A Lesson Learned - Flying First Class

I'm just getting back in from Texas where I got to shoot a wedding in a beautiful building in Dallas, the Weisfeld Center. I learned a little something about handling business. Sometimes, its not an excessive luxury to fly first class. I used to look at first class seats as a way for people with means to have another excuse to separate themselves from the rest of the world. It seemed frivolous to pay so much extra to fly in front. What's the big deal that you get to board first. I once flew coach in an assigned seat that was near the first class section. I hated how the flight attendant closed the curtain as I happened to be starring into the front cabin. All that was to me was an airlines attempt to play favorites with one class of people in order to charge them enough to make up for all the losses in everything else. I also would laugh at the $3 bag of chips and a $6 bottle of water they would bring us back in coach.

But on this flight, I was introduced to another perspective of the first class option. The concept actually hit me when I was visiting a model in her new home. She has a boyfriend living with her who is a Titanic freak and I don't think he would mind me saying so. Well, I noticed in his memorabilia that he had in his possession a few White Star tickets ranging from a first class to 3rd class. In today's dollars, the price difference seemed negligible, but I would imagine the $5 to $10 difference between classes meant a lot more. I still came to the conclusion that it would still be worth it to find some means to come up with the difference and get better accommodations. Therefore, I responded positively to the unexpected offer to upgrade my seat as I operated the automated kiosk to get my boarding pass. I paid the extra money since my trip was an all expenses paid deal.

As I had to lug around my two carry-ons of camera equipment and personal sundry items, I justified my selection in that I had camera gear in both bags. The last thing I wanted to do was to be one of the last ones to board in coach and not have any overhead or under seat place to store my gear. At that point, they normally offer to take your bag and check it into the cargo hold. There was no way I was going to let my gear get checked. In first class, I boarded first and had plenty of room to store both my bags overhead. They were asking coach passengers to not place two bags on top if they could help it, but rather to place one was preferred under foot. Well, that's another point of protest for me. I busted up my left knee in the military. If I fly on any area of the plane other then on the right side in an aisle seat, you'll be wheeling me off the plane or throwing me over your shoulder in a fireman's carry. I've got to have that room to flex my knee or else I'm in pain...big-time. I've flown next to the window on the left side of the plane in first class and had no pain at all.

Another contention is the reduced stress of flying when you are travel first class. Packing, driving through heavy traffic to get to the airport, parking, going through security is already enough to make you into a stress ball. You're in no mood to deal with a client when you arrive at your destination. On the trip going to Texas, we were immediately served a heated assortment of deluxe nuts in a ceramic bowl. There was not one peanut in the bunch. Somebody came by more than necessary to ask me if I wanted something else to drink...alcoholic or not. I got a glass of Merlot at one point, but turned down another one. That would have been $16 in coach. My point is that when I got off the plane, it didn't matter so much that the plane arrived later than expected, or that my car rental was already fully paid when I got there. My demeanor was affected only slightly. Had I been flying coach, I'd still be locked up right now and only imagining that I was writing this blog post about wishing I had flown first class.

"Paradigm Shift" by Mike McGrath

Making preparation for my wedding shoot in July. The day is fast approaching and there's still some stuff I need to get. I've opted to rent some equipment from LensRentals.com. I REALLY wanted to have that Mark II, for this shoot, but the things been on back-order for ever. I'm happy I was able to go through them and find what I needed. Garrett recommended them and so far, I've found them pretty easy to work with. They are a company out of Memphis and FedEX your rentals anywhere in the US. I found their prices reasonable as well. I made sure to insure everything, with the exception of the camera body, surprisingly. They'll insure the lenses, but not a camera body. I'm guessing the insurance is for repair costs for a lens, but they figure if you mess up a camera body, you've pretty much bought it anyway. Well, interesting enough, Digital Photo Pro has an article in the latest issue about taking care of your bottom line and this feature is on insurance for your photo business. I think its worth while for you to look into it. I've subscribed to this magazine for about 2 years now and its worth it.

Its been a while but I interviewed another model recently, but actually, she interviewed me, I think. The girl had a bunch of questions...good questions, and it took us about 4 hours of coke refills at a local pub to sort through it all. She's got a plethora of ideas of concepts she'd like to shoot and I'm only happy to oblige her. Hopefully within the next week or so, I'll be posting new work of her. Like I said, its been a while since I've shot a nude. So I guess I finally got my wish. I finally put off shooting nudes for a while. Granted, I didn't do so in lieu of shooting other things. I had to put photo on hold all together. I did get in some shots here and there, but I also reworked some of my older images and organized my files. Its time to ship another body of work off the the Library of Congress and I'm still doing all my meta-tagging. So I've posted a mish-mage of stuff I've been working on.

Another priority is getting my Las Vegas Art Models Group up and running better than before. I've got a few ideas but making them happen is something different. I haven't done a workshop in quite some time and I guess a few people began to get concerned about my welfare in that no one had heard from me in a while. There are some who knew what's been going on but a great many hadn't a clue. My issue has been to revamp the group and refocus on the reason I started the group in the first place, but I need to do so in a manner that makes the group at least pay for itself. I've been out of pocket in this thing for quite some time. I may as well make it a profit-oriented venture so that I can expand my resources and broaden my capabilities/options. Getting models hasn't been such a big thing, but many times, more than one is necessary and that is where affordability comes into place. Paying models for these gigs has been important since the main reason I started the group was to give models more venues to earn money at what they do, through my own workshops and sessions, but also through networking. For a while, any person or business needing a model knew that I could deliver and I passed on recommendations. The same held true for artists and photographers. Some of the artists in my drawing groups came away with commissions and I had photographers make connections as well. So any of you readers with suggestions, I'd be more than happy for your support.

A few changes coming up is a new name. PhotoAnthems.com will be the new name for my blog and website in the near future. I need a logo design and maybe a new blog layout. I still have work to do in that regard, but don't be surprised when it pops up and you think you've come to the wrong site. You can also now follow me on Twitter! Don't know if I want to keep up with it yet, but I'm gonna play with it for a while. So at any rate, come give me some love at www.twitter.com/ArtNudePhotog. And if you're gonna be traveling anywhere, visit My Rovia Travel Site before hand to see if you can save some money. So far it hasn't been beaten as far as I've seen and they also price match. So check out the deals.

And finally, there's "Paradigm Shift" I'd be interested in knowing what you might be inclined to feel towards, this life-sized bronze sculpture by artist Mike McGrath, of a female nude, squatting with knees spread, and exhibited in a privately controlled space, but viewable to the public. I can still visualize it as art, but I'd like to know what you think about the venue. Right now its exhibited at the Burien/Interim Arts Space, or B/IAS. Would you say its too explicit?

"Paradigm Shift" by Mike McGrath

Juneteenth, Unbearable Lightness, and Kodachrome

How many of you knew that this past Friday was JUNETEENTH? I wouldn't presume that many would know, but then again I may presume incorrectly. Its mainly a Texas thing, but its grown in the last few years. I didn't even know until yesterday that it was an official holiday in California when Gov. Schwarzenegger proclaimed it so in 2005. To some, its called the Black Independence Day or Freedom Day, but it began as a Texas celebration to commemorate freedom from slavery in the South. You see, despite the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation was in effect and the Union won the Civil War, the news didn't get down to many in Texas till a whopping TWO and a half years after the fact! Check out the wiki link above for more info.

Unbearable Lightness honored me again with a nice little piece on Univers d'Artistes. Made me blush a little bit, I won't lie to you. But she was particularly giving some credit to the stunningly gorgeous, Lorelei, whom I had done an interview with on that same blog. She talked about photogs who show respect to models and chose to feature me in that article, but she could have just as well used herself, because this is one woman I have mad respect for. Over the last year or two, many of us can give big props to the lady who has been the subject of our compositions or at the very least a mentor. I've never worked with UL...yet. But she's been a big part of my growth, as a photog just as well as anyone here in Vegas who helps me with guidance.

Today is Monday morning and I just heard on the news that Kodak is dropping its Kodachrome brand. So another film brand has fallen victim to the digital way of life. Representing less than 1% of sales, and given that only 1 lab in the world still processes it, they announced that the iconic brand will no longer be produced. I knew it would come to this as did everyone else. I recall a few years ago when a Kodak executive said in an interview that they have no immediate plans to discontinue the brand. I thought that was pretty cool that they would still choose to lose money rather than cancel the gig all together. I guess they changed their mind.

Stacey Scott Interview

"I want people to understand the fact that I may be deaf, but that won't stop me from fulfilling my dreams. I'm deaf, but I can do anything (except hear !)." - Stacey Scott

I recently got to pay homage to a model I hadn't worked with in a long time. Stacey Scott was the first model I hired for my Las Vegas Art Models Group. I did an interview of her for Univers d'Artistes last week that I believe turned out well. Stacey is in New York now and is still kicking ass. I've been so impressed with her. She's deaf and has never let that be a barrier or obstacle her her ambitions for modeling or being a success at whatever she wants to do. So JUMP on over and check out what Stacey has to say.




Since I've been working a real job now, I haven't been out shooting much. I've had to focus on job transitions, new events in my personal life, and planning for upcoming events. Jeff is also back in the hospital. Its all been a thrill ride in some senses of the word. In others, its been downright nerve-wracking. But as one friend recently told me, there's a sense of freedom that comes with it all and now the future is wide open. That's exactly the way I feel right now. Life isn't fair or unfair. Its just life and you can either make the best of it or not. Despite all my shortcommings, trails, and tribulations... I gotta say I've been truly blessed in my life.


I've still been going back through my old stuff and editing material that I didn't complete as well as getting rid of stuff that I know ain't going to be used. You'll be seeing new graphics on both my website and my blog. I think I want to change things up every year or so. I've registered a new domain name so you might be seeing everything change to PhotoAnthems.com in the near future. I'll be looking into a new logo design for it and will eventually change my web site and blog domains to reflect the new name and logo. (And to think I just got an order of about 1500 business cards last month.)


And finally, I've recently bought in with a travel company and now have my own web site where you can book travel. So far, I've had several people tell me they've found my travel fares either cheaper or equal to comparable sites. So if you need to book travel, hotels or vacation packages take a look at my Rovia site by clicking www.TerrellNeasley.Rovia.com/. Its the only way I'm traveling now. Even if its just for kicks, comparison shop and let me know what you find out. I'd be really interested to know how much of a savings my customers are averaging.

Some Original Trix

This'll be a quick one since I just noticed Blogger's scheduled outage that's coming up real soon.

So what's new? I got to hang out with Dave Rudin again this past weekend. Dave is a big Star Trek fan. So am I, but I'm thinking Dave's got every episode on a deluxe special edition DVD anniversary set. We did Star Trek at an IMAX theater on Friday, along with Model Melissa. Everything was cool. We got there early. We got our tickets early. But I guess pouring into the auditorium 40 minutes early wasn't early enough. To get 3 seats together we had to make our way down to the 3rd row where in order to see the movie without neck strain, you've got to position yourself as if you are in the space shuttle as it sits on the launch pad for 2 and a half hours. I was all set to call it a wrap and try again on another night, but a lady comes ups as I say lets go and tells us that up close isn't so bad. She says she's experienced sitting close like that before and it was all good. Melissa and Dave look at me with renewed expectation, so how could I resist. For the record, the lady was wrong.

Felix just got back from his fishing trip to Kirch Wildlife Management Area, about 3 hours or so from here. He's going back in a few weeks, so I think I'll look into a trip with him. I wanted to go out and spend a day this past weekend there, but I ended up having to work and I really didn't trust my car for a long trip. The transmission has been acting funny, so before I use it for anything other than the Las Vegas area, I gotta get it checked out. That may take a while cuz, I'm in need of saving up for the 5D Mark II. I need to have it for a wedding in July, so we'll see. I know I need to pack up and head out sometime. I'm getting antsy for a good camping adventure.

I've also got a new goal for this month. Clean up and Organize. As it pertains to all my photo work, that is. I think I'm going to go through my pics and get rid of stuff I know I don't want and do some editing on stuff that I always planned on coming back to but never did. I need to catch up on all my metadata labels for my old images and check my backup drives. Maintaining digital work isn't all that easy. At least not for me. I'm always checking on new ways to organize and archive my work. I thought I'd bring back some of my original work with Trixie. Enjoy.

The Trunk Monkey Chronicles

" Find your niche and what you like, be professional, sometimes be patient and appreciate every memorable experience and great opportunity that comes at you." - Lorelei

I don't know if you realize it or not, but you already know you can read me here on this blog, but did you know I am ALSO a co-editor for Chris' Univers d' Artistes blog? Didn't know that did you? Okay, I may have already said it a couple of times here, but I'll be helping out over there from time to time. Chris St. James is posting EVERYDAY and I know its got to be wearing out Unbearable Lightness trying to keep up. Chris is a freak-n machine. So, by request, I just did a post on Lorelei.

It turned out great as I did a 10 question interviewed with her. I loved her answers and not cuz she hyped me, but because you could tell she was speaking from her heart and that she really took the time to give me some good feedback. I'm not doing any copy-pasting or reprints over here, but you can click on the jump link over there and check it out. Actually, I will copy over one request she made:

"...visit MAXIM.com and VOTE for your homegirl ! I'll be in week 6 of voting April 27 through May 4th until noon, much love if you can vote for me everyday til then, just takes a few clicks and no typing. Thanks!"

Life is good. I'm working. Dave's coming next month. My uncle is here for the weak. I'm happy. Yeah I still got a few issues to solve and things to work out, but that'll be the deal til I'm dead. What I want are NEW problems. "Gee, where am I going to invest all this money and what charities should I contribute to this week?". "Goodness, how am I going to find the time to shoot ALL these models I keep getting requests for?". "Should I go with the lace-up Berlutis or the buckle-down Lobbs as I accept my Ig Nobel Prize for Art tonight?". See what I mean...NEW PROBLEMS. Everybody should be working towards new problems rather than the elimination of problems in their lives all together.

I've been working on more of my non-nude images lately. I've taken several, but they sat on the proverbial shelf since I just couldn't bring myself to do the edits. I had too many nude works to edit. Its cool going back over old work and trying to get back into the mindset you had when you released the shutter. I worked on a series of compositions I did while on my way back from Phoenix last year during my road trip with Felix and Summer. Remember that? This couple is a shot (above) I took while visiting the Phoenix Art Museum. They seemed like an interesting couple that I knew I wanted to photograph, but I didn't want to harrass them. As it happened, they were leaving the same time we were and I got them in the parking lot. They were cool about it and flattered. Unfortunately, I was out of cards that day and can't find their contact info. Damn it.

The other shots were of a stop we made on the way back by way of Vidal, California. Some of it was just junk. Actually, all of it was junk or stuff on abandoned properties. I still got a few good shots, but even then, it would have been nice to have somebody naked there.

I don't know how long it has been out, but I just discovered Trunk Monkey. Oh, I LMAO!

If you can't see the video, -->click here<--

Something a Little Different

"Off into the Horizon"

Head Colds... awful stinking head colds. This isn't anything like I had back in January, but its one of the more annoying kinds of things that really funk up your day. All the hacking and coughing, the chest congested head and chest...oh, please let me be done with it. I think I may be on the far side of it now. I'm doing the liquid Theraflu for Chest and Cold Congestion that seems to subside my coughs. I went and got some around midnight last night and I think its helping. I hate going to work feeling so drained and the last thing I want to do if start infecting other people. I know I had being around someone else who is sick and I am a firm believer of sending someone home rather than letting them continue to work, get worse, and then spread the disease around.

"Another traveler through Nipton"

So I'm going to stay in today even though its bright and sunny here in Las Vegas. Nice day for a hike. It occurred to me last night that I was supposed to have been going out doing just that with my good friend JKompare to explore some sites he's recently visited. He's a regular member of my Las Vegas Art Models Group and I've been slacking there as well. The photo part has really been successful but I'm still looking to get the figure drawing part of it up and running again. I have done nothing with it since last summer. I lost the venue where I hosted them and now need a new place AND I've got to get the people interested in it again to at least do an every other week session. I want to have a venue for models to work more than just once a month. My goal is to have 4 different sessions going between photography and figure drawing. Right now, photography once a month is it and even that's been tough just recently. I'm trying to decide on whether or not to do a studio on May or another outdoor gig. I like outdoors. That's my specialty.

"Fixtures at Denny's"

Well, I thought I'd post some of my non-nude work this time. Lin says I don't do it enough and I do want to be more than just a shooter of nekkid ladeez. Portraiture is the next thing in line that I love to shoot, but there's still more that I do. So here is some of that.

"The Glory Days are Gone"

Fun with Lieara

I REALLy need to get better at my posting. I work a day shift now, like regular people but I'm putting in Omgosso hours. Two of the biggest differences I've noticed is that I can't go to the movies like when I worked night shift. I'd hit a good show early in the morning while all the kids and the knuckle-heads are either in school or in bed cuz 11a.m. is still too early in the morning to be up. Now its like I have to wait til the evening shows, where you pay extra and have to watch with everyone else. I can still catch a Saturday matinee, but that's what the bulk of everybody's doing. I've grown accustomed to having the whole theater to myself or shared with less than 5 other people or families.

The biggest thing that I miss is the ability to shoot during the day like I used to. So far, I've had to cancel on 2 shoots that I would normally do during the day. These are with models who have kids and either need to be home later in the evenings for the family or who simply otherwise can't do evenings. Jobs or other committments get in the way. So I don't have any idea yet how I'll adjust to all this. I do have a shoot this weekend sometime, so that's a start. I can't tell you how many times I've come home and just needed to shoot somebody.

I'm going to leave you with images of Liera. I got to work with her again last month and she's a girl of many colors...hair colors, that is. Check her out on Model Mayhem.

"Sun Kick" Model Lieara, Southern Nevada

"Spontaneous Stretch", Model Lieara, my place

"On a Rock in the Wilderness", Model Lieara, Southern Nevada

"A Cause for Concern", Model Lieara, Southern Nevada

Samantha's First Time with Me

You cannot believe in honor until you have achieved it. Better keep yourself clean and bright: you are the window through which you must see the world.

- George Bernard Shaw

I'm still wondering how to relate to the 2257 statute that went into effect this past month. I had a model ask me about it out of concern just this past week. She wasn't at all happy about surrendering her personal info to just anybody and I can understand her point. Its one thing to show your driver's licence to a photog so he can verify your age, but its something else to give him a copy of it for his records. She's got to get a new licence since her's has her social security number on it, which is strongly advisable. But such is the case if you wish to either continue in the artistic nude arena, be you model or photog.

My main issue, currently, is the place of record part of the business. If I want to comply, I need to have records on file with the scanned copies of model identification at some place which can be open to inspectors whenever they want to come check me out. Granted the rules states 20 hours out of the week, but the intent is to be available during regular business hours. Well, photogs don't want to list home addresses on their sites and you know there is a cost factor involved when you use an off-premise site that can maintain your records for you. What I'd like to see is the art community come together and, 1.) Get this law repealed as unconstitutional or at least take the heat off of us artists who should have nothing to do with this. However 2.) if we have to comply, lets ban together and have a few central places that can keep our records for us without costing us so dog gone much every time we drop the shutter. I looked at one company and they charged you $35 for every record you kept, plus a yearly fee that I can't immediately recall at the moment. Dang... can we not figure out something better for this?

I got to work with a new model a few weeks ago. Samantha is another one of those models who I'd like to see regularly posting on a blog. Its always been a thrill for me to read models who recant their adventures and experiences as model-slash-blogger. Having been a model myself, its always a welcomed opportunity to delve into the mind of the art nude model as she relates to us the goings-on of her day. Samantha is one of those who, while young, has opinions that warrant a closer look at her identification. You'd swear she was more experienced than her years suggest. In most cases, I identify with a model like on this level who is much more mature and can back up their opinions with actual time on the planet. I found myself in Samantha's apartment listening to and questioning her insights and left there wondering what's she's already experienced so soon in her life that has brought her to ask some of the questions she asks or thinks about some of the things she contemplates. It was a refreshing conversation. Much of our preliminary shoot was spent capturing her in conversation with me.

And speaking of models who blog, I had the experience of dialoging with Groovacious K the other week. Now, if you hadn't heard, you definitely better ask somebody. This lady's got curves that can prove dangerous if you aren't careful. I JUST missed her while she was in Vegas. I've seen her work in previous months, especially on deviantART, shot by photographer David Winge. I've been working on a series of dark curves lately so its so hard to ignore what she's got to offer. AND she blogs on a regular basis with feeling. I mean, she really puts it out there. You can learn much from this girl. I've already picked up a few pointers from her that I am passing on to a friend. So not only is she gorgeous with a killer bod, but she's articulate, smart, and willing to share with anybody who's interested. That's the kind of model who's on my radar and I can't wait til she back this way again.

Cool Melissa

If you are not passionately devoted to an idea, you can make very pleasant pictures but they won't make you cry. - Ruth Bernhard

I took a break from photo work, and some other studying that I am doing to go see the movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage. All I could say was, "Damn..." after the credits began to roll. It started out fast, by impressing you with a plane crash, but then slowed down a bunch and made you try to figure out where things were going. It has few interesting twists, but in the end, left you wondering with a feeling of "NOW WHAT?" Interestingly enough, there is a question of faith that Cage has to deal with and when he comes to his conclusion, there is a reference to biblical prophesy. The thing is, nothing that transpires in the movie has anything to do with a prophet or how the Bible says events will unfold.


But onto photography...



As I write this blog, I am being interviewed via email by a young girl, or woman, I should say, who is the daughter of one of my models. She's a teenager doing an interview on people and their careers. She chose me since I am a friend of the family and she relates to me because I am an artist like she is. And this girl is good. She's got a talent and a potential, that properly cultivated and supported, could blossom into something great. Hold on... another email question... Okay, I'm back. She's asking some very good questions. At first I was wondering if her mom was helping, but she's come back with some fairly spontaneous remarks that would suggest otherwise. This is her own work. So for now, we are going over what its like to be a photographer and some of my background. Its cool.



I was recently featured by Unbearable Lightness, who's been helping Chris St. James run Univers d'Artistes. In her post, "The New Neasley", she made me sound like I was some high profile photog who went into a mysterious hiatus leaving everyone to guess and speculate what I was in the midst of creating. It was a good article that centered on my initial intent to suspend my nude work and the challenges I had in the attempt. Nine images of Brittani, Melissa, Trixie, Erica, and Gabriella were selected for the feature. This was a March 18th post but you can go directly to the link =>clicking here<=. You may notice that for this feature, Unbearable Lightness uses one of her recent photos as sort of a tribute the the Vegas theme for her image ID. Nice touch, Sweetness.



I mentioned before that you should be expecting images of a recent shoot with Model Melissa. This was our 3rd collaboration. It was right after editing the first work that I had the idea to do her with a wide-angle lens to exaggerate the perspective of her hips and legs (Canon EF-S 10-22mm). She's got the deceptive build for it. To look at her, she appears thin as can be, but when the clothes come off all that hidden shape and curvature comes to life. I was thankful for the fact that she allowed me to play with that idea. Not many models are willing to allow you to capture imagery that intentionally makes their butts look bigger. Melissa is very comfortable with the way she looks and trusted me enough to just let me play, 'cuz that's what I did. I experimented with angles and positions, while trying to get the desired effect with the camera lens. Many models would be very uncool with how close I had to get to get the exaggerations, but that's necessary when you work wide like that. When I get my Canon 5D Mark II, the 16-35mm L-series is definitely on the list. In fact, I don't think I will get that camera without two lenses...one of them being the 16 to 35.



One of the more interesting thing about this shoot is that its the 3rd time we've shot and its all been in her house in the same area. Normally, I'd have been bored silly by now and yearning to get her outside. She's even got the most interesting backyard, and I have yet to explore it. Part of that has been weather, but also, its been due to my business with the indoor work. The third shoot in particular took some patience because of the lighting challenges. I knew from the last shoot that coming during the time of day I was there would allow some interesting lines from the Venetian blinds in the window. This day however was very cloudy. We'd have the light for just a second or two and then it was gone. We'd wait for it to come back, but limitations on time forced us to move on. But when we'd see the lines return, I'd have her jump back on the couch, assume the same position and try to snap quickly. Some of it was trial and error, thinking I could bring it out in Photoshop with contrast corrections and blending options, but I finally got what I wanted. I love me some Melissa. And here is some of our latest work.

Hi, Charlie!