Greetings,

Happy Wednesday, all! Linda and I headed up to Bonita Creek for a couple of weeks, and we were greeted by cool breezes of fresh air. And, for some reason, I really notice the lack of traffic noise. It is so peaceful up here. Of course, one of the first things I put up was the deck swing. I wasn’t sure if I did it correctly, so I tested it for a couple of hours to be sure. Tomorrow I’ll drag out and put up the oversized hammock and test that vigorously also for this trip.

I had two shoots last week and enjoyed them. I took Ziva to downtown Tempe and shot around the City Hall area. That’s always fun. Then I played in the studio with Katrina, whom I’ve been shooting with probably the longest of anyone. Both beautiful young ladies, as you will see in this and the next few Museletters I’m sure.

Today’s video is a bit different. I’ve been thinking about doing one like this for a while. I give you a little tour of the studio setup with interspersed images using the areas and props I point out. It’s kinda fun and gives you more of an idea of how it all works behind the scenes. When I do something like that, it always reminds me of how the art is so focused and we have selected exactly what we want you to see. Much like any movie, I’m sure.

I did a deep dive into the concept of putting Katrina in a helmet using AI to create a ship interior and then the helmet. Then with Photoshop I brought them all together and added some reflection in the face mask. I have a feeling I’ll look at it later and wonder what the hack I was thinking. (grin). But it was fun to play with.

There are a few more edits from older shoots in this gallery. I really do enjoy going back in time and finding new art.

I’ve decided to concentrate more on teaching artistic photography going forward. I’ll still shoot two or three times a month, but generally with people I’ve worked with before. I’ll be very picky about bringing anyone new into the studio unless they have a unique look and a massive bag of talent. I’m sure the amazing people I work with now will eventually move on with their lives as so many have in the short 14 years I’ve been doing photography. It may be my way to slowly retire and move on myself. Worry not, I still love editing and posting and doing the Museletter as much as the first days I did them, so this won’t go away any time soon. No one knows what the future holds.

I leave you with something to ponder. If you do some research you’ll find that it is believed that about 108 billion humans (homo sapiens) have ever walked the earth. In the year 1900 there were 1.6 billion of us scampering around. When we landed on the moon in 1969 there were 3.6 billion looking up. Today we are at 8 billion, or about 7% of the total number of humans that have ever existed. Oh my! Do we have enough ice cream to go around?!?

Stay open-minded and curious, my friends!

Dave

And if you’d like to give me any feedback on these Museletters, feel free! I love to hear from you all! - Contact form