After a Summer of shooting a lot of nudes and erotic work I figured it was time to shoot an idea I’ve had for a while (and involved clothing). This may sound like a strange reason, but hey I have to upload something to Facebook every now and then, and the censorship gods there don’t take kindly to nipples and vaginas.

Zoe Simone was happy to oblige. I hadn’t worked with her before, but I had been meaning to for over a year when someone showed me some of her work. For this particular shoot I had a new makeup artist and a friend of mine, Erich Claxton, who is also a photographer join Zoe and I on the shoot in an effort to revive my Art Posse. I found out very quickly that it was extremely difficult to take a bad picture of Zoe. Trust me, I tried. We’ll definitely be working together again.

A few months ago Bebe swung down to Atlanta for a weekend to shoot with Fela and I. We had a blast and got to try out some experimental ideas that I’ve been wanting to shoot.

If you are in the New York/New Jersey area and have nothing to do this upcoming Saturday October 17, 2009, some of my work will be on display at the Obscura Art Show at QXT’s in Newark, NJ. What’s interesting about this show is that it will be mixed media art show, with prints and digital displays of photography and art.

Five of my pieces will be on display on the digital art wall, which from the organizer’s description sounds very damn cool. My work will be on display with other famous photographers around the country like : Lithium Picnic, Chad Michael Ward, DVS, Circle23, and many others. Jade Vixen and Lady J the Diva will be the hostesses for the night.

For some reason, the address for QXT’s is neither on the flyer nor on the official QXT’s website. Thankfully Google came to the rescue.

248 Mulberry St
Newark, NJ 07102-3528
(973) 643-3996
click here for a Map

Back of the flyer is after the jump.

Model: Tempast

I love to work with Tempast because she always brings as many ideas to a shoot as I do. After posting a casting call for erotic nude models, she emailed me right away with “So what are we shooting this time? I assume I don’t need to bring a wardrobe.”

She was right.

Every year I try and enter a few of my images into contests, art shows, and galleries. There are many types of shows, each with their own standards and themes that you have to follow if you want to be accepted in. After getting a few requests to enter a couple of erotic art shows, I decided to put out a casting call or two for an impromptu photo shoot for a model who had some bondage gear. Vae had some straps and cuffs and was willing to help (after some persuasion).

More often than not, my imagination far exceeds the limitations of my budget. It’s frustrating a lot of times because I have shots and themes that I’ve wanted to shoot ever since I got serious about photography. And like most average Americans, I never have enough money to truly create what I want. So when I can finally devise of an easy (ie, cheap) method to shoot a scene, the hard part is finding a model who will do it. You have no idea how difficult it is to explain an idea like Septem:Luxuria and not sound like a completely psychotic pervert.

Luckily, I have Fela. Fela knows how crazy I am, but also trusts me enough to know the difference between sticking foreign objects in her for the sake of art, and being perverted. After finishing the Septem:Luxuria shot I went back through the set and realized that I liked how a lot of the other shots came out. So I picked out a few more and decided to polish them a bit.

Divya is hilarious to work with. The photos don’t show it, but she is a dork. She’s also incredibly intelligent, sexy, and funny. She was in the neighborhood and asked me for an impromptu shoot. She brought the talented MUA Cabrielle Brooks and hair stylist Kia Floss. We only had enough time to do a couple of looks, but that didn’t stop us. The last time we shot we only had a couple of hours and managed to pull off 3 looks that ended up looking pretty fucking cool.

See? I can shoot people with their clothes on.

Taken earlier today. I’ve never taken a photo then turned around and uploaded it right away. For some reason I’ve always felt that a good idea, or a great vision for an image has to simmer in the back recesses of your creative third eye to full mature into art.

Then I realized I was just procrastinating. Bebe S. Bellamont is hanging out with me this weekend to model, be cool, and make art. She wanted to see how I retouched, and like a magician I was reluctant to show my tricks. The next thing I knew I had a glass of wine in my hand, and I somehow finished the shot above. Tomorrow we’re going to be shooting with the lovely Fela Fray.

Model: Vae