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Geez, these journal entries are just basically re-caps of photoshoots. Sorry about that. I'm not doing much else right now. I'm stuck on an assembly line.
Musical Roomates
I guess I could talk about home life. That's happening too of course.
Bill aka Intoon has moved in, kinda. His stuff from Chicago has not arrived yet. The moving truck broke down in Missouri. He is getting anxious to get his life put back together, but fortunately he has his computer and is getting a lot of work done…just not settled. I feel for him.
Lucas announced that he was moving out too. He went upstairs, filled up about 5 papers bags of stuff and was out the door. Well, actually he had his computer and few other piles of stuff that he came back for the next night. I find that carefree attitude appealing and am a little jealous of his mobility. Then I realize I can't live without my gadgets!
His timing was perfect. I have been fretting about where I was going to put models when they come stay. I had worked out an indelicate solution. His timing was just right as a model from Florida, Preston Parker, was due to stay here the very next day.
Bill and I guiltily cleaned out the rest of his room and brought all the stuff down to the area by the front door. We then cleaned and re-set the two rooms for houseguests. The rooms are actually quite nice- nothing fancy, but "nice".
Guests have their own bed, large closet, and bathroom next door. It's actually more like a suite as there is a “nursery” room next door that has a daybed couch, a computer desk with a wired net connection. Both rooms have small digital cable T.Vs. It's should make anyone who stays satisfied. I really should get a hotel room, but ouch..too expensive.
I was worried about moving all of Lucas's stuff downstairs, as if to say, "Get Out Now!" As it turns out, Lucas had class till 10pm and had to go pick up his boyfriend (who he is moving in with) at the airport at 11pm. He wanted to get it all moved in before he picked him up, and he actually said it was perfect and quickly loaded up his car, without mega trips up the stairs.
I just can't imagine moving in two pickup truck trip loads, let alone two car trips! Ahhh Youth!
Bill is quite clean, and I am leaving messes all over the place for him to pickup after. Gotta make him feel needed! Bill will make a great roommate as he is really invested in living here, and likes to help out. He even mowed the lawn this week! It's nice to not have to keep the house up by myself. If I know Bill like I think I do, he will actually be investing in improving in small ways the house. First on the list will be glass shower doors for the upstairs bathroom. We both just have to wait for money issues to settle.
Kitty! is enjoying having someone at home all day. She is quite fond of the steps, and the carpeting upstairs. I think she's been laying next to Bill as he works from home all day. She's so spoiled.
Kitty! got another Summer shave. She looks kinda dorky all shaved up, but she is a lot happier, and I am sure happier not having to chase drifting balls of fur across the ceramic tile floors.
Cycling and working out has really taken a back seat this week. Our temperatures were above the hundreds most of the week, so the couple times I did have some free time, it was just too dang hot. Bike went into the shop again as it was making crazy creaking noises. I did go mountain biking on Sunday though, my one free moment to get away.
Model Preston Parker
For the last couple months I have been coordinating a model visit from a model named Preston Parker. He was a referral from photographer P. Michael Perez who had worked with him in the past.
Preston wanted to work with Steve Henry in Houston, and I suggested he work with Robert also. I had him get a hold of both photographers and we all made arrangements for him to spend a day with each of us.
Robert was to work with him the first day, but there was miscommunication as to what was expected, and I had to go pick him up early. As we drove over to my place, Preston talked to me about what his needs were and what was expected. It sounded like we weren't going to be able to work together as well, and told him so.
I had hired him for photos, and he had suggested we do video too, so I was all for that!
But he meant photos WHILE shooting a video. I really wanted to just photograph him, cuz he's done a lot of video and I am way too amateur for him. I was happy to find out he really hadn't spent a lot of time in front of a still camera.
He wanted to get residuals for all the images that might appear somewhere else and I sense he wanted control as to where they might be. I just can't guarantee that. Preston has done a lot of work in Miami and L.A. and I think is used to getting that kind of thing, but I have never worked that way, and I don't know many photographers that do. At least not here in po-dunk Austin Texas. I use a standard model release form that's been used for over 75 years.
He's just at a much higher level than I am, so there's no harm..no foul. He wasn't being a prima-dona or anything, and felt really bad about it, but neither of us was really budging.
Preston was bothered by the events that had played out and kept trying to work it out as we drove around. I was disappointed, but I kept listening and trying to help him figure out what he wanted to do. I kept saying we just didn't have to shoot and I would pay him for his time. No problem.
I figured I would just pay him for a days photoshoot and send him on his way to Steve Henry. I suggested that we just pretend he is on vacation, go to dinner. go see a movie, and then maybe the next day we could just go up to the lake and enjoy Austin until he had to catch his flight to Houston. I'd be out the airfare, and a couple hundred bucks, and I would learn from a very expensive mistake. ~shrug~ I certainly wasn't going to get upset about it.
Eventually Preston came around, and just before we went in to the movie, he asked that we could shoot tomorrow just photos for less money. This way he could get his mind off of it and enjoy the movie. I was still reluctant, but I wanted to enjoy the movie too and agreed.
We saw The Village and we both really enjoyed it. I had it figured out about half way through the movie but I didn't care. I love the director's slow pace, and the acting was awesome.
After the movie we headed home. I didn't sleep very well. Now worried that I wouldn't be able to get him the quality of photos he needed. Like I said, Preston's mainly done video and didn't seem too impressed with still photos, until he sat down and looked at them. I wanted to change that perception and really impress him.
I had arranged a couple locations to shoot video, but since we had decided to not do video, I had cancelled the locations, and was now left scrambling for locations to shoot photos. So we went out to Barbara's again. I think that's my 4th shoot there, so I am swearing that location off for a while. Gotta develop a new location!
Preston was a changed guy in the morning too, totally put the day before behind him. A complete turn around. He was anxious and eager to get started, didn't sound like he was going to be On the Clock...Phew! Plus..what a sweetheart. He really struggled with what had happened and didn't want to piss anyone off.
Out at Barbara's he was climbing up and around into dangerous locations, eager to try to get photos that no one else would have. He put up with heat and bugs and never complained once. He was a modeling machine!
Preston looks, sounds, and acts like my first “boyfriend” from high school. Well, not exactly like him, but enough so that it really made me feel strangely attracted to him, and took all my strength to not want to just reach out and touch him. I hope the photos will make ya want to reach out and touch him too. But I was all tingley hanging around him, strangely re-living high school moments and high school crushes.
Preston is Argentinian also, and my college boyfriend was Agrentinian, so it was like a double whammy.
Preston was awesome! We were both so happy that we found a way to work together.
We came back and we did some studio shots. He'd never done them before, so was keen on direction. He told me several times that this was his first time doing stills like this, but he does have some awesome photos in his galleries, so they must have been taken when he was doing video as well.
In between all this I was fixing his laptop, trying hard to get some spyware off of it. He had forgotten his power cord for the laptop, and thankfully I had a ElectroVaya battery pack that allowed me to keep it on to work on it. I did manage to clean it up, and got his audio working again, but I suspect that it may all propagate again. I felt good that I could help him out with the computer, he was really happy that it was all working again.
Then we would stop and look at the photos and he was totally blown away. I think I now have him addicted to still images, and I bet he will be hunting down photographers instead of just video sites. We took some "Stock" images that I have been wanting to develop. I keep getting request for guys holding stuff. So I decided to start with fruits and veggies. I know, cheesy, but I've already had a request for a guy holding a red apple.
We shot all day and we made a second trip to Rudy's BBQ because Preston had loved the meal we had the night before. That's it, I am taking all models there, everyone loves it as an Authentic Texas BBQ Experience! Then it was off to the airport for his third and final day to in Houston with Steve Henry.
I dropped him at the airport and gave him a big ole hug. I went home and started working like a madman on his images. I tried to cull it down to a reasonable number, but I literally have 400 amazing photos of him. It's gonna take me forever to get through them all. I eventrually culled it down to about 285 great shots.
Nathan stopped by on Sunday to do some more photos. Actually I shot a video of he and Jonatan the day before. Busy weekend. I put blue paper up in the guest room so we could do some bed shots that he wanted for a magazine. Yeah! I have a spare bedroom!
Video On Demand Update
Well, everyone, not that you all check the cams, but SOMONE is. Apparently 20 percent of my bandwidth is for the cams. Yet I am hardly online, and no one ever writes me about it..so I don't understand the high traffic?
I think I have finally decided to get rid of them. I'm just not around anymore or in one location in the house long enough to make it worth it. I think cams have had their day in the sun.
More bad news. The company that is helping me get my videos online is racing madly to get the DRM key (the part that makes the movies secure) functioning. Sounds like they aren't gonna make it in time. I don't know how long of delay the launch will be.
I have all the videos done, they are sitting at their offices, now we just have to get them secured and online.
Poop.
Slapped by Snapped
Oxygen Network finally aired the show that I was interviewed for. The show was called “Snapped” They called me on Friday to tell me it was airing and to be sure and tune in.
I called EVERYONE, totally annoying Bill “Intoon” as I we drove over to the other Bill's (aka “Jbb”) house to help move some of his old couches over to a garage sale. He had to listen to the same story over and over as I contacted eveyone to tune in.
We got the couches moved just in time to get back home and catch the show. I never made it into it..THANKFULLY! It was so horrible, that I am glad they cut the interview. Dodged that bullet!
I wonder why they would call me to tell me to watch when they knew I had been cut from the interview process. Strange!
Once again, on the cutting room floor. I really have to butch it up!
Well..that's about it.
CYAIN7
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