Where to start…where to start…

As usual, life keeps getting in the way of trying to keep my blog up-to-date with all the latest news. Sometimes I think I need an amanuensis to help. They could just ask me questions, and write the blogs for me.

But, I’d never really do that. Not only do I actually enjoy the writing, when I get the time, but that would defeat the purpose of this blog. That purpose is for me…to connect with you.

Not some amanuensis.

Anyway, fair warning should have already been given enough in the past that I don’t need to repeat this, but my website is probably NSFW – Not Safe For Work – because it includes pictures of people in their natural state. That is, nude. Sans clothing. And my work is moving more in that direction, as I find that I enjoy studio work more than hiking around these days. And I enjoy compositing immensely, for which I want to get the best possible shot in the studio to use as the centerpiece of whatever I’m going to build.

Lately, though, I’m also discovering the joy of building minimalist sets – such as in the featured image above – and then tweaking it to match my vision.

Sticking to the studio, and Photoshop, not only allows me to do what I enjoy more, and to do it more often. It also allows me to continue to make money from my “day job” as a criminal defense lawyer, until such time as perhaps – think good thoughts for me! – my photography will start to supplement my income. My long-term goal (which I would love to accelerate) is to cut back on the law practice, being pickier about the cases I handle, while increasing the time I spend on artistic endeavors.

At the moment, I’m focusing – hehe – on honing my style. I enjoy the older art forms. In particular, I’m a big fan of the Renaissance. This has led me to develop a kind of “painting” style for my images. Sometimes, as part of the process, I use plugins, like Topaz Impression. But I’ve been practicing my drawing, and reading about various ways of drawing – with pencils, charcoal, Conté, and other media. Plugins are nice, but I really want to develop a distinctive style that is based on my own individualized tweaks. It just makes me feel more like an actual artist.

Don’t get me wrong: there’s nothing wrong with plugins. Sometimes, it’s the best and easiest way to achieve a particular result. I avoid making it too formulaic in that I never really use the “recipes” baked in to the plugins. I’ve learned the sliders, but I also do blending of the plugin output in ways that I don’t think many people do (including the “blend if” options of Photoshop’s layers palette).

Lately, I’ve also been looking at older forms of straight-up photography, like film noir. (In fact, I have a shoot tomorrow with a young woman that centers around that idea, plus a “1920s look.”)

Bottom line: look for more “NSFW” work here. Not because I want to be NSFW – I wish more people could view my work – but because that’s the work that most inspires me, entices me, and makes me feel connected to the artists I admire the most.

Renaissance: the Rebirth.

New directions.