Planning and Cancellations

Selene at the Fairy Mound

The model cancelled on me this morning, about hour before we were to meet and shoot. I'm not going to mention names because I think she had a legitimate reason. She did let me know what was happening and didn't just no show on me. This occurred after at least two confirmations and several days of planning on my part. The model release was printed and the batteries all charged and I had already packed the wardrobe and the cameras in the vehicle when I got the text. There was nothing to do, but bring everything back into the office and try to find another model. Alas, I had no luck there.

Now, I recount this not because I'm angry or upset.  I'm a little disappointed, but I certainly understand why the model wasn't able to shoot. In fact, it's much better to have a model cancel when she's unwell or otherwise preoccupied about something. It's best to have a happy and fully functional model that wants to shoot, than one who had rather be somewhere else.  The reason I write this is to remind myself that this happens from time to time and it's part of dealing with creative people. There's only been a couple of times I've insisted the model show for the shoot, and the results didn't please me or the model.  So, I've learned to just accept what happens and replan for another day. 

So, instead of shooting, I relaxed today. I watched a few Photoshop tutorials, reorganized some photo catalogs, and spent a little time gardening.  Years ago, I would have been upset and sulked because I wasn't able to shoot, but this way is a much more pleasant way to deal with disappointment.

For about the last ten years or so, maybe longer, I've been posting images for the 4th of July. Usually I start about 10 or so days before the event and post images of my many lovely models in their patriotic regalia everyday up until the 4th.  This year, due to various reasons, I got a late start.  Given all that's been happening in the last couple of years, I'm just not feeling all that patriotic this year.

Well, nevertheless, here are some images that I hope will brighten you holiday and lift your spirits.

Fourteen years of Photography and Writing

Summary Page

A journal like this gives one the opportunity to look back over the years and remember more details and thoughts about a shoot than simple photo sharing sites like Tumblr or Instagram. I wished I had realized this sooner. Reading old posts from ten or more years ago has helped me to remember the reasons and the excitement of particular shoots, why certain projects were started, and often the fun of the shoot itself.

Writing about the shoot as opposed to simply posting images from the event provides a far better picture of the time spent planning and executing the shoot. On Tumblr or 500px or Deviant Art, the image is the point and not the thought process and work required to get the image.  Now I look back and see that there are six years (from 2013 to 2019) where I only posted images on Tumblr/Instagram and wrote very little about how or why I took the images.

Now, for every photoshoot, I do keep a summary record in a database where I record the date/time/location and model.  I summarize how the shoot progressed, include an example image and grade myself and the model on the shoot.  That way I can go back and look at the data to determine how to improve and what projects work best for which models.  The summaries tend to be succinct and are meant only as a quick reference and don't truly capture all my thoughts around a shoot, but I'm certainly glad I started the habit, because now I can go back and create posts around those shoots if I so desire.  Those post won't be as accurate as those created contemporaneously to the shoot, but I can at least try to recreate some history.

My goal for the rest of this year is be more proactive in writing about my shoots and recording the processes and thoughts around them.  I'm also going to once weekly write a post I'll probably call Wayback Wednesday in which I'll post some shots from previous years along with what I remember about the model and the shoot.  Chances are those post won't interest anyone but me, and maybe the model involved, but since this blog has virtually no readers anyway and I'm primarily writing for myself, it doesn't really matter.

Maupin Shoot

Saturday started and ended well.  My wife and I had a lovely breakfast together at our local pub, and then I headed out to Maupin, Oregon in the early afternoon for a shoot with the lovely Cayleigh.  The drive through the Columbia River Gorge to Eastern Oregon then down to Maupin passed quickly with beautifully scenic views and a good, loud playlist on the stereo.

I arrived in town a bit before Cayleigh so I could do a little landscape photography and some scouting before our shoot.  We planned to meet around 5:30 pm and the goal was to shoot several concepts in the deserted areas around the river.  We planned the shoot several weeks before, but due to an unfortunate accident, delayed the shoot to allow for healing and recuperation. Cayleigh had several costumes to shoot in, and I brought along several props and outfits myself.

Though thunderclouds threatened the beginning of the shoot, Cayleigh found us a perfect spot right along the Deschutes River that remained dry and sunlit for the time we needed for the shoot.  The desolate hills made the perfect backdrop for several concepts, and the river itself provided scenery for the remaining images.  Our plan to do light painting was cancelled when the thunder and rain finally arrived, but all in all, it was a most successful shoot.

Handmade Leather Skirt - made a great costume

We were exceptionally careful with the smoke sticks.