I can’t believe I’m sitting down to write this right now, honestly. It’s 12:30a.m. It’ll be close to 1:30a.m. by the time I’m finished writing, and I have a 9:30a.m. flight to catch out of Minneapolis tomorrow. As you all know, ad nauseam, I hate flying. I’ve written about it a million times over the last 6 years and I’m sure I’ll write about it again tomorrow while I’m on the plane. I’m going back to LA to create new work and that’s something I’m excited about. I’ll be seeing friends that I haven’t seen in over a year and in the state of COVID mass panic, you really can’t take that for granted.
I have some older work I’m sharing tonight and I’m absolutely sure I’ve never posted it here. I’m going to be real for a moment. 2015 was one of the worst years in my life. When I first started coming to LA, there was this pile on where all these people, models, directors, other photographers, started treating me like I was the next big thing in the pinup scene. It was fickle, though, and after two or so years of accolades and success, 2015 was the year drama began and it all came crashing down. Quite a few of the shoots from around that time, I haven’t shared. They’re kind of painful memories.
This shoot was from that era. The model and I were friends and after a rift in the company I worked for as a photographer in LA, we also lost touch. Battle lines were drawn […not by she and I, per say] and everyone had to chose sides. I still think fondly of this shoot. It didn’t even begin until almost 11:00p.m. during Viva Las Vegas. I was at maximum burnout, at that point, probably already having done over 20 shoots in 10 days. Reflecting on these photos for the first time in years, I love how well they turned out. In a way, I feel it’s a testament to an enduring spirit of creativity I was somehow able to call.
I’m going to continue to explore some more of the shoots from this time. Maybe I needed to forget about them for a while so that I can let go of the feelings associated with the images. Now, I find myself able to appreciate the extraordinary effort that went in to making them and the overall composition and strength of each photo, almost as if someone else took them. Its therapeutic in a way. For now, I’m going to try and get a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day and I want to be sharp for the travel. Thanks for reading. Hope you’re all looking forward to the new work to come.
This is so nice 😍
@ralph321, thanks so much!
You are highly welcome
Very beautiful
Thank you, @lemeonna!
Waooo It's Beauty @kommienezuspadt
Thank you, @abdulqayyum95857! She is.
very interesting works. Greetings from Poland
Thanks, @ilodz24hd! Poland is on my list to visit whenever things settle down with COVID.
Beautiful 🥰
@teknon, thank you!
You're welcome 😊
When I am drunk and stare at this the one thought that pops into my mind is an old joke I heard mnay a years ago.
Haven't heard that one, @akumagai, lol
It is an old joke because that phrase is not a joke but the one telling it was a little Asian man with a very heavy Mediterranean accent.
Thanks for sharing these as painful as it might be. They really are great photos. Safe travels!
It is what it is, @bozz. Revisiting these old shoots in therapeutic in a way.
I love the pictures. So sultry and gives this kind of cool, calm vibe.
I’ve accepted that with people, there would be misunderstandings. Like you said some relationships can be fickle because they are born out of love due to popularity or what they stand to gain.
All in all, we learn and move on. Looking forward to your incoming projects.
That's absolutely true, @chiama. I grew up in a family and part of the world that people held grudges for decades and when I moved from there to Minneapolis, I made a conscious effort to let that part go. It's been good for me, and in a way, revisiting these old shoots and finding the good in the experience has been very therapeutic.
Loved the pics! keep it on
Nice photos. Bringing back things like that from the past are a good thing. While yes it does remind you of a particularly bad time, you are better now for it. Good luck on the flight. I’m not a fan of flying either.
@silverd510, I did get through the flight okay. Hopefully it won't be bad on the way home. It's a red eye, so I probably won't sleep all night. Thanks for the comment.
Glad you made it. I like the red eyes. Best chance to sleep through it
You gotta love this job! 😃
I mean, I love it! Even if I'm a girl 😜
It's fun, although all the travel is reminding me how exhausting my life was before COVID. Most of my followers on Instagram are women, actually. Thanks for the comment, @gabrielatravels.
Elegante!!!
We've decided to adjust the rewards on these posts a bit seeing as how you're not responding to community comments or acknowledging them with a vote, seems a bit like you're not being as appreciative of the rewards you receive on Hive and the community that makes it possible. Hoping this will change at some point and is only a temporary thing.
I've been on the road for the last week shooting in LA, San Diego and Vegas. This is my first photography trip since the pandemic started, so it's been a crucible of recalling the difficultly in keeping up this pace while traveling through multiple cities.