Pulau Galang Baru

Sunday, May 30, 2010

I hired a driver for a full day for about $55. This is definitely my favorite way of traveling around in Indonesia. I got a great recommendation for a driver and he didn't disappoint. Ropik showed up in an SUV which was very comfortable on some of the bumpy no-roads on the islands.

Goal for the day was to drive all the way to Pulau Galang Baru, the last island connected to Batam through the 7 Barelang bridges.

I have been many times at the first Barelang bridge, the most imposing one. I've never driven all the way over all seven to see where this leads to.

On my way we stopped at Kampung Vietnam to take a look at the Vietnamese refugee camp. I had read about it online ... I could undeniably feel the suffering still hanging around on this hot day many years after the closing of the camp.

Once we made our way to Palau (Island) Galang Baru, we were rewarded with with amazing views of tropical islands in an environment were time stood still for many years.

Everywhere I went I heard girls yell "bule bule ... photo ... photo ... please take picture ..." (bule = westerner) ... No greater delight for these young women to know someone snapped their picture with their girlfriends ... big smiles guaranteed ;-) No need to worry about leaving an email address for them to get the image ... all that's required is to know someone spend time taking their picture and will have a souvenir from them forever.

At this time in the year, sun is only guaranteed in the morning. As soon as it turns around 2:00 pm, the clouds change dramatically into thunderclouds with torrents of rain falling down. It doesn't last long but one has to take precautions. Not too difficult when one travels in car but it's a totally different story for the locals on their motorbikes and scooters.

Two of the images I shot that day show clearly rain drenching down in buckets at the horizon. We only got wet on our way back to Batam. Rather than hanging out on a tropical beach waiting for a nice sunset, I decided to go visit Tanjung Uma ... a place I'll write more about when I have time to process the images.

Those who have been following my travels know that this is my fourth trip in about 5 months to this area of the world.

I've been in Indonesia before. In 1999 to 2001 I spend quote a few weeks in Bali paradise working special effects for an amusement park. Although a perfect introduction to the beauty of Indonesia, it didn't prepare me for the beauty of the Riau Islands comprising Batam. Most of these islands are sparsely populated and as of today, I'm constantly taken by the genuine happiness of these people whatever their living circumstances are.

More images from my recent Indonesia travels to Batam can be found in my Travel Images folder on Facebook.

So far I've not been able to find any shells on any of the beaches I visited. Who took them all ?

Batam in May

This is my fourth business trip to Singapore and Batam, Indonesia this year. It's the end of May and it's a lot warmer and definitely more humid this time.

The trip to Singapore was uneventful, one does get used to these long haul flights. On my way to the ferry though things changed a bit.

The taxi driver didn't feel I needed my head for the rest of the trip and he slammed his trunk shut while I was still pulling luggage out of it.

I ended up making the trip on the ferry with a bloodied head. Not a pretty sight. Starbucks napkins was all there was at hand to stop the bleeding a bit.

Once in Batam I had a nurse take a look at it ... my head that is, not the napkins. She glued the cut shut and counted 7 scars in total on my head ... 7 stories to tell.

Today I ended up in yet another thunderstorm on my way to Barelang bridge. Just trying to get some images from fishermen villages or what's left of it. It's quite a sight to see the locals making their way through treacherous terrain on their motorbikes and scooters. As usual, it's quite common to see 3-5 family members on one bike and a little thunderstorm is not going to stop at least some of them. There are shelters left and right for bikers to ride the rain out if they like so ... not sure what's worse though ... getting soaked at a "shelter" or continue driving.

Once on my way the drenching stopped close to my destination. Got some good shots but then I slipped big time on some concrete blocks covered with algae slurry down at the water's edge. My camera got wacked around breaking my fall a bit. My glasses ended up in the water. Some scrapes and a slightly bruised ego ... sure ... but I continued shooting ... of course. At least I didn't loose my Blackberry this time like in all my other "water" accidents.

The locals watching me providing the entertainment of their afternoon found it all "lucu" (funny) and I did get quite a few request to shoot their pictures ... lol ... I didn't get the orange red sunset shots I had hoped for but what I got was well worth the effort. Tomorrow is another day to take a stab at a perfect sunset.

The shells ...

I woke up this morning and against the bright sun peering through the veiled curtains I saw an island floating on an ocean of rattan ... I closed my eyes again as I wanted to go back to the state of slumber and experience this dream again ...

I slowly open my eyes and through my lashes this sight appears again ... I hesitate to open a bit more ... afraid this was going to disappear ... an ocean of rattan with a bright white sky and an island ... two islands ... no ... make that three islands ... three white sand humps on an ocean of rattan ... different size ... different shapes ... all preciously shimmering in the light ...

Where was I ? ... where did this sudden surrender to peace and quiet come from ? ... oceans of rattan don't make any noise ... it was quiet ... ear deafening silence ...

Now I remembered my dream ... it was as in a faint memory coming back ... the silhouette on the beach ... a silhouette walking on the beach in the the darkness of pre-dawn ...

I pause my thoughts and pain my memory ... it all turns dark ...

* * *

The orange glow of the sun is lighting up the water and a silhouette is taking form ... the first rays light up my vision and I see a flowing dress ... a goddess floating over the sand ... tall ... mysterious ... golden skin lit by a rising sun .. the head is framed with long wavy hair ... hiding the face ...

Turn ... turn ... turn ... I whisper in my dream ... alas ... the appearance can't hear me in the deafening silence of my dream ocean ... I walk closer to the scene ... a goddess arm stretches graciously our to me and an elegant hand opens up ... I see three shells ...

Three shells fall out this mysterious hand ... I catch them and hold these little treasures tight ... I turn my head towards the apparition but all I can see is a soul silhouette disappearing in the darkness of the sun ...

"Wait ... wait ... wait" ... I yell ... I scream ...

I pause as no sound is escaping my voice ...

What is ? ... the dark turns slowly to light and I don't have a shadow ... I'm reduced to my soul ...

But wait ... the shells ....

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes and through my lashes I see three islands ... foggy this time ... out of focus ... the bright sunlight is blinding ... slowly I open a bit more ... my vision adjust and I see the ocean of rattan ... the white beaches of the islands ...

The islands slowly disappear in the distance and they get smaller and smaller until each island is reduced to a shell ...

One shell ... two shells ... three shells ... all different ... all beautifully shimmering on my rattan nightstand ...

I close my eyes again and I'm overcome with a warm feeling ... My soul is blessed by three little shells that travelled in a mysterious way to the beach in the dawn of a dream ... dropped from the hands of a beach goddess ...

* * *

Images in this post are from a shoot with Nettie R. Harris ... we worked together almost a year ago ... extremely talented art model .. more images of this shoot later.

Travel images from Batam, Indonesia

It has been a while since my last post ... I don't seem to snap out of this busy spell fixing technology problems.

This images here were all shot on a sunny February Sunday afternoon while sight seeing in Batam.

The sunken boat can be found close to a fisherman village in the neighborhood of Bengkong Laut.

There are still people living in the old fisherman town ... I spend about an hour around noon snapping images around the town ... the lighting was brutal though.

I hired a cab driver for the day and he drove me to the old town on Nongsa beach. That's where I found the pier and a couple of boats. There were quite a few boats available to go visit the neighboring islands (Pulau Putri) with pristine white sand beaches.

I spend the late afternoon on the beach close to the "industrial" park on Nongsa beach. There were plenty of treasures to be found there.

Boats in all sizes, shapes and states and the light changes around the evening were quite dramatic.

I collected sufficient images to fill a coffee table book with the catch of that day ... maybe one day ...

Can't wait to go back there ... it's a different world ... different pace ... ;-)

More images soon ... time to put a travel gallery up on my Facebook page ... ;-) ... soon ...

Travel ...

My travel schedule is still hectic ... been in Singapore and Batam a second time in January/February and I'm ready for my next trip to Asia in March. In between there's the occasional domestic business travel ... Los Angeles, Boston, Orlando ...

All by all a great opportunity to discover new places, meet new people and get a deeper insight in local cultures and habits ... oh ... yes ... let's not forget the culinary aspects ... ;-) ... Indonesian food is a pure delight ;-)

I'm always on the go with a camera so I do have an opportunity to snap some travel images ... Above some shots from my first ferry ride between Singapore and Batam on December 23, 2009.

Whole families travel on a bike ... 4, 5 and even 6 people on a single bike ... dangerous ... yes ... but there seems to be some order in all the biker chaos ... all in all traffic moves smoothly ...

Holidays 2009

It has been a while since my last post ... as so often, the holidays are getting the best of us ... if we like it or not ...

First there's the never ending remodel of my studio that is taking a toll on my time ... there's still so much to do ... at least my subterranean termites are under control after removing my hardwood floor in the studio and kitchen ... trying to decide what my next floor covering will be ...

Then there's the travel ... both domestically and internationally ...

I'm writing this from Batam, Indonesia where I'm involved in a project launch for an exciting new product for a major consumer electronics OEM. I find myself shuttling between Singapore and Batam quite often ... it is only an hour ferry ride between these two vastly different worlds ... there's no way to describe this, you have to experience this to get the full space ...

Travel with its inevitable people watching is always a time to reflect for me ... there's so much distance in between locations giving me sufficient time to space out in appreciation for all I've got ...

My thoughts revolve around friends and those people around me that know how to live the unconditionality of true friendship ... true love ... total acceptance ... the no-need-to-change-you love ... the friends that are solely there for a no-expectation journey and know how to keep any destiny desire at bay ... The friends that only need a sentence to understand where you are in life and likewise know to express their space in 160 characters or less ... the friends that love to love ...

Thoughts and love also go out to those who only briefly touched my life but made a profound impression yielding immense growth regardless of the pain any perception imparted on our lives ... it is after all all about growth for the next connection, the next love, the next romance ...

Yes ... it is a season for thanks ... although I like to think that every day is a reason for thanks ...

I've been photographing a bit less the last couple of months because of travel and the need to catch up on editing and retouching images ...

The long evenings in business hotels have giving me some opportunity to retouch work for a couple of publications ... I've also laid out a few books I'm self publishing @ blurb.com in 2010 ...

Back to the grind with a smile on my face ... just having witnessed a colliding space and time continuum ...

* * *

Images from different photo opportunities ...

Halloween 2009 ...

A rather magical time ...

A mysterious voicemail ...

A soft commanding voice ...

A full moon ...

A daring adventure in a world of Mystery ...

A Woman in the mountains ...

An invitation collide ...

An unexpected spectacle of mythical proportions ...

... the Beloved Lady of the Universe ...

* * *

The images below are out-takes from the November 1, 2009 lingerie shoot for LuLa Lu

Model Heather Hartel

MUA Lauren Warner

NYC

It was years since I've been in NYC ... last week I had an opportunity to spend 4 days in the big apple and it was well worth the travel and expenses ...

The first funny thing is that the city looked much smaller than I remembered ... weird experience though ... felt for a second like I was first time in a place since childhood ...

I've always loved the atnosphere, the hustle and bustle, the everything is possible attitude ... and yes ... there's always life ... and you can get food at any time of the day ...

Last week was about connecting and reconnecting with friends ... some of whom I've never seen other than "on-line" ... ;-)

Central Park on a sunny day is still an experience that can't be missed ...

For those who think that NY is all about business ... well ... think again ... I got to experience to be around two marvelous kids with a super set of parents ... it made me soft for a while and I couldn't help but remembering growing up with loving parents ... and how I miss them both ...

Parents ... remember your kids have only one childhood ...

Shot about 4,000 images on the trip ... more about those later ...

While I was in the city one of my on-line friends I've never met wrote me this:

"I just wanted to say thanks for your occasional words of wisdom. Because of something you wrote yesterday, I got in touch with my grandfather (who has been reaching out to me) - I haven't spoken with him since I was a toddler.

Sometimes people need a slight prompting to forgive, or to remember important things, and I wanted to let you know that your posting gave me a little nudge. Thanks. :)"

Needless to say that this made my day even more ...

Continued ...

The ride.

"Your ride is there ..."

I interrupt my conversation and slowly turn around towards the conference room window ... I peer through the blinds and see the silver convertible top down cornering into the parking lot ... it is my ride ...

I chuckle ... you know ... it feels funny when you see your car drive around without yourself in it ... so used of driving it myself ... ;-) ... I seldom let anyone drive my car ... and ... you're early ...

I excuse myself from the meeting and walk to the side exit door ... by the time I hit the bright sunlight, you've circled the parking lot ... you're looking for me ... you don't know which door I'm exiting ... you're scanning 900 feet of building ...

You finally see me and you throw both hands high up in the air while driving over the speed bump and you're waving at me ... crazy ... but it gets a big smile on my face and can't help thinking that the whole building is watching you ...

I cross the parking lot your direction and you intercept me in the middle ... you're beaming ... you get out of the car ... grey cap ... white satin top with ruffles ... Rock & Republic jeans ... Betsey Johnson heels ... blonde hair spilling from underneath the cap, bouncing with each step, flowing in the wind ...

We hug ... we kiss ... the building cringes ...

You try to hand me the keys ... I give you the keys back ... you look at me in disbelief ... but you're happy you get to drive some more ... you like the car ... you love the way it makes you feel ... I take the passenger seat and you take off ...

I can feel the building rubbernecking till we're out of sight ..

We talk during the ride about the day, the stuff we've done, the stuff we still need to do ... then ... quiet ... we look at each other while you navigate traffic ... we smile ... we don't need to talk ... we know ...

The sun is out and I'm watching to my right as we're approaching the long bridge over the bay ... it's a beautiful day ... little wind flowing through the hair ... perfect blue skies ... blue water ... no choppiness ... no fog, no marine layer ... no nothing to spoil the moment ...

I turn towards you and you're not wearing the grey cap any longer ... you're sporting my brown leather aviator hat ... straps loose dangling and bouncing up and down with the turbulent air from the ride and you're bobbing your head up and down, singing silently along ... you look at me with those beaming blue eyes ... your blonde hair flowing wildly underneath the cap ... your laugh shattering the silence ... we both laugh ... pure bliss ...

I put my chrome and black leather aviator goggles on and we laugh some more ... you're more gorgeous than ever and you're elated exuberance makes this a wonderful moment ... instinctively I grab my camera but it is not there ... such a shame ... a unique moment in so many ways ... gone for ever

You read my mind ... "we can do this again and you can shoot it" ... you grab my left hand and pull it onto your lap and hold it there ... tightly clutched ... I close my eyes and savor the moment burning this image forever in my mind ... you're bobbing your head on the tune of track 10 ... we both love that track ...

For seven eternal miles we are one thought ... one soul ... one love ...

You corner sharp left when we reach the end of the bridge and let my hand go as the car demands all your attention ... we smile ... we're quiet until we continue with the rest of our day ...

I unmistakably know this one of a kind experience is gone ... there is no return to perfection ... there's no need to ...

* * *

When I wake up out of the darkness every day, that image is the first reality I see ... I feel the warmth of the sun ... the wind through my hair ... the exhilaration of that one moment lasting seven miles ... I dread the emptiness in my heart ... then I listen to track 10 ...

The yellow rose is all dried up by now ... beautifully muted colors ... but standing firm ... just the way you wanted it to dry ... you couldn't bear to see this memory go limb that last morning we ever talked at home ... we cried ... we connected ... we knew ...

To be continued ...

Waves ...

Last weekend brought me back to Los Angeles visiting friends and family ...

I was guest in this picture-perfect coziest hide-out perched high above the Pacific Coast Highway ...

Talking all day about life, love, friendship, art, wants, needs, expectations, catching up on what's important on this journey while listening to the crashing waves of the ocean and seeing the light change throughout the day ...

A walk on the beach ... watching the sun set ... harvest full moon ... the quietness of it all ...

Wine, cheese, gourmet olives ... chocolates ... it doesn't get more perfect then this ... sleep was sound ... dreams were sweet ... waking up ... well ... the waves were still there ... so was the perfect company ...

One of the most livable places I've stayed ... no care in the world ... escapism at its best ... this also reminded me how much I miss the ocean, the fresh salty air ... one day though I'll have my own nest high above the ocean ... my own red barn ...

* * *

Fortune cookie wisdom ... your kindness is surely to be repaid ...

When your don't care who gets the credit, there's no limit on how high you can fly ...

Boston ...

Traveling this week ... during the day in training and in charge of content management for a sizable web site overhaul ... all other hours are dedicated to editing and retouching images for my second photo book

A couple of teaser images are included in this post ... the whole concept was photo-journalistic with the models having the option to "pause" at any time ...

I shot this a little over a year ago, mulled the retouch/edit process over for a while and finally got the impetus to get this going ... all lighting is natural ... no make-up for a very natural look ... yes, I did change my mind about the all B&W approach ... ;-) .. the retouching process runs from B&W to a variety of color processes ...

* * *

I was cleaning out my wallet of receipts today and came across two forgotten fortune cookie notes I picked up in early September ... I keep those religiously as I'm constantly working on improving my Chinese vocabulary ... ;-)

Your career will soon be enhanced by a new friend ...

A beautiful person is with you, confide your problems ...

Variations on a theme ?

Time for real coffee ... continued ...

Insomnia ...

Just having one of those nights where I can't sleep because my brain is running haywire ... thousand thoughts going through my mind with no resolution ... seemingly no progress ... no actionable items ... just emotionally piecing together the disconnects from recent stressful events ..

Even my visiting cat knows something needs fixing ... she's always outside ... roaming around in the backyard ... she loves the backyard, so much more room than the studio from my ex ;-) ... but this night, she's in the kitchen, office ... wherever I go ... maybe it's because of me or maybe it's because there was a skunk passing by a couple of hours ago ... who knows ... for now, I'm happy with the company ...

Been working al day yesterday on editing and retouching my second book ... I photographed the concept a little over a year ago and I've been mulling my options over on and off ... going for a photojournalist B&W approach... that's how it was shot, that's how it still feels after all this time ... hope to publish this book before December ...

Insomnia also means that I have opportunity to do some more editing ...
I shot Jillian Ann and HDC (Grant) last Friday in the Voodoo Lounge in San Jose ...
I enjoyed the music, the atmosphere and just see everyone passionately go all out ...

It was good to see Jillian again, our next shoot is long overdue ... I posted the images from this event to my Facebook account ... yes ... I'm on Facebook ... ;-)

* * *

Looking through the Facebook shatter I come across this quote ... I'm pretty sure it was left for me ... coincidence ? ... synchronicity ? ... who knows ... all that matters is that someone cares enought to put it out there for all to read ...

When people can walk away from you ... let them walk.

Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left ...

(T.D.Jakes)

We have read this quote before ... We may have heard the quote before ... this is just a timely reminder ...

I do know one thing for sure ... I do have a very bright future ... time for real coffee ...

* * *

Images from last Friday's photography in the Voodoo Lounge, San Jose. The wire image detail was shot in an art gallery in La Jolla, CA in 2008. ,,,

The Red Knight - Part 1a

I'm repeating part of an earlier blog post to ensure an easier follow up connection with an upcoming personal story

* * *

The Willy Vandersteen strip series "De Rode Ridder" or "The Red Knight" with over 200 albums published between 1959 and today has a serious impact on my life ...

Johan (John) , the Red Knight, is the main character in these strip albums. His character embodies the chivalric ideal ... brave to the point of intrepid ... loyal and of course, an expert swordsman ...

In most of the albums he's a traveling knight fighting all sorts of evil threatening peaceful communities ... his travel have brought him all over the world ... Egypt, South America, Atlantis (!) , China etc. ... even outer space figured as a background for a couple of stories ...

Chronologically the stories are placed from the 6th century to the 16th century, thus covering a wide range of historical events. King Arthur, Crusades, Battle of the Golden Spurs and 15-16th centurylife in Flanders.

These strips always featured gorgeous damsels in distress in need of rescue ... and were pretty much the sexiest books I got my hands on in elementary school ... lol ...

Relationships are purely platonic in line with the ideals of chivalric duties.

The Red Knight however is in love with Galaxa, the Faerie of Light. She can only appear for a few brief moments in Johan's world. Together however they fight evil and injustice in the hope to be joined together in a future ...

There is also considerable romantic tension suggested between the Red Knight and Demonia, the henchwoman from Bahaal, the Prince of Darkness.

Other recurring women in the strip are Morning Star and Isjtar, both loyal colleague faeries from Galaxia, always ready to give a lending hand when Galaxia is weakened in battles with Demonia.

As such these strips have appeal for both teenagers and adults alike ...

The women in this strip series do not follow the stereotypes of the historical background.

These woman are all emancipated, independent, love their personal freedom and all have important responsibilities to fulfill in the story.

Although The Red Knight often has to rescue damsels in distress, they are all strong women.

The Red Knight's unobtainable love for Galaxia is often the driver for his actions and needless to say that all plots have a happy ending.

* * *

The Red Knight is looking for a damsel that is not in distress ...

... but what would the Red Knight do with a damsel that is not in distress ? ...

* * *

Images from the August 30 shoot with Sarah Ellis and Kayla, make-up and hair,

Lauren Warner

The White House - Part II

Continued from "In the Shadow ..." (June 10, 2009)

* * *

I open the double door fully and let the light flow in ... I can see the 17th century fresco's on the left wall ... a woodsy scene with young women in pretty dresses with lots of ruffles ... wearing little cute hats ... their maids seem to be preparing a picnic .. couple of sheep in the background ... the rest is all faded out and was unrecoverable ...

I had discovered these fresco's after acquiring the house and scraping off some old cracked paint of the wall .. these wall paintings turned out pretty unique because of their size and quite a few art and historic architectural magazines were in and out the house to document the uncovering and restoration ...

I glance over the now familiar art and make my way down the entrance hallway to the right hand side kitchen door with window lights ... I'm trying to remember the name of the local painter to no avail ... I'm more pre-occupied with what I'm going to find in the kitchen after my last visit ...

I crack the kitchen door open .. it is dark inside ... no power yet and the only light comes in through the double door hall way and backyard kitchen window which Roman curtains are closed ... the clean smell of fresh lemon is puzzling ... no one was in here and this place is supposed to be a mess after my last visit ...

I ignore the clue and let my eyes adjust to the darkness before walking in ... I can see some light peering through the backyard kitchen window and I slowly make my way to open the curtains ... broken porcelain is cracking under my feet while I make my way ... this place is still a mess ...

Pulling the curtain open I can finally see the extent of the disarray ... broken plates all over the floor ... my eyes wander up to the cupboards ... all doors are closed and latched ... what the hell ?

The meat cleaver on the butcher block draws my attention ... there's blood ... fresh ... red ... my stomach turns for a split second but I decide to take a look at what's hanging in the cooking fireplace ... a skillfully skinned and cleaned hare is still bleeding out ... fresh kill... the fireplace is cold ... odd ... I don't remember seeing this scene last time I was here.

Before I can finish the thought, I hear the kitchen door slowly closing shut ... I check ... there's still no door handle ... I can't get out this way ... I cringe as I now need to make my long way to the other side of the house ... can't shake the feeling off that I'm not alone and that's no different than the past experience ...

I look over to the dark far corner as I know there to be the door to the hallway leading to the antechambers of the house. As I'm making my way to the corner, loud noises in the cupboards make me duck and close my eyes ... just in time ... dozens of porcelain plates fly across the kitchen and get shattered against the walls and various pieces of furniture ... I stay put till the violence subdues ... I stand up and there's one more layer of shards strewn over the floor ... all cabinet doors are closed and still latched ... it's erie quiet now ...

I quickly jump and stumble to the far door ... rattling and cracking porcelain shards on my way ... thankfully this door is not locked and I step in the hallway, quickly closing the hallway door behind me ...

To be continued ...

* * *

Image above shot on July 19. Model is Kayla, make-up Lauren Warner, styling Seema Hamid. Hat design Jasmin Zorlu

Cleaning out ...

... the studio ... the house ... paint ... flooring ... more paint ... color ... done with the white walls ...

Getting rid of remnants of past lives ...

Books ... more books ... french ... german ... dutch ... music scores ... tapes ...

Less is more ?

Thanks Kayla for helping me out in this endeavor ... more hands = lighter work ...

;-)

Studio Shoot - July 18-19

Two beautiful models graced my studio July 18 ... so nothing better than making this a 2 day shooting bonanza ;-) ... some images below ...

SaraLiz and Kayla ... make-up and hair by Lauren Warner (SaraLiz) and

Christal Saville (Kayla)

The images of me at work are all courtesy Ankha Desh who did an excellent job of watching my back and came up with some great prop variations for her own shooting sessions with the models.

On the 19th Seema Hamid joined up for wardrobe styling while Heather Hartel made sure I got my solo venti white chocolate mocha ... lol ...

Great images, great camaraderie and

no drama ... just the way I like it ... this team performed flawless and we got some great images to boot ... what else ;-)

SaraLiz and me ... this was my second shoot with the Florida based pro model ... beautiful, gracious, great posing and easy to work with

This image and next are (c) Ankha Desh

Chimping ... SaraLiz and Kayla delivered great team work on their first shoot together ...

No time to loose ... shoot Kayla while Seema is fixing shoes ... this was our 8th shoot together ... like I wrote a couple of weeks ago ... watch ...

Seema did a fabulous job mixing and matching wardrobe, shoes and accessories ... I had the pleasure working with her before at the Salton Sea shoot ... she's highly recommended ...

Los Angeles trip ...

Breakfast with Lu, sushi with Betcee, dinner with Amarilla and Salim ... wardrobe shopping on Melrose Avenue ... more window shopping in Santa Monica ... checking out Courtney's new studio ...

Looking at new faces in agencies ...

exploring more of the window lights at the Custom Hotel ...

Making new friends ... intense ...

Casting call ... long drive home ... time flies ...

* * *

Three days of shooting on the street with Kayla on her first shooting trip to LA ... she flies ... on heels ... in a long dress ... defying traffic ...

Beautiful ... sweet ... tall ... confident ... graceful ... unleashed ...

* * *

This journey started the last day of May ... Kayla arrived in my studio for her first shoot ... a bit nervous ... tense ... unsure of what would happen ...

It took only 11 minutes to discover her affinity for the camera ...

She came back in June to shoot some more fun ...

Then July ...

Then the trip to Los Angeles ...

Watch ...

More images soon ...

Cecil Beaton

" ... to make beautiful images of women you have to love women ..."

* * *

Victoria Vertuga in my corner. Beautiful. Talented. Sweet. Cecil would have loved her ...

In the shadow ...

of the St Bavo cathedral in Ghent, lives a white house ... it stands out from all the other houses in the street ... majestic ... old and original ... flaking and cracked once white paint left and right ... a most beautiful double wide carriage door with bronze inlays and scrollwork hinges with a wonderful patina ...

There are ancient cobblestones on a sidewalk ... uncomfortable cobblestones ... two gray blue stone piers flank the entrance ...

As I come closer I keep watching the door ... the color is a dark green ... many greens of as many layers of paint as there were lives in this house ... it feels ancient ... it feels familiar ... a strange awareness crops up ... I suppress a shiver ...

I stop and slowly let my eye wander

over the facade ... all window shutters are closed except the balcony windows on the first floor ...

I stretch and try to peer through the darkness of the balcony windows ... to no avail ...

Yet ... I can't help imagine the grayed sheers moving gently as if someone just briefly touched them and pulled away ...

Maybe ... just maybe ...

I hesitate a brief moment but then slowly make my way across the street ... I hear the faint sound of a horse drawn carriage clattering over the cobblestones ... I look around ... nothing ... no one ... the sound disappears ... just imagining the noises of the past ...

The cobblestones feel uncomfortable ... remnant of centuries for sure ... passersby don't seem to notice me ... no one looks ... no one greets ... no one is taken in with the beauty of this house ... all are navigating cobblestones ...

I stop in front of the massive doors ... my left hand is touching the cold bronze inlay ... I shiver briefly again but my hand keeps following the the playful curve of the exquisite decorative detail while I slowly pull a keychain out of my cloak ...

There's only one key ... heavy ... large ... with an impressive 5 pronged beard each side ... another promise from the past ?

I wipe the cobwebs away from the keyhole while I insert the key ... to my surprise the key turns almost smoothly and the bolt unlocks with a solid resonating thump ... the door is heavy ... too heavy and I have to use my shoulder to crack the door open ... a whiff of old air greats me ... dust ... moldy stale air ...

I turn around and look into the street ... there's no one there ... all passersby are gone ... total quiet ...

A crow circles overhead and drops down onto the balcony ... watching me ... I stare back unfazed ... she takes off with a loud cra ... cra... craaaahhhhh echoing between the houses ...

To be continued ...

* * *

My chair has become a fun project ... everyone treats my chair differently ... and I'm sure my chair *loves* vintage clothing ... from top to bottom, Donna, Sarah Ellis and Kayla ... May 2009.