Thursday, August 31, 2006

DC Shoots?

If I were to come back to DC for a few days, say, the week of the 11th or so (not this upcoming week of the 4th, that be Birthday Week, mwahahaha), would anyone be free to model? I don't want to go on a weekend, so it would be like a Monday-thorugh-Thursday thing. Any takers? Or at least know anyone who might be? It's not official, but I'm trying to guage if it's worth a trip.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

German Book Thingy

I'm about 90% certain I will have work featured in this year's "Mein Heimliches Auge" ("My Secret Eye") from a nifty German publisher. I'll have more details later, but check it out here:

http://www.konkursbuch.com/index-e.html

Friday, August 25, 2006

Nerve.com

I have another gallery up on nerve.com. A nerve.com gallery and two book covers this week....not too shabby.

Now if only I could find a job or a kinky patron....

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Houston, we have internet....

I finally have the internet in my apartment.

Anyone know anyone in SF who would want to model for me? I'd only post on CL as a last resort...

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Almost There...

So, I still don't have internet in the apartment, which partially explains why the postings have been so sporadic. But here are two updates:

1. I have a new little gallery up at http://www.sensuousarts.com/galleries/wolov.

2. I will have two new book covers in the not too distant future. I can't say what the books are, or which pictures I used yet for legal reasons, but as soon as the publisher gives me the go-ahead, I'll post them. They look awesome!

Also, Jonathan Adler (jonathanadler.com) has a collection of vases with breasts all over them. Surprisingly, they're not my favorites, but still very cool. The image keeps crashing my browser, so just go here:
http://www.jonathanadler.com/shop/home.php?cat=333

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

First blog post as a Left Coast resident

Ok, it's been a while. Moving will do that. But here goes:

1. Thank you to everyone who wished me luck, sent warm wishes, or slightly bitter emails lamenting my departure from Washington. I'll come back, I promise! I suspect my mother would disown me if I didn't.

2. We JUST got approved for our apartment. I took more time than we thought, but we have a place to live now, so I can actually breathe again, and stop being a total sourpuss. Now, on with the furniture shopping!

3. I am, however, still unemployed. I've submitted applications to, in no particular order:
a. Two museums
b. One magazine
c. One newspaper
d. Three retailers (for their photography/catalog production departments, I swear)
e. One auction house
f. One commercial gallery

...and a partridge in a pear tree.

I've got my fingers crossed, but I'd rather wait a little and get a job I really like, than feel the pressure to take a job I'd just be miserable in.

4. I have one, possibly two big "usage" things coming out soon, but for legal reasons and superstition, I won't say what they are until the others involved speak up too.

5. At the suggestion of a very nice person in the publishing field, I've decided to start working on a book. I think someone might be interested. Because moving across the country and finding a job aren't time consuming enough.

6. I think my boyfriend is trying to kill me, because he told me what he's planning to get me for my 22nd birthday (in, ahem, 19 days). It's very sweet of him, but as I mentioned before, certain things, like a certain computer game, are so addictive, I will not move, my muscles will atrophy, I will forget to eat, and starve to death.

It'll probably be a few more days until I have something interesting to say.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

This is as close to singing in public as I'm going to get...

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'm moving, tomorrow, it's only a day away.....

I had to say that. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

More Pictures

I had a shoot yesterday with an extremely nice couple. It was a different kind of shoot in many respects, but everyone had a good time, and I got some great pictures out of it. I'm kind of itching to take more, just because I wasn't entirely "in my element" due to the fact that I'm a little distracted with the move on Wednesday.

Oh, and photographically speaking, I lost my watersports virginity, but I'm saving those photos for later. :)

I got about 75 really good photos from them, and these are my top five:





Friday, August 04, 2006

New Photos: Portraits

My friend Megan ("Cattus Interruptus" and book cover chick) asked me to take her picture. I complied. I ended up with a ton of photos, but these are my favorites.

Silly girl. Thinks she's ugly. Bollocks to that, I say.






Opinions?

I've been toying with the idea of posting a section for G-rated portraits on my website. I love doing erotica, and I have every intention of continuing with it, but when I started taking pictures, I took portraits, and I kinda miss that. So I've been accumulating portraits I've taken over the years, but I have a bit of a dilemma.

My mother is an executive at a Jewish non-profit which specializes in family programming, and I often volunteer to take pictures of the events. I've taken a few portraits of children at these events that I really like, and I wish I could show them off, but doing so raises two questions:
1. Is it a [really] bad idea for me, an erotic photographer, to post these portraits of children on my website in a clearly labeled G-rated portrait category, even if there is absolutely nothing offensive or sexual about them?
2. Is it a bad idea to post a G-rated portrait category simply because it strays from what I'm best known for, and it compromises the "effectiveness" of the site, or would it show I can take more than dirty pictures?

If I did make this new category, there would certainly be plenty of portraits of adults, but would it be wrong to include children because of the content of the rest of the site?

Thursday, August 03, 2006

FYI

1. This time next week, I will be in San Francisco. For good. Did I mention we still don't have an apartment yet? Which means we have no furniture? Yeah. I'm a little stressed, and it shows. Just in time for....
2. ......I will be photographed by the oh-so-lovely Tracy Lee this afternoon/evening. As far as I know, it's just a portrait session, but given that we're both erotic photographers, you never know what could happen.
3. I have a gig tomorrow afternoon to shoot some simple nudes of my friend Megan. Megan is the same girl from the cat photo ("Cattus Interruptus") and the book cover. Redhead, very cute. Should be a lot of fun. I'll post pictures soon.
4. I have a regular sex shoot on Saturday around 1 with a very nice-sounding couple. It would have happened two weeks ago, but PMS+terrible cold+about to leave for SF=not sexy. Again, there should be pictures soon.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Update

The drawings in question have been removed. Problem solved.

Clarification

I won’t lie, I’ve gotten fairly emotional about this situation, and I regret my hasty, relatively immature post before this. I’m still fairly emotional, but Janey raises some interesting points. She’s a faster typer than I am, so this post is coming out after she said she would drop it, but after this is posted, I too will drop it. I think we’ve agreed to disagree, but I would like to express my point of view, just as she had a chance to express hers.

After my comment on her blog, Janey posted this response:
"I've been using photos I've found on line in Flickr and on websites for inspiration for many of my drawings. Is that "copying"? Is it an infringement of copyright? I've thought about this [a lot]. I've had several of my drawings copied and used on websites and blogs without my permission and that's wrong. I've had my drawings manipulated and changed and that's wrong. Other people have used my work for inspiration and drawn them "ala [Janey]". And that's ok by me and actually I find it very, very flattering.

I think that all artists copy from other artists at some point usually early in their development. It's a way of learning. The intent is not to duplicate the original. My drawings are anything but realistic. I have no interest in it or talent really for making the drawing look like the photo. I'm using the poses as inspiration. And each drawing is linked to the original. The photos I've used as inspiration belong to very talented artists. Their work as influenced me immensely. Samantha Wolov is one of those artists."

I'm in no position to comment how an artist should learn their craft; it's completely subjective. Yes, artists do learn from other artists. I can’t begin to imagine how much research I did trying to educate myself as to what had been done already, and how it had been done. But that’s precisely the point--I wanted to see what already existed to I could shape my own ideas and technique; I did it so I could be different. I never tried to recreate a scene someone else had captured. I do not think that simply copying another artist’s work is, in any way, a form of education. All Janey has proven is that she is skilled with markers/watercolors (I can’t tell which). The vision, perspective, content, and feeling in those images are not hers, they’re mine, and I’m highly offended that there is even a question over that.

If you look at Janey’s drawings, and you look at my original photographs, there is a clear connection between the two. I think my work was outright copied, plain and simple. Janey obviously thinks differently.

I’m not angry, or at least not as much as some might be in this situation. I do understand where Janey is coming from. Yes, we all need to start somewhere, and I commend her for attempting to teach herself. But there are so many other methods she could use. She could sign up for a one-day nude photography workshop just to take some snapshots. She could take self-portraits. She could ask friends (that’s all I did). If she is going to “translate” a photograph into her own drawing style anyway, then she doesn’t need a perfect photograph. But it should be HER photograph.

Would I like the pictures removed from the site? Yes. Would I like the originals? Yes. Am I sorry this had to happen? Yes. But legally, what does this mean? If she “copied” my original photos, which are protected by a copyright, but they’ve been translated by her hands into being “original works” in themselves, are they also protected? What does this mean for artists like Sherrie Levine? I don’t think there’s a connection between Janey and Levine, as I suspect Levine’s work was social commentary and process-based, rather than Janey’s product-based work, but Levine is still highly relevant here. Is developing one’s own artistic or creative identity from another artist “copying?” Do all artists inadvertently copy each other? Does originality still exist?

I’m not upset with Janey, and I would certainly hope that this situation doesn’t balloon into something more than two artists with a disagreement. But I need to balance feeling highly violated and trying to objectively look at the work of another emerging artist, an individual to whom I should be somewhat sympathetic.

If you have an opinion about the theory of originality and artistic education, I’d love to hear it. But I’m not interested in hearing about who is “right” or “wrong”, and I will promptly delete any comment that says so.

SO Not Cool....

I just discovered this site (you have to search for my name). This artist openly credits my original photographs, but she never asked for my permission. Now she'll have an online showing of her drawings, possibly including "mine", and she will presumably get some kind of benefit from this. I've put up with a lot of stuff, from hate mail to general disregard, etc, but this really steams my clams. I'm really, really, not happy about this.