I don't work with many different models because I work very well with the models I already know. I've been blessed with some of the nicest, genuine, pleasant collaborators I've had the pleasure to work with, and models are really collaborators when you think about it. We're a small group of creative people making what we hope will be beautiful pictures. Are all the pictures good? Of course not. If they were, we wouldn't be trying all that hard to be better. But they are always fun to make, always the product of the joy of creating something, good or not so good. This picture of Ashley was one of the harder ones to do. Not because it's all that complex, but if you review the other pictures in the series you can see how much she was laughing though the whole thing. Both of us had to struggle to stop joking around long enough to take some pictures. Do they look good? You decide. But they sure were fun to make!

Someone asked me recently where to get a good burger in Portland. I usually recommend the Hollywood Burger Bar, which is good, but doesn't rank among the tops when compared to places in other cities. Choosing a great burger is a dangerous affair. It runs the same risk as extolling the virtues of your favorite chili, or favored barbeque: there is always someone who will vocally disagree. But I've never avoided the discussion of great chili or barbeque (yes I have my favorites) so why not a list a great burgers? OK. Here goes. My 5 top hamburger stands. 5. In-N-Out Burger, Los Angeles, California - OK, a cliche I'll admit, but the place is fun, clean, and the food is good. 4. Helvetia Tavern, Hillsboro, Oregon - A pile of delicious food for small money in a bar full of hats. I dare you to try the jumbo. 3. Dew Drop Inn, Mobile, Alabama - This is great if you're looking for a tasty chili burger. 2. Camellia Grill, New Orleans, Louisiana - The wait to get in will be measured in hours if you go during a rush, but wait anyway. The perfect combination of great food (get a side of chili cheese fries and share with your guests) and great atmosphere. A must on any trip to the Big Easy. 1. The Wave, Boise, Idaho - The best cheeseburgers, by far, and my all time favorite. Just off the Boise State campus, you'll spend a bit more for a burger here than at other places, like the Big Bun, but who cares. It's worth every penny and more. Plus, in the middle of beautiful southern Idaho, it really is a cheeseburger in paradise. Let the arguing begin, or share your favorites if you like. This is Ada Rose. I've shot alot with Ada, and the best sets are always the artistic ones. She has an amazing ability to strike classic poses, and the pale pink background adds just enough color to complete the scene.

It's perfectly reasonable to admire someone's work, but maybe less so to discuss it. One runs the danger of being misinterpreted; being seen as comparing oneself to the admired. I've been spending time seriously revisiting the work of John Coltrane, and can't help but admire not only the man's work, but the man's tireless pursuit of his craft. Coltrane's legend is secure. He influenced and shaped an entire artform. He achieved feats reserved for only the very few absolute masters of their artform. Great as his work remains, however, he was not a born genius. Coltrane did not pick up the sax until age 16, and the earliest available artifacts of his music do not hint at natural greatness. Greatness did come to Coltrane, but only after endless hours of practice. Young Trane is known to have studied other musicians intently, practiced to the exclusion of all else, and worked with devotion at learning his craft. And boy did he ever learn. Everyone starts somewhere. They arrive at craftsmanship and success only through hard work, study and practice. This is an early photo of Amber. There's much I don't like about this set, but I feel it important to post everything. Vintage settings and props are a dangerous seduction; I've not done many in the past 6 months or so. I do like the sepia tone, though. That's something. And maybe this is just an artifact of evolution; one of the early works.

I've been spending time with Jaxer, Aptana's JavaScript server.  I'm impressed.  I thought for a while that we'd see server side JavaScript eventually, especially given the popularity of Ajax, but it took until last month for a reasonable, implementation ready product to arrive.  I didn't mind ASP, as long as it was written with JScript, I no longer want to invest in Microsoft technology or .NET, and I have never been really thrilled with PHP.  But Jaxer fixes that.  I can write all my scripting in a single language, use available, mature Ajax libraries, and reuse client side code on the server.  My first real project will be a gallery demo to see if I can replace my PHP galleries with Jaxer.

When planning the design and feature set of the Figure Baby members area, I wondered if zip files had any value. I even remember having the conversation with several of the models, and deciding that zips are an anachronism. Ten years ago, zips had value. Viewing photos online was slow; we all remember slow loading pictures over dialup connections. If you wanted to see alot of pictures, or view a slide show, you downloaded them and looked at them locally. Broadband connections have changed the rules. Images can be seen online just fine, and there are enough site capture tools available to download images in batches if one desires. There should be no need for zip file downloads. Or so I thought. Early feedback is unanimous in calling out the lack of zip downloads in the Figure Baby member's area. I was entirely wrong assuming they are not needed. They are, in fact, a feature users expect. The good news is zip files are now available for all images sets in the member's area. Today's picture is the lovely Ada Rose. Simple light, a plain background, and sheer fabric make this image a personal favorite.

Taking pictures is only half the job of creating a website. By craft, I'm a developer, and like most, I like to use good tools to perform the job. That's true of every field, which is why I found myself wondering why I spend so many hours at a computer using the throw away keyboards that come with new computers, or I pull from the trash, or find...well, everywhere. Half the keyboards in my studio are broken. The other half are just cheap. Last week I decided enough is enough. I've been tempting physical problems long enough by poking at uncomfortable and half usable tools, so I opened up the wallet and bought a good keyboard. If you've ever used, or are old enough to remember, the old IBM keyboards that were big and heavy and noisy, the ones with the clicky keys, this is one of those. Of course, IBM no longer makes them, but Unicomp does, and I have no regret paying the price for a tool I use many hours a day. This keyboard is rock solid, as heavy as I remember them, and about as comfortable to use as I image they can be. Computer ergonomics gets much less attention than it deserves, but if you ever want to treat yourself, try a good keyboard. And a good chair.

This is another early set of Idaho. I've been posting old stuff lately, not so much to clear out a backlog, but to review some lighting styles and sets from last summer. The photos in this set feature Idaho in black stockings and black high heels. She's got great legs, and stockings show them off well. Members can see the rest of the series at Figure Baby.

This is from the first shoot I did with Ashley. As with all first shoots, I like to work simple, simple light, casual set. Of course, the couch is a versatile set, but it makes for some simple pictures as well. I like the color in this image; Ashley's hair color fit's the image well. Her smile doesn't hurt anything either.

...or Manning to Tyree. Super Bowl XLII is over and the Giants won. Which play will history hold with the likes of the Immaculate Reception, the Hail Mary, or The Catch as one of the all time great plays of the game? Who knows, but whichever it is, it felt good to pick New York. Now I can't say I had New York all the way. I thought the Pats would win Super Bowl XLII, but I also thought the team that darn near beat them in week 16, then went into Lambeau Field to beat the mighty Packers shouldn't be a 12 point dog. It turns out they weren't. Tom Brady is quoted as saying losing the Super Bowl takes nothing away from the Patriots season. In fact, it takes everything away. So what if they won every other game on their schedule, they lost the only one that matters. Win all 16 games? Fuck you. New York only won 10 games, but they're the champions. New York deserved to win. Equally, New England deserved to lose. Give them credit for their talented players and their ability to play, but in the closing seconds of the game, before the last play was even run, Bill Bellicheck, Patriots Head Coach, left the field in a typical petulant display. Never known for class, Bellicheck has cheated, run up the score on opponents, and shown the general lack of character usually assigned to movie villians. In an age where sportsmanship is often considered absent from most competition, the tact barren chump Bellicheck did nothing to prove the assumption wrong. The New England Patriots are a good team. But a good team without character. And no one wins anything without character. Congratulations to the New York Giants, champions of football.

What will my website look like 6 months from now? Hopefully a good collection with enough variety for everyone. Today's update is about simple. I went through some old work and used some photos of Amber from last summer. These are some of the first shots of Amber, they are simple, and straight forward. The background is intentionally plain, and Amber's hair compliments the costume well. She suggested the schoolgirl clothes, and we wanted to do something a bit raunchy. Take some time and view the entire set. The shots are a bit more explicit than most of the Figure Baby shots, but they still hold up well. And add a bit of that variety to the site.

Lily and I wanted to take a few shots with her hair up. We had done alot of casual work, and thought a little makeup and hairdo would present a good change of pace. The images in the set are not very revealing, only a few are nude, but they turned out playful. We intended to shoot a striptease, but Lily put on the black gloves and started voguing, so we just went with that. Laughing alot, but the images came out well. There will be some more revealing images from this series in an upcoming post. Until now, enjoy voguing Lily.