Welcome to the eighth edition of AQUILINE MAGAZINE! Enjoy AQ’s newest images! We’ve made it to issue eight with no nudes in all the issues but did push some boundaries on implied and sexy shots. Don’t get me wrong, I love nude images and think they may even go great in future editions. Early on though the decision was made to keep everything Instagram-friendly. Nude images are great because they are somewhat of a “freak detector” for me personally. If someone has major personal issues it usually manifests itself when they see sexy or AQ nude images. For people like me that’s a great way to sort out the people I want to avoid and not deal with. Silly but it’s true. Taking nude images is more complicated because we are in a transition where nude used to be socially taboo and now are more acceptable. It seemed like mostly church people were against my nude images when I started and I learned something. I learned that maybe they possibly had some reasons. This is just speculation. Imagine if all men ran around nude. When you come across a guy you know at work and find out his private parts are like two inches long you’re like, “hmmm well poor guy”. Now you come across this other tall guy at work and well his private parts are like ten inches and well, “Holy gee whiz”. They are both hanging out at the company BBQ and it’s a bit awkward. My point to this is that once you know all people aren’t equal in physical gifts maybe that would change how you respond to them unfairly. Suddenly it hits me how the church going way-back in time must have rigged things. Their current prude and horrible behavior may have started out of a logical sense to try and equalize the playing field so to speak. Consider that some private school systems did this same type of idea by making students wear a “uniform”. Up until then there were the rich kids in their great outfits and there was the less fortunate with maybe lesser brand name clothes. So it hit me that while some people may act like jerks about nude images that the problem was we as a society, collectively were horribly judgmental people. We should have learned to enjoy the different body shapes just as they were born. The second part of this conversation is what I like to think of as the white elephant in the room. Why would some people be able to take nude images to display publicly and some people cannot? Many would love to show off their nude body because well they have
one great body. Let me throw in an unusual analogy here. There is a computer game called Warcraft where your tribe fights the other tribes to the death and gets a win. You can win mostly because you have more fighters and better equipment. You get all these fighters and equipment by digging in a gold mine. Those mines are of course limited and you have to get gold from them and protect them from your enemy getting your gold. This my friends represents real life, more than I’d like to admit. If someone goes to take nude photographs and they make their parents angry, well they better hope their parents aren’t the ones funding their dorm room or bills. If so huge drama ensues. In the event a house wife does nude images she best gets support of her current significant other assuming they share finances. You may get where I’m going with this. I can ask people straight away why they won’t do nudes and they dance around this topic like a square dance. Other say outright that they would love to shoot nude photos but the corporation they work for has specific policies against employees doing such things. I’ve shot with some daughters of political runners up and they told me I have to keep it down-low because their parents would disown them if they found out they modeled. In their culture it’s said that modeling is “slutty”. The main point of all this is if you anger your support structure be it a spouse, corporation, parents, well they can waive the money you need over your head and control you. Forget the fact that what you did is legal. Forget the fact that it’s natural. Forget the fact that it might be liberating or therapeutic to you. Most people who can do nudes are older and have their own money. Most young people who can do nudes have surrounded themselves with the loving support of peers from “hippies” to other types of free spirits. In the end you can talk freedom but you don’t have it unless you can do what you want, right? Given enough money you may not want your freedom anyway right? I can dig that. In any case you really do need the people who support you emotionally and financially to back you up. Give it some thought! Tracy Rose is a technologist, artist, photographer and general imagery aficionado from Colorado Springs, CO. His photography can be seen in numerous online publications and restaurants at the end of the universe. About the cover: Emma-Underground is one of this year’s powerhouse models. We shot many genres from exquisite candy based portraits to science-fiction looking artwork.
Muses and Models by Dan Lee As a photographer, I spend most of my time looking for images I could use in the stories that I write, for things that capture the beauty of a decayed landscape, of the ruins of the modern world in the form of urban exploration. I’ve waded through hip deep weeds, climbed stairwells that probably wouldn’t have supported my weight when they were new, and been cut on more broken glass and rusty barbed wire than I care to talk about just to get a shot of a crumbling plaster wall covered in faded graffiti. The one avenue of photography that I’ve been most interested in, but have yet to explore, has involved a model. In my head I have these great ideas, these images of macabre beauty and strangeness that would fall right in line with the stories I write. When you decide to use a model, there has to be a certain level of trust and respect, a professional intimacy that’s key to making a beautiful, naturally flowing set of prints. The photographer is trusting that the model will work with the setting, will play to the camera and fit into the fantasy that is being created. The model, on the other hand, is expecting to be treated not as set dressing or a prop but as the subject of the work being formed. The model becomes the Muse for the artist who has traded his oils and brushes for a lens and film. A friend of mine is an alternative/punk model here in Nashville and has done several shoots in recent years that have been absolutely amazing. Routinely going to Bonnaroo and Burning Man she shares some of the most intense and hauntingly strange pictures. Likewise, several of the models and photographers I follow online have a variety of styles and themes that they work in. While most could fall into the categories of glamour and fashion, others delve into the bizarre, the macabre, and even erotic and more sensual areas of film. I really want to talk about that last category, though, because among all other fields none have received as much angry controversy and criticism as nude photography. The human body is not entirely unlike any other form in the animal kingdom, but we do stand out a bit more than some of our cousins. Bilateral symmetry, mostly hairless flesh, and exposed reproductive organs. From a very clinical and rational point of view, there is nothing about the nude form that is overtly sexual. Even after an artist takes hold, begins to direct and capture that image, to mold it into the desired form there is still nothing directly sexual. Much like beauty being in the eye of the beholder, a photograph or a
painting of a woman, bare breasted and exposed can only be construed as sexual when it is the intent of the observer to make it so. Some of the most phenomenal shots I’ve seen have been nude women (and men) against the backdrop of something elegant and enormous. To see the naked form in the craggy, deceptively barren lands of the desert with towering mesas and the looming starscape slowly pouring out across the dusky horizon can offer a sense of both wonder and humility about our place in the universe. Even so, because of this culture we live in full of ultra-hormonal, over sexed adolescents in adult bodies, a woman is easily and often shamed for breast feeding her child in public, let alone taking off her clothes to make art. Models are often “slut shamed”, targeted by critics and creeps as being “easy” because they’ll make these deeply intimate and revealing sets. The comments I’ve read on Instagram alone run the gamut from “You’re a goddess” to crude offers to fornicate for money while few take any time to revel in the empowerment and confidence of the model or the talent of the skilled photographer who created the image. Likewise, the photographers face the unflattering accusations that their work amounts to little else but pornography not to mention the usual taunts and heckling that any artist receives. After all, everyone’s a critic, especially those with closed minds and no talent. For a photographer, a model serves as a Muse, bringing to life the image that has been created a million times over in their head. It’s a moment of pure joy to see this idea spring forth and come to life at the end of a lens. For the model, it can be an experience of elation, becoming the subject of a dream made flesh, to truly be the Muse inspiring a work of art. You can pair anyone with a half decent camera to any pretty face make a stock photo for an office handbook or some small business brochure. That’s not hard. The challenge comes in searching out that perfect moment, that coming together of talent and skill that becomes a masterpiece. I think I’ll give some more thought to the sort of set I want to shoot, find the right model, and see if I can make something wonderful but for now, I’m happy to sit back and watch the masters work. Dan Lee is an author and amateur photographer from Nashville, TN. His fiction has been seen in numerous online zines and publications and links can be found through his blog at dannoofthedead.wordpress.com
Model is Nicole13
Photographer Butch Lemen
to time and look for models in those places to shoot with while we are there.
an AQ Interview My name is Butch Lemen. I was born in Seattle WA and grew up all over the west coast. Photography has been a passion of mine since I was a little kid back in school and often took pictures of all of my friends. Even though I chose a different career path, I have always taken photos over the past 30 plus years. In 2013 I decided to start making my hobby more into a business. Now after working with some of the top tattoo models in the industry, I have been able to publish many of my photos with several models. I do shoot all types of genres including family, Commercial, automobiles, senior photos, wedding, modeling portfolios and magazine publications and anything else that comes along although my favorite is working with models. I like to focus on the model in the photos themselves. The most rewarding feeling for me is when I can take a model that is self-conscious about themselves and show them what the world sees in them that they do not see in themselves. That is exactly why I do what I do. My wife, who is also a very talented photographer, and I do travel from time
AQ: You were shooting models for a while of course and suddenly started becoming quite serious about it. What were or are some of the challenges that faced you moving to be more of a serious glamour photographer? I started out shooting my daughters cheer and dance team and started to put together albums for the parents when one of them said “Thank you for the pics and how much would you charge for some family photos?� That's when I decided to start shooting more and more. It started as a hobby and now is something that I am working to create an avenue for when I retire from my career job I have had for the last 30 years. The hardest thing to do is balance my time between both and find the time to work with more models and hone my craft a little more each time.
AQ: What or who influenced you to be into photography?
I fell in love with the state of Washington where I was born and raised and started taking pictures back in the 5th grade. I purchased my first professional camera
Yes, I have. I was on location doing a desert fairy shoot when all of a sudden my strobe popped and caught on fire. I have also lost lights due to strong winds. AQ: Do you have any favorite images you have taken so far? Why did these become your favorite? I have several. Some are from my landscape collection for the most part. I have several images from the modeling but I would have to say the picture of Inked Amilia in the river is my favorite so far. it happened to be the first publishing with her and it has been a great experience for both of us.
when I was 16 and it has taken off from there. I have definitely been influenced by some of the great tattoo photographers that I have had an opportunity to work with. AQ: What motivates you to continue to take pictures? Is it therapy, economically, politically, intellectually, emotionally, or just fame? I do it for multiple reasons. For me it is therapy for sure. The main reason I do it though is for the female models I work with. Most women are self-conscious about the way they look. I like to make them feel comfortable and show them what the world sees in them that they do not see in themselves. Once they see the final images you can see the glow and increased confidence they have. That's the big reward for me. AQ: I saw your great beach shots and reminded me of all the lip biting I was doing at a beach shoot once, hoping I would not lose any of my equipment to the waves and sand. Have you had any onlocation incidence with breaking or losing equipment?
AQ: I saw that you shot at a mansion in Las Vegas with an array of models. What did that opportunity afford you that you were not already getting at home?
It was a great experience. I was able to work with seasoned models and learn from some great photographers at the same time. I am always up for a learning experience especially from some of the greats in the industry. It is a great opportunity for both models and photographers. AQ: What do you see as your niche in photography or style that differs from those of your peers? I focus on the subject, to make them feel comfortable, to get the amazing shots that they would like to see. I focus on the tattoos and the beautiful art that the models are portraying. AQ: I adore your work with Inked-Amilia. I see the work with you both getting stronger every shoot. What is your favorite image shooting with her? By far the one of her in the river with her hands in her hair. Still my all-time favorite.
AQ: Do you agree shooting more and more with the same models gives power to an image? In a lot of cases I do. As the model becomes more comfortable with the photographer the better the images become. It also helps me to learn what to do to draw the best images and emotion from the model during the shoot. AQ: Do you have any grand goals that you might achieve through your photography work? My goals are set pretty high. I want to be an internationally published magazine cover photographer. I also want to help future photographers and models to grow in this business and help build their careers for success in this industry. AQ: Thanks for letting us get to know more about you Butch! Best of luck and we will keep up to date with your new shoots. Butch’s work can be seen at https://www.instagram.com/blp_models/
The Statue Project By Tracy Rose
Perhaps the limited near infrared in shadowed images causes the camera to concentrate more on light bouncing out of the skin. Who knows?
I promised some of my fellow photographers I would publish the technique of creating human statues in near infrared once I had a full artistic grasp of what I had created. While many of the local photographers in my area were playing copycat common photographer with one another I was often in my own world shooting and experimenting with the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the beginning it was more about phenomenology. I mean, iron absorbing infrared was good to know. Also blood hemoglobin had iron and veins stood out in some shots because of iron there too. That was all fine but after feeling comfortable in near infrared the journey was to take a separate journey involving lighting mixes and strengths.
Cloudy day near infrared subject
Sunny day near infrared subject Near infrared in really bright sun always has this black and white feel due to so much reflectance from the sun. The shadows looked like standard portraits and veins didn’t show up in models due to so much infrared coming at the camera. The next scenario was cloud covered sky and subject. Cloudy days made you crank the exposure all the way up. This is because most all of the near infrared was from the sun and blocking it made the images so much darker than regular photos on the same day. Once near infrared was bouncing around in the shade, the subject’s veins started to pop out a great deal more in photos.
These were my go to set ups for many years. Once I decided that the winters were just far too cold and long, I created my makeshift studio to shoot indoors. At this point I took some shots with my indoor soft-boxes only to discover that my dark studio in additions to soft-boxes summed up as zero near infrared light. I mean it was pitch black in what was to my eye a bright studio space. In the infrared camera it was dark because of the florescent lights used. Initially I threw infrared aside and worked on true-color for a while. Then it occurred to me that my patio had this gorgeous unidirectional light for some quick portraits in near infrared. I know entire photographer setups where a model is just posed against a wall and that is the photographer’s entire portfolio. Given that fact, I decided to make this “upagainst-the-wall” a part of my winter photography. This was the third phase of my experimentation and all three sun, cloud, and unidirectional window lighting looked quite different.
Unidirectional window light near infrared subject At some point I got curious as to what type light would come out of my flash in this pure black infrared environment. I gave it a shot and the flash created some very low light images from way across my studio.
Sideways flash from distant near infrared subject
I enjoyed the dark boudoir and intrigue to this genre. There were some tech nerds from a conversion company that began to tell me how to “fix” this type imagery. At that point I remembered why they were knuckle-dragger cavemen holding a screw driver and I was the artist. I had fun bouncing the light off the walls and ceiling to create some pretty cool if not occasionally haunting effects. Of course by pointing the flash and getting closer, this product could also be very similar to the unidirectional images taken near the patio. One day I accidentally both left the normal room lights on (white light) and also shot something against the black backdrop that I have. The combination of these created and ultra-sweet blue color pallet. This robin’s egg shade of blue product made me decide to try and create my statue idea. Since statues are stone white infrared plays perfectly into this concept. The blue background (which was really black) gave it a surrealistic edge that I liked. Also new batteries in the flash produced an almost over exposed near infrared subject looking much like a statue. So there you have your two new elements. One is using a black cloth background. Two is using some normal white light from an ordinary white-light lightbulb to add to if not intentionally contaminate the scene with the flash. The beauty of this high exposure art is that any race will look like a statue in near infrared. One of the most magnificent things is that you don’t have to cover the model with any paints or other gooey messes. As you see in this scene below we used a sheer cloth to depict water. Since any fabric that is synthetic often glows white it fits right into the scene. So there you have my five unique lighting scenes in near infrared!
Straight-on flash with mixed white light and black background
Model Shelby-Louise