A model mentioned yesterday that it's amazing that I can blend in to a hotel room well enough that the girls apparently mistake me for a lampshade and pay no attention to me. I think that's a cool commentary. Actually I weight 220 pounds and use the world's loudest camera, so there's no "blending in" happening, but the part about models paying no attention to me and going about their business is sorta true.

But let me digress a little. Another conversation yesterday was about "production values" during testing. That presumes commercial photography, as if there is "testing" and "not testing," the "not testing" part must be a commercial or money shoot. As I'm not a commercial photographer, everything is "testing" to me. No money. And because of the style of my work, there are no makeup artists, wardrobe vans, assistants, catering or any of that stuff. Beyond securing a hotel room, a model or two, some film, and maybe a bottle of wine, there is no "production."

I arrange for a scene to happen, then photograph it. And because the scene is authentic, what shows up in the photograph is more or less authentic. I say "more or less" because sometimes I will interrupt and have the model(s) change position or location, but then she continues where she left off. Ignoring me completely until I interrupt again.

Of course I also make the obligatory pictures where the model is looking straight at the camera, because those are the ones that lead viewers to speculate that I did her. When I tell a model that she usually laughs uncontrollably for awhile before getting back into the swing of things. So maybe it appears that they don't know I'm there, but in truth, they do and just don't take me seriously.

Cynn, showing skin and Angela, bundled up, outside the hotel in St. John's last month.