Page created December 21, 2005

Recently, while digging through the back recesses of an old cabinet, I came across some boxes of old photos.  Some of these are my early nudes -- these are presented here.  Some are even older -- going back to my high school or college days.  I wondered -- what would they look like if I applied what I know today about scanning?  Here are some results. 
(All these images were made in the early 1990s).

 

 

rs0001.jpg
If you haven't looked at my dance photography, you should -- I think it's some of my best work.  

One day (around 1990), I get a phone call from a woman who identifies herself as a friend of one of the dancers I used to photograph a lot.  She admired my photography & wanted to do some sexy photos for her boyfriend, and she asked me if I wanted to do this.  I asked whether she was a dancer, & she said no.  I asked her what kind of photographs did she want to make, and she said sexy; after further conversation, I got the idea that she was comfortable doing implied nude.  Now I didn't really know her, and I certainly didn't know what she looked like, but I said yes.

I was surprised by Renee -- she was about six feet tall and very, very attractive.  And she turned out to be very photogenic.  We got along well.

She liked the photographs a lot.  Eventually, she started sculpting her body.  She worked out a big lot, she entered, & won many fitness pageants, & she got her breasts augmented.  She became fairly well known in fitness competition circles.  When she moved to L.A., we lost touch.

 

rs0002.jpg

 

Although I never really made nude photographs of Renee, I guess I got a taste for the genre.  I got interested in nude photography soon after this.
rs0003.jpg

 

 

rs0001.jpg
Here's Michelle -- my first real favorite.  Her story is sad/happy.  She was very young -- barely legal for nude photography, and I believe that she was a runaway.  Further, I think she got entangled with some shady characters.  I'm not sure I remember how we met, but we got along really well.  She had never modeled before, but she felt that the images we made were beautiful.  She posed for me quite a few times.

But I think she kept coming back simply because she felt respected & appreciated when she was around me.  And she felt I found an inner beauty that she was normally inclined to disavow.

 

We both had such terrific times together.  She simply enjoyed how I treated her, and I learned that how you treat your models has a direct effect on the resulting images.

Here is the original scan of the same image:

mich002.jpg

 

rs0003.jpg
Michelle was an awesome natural model.  She was a bundle of contradictions.  She was awkward & graceful.  She was shy & uninhibited.  At this time, she was living a rough life, yet she was somehow innocent & quietly sweet.

 

Michelle is the first model I dressed in this, my favorite shirt.  In fact, that shirt is now used only by models, and it has been used perhaps a dozen or so times since this sitting.  However, no one has ever worn the shirt as well as Michelle.
mich004.jpg

 

mich006h.jpg

 

mich007h.jpg

 

mich009h.jpg

 

One day, Michelle disappeared.  Then, a few years later, out of the blue I got a call from her, and she came over for a visit.  Her update:  she had moved back to Texas & reconciled with her family.  She never really modeled for anyone but me, and she wasn't modeling now.  She was attending college after finishing her high school degree.  She was in town because she was testifying against a former associate in a criminal file.

A witness for the prosecution in a criminal file?  Like I said, she was living a rough life, but I was glad to see how well she managed to pull it all together for herself.  I was very proud of her.  She asked for (and received) prints of many of the images we made together.

She was my first nude model, and I really enjoyed working with her.  All other models are measured against my experience with Michelle. 

mich008.jpg

 

 

rock001.jpg
To be honest, I'm sorry to say that I don't remember the name of this model.  We drove along the California coast, somewhere south of Monterey, and we found this wonderful spot with all sorts of great rock formations.  I do remember trying to find this spot again in the following years, and I never did find it.  I should have marked it on a map.

I am really embarrassed that I don't remember the model's name.  I remember the sitting -- it was fun, and she was terrific.  She was clearly adventurous, happily climbing all over the place.

 

rock002.jpg

 

rock003.jpg

 

 

This is Lexus, a local dancer who wanted some photographs.  She, too, became a multiple sitting visitor.  Like Michelle, she didn't model much at all -- in fact, for all I know, she only modeled for me, but she loved the pictures we made together.

Someday, I will write a three act play, with each act being a nude modeling sitting.  It is amazing to me that some models open up once their clothes come off, and they tell me things they tell very few people.  Lexus was one of these.  I was going to tell you about it, but somehow that doesn't feel right. 

lex0001.jpg

 

lex0002.jpg

 

lex0003.jpg

 

lex0004.jpg
I did hear from Lexus after I moved here to Oregon.  She wasn't modeling anymore, but she wanted some prints from our sittings.  Sadly, we weren't able to connect.  I'd love to get her these prints.

 

 

I really enjoyed taking a look at some of these old images.  Did you enjoy them?  Encourage me a bit, & I might be inspired to show you more. 

 

(Remember -- feedback is always appreciated) 

All images (c) 2005 Looknsee
Photography

Hit Counter