Brooke Lynne

So, I suck

2011-08-12T11:53:00.005-05:00

At blogging. Sorry guys. I dropped the ball.

But my summer in France has been absolutely wonderful - although extremely full and busy. Which was definitely a good thing. I've learned so much, was able to be an inspiration for a handful of people, and made a bunch of new friends. What more can you ask for?

I just had my apartment check-out, and my apartment is spotless and empty. So I'm here in the countryside for one more night, a shoot in Paris, then one night at a CDG airport hotel, then a looooong Sunday of air travel - including a stupid 6 hour layover in Chicago. Bleeeh. But it will be all worth it when I'm greeted by my love with a Jimmy John's sandwich (been craving one for 2 1/2 months) and big hugs and kisses. ;)

I do plan to make a few blog posts about highlights from my time here, including a couple of the festivals that happened in this small town, and of course, I'll post some of the students artwork. But after I get home I'm going on a week-long vacation camping at my most favorite location in the world - the North Shore of Lake Superior. I think I deserve a vacation.

But right now, I'm going to soak in my last hours here, eat the escargot I saved for tonight as my last dinner, have coffee with the group at the Le Calimero (the local cafe), and then a good night sleep. Or at least try to. This is all so bittersweet, but its not the last time I'll work for this school....

For now, I leave you with this picture that the painting instructor, Michelle Tully did of me during a two week, 30 hour pose. Photographs of oil paintings do them no justice - just keep that in mind.

1 month

2011-06-18T03:30:00.006-05:00

It's been quite a month here. I've met and become friends with some amazing people, I've seen things I've never seen before, and I've helped create art.

It's about time I showed you some pictures of the studio.

And here are a few poster studies that have been done over the past few weeks. Most of these poster studies are 6 hour long poses, but there are a couple 3 hour poses thrown in.

And this last week I did a 12 hour pose spanning over 4 days. Here are a couple of the results.

(artist: Joshua Press)

(artist: M. Tobias Hall)

More images around town.

2011-06-07T06:32:00.007-05:00

The Studio

Bolangerie/Patisserie (bakery and bread shop)

Overlooking the town

This guy's name is Fripon, which is "Rascal" in French.

Studio with the cafe at the end of the street.

Town Square

Somebody's watching me!

More lovely bridges.

Dusk... finally at 10:45pm.

Victorious hike!

the first fortnight

2011-06-05T11:19:00.003-05:00

Who uses the word "fortnight" anymore?

Anyway, its been great. Actually, its been a lot of things, but to sum up - its been wonderful. I'm exhausted and energized. Tired and excited. I've been tempted, and I've indulged. I've met so many wonderful people in this program - so much so that I want to do this full-time for as long as I can. Well, let me amend that: This job is HARD. It's hard on the body and hard on the mind (especially when overwhelmed by the physical pain). So I need a lot more off-time to recharge than I would need in an office position, perhaps. But its worth it. I'm in a place where EVERYONE dearly appreciates what I do, loves the energy and effort I put into it, and they don't treat me like just a subject or even a model - they treat me as an artist in my own right. And that feeling is amazing and touching.

The last two weekends, all of the students and I have gotten together and put together a potluck at least once a weekend. (Here's an image of our first potluck). Pretty sure this is going to be a weekly event, which is awesome.

I have to say, there's something in the air out here. I'm not a cook, never had the confidence to try anything ambitious mainly due to my anosmia and (therefore) my questionable lack of accurate taste. But I've been adventurous here... with my 2 hotplates and toaster oven!. The first potluck night I made a fritatta with onions, garlic, broccoli and ricotta cheese. The second potluck, this past Friday, I made a pasta bake with a fucking amazing tomato sauce, and then Saturday night I made blueberry baked brie. The brie turned out amazing, and I think it will be my staple contribution from now on. (I might vary the different types of baked brie... with sauteed onions, or other fruits, with or without a pastry wrap, or whatever... but I really should live up to my namesake)

I figure, if I gain 10 pounds this summer by making and eating all of this wonderful food, it will be totally worth it. :)

Behind the Scenes in Ohio

2011-06-01T06:33:00.009-05:00

We take a break from reporting about France to highlight some awesome behind the scenes photos from my trip to Ohio in late April.

I rarely get behind the scenes photos but when I do, they're always fun.

Dave's friend, Tim Black, caught a fun moment of Dave showing me an awesome shot we just got.

Dave was probably telling a punny story.

Mark and I outside of Dayton's German pub.

I'm shooting Dave...

...Dave shooting me and Tim.

Gary M documenting my massive appetite. Yes, I did eat it all. Taaaasty! Love Bob Evans.

Dave taking behind the scenes photos of Herb Ascherman shooting me with his lovely large format camera.

Great times!!!

And I promise that sometimes I do wear another hairstyle then just a bun. But its not often. ;)

Next time I write will be an overlook through my first two weeks in France. :)

first day of work

2011-05-22T15:39:00.006-05:00

...Officially.

I worked a 3 hour beginning/introduction session with the director Saturday afternoon, which went very well. But today was my first day in front of all 14 of the students.

I'm going to be working with these students for 3 months. All of them paid thousands of dollars for this intensive program. It was important that I make a good impression.

For those of you who know me personally, it is fair to say that I am a bit of a perfectionist at my job, yes? Like everyone else in the world, I have my off-days but I was not going to let today be one of them. For 6 hours, I pulled out all the stops. I did some of the craziest, dynamic, hardest poses I've ever done for a life drawing session. I feel like I've ran a marathon - I have that feeling of extremely productive exhaustion. But did I set the bar too high for myself? I don't think I can physically top what I did today. It's close to impossible - something in me would snap or break.

But maybe not. I felt good enough to go for an hour and a half hike around the river, and it is not a flat hike. But I took it fairly easy, and snapped some lovely photos with my digicam. Kind of a test shoot for what I will shoot with my precious borrowed (from awesome friend, Dave Levingston) Mamiya C330 and only 12 rolls of black and white film.

So enjoy the photos.

Tomorrow or Tuesday I will go around town and shoot various notable buildings and establishments. Still trying to get a feel for the town, and not be so afraid while walking down the road. There are very few sidewalks, and the sidewalks they have are very narrow. And the roads are barely bigger than a one-lane road we see in the states. And they aren't one-way streets. ...You have to be very careful going around corners.

To be fair, european cars are significantly smaller... but not proportional to the size of the residential streets.

Anyway, I'm going to finish my green tea and pass out. Have to be up in 10 hours to do it all over again! :)

Excuse the mess...

2011-05-20T05:21:00.003-05:00

I'm still unpacking!

Street view of the apartment building. I'm on the ground level - left 2 windows.

Garden View.

West view of my apartment.

Kitchen.

Looking out to the street.

The trip was very long and I still have jet lag. Went about 28 hours without sleeping and moving ahead 7 hours in time zones. But other than that I couldn't have asked for better travels out here. No delays, no missed flights or trains, and generally getting along pretty well with my limited French.

Last night we had a welcome dinner, and this morning has been about getting food for ourselves. One of the students and I got up at 7:30 am (12:30am Central) to go to the local cafe. I got a cafe au lait, and it was not what I expected. It was espresso in a small demitasse cup with a small amount of steamed milk on the side. I have to figure out how I can get a Soy Latte. Ha! Then we went to the patisserie, and then the supermarket. I'm going to learn a lot of french this summer, that I can say for sure..

Now off I go to a meeting, then I will probably crash into bed. Hope I sleep better tonight then I did last night!

cinq jours

2011-05-13T22:29:00.003-05:00

I leave in 5 days.

I leave in 5 days.

I think I have everything done. Well, of course except for having everything packed. I have everything pre-packed (which means there are piles and piles of things in my room that need to be placed in suitcases) and 98% of all my errands done.

I'm getting anxious here!

What is it going to be like? Will I be in pain after every session? What will the town be like? How much French will I learn/pick up? How homesick will I get? What will the food be like? How can I live and experience this adventure to its fullest?

Trying to stay calm here, but honestly, so excited and scared at the same time. But fear can be exciting, just as long as we don't let it smother us.

This might be my last post until I actually get over there. Wish me luck!

_______________________
Mark S. Chaplin

Cheap Motel

2011-05-06T21:44:00.006-05:00

As soon as I got off the plane in Ohio, rockstar Chip Willis picked me up from the airport. We spent the whole night chatting and shooting. Chip is also one of my most favorite people to work with. You never know what he's going to come up with. Creativity just oozes from his pores.

We created some awesome images that night - but be warned, this isn't the usual "Brooke" that you're used to seeing. A bit more edgy, sensual, and challenging. Challenging for me, at least. A bit scary, exciting, thrilling and uncomfortable. But that's most, if not all of the reason it was so fun. It's always great stepping out of your comfort zone as long as you're with someone you trust.

Here's a sampling of the images we created that night.

Thanks Chipsta!!!

Oh, if you haven't checked it out yet - I now have an *active* Tumblr.
Woopdie-do!

Dear Abandoned Readers

2011-05-05T21:34:00.011-05:00

I apologize for my absence. I haven't kept up with this blog as much as I've wanted to. I've neglected it, and neglected you. It makes me feel bad, but hey, what can you do?

I absolutely, positituvely (yes, I know that really isn't a word), promise that very soon you will see a drastic change in the amount I post. I will be writing very frequently about my travels and experiences in France. You will be my link back home, back to friends, and back to loved art and artists, and hopefully I can be a link to some lovely happenings (at least in my world) in small-town France.

That is less than weeks away - OH MY. Anxiety, excitement, curiosity - a whole range of emotions is tingling through me. Thankfully, I'm not terribly stressed getting things together for the 3 month excursion. I've known about this trip since October so it's given me plenty of time to stock-pile supplies, compile to-do lists, and get psyched up for my adventure. There are last minute things that need to be done, such as car insurance, cell phone account suspension (definitely not taking my cell phone across the pond with me - it's terribly expensive), and actually packing, but other than that, nothing to stress on.

Okay, I lied.

The one thing I'm terribly concerned about is being homesick. I'm an "attached" sort of person. I love my family, friends, and of course, the boyfriend. Being away from them all will be the hardest part of the trip, I'm sure of it.

But anyway, enough of that!

-------------

Two weeks ago I was in Ohio for a whole week. Wow, it was what I needed. Papa's funeral was three days prior to me departing for my trip, and I needed to get away and just make art and hang out with friends. Dave Levingston hosted me in his house for the week, and we made such lovely, wonderful images like the ones below.

It's always wonderful working and hanging out with Dave. He's one of the best people to be around and create art with. One of my favorite people in the whole world.

Thanks Dave!

Life drawing work

2011-04-29T10:07:00.008-05:00

I have an update coming very, very soon about my travels to Ohio last week.

But first, I wanted to post some recent life drawing work that makes me happy. :)

Ode to Papa

2011-04-11T19:46:00.003-05:00

Died April 10, 2011. Age 74. After 3 years in the hospital, he is finally in peace.

California Dreamin' (v1.5)

2011-03-23T12:10:00.003-05:00

Just sent from a photographer at the workshop last year: Joel Brown. The only one sporting a large format camera. Gets huge kudos from me.

Have I mentioned that I love my job? And that I love the artists I work with?

California Dreamin'

2011-03-23T11:12:00.006-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, folks. I can't really say that I've been soooo busy I haven't had time to make a new entry, but rather finding suitable material to post/talk about has been lacking. Which is kind of silly, since a good friend of mine just set up a blog not too long ago and I have been advocating that you make a blog your own. It doesn't have to be substantial, or profound - it just has to be yours, and you post what you want.

So here I am.

I'm leaving in a few days to go to the Palm Springs Photo Festival. This will be my second year attending as a workshop model. I will be working for Greg Gorman's Fine Art Nude workshop, and I'm sure it will be as great as last year. I'm looking forward to seeing familiar faces and friends, but most of all, I'm looking forward to getting out of snowy Minnesota. Last night and this morning we had yet another substantial snowfall - 8 inches - and it's still snowing. Ugh. I'm so done with the snow and cold. Done done done.

I'm making lots of progress on my needed essentials for my long working vacation to France over the summer. I'm doing a great job at emptying out my pocketbook! But the expenses are necessary. New computer (I'm finally and officially a Mac user), new glasses and Rx sunglasses, new clothes, new camera (don't get terribly excited - its just a point and shoot, albeit an awesome one), and a bunch of incidentals. Shop til I drop.

On another note, I have a shoot today with Matthew Scherfenberg. Always love working with Matt. Let's just hope I can make it out of the driveway.

_________________________

Azureus by Matthew Scherfenberg.

Quarter-Century

2011-02-16T10:25:00.006-06:00

That's it. I'm officially old now. ;)

So far its been a wonderful birthday - but the day has just begun!

In celebration of my birthday, I want to showcase just some of my favorite images of this year.

Thank you to all the wonderful artists that I've worked with this past year.

weekend backfire

2011-01-22T17:35:00.009-06:00

Life is a strange bag of big thorns and dark chocolate, liars and lovers, suffering and bliss.

C'est la vie.

Art always lifts me up. Because of that, I'm smiling.

_____________

Risen Phoenix.

Post-Holidays

2011-01-03T15:02:00.004-06:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

I had a blissful 2 week break from life modeling gigs, and goodness, I soaked it in. I love working with artists and doing what I do - it is so rewarding in so many ways - but it is very physically demanding, and in some ways mentally challenging as well. So I gave my body lots of TLC, and thoroughly enjoyed my time off.

But now! - Back to work. January and February is filling up fast with life modeling work. But I'm going to be restricting life modeling work in March and April so I can focus on traveling and working with photographers around the country before I leave for France for the summer.

Dates are not in place quite yet, but I know I'll be traveling to the following cities/states in the spring:

NYC
Los Angeles & Bay Area
Chicago
Ohio

Other possible locations are:

Portland
Seattle
Austin/Dallas
Baltimore/DC area

I might do a quick 5-6 day midwest tour via car. But... that depends on my car's condition. It's getting old and unreliable.

Feel free to suggest a place for me to go!

I'll update this travel list in due course when details are worked out.

______________

Nad Iksodas. 4x5 Film.

Stephanie Anne

2010-12-16T13:28:00.005-06:00

A little post to celebrate the creative talent of my friend and fellow art model, Stephanie Anne.

I had such a fun and memorable time collaborating with her and our fellow photographer friends.

It will happen again.

When? Hopefully soon.

_______________

In sets of two, in the following order:

Steven Billups
Scott Nichol
Bill Earle

Voyage

2010-11-28T16:12:00.003-06:00

I've known this for a couple months, but I wanted to make sure everything was in order and finalized before I gave the news.

I'm going to France for the entire summer of 2011, May - August!

I'll be working for an intensive life drawing studio about 2 1/2 hours southwest of Paris.
Six hours a day, 5 days a week for 12 weeks. Most of the poses will be 60+ hours.

So after the holiday season, I'll be busting my butt to travel and book as many photo shoots as I can in the U.S. before I leave for the summer. Please send me an email if you'd like me in your area.

I might be able to book some photo shoots in Western Europe while abroad, but it will be very limited, as the life drawing studio is my number one priority and commitment.

It's absolutely amazing the opportunities I've been given because of art modeling. I can't imagine what my life would be without it.

___________________

Scott Nichol.

If you're in the Twin Cities...

2010-11-11T22:26:00.004-06:00

You should come to this gallery show tomorrow, Friday November 12, 7 - 10pm!

A photographic underwater series by Rhea Pappas.
Live photo-shoot with models wearing hand dyed scarves by Wendie Zekowski and jewelry by Jamie Ingham.
Hair and makeup by FiveTwoSix Stylists

Here's the facebook event link.

Here's the 526 salon link.

It will be a great time! Hope to see you there!!

two announcements!

2010-11-02T13:20:00.007-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates dear friends. Everything is well and good here. You know, life just gets in the way sometimes.

I don't have much personally to write about at this time, but I do have a couple of important announcements to make.

------------------------

First of all, dear friend Dave Levingston has 4 wonderful 2011 calendars for sale. One of them is a calendar of our travels this past summer to my most beloved location in the world - the North Shore of Minnesota. They come in two available sizes, and make great gifts for you and your artistically-minded friends and family.

Here is his link to all of his calendars.

And here are the two links to both of my calendars. the large calendar, and the smaller calendar.

------------------------

The second announcement is that some of self-portraits are once again included in a collaborative book project.

The third volume of the f-eleven series of photo books was published yesterday.

Information to order can be found by clicking here, and a full preview of the book can be seen here.

20 percent discount offer:

USD $ coupon code: PROMO
GBP £ coupon code: PROMO1
EUR € coupon code: PROMO2
CAD $ coupon code: PROMO3
AUD $ coupon code: PROMO4

100% of the profits of this book go to The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction.

Over 190 images (including fine art nude images )
15 photographers
160 pages (premium lustre paper)
8" x 10" (landscape style)

Designed & Edited by WOLF189

featuring:

Brooks Ayola (nude portraits)
Ralph Barker ( fine art landscape + still life )
Matthew Cherry ( fine art )
Sita Mae Edwards ( fine art nude )
April-lea Hutchinson ( nude portraits )
Leo Lam ( editorial fashion )
Dave Levingston ( fine art nude )
Clay Lipsky ( portraits )
Frank Love ( street / documentary work )
Brooke Lynne ( fine art nude )
Ken Mierzwa ( fine art nude)
Trish Noble ( portraits )
Dave Rudin ( fine art nude )
Ward Shortridge ( portraits )
Wolf189 ( editorial fashion + erotic portraits )

f-eleven is a private photography group. Visit us at:

f - eleven books: [link]
f - eleven books blog: [link]
f-eleven facebook: [link]

Streamlined Backlog

2010-10-07T20:44:00.004-05:00

I got an iPhone a little less than a month ago. Since then, I've been on the computer much, much less (but on my iPhone much, much more). Which is generally a good thing because I don't waste time surfing the web for silly things. But it has its downsides of course, because I generally just "check" things and don't "respond" much any more. And if any of you know me, you know that I never was too terribly quick on replying to things in general before.

I said I was going to blog on my trip again, but I never got to it mostly because there wasn't internet access the last week while in the UP of Michigan. And it was better that way because I got to enjoy the fabulous company and make awesome art. And believe it or not, I really enjoyed not being completely attached at the hip to the world wide web. I should make it a habit more often.

I have some SUPER exciting opportunities happening this year that I will share with you all soon enough. But until then, please enjoy some of the marvelous photos taken at the UP of Michigan.

____________________________

Mark Haskins.

Model alongside in the first photo: Keira Grant

chocolate + loveliness

2010-09-18T20:49:00.004-05:00

The trip is going fantastic. I'm so, so, so happy I could make this happen.

For the first part of my trip, I'm traveling with the gorgeous, wonderful, and superbly talented Stephanie Anne. She is a delight to hang around with and to work with.

We met up in Pennsylvania and worked with Scott Nichol and Bill Earle, worked with Steven Billups in Delaware today and we're ending our travels together on Monday in Baltimore with David Hilton. It will be bittersweet, because I know we'll meet and work together again, but I just don't want to part ways.

But for the second part of my trip, which will be just under a week long, I'm going to a truly beautiful location, with two of my most favorite people in the world, and I'm meeting up and working with another talented model... but I'll just leave that a mystery until my next post.

Until then, here is some Chocolate Polaroid goodness of Stephanie and I, courtesy of Scott Nichol.

Off I go...

2010-09-14T14:44:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow morning I skip town for a week and a half!

Toooooo excited. I need this, for many reasons.

The great thing about my job is that, not only is it my job, but its my passion, and I am so lucky that the people I work for are almost always the most awesome people on the planet. It's work AND play. I am blessed.

Not only that, but on this trip I'll be meeting and working with two models who's work I've respected for a long time. AWEsome.

I'll blog on the trip, for sure... how often, I do not know.

But I'll leave you with a self-portrait.

Until next time, dear readers, take care.

life is hard... let's control it.

2010-09-10T10:25:00.005-05:00

Perception is everything. You've heard that here before, and perhaps from several other sources. It is truth, sometimes a very hard-to-swallow truth.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons why I like photography so much. Photography has EVERYTHING to do with perception, and visa-versa. Perhaps I've said that before too.

I'm starting to get ready for my upcoming travels to the East and to the U.P. of Michigan, and starting to plan for travels in the late fall and winter. As I'm in the midst of mentally preparing myself, because its been many months since I've traveled, I've been noticing a little bit of trepidation. I've been very conscious of this, trying to figure out where it's coming from. I love flying, I love meeting new friends, I love going to parts of the country I've never been before, and of course, I love creating art. Clearly, the positives vastly outweigh the negatives. But I'm prone to worry. My first subconscious instinct is to find things that could go wrong - possibly to mentally prepare myself for problems, for failure. Even when every detail of logistics is figured out, there is always room for unexpected changes that are out of my control. And I think that's the real issue. Not being in control.

Control has so many veils of security. "If I am in control of this, or that, I will feel and be safe." It alleviates a sense of helplessness. And helplessness can be scary. The only thing you can ever control is your emotions and reactions to situations, everything else outside of yourself is out of your control. Period. Now, sometimes you can manipulate situations or people to get what you want... and I believe that's what fuels this obsession. Because sometimes it works! And if you're particularly talented at those skills and/or in a position of high authority, they might work a lot. But in the long run, especially if you're pushing for the wrong reasons, they will be detrimental.

I prefer trust. Trust that everything will work out okay. Because it always does. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't believe anyone should just sit back and do nothing to change a situation, especially if it's harmful to you. I'm talking about when you come to a wall that you can neither go around or knock down. The serenity prayer comes in handy here.

I'm in the middle of a particularly hard personal situation with a loved one. I desperately want to control it, to change it, to get the unwanted factor(s) out of their life and my life. And the first few days, hell, the first few weeks were horribly hard. Half the time, I was (both unconsciously and consciously) pulling out all my childish tactics to make it go away. The other half, I was purposely denying the issue / lying to myself, pretending that it wasn't even in existence or that it would go away. Then, when I couldn't lie to myself anymore, and I was tired of being a baby, I got on my pedestal spouting the morals of societal homogonies and ethics of popular opinions and methodologies. Woe is me! You're hurting me! You're making me feel this way with your actions/choices! For a very short time, I even tried to get a third party on the bandwagon (who was already on, but I thought "strength in numbers.") Then... hypocrisy slapped me hard in the face. And the realization that, although this is so very hard, if I learn to accept it I will have a much easier time continuing the very important relationship than if I resist it. So I've been accessing all the resources I can to understand it. And, low and behold, I have much more peace with it. I'm still not happy about it, by any means, but I am coming to terms with it. And all I can do is take a leap of faith, and trust that these unwanted factors will not harm the relationship I have with my loved one.

It's a huge leap of faith, and it is possible that I wont make it to the other side, but I'm proud that I have the courage to jump... instead of cowering in fear, sadness and anger.

_____________

Self-portrait. In-camera double exposure.

To the Chicagoan

2010-09-04T16:57:00.004-05:00

This post is dedicated to my friend Jordan, a now resident of Chicago. She was just going to be there for the summer and come back to Minneapolis, but some opportunities arose that compelled her to stay in the area for good. She came back this past week to get some things in order for her permanent move. We spent some time hanging out, and then, of course, we had to squeeze in a shoot together.

To my friend in Chicago, may life bring you only great things, and new, exciting opportunities.

Next time, we'll meet up and visit - in your town. It will happen soon.

Much love to you, friend.

__________________

Matthew Scherfenberg.

I thought I was a hippy...

2010-08-29T13:18:00.012-05:00

but this just proves it. ;)

Fellow art model Claudia from 'Museworthy' did a blog post on this quiz. I was intrigued, so I took it.

My top two results are "New Age" and "New Thought." Generally, I relate with the "New Thought" concept more.

Now, first of all... this is just a frivolous, trivial quiz for entertainment purposes only - obviously. Second, I don't fully agree with all aspects of either distinction. I have my own understanding of what my spirituality means to me, as I would hope all of you do too - otherwise we just follow the crowd blindly and don't reach in and discover our own personal beliefs.

Whatever - this is just for fun, and I wont be the slightest bit offended if you've already closed the page and stopped reading 2 minutes ago.

Free-spirited.... and extremely dizzy.

___________

Al Maleson.

Post-processing

2010-08-28T22:08:00.007-05:00

Okay, so... I have to give a huge props to all you photographers out there. I have a better appreciation for you all after my recent adventures in post-processing.

I did a shoot for a musician friend a couple weeks ago; portraits with his various instruments for his soon-to-be website. And while I loved the experience, and had a fun time shooting with Kyle, I have to say that the post-processing was a pain in the butt. Now, admittedly, I did not have everyday access to the computer where the images were uploaded and processed, but it wasn't even really that extensive of work. Basic stuff... for the most part.

Anyway, just thought I'd mention that I've learned a thing or two, and promise to think twice after a shoot at how much work the photographer might have in front of them.

There's still no real excuse for not having images after 6 months. Absolutely no excuse after a year. Ahem. Hint, hint.

So that being said, I'll include a few from the shoot with Kyle.

when I needed it most

2010-08-17T22:23:00.003-05:00

Okay, so, I'm going to go totally geektastic on all of you. Or maybe it's pure dorkaliciousness. But anyway, before I get to the sweet goodness of it, I need to describe what this means to me, and where I'm coming from.

I'm coming completely clean. You may not know me in real life or you may. Either way, I've been keeping secrets for a few months. And you know what secrets do? They eat away at you. I've thought that I should keep this blog as impersonal as possible, but that's just silly. The only thing people can really connect to are things in others that they can personally relate to. Our perceptions of others revolve around our own personal experiences. So, I have nothing to lose telling you all this, except my guilt and shame. The funny thing is, I've considered writing about this before, but I felt like I would be judged and therefore I would feel more guilt and shame. But what I sometimes forget, especially when I have an unwelcome guest in my home (I'll get to that in a little bit), is that the only person who has the power to make me feel anything is myself. One of my favorite quotations is, "Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter." I'm rambling... so I should move on and be more concise.

I've been going through a lot of changes in my life in the past few months. I'm in recovery - I've eradicated alcohol and marijuana from my life and I've been completely sober for over four months without a single slip or relapse. Some can handle those chemicals in a healthy manner and be functional (or not), but not me. I have an addictive personality, which is both a blessing and a curse. Stopping cold turkey was hard, but an absolute necessity, which in a way made it easier. I've also been trying to find a way out of my current living and home environment and start living independently, since I'm living with family that uses said chemicals quite frequently in my presence. Plus, I'm 24 - it's way past time I leave the nest. Overall I'm struggling to create freedom from the chains that hold me down. The biggest, heaviest chain, it seems, is the beast. Depression.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know I've written about the beast before. And it can change; it sneaks in with slightly different disguises so you don't know to kick it out before it has already overstayed it's welcome. It always does its best to convince you that it's your friend, your companion, your confidant, so that when it's already made itself at home with you, you're afraid you'll be completely alone without it. It's a cunning, baffling and powerful little monster. It's (usually) never as powerful as the last time it made it's way into my home, but it's still quite sneaky. It blocks up all the windows and doors - there's hardly any sunshine, there's no sweet breeze, but worst of all, there's no way out - until you make it leave. But you can't just wish it to leave, hope it to leave or tell it to leave - you have to kick it out the fucking door. And only you can do it. No one can sweet-talk it away for you, no matter how much they love you. But the very frustrating thing is, it knows how to pick locks. One of these days I'll learn how to keep it out for good.

Anyway, enough talk about the malicious bastard. So, I've been listening to a lot of music lately. It's one of my many coping mechanisms. And lately I've been going back to my roots - choral music. There are many, many great pieces out there that uplift me, but by far my favorite composer is Eric Whitacre. He's the composer that wrote/arranged Lux Aurumque, the choral piece I put in my last post.

He is a compositional genius. I realize that choral music isn't everyone's cup of tea, but take 20 minutes out of your very busy day and I dare you to listen to these songs (which are three of my favorite pieces) and NOT get chills. But keep in mind, there is no substitution to hearing a top-notch choir (like the Concordia College Choir or VocalEssence [which both happen to be Minnesota choirs - we Minnesotans really know how to sing] in a live space. You just can't reproduce the sound, even with professional equipment and recordings.

I had been listening to these 3 songs yesterday and today. After a particularly rough weekend, I had been trying my best to get my beast off my back. They helped immensely, but I still felt I couldn't shake it completely.

Then out of the blue this past afternoon I receive an email, which reads:

Brooke,

A fan sent me a link to your blog entry "Light and Gold", and that got me snooping around your site, and I was compelled to write you a quick note. SUCH beautiful work! Truly gorgeous, inspired images - you have such an eye for the delicate and the subtle.

Perhaps our paths will one day cross; until then, please know that you have a new fan in Los Angeles.

With much admiration,
Eric Whitacre

I thought at the beginning of writing this post, that I was going to go all gaga about what this email means to me, but there's not much more to say. Except, it's furthered my belief in my understanding of how the world works, my spirituality, the law of attraction, and that there is no such thing as a coincidence.

I'm flying free and high as a bird waaaay above the clouds. I'll be up here a while.

I feel like this:

The deepest, heartfelt thanks goes to Eric, a true inspiration, who took a couple minutes out of his day to look and to tell me what he thought of my art, at a time when I needed it most.

___________

Matthew Scherfenberg.

Light and Gold

2010-08-11T23:50:00.009-05:00

"Lux Aurumque" - Light and Gold

Light, Light
Light, Light
Light, Light
Warm
Warm
deep/dignified
deep/dignified
deep/dignified
Pure
Pure as if gold
They sing and sing and sing.

If there are such things as angels in heaven,
this is what they sing.

____________________

Mark Haskins.

Dave Kemmerling

2010-07-26T17:24:00.008-05:00

The figure modeling scene here in Minnesota is small, yet due to the nature of the business we models don't cross paths much. There was one man who was trying to change that. He set up an organization called Phigural, which is intended to unite art models and photographers in order to create a more tight knit community/family of artists here in Minnesota.

Dave was a very established classic art model, modeling for local renown art schools and co-ops for over a decade. Within the last few years he branched out into modeling for art and figure photographers. This is how I came to know of him.

We started exchanging emails about a year ago, then this January I finally got to meet him at one of Doug Beasley's workshops at the Minneapolis Photo Co-op.

We only worked together twice, once at the previously mentioned workshop in January and then just recently this May at Doug's 5 day Dramatic Portrait workshop out in the Badlands. but we exchanged numerous emails, and got together a couple of times to discuss art and art modeling.

Dave was a very genuinely warm person, had an incredible sense of integrity, and was always so very kind and generous. He was full of zest and passion for the arts and for art modeling. He was a wonderful friend who I wish I could have gotten the chance to know better. His smile always warmed my heart.

On July 20th, Dave lost his battle to depression at 50 years old.

He will very much be missed. May he finally rest in peace.

___________________

Martin Husch.
Steve Kemmerling.

BIG part 2

2010-07-24T14:10:00.003-05:00

There it is, folks! All I have to do is sign it and ship it!

I'm really proud.

Photography: Natural vs Reality

2010-07-17T09:13:00.015-05:00

Dave Levingston recently was expressing his position based off of critical comments/questions by his friend Morgan. Her main concern (in a nutshell) seems to be why aren't photographers asking models to pose in "natural" ways.

"This is about calling bullshit when I see it and it’s bullshit to say that someone is celebrating the beauty of the natural female form when there isn’t anything natural in the ways they pose or photoshop their models."

Okay, first of all, what constitutes "natural?" Here, I have a link to the definitions of "natural." None of those definitions seem to really fit what Morgan is aiming at, instead I think they cater to more of how Dave defines it. Dave asks his models to either mimic or contradict the lines or patterns of nature in the scene as he sees it. If models were asked to be photographed, posing like one would stand waiting for the bus, or lounging like they're watching tv, there would be nothing inspiring to photograph - in most cases. And that's not the definition of natural, that's just sedentary. Any way a person poses is natural, because the pose is emanating from themselves. They are not attaching anything artificial, or man-made, to their bodies, or doing something impossible that a human being cannot possibly do. That would be unnatural.

And my favorite type of photographic art is one that tries to imitate the impossible. But that's just me.

But I personally don't believe this is really the case at hand - I think it's mostly an excuse. I think Morgan is just pissed off at society at large for the way women have been perpetuated in the media and blaming it on how it has influenced their representation in artistic mediums. Specifically (obviously) photography. But every era in time has their own idealistic version of women - how they are considered attractive and sexually appealing. In this day in age, even I wouldn't fit that description. Yes, I am trim, but I don't have big breasts. I am not tall. I don't have that exaggerated hourglass figure. But I absolutely love the way I am, and I am thankful that I am lacking those physical attributes because I personally strive to participate in nude art that tries to separate beauty from sexuality. Of course, those two can't be totally separated, I realize, but I focus my energy in collaborating in art that does not excite sexual arousal. I am most excited by art that represents the innocence of the nude form; that we come from nature and we are all born naked, the amazing geometry and forms that the human body can take, and the unconventional beauty of "unnatural" posing.

I think people have this notion stuck in their minds that photography should depict realness. I think when people see a photograph, there's a part of their mind that views it as purely journalistic. But photography, when used for a tool in art, shows the artist's reality - and that's it. And their reality doesn't have to be real. That's the most absolutely wonderful thing about art. Art represents a continuum between fantasy and truth. Wherever the artist decides to stop on that continuum is their prerogative.

I think photography is involved in so much controversy because it most often does show truth in the scene. It's a snapshot in time, it captures the moment. No other medium has these claims that it distorts reality, because all the other mediums do that automatically.

I guess it boils down to, if you want to see "natural" photographs of people you'll have more luck looking in the newspaper (yes, they still exist - for now). Whatever you do, don't look at art.

On that note, here's an "unnatural" pose self-portrait.

BIG

2010-07-06T20:58:00.005-05:00

Okay, this is a pretty big deal for me.

After I put my black and white photos on my facebook, someone contacted me and said they really liked my photos and wanted to know if any were for sale.

Uhh, sure. But are you sure? I mean, come on... I'm such an amateur.

He messaged me and told me to call him about the details.

We talked, and he wants a 32 x 48 of one of the photos I have in the previous post (I'll let you guess for a while).

Name my price.

I have my first print sale. Holy shit.

Now I just need to get the negative drum scanned, and post-processed correctly. And printed

BIG.

Of course, nothing is final until the check is in my hand.

But still...

whoa.

(::happy dance::)

-----------------------------

Here's two photos from my early summer trips to the North Shore.

Marek Lakotko.
Dave Levingston.

35mm

2010-07-03T10:15:00.010-05:00

I branched away from my medium format fixation for once, and shot some 35mm.

I like.

This is off my bulk roll of TMax 400, and developed myself. I need to fashion a more effective way to hang-dry the negatives. It's never been a problem with the 120 since the negatives are only about 3 feet long, as compared to a 36 exposure roll of 35, which is more like 5 feet long.

These also need to be scanned better.

Details, details.

And one of my developing reels broke. That will make developing much less efficient, since I have 4 more rolls to develop.

Ah, well.

No nudes this post, but I hope you enjoy these nonetheless.

Superior Hiking Trail

Cascade Shore

Off the Superior Hiking Trail

Water Study

Leaf

Lilies and Ant

edit: some more...

Split Rock

Water Study 2

Flowers

Water Study 3

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Local Feature

2010-06-25T00:38:00.005-05:00

I'm not really inspired to write as of late, but I did want to share just a few pieces of art I've helped create right here at home in Minneapolis recently.

__________________

Marek Lakotko
Blake Fisher
Suzann Beck

North Shore Bliss

2010-06-10T19:03:00.000-05:00

Dave Levingston made a long trek from his home in Springfield, Ohio to come up to the North Shore to visit and shoot with me. We've been here since late Sunday and have had a wonderful time of shooting, talking, hiking, eating and exploring. Unfortunately, we both go home tomorrow.

Yes, and I've been shooting too! I brought my Lubitel, and have shot 3 rolls of film. 2 of which were black and white, so I'll be developing those when I get home. Expect to see some of the results of those relatively soon.

This is my favorite place in the world to be, and I'm so happy I got the opportunity to share it with my friend, Dave.

Short post, as Dave has been covering most of the trip on his blog. Visit there for the in depth scoop about our adventures.

Support Art and a Great Cause

2010-06-04T22:13:00.004-05:00

The release of the f-eleven vol. 2 photography book benefits the Autism Research Institute.

100% of the proceeds from the sales of the f-eleven vol. 2 will be donated to the Autism Research Institute. The coffee table quality photography book, edited by internationally published photographer and art director Wolf189, features the work of 19 talented photographers of multiple genres. The result is a trend-challenging, and visually stimulating collection presented in a luxurious format. Printed on 100lb coffee table book standard paper with a silky finish, the book will handle many years of viewing.

"We hope that this book would help raise awareness and provide some financial assistance for this worthy cause," said Leo Lam, a fashion photographer in Seattle, and one of the contributors of f-eleven vol. 2.

For detailed information on f-eleven books, please visit:
www.f-elevenbooks.com

f-eleven is an exclusive private photography group. The book project was started by its members in late 2009, and since then have produced two book releases. The books are diverse and progressive, with the fundamental aim to affect small positive changes in worthy causes; one shutter click at a time.

website: http://f-elevenbooks.com/
blog: http://www.blog.f-elevenbooks.com/
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/f11books
twitter - http://twitter.com/felevenbooks
tumblr - http://f-eleven.tumblr.com

Glory Shot Vol. II

2010-06-02T01:01:00.004-05:00

All of the participants at Doug Beasley's Badlands Workshop in Scenic, SD during a quick stop on our way to a shoot.

____________________

Photo: Rich Koechlein (Thanks Rich!)

I wonder why they call it the Badlands...

2010-05-28T13:52:00.005-05:00

Actually, I do know why they call it the Badlands - I was just being facetious.

I'm at the Badlands modeling for a workshop (Dramatic Portrait: People and Nudes) for Doug Beasley. It is really fitting that I'm here because as of late I've been on an intensely personal spiritual search, and Doug's philosophy on photographing people and nudes comes from such a like-minded approach. He encourages his students to really get to know their subjects/models, and I think we can all agree that that is a cornerstone of making very powerful and substantial images, especially with portraits and nudes.

I'm getting along fabulously with all the participants, Doug, and my fellow models - Jordan and Dave. I'm getting lots of sun (and using a ton of sunscreen), getting well-fed, and feeling very connected to the world and people around me. It's like seeing something for the first time - I'm so intrigued, curious, and accepting towards everything. I feel still and love down to my bones. It's not always and continuously present, but it becomes more frequent and stronger each week the more I practice being aware - present - conscious of every moment. And that's all that I could ever hope for.

Because that's all that we ever have. It's this moment right now that means everything. There is no past or future. All there is, is this moment.

I get to see and work with good friend Dave Levingston for a good portion of a week in about a week and a half. We'll have a wonderful time of conversation, connection, collaboration and creation, for sure!!

____________________

Dave Levingston. <-- Check out his awesome new website!

Limitations and Potentialities

2010-05-19T10:55:00.006-05:00

Short-ish post, as I have very limited access to the internet for an indefinite period of time, but I didn't want to leave my readers hanging.

Matt's gallery show went spectacular! We had over 1,200 people come through Matt's exhibit studio in the Grain Belt Building, and he sold quite a few prints, and had even more interest for people buying in the near future. The real money type, like, "I want a 8 foot print of that image, no matter what the cost" type. So, I think it's very safe to say that it was an uber-successful show.

On a completely unrelated matter, I am growing. Everyone is usually growing every day, I realize that, but this is very significant for me. Much more significant than anything else I've considered significant before.

My spirituality, my peace, my sense of calm, figuring out who I really am, the nature of my essence... that understanding and that strong current of awareness, of consciousness, has been filling me slowly but surely throughout the weeks and months. But it really took the 'straw that broke the camel's back' to bring me to that most important point in my life. It was a slap in the face and a huge blessing in disguise. It was the turning point.

No need to go into the details, they are essentially unimportant, except to know that it was the turning point for me. Of course, of course, I have SO much learning and growing to do, and will always continue to progress for the rest of my life - for it is the journey, not the destination. But the dysfunction has ended, the denial has stopped, the running away has turned into running towards. Everything that has happened in my past, I am so grateful for - because it has brought me here, to this sacred NOW. I don't regret, nor would I change one single thing in my life. It has happened because I willed it to happen, and everything in the future will happen because I will will it to happen. It's about the cosmic design of the universe, and the subtle patterns within.

Now, I know some of you think this is totally radical, completely out of character, or just plain nonsense. And that's completely okay and wonderful. And you're right, this progression or awakening or consciousness (or whatever you want to label it) in me are all those things. There's no way I could ever really accurately describe what this is, because our - and any, every - language has it's limitations. These words are only pointers to the truth of what is and what I am.

Perception is the world, and the world is perception. We are not separate beings, we are connected and interconnected with every single thing on this planet. Every single thing. Our destiny is to merge with infinity.

___________________________

Matthew Scherfenberg.

"Out Loud Color"

2010-05-11T17:20:00.004-05:00

I'm posting this to my blog on behalf of dear friend Matthew Scherfenberg. If there's any local Minneapolis folk who read this blog, I urge you to see this show, and also all the other lovely galleries that will be open this weekend for the annual Art-a-Whirl weekend in the NorthEast Minneapolis Arts District.

I will be there Friday night. Hope to see many familiar faces there!

______________________________________________________

Hello friends,

It's that time of year again, and I have a show of new work opening in May as part of Art - A - Whirl. This years images are a shocking blast of color. I got inspired by some color changing lighting gear I used in a home installation. It made me really ramp up the color. I think you will be kinda shocked by how far. I'm shocked myself. Of course I'm including a black and white selection. Last year B&W was the focus and the color was second. This year the COLOR has come up a notch. The Gallery I'm in has a lot of space so I will be hanging some old favorites too. I will be there all of opening night and most of the rest of the time. I hope to see you all there.

-Matt

"Out Loud Color"
2010 - Art - A - Whirl Gallery Show

Come see my latest work on Opening night, Friday, May 14th, 2010 from 6-10pm.

I hope you can join me as we celebrate the opening of this year’s ART-A-WHIRL, North East's Open Studio and Gallery Tour. I will have more than 20 new images on display, which will also be available for purchase.

This years theme is COLOR.. Big Color. Yes yes I'll have some black and white work too.

If you can't make it Friday night, the gallery will be open Saturday, May 15th - Noon-8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 16th - Noon-5:00 p.m. in conjunction with all of the ART-A-WHIRL activities. Come see my work, and then make a day of exploring the more then 500 artists throughout the buildings participating in AAW2010.

The gallery is located in the Grain Belt Bottling Company building at 79 Thirteenth Avenue NE in Minneapolis. The Bottling Company building is located just north of the big brewery building and my show will be inside the main entrance, on the first floor right under the red stairs, Studio 113. I hope to see you there.

My view on "Art"

2010-05-07T18:17:00.012-05:00

This is definitely not the usual you're used to seeing here, but I'm really, really happy about this photo. It's just so fucked up and cool. I see something very emotional here, and that's what I see and love about it. It speaks to me.

Taken with a Holga with slide film that's been cross-processed.

------------

I know a lot of people have issues with Holgas... That they're mostly for people that can't afford "quality" cameras and want to achieve unconventional results that people with professional equipment and software could putz around with and produce in photoshop.

Here's my take. Art is not always pristine. Art is not always made with expensive tools. Art is whatever the artist connects with. Art is what comes from the heart, and what s/he gets meaningful aesthetic satisfaction from. Art can easily be made with a $.05 pencil, or a point and shoot. Art is not limited to or just made by or for the aristocrats.

Photography is not seeing the truth that is, photography is seeing the truth that the artist sees. A camera is just a tool. That's why I've never adopted the rigid, puristic view that photography has to be authentic. Meaning, I don't care if you limit yourself to having the photo be exactly the way you saw it in the viewfinder. Crop it and mess around with it in photoshop within an inch of its life, for all I care. I have no more or less respect for people who do it either way. I do think there is a discipline to finding the composition you want in the viewfinder, but I think that is akin to any practice. You become better and better at finding the art you want to produce and present.

So if you want to use a cheap $25 plastic camera, then go for it. If you want to use a $50,000 digital Hasselblad, then go for it. There is no definition for what art is, except that art is subjective for every living human being.

Don't get me wrong, I truly believe that there is a mathematical correlation (called the Golden Ratio) for what is beautiful, but I'm not talking about what is beautiful. I'm talking about art.

I know some artists, art critics, art enthusiasts, and art collectors will disagree with me, and that's fine. Like I said, art is subjective.

Your views/arguments are always welcome.

_________

Trevor Levin. Last summer in Portland, OR.

Am I ?

2010-04-29T22:35:00.007-05:00

self-portrait.

My first night in Palm Springs, CA. Around 2am.

It's not made of much, then again, neither am I. Neither are you.

I mean, if you think about it, we are primarily made up of empty space. Nothingness.

And really, that's not so bad. Actually it's not anything.

Nothing can't be bad. Nothing can't be good.

It just is.

And I am.

------------

I have a short passage I want to share with you.

It is from the book, "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran.
I highly recommend it.

"And a man said, Speak to us of Self-Knowledge.
And he answered, saying:
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart's knowledge.
You would know in words that which you have always known in thought.
You would touch with your fingers the naked body of your dreams.

And it is well you should.
The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless."

bored and proud

2010-04-22T13:40:00.006-05:00

I made this a while ago... I'm not sure if I've posted it before, and I'm too lazy to go through the archives and check.

Anyway, I'm really happy with this, and I think this represents some of my strongest work. I'm happy about the music that goes with it too (pretty awesome for stock music).

Full screen view is recommended (just click once on the slideshow).

Hope you enjoy!

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d560425k6464429o1/brooke-lynne

I'll disable it after a week or so (or until my next post, whichever is sooner) so you dont have to listen to the music over and over and over when you visit the blog.

Rise

2010-04-21T00:10:00.004-05:00

In reality, I had been falling for a long time. But I finally hit the bottom, and after I came to, I started to brush myself off and get back on my feet.

My body was disoriented, but my mind was startlingly serene. Without knowing so, I brushed off my restraints and scars, started to climb out of my hole, and then I discovered I could fly.

Paradoxically, it feels like I fell from the ground to the endless sky.

________________

Fall off

2010-04-14T22:44:00.001-05:00

.

I feel like I'm on the edge, just waiting to fall off.

_____________

Antelope Canyon

2010-04-09T00:37:00.007-05:00

edit: here are the remaining two.

Portra 800

My Lubitel was NOT happy after this shoot.

glory shots

2010-04-07T20:00:00.008-05:00

Self-portrait with: (from Left to Right)

Meghan Claire, Zinn Star, Jock Sturges, Nettie Harris, yours truly.

It is taken with a crappy camera with a crappy lens, and is slightly over exposed. I didn't expect exquisite results, but it's quality is adequate enough for me to not be a distraction to the lovely memories that are associated with the capture.
That's all I was hoping for this photograph.

Here's the setup shot (photograph by Mark Haskins):

------------------

And then, the lovely madness that ensued afterwards.

:)

Palm Springs Photo Festival

2010-04-03T01:05:00.004-05:00

Um, WOW!

Can I do this every year? Pleeeease?

In complete seriousness, I don't think I've ever had as much enrichment and just plain fun in those four days than in any consecutive 4 days in my life.

Jock Sturges is a master photographer for a reason. Not just because of the quality of his photographs, although if that was the only thing he had going for him as a photographer it would be enough, obviously. He utterly respects and treats his models exquisitely. He is a remarkable instructor, and goes way above and beyond the call of duty. He is extremely approachable, has a razorsharp wit, and is pretty much a genius. You'd be hard pressed to find any photographer who fits that description.

The workshop was wonderful. All the students were very respectful, and most of them had serious talent and potential. The locations that we shot were pretty interesting as well. I can't wait to see some of the results!

And the models, oh my word. Nettie, Zinn, Meghan, and Gavyn were off the charts! Seriously. All of them, and I mean, all of them were utterly wonderful, talented, gorgeous, and just plain fun people to be around. Jock said that this was the best group of workshop models he has ever worked with. And from the reports we got from the assistants and students, Jock had been raving about us even when we weren't around, so I don't think he was just saying that to boost our egos.

I also met a lot of other wonderful people, one of the highlights being Zoe Wiseman. What a fiesty bundle of awesome, that woman is! We didn't get to shoot, but we will one of these days, dammit! But I have her to thank for this incredible opportunity. Without her, I would have been spending the week back in Minnesota! So thank you, thank you, a million thank you's, Zoe!

So, to sum up: It was fucking amazing.

Any questions?

___________

Matt Blum.

the roadtrip breakdown.... thus far

2010-03-28T19:23:00.010-05:00

I'm finally here at Palm Springs, CA! Whew! It's been an amazing few days.

I've had great times and great conversations with my absolutely amazing hosts: Mark and Dee Dee. I cannot thank them enough.

Quick breakdown (I'll write more about my visits when I have photos of those said visits):

Wednesday was all day driving, ending up in Glenwood Springs, CO for the night.

Thursday was Arches National Park and Monument Valley.

Friday most of the day was at Antelope Canyon and the latter part of the day was the Grand Canyon.

Saturday all day was at the Grand Canyon.

Today was Joshua Tree.

Visual stimuli overload!!

Lots of music and thoughts in between. Figured out some important things I need to deal with when I arrive back home.

But now, its time to live in the moment, and appreciate every second I have here in Palm Springs.

So with that being said, I'm going to explore the town until it's well past dark.

Ooooh, and I know who I'm going to be rooming with tomorrow through Thursday morning. Yay!

_____________________

R Michael Walker. From last summer - my first time being in Joshua Tree.

guess I'm a fool for you

2010-03-28T01:50:00.005-05:00

I’m a recovering under cover over lover
recovering from a love I cant get over
recovering under cover over lover
and now my common law lover thinks he wants another

and i'd lie for you
I cry for you
mm pop for you
and break for you
and hate for you
and I hate you too
if you want me too
I pray for you
crochet for you
make it from scratch for you
leave off the latch for you
go to the store for you
do it some more for you
do what you want me to
guess I’m a fool for you

I’m a recovering under cover over lover
recovering from a love I cant get over
recovering under cover over lover
and now my common law lover thinks he wants another

and i'd lie for you
and cry for you
pop for you
break for you
hate for you
and I'll hate you too
if you want me too
i gotta do
my love for you
drive to school for you
paint it red for you
it's true, it's true
thought I was through with you
guess I'm a fool for you

Erykah Badu is a new force in my life to be reckoned with.

_______________

My first band shoot. Hopefully I did them justice. Deepsoul Dieties.

Holding Still

2010-03-18T22:03:00.006-05:00

My first session of figure modeling for life drawing last year was unnerving. I mean, I wasn't too intimidated - I had the basics down; you disrobe, pose for varying amounts of time, and some of those poses can be very long. Not a difficult concept. Because of my experience in front of the camera, I didn't feel like it would be that much of a jump to pose in front of students/artists instead of photographers.

In a lot of ways its not a big difference, and then of course, in some ways, it is.

It's really, really difficult to hold still for longer than 5 minutes. And that's even for the "easy" poses. You know, positions you usually imagine yourself holding more than briefly - such as simply sitting or standing. But I don't enjoy simple for simplicity's sake, I love complex things that have been designed or highlighted for their simplicity. Like the iPhone. Which I don't have. Anyway...

Longer poses require careful considerations. Primarily: "Can I hold that pose for that long?" And the answer probably is no - not without shaking or some limb falling asleep. I often tried to overpose, to give that 110%, but that would lead to the aforementioned shaking and limb-fallen-asleep-ness (hold on, there has to be a word for that. wiki says: paraesthesia) so over time I've learned to balance which poses will or wont be udderly arduous to hold (the yoga has really helped comfortably extend my holding times) and yet maintain a repertoire of cogent, expressive and diverse poses. However, during this learning curve for life modeling I never expected to learn another skill that would be much more rewarding in and of itself: Learning to hold still.

When I was much more unpracticed, less mindful, the timer was my prison. In the very beginning, I thought it would be best if I couldn't see how much time I had left to hold the pose. Good thought in theory. But turns out, I need to check in once and a while and modify my mindset, and make decisions on how to slightly adapt my pose for longevity. There is bliss in the tiny movements.

But in the spaces between check-ins with the timer, the pauses, is what I've had the most satisfaction in practicing. There was quite an adjustment from photography modeling, where I'm used to strobes flashing, music, directions and comments from photographer, and other distractions that I can usually divert my attention to for at least a moment. Not at all the case in the classroom or at co-ops. The only thing you hear consistently is the sound of many pencils drawing on paper. It's become a trigger for me. As soon as I hear that sound, my mind prepares itself for quietness. Stillness. It's become a very peaceful space. A very mindful space.

First I settle in to the pose. Then I pick a focal point for my eyes.
Try it. For 5 minutes. Set a timer, sit down and settle yourself.
Pick something to stare at.
Don't move anything, including your gaze. Don't scratch anything.

Tell me what happens.

Then, try it for 40 minutes.

I've had some amazing sensations come over me, and plenty of quiet time for clear, constructive thinking. Being blissfully aware and present in the moment. Even if I wasn't terribly passionate about contributing to art, these moments of stillness would be all the reason I need to stay a life drawing model for a very long time.

More on my thoughts about this later.

_______________

Sylvie Blum.

You can't always get what you want

2010-03-15T18:25:00.004-05:00

but if you try sometimes you might find you get what you need.

A few local things happening.

A new organization aimed to foster rewarding collaborations between the professional, creative forces of fine art figure photographers and figure drawing models has just been born here in the Twin Cities. It is called Phigural. Once I have more information, I will gladly pass it along here. I went last night to its first meeting, and it was very well received; I saw a lot of familiar faces and hopefully met some new people I will eventually have working relationships with.

So my original plan to get out to Palm Springs was to take a roadtrip down and shoot along the way before and after the workshop. That fell through because of the car's condition. I resolved to fly out there, and was gathering the capital to purchase the ticket when I was approached with an opportunity to travel with another Twin Cities photographer who just so happens to be taking the workshop that I'm modeling for. So I'm on another roadtrip, just not my own. But we will be hitting some marvelous hotspots, and hopefully get some amazing art out of this process. I know I'm going to be taking and shooting a lot of film myself!

My next week will consist of me preparing for this roadtrip and making sure I have all the necessary essencials without overpacking. But good news is, I can finally wear shorts again, as long as the weather cooperates. My legs need some sun.

Some amazing things have been happening lately, both good and bad. I'm just trying to sponge it all in, learn, and grow.

____________

Chip Willis.

...often go astray.

2010-03-04T12:11:00.007-06:00

So, life has thrown another curve-ball. I'm no longer making the roadtrip due to my car's condition. It's a big letdown, which is a bit of an understatement. But I will still be making it to the Palm Springs workshop, I'll just be flying out there and back.

Figure/Life Drawing sessions have been picking up, which I'm very excited and grateful for. I just modeled at Hamline for the first time this past Tuesday. The instructor was wonderful (with British charm to boot) as well as all the students. So respectful, and very talented. I'm scheduled for more sessions there in the upcoming weeks, which will be great!

All for now!

________________

David Winge.

The best laid plans

2010-02-25T13:21:00.004-06:00

...often go astray.

That's what I'm expecting when I go on my roadtrip in a month. Something unexpected always happens. But I'm doing my best to prepare myself, and have started planning a 'Plan B.' Different routes... different options. The only thing I can't really prepare for is cancellations. Oh boy, the nemesis of the photography world. Perhaps I should instate a cancellation policy, but I don't know how often photographers really abide by those anyway.

But I'm still booking away, and still have room for a few more slots, especially on my way back to Minnesota. So if you're interested, hit me up at brookelynne@me.com

Here is my revised map.
Although, if the weather is bad in the mountains, I will take I-25 south after my stop in Denver, head down to Albuquerque and then west on I-40 with a quick jump up to Las Vegas before Palm Springs. Going back home will be another story as I'm planning on heading up to San Francisco and then across Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

So, anyway, I'm planning away. Hopefully my plans wont go too astray.

Next weekend I'm going to be modeling again for one of Doug Beasley's workshop at the Minneapolis Photo Center. It was a great experience last time, and I'm expecting the same, if not better, this time. It is already full, otherwise I'd offer registration information.

And I have quite a few life drawing sessions before my trip, so that will also be fun, as well as decent start-up capital for the trip.

Blah blah, sorry this is not the most exciting topic, but its been weighing on my mind a lot lately. So out it pours.

______________

Bill Earle. From my recent trip out to PA.

buggy...

2010-02-19T09:01:00.007-06:00

I'm going a bit buggy here in snowy, cold Minnesota. I need ouuuut! I need sun and warmth and beaches and no more fucking snow. Don't get me wrong, the first month or so of winter and a fresh new snow are absolutely wonderful... but after a while, it gets really old. Anyway... enough complaining.

I'm going to be doing a roadtrip at the end of March from Minneapolis to California. It will look something like this map, but with lots of stops along the way, depending on where I'm needed to shoot. If you are nearby my route and would like to shoot, please contact me at my email address here: brookelynne@me.com .

The main purpose of this roadtrip is to get to Palm Springs, CA March 28-April 2 for the Palm Springs Photo Festival to model for Jock Sturges' Workshop. I'm incredibly excited for this opportunity; to meet Jock, and even more excited to be surrounded by such like-minded artists in such a wonderful location. It will be an amazing experience, I'm sure.

I just have to remember to bring tons of film and all three of my babies. :)

Hope February is treating you all wonderfully. So far mine has been wonderful (with Valentine's day and my birthday) so I have much to be grateful for. I hope that no matter what your situation, you all take some time each day to be grateful for what you have.

________________

Sylvie Blum.

Windows of the Soul

2010-02-13T11:57:00.004-06:00

Recent photo from the lovely Holga, when I was out in PA last week.

Featuring the lovely and talented, Candace Nirvana.

_______________

Camera: Holga 120 GN
Film: Tri-X 400
Developer: ID-11

Pain in the neck

2010-01-28T21:18:00.008-06:00

But warmth in my heart, and fire in my soul.

_____________________

Sylvie Blum.

Swirl

2010-01-26T17:21:00.004-06:00

Recent inspiration come to life via Matthew Scherfenberg.

Hiatus

2010-01-25T15:03:00.006-06:00

Sorry for the hiatus as of late, but life comes into play, as we all know. I have great admiration for power bloggers, like my friend Stephen Haynes (who will be featured in the next Carrie Leigh NUDE magazine for being a such a star blogger), who can write so eloquently about substantial topics nearly every day. I don't have that commitment, nor do I have that much to talk about. So my hat's off to those who can do it.

Anyway, I have a few exciting opportunities coming up this spring (which are still in the works, so I don't want to let the cat out of the bag too soon), but I will let you know about them when the time is right.

But I can say that I will be taking a trip to Allentown, PA in the beginning of February (an early birthday present to myself) to work with the lovely group of friends I have out there, and I expect that we'll create wonderful work, just like we have before.

So, that's about it for now. I just wanted to drop by and give you all a little update.

Oh, oh! Also, if you haven't purchased one already, you should buy the f-eleven book. Remember, all the profits go to a wonderful charity, "Friends Without Borders."

f-eleven photography book volume 1 designed & edited by Wolf189 from WOLF189 on Vimeo.

____________________

Nad Iksodas. 4x5 film.

Zealous Hues

2010-01-06T11:59:00.004-06:00

Life and being happy is all about perspective.

This is exactly where I am right now.

________________

Matthew Scherfenberg.

Resolutions

2010-01-03T09:43:00.005-06:00

I vow in 2010 that I will:

Stop smoking.
Start exercising at least twice a week.
Practice yoga at least three times a week.
Start meditating.
Stop procrastinating as much.
Keep lines of communication more open.
Be a better friend.
Be a better granddaughter.
Stop being paralyzed by fear (rehearse the litany against fear).
Shoot at least 100 rolls of film and start finding my vision.
Conquer the Beast without medication.
Stop being so passive and stand up for myself, even when it's hard.
Submit my work to jurored shows.
Travel to locations I've never been to before.
Model at more art schools and co-ops.
Appear in more art books and magazines.
See my favorite band, Metric, live.

That should do for one year. If I accomplish all these things, I'll be one happy Brooke.

____________

Doug Wade/San Francisco Nudes.

New Year

2009-12-31T12:01:00.002-06:00

I hope it will be better than 2009.

And wishing you all the same.

tis fitting

2009-12-27T19:11:00.004-06:00

..that I merrily received more film accessories and goodies this Christmas.

By far, the best and the most used Christmas present I received was a 100ft roll of Tmax 400 35mm film (expired, but hey!, I'm excited to see if I get some awesome fucked up exposures.) and a bulk film loader. We loaded 4 36exp canisters tonight, including one scratched-to-shit roll (that I loaded :D ), and it can probably do 16 more rolls. It may not be medium format, but I can shoot and play and shoot and play....

You saw the last post, on the f - eleven book. I'm very excited to see how it turns out!! Currently, I am flat broke, so I can't see the results for myself anytime soon, but the editing and layout is fantastic (courtesy of Wolf189) , and I've fully previewed the book several times, and every time I am more impressed with it's quality. So buy yourself a copy, and tell me how it is on paper. :)

I need to organize a trip soon. I know just the place to go.

______________

Andrew Kaiser.

f-eleven book

2009-12-25T16:02:00.004-06:00

f - eleven : a very diverse and fascinating photography book dedicated to a worthy cause.

cover photo by Dave Rudin

.
.
.

f-11 or f-eleven is a private photography group.
f - eleven books: http://f-elevenbooks.com/

.

This is a rather fascinating collection of photographs made by a group of unique and talented photographers.

.
All of the profits of the book sales would be donated to "Friends Without a Border" charity.

to order the book:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1109957

the full preview:

http://www.blurb.com/books/1109957

.

The promo codes to buy the book with $10.00 off (till the end of December 31)

the promo code must match currency used.

Orders from the US (using US $): GREATGIFT
Orders from UK (using UK £): GREATGIFT2
Orders from EU (using EU €): GREATGIFT3
Orders from AU (using AUD $): GREATGIFT4

Over 260 images
20 photographers
160 pages (premium paper)
8" x 10" (landscape style)

Designed & Edited by WOLF189

featuring the following photographers:

Brooks Ayola ( Polaroid nude portraits )
Ralph Barker ( fine art landscape + still life )
Kincaid Blackwood ( erotic portraits )
Mariah Carle ( fashion + portrait )
Matthew Cherry ( fine art night photography )
Nicole Jaja ( travel + candid portraits )
Leo Lam ( editorial fashion )
Dave Levingston ( fine art nude in nature )
Brooke Lynne ( experimental nude )
Darryl Martin ( fine art thematic portraits )
Ken Mierzwa ( documentary punk rock portraits )
D. Brian Nelson ( personal work )
Trish Noble ( erotic portraits )
Keith Allen Phillips ( fine art fetish portraits )
Collin J. Rae ( fetish + erotic portraits )
Sarah Robertson ( personal work )
Dave Rudin ( fine art nude + travel )
Susan Michele Smith ( fetish+erotic portraits )
Kim Melia von Seidl ( candid portraits+erotic portraits )
Wolf189 ( editorial fashion + erotic portraits )

Also appearing or indirectly participating in the book:

Siouxsie Sioux ( Siouxsie & the Banshees),
Nick Cave ( The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ),
Peter Murphy (Bauhaus),
Daniel Ash (Bauhaus),
Henry Rollins (Black Flag) ,
DJ Scary Lady Sarah,
Aria Giovanni , Celeste Star,
Eric Kroll, Sez G.,
Darya Tsaruk @ ModelOne ,
Yuliya @ Elite Hong Kong,
Jemme @ FORD Models,
Brittany Vipond, Scar, Sarah Ellis,
Marell Kull, Fiona Jacob, Tiana Piranha,
Carly Champagne, Kat Love, Leona Anne ,
Acid PopTart, Roseann Kuberski, Becca Hope Ford,
Noelle Elise, Kelsey Dylan , Virginia Red,
Susan Church, Peter Camarena, Engel Schrei,
Mikki, Erin N., Renée, Krystal,
Belky, Lindy, Crash, Ken Doo,
Buddha Ayuttaya, Kess, _G_ , Hessica,
Rachel, Chrystyne,

Few of the Locations:
Tokyo Japan, Nikko Japan, Nara Japan, Luang Namtha Laos, Samye Monastery, Tibet, Thailand, Hoover Dam, Colorado, Las Vegas, Palms Hotel, Nevada, Manhattan Beach, Santa Cruz, California

* "Friends Without A Border" is committed to improving the health and well being of the children of Cambodia by providing quality medical care, extensive outreach and crucial medical education through Angkor Hospital for Children.
.
.
.
.
Cheers

the show

2009-12-21T12:30:00.007-06:00

Some of you may have already seen this, but I figured since I ranted about shooting a band show last week, I should at least show a result.

There were only a few that turned out, but this is my favorite.

The group is Deepsoul Dieties. They played at Acadia Cafe.

I need to re-scan and re-edit it, as there's a fingerprint on the band member's face in the background. But other than that, I love it.

The night itself, was a bit of madness.
I had a life drawing session immediately preceding the show, and I was actually prepared with directions from the school to Acadia. But googlemaps got it wrong! I don't know how, but it was telling me to turn onto a street that didn't exist. It was very weird. Eventually I found Acadia, but then had to find parking. A nightmare.

I finally get inside of Acadia, and I only have a few minutes before the band is on. The place is pretty packed, and there are a ton of familiar faces and a bunch of friends. I say hi to a few people and then I settle myself close to the rear entrance, which was basically the only place that had a clear shot of the stage. It's only a foot or so higher than ground level, and I'm only 5'5". Cameras are loaded, so I'm taking light readings. They start to play, and I'm trying my best to burn through my Neopan in the 35mm, since I know they're not going to be sharp (even though the 35mm goes down to f1.4), and I have a ton of expired 35mm film I want to use, including a Tmax 3200. I burn through it, rewind it, take the back off, get the film out and in its canaster, put the Tmax in, and for the life of me cannot get the film to catch. It was horrible. I waste 2 songs trying to load that fucking film. sigh.

So I just forget about it, take the film out, put the back on and put it away. I start using the Tmax 100 I had in the lubitel. I burn through that for the same reasons I burned through the neopan 100. Finally I get to use the Delta 3200, so I try to be more precise in what I was shooting, trying to make each one count. Also because it was the last song. It was the photo above that was worth it. Its pretty good for an amateur.

The show itself was awesome. I like their music... it really makes me groove.

__________

Camera: Lubitel
Film: Delta 3200
Developer: Ilfosol

a few more

2009-12-20T18:58:00.004-06:00

Holidays are right around the corner. And I'm a procrastinator and still need to do my shopping.

...there's plenty of time.

Special Packages

2009-12-15T15:45:00.007-06:00

I got a pick-up notice from the post office while I was gone.

My lovely pink Holga arrived!

So I waited in line for a half an hour (and after watching a few transactions/interactions, I can understand why Postal Workers go... Postal). And my goodness, its a lovely heap of cheap plastic.

I also cleaned up my Papa's Nikon F, so that's ready to go as well.

Tomorrow I'm going to a concert, and one of the band members asked me to take some photos of them, so I'm going equipped with:

Lubitel 166 loaded with Tmax 100 (120)
Holga loaded with Tmax 400 (120)
Nikon F loaded with Neopan 100 (35)

Films (35mm):
(All of it expired, some of it well stored.)

Superia 1600
Porta 400VC
Elite Crome 100

Tmax 3200
Neopan 100

I might buy a couple more rolls of Black and White 120, probably higher ISO films. I want to start pushing my film and see how that looks. Working in a dark, concert environment seems like a good place to test out high sensitivity film.

I might decide against bringing the Lubitel for various reasons, the most weighing reason being - its weight and lack of neck strap. I've already got to deal with that with the Nikon F, but it should be okay. It should be really interesting to start playing with Color film, but I have no idea what the results will be because of how expired they are. I have quite a few expired rolls (of 35mm) to get through before I can start playing with new color film.

_____________________

I also received a copy of the book I was published in, "Dimensions of Disclosure." It's nice to see something of my own in print. It's about the quality I expected - nothing fabulous but definitely not disappointing. I believe I'm the only nude in there. There are some very interesting and wonderful self-portraits in there. I'm glad I'm a part of it.

shiny goodness

2009-12-11T13:47:00.005-06:00

I'm here in LA at casa de Blum. She had to pick up her hubby at the airport late last night, so we are getting a little bit of late start. I thought blogging would be a good way to kill some time.

Getting here to LA was rough. My flight out of MSP was delayed (because of the snowstorm) so therefore I also missed my connecting flight. What a hassle. Not to mention, I was not feeling good at all. I had a pounding headache, which made me extremely nausous when I moved. Not a good thing when you're in airports all day. I attempted eating, but... my stomach was not having any of it. I barely got off my flight to LA and into the bathroom before it was too late. And whatever it was stuck around until mid-morning yesterday modeling for Sylvie. Have you ever done extreme posing when you have a blistering migraine? Nooooooot fun.

So, that's my dose of whining for today.

So it's mid-to-low 60's here and everyone and their brother are wearing sweatshirts and/or coats. When I went to the coffeeshop, I overheard someone talking to the barista saying they had such a large appetite lately, and they contributed that to the "cold" weather. The barista was convinced and continued to reassure his theory by saying that the body has to work harder to keep itself warm in the chilly weather so therefore you need to injest more calories to make up the difference. Sure.... this is true, but I would think only for the extreme temperatures, not in 60 degree weather. But its all relative.... right?

All I can say is that SoCal residents are a bunch of wimps. And I say that with love.

Tomorrow I'm back on a plane to Minneapolis. I just hope the temperature is above zero.

_________________

Sylvie Blum.

Broken

2009-12-07T22:35:00.008-06:00

Which one do you think is the strongest? why?

__________

A lot of things to do tomorrow, including a life drawing session in the evening. I just hope I don't encounter a white wall of death, as we're supposed to get anywhere from 3-8 inches of snow in the afternoon and evening.

I expect a lot of idiot drivers tomorrow. The snow flies and Minnesotans forget how to drive. Saying it's annoying would be a bit of an understatement.

__________

Camera: Lubitel 166
Film: Delta 100
Developer: Ilfosol 3

f5.6 - 1/15 second

inspired

2009-12-07T01:29:00.005-06:00

God damn it. If you haven't seen this "movie" yet (if you constitute 45 minutes long enough to be a movie) you're missing out. Its better every time I see it.

___________

self-portraits. / pretty obvious, since they're all out of focus. *shrug*

Camera: Lubitel 166 (when, oh when, will my Holga arrive?)
Film: TMax 100
Developer: TMax (last of the lot. Trying a new developer tomorrow.)

dropout

2009-12-04T12:05:00.005-06:00

With everything that's been going on in my life the past few months, I've made the decision to not go back to school this next semester.
It'll get done... eventually.

I'm going to be focusing on my modeling full-time again.

I haven't even started to put together a plan, but already decided destinations include:

Allentown, PA
NYC
Portland
San Francisco
LA
U.K.
Germany

I just need to figure out when and how.

If you want me to come to your area to shoot, hit me up, and lets try to arrange something.

______

I'm going back out to LA for a quick (4 day) spell with Sylvie next week before she has to submit her book. I'm excited. I think its a lot warmer in LA than in MN right now. :)

______

Lots and lots of shooting this weekend. I'm going to pump through my remaining 5 rolls of film tonight and tomorrow, which means I have to buy more developer. I'm thinking of going with Rodinal, and I've heard such good things about it, but neither NatCam stores have it, and if I order it online it wont be here for weeks. Maybe I'll just get some Ilfosol 3 or HC-110 for the time being.

_________

AJ Kahn.

Falling behind!

2009-11-30T16:31:00.007-06:00

I have so much to do, so many people to reply to...

Less is more.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T11:18:00.004-06:00

Much love from Minnesota!

_____________

Stephen Haynes.

state of being

2009-11-23T23:07:00.004-06:00

Click to see full size.

_____________

Lubitel 166 Universal
Tmax 100
Tmax

1) f18 ~35 sec
2) f4.5 ~1 sec

Papa.

2009-11-23T09:12:00.005-06:00

This was an accidental double exposure - but I love it.

The garden outside of his hospital.

Taken yesterday, developed yesterday.

It may not be instant, but its fast enough for me.

_______________

Camera: Lubitel 166 Universal
Film: TMax 100
Developer: Tmax

Developing! Part II

2009-11-21T22:23:00.012-06:00

So...the scanner works... sort of.

I spent over 3 hours figuring out all the bullshit (pardon my french... but, well, I am french. Anyway, I digress) including finding the semi-secret covering over the top light source (hopefully you know what I'm talking about. It's he light source that allows for transparent negatives to be scanned correctly, instead of the light source from the bottom that scans reflective surfaces).

So I get that figured out, but now I need to find the film holder that comes with the scanner. Okay... so I spend 10 minutes looking for that - found it - and guess what? The two squares reserved for, what I can only imagine to be, 120 film is about 2 cm short on all sides. And of course, this is a huge deal - I dont want a third of my film not recorded... not funny. So I end up having to place in manually... not a big deal... except for when I scan it, the width in which it scans is also 2 cm short and, for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to change the settings so that it will scan more area.

So I improvise. But the only solution I can come up with is very time consuming. Oh well, it's a little more invested effort. Not a biggie. It just requires scanning each negative twice and then combining the two in photoshop to include both ends.

There are three computers in this house that I use. The main one is this laptop on which I'm writing. It is a great companion, even after 5 years with a bum fan. Then there's my grandma's desktop that's mind-numbingly slow, but the only computer that has the drivers and software installed for the scanner. And then there's my desktop Mac in my room where I have a copy of photoshop, but no access to internet.

It's been a bit of a run-around today, but man... I'm only slightly (very, very slightly) annoyed compared to the joy of being able to see my film bigger than 6X6 cm and, of course, in negative form.

There will maybe be a couple more to come in the next couple of days.

15 seconds at f4.5

And one of my double exposure experiments:

_____________

Camera: Lubitel 166 Universal
Film: TMax 100.
Developer: TMax

TMax was my choice of developer this first go-around because it was in a convenient size, inexpensive, and frankly the NatCam store I went to didn't have many other options that were in my price range (at the moment).

Developing!

2009-11-21T13:00:00.006-06:00

I did it!

Yes indeedy. Last night I developed my first two rolls ever! I also made up my working stop bath and fixer. It went off without a hitch!

I have to say, the satisfaction of developing my own film and then looking at the negatives is remarkable.

I'm in the process of scanning my negatives right now. We'll see if my ancient scanner is up to the task. It says it can do B&W negatives, so there's a very high probability that it will.... but I'm not holding my breath.

I'll post again soon if it works. I know y'all wanna see what I shot. ;)

____________

Billy Monday.

Somewhere in Pennsylvania.

It should be noted that there is nothing under me while I was hanging off the hook... except junked machines and lots of jagged, rusted metal scraps about 25 feet below. I think I made Bill, Scott and Lela very, very nervous. But once I get an idea in my head, well... suffice it to say that I'm very stubborn.

Copyright....stuff

2009-11-20T17:47:00.005-06:00

So, I never know what to do in these situations... luckily it hasn't happened often. But I always try to do right by the photographer. But... am I taking it too seriously? Or not?

I've been told, or I've heard somewhere, or maybe I've just assumed, that if a photo is posted (a.k.a. used) somewhere without the photographers permission (excluding the model posting it for promotional usage) that it is a violation of copyright infringement.

When I find or am alerted of (via google web alerts) photos of myself posted somewhere I always notify the photographer, and then I try to communicate to the "poster" that they are violating copyright infringement and should always ask permission from the photographer first before using an image in any way.

Now, be aware that I'm playing the devil's advocate here....but am I making too big a fuss about this? Should I confront these "posters" or should I just notify the photographer and leave it up to them to do it? Should I (and/or the photographer) be happy for the "exposure?" Are the posters really doing anything wrong?

____________

Eric Hiss.

And lots of graphite.

buzzzzz

2009-11-16T11:54:00.007-06:00

I've been in buzzing mode for the past week or so. No, I'm not actually buzzing or buzzed. No ingested chemicals have caused this state of mind. So, the word seems a bit arbitrary, but to me it most accurately describes what I'm feeling right now.

I've completely dived into researching various medium format cameras and various kinds of 120 film. Not only because of my interest, but also for the distraction.

The problem is... all I'm coming up with are subjective opinions from others via forums and photo sites. I guess its not really a problem, per se, but when I read oodles and oodles of posts about people arguing over film; Kodak vs Fuji, Ilford vs Agfa, slide vs color neg, and all the debates of specific films (Velvia vs Agfa Ultra, Tmax vs Tri-x, Delta vs HP5+, Superia vs Reala, ___chrome vs ___chrome, the list extends on to infinity... and I haven't even touched debates over developing/developers), I've basically compiled all my research and it chalks up to: You can't really rely on any specific suggestions. Some general ones you can accept - with a grain of salt.

It boils down to that I just gotta get out there and shoot as much film as I can and discover my preferences.

Someone very, very generous is giving me a Lubitel 166+ Universal TLR. It looks so peeerty. But then again, I have an instant attraction to TLRs... for some reason. AND, this camera even has a self-timer!... but its broken and probably can't be fixed easily. But hey, that's okay!

I think I'm stocked up on MF cameras for a while. Now I just need film. And lots of it.

And when I need/want a change, I'll go back to my two lovely 35mm cameras.

I'm really excited to try multiple exposures. In fact, I really want to swap rolls with someone in another city (cough cough Erin) and see what we produce.

I don't just want to take pictures, I want to create pictures. I want each exposure to be a canvas. I want to experiment, and I want to have fun. I want to be inhibited, so before each exposure my camera will slap down a shot. I dont want to take pictures of models, or scenery, or buildings - I want to create pictures of people. Of places. Of things. Sometimes I'm going to want to create pictures of everything and nothing - at the same time. Sometimes I'll let the camera take creation into its own hands, and sometimes I'll force it to do my bidding. Sometimes I'll be aiming to create something sober, sometimes something drunk. Sometimes realistic, sometimes bizarre. Sometimes I'll ask my camera to lie, sometimes I'll insist it be truthful. Sometimes I'll be neglectful, and sometimes I'll be clingy. Sometimes the camera and I will battle and fight, and sometimes we will sing harmoniously.

We'll have great adventures, my cameras and I.

_____________

Christopher Ryan.

size DOES matter

2009-11-13T20:35:00.021-06:00

Look at these HUGE prints!

Sylvie is hanging 4 new prints in the Fahey Klein Gallery in Los Angeles. Seems that two of them are from our two sessions together.

The prints are larger than I am! I'm larger than life!

;)

All images Archival Pigment Prints,

43x56 inches

Editions of 10

www.faheykleingallery.com

___

Seeing these made me really happy today.

That, and I used another reel of 120 (Ilford HP5 400) in the Brownie on my Papa and my two cousins (8 and 5) today.

The frame I'm most excited for was an accident.

We had the pull out bed for my gorgeous and sassy 5 yr old cousin and I had her lay on it. I stood over her in order to try a different perspective and just stood for a while waiting for her to relax. She's been trained by her mother to have the "picture smile" and I hate that!

It looks exactly how it is: FORCED.

So I just started talking to her, and then started combining words that I thought she (or kids in general) would start reacting favorably to... like 'fuzzy-booger-pizza,' for example. To my happiness, she started cracking up, and I flipped the shutter, as I was continuing to egg her on. And then she had a beautiful, spontaneous, head-thrash-laugh off to the left side, and I flipped the shutter again. Immediately afterwards, of course, I thought to myself: "Aw shit. I didn't advance the film. Well..... Hopefully that double exposure turns out well!!"

Oh, and I bought a pink Holga 120GN for reeeal cheap on ebay. I might have bought a Holga GTRL (also pink!) instead, but I had not known of them or seen them before I bought the GN. Plus they were more expensive. Does the GTRL have an advantage over the GN in any way?

Oh my. A pink camera.
A cheap, plastic, bulky, toy film camera. A real eyesore.
No one is ever going to take me seriously with this in front of my head.
Why in the world did I get this thing?

Because this is going to fucking rock my socks, thats why!

Can you tell I'm excited?!

It's going to be fun!!!

I've already been researching so many "hacks" for the Holgas. It's going to be fun!!!
Have I mentioned that already?

But soon I need to learn how to develop my own film. And I need to get some hardware and chemicals. And then next I need decent scanner - I'm looking at an Epson 4490. I'm sure it all would pay for itself after a few dozen rolls at NatCam's processing price ($9 developing fee, $5.25 for CD, and $1 per frame) at about $22 for an 8 exposure roll, which really isn't that unreasonable.

Then, the next big thing after that is making prints. How much are those?
Whoa boy. I tend to get too ahead of myself.
I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

But until then, I have my holga oasis:

http://www.squarefrog.co.uk/

...sometimes web surfing pays off.

Film, rolls, and price

2009-11-13T10:22:00.006-06:00

Okay... so...

National Camera has to send out the film. It takes about a week.

Its $8+change charge for developing and full-res scans on a CD. Plus $1 per frame.

That's about $20 a roll. With no prints.

Can anyone suggest better?

I'd seriously consider developing my own film... but I don't have any of the materials or the "hardware".

If anyone can convince me that setting up a darkroom is not only long-term cost effective, but can be short-term cost effective, I'll highly consider doing it.

Until then, I'm on the lookout for the best "bang for the buck" lab.

Maybe someday I can afford an H3D. hahahaha.... fat chance.

_____________

Sylvie Blum.

I guess I was wrong

2009-11-12T10:20:00.006-06:00

because I thought you were the only person who would understand.

I hate getting out of bed... especially when the mornings start like this one did.

I hate mornings....even with coffee.

I'm so angry. But it will be temporary. Everything always is.

_________________

Chip Willis.

A lovely Brownie

2009-11-08T22:35:00.009-06:00

I was going through a lot of old boxes this past weekend and came across a lovely surprise - one of my dad's belongings.
An old Kodak Brownie No. 2.

I have yet to photograph mine, but it looks pretty close to this, with a few slight variations.

I've spent over 2 hours cleaning it, examining it and just fawning over it. It's a beautiful little...box, and I'm quite giddy at the potential that lies within it it.

I've already bought some 120 b&w film on ebay.

- 5 rolls of Ilford Hp5 400
- 5 rolls of Kodak Tmax 400.

Can anyone suggest a great and cheap lab?

Anyway to clean the glass myself?

Any other recommendations or suggestions?

Any way to do self-portraits with it?

I've heard that Ansel Adams' first camera was a brownie.
Just... fyi randomness.

Mmm. More film goodness.

I believe it was taken with a Mamiya, but I have no idea of the film.

______________

Lucian Schmit.

Dimentions of Disclosure

2009-11-07T02:04:00.010-06:00

I dont know if I had mentioned this before but, my self-portraiture work is featured in a book called "Dimensions of Disclosure." I'd figure I'd mention it since I just bought it this past week and am awaiting its arrival.

It's a nice feeling, knowing your work is in print. A ...fuzzy, warm sort of feeling.

I have no idea what the print quality is but I will report back once I receive it.

It was for this image:

Time to go hit the sack.

Random Incident that Made My Night

2009-11-06T10:57:00.005-06:00

Last night as I got into the car and turned on the stereo to 89.3 the current (my favorite radio station) I caught the tail end of Mark Wheat saying in his lovely british accent "...be caller number 10 and you'll win these pair of tickets."

I debated whether or not to call, because I had not heard the name of the band that they were giving tickets to, and I know that Mark would ask that if I was caller number 10 (because I had won a pair of tickets a couple weeks prior and he had asked if I knew what band I was getting tickets to), but I decided to anyway. So I call... and it rang through on the first try! Then I heard Mark say, "Thank you, you are caller number 7." And I said, "Okay, thank you." He replied with "Cheers. Have a good night."

Then, two songs later, they played one of my ultimate feel-good songs, "Bruises" by Chairlift.

I couldn't have been happier.

What did I realize from all this happening?

Try, even if you think you might fail. You'll be surprised how far the effort alone will take you. And even if you don't succeed, something marvelous will still happen, even if its not completely clear at that time. You just need to be open, optimistic, and mindful.

Chip posted this just a little while ago. This image captivates me. I can't pinpoint what exactly about it that keeps me entranced, but I think that that fact alone makes me love it even more.

_____________

Chip Willis.

Hello there...

2009-11-05T10:36:00.005-06:00

I've missed you all!

A quick recap of the past few weeks....

...Nothing exciting has happened over on my end, but I prefer it that way...for now. I've been focusing in on personal improvements and advancements, and I'd say that its been going very well.

...I have done quite a few Life Drawing sessions lately, and I'm falling more and more in love with that creative outlet in my life.

...I joined the YMCA yesterday. I'm really looking forward to getting more active and toning up. Today I have a one-on-one fitness consultation... so we'll see how that goes!

...Papa is still in the hospital, and he's very alert and lucid. I'm grateful for every day, every hour, every minute that I can spend with him and hold his hand.

So, until next time!

________________

Sylvie Blum.

2009-10-18T12:43:00.015-05:00

going inwards.

i'm trying to

find calm in my present surroundings.

keep my balance.

block out all distractions.

i'm looking forward to the new morning.

it's on the horizon.

i'll see you in a fortnight or so.

_____________

AJ Kahn.
Stephen Haynes.
Nad Iksodas.
Sylvie Blum.
David Winge.

Positive.

2009-10-05T20:45:00.005-05:00

I love this pose.
___________

Sylvie Blum. Second Shoot.

I want to forewarn you...

2009-10-02T11:06:00.005-05:00

That the upcoming posts for the next month or so will probably be quite depressing.

So, if you dont want to be brought down... just look at the photos.

But this is my blog, dammit, and I choose to share my personal tragedies and blessings as well as my art.

My grandpa, age 73, has chosen to go home (from the hospital) and die. Without his dialysis, he will fill up with fluid and his organs will fail. He, and my grandmother, have raised me since I was 6 months old. He is the closest thing to a father that I have.

Everyone will die, yes... I know, I know. And I dont want my Papa to suffer...

But how can I possibly wrap my head around this so that it's okay?

I feel paralyzed. I haven't slept well for days. I should have gone today, but can't seem to force myself to go to class. Creating art hasn't distracted me for more than 15 minutes at a time, and I can't put my heart into it.

I will see him later today, still in the hospital. I want to be strong, but then again, I just want to break down, throw my arms around him and beg him to keep trying. Change your mind, Papa. Don't give up, Papa. Please, please don't give up... I need you to stay alive.

But goddamn it, how selfish is that?

I feel tangled up and all alone.

_________________________

Sylvie Blum. From our second shoot.

Playing hookie

2009-09-30T19:32:00.006-05:00

So, I've been playing hookie from school this past week. It was pretty much necessary - I've been bogged down with stress, the blues, and family gloominess that I just needed to hop on a plane, escape, and go have some fun and make some art.

I've had an amazing time this week. I finally got to work with two photographers I've wanted to collaborate with for a very long time: Nad Iksodas & AJ Kahn. They were wonderful, and I had an absolute blast creating art with both of them. I also got to visit and stay with Lela Rae again, which was so very lovely. She is a sweetheart.

(Photo by AJ Kahn)

I also got to work with two favorites again: Dave Levingston and Chip Willis. Both have very different styles, but both are brilliant in their own way.

(Photo by Chip Willis)

"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up." - James Baldwin

I am happiest when I am naked. And with friends. Preferably at the same time.

Another Bout

2009-09-18T12:02:00.006-05:00

of the beast this week.

Its my own damn fault though. I have been careless, reckless and forgetful.

Its hard when you're stuck in your own box and cannot get out.

My education is very important, this I know... but I wish I could suspend it so I could just create art for a few years.

It's all good though. My life is a rollercoaster and I'm getting used to the ups and downs.

Bring it on.

_________________

Ed Freeman.

You're going to make mistakes, you're young

2009-09-16T16:41:00.007-05:00

Get hot, get too close to the flame
Wild, open space
Talk like an open book
Sign me up
Got no time to take a picture
I'll remember someday
all the chances we took
We're so close to something better left unknown

I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all of this is gone
Who'd you rather be?
The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
Oh, seriously
You're gonna make mistakes, you're young
Come on, baby, play me a song
Like, "Here Comes the Sun"

Don't go, stay with the all-unknown
Stay away from the hooks
All the chances we took
We're so close to something better left unknown

I have to make mistakes to learn. You make me forget and remember who I am.

______________

Erin. Taken with a Diana.

Summer Adventures - Sylvie Blum

2009-09-01T14:00:00.003-05:00

One of my greatest ambitions in my fine art modeling is to work with artists that share my passion for creating classic, tasteful, figurative and/or abstract and/or structural fine art nudes. Although I greatly respect and admire other forms of fine art nudes, including but not limited to, conceptual, emotive, experimental, erotica, fashion-esque...etc., it's not what lights my fire and passion deep within.

I think the most beautiful thing in the whole world is the human body. Not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for intrinsic reasons.

I've only worked with a few photographers that share my passion for figurative/abstract nude art. But every time I work with said photographers, I always come away from the shoot feeling that rush of adrenaline and the superb satisfaction of collaborating and creating impeccable art with extremely talented artists, not to mention I receive a few masterpieces for my portfolio.

Sylvie Blum is, no doubt, one of those few photographers I've had the utmost pleasure of working with. She has a true, passionate artist's heart, an exceptional eye and talent, and a generous, kind, and beautiful personality.

I'm extremely giddy to say that I will be working with her again soon.
Very soon, in fact.

We will be shooting together over the course of three days... next week! I'm flying out to LAX next Monday and staying in Hollywood September 7-10. I expect these sessions will be as wonderful and productive, if not more so, as our first session was.

I feel extraordinarily humbled and privileged to have such favorable regard of such a prolific and internationally renown fine art nude photographer. It makes my heart swell with joy!

_______________

Sylvie Blum !!!

It Starts

2009-08-30T09:35:00.006-05:00

Fall semester classes have officially started.

How did summer fly by so fast??

I only went to the North Shore once this summer, and that makes me sad. Hopefully Matt and I can make a quick trip up to Temperance River one of these weekends before it gets too cold.

One of my favorite things is waking up to the fresh northern lake air cuddled up next to my man. A close second would be making coffee and breakfast sandwiches on the camp stove. But by far, my favorite thing in the world is laying out on the rocks on the shore on a clear night and looking at the stars. For those of you who live in cities and never get a chance to get away from the light pollution at night to look up... you're really missing out.

-----

There might be an exciting adventure next weekend. But I'm keeping it under wraps until I know more...

------

This is old news to those of you who have visited and browsed through either my website or Matt's website recently, but an image of ours was chosen to be on the cover of a Lithuanian magazine called Pravda. I have provided the link for google's translate service, although it provides little to no help in translating.

If interested, here is the PDF version for you to browse.

"Nuogybes" means "Nudity" in Lithuanian.

____________

Matthew Scherfenberg.

If you aren't already

2009-08-23T11:02:00.003-05:00

reading Dr. L., you should be.

She's incredibly insightful and a very eloquent writer.

Read her latest post: The Model and Her Audience.

_______________
Matt Blum.

Website!

2009-08-21T20:46:00.002-05:00

I finally have my own domain name!

http://www.artmodelbrookelynne.com

yay! :D

Summer Adventures - San Francisco

2009-08-19T21:14:00.003-05:00

Doug Wade. He's a new dad who keeps his studio out of his basement right outside of San Leandro, California. He's an inventive photographer who is very knowledgeable about lighting. He's a very nice person to work with. I wish him luck with all of his endeavors.

___________

Doug Wade.

I Understand...

2009-08-17T12:48:00.004-05:00

As I was going through my blog roll this morning, I noticed Dave Levingston's blog about being bestowed with an award called "I Understand and Wish to Continue." Well, of course, my curiosity got the best of me and I browsed through the awards and found out that I had also been awarded on July 4th, one award previous to Dave! Too cool!

So go check this blog out. It's pretty interesting.

-----

Here's a photo from the workshop I did in Long Beach, California. My first bodypainting!

________________

Adam Chilson.

Makeup and bodypaint by Lisa Berczel.