A misunderstanding...

So the model that approached me to shoot - he's a part-time actor who does website design and also does leatherwork (embossed dresser tops, chair seats, etc.) - but his profile and email were both well written and interesting. So of course I wrote back this lengthy tome explaining that this summer I'm concentrating on headshots and "comfortably undressed" shots (my phrasing) - that I think the notion of 'artistic nudes' is overwrought and hate all these "I'm a sculptor of light and bodies" crap - my idea is you get as undressed as you're comfortable and then we take great photos! I also told him it would be fun to photograph his leatherwork, imagining him cobbling away making an ornate chair, etc. And hadn't heard back from him.

He wrote back last night. Again, very articulate. Still very engaged and excited to work with me. Loves the idea of comfortably undressed. Open to anything as long as it's "classy". And he also wrote:

"As for my leatherwork - I just got a pair of knee-high doc martens and want to make some tight-fitting leather pants to wear with them and either a fitted harnass or vest .. haven't decided yet what the top will be but I have a nice rubber (nastypig) shirt that could work too"

I was at Eli's having drinks with Cory and Bob - and started roaring with laughter...

I wrote back later admitting that I'd been completely clueless (upon revisiting his leatherworks site I noticed many ornate cuffs, one with an optional spike)- I failed to connect the picture in his portfolio of him as the evil barber, in tight leather pants, suspenders, and black boots with a two-inch heel (photographed by "MN Leather Pride"). I think it's hilarious that he thought I'd heard of nastypig, purveyors of the finest rubber clothing. But I'm totally psyched to work with him.

So in the pipeline:
V, the semi-pro football player
R, the swimmer
S, the fetish craftsman
J, the Asian twink
O, the dancer
M, looks like the Twilight vampire boys

For our comfortably undressed photoshoot S-the-fetish-craftsman is going to construct "tiny tight shorts"! Who knew I'd be shooting couture??

Tomato Jelly Attempt 2 this weekend - wish me luck!

Tomato Jelly - Photography Update

Tomato Jelly

You'd rightfully assume from the title that the tomato jelly wasn't a complete success. It didn't gel completely and the taste was off. Sugar is key to the gelling process, but it ended up making my delicious tomato water (with salt, white pepper and lavender) taste like tart honey with a tomato aftertaste. So we'll try again this weekend.

I'll try again this weekend. Next step is to concentrate the tomato flavor by reducing the tomato water - adding more lavender during the reduction process - adding more sugar and then seasoning after the sugar is added. That should give me the right syrup - and then I can hopefully duplicate again and add the pectin.

I'm very determined.

On the plus side, after the tomato water came to boil, I restrained it - which removed any remaining tomato solids and the pepper - so it was perfectly clear - and yellow. But perfectly clear!

Photography

Last night a model asked me to photograph him! [insert triumphant sounds in nature]

It's a big deal because thus far, I've been the one approaching models. Asking them if they'd like to shoot. Proposing shoot ideas. Hoping they won't flake.

It will still be an unpaid shoot - but I feel like I'm very close to the cusp on that point too. Results from my last few photo shoots have been pretty amazing (I haven't posted pictures of the shoot with Oliver - yet). They are really beginning to have a professional/could-be-in-a-magazine feel (the North Dakotan in me just threw up a bit for writing such self-promoting words).
And when I do ask models to shoot, the response is totally different. Where I used to be lucky if I got one 'yes' from ten e-mails - now I'm batting almost 100%. It's almost overwhelming - I've got shoots in the works with 8 models - and four more that are in the "maybe" category. I have a google spreadsheet to track the different shoot ideas!

I know Cory is very eager to have me start making some money from this hobby. And I am too - but I'm also nervous. Charging for shoots means I'm no longer in charge.

So it's a bit odd, overwhelming, wonderful, and scary. Last week I was asked what my goal is for photography - and it dawned on me that I hadn't pondered a goal. I realize now that my goal thusfar has been to attain some level of perfection/skill - to get those shots that look like they've been torn from Out magazine - to build a portfolio that makes people want to work with me.

New goals:
1. Get paid for a photo shoot
2. Perfect 20 - have 20 amazing shots on my modelmayhem portfolio
3. Start working with female models (still a bit scarred from shooting with Sam the collarpopper)
4. Develop photography website that (a) looks amazing, and (b) details photo packages

Happy Anniver-za-ry

Yesterday was our 2-year wedding anniversary. I think we might celebrate more formally this weekend (the Aquatennial fireworks are on Saturday night and they harken back to the day much more effectively than a random Tuesday night). Cory and I was each sort of la-dee-da and indecisive.

So we had a few drinks at Eli's and grabbed takeout - took a nap at 8:30pm - and then watched The Music Man and ate frozen pizza. It was perfect.

I was starting to hope that my body just needed a gluten-vacation - this morning I'm not so sure. It's just so hard to tell - is it the late night pizza and vodka? or is it the gluten? I should/could be more scientific and create some regimented test...

Tonight is the torchlight parade!

And finally... meet Mr. Flowers - we shot on Sunday for five hours - he's a really funny and laid-back guy. He'd scraped his forehead on a shingle three days earlier and asked me to photoshop away the scrape, which I did on the other pictures.

I had a bun on Saturday night...

We hosted four old AmEx co-workers for dinner. Hamburgers in the style of Vincent, a Restaurant. They turned out very nice. I decided to risk it and have one of the non-spelt kaiser rolls. Things seemed fine.

So we'll see... perhaps I just needed a gluten break? Perhaps I just need to dial down the intake?

I hate uncertainty.

Morning at the doctor's office

Turns out you can't take the celiac test unless you're eating wheat.

So I'm stuffing my face with pizza. Not really. It's just one of those really stupid things in the medical world. And my doctor actually looked at me like I should start eating wheat again!

Today's distraction - guinnea pigs eating watermelon!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS5h3cX8sHI

Brandon in Wonderland

We're going on vacation!

September 10 - September 16, we'll be in Boston/Cape Cod! Truly one of our favorite places in the country. We'll go to Provincetown. Eat lobster bisque. Lounge around in the amazing sunlight!

So I checked tickets again this morning. The Southwest fare that I didn't grab on Tuesday had gone up to $400+ per ticket - but I checked hotwire and booked two tickets for $310 total! We're flying American Airlines, with one stop in Chicago.

Also - just found out that Cory pass his LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy) exam!

... .. ... .. ... ..

Distracted. Picking up projects on my desk, remembering that I intended to complete them on Thursday. And now I just put them in my briefcase so they can come home with me.

Here's a fun distraction -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FpD8wF1s6E

Text message response from Mr. Brandon last night after I sent him two of the photos:
"Im back sorry yes saw them love em but u got me excited for those other shoots they WILL B awesome! Beer and remote ha! Soon!? Next week let ya kno Sat avlblty"

Yay!

New Model - Brandon

Working with a new model named Brandon. Very relaxed and funny guy. Doesn't hurt that he's incredibly handsome and has a crazy body.

We recently shot around the park for a few hours. A themed shoot involving reading Alice in Wonderland - I'll post some of those pictures later.

In between switching shirts, I asked him to pause for a moment...

The best part is that he's very excited to work with me again! My style is apparently just what he's been looking for. He wants pictures that make him look good, but aren't the standard "stand there in your Calvins and look pouty". I explained that my idea for underwear shots would involve laying around on the couch with a beer, but still looking really hot. Or standing there with a cup of coffee, looking really hot. So we chatted through more shot ideas and he seems very excited.
(since he's so goofy I even suggested him making an omlette while wearing an apron, sans underwear - he responded that as soon as I said apron he had the same cheeky idea)

So that was nice.


On the tattoo front, I found out that as long as I avoid areas that are already prone to psoriasis break outs, I should be ok - as long as I diligently apply the salve stuff they recommend. I'll also schedule my humira injections to overlap a bit more than usual.

Dorittos - how could you?

For the last week and a half I've been testing out a gluten-free diet - and I'm feeling much better. Even apart from the digestive crap, I'm more energetic during the day, I don't feel sick after each meal, I can leap over tall buildings in a single bound...


Yesterday on the way home I stopped at Target for some face soap, cole slaw mix, onions, etc. and picked up a snack-sized bag of Dorittos. I was mid-crunch on the fourth or fifth chip when I noticed that they contained wheat flour?! Betrayed! (of course by that point I had to finish the bag)


The plus side is that the (presumably) small amount of wheat flour didn't appear to throw my whole system out of whack. So rather than suffering from full-on celiac's disease (where even trace amounts of gluten are devastating), perhaps I'm just wheat intollerant.


Which means... crossed fingers... spelt!
The Wedge has about three different loaves of gluten-free bread, but they've got tons of spelt options! Hamburger buns! Pastas! There's a chance that spelt flour could readily substitute for all purpose in baked goods.


Ah spelt, that ancient varietal of wheat. Be my friend please.

Pondering a tattoo again...

So I've sort of wanted a tattoo since the mid 90s - but being the indecisive libra that I am, I've never been sold on an idea long enough to make it happen. The previous idea revolved around "Gay, but fierce" in sort of futuristic Japanese characters. Didn't happen.

Here are the latest inspirations:

I'll also have to run this all past my dermatologist to make sure that it doesn't turn into some freakish psoriatic mess!

Pride Pictures 2009

Pride 2009 was a beautiful weekend.

As we've done for the last few years, we brought down a host of furniture and assembled a 'living space' on Hennepin Avenue. In the shade of the Bellevue, with easy access to tasty beverages (courtesy of Eli's) and a private bathroom (courtesy of our condo).

It's odd how every year I'm really struck by the absolute happiness of Pride. Say what you will about the drag queens, nudists, and leather daddies with saggy asses - it's the weekend each year that we each assert our pride in being who we are. We were sitting outside of Eli's Saturday afternoon next to a large table of 20s/cute/boisterous gay boys and a rather drunk and butch lesbian couple stumbled by asking for directions to the park - drunken exclamations of "Happy Pride" were genuinely traded between folks that would usually scoff at the other.

I miss it already. And dream of Provincetown...


Litte Genevieve Neerland - an early supporter of equality and pride (she also had several drama queen moments throughout the course of the parade)


Some guy from the parade, running up to say hi to some friends
This adorable boy sitting next to us connected with a friend marching with the awesome (and hot) mayor of Minneapolis RT Rybak

A drunk guy who'd run up to accost/celebrate with friends


Our friend, Cindy Bartell - her all-girl punk band "Tetes Noires" played at Pride in the 80s!

Kaitlin and Clara (K has the awesome tattoo) - adorab boy in the background...
Rainbow Bright!
The Trio was gender-bending that day..
Neil, Anitra, and Carl - what a hot trouple!