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I guess this shit is cyclical. You know how celebrities die in threes, or everyone you know is pregnant at the same time... Well, it seems like the word of the year is "flux". I'm not talking Back to the Future or soldering either. I'm talking change. Maybe Mr. Obama got the word stuck in our heads, or maybe it's just the state of the world, but everything's gone haywire lately. I'm not immune either. My life's been topsy turvy, and it's left me feeling scattered and restless. I feel like cleaning house, tossing away crap, getting rid of clutter. Inside and out. Things are happening, good or bad, and I have no idea how they'll end up.
Yes, folks, I'm the queen of vague.
(On a side note, I was on a talk show with Julie Brown several years ago. I have always loved her for giving Madonna the finger. She's my hero!)
So, yeah... WTF? I've been in major avoision mode. (Points to those of you who clocked the Kent Brockman reference!) It's been hard to focus, my thoughts drift. What it is is what it is. And this, too, shall pass. Now don't go getting your panties in a bunch. I'm fine and all that, it's just kind of cuckoo bananas and I'm ready for shit to mellow out.
I've found myself not shooting much, and not doing any fetish shoots. I've been traveling and stuff, shot that wedding, and was so inspired by film and Chicago's architecture, that I have found myself excited about the change of pace. (I have such a huge backlog of editing that I'll be busy for months or years without ever shooting another latex catsuit. LOL)
It was with this buzz that I headed out on my shoot date with Steve Diet Goedde. He had his pinholga, I overpacked as usual (Holga, Ansco Shur-Flash, Superheadz Slim White Angel, plus a few cameras I didn't even use). I met him at his place and he chauffeured us to a spot on the LA River. We walked around in the growing heat taking photos of the surroundings. From there, we went to lunch, then stopped at Octavio's for some comic relief, then headed out to Pasadena. It was great to be outside, shooting film, and spending quality time with SDG.
A few days later, I hopped a plane for San Francisco and a chance to decompress a bit. It was as beautiful as ever, crisp and foggy, and home to friends. While there, I dropped the walkabout film off for processing, and it was at my house when I got back to LA.
I added my favorite images to my non-adult Flickr photostream. Click the thumbs below to see the images, including camera and film details.
(Chances are, you're here for free fetish porn, but if you're actually interested in the filmy stuff, check out my non-fetish blog, LowFiFoto.com.)
Now I'm back home, trying to get a workflow going. Despite the flux, I'm hopeful. To quote Holly Johnson, "The world is my oyster. Ha ha ha ha ha..."
Mmmmm.... Oysters.... ;)
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It's really amazing to me that as we're all moving on to digital, there are actually advances in low-fi photography. Maybe "advances" isn't the right word.
A few obsessive days of combing Flickr has opened my eyes to all sorts of fun possibilities. Microclics, all sorts of crazy xpro results, general Holga awesomeness, killer toy cameras, amazing pinhole work... It just goes on and on.
One of the processes that immediately caught my eye is called "Redscale". It's actually simple, though it can seem daunting. What you do is get a roll of regular color film (35mm was my choice) and in complete darkness, re-spool the film back into the canister with the emulsion facing out. Full instructions here, though I have to say that I didn't do it that way. I went into my closet, at night, lights off, towel pushed up against the base of it just in case, pulled all the film out, cut it, flipped it, taped it back to the remainder, and respooled it. I didn't see the point of having a second canister. I guess there's a risk of really scratching the shit out of the film if you're not careful. So I was careful. Keep in mind, though, that you're going to have to cut the leader or you won't be able to get it into your camera's film uptake slot. It's not as red as some of the samples I've seen online, but you never know what you'll get. Could be because of the film I used, could be the printing (read about my xpro nightmare with the same lab below). But, I have to say that I'm really pleased with the results anyways.
It's been fun shooting film, and shooting non-fetish, non-model, architecture and cityscape stuff. Very inspiring!
If you want full details, check out my Flickr stream. I listed film, exposure, camera info on all my low-fi shots there.
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Man, it's been a hell of a couple weeks. It's kind of hard to explain, even.
I flew across the country to shoot a wedding. It wasn't just the ceremony, though, it was nearly a week of dinners, events, parties. I saw a few old friends, but met so many more. These would be people who have seriously enriched my life and I dearly hope to see them again and again. And that's saying something. I'm a generally quiet person, not great at meeting new people, shy, etc. This was different, and it was hard to leave.
On to the wedding... Those that know me would tell you that I'm rather stoic. It's the big, scary Romanian in me. Though inside I'm a raging romantic, I'm not one who's easily moved to tears. Never at a wedding. Again, this was different. I actually cried during the rehearsal. It was like that all week. Love. Romance. Family and friends. It was kinda profound.
I was there to work, though, so work I did. Nearly 1500 photos and that's a lot. The pressure of that kind of one-in-a-lifetime event is nuts. You can't go back and reshoot the fucker. I have so much work left to do, like choosing, editing, and getting a book made.
The trip, itself, was a blast. I took along a dear friend to serve as my assistant and front man. We had free time here and there to wander the streets of Chicago, eat big messy sangwiches, and laugh and talk. Not as much time as I would have liked, though. The couple had what I called a rather "ambitious" schedule which meant that we had shooting planned that would fall through, so I was on call a lot of the time. I'm in no-way complaining, though. The down-time was much-needed.
While wandering, I stumbled across an old-school camera shop that was dusty and cramped. Major score = out of date film. I had taken along a Holga, a super sampler, and a super wide plastic camera, so film was definitely on my mind. Sadly, when I got back and dropped off some rolls for processing (at a pro lab, mind you), they processed my 120 Rollei Digibase CR200 (E6) as black and white instead of xpro. WTF? The truly amazing thing is that it worked and I have a b/w prints to show for it. So much for my xpro test, though.
Now, I'm home. Changed. Introspective. Took a few days to recover then buckled down. I've scanned a bit of the film stuff I've shot recently, and am really looking forward to shooting more. I've got another trip to the airport in a few days, then hopefully will be able to get properly back into a good work groove upon my return.
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Two days of going non-stop and I'm exhausted. Gonna get in bed and watch the finale of Next Food Network Star. Perfect mindless programming to lull me to sleep. I'll be back at it tomorrow, then going to the Club Fuck Anniversary tomorrow night. I know it's going to be quite a reunion!
Until then, I'll leave you with a few more past gems. All of these photos and their full, uncensored galleries are now showing for members of MyFetishDiary.com!
Left to right: Ruby Luster in yellow encasement, Lee Harrington in a hood by Imp of Satan, Rose Algren in a hood and catsuit by Imp of Satan.
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As long as we're travelling down memory lane, here are a couple photos of Masuimi Max from our first, ever, photo shoot. They probably also date from around 2002, were shot with my Mamiya 645, and printed with sloppy borders. I still am captivated by her utterly stunning corset.
Full set of images is available at MyFetishDiary.com.
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I purchased my first digital camera in 2002, but was still shooting mostly film. I wouldn't make the full move to DSLR for a year or two. I really love film, but it got so damn expensive, and when I decided to start a membership site, it no longer made financial sense. Buying medium format film and getting it all processed was in no way cost-effective. Plus, scanning prints or negs took forever.
Though I'm thrilled with my 5DS Mark II, I miss the heavy, satisfying clunk of the Mamiya's shutter, and the look and feel of prints from film.
I mentioned a minor redesign of the tour the other day, and because I'm a glutton for punishment and don't have nearly enough on my plate, I decided that the splash page and tour need a full update with all new photos. The current version had remained unchanged for years.
Mz Berlin was generous enough to sit by my side while I went through countless galleries, photo by photo, pulling aside images we deemed hot enough to make you want to make sexy-time. She had to leave a while ago to get dolled up for her session tonight with a new slave, and I've stayed at it. Call me obsessed. I'm just worried that THE BEST IMAGE lays just around the next corner. (Don't know when I'll get the new design up, but when I do, you guys will be the first to know.)
It was during my search through my archives that I ran across one of my favorite old bondage shoots. It dates from 2002 and features Tomiko bound by Master Aryn to a friend's chimney, on a roof in Reseda, California. It was shot with my Mamiya 645 and I just adore it.
I miss pearl prints with sloppy borders. =(
The full set of images is available to MyFetishDiary.com members. =)
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I am in awe every time I see my images in print. It never gets old. =)
Just received the new issue of Bizarre Magazine in the mail, this one with my article about Defect Doll. With each new issue, I'm in for a bit of a surprise since I don't see the edited text beforehand. The funniest bit in this issue is their description of DD, which describes her as having "penetratable rubber mouths". Ha ha ha... Classy!
Last night, I wrapped up my next article which will be in the issue after next.
Here's the full line-up so far:
Issue 150 - Stoya
Issue 151 - Ryan Keely
Issue 152 - Defect Doll
Issue 153 - Xanthia
Issue 154 - Darenzia
If you have an idea for a fetish that should be featured, just let me know!
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I've taken a little break from web design projects to edit some photos. I'm actually really happy because I finished out my shoot with Ryan Keely and Scar. It's always with a sense of accomplishment that I get to delete a day's folder from my hard drive.
Tomorrow, it's going to be the fourth, and I'm having friends over for a BBQ, but I'm going to have to make time to work as well. I'm trying to finish up Mz Berlin's paysite over the weekend.
In the meantime, here are images from the last few days of editing. Hope you like them! Now that they're done, they'll be moved into the update queue for my members.
For more hot photos of the most beautiful ladies, visit MyFetishDiary.com!
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I've got a problem. My problem is shoes. I'm a sucker for an extreme arch, a super-high heel. Don't judge me. ;)
These supple leather boots were a recent splurge and totally not my fault. I already had them as knee boots, but when I took Miss Conduct shoe shopping a couple months ago and found that these were on sale (50% off!!) I could not resist wrecking my budget to give these babies a good home. Of course, having them for myself is just part of the pleasure, only slightly better than dressing up hot ladies in them.
Ryan, my boots look damn good on you!
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This is the final bonus image for now. Mz Berlin burried herself in her pink fishnet dress. She really got into the cocooning. This is one of many photos of her doing that. The rest, of course, will be members only. =)
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