It was an interesting year… lots of interesting projects… many interesting personal stories… INTERESTING is a good summary. I’ll see if I can promote 2012 to SUPER FUCKING AWESOME or a similar upbeat and happy as shit set of adjectives.

I think it’s going to happen – so let it be written, so let it be done.

I thought I would share a few photos from the summer to close out the year. I don’t need a lot of words to sum up what this makes me feel. In my gut, there is a satisfaction and joy from making ordinary yet extraordinarily special people feel… well, special.

Dustin and Lindsay personify that feeling. Wonderful people… thank you for letting me help you remember this moment in your lives.

Of all people, I am keenly aware of the generic/gimmicky/well trod poses and settings used in maternity shots. That doesn’t mean I don’t mind putting my own touch on a classic… Incredibly lovely Lindsay. Thank you.

They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
Love and desire and hate:
I think they have no portion in us after
We pass the gate.

They are not long, the days of wine and (photos):
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream.

I’ve been crunching for some weeks on an insanely large project. Exciting, yes. Daunting – well, fuck yes.

It was nice to take a break and just kick it with Sarah the other night. Super chill, no agenda, just a few outfits she wanted to try and an expression or two I wanted to squeeze out of her. The laughs and the wine flowed, some photos were shot, a truce was called over cards… a perfectly lovely evening that went well into the wee hours.

And then I remembered the next day why I don’t go overboard on wine… I love the grape, the grape loves me too. Like a bookie loves a chronic gambler. Bastards!!

Photo shoots can be so many things. A much needed ego boost. A chance to free yourself. The opportunity to face your fears – and overcome.

A lot of times they’re just fun.

I have fun most of the time I’m shooting so it’s natural to encourage others to have fun when they take the leap with me. We usually end up laughing… a lot… sometimes at the absurdity of ourselves. I’m glad I have no real intense interest in fashion photography. I don’t imagine I would laugh much…

Shawna and I couldn’t stop laughing during this shoot… it was just – fun!

“But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit…”

With a little light painting… thank you Shawna.

It’s been one of those days/weeks/eons. They probably happen to everybody… it’s a “what the fuck” pocket of time more or less… oh hell, it’s probably just me. Maybe it’s just staying up late enjoying the FUCK out of Tony Smiley rocking out in downtown Bend, then tamping down the endless energy with a sleeping pill or two. I gotta tell ya, a solid eight hours of sleep is a gawds damned blessing.

What in the world am I rambling on about? Solid lol, this is all bullshit…

It’s fun to run your own blog. You can be whatever twisted dipshit personality you want to be to suit your mood. hehe… thank you great INTERNET gawds! I’m having fun today…

So Olivia comes over after WAY too long an absence to screw around a bit and take a few photos. I decide up front we’re doing black and whites. Why? Because I fucking said so. End of story. Anyway… I love this girl. She just totally gives in to a moment of creation. It’s fun and interesting and rewarding….

Once she’s in the zone she is grace and beauty personified. It’s sex on a gawds damned cracker. Don’t ask, just go with it.

Thanks Olivia, that was fun….

And this is my small studio where I cast spells and create a little magic…

Bend is a Yoga town, which is pretty cool.

As a weight lifter I generally do anaerobic activities exclusively. Once in awhile it feels incredible to take a Yoga class to help limber up and relax a bit. And it’s not difficult to find like minded people in every nook and cranny of Central Oregon.

There are at least four incredibly dedicated Yoga enthusiasts who I can shoot anytime. This is just Katy screwing around a bit in studio… er, yeah! Of course I can do these moves… whatever…

Ever the dutiful model soldier, Sarah shows up first thing on a freezing cold Sunday morning totally willing to take the plunge into icy waters. I can be a sadistic bastard sometimes (oh that’s bullshit – I’m usually a huge pushover), but there’s no way I could do that to her today. Thursday will be a different story – regardless of the temperature that girl is getting wet! Anyway, she’s here and game for a little studio play so I continue to press further into lighting techniques I find interesting. Thinking beyond a frame that freezes a fraction of a second to an open window that allows light to be sculpted and captured goes against the grain somewhat. But what the hell, I don’t mind going against the grain…

Katy might not remember the most direct route to Tumalo Falls, but she knows how to heft a chainsaw and run with a bike. Mostly nude. When the temperature is 34 degrees.

What’s my deal with torturing these poor girls in cold weather? Oh yeah, we live in Bend AND they’re the ones being cool and adventurous.

Super cool and adventurous fits Katy like a glove. Wish I would have had some yesterday… I’m sure it didn’t help my cold one bit. I know, I know – stop your whining! I got to shoot this incredibly lovely girl in a beautiful setting with golden sunlight saying goodbye to the day. And that was just the start…

Thanks Katy, that was FUN!

So I’m searching Gawd’s great kingdom in the high desert of Central Oregon trying to find ONE blessed grove of trees prone to display the great beauty of Autumn out of the eye of the public. To no avail… any tree worth a shit in the colorful department has been brought in by the hands of man and planted along a highly populated thoroughfare it seems. And while I’m not opposed to guerrilla photography, I didn’t feel particularly keen on parading my awesome model Sarah nude on the edges of Drake Park. Not that any sane person would have minded naturally, but certainly a few repressed fucknuts might have spoiled our creativity…

On a whim I decide to traverse the edges of Tumalo Resevoir, hoping that the usual presence of water might have produced a more colorful variety of tree. Uh, no. What we find is more more more more native Central Oregon scrub and shit. Why the fuck does the high desert have to be so brown and ugly? Don’t get me started, I’m a valley boy who misses wide swaths of green with variety aplenty in the arena of vegetation and forestry… Anyway, what we do find at the end of the ‘valley’ is a strange bunker-like structure totally out of place in this setting. (would this have been a one of the structures supporting a bridge in the area? link to article ) How can we not take advantage to shoot a few pics?

All of this is to continue an ongoing project with Sarah. The outcome will be a mini show about a wild woman in the elements. Or a woman in the wild elements, whatever.

I just can’t thank Sarah enough for being willing to freeze her ass off in the elements to further my vision. It was COLD out there for every single shot we did that day. Thank you Sarah, you’re awesome!

I daresay the dudes at Bend Auto Wreckers were NOT prepared for Lisa and an arsenal of weaponry at the yard today. Necks were craning, inventory suddenly had to be accounted for near us on our shooting adventure, and a modeling gig was proferred by end of day.

The purpose of our outing was somewhat thwarted by a lack of participants, but we still managed to have a good time shooting in preparation for the grand finale. Lisa, as always, is incredibly beautiful in anything she does. She should be hired on spec for any and all modeling work where she even remotely fits the bill. An incredible woman, a resolute and dedicated professional, I love this girl. Here’s to you Lisa!

Thanks for not shooting me in the ass….