Bandana Bikini shoot with Kim Truax

I'll catch you!, originally uploaded by ShutteredDimensions.

I had an absolute blast shooting with Kim Truax (MM # 1733704) this past Saturday. It was a lively shoot with a great model, and now a friend. Kim was energetic and has the glamour of an old Hollywood starlet. Check out some of my other pics, and you will see hints of great actresses. Personally I see a stunning resemblance to Bette Davis.

I have been obsessed with pin-up art for years, and after meeting with Kim and discussing the type of shoots we are mutually interested in I came up with a bandana bikini theme. A throw back to a time when women were sick of the full coverage bathing suits available for purchase and resorted to fashioning something more revealing out of scarves or in this case bandanas.

Sure, it looks like it is tied on, but believe me I was up way too late the night before obsessing over its creation and sewing it. A tough job considering I didn't have Kim's measurements on hand. But I designed something that worked, and in a colour that looks particularly brilliant against her pale skin. Mmmm....contrast is my best friend.

I have so many shots from this shoot that I love. It is summery, bright, fresh and perfectly reflects where I am artistically at the moment. I am incredibly happy I had the opportunity to collaborate with Kim on this one. Greatly looking forward to future collaborations!

Leap Frog

Cara, originally uploaded by ShutteredDimensions.

The other day I was hanging out with a friend...and we talked about taking a couple photos so I brought my camera along.....2 hours, three outfits and 300 pictures later...

I must say that the results are easily the best examples of my work thus far, and my ratio of good to bad shots is improving. So that is something. I think I am progressing, and the shots I took made her very happy and made her mother cry.

The location for the shoot was Hicks Lake, BC, Canada.

Starry Night

Mogumber, originally uploaded by graham_wa.

This...just...takes my breath away. A sky full of stars, the shadows, the colours and night. I have nothing else to say except... I just love this photo.

The Right Place at the Right Time

windyedit, originally uploaded by ShutteredDimensions.

It is time for my own work to make an appearance. This is one of my favourite photos. Why? Because it illustrates that perfect moment when subject, camera, and environment came together to create something that looked planned but wasn't.

No, there isn't a wind machine hiding behind that chain link fence just out of shot. Her hair is flying in the wind of the underground train that happened to go by just as i was about to take a shot. No, I didn't pick this location because of the train. I picked it because it was accessible, low light and industrial and that was exactly what I was looking for.

It goes to show that photography doesn't have to be perfectly controlled to be interesting. Which is what this shot taught me. You can dress, pose, and and choose your angle but sometimes life intervenes. In this case it took a mediocre shot and made it into one that is at this point one of my best.

A Ride in a Tea Cup

Mad Tea Party, Disneyland Park, originally uploaded by Mastery of Maps.

This photo has been a favourite of mine for quite some time, and for that reason deserves honourable mention. Why? Because it combines four things I love. Colour + Night + Tea Cups + Lanterns. I have seen a few pictures of the Mad Tea Party ride at Disneyland on flickr, but this one by Mystery of Maps is my favourite.

Something about this photo is nostalgic for me even though when I went to Disneyland I never went on it. There are certain things that have that effect on me. The Mad Tea Party is one because it brings into focus and reality an element of fantasy that we often as adults lose our grip on. But it has weighed heavily on my mind since I have found this photo. Should I ever find myself in California again I am going to go. Will it live up to the fantasy? Likely not. Regardless, it has become one of those strange goals and fascinations in life, and this photo is solely responsible for that.

Sickly Sweet

Sickly Sweet, originally uploaded by boopsie.daisy.

At the moment I am going through a bit of a candy phase. No I don't want to eat candy, but I do want to photograph it. Because of this I hit flickr pretty hard last night for brightly coloured candy images.

The above is from an entirely brilliant flickr user boopsie.daisy that sets up candy coated scenes but adds figurines, dolls etc... I thought this was a particularly excellent example of her work because the figurine is expressing such a strong emotion that works so well with its surroundings.

Who hasn't as a youngster been drawn into the magnificent world of candy only to eat so much you become ill? I know I have done it. I remember eating a little jug of tropical flavoured bubblegum only to puke it up violently later that day. Yes, I swallowed the gum, but hey I was a kid. Unfortunately, to this day I have an aversion to tropical flavoured foods. Sometimes memories are the strong and small experiences can impact us in large ways. I think this image captures that perfectly. So much human emotion packed into one image without a single living human subject.