On the Verge




Plaster Magazine, June 2010 Issue
Great article on Kit Williamson; photo by yours truly.
Nice to contribute to this new NYC fashion and lifestyle mag :)

The Importance of Average

An artist friend and I were talking about the creative process, as we often do, and she said something I thought was worth noting here.... To paraphrase, she said: 'Every time we make an image, we are creating an opportunity for excellence... When the outcome is average, or even something we consider to be a failure, we need to remember these pieces are pregnant with information which may lead to excellence in pieces that follow.'

After thinking about this a bit, I realized a creative block is simply a fear of not producing excellence.... However, if we do nothing, we don't get the experience of the average pieces which educate and prepare us for our future moments of excellence.

Nima Shiraz

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Sunday was a great shoot to start out 2010. My apartment was full of creative energy with 2 fantastic stylists Soji and his friend Joe, my favorite mua Lex, and Nima, an amazing model visiting NYC from San Francisco. It was wonderful to work with them and I'm still buzzing from it. Thanks guys! Can't wait to get more photos produced, but this is what I have so far...

©Wendy Whitesell

©Wendy Whitesell
©Wendy Whitesell

Shanelle Gabriel

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Had a 4th shoot with Shanelle Gabriel this past weekend.. We shot for the first time in October of 2007. Ironically, I had been a loyal fan of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, and Shanelle appeared on an episode that year. Unrelated, she contacted me thru Model Mayhem with a very nice message and request for a shoot collaboration. We met that October in the D.U.M.B.O. for a street shoot and have done four shoots since. Although I love the many photos from those earlier shoots, it's cool to see how things evolve as we have both honed our respective crafts.... I have been an artist and designer for years, but photography is a medium I embraced seriously only a couple of years ago. Shanelle has been a great study for me over the past couple of years. She is at ease in front of the camera; full of personality, grace, talent and heart.

This time around, we were fortunate to work with 2 people to help us enhance the look even more. Lex came on board to share his makeup chops, and Soji graced us with his styling magic.... Thanks to both... The energy, focus and 'good people' vibe, made for fun and productive day.

©Wendy Whitesell

Bethesda Fountain

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Had a really great shoot yesterday in Central Park with model Manfred Louis and stylist Soji. We got there late morning and met at the Boat House; made a quick plan then headed to Bethesda Fountain. The area under the bridge was where we set up camp, even though it was chalk full of tourists and the music of 'Thoth' (google him; he's a staple of too many descriptions for this blog entry...) We were a little nervous we didn't have a permit, but I had very little equipment with me.. In my mind we were just 'tourists with fancier clothes.' No one bothered us, and by some miracle, it seemed as though, looking at the photos, that no one was even around! This was one of those shoots where the energy and dynamic was spot on with all involved. Thanks guys!




©Wendy Whitesell



Poems of the Black Object: A book launch

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Last night I photographed a book launch for FUTUREPOEM Press, as directed by Editor and friend Dan Machlin. The poet was Ronaldo V. Wilson and the book Poems of the Black Object.
Events are not really my thing, but once I got my rhythm and bearings, I had a wonderful time witnessing through my lens. My goal was a 'fly on the wall' approach but easier said than done... After a reception and signing, peers of Ronaldo's read first from his new collection, and then Ronaldo himself took the podium. Beautiful work and a successful evening for Futurepoem and Ronaldo Wilson!


Ben Marra

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One of my comrades at work is the a stellar comic book artist and illustrator Ben Marra.
Ben is an apt subject in front of the lens, and has taken a couple of photo walks with me; graciously posing for a few street shots for my "Arists" series...

Last week I had the idea of superimposing some of his recent work behind him on a wall to produce a Ben Marra 'mural' in a fictitious Meat Packing District. This is just a prototype for what I'd like to do later on... Thanks to Ben for playing along...

Ben Marra  ©Wendy Whitesell

Exercise in Optimism

My critique from Stella Kramer:

• Need more points of view; more full bodies; more close ups.
• Portfolio needs more rhythm and variation.
• Don't shoot black and white.

Great things to consider, although I don't think I can adhere to the last point. Black & White is timeless to me and such a core element of photography.... She painted a very bleak picture of the current state of photography as far as making a living. Many photogs she knows have given up. I have a lot of thinking to do and a lot to digest. It really is an exercise in optimism and vision... Good to hear her point of view and glad I was accepted to be critiqued.

Making the best of a Sticky Situation

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Had a shoot with Shanelle Gabriel on Thursday night on the hottest, muggiest night of the summer so far, and I don't have a/c in my apartment at the moment. I was well prepared with clothes and accessories, but other things went wrong. We were supposed to start at 7pm, and by 8 we were still waiting for the makeup artist in my miserably hot apartment. The MUA got in a jam and was not able to make it.... There we were with no professional make up. Shanelle had some Mac Studio Fix foundation, and combined with my makeup, I pretty much winged it; becoming makeup artist, stylist, and photographer. The only real draw back was that I had false eye lashes but no adhesive. I usually like false eye lashes in pictures, but we had to go with out...

We melted in the heat but forged ahead; completing the shoot in about 2 and a half hours... There are not many good pics, but there are enough to make the night worth it. Shanelle got the head shot she wanted, and a couple of promotional shots, and I got a piece for my series. She is a joy to work with after all is said and done, and I look forward to another shoot under better circumstances.


©Wendy Whitesell


Boost

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Last week I left for my annual Omega retreat with my friend Fredda who drove. We picked up Dennis Stock our teacher, at his wonderful house in Woodstock and went on to Omega.... I ended up being assistant to Dennis last minute for his class and it was pretty involved. (Dennis usually has apprentice type people in this role, so it was also on honor to help out.) He gave me an amazing critique during the course and said 'you've come a long way, baby'. He said my improvement over one year's time (the 3rd year in a row he's critiqued me) was phenomenal and was short of raving, which was shocking to me! I was prepared for a tough critique.... Last year he kicked my ass, so this was exciting that he was more than positive about what I am doing now with photo. It's an affirmation I can take with me and keep moving. As always, I am grateful to have this time with such a brilliant and renowned photographer.

Dennis gave me the courage to apply to the Stella Kramer portfolio review. Stella is the former photo editor of Vanity Fair where she did Pulitzer Prize winning work. I've met her and really like her, and Dennis's words gave me the boost I needed to go face Stella. I'm going to apply after I finish this blog entry. I somewhat hesitate because I don't want to be discouraged off the path I'm on... If she sees no market for for my images it may be an interruption to my enthusiasm, but even so, that information would be valuable as Dennis's tough crit was last year. He pushed me to move forward instead of being comfortable and complacent. I really want to hone this path and make it happen. I know the market is tough right now, and it's always good to go to the best and get straight talk.

Omega was once again a wonderful experience. It's always transformative....
Peace, love, health and photography.

©Wendy Whitesell
©Wendy Whitesell
©Wendy Whitesell
©Wendy Whitesell

Tara Hogan

Absolute blast doing a shoot with my friend Tara yesterday.. All my trips to find props and vintage clothes paid off... Ideas I've been wanting to try for a long time were finally executed. I got a new lens this week; been saving forever and it's finally here. I'm out of my funk from the past few weeks of surgery and setbacks... Once again the photos gods have saved my ass. And Tara was a gem and a ton of fun :)

Back in the Game

©Wendy Whitesell
Had a photo shoot on Saturday... I rented a crazy good lens to try out and loved it so much I may buy it. I've been saving money for awhile to buy this lens, but really glad I tried it first. It really made me realize how much more important lenses are than cameras. I see all my techno-geek friends racing to buy the next camera model, and it really doesn't make that much of a difference in their images... It's all in the lens, I'm finding... We got some good stuff, and I once again learned some things. The model was a very nice girl and we all had a good time... I did the styling and was happy with the results... I feel back in the game after having to break for my surgery.

Today, I'm photographing my friend Serena who's a cellist with a new album coming out. The first time I photographed her a couple of years ago, I had a high-end point and shoot and no lights or anything. The second time, I had my SLR, no lights and a really shitty lens... (That was one of the lenses that got stolen, which I'm now grateful for, as I would still be shooting with it; probably not knowing the difference. I firmly believed the Universe set that one up when it happened... woo-woo of me, I know :) Anyway, I'm excited about today. We're going to do some conceptual stuff, and she's bringing some cool clothes and the cello.


©Wendy Whitesell