyway, the photographer is Ryder Aeden Perry and I was drawn to his work for its simplicity, lack of extensive retouching, and decent control of light.

I snooped around the site for a bit and recognized a few of my favorite models and decided to give Ryder an email introducing myself and if he would entertain the idea of me coming down and observing a shoot. Well, he was quite surprised that I would be interested in coming down to LA to see him and he strongly doubted that I would learn anything and that he would probably have more questions for me. So on that note, some more emails, and a phone call we had it all set up.

I was planning on going alone and didn't think to invite Rob because he has a lot on his plate and a new baby arriving around the corner, but he was more than eager to come so on Tuesday the 22nd we head down to LA until the 25th. We will get to chat with Ryder about his work and his process as well as observe a commercial style nude shoot.

I have been wanting to do this for a while now and actually contacted J. Stephen Hicks of Digital Desrire several months ago to see if I could come see him and observer a shoot or two and he turned me down due to him being so busy. I am not giving up on seeing him though...I really like his style and I will get down to see him one of these days :-)

This trip is going to be fantastic - a meeting of artists - photographers shooting different genres of the nude and from different countries getting together to discuss and share. Fantastic. I am most certainly going to attempt more of this sort of thing in the future (Michael Barnes of the Art Nudes Blog is on my radar for perhaps next year) and I hope the other parties are as warm and receptive to the idea as Ryder. How fun!

Lighting Setup (Mclain)

Here is the lighting setup for one of the photos I posted below. I have included it again here with the lighting diagram. This is a very simple set up using a softbox and a reflector consisting of two pieces of 4'x8' white foam core taped together along the 8' length to form a "bookend". Most of my recent work is done with a single light and this reflector.

Two Models (Mclain)

I photographed Jane and her cousin on the weekend and just finished up the images last night. I have been feeling a little more adventurous lately with shooting as I seem to be getting back into the groove again and I thought that a challenge was in order. And what better way to challenge myself than to shoot two models - twice the usual problems to solve :-)

Jane happily volunteered and recruited her cousin to come along. For me, shooting to models is challenging enough and throwing in a new model just ups the notch one more on the challenge scale. I decided to stick with a set that I have been currently playing with so that I was at least confident the lighting would be acceptable and I knew that things would turn out OK as long as I could come up with compositions for the two of them.

I seem to be stalled in a classic, painterly phase in the studio these days which tells me it is really time for a shake-up in my studio. I have all my seamless and background support packed away so I am just using the space I have and my canvas drop cloths. However, my place is for sale so I am not overly concerned about the studio simply because outdoor shooting season can start as early as April here and when the house sells I'll be looking for a new place anyway. Rob and I have briefly discussed perhaps tracking down a decent space that we can both share to help keep costs reasonable.

We both shoot out of our garages, mine being 28'x32' and Rob's being less than half that size (I don't know how he does it!) so we don't exactly want to spend a fortune on a place. That being said we don't really have other expensive hobbies like golf so we can justify (in our minds at least!) a small monthly expense to indulge in our passion for photography. We might even entertain bringing in another photographer to help with costs. A large co-op type thing is certainly not on our radar though.

Anyway, here are some of my favourites with Jane and her cousin. I was going to do a video showing the retouching of an image from this session, but I totally forgot. I'll remember to do that next time!