Au natural in NYC

Naked. 

In the city. 

Naked, in the city.

In the morning light.

Natural light. 

No artifice.

One night after work I walked over to the beckoning lights of Times Square.  It was a mild night and there was a buzz in the streets. I had some time to kill before my date. 

The crowd was mostly tourists, visiting NYC during the holidays, I suppose.  And that it was a fairly warm day is reason enough to celebrate with outdoor buzzing, isn’t it?

I hadn’t walked about in the area for some time….it was brighter than I remembered. 

Louder. 

And, it felt happier than the last time I was here. 

I took several pictures. I took pictures of people taking pictures.  And then there he was, The Naked Cowboy.  He’s getting older….(aren’t we all?)   But he looks pretty good.  I never caught the tattoo on his left shoulder until now; he wears Jesus on his “sleeve”.  That’s an interesting choice of tattoo.  Not an image I would imagine him to be committed to wearing on his hot bod.  

Tilt your head to the left to check out goods.

Pulling out the camera has been a good thing.  Haven’t pulled anything studio/gallery worthy but shooting strokes that part of the brain that releases all that desirable chemistry.  It’s like a drug, once it’s released I am unstoppable moving smoothly from project to project.  Makes all the trivial noise in my life, like silly people at the job, evaporate into the air.  This thanksgiving I am thankful that I have a talent to share with the world and not living a mundane life.  I am desperately waiting to find out if my “In a different light” project will receive the funding I request.  More on that project later.  It was something completely new for me, a departure from the figure. 

I had some quiet time in the apartment.  The morning light into the bedroom  is magnificent.  Yesterday I took a couple of shots and decided I need to hire a model asap!  More leaves will fall off the trees in my yard and more light will filter in….I can’t wait.  I don't know which model I would call on first.  Maybe someone new.  New place, new vibe, new body to work with.  I'd like to work with a couple. 

This is one of my first natural light portraits in the new place.  I look forward to exploring all the photographic possibilities in this apartment.  It's a bisarre sensation to see myself in the photo, the light that hits my bed, and how tiny I am.  The positioning of the camera distorts reality.  I like that.

And when it snows! Gasp.  I can't wait to work with the brave soul who dares to pose in the cold....maybe I will let them just wear a pair of snow boots!  : )