Lightweavers World

First Cover!

2011-08-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

Insert Happy Dance Here.

Here's my first cover. Beautiful Mag is an online magazine with a world wide audience and is highly trafficked. I'm very happy to have this in my repertoire of credits.

What's next? hmmm... stay tuned!

Check them out at BeautifulMag

I Have No Idea

2011-08-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

So my blog is all screwed up and I have no idea why. Images aren't displaying and it's all just really pretty frustrating. Going to see with this post if I can get things to display correctly. If so then I may just have to delete prior posts because I can't stand to have them out there looking jacked up. It's unfortunate but that's life. Hopefully moving forward will be refreshing and a good place to recommit to more frequent activity.

Cross your fingers!

Absentee Photographer

2011-03-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

I really had no idea it has been so long since I'd posted here. Wow. I kinda suck eh? Well I've been focusing alot of attention over at FB with my Lightweaver fanpage. Go ahead, click it and take a look. I'll wait...

My hope is that it becomes a great portal for anyone interested in the male modeling industry where models can get good tips on building their portfolios and getting the best shots and others can keep up on what's current.

So tell your friends, come by and click "like" while you're on the page and share with anyone you think would be interested!

Fuck 2010

2011-01-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

Yeah I said it, good riddance to 2010! Here's looking forward to bigger and better things for 2011! By the way as a sidenote, if you're not pronouncing it "Twenty Eleven" then I think you're a ruhtard. Now that's over with let's see what I can come up with in my archives to share with you today.

Due to the Holidays and all the crap that steals my time during December I've not been shooting much. However I did get one interesting shoot in before Christmas and you might like to see the results. It was really just a test with a guy I'd never worked with before but I got some good shots that I wasn't really expecting.

The model's name is Lee and I'd love ya more than a basketful of kittens if you let me know what you think of them.

Oh yeah, that reminds me of a resolution I'd like FROM all you silent little bastards. Leave some damn comments once in awhile! Stop making me feel like this whole blog thing is just a vanity project. Well hell we all know it is but still I'd love to see some interaction on here. Talk To Me!!!

Going to go take my meds now.

Ready... Set... GO!

2010-12-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

My friend Eric was coming in from New York over Thanksgiving. Eric is the kind of guy I wish I could have available to my camera 24/7. He shows up ready to give himself to the artistic process. No matter how kooky the idea seems he throws himself into it and trusts me as the artist to make it awesome.

Now Gage had been wanting someone to pose with for awhile so this seemed like a natural fit. Score! But I had to come up with something crazy/awesome. With no clear direction I went shopping and just started grabbing elements. Couple of ties, an eye patch, a first aid kit and a few accessories from my own wardrobe.

Day of the shoot comes, Eric and Gage show up, I throw the odd assortment of props at them and they made the magic happen. Awesome!

New Male Art Series

2010-11-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

I am looking for non-model, real everyday men for a series titled "Stripped Raw". The concept is very simple, no props or clothes to hide behind, stripped down to just you and my camera. I want to capture honest, vulnerable emotion. I'm asking for a lot in terms of emotional trust and honesty. The result will be a ...collection that shows a whole side of the male species that is rarely captured for public viewing.

Regarding the nudity, I'm not out to see your bits and bobbles. The nudity requirement should hopefully be self explanatory but if not then I'll say this... Clothes, labels, give us a shield, something to hide behind. When absolutely everything is taken away that could possibly keep the world from seeing the real you... what's left? Just you and your emotions.

I will not be directing you to pose in any particular manner. I am looking for males of all shapes, sizes, ethnicity, social backgrounds and age. What I really am hoping for is to personally connect with the subject emotionally. The photography setting will simply be a place for the subject to sit, stand, recline, lay, whatever and just talk to me. I want authenticity above all else. I want the subject to be emotionally vulnerable and share with me some of his most guarded secrets, history, etc. I will happen to be holding my camera and snap shots when appropriate. If I catch a bit of an emotional breakdown, fit of anger, etc. then perfect. But I hope at the very least to capture the most honest expressions and body language possible. I will give no direction as to posing or anything as I don't want anything to look posed. Basically just sit, talk, shoot.

Contact me and let's make this happen.

Joey

2010-10-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

This time we at least weren't nearly arrested. Although we created images hot enough to cause a stir. Here is Joey again, this time entirely solo and hotter than ever. I'm going to shut up now and just let you drool.

Gage Houser

2010-10-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Male Models vol. 1

2010-09-03T01:57:00.000-07:00

Who are your favorite members of the male persuasion who have graced magazine covers, fashion layouts, skin mags, websites, billboards and runways for the last 40+ years?

Male Models enjoyed a brief notariaty in the '90's with the likes of Joel West (http://joelwestcollection.com/), Marcus Shenkenberg (http://marcusschenkenberg.org/), Antonia Sabato Jr. (http://www.antoniosabatojronline.com/), Djmon Hounsou (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djimon_Hounsou), Tyson Beckford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyson_Beckford) and a handful of others. But never before and certainly not since then have male models enjoyed so much of the spotlight.

Male models tend to be accessories, props, or worse yet relegated to being a slab of abs or a brainless neandrathal hocking work out supplements. To be fair, most aspiring male models don't do much to help this pigeon holing sitation as they fiill their porttfolios with empty gazes and "tough guy" machismo. This seems to me to be a "chicken or the egg" scenario. Are these neophite male models simply echoing what they see from their published counterparts or is that really all they are capable of? It's hard to tell but in my experience working with them behind the camera I'd have to say that the latter is true in most cases.

Prior to the Male Model heyday in the '90's there was not a huge pool of ambitious young men lining up to join the ranks of the guys being paid to be pretty. It was actually a fairly ridiculous notion to many. :Modeling is for chicks". "Male Models are gay". Those are just a couple examples of the majority mind set but suffice it to say that it wasn't a popular career choice. So one must consider the question, did the success of male models in the '90's also mark the end of a very short era? Supply and demand. With the aforementioned success stories making it O.K. to make a living being pretty, the attractive wannabes started turning out in full force. Nowadays there are nearly just as many nice looking guys out there as there are girls and all of them expect the fame of Marcus, Antonio, Tyson, etc. simply because alot of people tell them they are good looking.

It takes so much more than that to be a successful model, especially for a guy because even though the doors have opened up quite a bit for guys there simply isn't as much demand as there is for females. A contemporary male model really has to show his range and versatility in order to be noticed above the swarms of his counterparts.Stay tuned for more of my thoughts on the subject for now please feel free to comment, let me know who your favorites male models are or who they have been in the past.

Discuss!!!

Been Too Long!

2010-06-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

Yeah I've been busy, get off my back. Or... get on me if you're cute. Anyway, been working with this kid named Gage. He's outstanding. Got some hopes for him in the modeling world. He's good people too, not just a pretty face. Well, he's got a pretty ass too but I think you get my point. We've done 3 shoots now and I hope to do more. I'm going to do everything in my power to get him somewhere. So I'm whoring him out to e-zines right and left. Shouldn't be long before someone takes notice.

So stop drooling and tell me what you think. Dayum, might wanna wipe that up before somebody sits down at your keyboard. Perv.

Skuzzy

2009-12-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

No, this post is not about the goo that you let collect underneath the drawer in your fridge. Yuck. It's about Josh. Trish too actually. Josh is the guy in the pics above. Trish is his girlfriend doing his hair in the pic below. Yes that's right, an honest to goodness straight guy! Notice that I didn't even put the word straight in quotes. He's really into girls! Actually girl, singular.

Josh and Trish drove all the way down to Indianapolis from about an hour east of Chicago in a snow storm just to work with me. Talk about dedicated. They are absolutely the most adorable couple I've ever seen. So in love with each other it would have made my teeth hurt if the adoration wasn't as genuine as it was. Anyway, 4 hours is the normal drive time for the trek they made. it took something like 6 with the weather conditions.

We had a few ideas planned out prior to the shoot, some of it was just flying by the seat of our pants. Trish had advised Josh that he needed to pose nude for the first time. So he did. It was cute. No, not "it". "It" was fine, but his demeanor was cute. Here's this tattooed, punked out, pierced guy laid bare before the camera and with nothing to hide behind he was vulnerable. Sometimes a guy is a little embarassed for a minute or self conscious but that wasn't it with Josh. It was like his security blanket had been taken away and he was simply... stripped. Trish saw this and helped him to feel more secure. The shots turned out very well.

They were alot of fun to work with and even to hang out with. We all were smokers. I'm an ultra light kinda guy but Josh smokes Reds. (ewww) He asked to bum one and when I pointed out that it may be like sucking air for him, he asked for a pair of scissors and just nipped off half the filter. What a guy.

They ended up moving to Las Vegas, NV. for awhile but I hear they are moving back to the midwest soon. We've kept in contact and I hope to have them both back in the studio whenever it can be arranged.

Clay Towers

2009-11-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

A little late in posting these on October 21st when Clay came down to Indy from Chicago to shoot with me. Clay hadn't done alot of shooting with professionals at this point and he was full of energy. We hit it off instantly and just starting yapping like we'd gone to high school together and were just catching up.

Clay was up for anything and we just dove into to shooting. He was confident yet concerned about doing the right thing. He was very conscious of his expression, pose and body language. Clay has great instincts and takes direction extremely well.

I couldn't stop shooting, the camere just kept click, click, clicking and before I knew it three hours had gone by. It was rejuvenating to work with Clay and I'm already looking forward to his return to the studio.

Visit Clay at his site. It's currently under construction but you can contact him directly from there. Clay Towers

Slacker!

2009-09-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

That's right, I'm calling myself names. Not to worry though, I don't argue with myself anymore. Not out loud anyway. Better living through chemistry!

Haven't been updating the photo blog lately and for that.... I suck. My mostest sincere apologies to the 10 people who follow this thing.

Had a couple pretty cool shoots lately.

In late August my phone rings while I'm sitting at home on a day that I just so happened to have taken off work. It's JaBari Agee! He's a terrific model from the Cincinnati area who I'd been speaking with on and off for quite awhile. We mutually respected each others work but just couldn't get our schedules to mesh. Well he just happened to be in Indy on an overnight layover and wanted to know if I had time to do a shoot.

Let me think about it.

SURE! So we did. And it rocked. Hard.

And then there was Robin. When I greeted him at the door of the studio he seemed rather unassuming. Mousy? A friendly guy, kind of shy. Definitely not the sort of guy who wanted to do erotic photos like the one I had been speaking with via ModelMayhem.

Well damn! As soon as the lights came on and the camera started clicking, so did he! Boy did he come alive. It was a photographers dream. Totally uninhibited, took directions very well, had some ideas of his own and we just had a fantastic collaboration.

I would so much rather work with someone who isn't a rock hard gym rat but has a great imagination and willingness to just go with the flow and see what happens. That's how I work when I don't have other factors getting in the way. Just throw something at the wall and see what sticks. May not work for everybody but I like it. Give my imagination totally free reign and just sit back to enjoy the show.

Photo Day Fun with Alan and Nick

2009-08-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Alan came down from Ft. Wayne with Nick who lives in his area. It was a full day of image making. I did alot of studio work with Nick then we went on location and Alan worked his magic as well. It was alot of fun and we both got some great shots. Here are a few of mine.

As usual, more images can be found on www.LightWeaver.net Look for the "Nick" gallery.

Chad and His Boy

2009-08-18T04:47:00.000-07:00

I hadn't shot with Chad for awhile and that needed to change. So it did. This time he brought his BF along for the ride and a pose or two. Cute couple! Evidently they get alot of crap for the age difference, especially since Alex looks about 12. I swear he ain't! Anyway, we played with that of course and then did some seriously sweet/sexy/romantic shots as well.

A Few Good Men

2009-08-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

Not new images but newly edited. I suppose that counts eh? Been logging some hours putting together a print portfolio for myself. When I started digging through images from prior shoots that I hadn't looked at for awhile I got a fresh perspective on some and edited them accordingly. Here are a few...

BLEW Magazine

2009-07-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

BLEW Magazine is a rough, raunchy, racy, honest and somehow still artistic online magazine who hopes to be going to print soon. That will be a pretty sweet deal, it's the kind of magazine I'd love to find sitting in my mailbox.

Anywhoo... they saw fit to do an article about me and my imagery. Just tickled me pink, yes it did. So I'd love to share it with you.

CLICK HERE

Go Ahead, Call the Po Po Ho!

2009-07-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has happened. I was shooting in an abandoned building when cops descended up on my shoot.

Evidently someone saw what they thought was innapropriate through a window and called the fuzz. Funny thing is that we were in the Ghet-TOE at the time and I figure someone called the cops on me to divert attention away from whatever they had planned.

Anyway, the freaking police called for BACKUP. Yes there were three cops there in as many cars with me and my two models being held on the sidewalk while they checked our ID's and our stories.

Humiliation set in as drug dealers and hookers went by, staring and laughing. Good grief.

Clearly we weren't doing anything wrong and after our illustrious public protectors were satisfied of that we were free to go. Will make an interesting blurb for my memoirs one day.

Here are a few from that shoot. The last two are from the building we got busted in and obviously the others were taken in the studio.

Follow Me On Facebook!

2009-07-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

LightWeaver on Facebook

Click the Link above to become a Fan on my Facebook page!

It's Peanut Butter and Eddy Time!

2009-06-01T03:17:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: No actual peanut butter was used in the creation of these images. Nor were any peanuts harmed or negatively effected in any way.

Here we are, a few sneak previews of the Eddy images created this past weekend. See more on my site over the next few days.

Let me know what you think!

Bells, Books and Candles

2009-05-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

You'll find no mentions of bells in this post, or candles for that matter. Actually only a little bit about books even and that will be a post script. Just sounded like a good title for a post.

I picked Eddy up from the airport last night. We'd both had a pretty long day so we just chilled and watched Midnight Meat Train. Damn that's a good flick. He had a homework assignment to work on so I left him to that and retired for the evening. Now I'm waiting for sleeping beauty to wake so that we can start taking pictures.

Heading to a new old urban location today that I've never shot in before. Looks really awesome so I'm pretty excited about it. Actually think that I will pick up some 120 film and break out the Roli today. I love shooting with that thing. Makes me sad that so many "photographers" (or "guys with cameras" as is more appropriate) wouldn't even know how to use such a fine piece of equipment.

Gone are the days when photographers could get together and discuss the finer points of the technical aspects of photography. Now we just discuss all the cool things the cameras do for us and what awesome effects we can achieve in Photoshop. I wonder how many of the new photographers who have just started shooting in the last 5 years or so can even really explain F-Stops, shutter speeds and how they correlate? Much less would I expect any of them to really understand lighting ratios or remember such antiquated terms as "Mamiya", "Hasselblad", "Zeiss Lenses" or other things I won't even take the time to mention.

Anymore people will call themselves a photographer if they can throw light at something and point a camera at it. Actually those "photogs" are considered good these days. I think Photoshop has done as much damage for the craft as it has good. There are extraordinarily BAD shooters that can make a truly crappy image look decent with the few clicks of a mouse. True photographic skill is lost on these hacks.

I'll step down from my soapbox now so that I can mention the books. If you'd like to purchase the work of an actual Photographer who's been working since way before the digital age, then here ya go.

Eric Himan

2009-05-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

Guess I'm on a music kick lately eh? Well given today's outrage from California I felt like posting one of the most moving songs I've heard in awhile. It's not "moving" in a romantic or sappy way. The Protest Song by Eric Himan should make you get up and scream at the top of your lungs that we're fucking tired of being second class citizens.

The lyrics to "Protest Song"
"they’ve come to tell me that hell is at my door,
how nice of them to warn me a whole lot time before.
I’ve got the rest of my life til judgment day is due,
"oops. look at the time I bet you gotta better things to do"

I was not raised the way you were
and yes I’m glad I was born this way
get outta my face deal with it like I have,
deal with it like I have,

I am not a soldier I am just an average man
living out my life the best way that I can
I’m not reporting for duty I’m not recruiting myself
to join armed forces that don’t want me
unless they need my help yea unless they need my help yea

general I am quit capable my strength is my proof
are you afraid I’d try to sleep with every soldier in my troop
are you afraid I’ll be the hero that you are looking for
and you’d have to thank my faggot ass
for winning you your fucking war.

I was not a raised the way you were
and yes I’m glad I was born this way get outta my face
and deal with it like I have yea

they say family values are under attack and
I agree every time I see a gay kid kicked out on his back,
how can parents be so cruel throw you out with no remorse
if that was me I say if that was me I’d say

I was not raised the way you were and yes I’m glad
I was born this way sorry I’m gay
deal with it like I have deal with it like I like I have"

Eddy

2009-05-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

So it's not for sale at a local book retailer near you, but this is the next best thing! At least through this venue you have the capability of owning your very own copy of my work. Click below and you'll be transported to blurb.com where you can order a professionally printed copy of my lastest book "Eddy".

This collection is a result of my weekend working with Eduardo Pereira in March of 2008. I hope to work with him again this month. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, check out this book!

Eddy

By Jay A. Rickard

Book Preview

Levi Kreis

2009-05-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

Levi is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter and I'm proud to do whatever I can to further his audience. I've been a fan for several years and am happy to announce that he has a new CD out now.

I became aware of Levi when I was writing music reviews for the Out in America family of websites. My editor had sent me a copy of "Dark Horse" by Eric Himan and slipped in a copy of Levi's "One of the Ones". Since I was prepping to do an interview with Eric (my first) I shoved Levi's to the side. Unfortunately it stayed buried until it was too late to do a review. When I finally listened to the CD it stayed in my player for a good two months.

Levi's main talent; in my humble opinion, is lyric writing. His words cut to the very heart of the matter and have a refreshing habit of relating to the masses. He's honest, vulnerable and outspoken. His latest effort is sure to be a continuation of his story told through the impeccably written songs contained within.

Dita

2009-04-24T13:58:00.001-07:00

Now I did say that my lens is occasionally pointed at the fairer gender. I'd like to introduce you to the alternate personality of my best friend... well let's just keep her identity a little under wraps just for the sake of suspense, shall we?

When her mind wonders down that skanky path that everyone is familiar with; if we are honest with ourselves, Dita is the one in control. Dita is the one who escapes down into the rabbit hole and molests men wantonly and perversely. Dita will tie a man up, fuck him within an inch of his life and move on to the next without giving her conquest a second thought. All the things men want to do but their wives won't even consider... Dita will do... and do better.

Dita is like lava, slinking over your skin, using your body for fuel and leaving you a husk of the man you were before. Fuck her and weep boys.

Howdy Herman!

2009-04-13T04:06:00.000-07:00

Herman is new to Indiana and doesn't sound like he'll stay for long. Moved north from Louisiana and lights up when he talks about the time he spent there.

Great model to work with and I hope to get him in the studio again soon. Remarkable body and exhibits and ease that so few seem capable of. It's not difficult to capture his essence and personality in a photo, it's right there on his shirtsleeve for the world to see.

There's more of Herman on http://www.lightweaver.net/

Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

2009-03-23T02:59:00.000-07:00

Leave it to a fag to use the title of a Bette Midler tune as his subject for a blog. **sigh** Some stereotypes are simply unavoidable.

It's spring and I would love to say how busy I've been photographically. But I can't. It's nearly April and; if memory serves, I've only had two shoots this year. I've been very domestic lately. I'm in a nesting stage. However I have had my ear to the ground and will hopefully be creating alot of new images throughout April and May.

In the meantime here is a new edit I came up with recently.

Results of a Chaotic Day

2009-03-11T04:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 8th 2009. I had two shoots planned that day. One at 10 a.m. the other at 2 p.m. The 10 a.m. finally showed around 8 p.m. and the 2:00; to this date, has never even read the message I sent him with directions to the studio.

Pretty people can be like that sometimes.

So it goes without saying that by the end of a very long day of waiting, I was not giving the shoot my full creative resources. If I hadn't already had the studio set up for a few different shots then I probably wouldn't have done anything very interesting at all.

But as luck would have it, I actually did get a few shots I don't hate. Check out the Hanif gallery in http://www.lightweaver.net/ for more.

2009-03-03T03:19:00.000-08:00

This image is not only indicative of my photographic style but pretty much explains me as a person. No I don't impale people in the temple with high heel shoes when they piss me off (hello?!?!? ice pick!) But I do have a rather morbid, un-P.C. and sometimes twisted sense of humor.

Some say that my mind is a scary place to be. I say that is correct. But my momma always taught me to share so that's what I'd like to do. "Out of My Head" is the title of an ongoing series of images I am doing. In this collection you will find a wide variety of images that all share one common theme... are you ready? It's difficult to figure out... Need a clue? ... give up? They all come from the deep, often dark, sometimes angry, fairly confrontational and unique corners of my mind. Sometimes the images will be a social commentary. I'm not afraid to tackle my views on religion, human rights or anything else for that matter. It's all fair game. If something strikes me as inspiration then I'll do it.

You can see images from the "Out of My Head" Collection at www.lightweaver.net Stay tuned because there are alot of images rattling around in my brain right now, all clamoring to be let out!

Oh Bloody Hell!

2009-02-22T20:12:00.000-08:00

Once in awhile I'll use my artistic endeavors to make a statement. Social, political or otherwise. If you know me as a person then you know I have an opinion on most everything so it only stands to reason that this would carry over into my work.

I hate to use such a cliche but I really go think this image speaks for itself. If it doesn't just let me know and I'll explain it in greater detail.

Be sure to click on the image in order to see it large enough to read the text.

What's New?

2009-02-21T19:52:00.000-08:00

It's been a minute since I've posted, haven't shot anything new for awhile. Of course that's not to say I haven't been busy. Here is a teaser for some upcoming coverage on yours truly. I often am asked for advice by new models and in the upcoming interview you can read many of the pearls of wisdom I share for those who will listen.

I've edited a few old shots of my friend Josh H. who I posted about awhile back. Most of these images have not been seen before so make sure to take a peek at his gallery on Lightweaver.net. I'm currently trying to lure him back to the studio but we keep playing phone tag.

Looking for new subjects to work with so if you know anyone interested in becoming part of my artistic process then by all means send them my way. If you are reading this and are looking to be photographed by someone brimming with imagination then the very next thing you should do after completing this post is to send me an email!

UH OH! Dirty Pillows!!!

2009-01-23T02:26:00.000-08:00

Yes folks, my camera also works when it's pointed at a woman. Shocking but true. This is my friend Nicole who I photographed around April-ish of 2008. Ain't she purty?

Nic and I are alot alike. Mainly in the fact that we're both deceptively introverted. Most of the time I am painfully shy which alot of people don't understand because on the outside I appear so outgoing and friendly. Nicole and I have talked about that on a couple of ocassions.

One of those times was the day we spent together while shooting her photos. We had never spent time together 1:1 but always in a group of our mutual friends. It was a great day for me because I got a chance to see just how beautiful she is on the inside.

Before we got to the photo clicky portion of our day we ran out to get some new makeup. Curious about mineral makeup we just had to find some. While we were out the realization struck that hunger was present. Where'd we end up? Ponderosa. Yup, for real. There we sat and talked about our families, our upbringings, the weight of the world and why we are who we are.

It was a special day for me. That was the day Nicole moved from acquaintance to real friend status. I do love that girl.

Stay tuned. If chicks are your thing I have more up my sleeve. Not going to share them all at once. The interweb is cluttered enough with "the fairer sex". In my opinion the scales need some balancing.

DJ Jared Curry

2009-01-20T02:52:00.000-08:00

There's a guy here in town who does a DJ show once a month at one of the clubs. We have some mutual acquaintences and have circled each others paths for awhile now. When he needed some new promotional shots we connected.

We did several styles and clothing changes. Used his headphones as props in a few. Just went into the studio and had fun seeing what we could come up with. Here are a few that I really like.

Temperate Sci-Fi

2009-01-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

This image was somewhat a departure for me. A little more complicated digital editing than I'm used to. The image doesn't really "say" anything in particular but I find it visually striking. Honestly this idea didn't even come to me until after the fact.
I liked the contrast between the very cool tones of the one set of images against the decidedly warm tones of the other set. I decided to combine them into one image and this is what happened.
Notice how the light on the reclining figure seems to be eminating from the image that is floating behind him. Makes me think of some sci-fi hologram type thing.
What do you think?

F.U.

2009-01-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the concept of subtlety escapes entirely. Fine, most of the time actually. This would be one of those times.

Religion, sexuality and art have a tendency to collide inside me quite a bit. Depends on the day as to which one wins out. Obviously when this image was taken I was a little more disillusioned with faith and a bit more in tune with the other two concepts.

I like the fact that he's not flipping the bird to the camera, but to some out of sight point of origin that makes you wonder who exactly he's opposing. This is obviously a sanctuary setting so it leads one to believe that it is God who's caused the young rebel to lash out but it's still open for some interpretation. Is it his exposed sex that God doesn't like? His attitude? His punk pieces of attire? Whatever it is, the subject of this image certainly doesn't like to be told that he's not acceptable in God's eyes.

You Spin Me Right Round Baby Right Round Like a Record Baby

2009-01-13T02:56:00.000-08:00

Maybe I had watched too many episodes of Wonder Woman season one before they came up with the explosion during her transformation from Diana Prince to the Amazing Amazon. (for those of you who aren't super hero nerds they used a transition effect initially then switched to the explosion version later on)

Wherever it came from I had this idea prior to a shoot with Patrick once. You should have heard me trying to explain what I was going for. It must have not made sense because he just kept looking at me like I was nuts. He did what I asked him to do but he felt pretty stupid spinning around the studio. It didn't help that his ex was there helping Patrick deal with text flirts from an unwanted admirer at the time. It made for a pretty funny scene altogether.

So finally after much editing and digital toiling, this was the result. It was a great "AHA" moment when he was finally able to see what all the spinning was for. Now he has a print of this hanging in his house. Oh wait, he's moved since then. I'll have to ask if he still has the print hung somewhere in the new house.

Pat is now living in rural Indiana with his new beau who is an incredibly cute guy. They're raising horses and living happily. I wish them all the best!!!

The Day My Cherry Popped

2009-01-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

This was the first time I was ever published. O.K. so it was in a porn mag, but it was still thrilling to see my name in the photo credit. I actually ended up shooting a whole spread of these two that ended up running about a year later. I actually had that spread published under a pseudonym because I was still doing alot of portraiture, etc. at the time. "Alan Fry" was born from the combination of my middle name and my boyfriends last name. We're no longer together but the name will live on in the sticky pages of that magazine.

Nathan

2009-01-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I managed a camera store on the southside of Indianapolis. Have you ever been a mall rat? The people who work in the stores of a mall become this interesting sub culture that exists in plain view of "normal" society.

Nathan worked down the hallway at Barney's Coffee and Tea. I was on a first name basis with all the employees there because I'm such a coffee addict. I actually photographed his co-worker/ex-girlfriend as well. Maybe I'll show you those later.

I was not "out" yet. This was actually several years before my outting occurred so I was very nervous in approaching Nathan to see if he would let me photographed him. Robin; his ex, actually talked him into it.

One can imagine how nervous he was when it came time for the shoot. I didn't even photograph him naked. Maybe he sensed my inner gae and felt threatened, who the hell knows. But we ended up with a good shoot and I go to capture this cutey on film. Yes, film. It was awhile ago.

Dale

2009-01-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in between shoots I get bored looking through my archives. So I'll just pluck one out of obscurity and edit or re-edit it. Ocassionally I don't even think these experiments suck too badly.

The original image here was taken 3 years ago. It features Dale with whom I worked regularly for several years. I've spoken with him recently and he's decided to leave modeling to the "younger guys". It's a shame and definitely our loss.

2009-01-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Josh. What a beautiful man. Seriously. To look at him in person is to be astonished. He has facial features that could stop traffic in addition to a remarkable physical presence.

All that is superficial. Not without merit, but certainly not the best of him. His soul is deep. He is a passionate man who attacks his ambitions with a force that Mother Nature would be proud of. The humor he exhibits is unique and infectious, laughing with him is always easy.

I miss Josh. We've known each other for over a decade. When I think to call him there is always an internal struggle. Think of skydiving. You know the experience will be exhilerating and life altering but taking that step out of the plane takes all of your nerve. In that one moment you're risking everything.

Josh is a very special man and I'm lucky to have him in my life even if it's not on as consistant a basis as I'd like.

Change

2009-01-03T05:55:00.001-08:00

I really like this image. Beautiful model, rustic setting, great light. Let's talk about the setting. It isn't there anymore.

Quite a few years ago I lived in an old farm house in rural Indiana. There were several additional structures on the property including a chicken coop, out house, a fantastic old wooden garage and of course this wonderful big barn.

When this particular model contacted me regarding a shoot I immediately wanted to photograph him against the backdrop of this setting. He was a stripper and I wanted to do something other than the industrial and flashy context he was accustomed to.

The images turned out great and eventually I moved out of that house but retained a large amount of affection for that entire property. You can imagine my sadness when I drove by a few months ago and the state had torn that house down along with all the other structures in order to re-route a highway.

At least I have the images to remember what used to be.

Raindrops on Roses and whiskers on kittens

2009-01-02T04:10:00.000-08:00

Those are not actually a few of my favorite things but the following images are.

To kick off my new blog I'm faced with an interesting challenge. I've been creating photographic imagery for damn near 2 decades now. I've shot in multiple mediums over the years, 35mm, medium format, digital. Some of my older creations have been brought into the new pixelated age but not all. Many of them remain are in negative form. Remember those? Little pieces of plastic with reversed images that you shine light through onto special paper to get a picture?

So I wanted to share; via my new blog, what I am about photographically. However I can't really upload my entire body of work on one blog post so I will just share a few of my faves that I currently have on my hard drive. This could be difficult to do since I've limited myself to only five of my absolute favorites. Please keep in mind that these are my five favorites as of this precise moment in time. Like any true artist I retain the right to change my mind on a dime at any time with no warning. I exercise this right frequently.

One of my goals for 2009; given the recent launch of my new website, is to have most of my older work scanned and on display at lightweaver.net That's what it is there for after all. So help hold me accountable to that goal, will you?

Figuring It Out

2009-01-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

Don't expect alot out of this post. It's my virgin voyage on this site. Thanks to Ethan James for recomending blogger to me. I plan to use this blog to share my voice and imagery. Images mainly but once in awhile I'll have some editorial content. Depends on the day I suppose.