As the first photo intentionally shot for my new series Un-Clothed, I think this was a fabulous success. The idea is simple: how many ways can I find to cover an otherwise nude model without using clothing. If the entire project goes as well as this, I think it will be a fantastic success.

Every time I start talking to a new model to plan a photo shoot, one thing I ask is “can you do any tricks?” It doesn’t matter what the trick is. Most people have something they can do that other people can not, and I want to get that unique bit of their personality and talent into my photos. Make the most you can with the tools you’re given, right?

In this case, the key element for me was the fruit bowl underneath. It makes this more than just a lucky snap. The fruit bowl makes this completely intentional. It says she’s been up there a while, and she can’t come down until someone moves that damn bowl. All of those thoughts happen instantly in the viewer’s subconscious, but they’re necessary. They make this a great shot.

One of my favorite personal mottos regarding photography is this: The key isn’t what you put into the photo, but what you leave out. Today, I found a YouTube video which demonstrates that thought beautifully.

The most powerful element of photography is not what you put into the photo, but what you leave out. The human brain is a fantastic thing. When details are missing, the mind fills in the blanks on its own. And moreover, it fills in those blanks from personal experience. In other words, by giving less detail, you give the viewer more room to make the photo personal and meaningful.

Some ass-face with a small penis took offense to having his photo taken at the House of Blues, and decided to confiscate the camera and use it to beat up the photographer. A young lady, half his size. It turns out, this ass-face was an off-duty employee of HOB… and he was assisted by two other HOB employees.

The neaderthal who beat up the young lady was arrested. House of Blues has suspended the three employees without pay while they “investigate the fight”. But come on, folks… there’s not much to investigate. The fucking gorilla did something stupid, and instead of admitting it was stupid and apologizing, he allowed his pride to escalate the issue until it got completely out of hand. All of these men (and I use that term loosely) should be fired.

Of course obscene situations like this would not happen if our country weren’t promoting some kind of propaganda war against photography. Photography is not a crime. This bullshit needs to stop.

There are many lies told in a photo, and most of them involve fooling the viewer’s perspective. This is an example of that. Here, the “Tragedy” model is taller than “Comedy” model, which works well, because it allows her to hunch into a tragedy pose, without leaving her presence in the photo significantly reduced. Had the models traded roles, we’d have been left with one towering over the other, and giving a completely different implication.

Over the past year, this web site has really become more and more focused on photography. It has also become less and less of a place for my personal thoughts and ramblings. With that in mind, I have decided to begin separating the content, and making things a bit more consistent, and hopefully a little more professional as well.

I have three other domains set up, into which I will be moving content off of this site. But for now, the only thing you need to know is that all posts related to computers, technology, software, etc. have already been moved to BBQIguana.com, which will be my tech blog from here out.

If you have any interest in technology, software, the web, or programming, you’ll want to start visiting BBQIguana.com or subscribe to the feed.

This one is from a while back, but I’ve recently found myself editing it and I like what’s going on in this shot. I went into this shoot knowing I had access to two things — a bald model and a warehouse — and my goal was to turn that into a variation on the theme of the WWII concentration camps and the various medical experiments performed on people therein.

Basically, I wanted a scene from the X-Files. I think I got it with this.

Sort of a break from my typical photo posts. This is a photo I took at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, just outside of Denver. I particularly liked the repeating geometric patterns, and I tried to use the shadow as a compositional element — which can often be hard to do, as the naked eye sees shadows much differently than a camera!

One of my favorite things to do when working with more than one person is to get them to be more violent with each other. Many photographers are very skilled at telling a lie with the camera, but I always feel like my photos are more visceral because there’s more “truth” in them.

When one person grabs another, I want to see their triceps and deltoids tighten. When someone’s hair is pulled, I want to see their scalp raise in response to the force against it. And the best photo always happens at exactly the moment that the victim first feels the rush of actual sensation, instead of having to fake it.

In the latest update on the false criminalization of photography, Boing Boing has obtained the Department of Homeland Insecurity’s guidelines on photography.

Also, enjoy the DOT’s response to the ACLU over harassment of photographers.