id like to take a moment to speak about a present a received from my lovely helen. she got me the gift of joy, literally. a little computer theyre calling a netbook these days whose name so happens to be Joy. shes got a little 8 inch screen, a tiny keyboard that causes me to make typos while writing blog posts, and mostly shes just so tiny that i can take her anywhere i go with zero hassle. windows xp, a built in webcam for sexy type chats with helen while shes on her macbook sitting next to me. wirelessness. 160 gigs hard drive for my massive porn collection. she even went out of her way to get me the slick black one thats seriously hard to find.

joy’s in bed with me now in fact. if helen’s in bed with us too, doesnt that technically count as a threesome?

i took a couple hours today to surf around and what i thought would be time wasted, ending up being inspirational. when i first started shooting, i did my very best not to seek out inspiration by viewing the work of other photographers. which i think, might be the exact opposite of what most newbies do. if anything i would view hopelessly bad photography as a lesson in what not to do. maybe just to build my confidence. but i also didnt want anyone’s work to “rub off”. its inevatable. as an artist, you absorb all thats around you. whether you like it or not. i remember being bothered with the idea that im bombarded with billboards, television, and random advertisements that i cant help but consume. i didnt want those things to influence my aesthetic. well things change. and although i rarely seek out other’s work, i have come to find inspiration in it, no matter what their level or choice of subject. i find one thing i like about it and attempt to absorb it. im quite a bit more confident these days, knowing that my vision is strong enough to withstand a little outside influence without compromising my aesthetic as a whole. i can take what i want and leave the rest. the way i view the world is unique. ironically, thats the one thing we all have in common, a unique perspective.

i ventured out and viewed several photographers perspectives and became excited to shoot. so many new things to try, to think of. im looking forward to integrating these thoughts into my upcoming shoots.

im hoping to blog a bunch while im on the road, upping snapshots of my progress on the trip. time will tell whether i decide to live in the moment, as is my preferred method, or spend time documenting the event.

oh, and heres some boobs.

im getting ready for my trip up north. ill be going through san fran, portland, tacoma, seattle, and vancouver. ill be gone for over two weeks. i just got back from spending a bunch of money on travel gear. living in LA, i dont own a real jacket. so theres that and i seem to only own converse all stars, which ive been told don’t fare too well in rain and potentially snow. weak. im now the proud owner of sensible shoes and a badass jacket with enough zippers to fund some factory in taiwan 3 months. i also got a camelback, took the bladder out and bang, its a netbook backpack now. im amazing.

things have been really amazing in my life. im fortunate. and immensely grateful.

… strangers are having sex with each other in another room. its weird. but it happens frequently in my line of work.

im in paris now. ive had a crazy great time here. ill have to update more when i get back. i leave for frankfurt tomorrow morning.

oh, and im engaged.

and im off to france, germany, switzerland, and italy. see you crazy kids in a couple weeks.

thats how long ive been working. a 12 hour shoot, which im sorta used to now. but another 7 hours of emails, prepping photos, and getting all ready for europe. shoots are lining up there. it might rain in paris while were there. my back is all out of whack. i went to the chiropractor a couple days ago and he got me back to a level i can function at. i went a little too hard in my workout and im paying the price now.

helen shot her first full set today … she was a little nervous but she pulled it off like a champ. it was such a turn on to see her face her fears and triumph. that and im hopelessly endlessly attracted to her and inspired by her. seeing her in a little pink cardigan sweater is up there on my list of hottest moments of 2008.

i did the math and ill have well over 10,000 photos to edit by the time i get back from europe. fantastic.

oh and stoya, if youre reading this, which youre not, you rule. thanks for being alive.

im off to bed where i will most likely get 3 hours of sleep, then get up and play hockey. possibly only in my mind.

i guess i havent been around here much. its tough cause i like to keep my life somewhat private. nothing irritates me more than reading someones blog when all they have to say is what they ate that day.

in short. i shot jana cova again. im shooting a pretty lady by the name of roxy next week. im shooting stoya soon. i shot natalie addams a couple weeks back. shot a new girl, andi heart … she was awesome. i did some of my best work with her. super polished. same with kumi, i shot her in florida. i had a killer time in DC. im prepping for my trip to europe. only a couple more weeks. when i return ill be shooting a script that requires 10 frozen chickens. not for me, its a commissioned thing. i wear glasses when i shoot now. i bought several new pieces of lighting equipment. helen is in wisconsin and im probably going to ravage her in the car on the way home from the airport tomorrow.

theres tons more stuff happening but im not going to spoil the surprise. :)

i shot a portrait of annaliese (of godsgirls.com fame) last night. good times were had. jenna from GG was there. julene as well. julene will be by lunch partner tomorrow. :)

goddamn i love this shot. give me your thoughts!

(for full sized image click here)

ill be in DC 7th-10th of September … looking to shoot during the day. ill be at a hotel, but id rather shoot somewhere else … so if youd like to book something let me know, and if you have a location all the better!

although the plans are not set in stone, i should be in NYC towards the end of October. so NY peoples, get ready.

and … a couple weeks in europe towards the end of the year/beginning of next.

also! im still booking for florida, august 15th-19th. ive got a killer location lined up and 3 models are already signed on for various times including > www.myscarfgirl.com & www.kumimonster.com