Why Did the Merman Cross the Road?

Hi Lovelies~

I hope you're all doing well out there. This ship is sailing at maximum speed these days with lots of exciting things on board! To start, I posted my Last Ones Standing work this morning and I am very happy with how it came out. I think between these shots and the ones taken in the original Last One Standing series, I have a strong set of images to submit to the FOAM contest this week for sure. A huge thank you to my models, makeup people, crew and videographer for helping nail this project and document the process! A couple of the images are below, and the rest may be seen over at my Behance site.

 


I don't know how many of you know this, but I also style all of my shoots: I do all of the costuming, makeup direction and location-hunting. I feel directing the entire process helps me execute my creative vision more effectively. In addition, I work with some amazingly talented people who've now done enough projects with me to understand my "Jess Speak" or rather, the idea boards I use to concretize my vision. This, along with my actual shoot list, help me ensure that things run smoothly, mistakes aren't made, everyone knows what I expect of them and no one's valuable time is wasted! I thought I would show you my costume and makeup idea boards for Last Ones Standing so you could see where we start (some people find this interesting, I guess, hahaha)...

What else? Oh! Goodness. While most people were hunting for eggs and eating ham yesterday, my crew and I were shoving grown men into mermaid tails out on the beach to shoot another contest submission that I'm doing. That's right: mermaid tails. Onlookers in their Sunday best couldn't process what they were seeing and I think the two best quotes of the day were: "Mommy, why is that man wearing a... is that a man?!" and the old man (completely oblivious to the entire scene), who, upon seeing the Narragansett beer we were using as a prop, exclaimed: "They still make Narragansett? Unbelievable!" That's not all that's unbelievable, Buddy. Wow. Oblivious. I will post those shots next week, but until then, there's this:

Hey Sailor, wanna make out? Bahaha.

And I've found some amazing things I wanted to share with you all. To start, are there any audiophiles out there? Yes? Well, you're in luck, because I found an amazing start-up that may interest you: Grain Audio. They create some amazing audio equipment; headphones, speakers, iPod docks that are gorgeous. As the name implies, their equipment has wood graining (which I love) and for those design types out there, their web presence and ID Package is also impeccable. They pay attention to every details. Plus, they have an area on their site called Setlist, which features great playlists weekly! Check it out, you guys...

And I wanted to wrap up with something else that may interest you. Sign painting fascinates me and so do documentaries (dork here). Sign Painters talks to some of the pros about their trade and techniques. (Plus, I find their wild west, cavalier, Hell's Angels-esque approach to a rather benign field both humorous and charming.) Check out the trailer!


Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Captain Lazarus...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope you are all doing well out there. Things here are busy as usual! To start, as promised, I have some new work out today. I finally finished the Red Army series with the shot below. This series took about 4 months to complete between finding models who fit into the clothing and finding the clothing itself. The series depicts "the real power behind the man" in a subtle way, and then the final image sort of adds a twist to the series (and also because I couldn't find a man to fit into that tunic...hahaha). Fun stuff, huh?

The shot I am most excited about this week though, is Captain Lazarus! I've had this idea in my head for awhile and when my friend Alan (and his glorious mutton chops) agreed to model, I knew it was going to be good. I tried some new techniques with this one to give the piece a whimsical, almost cartoonish look. It's listed in my shop for purchase as well. What do you think?

And speaking of the studio (not that we were), going through the lobby of the Mill the other day, I noticed they finally put up a nice professional looking directory for all the businesses and mine was up there with the rest! (And they even spelled it correctly...) I guess that makes it official, you guys.

I took a rare day off over the weekend to just drive around and enjoy the beautiful (but somewhat chilly) weather. We ended up going all the way out to Land's End via a winding and twisty road right near the water. What a beautiful area up there, sort of the quintessential Maine town you would picture. I got this shot of the fishing boats in the harbor and we also spotted a fox just about to run into the woods which I managed to capture mid-leap. But the best part of the day, was a trip to Fat Boys, a local drive-in restaurant that just opened for the season! Their frappes are delicious. I got vanilla.

Love that pink sunset, don't you?

I love those old, corrugated roof pieces with the teal and white. The sun looks great shining through them.

Those two seagulls on top were my favorite part of that sign.

Mmm fries. Love the old linoleum tables.

Oh, and I finally got a chance to see Drive over the weekend. Have you seen it? It's sort of an action/gangster drama starring Ryan Gosling (who most women find totally dreamy). I loved the cinematography and the soundtrack and the way that both built the tension throughout the entire thing. I also loved Ryan's jacket and the car chase sequences. Unlike most car chases, where you can't even tell what's going on, this movie really kept things calm instead, so you're actually more tense watching things unfold. Very strange, but good. I'd give it 5 out of 5 corncobs.

I want that jacket.

Until next time: unpleasant dreams...