STILL SIMPLE

HOT ICE

I don’t recall the model’s name who was essential and incredibly patience in modeling for this shot. She was energy, confident, beautiful Just amazing stellar feminine energy.

I can’t say the theme of lips is totally an original idea. I was fortunate to work for one of the very best to use a woman’s lips for part of his image making in cosmetic advertising.

Dennis Manarchy is what you might consider the god of lip photography in my book, anyway. Dennis has made lips image for cosmetic companies, electronic companies and as art so much so he had a certain model lips painted on the side of his one time studio just to make a photo he had in mind.

This image came to me while I was photographing a project for Leo Burnett on the Phillip Morris account. I audition for a model who want to do this shot. The modeling agency knew what I want to do and sent this model who was excited to add this piece to her portfolio.

I gather a makeup artist and a couple of hands to keep the ice going. Several others were on hand just hanging out enjoying the production but more important helping the model feel safe and comfortable so we could get the shot.

The blue nude came about when I was explaining the idea to a friend who Stewart the golfer in my portrait series, said to me I know the perfect woman who would do this. The next day after Steward told her I get a call and, she said “I have always dreamed of being photographed as art.”

I had at least five other help with this shot everything from hair and makeup, a water pour guy, a towel girl to help with keeping the model dry.

Two guys helping me load film, shoot Polaroid and keep it coming as I directed her to making the pose before the water dude splashed her with a small bucket of water hanging from a boom arm with a rocket arm rig that allowed the water to hit the ice where we wanted too .

Did it work every time? More or less it was dead on but something else might’ve been off. The ponytail would lose shape or the lift just didn’t happen exactly as before but you keep working and keep your model happy and making sure she’s ok and can keep going. By the time we finished I burned up 70-100 sheets of 4×5 Ektachrome film.

This was pre-photoshop so I achieve the blue effect by dropping out the black in my film. Pre flashing all the film to shoot with a minimal amount of blue light. Determining how much blue light was a complete journey itself. Today you can accomplish most of the same thing in photoshop long as you have a willing model to lift a 15 lbs. block of ice over her head and hold it till the camera fires and gets to rest the ice down and build herself up to lift again get hit with water for 3 hours. You can do it.

BLUE NUDE

Time beneath the SEA

STATE OF THE ART

This beauty I stumbled upon coming out of the gym. I couldn’t believe the owner parked in the most perfect place so I could take this photo. Thank you unknown Harley Rider.