WARNING: Not Safe for Work – Do not Scroll down if you don’t want to see Naked/Nude People!

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend Nude Nite Orlando this year due to the fact that I no longer live in Orlando, but I can always reminisce about last year’s event. Whether it was the artwork, live performances, or just diversity of mediums, I have to say it was sincerely impressive. I went from a photography exhibit, to an artist sculpting a live model in chocolate, to a burlesque show- I mean, where can you go to find that all in one place?

Well, since I am not able to attend this year, I’ve decided to post some photos I took at the event last year….and who knows, maybe we can get a Nude Nite up in Albany one of these days?

This first photo may seem familiar, since I posted her on my 365 project. She’s still one of my favorites:

The flyers were my second favorite after the burlesque dancers. They were memorizing:

The talent and variety of exhibits was amazing, some of my favorite pieces were:

"Erotic Asphyxiation Series" on aluminum by Dixie Lee

"Swinger" in bronze steel and wood by Chris Ricardo

Attendees enjoying the exhibits

The live art exhibits were interesting:

Full back henna

Even the audience put on a show:

My favorite acts of the night were the burlesque shows. These were not only super sexy and provocative, but were oh so clever and funny as well. I really need to find a good burlesque show to go to someday soon!

Brazalian martial arts ended my evening, definitely some amazing performances!

I hope everyone enjoyed Nude Nite 2011 as much as I did last year. Here’s to being able to attend in the future!

Well, I’ve obviously found my new obsession of having a real winter. I know what you’re thinking… It’s snow isn’t it? No, no,  I mean the snow is cute. It certainly is beautiful when it’s falling, and I love how it sparkles in the sun. It’s also awesome to throw my cat into it on the porch, run away and close the door (what? oh come on you know I would never do such a thing)

But seriously folks, I’m OBSESSED with ice. Acually, icicles to be precise. I mean how cool are these cold clear daggers of death?! I’ve managed to annoy hubs everywhere we go by pointing out every house, building and sign that has them hanging. I’m particularly fond of the icicle twinkle lights with icicles hanging off of them. So you must know how EXCITED I was to play with this monster:

Christa Approved!

Thinking of all the dangerous things I can do with this sucker!

My Dexter pose (the "perfect" weapon)

My artistic interpretation

Just a little fun with some of the pictures I took on New Years Eve:

This was probably my favorite picture from the night, and my favorite subject. No no, not the guys, although they’re not bad, I’m talking about the LED hula hoop in the background. I really dug using the long exposure on it. Unfortunately there was a slight mist though, so a lot of the pictures ‘look’ grainy, even though they really aren’t. Anywho, fun was had by all! (SOOC goodness)

I submitted my designs for Smashing Magazine’s monthly wallpaper post. I figure if they don’t get added, at least you will have a chance to use them here. I’ve included a calendar and a blank one for year round use. Popular sizes available – even iPhone – ENJOY!

Miami Vice

• with calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200
• without calendar: 320×480, 1024×768, 1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1200

As you may have already guessed based on my Special Delivery photo last night, I was VERY EXCITED to get a few goodies in the mail from Shuttercal! (So if you don’t already know about them, here’s some background info) First off, here’s what I’ve gotten so far:

1 Museum Quality Archival Shoebox for 12 months of ShutterCal Prints Storage
2 Months (1 month free with shoebox) worth of photos printed, categorized by month and labeled by day with descriptions on the back.

Check out the loot:

The box, isn't it pretty and compact?

This is where the photos go, no need to scrapbook or pick and choose prints. Nice and neat!

After the complete shock that my items arrived (I wasn’t expecting to get them so soon!) I finally got to business and made a quick pros and cons list of what I loved about them, and things I hope they will improve upon in the future.

Pros:

• I’ll never have to scrapbook again!

No seriously, I joke you not. I HATE scrapbooking. I got into it after looking at my pile of thousands upon thousands of prints and saying to myself “what am I going to do?” I’m one of those organized neat freaks that has to have everything in order, which is why the shoebox is PERFECT. Each month is printed out automatically and sent to me, I place pack in designated slot, I store until friends come over or put away for future date where I can embarass future children with their mom’s Ramen picture. Voila! Done

• It’s Easy, Almost Too Easy ::suspicious eyes::

No uploading to some third party site (already done in my 365 posts), no purchasing credits and picking out which photos I want in which size with what finish, and no extra shipping costs. Literally you prepay the credits and you don’t even need to think about anything except clicking the “Print & Ship” button.

• Little Packets of Inspiration

I must admit, sometimes posting photos online everyday for a year doesn’t feel real until you have the evidence tangibly in your hands. I know some of us struggle to find inspiration and motivation to continue on with the project. When I saw my prints on real paper for the first time, and the amount of photographs I’ve actually produced, it kick started my ego and said, “Wow! You really are doing this aren’t you?”. I can’t truly explain it, but having those little reminders of how far we’ve come really helps push me forward.

• They Automatically Keep Track

Their calendar is already in sync with what Day we are shooting, the description for the day, color coded for the month. I don’t need to go back and check my blog post or flickr photo to see what the date was and how far in and why I decided to photograph that one thing. It’s all right there on my card.

• Resonably Priced

So I did the math, and for a year’s worth of photos and storage you are looking at less than $150 for 365 prints! Imagine printing these on your own and buying the photo album and paper and stickers and pens and glue and all those other crazy scrapbooking implementations. Photos and albums alone would run you at least that much, not to mention finding time to do it. I may be putting too much value on time here, but I’d rather be out taking pictures rather than slapping them to pages of paper and finding rainbow and lollipop stickers to place around them. #justsayin

A few examples of my prints

What they look like on the back

Cons:

• Time Cost for New Members

If you are a new member to ShutterCal and have a large amount of time to cover in terms of photo uploads, the task could be a little daunting. I understand that the guys are aware and working on a bulk uploader feature so that you can quickly and easily add photos at the same time. However, for the time being it is not available and it is quite a task for anyone looking for quick turn around.

• Mistake Prone

Lookout- if you forgot to add that description for the day, it sure as heck won’t show up on the print. I learned this lesson well from my March pack. Turns out I uploaded a few prints in which I told myself I would go back and add my commentary the next day. I guess I forgot to do so? Again, this is more of a photographer whoops, rather than ShutterCal’s fault, but it still goes on my Con list as a “I wish it would have warned me like my gmail does when I forget my subject line…”

• Size of Prints

In some ways I love the square prints and the option to choose how you want to customize them (white or black background, Include days or not), but if you are like me and don’t follow the rules, your photos may be cut off or skewed in printing. This is also a fault of the photographer, so take this con with a grain of salt.

• Not Your Typical Photo Paper

These are not your grandma’s 4×6 glossy photos. They do not come from Walgreens or Walmart. They are matte heavy card stock, and feel and look and act like it as well. What does this mean? It means you’re not getting frame-able work here, you are getting a moment, feeling, or emotion captured alongside your photograph. It’s a 4×4 stock print, expect that.

MINE!

I recently had the pleasure of befriending the co-founder of ShutterCal.com, Scott Harris (better known as DefaultArtist), and was able to discuss the success and growth of their project site from inception to present day. “So what” you say? What is ShutterCal and what does this have to do with getting my photography more exposure? Well, hold your horses already… I’m getting there.

In case you haven’t heard or have been too busy trying to get explored on Flickr, ShutterCal has been inching it’s way up in the Daily Photo (or Project 365 if you prefer) community in the last 2 years. The concept for the site is a calendar-based photography site. “We give you a calendar, link you to the site’s community, and encourage you to upload one daily photo.” The creators intentions were to get people to improve their photography skills by getting out there daily with their cameras and just shooting. It was also a quick and easy way to document events,  feelings and emotions, as well as places and people met along the way.

So why am I mentioning this site, when there are so many different options out there? To name a few: Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, your blog, the list goes on and on… Sure, take a great macro shot or colorful bokeh and your flickr popularity will soar, but in most cases, posting on large photo sharing sites get you lost in a crowd and other sites continuously flaunt photos to already interested friends and family. ShutterCal is different. It’s about the 10,000 (and growing!) strong community of dedicated photo a day enthusiasts -including creators- that drive me to write about it. That’s right folks, with full time jobs and absolutely no VC  money or ads, a couple of photogs like you and me managed to grow this tiny concept into a TEN THOUSAND participant member base in just 2 years!

What does that mean for you? It is a way to expand your community reach as well as easily gather inspiration and support from others that are going through the same daily trials and tribulations as you. A way to stand out from the hundreds of thousands of posted photos from other sites. A way to showcase that one special photo you take in a day to 10,000 other members just like you. It’s also pressure free, meaning you aren’t penalized if you don’t upload every single day – unlike other sites, and it’s built out of a love and passion for photography that doesn’t exist in many other sites.

By using ShutterCal (and don’t forget their awesomely cool photobox and postcards), you are supporting a movement of building a photography community “for us, and by us”. I encourage any of my daring project365 people to at least check it out, and let me know what you think.

My ShutterCal Calendar

After a LONG yet wonderful week of what I deemed the One Shot Challenge, the results were phenomenal to say the least! What a great group of photographers that took up the dare to

“… take only one picture for the day.ONE shot to set up your white balance, color, lighting, and composition. No over processing, no sharpening, just straight out of the camera goodness!”

Some great submissions were made and here are what came of last week’s challenge:

Not to play favorites, but Rudy Lopez knocked it out of the park with his photos! He also did a great job explaining his anxiety around only having one shot and his feelings when setting up the photos. I still think my favorite is his specific kind of blue.

The first day and first attempt

Mmmmm cream cheese frosting!

One of my favorites!

Another fellow 365 peer that accepted the challenge was Cheryl Reddick, otherwise known as the Nikon Princess (I’ll let her get away with it, now that I know her

She always tempts me with pictures of her food! (two can play at that game!)

She wouldn't show us all the ideas she wrote down after the picture...

One of my favorites!

Feeling Patriotic

Another #project365 friend, Marvin Arcelona, threw in his comical shot of the challenge ( if you had more, send them to me, I only saw one)

Dressed up with a pixelated tie

And finally, my submissions for the project:

Someone called it the 'Modern American Gothic' and i just went with it...

My most popular picture... in terms of 'yummmm' comments

My favorite in terms of 'lines'

And lastly,

Broken Hearted

Thanks everyone for participating in the One Shot Challenge! Feel free to suggest any future challenges or themes…

After seeing the resurrection of a vintage Polaroid camera and finding family gold in the garage this week, I started rethinking just how much photography has changed, even since I was a teenager (Yes I know, it was not very long ago). The switch over to digital cameras armed with photoshop, lightroom, and aperture pretty much turns any average prosumer into a ‘photographer’, and it has also made us a bit lazy in terms of really setting up our shots.

It used to  be, the cost of film, processing, and time it would take to do it over again really made the photographer think before shooting away. These days, we test after the fact, taking multiple photos and uploading them to see which ones we would be happy with posting online.

And so came the idea for a photo challenge… What if we took this next week to really stop, think, and create a photo, instead of just snapping away? What if you only had ONE chance to take that picture? ONE shot to set up your white balance, color, lighting, and composition. The challenge is to take only one picture for the day. No over processing, no sharpening, just straight out of the camera goodness!

Are you up for it? Could you do it for 1 day? How about 1 week? Take the challenge and send me your best shot of the week along with commentary and I’ll post it to the challenge wall with a link back to you.

Go out, and be a photo ninja!

It seems like all of my fellow photo a day friends had the same idea this week. Everywhere I looked I was seeing similar shots, so I thought I’d open up a challenge to everyone else.

The Challenge should you choose to accept, is to uniquely capture: A BICYCLE!

My attempt at close up gear shot:

Paul Giunta saw beauty in his Day 167 project365 shot:

@paulusch captured this nice bike black and white image:

K Jordan Images had a nice follow up with this sepia toned lovely piece:

@GTRacer347 added this lovely throwback Scwhinn:

Possibly my favorite so far is Rudy Lopez‘s:

Another superb shot submitted! This one by Monica Sims:

Someone didn’t follow the rules… eh hemmm @john_jordan, I said BICYCLE

What is your take on this favorite pastime? Submit a link to your photo in the comments and I will display images in the challenge post.