Cool Porsche shoot!

I'm shooting both of these cars tomorrow and need a model...... any takers? :)

It's been too long...

Okay, so it's been too long since I've made my last blog posting.  I don't have any photos this time so I thought I'd talk about why I live in Ventura, Ca.

I grew up in Mt. Pleasant, MI.  Not a bad place to grow up but I always felt like I wanted more.  I was never satisfied with living in the mid-west.  I like the people, my family still lives there and they lead great lives.  But for me, I needed to head out west.  Something was always driving me out here.  The comedian Gallagher had a great routine about this.  Something about the people who founded this country were called settlers.  Not because they settled the first community here in America, the new land. but because they settled for where ever their boat hit land!  Then there were some who were a little more adventurous, the ventured into the forest and created their own communities.  Some went north, some went south and some went west.  When some came to the Mississippi River they said it was too big to cross, so they settled, others found a way to get across and kept moving west.  They came to the Rocky Mountains, some settled because they were too big to cross, others found a way to climb them and continued to head west.  Eventually they came to California and found another ocean.  These people are of a different mindset, and there are those who were still not happy settling and still wanted to move west, those people built piers!

Okay, maybe this is just funny to me because I totally understand what he was talking about.  I would like to build piers.  I have lived in the mid west, the south and in California.  I truly believe I am meant to be here in California.  I just piss too many other people off in other parts of the country.  I'm extremely liberal, to the point most people do not wish to discuss politics with me because I personally think we should get rid of everyone who is currently part of our government.  I'm not religious and I do not feel I should have to tip toe around people who are (this doesn't go over well in the south).  And I do not believe in the 40 hour work week.  I drive a 1970 VW Beetle by choice, my other car is a skateboard.   I'm not a pot head, in fact I don't do any drugs, but I do feel they should be legal, I won't get into that one here.... yet.

I love to surf, even though I have not gone anywhere near enough lately.  I like my moderate yet extremely over priced house.  I love it when the fog rolls in off of the ocean.  If you have ever driven a convertible at 2 am through the fog here in Ventura you will understand.  It's one of my most favorite things ever!   I like that I can walk down the street and talk to almost anyone I meet.  Ventura is my home.  I have been accepted by a community of which I love being a part of.  It doesn't matter what your political views are, it doesn't matter what your beliefs are, it doesn't matter if you go into a fast food store and try to steal all the salt and pepper shakers (our local mentally ill person named Robert who is a really great guy).  This community has it all and I am happy to be a part of the out of the ordinary characteristics that make Ventura what it is.

I should probably go work on my car, after all, I have no place to be tomorrow.  I'm home.

Narcissistic behavior

So I have started one of my new photography projects.  It's based on narcissism and the world of glamour.  I love to people watch.  It's one of my favorite pass times.  I love watching how we are all so similar, we all have the same tendencies, no matter where we live or how we grew up.  There are certain characteristics of the human race that I find fascinating.  I love watching how when someone is looking at somebody else, then that person turns and notices that they are being watched.  The person who was doing the watching suddenly turns their head the other direction and "pretends" not to see them anymore.  It's just a reaction, but I find it amusing how almost everyone out there does this.  If you want to freak someone out (who you don't know) try smiling at them and saying "hello", seriously, they usually don't know what to do!

So for this project I am exploring narcissism.  I'm not sure where it will take me but I am liking the results already!

I would like to thank the amazing Aurora Valentine for modeling for me yesterday and Glory (Death by Glory/Cupid's Bow make up) for the great make up and hair!  I cannot forget to thank my wife Kelly Segré for her help on this as well.

Enough landscapes, for now.....

I have been working on a project for quite some time now.  It's titled "The Seduction Sessions".  My artist statement, and best way to describe this project is, it is an intoxicating observation of beauty, and it's seduction.

I hope to have the book finished and ready for publishing in the next month.  I have shot several sessions and may shoot more in the future but for now, I am happy with the outcome.

Original images and the book itself will be available by July 1st.  To see more of my work, and the work of my wife Kelly Segre, check out www.anomiestudios.com.  All artwork is for sale.

The only philosophy I can offer on this blog posting is that when you love what you do it shows in your final product.  Yeah, my job rocks!

Time Stands Still

We took a trip this weekend to Yosemite National Park. When there I really realized how much things change and how much they stay the same. When I look through old photos of great landscape photographers like Ansel Adams I really see that this park will be here long after I am gone. I took a photo of Half Dome, in a very similar spot to where I had seen an Ansel Adams photo taken. I'm pretty sure his is a little better but when in Yosemite I believe this is a photograph you just have to take. I also added a photo of one of the many falls at Yosemite.

The only change I really noticed was the amount of traffic visiting the park, I'm one of the guilty ones myself. But even with all of us people trampling through this seriously awesome display of nature, the park seems to prevail over us. Maybe George Carlin was right, the Earth isn't in trouble, we are. Of course we did avoid a little trouble, we were about 20 feet from a Grizzly Bear, he just gave us a look and kept on walking. Yeah, we headed back to the car.

Ventura Holiday

I have spent many holidays in Ventura. If I can remember correctly, almost every Christmas I have spent here I have made a trip to the beach. It's usually sunny and warm on this holiday. It was a little chilly today, nothing to really complain about, just under 60 degrees and it was sunny.

I'm not too sure why, but I have been really interested in driftwood lately. It has so many uses. You can build surf shacks out of it. I'm planning on building picture frames out of it too. There is a great artistic quality to this wood. And it's just there on the beach, soaking up rays. Maybe I like driftwood so much because it really defines what life should be. It travels all over the world, crashes on the beach, lays in the sand and sits in the sun. Okay, so this is my dream and my way of looking at it.

It's just a reminder to take a holiday from the day to day rat race of your life. Become driftwood for a day, just sit and watch the world go by. After all, it's going to go by no matter what, you may as well enjoy every moment of it you can.

Enjoying life for a moment...

I was going through some photos I had taken earlier this year and stumbled upon this one from White Sands, New Mexico. How I missed it earlier I have no idea. Sometimes you just have to take a step back for awhile and let the good ones come to you.

I'll just ponder on this for awhile. Sometimes, there are no words needed to help you enjoy the moment.