Sun-Dappled Dracula & Other Things...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all well out there. Things here are per the usual, very, very busy and very, very good! Whew. So much to share! To start, I am showing my CLUE series during the month of September at Elements in Biddeford, Maine. I am very excited about this show, mainly because of the venue. For those not familiar with Biddeford, trendy, hip, fun places are sorely lacking in that area and this cafe really brings a wonderful place to have meetings, do work or just enjoy a beverage. I love the entire vibe of the place and the people who run it, so when they asked me to show something, I enthusiastically agreed! If you're local, check out the work and the space and support a great local business!

Most of you know about my artistic work because that's what I like to hi-light here. It's more interesting at times to document that process than it is to share my lifestyle photography and styling, but really, that's what the bulk of my client work consists of. Recently, I had to put a tear sheet together to present to a couple of potential clients to show them what I can do and I realized that I like doing this work just as much as my artistic projects. Why? Because it's easy to make people look amazing in costume, but it's an altogether different animal to make people/life look amazing in a journalistic, "shoot it as you find it" way. I am always working to make my lifestyle work more distinct and signature as well as breathtakingly beautiful (no pressure). Haha. Here is some of that work now:

But I can't resist sharing those conceptual, artistic projects too and I shot the next two pieces in my Rein It In series this past weekend. Some process candids from that shoot are below. We're adding an Asian Bond Girl and a Vampire to the mix this go around in an effort to create the most diverse set of models possible for this series. What a blast this was. I think the quote of the day might have been when my Asian model got a look at herself in a mirror all done up and said: "Wow. I look really Asian." Hahaha. No, really? Goodness. I will post those next two shots very soon!

This vampire quite enjoys the sun, it seems...

All work and no play is very boring. So, I took a day off and grabbed one of my favorite little girls and we had a beach day! Taking a child to the beach is a totally different experience and I had a really good time. We met some friends and built sand castles (not very successfully: getting that sand to the right consistency is harder than it looks), had snacks, they went swimming and we laughed a whole lot. I'm really starting to dig this Maine beach thing...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Bright Balloons & Warm Nights...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope this week finds you all doing well out there! I have so many things to share and I can't wait to get started.

First, I am working on a ton of photo projects behind the scenes that I will be releasing very soon. Some client work, some artistic work, the big secret project I've been alluding to for months. Patience Pets, patience!

Meanwhile, I was recently asked to do a painting for a very special girl's birthday. She actually has several pieces of my work and apparently likes what I do, which is great. I haven't painted in years. (I've put all my creative energy into photography, a medium I find much more gratifying executionally.) It was odd sketching something out and getting the brushes going. But soon I was creating the crazy for which I'm known. Hahaha. This one is a doozy. I will reveal shots of that painting next post (can't spoil the surprise for the birthday girl, can I?).

I had an entire day free this past weekend (an occurrence so rare, I honestly can't remember the last time it happened) and it just so happened that the Great Falls Balloon Festival was happening a short distance north of me, so I decided to go! I met a friend and we had such fun. The day was beautiful, the balloons went up without incident and most importantly, there was fried dough and I got some. Mmm. So good. So not good for you. Oh well. Anyway, here are some shots from the day. I think the most memorable moment was that one-man balloon below. When that balloon got high enough for the crowd to see that it was being flown by one man on what basically amounted to a lawn chair, there was a collective gasp and I felt my heart go into my stomach a little bit. But he seemed happy... Jeez.

I also started a great book over the weekend that I highly recommend: Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Heard of it? No? Well, it's fascinating so far and it's not even that long. I was sucked right in and I'll probably read it in a week or so. If you like fiction, do it. You won't regret it. I took it to one of our local parks that's old, and beautiful and serene with big trees and silence and it was sort of the best afternoon ever.

And let me wrap up by turning you onto an alternative modeling agency out of Berlin that I found recently via Pinterest. We Are Unlike You is absolutely amazing to me. These people are beautiful and unique and I love that they have an agency that represents their looks. I think the U.S. needs something like this, don't you? Just look at these wonderful people...

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Meteors, Beaches & Summer's Last Month...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope this Monday finds you all happy and well out there! Things here have been so busy and so good, I hardly know where to begin.

To start, I have been working away at my secret project and I shot piece #5 in that series this past weekend. It went so well and the shots look so good. I am very excited about how this project is moving along and I can't wait to unveil the first 5-7 pieces this Fall. I am truly grateful to have so many people who are just as excited to make great work as I am, it really shows. Here are some candids from last weekend's shoot! (Yes, I was juggling dogs, kids and a vintage car, but we made it work.) Take a look:

I am in love with this Edsel station wagon. Truly.

As I always say: The beauty is in the details with my work. These pennants added a vintage vacation vibe to my latest shot.

The boys in costume and ready to go! So fun...

I just did a huge clothing drop over at STAG as well. Some nice, summery shirts as well as some long-sleeved early Fall flannels and even some bow ties. It really ran the gamut this week! I even dropped a jacket from a South Carolina State Hospital. (What does that even mean? I don't know...) Stop by the shop for all of your vintage needs, Gentlemen! More to come very soon...

In an effort to enjoy summer here in Maine, I have limited my work days a bit so I can spend time with friends, outdoors or even at the beach. This weekend was the first beach day I've ever done! I've walked by the beach, I've rolled my pants up and waded in, I've sat in the sand, of course. But to swim in the ocean or lay out? Never. It was such fun. Just relaxing and enjoying the sun on my face. And then I visited my good friends and picked some vegetables from their garden, laughed and ended the night watching for the Perseids meteor shower with a cigar and a glass of scotch (I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm a 55 year old man trapped in a woman's body... hahaha). It was such a perfect weekend, you guys. The last month of summer is shaping up to be a very good one.

Then there was this mossy mandible in the woods. That sounds like a Nancy Drew novel...

Orb Spider.

Then we smoked cigars like old men...

Kitten in a sweatshirt (she kind of liked it)...

It's been awhile since I've featured another photographer on here, and a friend just introduced me to the work of Iain McKell and I was blown away. In particular, the work in his book The New Gypsies caught my eye and held it. Much of this series looks like a National Geographic spread from the 70's: editorial, kodachromatic with that soft, warm focus. Normally, work like this doesn't interest me. I like work that does more than capture a moment, I like when it creates one. But here, as you flip through, a moment has been created. A wild, ancient, egalitarian, nomadic, fringe culture moment has been created and it's beautiful. Take a look:

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...