Gotta be getting on ten years ago, a photographer buddy was looking for models for his wife, who taught at a beauty salon academy, folks who'd be willing to get their haircut, then photographed, for the academy's end-of-year show.

I suggested a few folks I knew, Melanie included...and she's been getting her hair cut with them ever since, doing all the academy shows, some of their advertisements. Every time I see on her instagram she's got a fresh new hairstyle, I know exactly where it came from.

Funny ol' world, that's all. I haven't photographed her in years, it's like I traded her to another team, and now I get to see her do great over there.

Tags:   2.8.19 Melanie Hawkins polaroid 680

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When a session is going well, I get greedy. I want everything to work, I want to take in all the light, evoke all the expressions, I can connect to the me of ten years ago in this image, I'm feeling it as I'm typing, past-me is wondering how far he can push, push until the light obscures Jutta's face completely.

Because if it works, it'll be fantastic, is the thinking. And if it doesn't work, well, try and try and try again.

I can tell I became so focused on getting the light right, I didn't ask more of Jutta in the moment, a more expressive look on her face could've rocketed this one into the stratosphere, but I got a bit of tunnel vision...ah, but the light IS just right...

Tags:   10.12.14 digital Jutta Nawao los angeles lou o' bedlam lou noble portrait

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I was looking for more old photos from my Texas trips, which led me to old photos from my Kickstarter trip around the country, which led me to the last stop on that trip, Portland.

Forget why Lauren was there, maybe she was living there, maybe visiting. Forget how we connected, I hadn't seen her in years, since we were both in the same party group, you know how Hollywood is in your twenties, you've got a few friends, they've got a whole bunch of friends, everybody's at the same few apartments on the weekends, going to bars, walking up and down Hollywood Blvd, well she was in that group too, until she wasn't.

In the interim, she'd changed careers, gotten into martial arts. I'd forgotten she had, at my request, kicked me in the arm a few minutes before this particular photo...I don't remember it, but it must've been AMAZING.

Main reason I never posted this one...I didn't have the tech to process it to my satisfaction, ain't that wacky? It was too saturated, and I do believe it was at least another 3 years before I started futzing with color in my photos. What a weird ride.

And it really was just that, because this look Lauren's giving me, never got that again from her, relaxed, curious.

Tags:   8.20.11 digital Lauren Schuchman portland Lou O' Bedlam Lou Noble portrait

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While in Texas last weekend, I was trying to remember the last time I was in the state...turns out it was eight years ago, at a different photography event, FotoFest, down in Houston.

They flew me out, put me up, kept me well-inebriated And well-fed, all to view and write about the festival for The Photographic Journal.

And it was...quite lovely! Quite different and fun, as close to journalism as I'll probably ever get, though the eventual feature I wrote up for it might've been a bit too...literary for their tastes.

I hit up Brittany while I was there, as it had been several years since my previous Hou...see, I first went there in 2011, part of my Kickstarter trip, and Brittany was part of a group of photographers I'd viewed with awe from afar, so I hung out with them, had a great time.

Back in 2012 because I'd ended up in a bit of a fling with one of them, that was short-lived, but got to see Brittany again during that little trip.

So now it's 2016, and I'm in Houston, I gotta see Brittany. We didn't have much time, she worked, the FotoFest had me pretty much booked solid, but we carved out a little slice of the morning to have breakfast, catch up, take a few pictures as she was dropping me off.

That's all cities are to me, really, places where different friends live. I'd like to think I've got that now in Denton, too...

Tags:   3.12.16 Brittany Havican houston, texas

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Evening of my first night at PolaCon, started talking to Elvin, who'd gotten into Polaroids a few years ago, had that fever, same as I did back in...'07, he'd gotten their fanciest camera, he'd driven into Denton to meet other Polaroid nerds, everybody was taking pictures CONSTANTLY, it was fantastic, hearing the sound of the camera everywhere.

Helluva thing, spent three days there, every single person I chatted with was kind, open, excited. couldn't have asked for a better time.

Most importantly...my hotel bed was firm! I've had such a shit time at hotels, past few years, they've all converted to too soft mattresses! Is this relevant to a post about a Polaroid convention? Not really! Is it relevant to how good a time I have somewhere? Only kinda, I was drunk all weekend, which balances out any sleep deprivation.

That first full morning in Denton, though, waking up fresh, without pain, oof, such a relief. I need to stretch more, I know I know, but how about they just make better mattresses!

Tags:   9.27.24 PolaCon Elvin Denton, Texas polaroid 680 portrait

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