Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Whisper Whisper
Just for the record, I think the backstabbing and secretive trash talkers who made a site like Fetish Gossip happen have only themselves to blame. However, I think it is just dandy that Scott Church posts naked photos of himself. When I am World Dictator, far more guys will post personal nudes to the internet. Unlike a lot of people who think they are fetish photographers (or whatever term is trendy this week) I shoot my own vision and I shoot both men and women. People need to get over their FEAR OF THE COCK.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
I went out on the town tonight
Tonight I went out again despite the crutches. Wow, is crutching around in the Hollywood Hills not the easiest, but it was a friend's birthday, so I had to go and it was fun to get out. The hostess and Forrest and a writer pal of mine made sure I was a-ok and people were actually super-considerate. Ankle really aches now, but hopefully it will still prove healthy enough to ditch the crutches when I go back to the doctor next week. Here are a few pix from my evening. More at this link. If you appear in any of the pictures, please feel free to repost them in your own journal or personal free site unaltered.
It took me longer than it should have to realize that two of the fun shirtless young circuit-looking boys were actually twins, rather than one really active guy. Kudos to the birthday girl for turning the tables on the usual ratios at Hollywood parties.
The birthday girl and my super helpful friend at lesbian o'clock. Pajama time.
Forrest and longtime pal and editor of gothic.net. I had them give me the serious men of the world pose. They were somewhat agreeable about it.
It took me longer than it should have to realize that two of the fun shirtless young circuit-looking boys were actually twins, rather than one really active guy. Kudos to the birthday girl for turning the tables on the usual ratios at Hollywood parties.
The birthday girl and my super helpful friend at lesbian o'clock. Pajama time.
Forrest and longtime pal and editor of gothic.net. I had them give me the serious men of the world pose. They were somewhat agreeable about it.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Up Down Up Down Up Down
Fuck but I feel like I've aged a bunch in the past year. I just feel so old and brittle. Who the fuck takes seven or eight months for a sprain to heal or two months and counting for a tiny little fucking broken bone? I meant to make a doctor's appointment today, but I was in sort of a brain fog and the day just slipped away. I'm sick of being either low blood sugar or feverish. None of the stupid elimination diets work. I get new xrays in a bit over a week and please please please let them show that I can start walking again.
I'm feeling really happy about a bunch of personal stuff. Pleased with my work progress. Eager to hang out with my friends. Looking forward to travel. Super optimistic about the prospects for 2005.
How can I feel so horrible physically but pretty good emotionally and psychologically?
There are just so many little errands I need to run that I can't. I've got a check in a stamped and addressed envelope I want to mail on my desk and I have to wait for someone else to do it for me. Little stuff like that is driving me nuts. I've only been getting groceries like once a week and I'm constantly pissed off at some little thing I can't just go pick up. My skin is all aggravated from the stress and I know I'm putting some pounds on being so immobilized. I figure it is better to gain weight and have my ankle heal now than the avoid the nutrition I need so I don't gain weight but not heal either. But I'm going to need new clothes soon and I won't be able to drive myself.
I feel like I'm on such a roller-coaster. I think about my writing and my photography and my loved ones and I'm so happy. I think about my physical health and I think I should be put down like a horse with a broken . . . err . . . ankle. Neigh.
I'm feeling really happy about a bunch of personal stuff. Pleased with my work progress. Eager to hang out with my friends. Looking forward to travel. Super optimistic about the prospects for 2005.
How can I feel so horrible physically but pretty good emotionally and psychologically?
There are just so many little errands I need to run that I can't. I've got a check in a stamped and addressed envelope I want to mail on my desk and I have to wait for someone else to do it for me. Little stuff like that is driving me nuts. I've only been getting groceries like once a week and I'm constantly pissed off at some little thing I can't just go pick up. My skin is all aggravated from the stress and I know I'm putting some pounds on being so immobilized. I figure it is better to gain weight and have my ankle heal now than the avoid the nutrition I need so I don't gain weight but not heal either. But I'm going to need new clothes soon and I won't be able to drive myself.
I feel like I'm on such a roller-coaster. I think about my writing and my photography and my loved ones and I'm so happy. I think about my physical health and I think I should be put down like a horse with a broken . . . err . . . ankle. Neigh.
Goodness
I wonder what Scar was telling me just as Forrest snapped this shot. It was a bit of an adventure clubbing on crutches, but she and Forrest took good care of me.
More pictures with less fog at http://www.blueblood.net/boards/showthread.php?t=2307
More pictures with less fog at http://www.blueblood.net/boards/showthread.php?t=2307
I Miss the Zine Explosion
I just meant to post this photo and I shot of Gen from The Genitorturers in a community. Only I ended up writing a lot more about the background of how the shot came to be than I'd set out to.
Just been thinking a lot lately about how the internet was supposed to make it so everybody had access to get their words out. When desktop publishing came along, it permitted all sorts of people, including yours truly, to put their views and aesthetics out there in ways previously mostly available only to the megarich. It seems like a disproporionately small number of internet sites are really publications though. It is harder to get good people to contribute to online magazines than print ones too. Sure, ten million people will see their words or photos instead of thirty-six thousand and now they could get paid for what they do, but somehow very few folks really get it together to produce magazine type content online. I think maybe I will see if I can get Forrest to drive my broken-ankle-having ass to the magazine store later today. Feeling a little nostalgic. Maybe it is the clean air and rainy overcast weather.
Oh, and here is what I wrote about the photo of Gen: We've worked with her a lot over the years. Although we put her on the cover of Blue Blood in print, oddly we have shot her not once, but twice, for magazine covers that ended up not happening. We shot her for the cover of Juggernaut before they sadly went out of business. We also shot her for the cover of a certain supposedly Gothic magazine which was going to take Gen's band credit off of the cover picture because a certain supposedly Gothic mall store told them to. Needless to say, Gen was not too thrilled at the idea of not having her band credited, so we told the magazine they couldn't use the shoot, even though we'd already spent the dough and time on doing it. I figure it is always nice to see Gen anyway and we do work well together and I wasn't about to throw away a long positive relationship just to have one more magazine cover in my clip book portfolio. I sometimes miss the days of the zine explosion where supposedly underground publications genuinely really were trying to service their scenes. Rest of gallery on BlueBlood.net at http://www.blueblood.net/bb_97.html
Just been thinking a lot lately about how the internet was supposed to make it so everybody had access to get their words out. When desktop publishing came along, it permitted all sorts of people, including yours truly, to put their views and aesthetics out there in ways previously mostly available only to the megarich. It seems like a disproporionately small number of internet sites are really publications though. It is harder to get good people to contribute to online magazines than print ones too. Sure, ten million people will see their words or photos instead of thirty-six thousand and now they could get paid for what they do, but somehow very few folks really get it together to produce magazine type content online. I think maybe I will see if I can get Forrest to drive my broken-ankle-having ass to the magazine store later today. Feeling a little nostalgic. Maybe it is the clean air and rainy overcast weather.
Oh, and here is what I wrote about the photo of Gen: We've worked with her a lot over the years. Although we put her on the cover of Blue Blood in print, oddly we have shot her not once, but twice, for magazine covers that ended up not happening. We shot her for the cover of Juggernaut before they sadly went out of business. We also shot her for the cover of a certain supposedly Gothic magazine which was going to take Gen's band credit off of the cover picture because a certain supposedly Gothic mall store told them to. Needless to say, Gen was not too thrilled at the idea of not having her band credited, so we told the magazine they couldn't use the shoot, even though we'd already spent the dough and time on doing it. I figure it is always nice to see Gen anyway and we do work well together and I wasn't about to throw away a long positive relationship just to have one more magazine cover in my clip book portfolio. I sometimes miss the days of the zine explosion where supposedly underground publications genuinely really were trying to service their scenes. Rest of gallery on BlueBlood.net at http://www.blueblood.net/bb_97.html
Friday, December 03, 2004
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Commercial Photography Jobs
So, a number of people have been asking about commercial photography jobs lately. I usually don't pitch shooting catalog or band stuff to people I meet in day-to-day life. I think this is mostly because I prefer to just hang out and be sociable on a random evening and partly because I am pretty overworked as is. I've been getting a lot of sort of odd back door requests for commercial photography lately, so I thought I would just post rates here in case anyone is interested in hiring me and for that type of work.
Our day rate for jobs such as clothing catalogs is $X,XXX.XX [CENSORED BY FORREST WHO DOESN'T WANT ANY MORE GODDAMN WORK RIGHT NOW]
Our discount half day rate for band promo is $X,XXX.XX with the exception of album/CD art or merch which starts at $X,XXX.XX
We generally throw in some extras such as casting and sometimes some bonus press for free, but certain expenses such as extra equipment or location rentals or models can cost extra.
We are very interested in shooting interesting and original clothing lines for product placement and for press coverage on our sites and in print. If you have good photos of your line already, please submit to submit@blueblood.net and we may interview you for coverage on BlueBlood.net which is the most visited lifestyle site doing significant forward fashion coverage on the net. You may send clothing to:
Blue Blood
8033 Sunset Blvd #4500
West Hollywood, CA 90046
If your line is mostly rude T-shirts or something along those lines, clothes are not returnable. If you do couture evening wear or expensive corsets or high end latex, then we can make arrangements to return your clothing after shooting. Please email before shipping.
If you are in a cool band, you can go ahead and have your label send a package to the same address listed above. We might give your band some press coverage on BlueBlood.net or in one of the magazines we contribute to and we might not, but that is pretty much how press works. Let us know when you are playing shows in Los Angeles and if you have some cool promo photos available we could use to cover your music. If Forrest and/or I like your look, we might photograph you ourselves.
If we give your band or fashions coverage which includes our original photography, please do not thank us for doing you the favor of good press coverage by coming back to us with requests for a million more favors. If we do press on you and exposed what you do to thousands of people in a magazine or millions of people online, if anybody owes anybody a favor, you owe us a favor, not vice-versa.
If you want to talk about trading free shows or custom clothes or something along those lines, we are often up for punk rock barter.
For the record, I generally avoid commercial photography jobs, even though I'd make more money doing them, because I don't really enjoy them as an artist and I don't really have the time. For those of you reading the numbers and deciding to hit me up for rent next time you need it, I've paid enough people's rent this year. I'm not motivated by money, so I mostly do work which feels artistically good and which I think is good for my community. If I put a gallery of burlesque photos Forrest and I shot for free up on BlueBlood.net and 120 million people look at them this year, that is a lot of expensive bandwidth, but I feel things like that are good for my community because they give exposure to a lot of people. That is journalistic.
If the object is just so one person or business can get paid off of my sweat, then that is commercial work and I need to be compensated so that I can continue doing the journalistic and artistic work without charging anyone.
Our day rate for jobs such as clothing catalogs is $X,XXX.XX [CENSORED BY FORREST WHO DOESN'T WANT ANY MORE GODDAMN WORK RIGHT NOW]
Our discount half day rate for band promo is $X,XXX.XX with the exception of album/CD art or merch which starts at $X,XXX.XX
We generally throw in some extras such as casting and sometimes some bonus press for free, but certain expenses such as extra equipment or location rentals or models can cost extra.
We are very interested in shooting interesting and original clothing lines for product placement and for press coverage on our sites and in print. If you have good photos of your line already, please submit to submit@blueblood.net and we may interview you for coverage on BlueBlood.net which is the most visited lifestyle site doing significant forward fashion coverage on the net. You may send clothing to:
Blue Blood
8033 Sunset Blvd #4500
West Hollywood, CA 90046
If your line is mostly rude T-shirts or something along those lines, clothes are not returnable. If you do couture evening wear or expensive corsets or high end latex, then we can make arrangements to return your clothing after shooting. Please email before shipping.
If you are in a cool band, you can go ahead and have your label send a package to the same address listed above. We might give your band some press coverage on BlueBlood.net or in one of the magazines we contribute to and we might not, but that is pretty much how press works. Let us know when you are playing shows in Los Angeles and if you have some cool promo photos available we could use to cover your music. If Forrest and/or I like your look, we might photograph you ourselves.
If we give your band or fashions coverage which includes our original photography, please do not thank us for doing you the favor of good press coverage by coming back to us with requests for a million more favors. If we do press on you and exposed what you do to thousands of people in a magazine or millions of people online, if anybody owes anybody a favor, you owe us a favor, not vice-versa.
If you want to talk about trading free shows or custom clothes or something along those lines, we are often up for punk rock barter.
For the record, I generally avoid commercial photography jobs, even though I'd make more money doing them, because I don't really enjoy them as an artist and I don't really have the time. For those of you reading the numbers and deciding to hit me up for rent next time you need it, I've paid enough people's rent this year. I'm not motivated by money, so I mostly do work which feels artistically good and which I think is good for my community. If I put a gallery of burlesque photos Forrest and I shot for free up on BlueBlood.net and 120 million people look at them this year, that is a lot of expensive bandwidth, but I feel things like that are good for my community because they give exposure to a lot of people. That is journalistic.
If the object is just so one person or business can get paid off of my sweat, then that is commercial work and I need to be compensated so that I can continue doing the journalistic and artistic work without charging anyone.
Friday, November 26, 2004
Someone tried to steal my domain!
Someone tried to transfer my domain gothicsluts.com away from me today. With the new ICANN rules, apparently some registrars can make a transfer go through if someone requests it and the owner does not happen to respond to the transfer request for five days. Used to be, you had to actively do something to transfer your domain. Clearly, this is going to be used by domain thieves. I sure do not understand the reason they put this new rule in place. Does anybody else understand it?
Monday, I am going to attempt to pursue finding out who was behind the transfer attempt, although the registrar does not want to give me that information. Any suggestions on how to compell them to do so? I mean, that is a pretty big deal that someone tried to steal that domain. That site is important to me. For now, I have added domain lock service to all of my domains.
Monday, I am going to attempt to pursue finding out who was behind the transfer attempt, although the registrar does not want to give me that information. Any suggestions on how to compell them to do so? I mean, that is a pretty big deal that someone tried to steal that domain. That site is important to me. For now, I have added domain lock service to all of my domains.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Damn It
Wow. I just messaged someone I've done business with before and enjoyed many long conversations with and asked her about doing some more biz end of January and when she wanted to paint the town red with me in Vegas. She seemed kind of short with me and told me to contact another person at her company. This was odd behavior as she is usually a sweet, warm, intelligent, interesting, friendly person. She had posted on a forum I haven't really been reading lately that her husband died last night. Fuck. She didn't deserve that and I'm so mortified to have dropped her a line about hanging out and business when she has only been back from the hospital for like 12 hours or something. And she is in fucking London now, far from home, far from where I could do anything to help. I don't know whether I am going to cry or be sick. I was going to get some more work done tonight, but I think I'm done now.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Contact
So, for my most recent Marquis column, I interviewed an awesome designer named Luci. When I asked Luci what contact info I should list for her, she said, "human contact is bad." I'm not sure all human contact is bad, but I'm starting to think phone and email are kinda bad. Maybe instant messenger too, but the jury is still out on that.
This is probably not a news bulletin to anyone who knows me or reads my journal, but I do not heal very well these days. I have a broken ankle. When I went in for my second set of xrays, they showed absolutely zero bone regrowth. If I am still on crutches in three months, I will have to undergo some sort of creepy bone stimulation therapy. I need help for freaking everything right now. Just getting some goat cheese on spelt bread or taking a bath is a nighmarish chore.
I was going to complain about people in general, but actually most people I know have been really awesome. (Anj -- Forrest sent you payment at double standard rate for being so cool and patient with my slow ass.) There are just a few people who have really been bugging me. I don't want to tell someone to fuck off just because I feel sucky. But, if I freaking tell someone what is going on with me, which I don't usually do with medical stuff, and they are still all pushy and think their thing should be top priority, it really bugs the hell out of me.
Most people I know have been really cool, but I just feel like hell. The stress on my body is just really getting to me.
And I did feel better when I pretty much ignored the existence of email for a few days. I think I am going to develop a schedule of only checking it a few times a week or something.
This is probably not a news bulletin to anyone who knows me or reads my journal, but I do not heal very well these days. I have a broken ankle. When I went in for my second set of xrays, they showed absolutely zero bone regrowth. If I am still on crutches in three months, I will have to undergo some sort of creepy bone stimulation therapy. I need help for freaking everything right now. Just getting some goat cheese on spelt bread or taking a bath is a nighmarish chore.
I was going to complain about people in general, but actually most people I know have been really awesome. (Anj -- Forrest sent you payment at double standard rate for being so cool and patient with my slow ass.) There are just a few people who have really been bugging me. I don't want to tell someone to fuck off just because I feel sucky. But, if I freaking tell someone what is going on with me, which I don't usually do with medical stuff, and they are still all pushy and think their thing should be top priority, it really bugs the hell out of me.
Most people I know have been really cool, but I just feel like hell. The stress on my body is just really getting to me.
And I did feel better when I pretty much ignored the existence of email for a few days. I think I am going to develop a schedule of only checking it a few times a week or something.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Smurf Porn
I fucking knew I had to know someone who could answer the smurf porn question. Here is the link to find out more than you ever wanted to know about smurf porn. There is no nudity at this site so I guess it might be safe for work, but I admit to having no experience with what bosses do or do not freak out about when employees are goofing off in the workplace.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Broken Ankles Suck & So Do Most People
Ya know, I am human and I want to be loved just like everybody else does. But I don't want it bad enough to keep giving people more more more more more, when they do not return the favor.
I realize I'm ill and my foot hurts and maybe I am just feeling cranky, but I am really fed up and the thing where people do not seem to feel like giving me any slack when I have real problems, but I am supposed to jump every time their boyfriend of two days blows his nose . . . well, it pisses me off.
I am not an ATM, yet somehow I am always way up there on the list of who people call when it is time to make rent or bail or whatever.
I am all for punk rock barter, but not when the plan is why don't I give some band tons of free work and they might work for me for a discount. And not when the plan is why don't I promote someone's projects for them and they might want extra to model for me now that they are a name. That is not fucking barter. That is disrespectful and one-sided.
I am sick of people who get enraged if there is one damn person I know who I have not introduced them to yet, but who introduce me to almost no one. I am sick of people who want an invitation to any project I am involved in who do not involve me in theirs.
I am sick of girls who are bitchy because they think I am going to steal their man or their girl. If I wanted your man or your girl, I'd have them already.
I am sick of photographers who get my models so fucked up on drugs they end up hospitalized and unable to shoot with me. Or at least deathly sick and bloated with horrible skin and unable to shoot with me.
I am sick of people who look at sexuality in such an ugly way and have such poor powers of discernment that they can't look at a dressed photo I shot without deciding it is secretly explicit, just because I am good at what I do and so is Forrest.
I am going to go watch TiVo. I never used to be a TV person. Went years without having one which got reception. But I bet CSI and Comedy Central will disappoint me less than my fellow man.
I realize I'm ill and my foot hurts and maybe I am just feeling cranky, but I am really fed up and the thing where people do not seem to feel like giving me any slack when I have real problems, but I am supposed to jump every time their boyfriend of two days blows his nose . . . well, it pisses me off.
I am not an ATM, yet somehow I am always way up there on the list of who people call when it is time to make rent or bail or whatever.
I am all for punk rock barter, but not when the plan is why don't I give some band tons of free work and they might work for me for a discount. And not when the plan is why don't I promote someone's projects for them and they might want extra to model for me now that they are a name. That is not fucking barter. That is disrespectful and one-sided.
I am sick of people who get enraged if there is one damn person I know who I have not introduced them to yet, but who introduce me to almost no one. I am sick of people who want an invitation to any project I am involved in who do not involve me in theirs.
I am sick of girls who are bitchy because they think I am going to steal their man or their girl. If I wanted your man or your girl, I'd have them already.
I am sick of photographers who get my models so fucked up on drugs they end up hospitalized and unable to shoot with me. Or at least deathly sick and bloated with horrible skin and unable to shoot with me.
I am sick of people who look at sexuality in such an ugly way and have such poor powers of discernment that they can't look at a dressed photo I shot without deciding it is secretly explicit, just because I am good at what I do and so is Forrest.
I am going to go watch TiVo. I never used to be a TV person. Went years without having one which got reception. But I bet CSI and Comedy Central will disappoint me less than my fellow man.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Ya know what really gets my goat . . .
This is probably going to bother some people, but I really don't give a fuck at this point. I am so eager to please. I am always thinking about other people's wittle feelings. I think it is time I got some consideration for a change.
(1) It really pisses me off that almost everyone I know gets free stuff from either the government or their family or both. I work my ass off all the time and yet I feel like there are way too many people who resent the things I have earned. If you are on welfare or have a giant trust fund, get the fuck off of my bank account. You don't know what I make and you don't know how much I give and you are in no position to judge.
(2) It really pisses me off when people have no concepts or ambitions of their own, so they want to snarf mine. For the longest time, I had no bio on my journal or anything else. I've made personal sites for other people, but the cobbler's daughter has no shoes. Finally, I add a pretty minimalist bio to my journal and MS account and I am now reading fragments of my text in other people's bios already. I suppose it should come as no surprise to me that a photographer who learned to shoot from one of my models and who has shot another one of my models in a location I selected to shoot them in . . . well, the fact that he wants to base his bio on mine -- just without the credits I have -- should come as no surprise.
(3) Wow, just when I thought people couldn't suck more, they prove me wrong. It really pisses me off when people slag the hell out of someone they do not even know and then act indignant when the person they libeled defends themself.
(1) It really pisses me off that almost everyone I know gets free stuff from either the government or their family or both. I work my ass off all the time and yet I feel like there are way too many people who resent the things I have earned. If you are on welfare or have a giant trust fund, get the fuck off of my bank account. You don't know what I make and you don't know how much I give and you are in no position to judge.
(2) It really pisses me off when people have no concepts or ambitions of their own, so they want to snarf mine. For the longest time, I had no bio on my journal or anything else. I've made personal sites for other people, but the cobbler's daughter has no shoes. Finally, I add a pretty minimalist bio to my journal and MS account and I am now reading fragments of my text in other people's bios already. I suppose it should come as no surprise to me that a photographer who learned to shoot from one of my models and who has shot another one of my models in a location I selected to shoot them in . . . well, the fact that he wants to base his bio on mine -- just without the credits I have -- should come as no surprise.
(3) Wow, just when I thought people couldn't suck more, they prove me wrong. It really pisses me off when people slag the hell out of someone they do not even know and then act indignant when the person they libeled defends themself.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Hate fake search engines/Call for writers and webmasters
So I've been thinking about how much lamer the web seems to be getting in some of the areas I am most interested. There are so few really cool sites any more. It seemed a few years back like everyone was working on an awesome site idea. Now the web is littered with fake search engines and cannot find servers where once there were sites. This really bums me out. So I am going to do something about it.
Do you have an idea for a site you would like to do, but you don't have the dough for hosting or the knowhow to get it going? If so, contact submit@blueblood.net with your proposal or private message AmeliaG at http://www.blueblood.net/. Please provide info on what you would like to do, why you are qualified to do it, and what you will need to do it.
I will accept both sites which are going concerns in need of hosting and new concepts in need of nurturing. I may be willing to purchase an existing site, if I feel it serves the community. I may in rare instances be able to pay writers to do work for hire on a particularly useful idea.
I am just really sick of going to URLs where sites in the scene used to be, only to find a fake search engine in their place. And I am going to do something about it.
Do you have an idea for a site you would like to do, but you don't have the dough for hosting or the knowhow to get it going? If so, contact submit@blueblood.net with your proposal or private message AmeliaG at http://www.blueblood.net/. Please provide info on what you would like to do, why you are qualified to do it, and what you will need to do it.
I will accept both sites which are going concerns in need of hosting and new concepts in need of nurturing. I may be willing to purchase an existing site, if I feel it serves the community. I may in rare instances be able to pay writers to do work for hire on a particularly useful idea.
I am just really sick of going to URLs where sites in the scene used to be, only to find a fake search engine in their place. And I am going to do something about it.
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