Its Not the Camera, Its the Photographer...RIGHT?

“Pictures, regardless of how they are created and recreated, are intended to be looked at. This brings to the forefront not the technology of imaging, which of course is important, but rather what we might call the eyenology (seeing).”  

~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

Art Model, Viki Vegas, © 2011 Terrell Neasley

How many times have I heard that statement? Countless. And you'll usually hear it from someone who doesn't have good gear, or its someone who HAS great gear, but who also gets tired of listening to those that don't have the gear complain that their shots would be better if they DID have good gear. What's my take? I honestly hate getting into it, but if you ask me...I'm a gear-head.


To be fair, there is truth to the statement depending on how you look at it as well as falsehoods for the same reason. So for me, it depends on the context in which the statement is made as well as who's saying it.

I'll make my point. YES...IT IS THE CAMERA.

Any true craftsman in his trade is likely to credit his advanced skill to training and great gear. I don't care what profession you are in, in more cases than not, if you are good at what you do, proud of it, and successful at it, chances are you've invested in the good stuff and leave the cheap stuff to the amateurs. You're getting high quality and durable supplies and equipment to meet the standards of excellence you have set for yourself. You may even plan to hand those tools down to the next generation in the family. Or, YOU may now possess the same tools handed down to you from a parent. High quality older gear is still good gear.

Art Model, Viki Vegas,
© 2011 Terrell Neasley

In photography, this is no different. Especially in the more durable components like lenses. No one will argue that glass isn't important. You may be of the school of thought that fast glass isn't all that necessary, but you'll still find yourself agreeing with me that quality glass is. And despite some that have stated the client doesn't care what you shoot, but rather the image is all that matters, I still disagree here. A journalist may be able to get away with a cell phone shot. However, I will not let a client see me rocking a Rebel. I learned that early on when I watched a guy walk up to his photographer and make a very simple statement, "My son has this same camera." He didn't say a word after that but just looked at the photog inquisitively. I knew the unspoken words that yet teetered on his lips..."So why am I paying you so much to do this?"

If you're doing DSLR video, you're going to appreciate that headphone jack to monitor audio in your Pro-level camera. When you need that bad-ass HDR, you're going appreciate being able to automatically bracket your exposures up to 5 or more stops. Ever want to do timed-intervals for some ever popular time-elapse images. Dang...can't hook up an intervalometer to that Rebel. Whoops, no Autofocus drive motor on the D3200...hope you don't have any D-series lenses. Aww... can't get that nice bokeh with your 18-55 kit lens...now you see the difference in having a 50 or 85mm f/1.2. So yes...the camera does matter. I get paid to produce those results.

"Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography."

– George Eastman

Art Model, Viki Vegas, © 2011 Terrell Neasley

NO...IT'S THE PHOTOGRAPHER!

On the other hand, there is one saying amongst light-shapers I do agree with. "The most important camera is the one in your hand." If all you have on you is a point and shoot compact camera, then that's it. I'd much rather get the shot with SOMETHING, than miss the shot because I had nothing. I read just the other day that 21% of all images taken last year have been with a cell phone, up from 11% just a few years ago. I've actually done pro work with my Canon S100 compact camera. It shoots RAW and when I can't pull out the big guns, I'm still ready.

But also know that I've seen images taken with a Canon Rebel that far outpaced some of the flagship cameras. That's because when it comes down to it, its all about manipulating the relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO. All cameras depend on this same relationship to create an exposure. All of them. And in most cases you can still get a good shot with a disposable camera. This argument falls apart when there are specific circumstances that require pro-level features. A sports photog needing 9 frames a second isn't gonna get that in a entry level Nikon. And a non-weather sealed Rebel isn't going to stand up to the harsh environments when extreme temperatures and humidity are present. But all things being equal, in 80% of the situations encountered, I'm going to be able to get that shot in the dark with your very own Canon 40D when you are complaining its impossible without a better camera with high ISO capabilities. Why? Probably because I've put in the time to better understand the aforementioned camera interactive relationships and the nature of light. I've done it. I'm not bragging. I'm making a point.

Art Model, Viki Vegas,
© 2011 Terrell Neasley

All that to say this. Gear is important too. It's the CAMERA...AND...it's the PHOTOGRAPHER. The better solution, however is to be skilled and successful enough to acquire the better gear, while being creative and knowledgeable enough to find alternative when you don't have it.

For further reading on the matter, you can check out postings by Steve Huff and Luminous Landscape.

Canon or Nikon?...Let me Help with That

"There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are."

~ Ernst Haas 

Art Model, Emma ©2013 Terrell Neasley

 I often get asked variants of this question or hear statements pertaining to Canon vs Nikon.


"Should I buy Canon or should I go Nikon?"
"Canon is the bigger company so is it the best?"
"Everybody I know owns Nikon so Nikon is better, right?"
"I had a Canon once and it broke after 3 months. Canon can't be a good company."

I am pretty sure it will be a perpetual inquiry until one company ultimately fails. I've touched on this before over the last Christmas holiday discussing both, "How to Shop for YOUR Photographer" as well as, "Getting into Photo, Part I...The Camera". But hey...this is a blog. So I'll touch on it again.

Art Model, Emma
©2013 Terrell Neasley

Canon is the bigger company. Nikon is next depending on whether or not we're talking compact cameras or the bigger DSLRs. With respect to compacts, Sony is actually No.2, just ahead of Nikon, but Nikon holds the No.2 spot with DSLRs. You also have to throw in the new mirrorless systems, (Sony NEX cameras or the Nikon 1 systems) as well as the mirrorless micro 4/3rds systems  that are increasing in popularity like the Olympus OM-D system.

But lets keep this simple. With respect to the main question, its should you go Nikon or Canon. First make your decision off of two parameters. One, how does it feel in your hands with respect to weight and the natural feel of where the shutter release button is. You might even consider aesthetics, or how the camera looks. Two, find out what your friends have, especially where DSLRs are concerned. You may be able to borrow or interchange gear between the each other. Your buddy may want to check out your wide-angle lens. Your lens could fail and you can borrow your buddy's nifty-50. The point being, you can help each other.

Aside from that, both camera companies are just about even. You won't go wrong with either manufacturer. With regard to DSLRs, you're buying into a system. Later you'll need better lenses or lenses for different purposes. You might need a flash, or a cable release, or any other numerous dedicated equipment pieces for your camera. Any particular year, either company may take the edge in megapixels or some other feature. I used to shoot Canon for quite some time. I changed because my needs changed. I wanted to be closer to medium-format for better depth in my images. Nikon gave that to me in the 36mp D800e system. I switched because Nikon accommodated my need better than Canon, but for the average user, Canon STILL makes great cameras. Tomorrow, they can produce a 46 megapixel camera. Will I switch back to Canon? No. Not as long as my needs are being fulfilled adequately enough by Nikon.

"Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like putting a live grenade in the hands of a child."

~ Norman Mailer 

Art Model, Panda ©2013 Terrell Neasley

Now...if it were me and I was buying my first camera today, I'd honestly probably still go Nikon, just because of timing. Two years ago, I'd still say the Canon Rebel was better than Nikon entry level systems. Today, Nikon has the D3200 and the D5200 that are both REALLY good systems with 24mp, more Autofocus points, and also cheaper than the newest Canon Rebel T5i. Next year, I may not be able to say this, so I'm talking for today and right now. As a comparison, you can easily check out Snapsort.com where you can compare specific cameras and see how well they fair. This is one I did with the T5i and the D5200.

Just because you bought a camera from one manufacture which broke, remember that was ONE camera. Its not indicative of the entire company or even all cameras of that model, unless there is a actual identified defect in all of them. Working in the camera shop the 2 days a week I do, I see customers come in often with a complaint about a camera model and swear to only buy from the "other guys" from now on. That's not a very tenable solution, because I can tell you for fact, that both manufacturers have products that fail, sometimes right out of the box. I can also tell you that when products DO fail, Canon is "Johnny on the Spot" with getting things fixed.

Art Model, Panda ©2013 Terrell Neasley

Buy a camera that has the features you like with benefits that are important to you. Maybe you like Wi-fi, touchscreen, megapixels, or the ability to shoot 60 images a second. Let that be your main guide in camera selections. You can easily visit Las Vegas-based  B&C Camera and talk it over with the guys working there to help explain some of these features. Ugy manages the main West location (4500 W. Sahara) and Tony handles the new East location (1550 E. Tropicana). Both have the best TEAMS working there which is why they are now the only camera shop in town and thriving...just just surviving. Check 'em out.

Its Just a HAT! Right...?

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”

― Robert Frost

Me in my "Life Is Good" hat, Tobacco Caye, Belize

For about two weeks or so, I've been going nuts looking for my navy blue "Life Is Good" hat. Chances are, if you've seen me on the street, I'm wearing that hat and my government issued dog tags. I'm used to having my head covered from as long as I can remember and it drives me absolutely nuts when I lose a hat. I will wear out a hat or lose it before I move on. I've finally recovered it when I got invited over to my bud Chris' house to watch a UFC fight. Just as I stepped in the door, he handed me back my hat that I had inadvertently left there from a few weeks back when we were watching one of the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four match-ups.

Getting it back made me stop for a second to contemplate the sense of relief I was feeling to an object of clothing. Yeah, everybody's got that favorite shirt, lucky tie, or sentimental article of attire, but I can't necessarily articulate why the hat had become so special. I can understand some of my previous head gear favorites. I had a Kangol my brother gave me once. I lost a Dallas Cowboy hat who used to be my favorite NFL team. I was pissed when my girlfriend's dog at my Murray State University hat while I was still in college.

I had no such history with this hat. It wasn't even my first Life Is Good brand hat. I had my first one for only a few days when it blew off my head in strong winds while I was trying to get a shot of a busted-up pier along the Gulf Coast. It blew off into the water. I had hoped it would float back to shore but instead it just skirted about 30 feet off the shore-line for a good 300 yards before I lost site of it. Had it not already been after dark and had I not been alone, I would have left my shoes and cell phone on the shore and gone after it. But I felt I would have been stupid to go into unfamiliar waters by myself in the dark. I still came back the next day and walked the shore line for a good mile before giving up.

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." 

- Bruce Lee 

This hat held no such memories, but retained value nonetheless. The closest answer to my self-directed question may just be the brand: Life Is Good. Because it is. It can be crappy and downright seemingly unfair at times, but life is good. No matter how shitty it might be for you at the moment, you are alive and that means there's a chance of hope. There is no hopelessness as long as you draw breath. People have searched for the meaning of life since recorded history. Scientists today are searching tirelessly throughout the visible universe to find other evidence of life. Governments all over spend billions upon billions in an effort to hunt for planets like the Earth looking for possibilities of potential life.

Art Model, Panda © 2013 Terrell Neasley

They have found nothing of the sort. As far as we can see, light-years into our galaxy and beyond, we...right here on this tiny speck of dust, are the only life-forms in existence. There are 6 billion people on this planet. There are likely 60 billion more different forms of life for every person. Yet here we stand, bent on killing ourselves and our own planet via wars, crime, pollution, global warming, etc. I just don't understand why we have to be mean to one another despite having differences. As far as we know, we are all we have. Despite our multitudes here on Earth, we are a rarity in the universe. Life is not cheap. Life is Good.

Got MUSE?

Art Models Extraordinaire, Alethea and Emma © 2013 Terrell Neasley

 "O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention..." 

- William Shakespeare, Henry V Act I, Prologue

I'm still working several endeavors at once right now, but I'm glad to say I'm still on top of my original plan to go big on my nude work. As I mentioned before, last year, I only shot 4 models and only 7 the year before that. I'm not sure what my count is up to just yet, because some of those fell through even after I did the work. But I can still say I'm having fun with it. I've recently had the opportunity to work with two friends of mine that have been at least two years in the making. Its been one of those planned-on things, that just never got done. Until now...

Art Models Extraordinaire, Alethea and Emma © 2013 Terrell Neasley

I initially wanted to shoot 20 models for the year. Not quite sure how I'm going to make that goal. I'll be traveling for a considerable chunk of the latter half of the year. I hope to do some on the road, but who can tell how many? I'm a quality over quantity kind of guy anyway. But then there are those times when I start to do more work with fewer models. When you begin to gel with who you're currently working with, its easy to forgo finding new talent. That's a strong tendency of mine, and with Emma and Alethea, I've got catch-up work to do! Like I said, we've been trying to hook up for the last two years. I love these girls and they have been a tremendous blessing to have around and call friends.

Art Model, Emma © 2013 Terrell Neasley

And it was a good session to say the least, especially after overcoming the fact that the initial site, which the primary concept hinged on, was no longer available to us. We still worked some secondary and even tertiary sites that still afforded us excellent possibilities. And while we were able to turn out superb images on our debut photo session, I suspect the next one will be even better. Yeah, I like putting that kind of pressure on myself.

“You can only use someone for so long before you dry them out. How long does a muse last? When do you let them loose?” 

― Coco J. Ginger   (Good question...)

Art Model Alethea © 2013 Terrell Neasley

Another thing that makes having a great muse or two fun is having the opportunity to just PRACTICE. As glorifying and romantic as you might think it happens, artists rarely have an epiphany or dream concept that comes to them in the night and then they perfect it first time. Its more often a vague idea, that gets tossed around, experimented with, and trashed long before it comes to fruition, much less gets perfected. A good muse will allow you to work through those processes to hone your craft, refine your concepts, polish your skill set, help cultivate new ideas when original ones don't work.

I'm looking forward to the next series of projects I have planned for these girls both together again as well as individually. They are strong together and I can also benefit from their work independently. My aim is to maximize the potential I see in them by challenging my ability to conceptualize thus optimizing the potential in myself. That may sound corny, but anyhoo...that's the goal. I'm just glad I get to work with these girls.

Return of the Panda

Art Model Extraordinaire, Panda. ©2013 Terrell Neasley

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” 

― Ernest Hemingway

Seems like every now and again, I get tied up in a bunch of things and miss my regular blog posts. I'm playing catch-up with a bunch of things right now, including edits from previous shoots/projects and some online classes I'm doing. My nude work is back up, at least. I've had some setbacks with some of the use of my work, but I've had some very satisfying gigs that have resulted in outstanding work. One of those projects is getting back to work with your fave model, Panda!

Art Model Extraordinaire, Panda.
©2013 Terrell Neasley

Where's she been? Having kids! Well, one anyway. The girl's been busy so I hadn't gotten to shoot with her in a year or so. I've missed her, but she's the same girl with a few different priorities and I'm glad to have her. We got to shoot a few weeks ago and I got my first chance to meet Baby Panda, who's a cutie in her own right. But its still kinda funny. Panda and I used to shoot late into the night before I would bring her back home. Now she's in bed before it's really that dark! So yeah, I gladly work with her new schedule.

I guess the biggest thing going on with me right now is prepping for my trip back to Central America. I'm planning on hitting that in July again, same as last year. It seems like only a few months ago since I was there last. Eleven months simply does not seem real. The goal this time is to spend a month with a Guatemalan family where I will learn Espanol. THEN, I'll begin my travels and hit more countries that I didn't get to make on the last visit. If you might recall, on my last trip, I spent a month in Guatemala and Belize with Heather Rae from In Search Of Squid. Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize was the last visit before Heather Rae was to return home. My intentions were to stay and travel back to Guatemala and around Central America some more. How much longer...I had no idea.

“To travel is to live.” 

― Hans Christian Andersen, The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography

Art Model Extraordinaire, Panda. ©2013 Terrell Neasley

However Hurricane Ernesto, (quarter million dollars in damage) had other ideas for us and forced us to evacuate the island. That's how I spent my birthday. With so few options, we basically had no choice but to run back to the States, buying return tickets only the night before. So I left Central America feeling incomplete and unfinished. I still need to figure out how to take a nude model along with me. If I get my desire, I'll be gone at least 4 months, but I really only need an accompanying model for maybe 2 or 3 weeks to hit about 6 return locations. These are spots that I promised myself I would return to with a model. So after those locations, I don't mind finding local talent or other willing travelers who wouldn't mind posing nude as I meander further South.

Art Model Extraordinaire, Panda.
©2013 Terrell Neasley

The plan now is to hit the remaining 5 countries and finish up in Panama. So that would include Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and then Panama. Just depending on how things go, if it works, I'll even consider heading into South America. I would love visiting Columbia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador in particular. This will be on my own dime. Ideally, I'll find a gig that takes me down there. Or better yet!! I'll offer my services to another female client who needs a travel companion, does nudes, and is affluent enough to sustain a continuous travel status. I'd follow her all over the world taking her pictures any and everywhere. Now THAT would be ideal. I can only hope and pray!

Underwater Splunking (Caving)

Professional Model, Katia © 2013 Terrell Neasley

"And as I reinvent myself and I'm constantly curious about everything, I can't wait to see what's around the corner in newfound art and entertainment and exploration." 

~ Pam Grier

Many things inspire, motivate, and move me. Two things in particular that tend to spur me on is something I fear or something that makes me uncomfortable.  I'm compelled to do what scares me and the more it scares me, the more it's embedded in my head that I need to do it. What's brought this on? Let me tell you...

Professional Model, Katia
© 2013 Terrell Neasley

My good buddy John was the first to inform me about the National Geographic 50 Greatest Photos exhibit on display at the Venetian here in Las Vegas until Jun 1st. It was definitely a must see. Any photog should want to see that show, really. I wanted him to go with me the weekend he informed me of it, but that wasn't possible for him. And then I just forgot about it. That is until Heather Rae reminded me about it about a month later. We went a few days after her reminder and I was indeed perplexed and amazed.

I was perplexed at some of the shots that were selected. I couldn't quite make out what made them so special. After reading up on a few of them, there may have been a story or cause that backed the shot up; sometimes not. I'd much rather a shot stand on its own sans any background info. I was amazed at a couple of them as well. "Afghan Girl" by the renown Steve McCurry, of course was tops. Polar bears and women in burqas were in a number of them as well. My favorite image was "Underwater Cave, Bahamas" by acclaimed cinematographer Wes C. Skiles and it rekindled my desire to do some underwater cave photography excursions and exploration.

Professional Model, Katia
© 2013 Terrell Neasley

I first did caving in Mammoth Caves doing the Wild Tour back in 2006, I think it was. It was a surreal experience. That was 6 hours of splunking and only an hour or so was spent standing up. The rest of the time you are on hands and knees or your belly. I later learned about underwater caves and when I got really serious about photography, I knew that was still a very much unexplored genre of photo. The problem is that I know nothing about diving, for one. Two, one of the most dangerous things you can do on the planet is dive caves. There was a video on Skiles' photographic adventure and Heather Rae was quick to note the photographer eventually died on an expedition only a few years ago. Maybe its too cliche to say "He died doing what he loved", but I don't know... maybe that ain't such a bad way to put it.

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." ~ T. S. Elliot

So yeah, cave-diving. Maybe that's why I liked the movie, "Sanctum" so much. What makes is so compelling is that I'm afraid of it, I'm uncomfortable in the open waters, and I know nothing about diving. Which means that within a year, I'll be doing it. So remember this post and call my bluff on it if you don't see shots of me with dive tanks and fins. Chances are, I'll be incorporating a nude in there somewhere! Who's got nudes swimming with whale sharks?

Professional Model, Katia
© 2013 Terrell Neasley

In the meantime, I have a number of projects to work on before the summer gets here. Most notably is my commitment to working with more nude models to reach my goal of at least 20 by year's end. I only worked with 4 models last year and just 7 the year before that. I was used to working with around 4 models a month when I came to Vegas. I want my 2013 book of nudes to be much more substantial than before. WPPI was recently here in Vegas and I was fortunate enough to get to shoot a couple of professional models. This is Katia from LA and while she doesn't do nude work, you'll still be amazed at what you can turn out with her. Talk about a great girl to hang out with, as well. I'm so glad I got to meet her and shoot. Excellent talent.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

© 2012 Terrell Neasley and used with special permission from the family

"To introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with a free gift of professional portraiture." 

~ NILMDTS Mission Statement

I received a text message on my phone from my area coordinator that requested a photographer come to one of the hospitals in the Las Vegas area. It was Super Bowl Sunday. I was out of town at the time. I watched my phone during the football game in-between plays to see who was going to respond to the urgent call. There were responses but all of them were replying, "Unavailable."

In most situations like this, if I'm busy but no one else is available, I'll try to take it upon myself to drop what I'm doing and answer that call, but I was 2,000 miles away this time. A baby had died. On Super Bowl Sunday. And of the few photographers who serve with the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation in the Las Vegas area, none were available because there are SO FEW of us doing it. All of us are professionals at what we do and when lacking in numbers the way we are, its inevitable that a call will go unanswered. However, this was a first for me in the three years I've been doing this. A hospital called on behalf of grieving parents and the call went unanswered.

© 2012 Terrell Neasley and used with
special permission from the family

So I'd like to make a special appeal to the local Las Vegas area photographers to consider donating some time to this cause. It is not an easy task by any means. A mother gives birth to a child who, for whatever reason, is not going to make it or may actually be stillborn. The only records that prove this child ever existed will be a birth and a death certificate with dates too close together. Many people will not understand this service and some may disagree with it. Nonetheless, that child still made an impact in this world if only for the briefest of moments. Lives that ripple out from the parents are affected...brothers and sisters, grandparents, friends of the family, and others. That child will be missed and that pain of loss can radiate outwards for quite some time. Having a well-done portraiture will mark the occasion better than anything else, as well as help bring healing, and a more positive way to remember that child.

© 2012 Terrell Neasley and used with
special permission from the family

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is a global foundation of affiliate photographers and volunteers who offer their professional services FREE of charge and at their own expense. The foundation serves the community by doing portraits of the babies and families involved. Last year, I photographed the family you see in these images who gave me special permission to use them to promote this cause. I very much appreciate their desire to help me ask you for your help. We are too few in numbers here in the Las Vegas Valley and could use your help. This is not an easy portrait session to so. Taking memorable photos of a deceased child or a dying child will be one of the hardest things you will encounter. Nonetheless, the need for our services is great and is only equaled by the need for more photographers to volunteer the help.

Right now is a great time to find out more about the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep foundation and to see if you can serve. The WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) 2013 Convention is just around the corner and there will be a NILMDTS booth on the Expo floor. Better than this however, are the NILMDTS Certification classes that always accompany WPPI Conventions. So this is an excellent opportunity to submit your portfolios for review, get accepted, and attend the certification course in just a few weeks. So visit the site to become an affiliate photographer for the Las Vegas area and give us a hand in giving back to our community. We don't want anyone else to be turned away.

© 2012 Terrell Neasley and used with special permission from the family

If you simply KNOW for a fact that this is not for you, then no worries. No hard feelings. I have genres of photography that simply aren't for me as well. That's understood. It takes both a stomach and a heart to do this. No two assignments or cases are alike. I've been on some like the family in these pictures where I was with the family for 16 hours. Others were less than an hour. That doesn't matter. All that counts is answering the call, doing the job, and delivering your best work. For more information on Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, please peruse the website, contact the staff, or contact myself. I can only end this blog with this; We need your help. Even if you are not a photographer, there are ways you can volunteer or donate to the foundation. Thanks.

More Optimism, Altruism...(less drama)

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that
in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” 
― Maya Angelou

This is an invite. It's going to get weird, but bear with me.

I'm a people watcher. Actually, more like an observer. I've tried to look at people sans judgments  but with understanding. Sometimes you run into those who are just plumb stupid, whole-hearted assholes, and otherwise mean-spirited folk. But I would say this is the minority of the kinds of mannerisms for most people you will meet.

“How can you govern a country
which has 246 varieties of cheese?” 
― Charles de Gaulle

As a photographer, being observant is an asset. I feel like I've always been an observer, but now I see people often times through an imaginary viewfinder. I see how they might look with a lens between them and me or how they might appear if I strategically cropped out the rest of the world around them. It's fascinating actually. Ya'll should try to visualize that sometimes. Things can become a bit more easy to see when you shrink the world. And when you can see, you can understand.

One of my life-long goals is to become less angry and fed up with people. I think I can do this by understanding people's affect on my life and put them into true perspective. What this essentially means is letting go of drama. I can't stand drama. Drama should be in the cinema or on stage and never in real life. I've had to deal with my fair share and ever more, even now. But I want to invite you to think about this and contemplate the affect it has in your life. I would wager to say that most drama has very little true impact on a person's life. We tend to empower drama, more so than our drama has its own natural power. Case in point: I've been betrayed or blindsided quite often by people who I imagined were close to me. Hurts every time, I'll admit, but what surprises me most about myself is my ability to get better at recovering from it much more quickly than I have in the past. Part of that is realizing that people's opinion of me don't really matter. They don't affect my income or my ability to care for myself. They don't affect my relationship with God. They don't detour my future potential and they certainly don't dictate my ability to decide what's right for me. That is, unless I empower them to do so.

“All the diversity, all the charm, and all the beauty of life are made up of light and shade.” 
― Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Let me entreat you to try a little harder at optimism. I struggle with it. Make no mistake, I'm not speaking to this like I'm some wise old sage, guru, or mountain mystic sitting above 8,000 feet in a small village above the cloud-line. But I think if we can look at things in their proper perspective and give credence only to those things and people that really matter, it would be difficult to NOT be optimistic about ourselves, our future, others we hold dear, and humanity in general.

Another word I will throw at you is Altruism. Random acts of kindness, a good-natured attitude, looking for the best in people and situations, light-hearted, caring for other people and the world we live in; all of that. That's altruism. Not being divided by social, political, gender, racial, and sexual persuasions...that's altruism. Actually desiring to reach a mutual agreement and working tirelessly towards that goal...that's altruism.

“Be sure to enjoy language, experiment with ways of talking, be
exuberant even when you don't feel like it because language can make
your world a better place to live.” 
― Deborah Levy, Pillow Talk in Europe and Other Places

The Hubble telescope is one of many instruments we use to see deep into the universe. We can see so far into the distant expanse of space that we are actually seeing into the past. As far as well can tell, we here on the planet Earth are the only representation of LIFE that we have been able to find. That girl on the job that you can't stand is still, in essence, a miracle of life. We can procreate life because we are designed to so do. But we can't just create life from scratch. Its impossible. Even the most simplest forms of life are yet impossible for us to create ourselves. Can you create a worm? Do you have it in you to re-engineer a fly? None of the most brilliant minds or the smartest brains to ever grace the human race can do this. Yet we often cheapen life and the value of one another.

I am reminded of the movie, staring the late great Michael Clarke Duncan. You know the movie..."The Green Mile". His character is gifted but fed up with how mean we are to each other:

"Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There's too much of it. It's like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand?" - character, John Coffey in "The Green Mile"

“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear.” 
― Gene Roddenberry

So I submit these questions: Why can't we enjoy one another? Why can't we just enjoy life? Why do we needlessly get caught up in things and people that don't really matter? Let a mother feed her baby in public. And if she uses a boob to do it, so the f-what. Quit being so disparaging over a naked body. Clean up the heart and nudity won't matter. It doesn't matter what your faith is, God said to love. He didn't specify exceptions at to sexual orientation. I'm Black, but I'm just like you, just with a longer dick, better natural ability with a ball (you can keep your pucks), and more rhythmic responses to music. I'm Kidding! Cuz we're getting a grip on the puck, too! Nah...All jokes aside. I'm actually just like you, maybe culturally different. But isn't that the brilliant thing about life...Our Diversity!! That's what made life proliferate throughout time. Diversity. Relish our differences. I promise you. If you want to enrich your own life, get to know cultures outside of your own. So appreciate and celebrate me. I will love and cherish you. How about we make THAT deal. More OPTIMISM. More ALTRUISM.

....less drama...

You can do this. WE can do this. Help me treat you better. I wanna start with me. You do the same. And we can just see where it takes us. I found this animation over on Peace, Love, Nudity. I thought it was interesting.

How To Get Women To Take Off Their Clothes, Part II

Early work, Laura: First model I shot after moving to Vegas

Okay...So how many No's have you received in the last two days since my previous post. The goal is 20 in the next week, so if you're on track you should be between 4 and 6 negative responses right about now. Are we there yet? Once again, just in case anyone is reading this second post first, let me preface with this: This is not a "how-to" to get into women's pants, (or shorts, skirt, or bed, or dress, etc.)



I want to also cover another important part of this process and that's to have a good WHY. What makes you want to photography the nude? What is your attitude about nudity in general? How do you think you will feel when you have a woman in front of your lens who has removed her clothes and is trusting you to be decent. This is just a quick blog post, but let me first give you my impression of what the nude is, as well as what it most certainly is not.

Model Laura,
New Edit from Previous Image

The nude is art. Now that may sound cliche as hell, but bear with me. I shoot the nude because I love photography. My love of photography comes first. People will shoot for different reasons, but they will tend to gravitate towards a particular genre. Some photographers do not work well shooting people or live subjects. Other photographers love the capture of competition, motion, and action. Me, I love life and the human element. The most beautiful aspect of the human element is the female form. Hands down. No question about it. This is why I shoot the nude.

The nude is different from just a pic of a naked chick. You see that kind of stuff on cell phones or as snap shots somebody took and put on the internet. It becomes art when you choose to evolve that nakedness into something else by deliberately incorporating the elements of light, shadow, the abstract, form, shape, angle, perspective, composition, texture, patterns, symmetry, geometry, line, mimicry, emotion, and color or the lack of it (just to name a few). Sometimes the nude may not depict any nudity whatsoever. In a sense, the nude may be naked, but the naked may not necessarily be a nude.

Model Laura, New Edit from Previous Image

The nude does not equate to sex. This is a tragic misnomer and a major reason why many people do not appreciate and will ofttimes vilify the nude, photographers who shoot it, and models who pose. One does not equal the other. I learn that for the first time in Europe. Just because a model chooses to pose for you does NOT mean she is interested in you beyond your photographic skills. I wish, most emphatically that photographers venturing into the art nude might understand this. The nude is also most certainly not a tool to satiate your own private lustful desires. That kind of negativity has a nasty habit of finding its way out of the heart and sitting on your shoulder for all to see.

So ask yourself why you wish to photograph the nude and be honest with your answer. The "why" will give your a focus and will be the template you need to build from. This is one of the most difficult genres of photography to master. It can actually become frustrating if all your images simply look like a naked girl with minimal artistic value. It is important to study the masters who have already done this and who are doing it today. Study, study, study. Your work will assuredly benefit from it. Learn to cultivate the imagination. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Whether you have a nude or not. A clothed subject is still an excellent practice subject. So while you are out there getting your "No's", continue to study and above all, keep shooting.

Model Laura, New Edit from Previous Image

Some of the inspirations I learned from to cultivate my craft include: Edward Weston, Harry Callahan, Sally Mann, Spencer Tunick, Jerry Ulesmann, Dave Rudin, and Mosa. If you REALLY want to get good with this gig, don't just stop with photographers. Look at the models! They will teach you! Charis Wilson, Eleanor Callahan, Iris Dassault, Nettie Harris, Brooke Lynne, just to point out a few. Talk to the women you meet. Ask them for their input. I would be a stick in the mud with a camera had it not been for several of the models I worked with. These are women who trusted me and allowed me to develop my craft when I wasn't really good at all.

Model Laura, 
New Edit from Previous Image

You've seen my images of Trixie and Faerie. Trixie would let me experiment and try new things. Faerie let me shoot for the fun of it and just play. Panda, (These are not their birth names, by the way) was a God-send how came along just when I needed a model to do exactly what I needed. We shot 10 times in a single month, often times averaging 8 hours per shoot. And I have several other anonymous helpers who have benefited me greatly. You get to find out who you are as a photographer with models like this. Try to work with potential models who's goals, interests, and expectations match your own. As well as, those who's reasons for posing nude reflect your reason to shoot nudes. That kind of collaboration is bound to yield excellent work. The model featured on this post, is Laura. I met her when I first came to Las Vegas and got talked into a colonic hydrotherapy procedure by a girlfriend. Laura was the attending facilitator for this thing. For whatever reason, I was inspired to ask her during the procedure and I think it was because I was in such a vulnerable position and she was the obvious one in control, (with her hands on the water control dials), she felt I was more than likely serious and said yes. I got to work with her several more times which was a big help to my development. I thank all the models who chose to trust and work with me despite no credentials, website, card, or previous good work. And I extend a special thanks to the other models since then who decided to help me on this adventure and make me better.

How To Get Women To Take Off Their Clothes

"Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed." 

~William Blake 

© 2011 Terrell Neasley, Art Model Enyo

Now right away, let me clear something up. While my title is accurate, it's not what you may initially think. I'm sure I'll get plenty of Google hits on this post. My goal here is NOT to get you laid. Rather instead, this is another blog post aimed at photographers wanting to experiment with the artistic nude genre of photography. So let me say again that these close-kept secrets are for your benefit, but you should not use your new-found powers for evil. Copy that? Let's begin.

© 2011 Terrell Neasley,
Art Model and Performer, Mercy

First, you should note that sometimes its not simply in the asking, but also in WHO you ask. So we're talking of increasing your success rates from 0 positive responses out of 10 to at least 3 or 4 for starters. Now, what I mean by WHO you ask is simple. In an exaggerated analogy, my odds of success is going to be relatively low if I ask a church pastor's wife to pose nude for me, while we're in church on Sunday morning, in the middle of the alter call. Granted, I could probably do that, but I choose not to out of respect for the religious office. You, on the other hand, would be escorted from of the service and be shot by ushers outside. Get my point?

This is something you will begin to perfect over time. Learning to decide who to ask will serve you just about better than any other method I can think of. To follow up with that, HOW you ask is the next. The trifecta of HOW is Appearance, Honesty, and Confidence. These are the factors that will increase your chances for success. You can't look like a scrub. Nor can you look like a 1970's van with shag-carpeted floors owner. At least be normal and presentable. Look like a professional. When you say you are a photographer, that woman should be able to believe you.

© 2011 Terrell Neasley, 
Art Model and Performer, Mercy

Introduce yourself and be absolutely honest about what your intentions are. Don't lie or attempt to deceive. And above all, chicks smell bullshit better than you think. You even be able to talk a woman out of her clothes and into bed, but talking her out of her clothes and taking pictures is something else entirely. Be upfront with who you are, what you would like to do, and be prepared to answer a few questions. The first question you will likely get is "Why her?" Have a genuine answer. I don't want you to think up a convincing lie or a "sure-fire, works every time line". If you like her body type and it will best suit your next project, then say that. Don't tell her how beautiful she is and that she smells like roses. Keep it photo-related and keep it honest.

"Two or three things I know for sure, and one is that I'd rather go naked than wear the coat the world has made for me." 

~ Dorothy Allison 

© 2011 Terrell Neasley,
Art Model Enyo

If you have hesitation in your voice, go home. Confidence will take you a long way in a myriad of things. Look her in the eye. Speak deliberately. And when you finish introductions, ASK her to pose for you and then stop. Let her mull you over. Look her in the eyes as she ponders whether or not you are a nut job. Don't smile. Be serious. If she wants more info, you're a quarter of the way in the door. Answer her questions to her satisfaction. Have a card. Have a website. And above all, you better have good work. Its okay if you don't already have nudes. Explain that you are experimenting in a new field of photography. But whatever your specialty is, it better be GREAT! If not. Skip this entire notion. You have better things to worry about. She needs to see you know your way around a camera and not just another GWC trying to get in her pants.

This is all for now. I may revisit this topic again with more details and the next avenue for you to take. For now, I want you to do a few 20 things if you think you may be remotely serious. Go get 20 no's. They'll be good for you. Get as many negative responses as you can in a week. They'll be good for practice and you will get used to being told "No, Thank you... you pervert!" You will quickly understand being told no is not personal. Well, maybe it is for some of you, but its all about HER comfort level. Don't expect to be like me and get a yes the first time out. That's just unrealistic and just puts undo stress on your odds. Get 20 no answers and then report back. Dismissed.

Welcome to Photo Anthems 2013!

"Like all great travelers  I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." - Benjamin Disraeli 

© 2013 Terrell Neasley, Anonymous Nude Model

First post of the year. Hooray!  Nah, I don't really get into all that. But I understand many will still make resolutions, break'em, and renew them the next year. I'm normally not a conformist, but let me give it a try.

First, I'm gonna shoot more nude models than the FOUR I shot last year. Granted, 2012 was quite odd. I spent the first 4 months on lock-down from knee surgery. I spent some time out of the country and came back to the US and traveled around some more. So I didn't have a lot of opportunities to shoot many models. That changes. Regardless of travel schedules, or other extra-curricular activities, I'm making time for nudes. I don't care where I am. I'll be shooting. I had the good fortune of starting the year off right. When the clock struck midnight, I raised a glass, drank some champagne, kissed a few beautiful women, and 30 mins later was shooting a nude...for the next 7 hours. That's how I want to spend every New Year's.

© 2013 Terrell Neasley,
Anonymous Model

The second priority of business is to travel MORE! I know I have to get back down to Central America again. I need to backtrack some of my spots from last summer and this time bring a nude model with me. There were so many beautiful spots to shoot in and nobody was getting naked. Nature = Nudes, as far as I'm concerned and this is a must do. I need to spend some time with a Guatemalan family to learn Español, as I had intended to do on my last trip. But as I detailed before, Hurricane Ernesto had other plans. I don't know how much I'll get to do, but the priority is to do backtrack Central America, head on down to a few more C.A. countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama. I may leave Nicaragua and Costa Rica for another day. And then skirt on down further South into South America with priorities on Brazil, Colombia, and Equador. I'll see how things go and maybe get Peru and Chile in there.

"Full nakedness! All my joys are due to thee, as souls unbodied, bodies unclothed must be, to taste whole joys." - John Donne

© 2013 Terrell Neasley, Anonymous Nude Model

The problem is that I like to take my time and sufficiently explore a place. I don't want to do a city or two and hit the next country. I want to absorb the culture and actually learn something. Tourism is not my goal. Experiencing the places and people I visit, is. All that takes time. How much time will I have? Who knows. A better question might be how much money will I have. Yeah, funding is kind of important, because at the same time, I still have Photo Anthems to run. Can I implement more travel into my business model? Well, that's still left to be seen. I'm taking steps as we speak to make that happen.

© 2013 Terrell Neasley, Anonymous Nude Model

Which leads to the next priority for the year...My business. Travel will definitely be a part of it, but I don't want to travel on my own dime by saving up and hitting the road with a limited budget. The goal is to have funds coming in WHILE I am on the road...or boat, as it were. I tell you my mind is constantly bent on this notion. I've almost entirely evolved my initial business plan when I first set out to do photo, which was primarily going to be on personal documentaries. Well, while this is still part of my business, I'd like to incorporate personal travel documentaries in the mix. I'd follow a client around and photograph and video their experiences and edit everything into a final package.

I love this thing, photography. And I want to revamp everything about the way I do it, in terms of gear I use, my methodology, and my art. I'll talk more on all that later on, though. But I can definitely envision great things, great collaborations, and EPIC projects. I hope you are on board and are following me. 'Cause its going to be a fun ride!

Getting into Photo, Part 5... The Business

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid © 2012 Terrell Neasley

 Merry Christmas, Everyone. I hope you've found the information in this series helpful so far!

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid
© 2012 Terrell Neasley

This is probably the hardest part of this series and likely the most important. Why? Because you can have excellent gear, be great at your work, and still go hungry in this profession. On the flip side, how many times have you seen a photog's work and absolutely KNOW your shots are better, yet that guy is making bank, getting the cool gigs, is published on a regular basis, and has their work plastered in galleries/corporate hallways, etc? The only difference between you and THAT guy is the fact that THAT guy knows how to market his business, network effectively, and manage his operations and money. THAT guy probably doesn't have a cashflow issue. When something breaks or is needed on the fly, they just go buy it. You'll see them getting paid 10 times what you might get for the same if not better work.



Peter Lik is on top of his game (Bio). He has established a brand and a reputation that commands 6-figures for a single print. He gets to travel all over the world, getting access to shoot in locations that you will probably never ever be aware of much less see. He's got million dollar galleries in at least 4 locations on the Vegas strip alone. The odds say you will never ever do enough work to account for even one of his best-selling prints. Your chances at achieving a single percent of his career results are about a million and five to one. The question is... Can you be that one? Is it possible to actually attain even more accolades, notoriety  and fame than Peter Lik? Well, the correct answer to that question is an emphatic, yes. I guess a better question might be, do you want to.

The Photographers You Idolize Are No Better Than You - (Business excerpt by Lee Morris)
"Hugely successful photographers are master businessmen and women. If they aren’t good with business, they hire someone who is. Most of these photographers have agents that can not only help them find jobs but also do all of the negotiating. If these photographers don’t have a private agent they will have a manager on staff that deals with this aspect of their business. Underbidding a job in many cases is worse than overbidding and these photographers know exactly how to negotiate with each client/campaign."

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid
© 2012 Terrell Neasley

I think the potential is there. This is America. (Peter Lik is Australian.) In this day of age, you have almost every tool to be successful in this business available to you. This isn't like the Medieval days where the chances of you moving up from a peasant to a person of nobility and wealth was nigh impossible. In the last 20 years there have been more wealth made from newbies than in any other time in history. The requirement to be middle-age, white, and male is no longer the mainstream to achieving substance today. Children are creating millions of dollars with ideas. A kid fed up with having his Halloween candy taken away after a night's worth of successful looting, asked himself why candy couldn't be tasty and actually good for you. He and his father are now the engineers behind a million dollar a year revenue generator for nutritious candy. I am firmly confident that you can do the same in photography if you can establish the right attitude, networks, team, and with a little bit of creativity you can revolutionize the photo standards of today. Too often I hear that photography is dead and that the amateur/weekend photog is cheating the pros out of work. Here are some of the biggest excuses I hear most often:

1. The advent of the digital age has killed professional photography.
2. Cameras are getting better and cheaper every year so consumers need me less.
3. Photoshop is too difficult to learn. I miss the darkroom.
4. Everything original has already been thought of.
5. Someone will always undercut my fees and force me out of the business.
6. I can't compete because too many photogs are giving their work away for free.
7. Photography is getting way too expensive and I can no longer afford to be in the business.

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid © 2012 Terrell Neasley

Some of facts these people mention are true, but the conclusions they draw from them are ill-conceived. Digital photography has indeed put a camera in everybody's hands. Technology is making it cheaper to own better cameras. Nikon put a 24-megapixel sensor in their baseline entry level camera. Canon and Nikon have entry level Full-Frame (FX) cameras now. Pretty soon the DX format will become obsolete since FX has become cheaper. Cell phones and Mirrorless systems are killing the DSLR. Does that kill photography for the professional. NO! Being a Nikon/Canon camera owner does not a photographer make. If you think about it, EVERYBODY used to be full-frame. It was called 35mm film and it was the standard for the majority of camera owners. Yet the professional services were still required.

Heather Rae in Guatemala from In Search of Squid
© 2012 Terrell Neasley

Don't be afraid of tech. Things change. Change along with it and therein find your niche in the transition. Photography has been changing on a regular basis since 1820 and the same argument has been proposed regarding the ease of use for the consumer since the Kodak's Brownie in the early 1900's, the Polaroid in 1948, and disposable cameras in 1986. Digital is simply the latest paradigm. So since change is inevitable, the most important element about the business of photography is this...MOTIVATION. If you have the motivation, you will find a way. Pick a genre of photo that you love and run with it. If you hate fashion photography, don't do it just to make money. If you love underwater photography, carve out your spot in it and own it.

In most cases, a change of attitude is all it takes. Maybe you thought I would focus on marketing, management techniques, and financial control measures. I think those are all secondary. I won't waste your time discussing it because this post is already long enough. If you have the motivation to do this, be better at it, and all out succeed, then you will study, research and implement all the marketing and management you will need. So if you want me to approach this from an commercial perspective, then okay. Let me break it down like this:

1. Decide to do this and maintain a high motivation for it.
2. Remember at all times, this is a business.
3. Treat this like a business.
4. Make time for personal projects. (Shoot what you like often)
5. Give back. (Tithe, volunteer, help out upcoming togs)

Here is something more along the lines you might want to take a look at as for tips at FStoppers.com - Career Tips for Emerging Photogs

Here are some other good sites or the Emerging Professional:
1. Black Star Rising
2. Skip Cohen's Marketing Essentials International
3. Entrepreneur Magazine
4. Photopreneur
5. Small Business Administration
6. Marathon Press
7. US Library of Congress (Copyright Registration)
8. Professional Photographers of Amercia
9. Photo Attorney
10. Package Choice (Photography Business Insurance)