News from Billy Monday
Tiana and ClaireThe Mannequin Series
I think it was at least two years ago that I purchased a mannequin from EBay. The thinking was that I would use the mannequin for lighting experiments and general weirdness. Upon unpacking the doll I thought that it would be fun to put her in my young daughter’s room as a surprise. Big mistake.
So now I’m setting aside money for my daughter’s future psychotherapy. Suffice it to say that a life sized, unnatural looking plastic creature is more than a little scary to a small child. Who would have thought?
We kept the mannequin around for a while, since she seemed less intimidating when disassembled. As a device for lighting experimentation, she was not very useful. Her “skin” is way too shiny. I grew bored with her. Then I was inspired to use her in a series of shoots, which kept me off the streets for the entire winter.
She never did have a name. On the last shoot, Tiana Hunter (my human model) decided the mannequin should be named “Claire”. It seemed to fit. She’s kind of haughty looking (Claire, not Tiana) and has a kind of “Claire” feel to her. I gave Claire to the guys at Sly Horse Studio, where she will find a good home. I hope for her sake that she doesn’t end up in a twisted art project but even that would be better than sitting in a box in my garage, right?
Tiana, 2008Tiana Hunter
I had this fantastic plan to shoot with Tiana Hunter on the cliffs in our local area. In my mind was the wind streaming her long, highly textured hair across the frame in a spectacular photo which I would subsequently print 30 x 40 and hang on the wall of my office for all to enjoy.
Wind. Right.
But what about the hailstorm? Over the winter I conveniently forgot how unpredictable the Maryland spring can be. To Tiana’s credit, she stayed out in the hailstorm for quite a while, although we never did have the guts to climb to a rocky cliff in that weather. We got a few nice images in the environment but then headed into the studio for some warm, dry work.
I arranged a studio as back-up of course, not being totally foolish. Thankfully, Kevin had some deep red background paper and I had some blue ribbon just the color of Tiana’s eyes, so we were able to capture some beautiful color images showing her remarkable grace and beauty. I’ll have to wait a few weeks before I can reliably work outdoors.
Adventure Park
A few issues back, Lenswork published a portfolio entitled A Midnight Carnival by Chris Raecker. The highly dramatic shots of amusement park rides framed by puffy thunderheads really inspired me, and I’m looking forward to concentrating on clouds and wind in my nudes this summer. But a day trip to the local amusement park yielded this simulation of Raecker’s work. The roller coaster is the “Wildcat” and was installed over the winter at Adventure Park in New Market, MD.
Everyone had a good time, and dad came home with a print-worthy photograph, so it was a successful trip.
Wenona
I had the opportunity to shoot with Wenona recently. Although I’m ready to get out of the studio and into the woods again, Wenona made an exceptional studio model.
Working on familiar themes used throughout the winter, we explored the mannequin and some light painting. I find myself most interested in models who can contort and who generate interesting poses, and she fit the bill. Wenona is very flexible, creative and easy to work with. I’m planning on using a shot from this shoot in my B&W Magazine ad, and I look forward to her next trip to the area.