I used to have a lot more to write regarding my work. I’m not sure when that changed, but apparently it’s a good thing because i’m totally happy not only with the current work, but i’m also pleased at the direction i see it going in the forseeable future. As i type this, my trip to NYC and then Tampa for FetishCon week is just under a month away…and i’m already starting to plan trips in october and november (NYC both times). I’m also thinking about a shooting/play trip to San Francisco in the new year as well as a visit to a very special person in Phoenix…I just need to make sure i can find enough people to work/play with to make it worthwhile. The only thing i can imagine that would make things better is to suddenly find some open/reliable people to shoot with locally, but that’s crazy talk..I live in Pittsburgh, remember?
Just as exciting as the new photographic opportunities are the chances materializing to actually play myself. Having been an observer for so long, the chance to experience the thins my work discusses is totally thrilling. I need to make sure that i don’t get so caught up in taking fotos that i forget to take my turn.
i guess the obvious next hurdle is finding a way to make the work pay — or at least pay for itself. I’m pretty much the world’s worst businessman and the very idea of self-promotion makes my skin crawl…Anything more than a blog comment or tweet is just not happening with me. i’ve known for a long time that what i need is a marketing agent/manager; someone who believes in my work and its potential and is aware of how (and willing to) best exploit it for our mutual gain. Once or twice a year i come across someone who might fit the bill, but it never seems to get very far off the ground. I’m wondering if i spend a bit more time walking the convention floor and talking to people in Tampa i might just find my own personal Col. Tom Parker — there might also be someone in nyc who might be interested…they’ve already asked me about meeting during my next trip, so who knows?
i just read this back and it dawned on me that i still haven’t had anything to say about creative matters. This could normally be a bad sign, but it’s not. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever had that much trouble establishing or maintaining creative direction: With me it’s always been a question of getting the logistics under control: Finding the right people to shoot and the right places to shoot them. i don’t want to jinx, but somehow or other i’ve managed to get myself into a near-perfect situation in nyc — i’ve established a nice group of people who dig me, dig the work i’m doing and totally enjoy being part of it (eg: a bunch of kinky exhibitionists). Knowing I can depend on them makes it freasible/justifiable to fly to the city every 8-8 weeks and book a room for a day’s shooting, sometimes two. I won’t lie: it’s just a thrill being able to jet away from the mundane realities of life for 24-36 hours and be totally immersed in kink and crativity. A day of totall freedom every month or so is definitely a good thing for me.
Now i find myself wondering if I can work the same logistical luck in other cities: Philly comes to mind as does Chicago and San Francisco — not long ago, someone told me my work said “San Francisco” to them…is there room for one more kinky photographer there? Am I that photographer?
