Good evening, Steemit! I fell off for the last few days because I’ve been frantically trying to finish “Dark Pinup”. @wcpublishing and I are in the final 2% of completion. It’s literally just print details now. All photos […well over 200] are edited and placed. Just polishing things up now. Once it’s sent off to the printers, I can breath a sigh of relief I’ve been holding on to for the last 8 months.
Before I get to the travel, I want to remind everyone that the deadline for Trial by Comics “Inks” is this Sunday, February 25th at 5:00UTC. I just spent a sizable amount of my voting power bumping all the outstanding entries for “Inks”. As always with Trial by Comics, the completion is fierce. I can’t wait to see the final entries and who will emerge victorious! Until February 25th, join our Discord channel for comics conversation, art promotion and theme suggestions.
I’m going to finish my three part workcation blog, chronicling my trip with @vermillionfox and @guthrie throughout the west coast. If you haven’t, take a minute to read “Los Angeles” and “Palm Springs” so you have some context. Las Vegas was our final leg out an incredible journey for all of us.
We left @danielkiessler and Berrit’s in the early afternoon, en route for a nonstop 4 1/2 hour drive from Palm Springs to Las Vegas. We had dinner plans with friends and I was going to attempt to be as close to on time as possible. Fortunately, @guthrie has been traveling with me since he was six weeks old. He an incredible traveller.
Leaving Palm Springs, I reveled in @guthrie and @vermillionfox witnessing sights I’ve come to take for granted, all for the first time. Fields of giant wind powered turbines, mountainous terrain entirely alien to our midwest home, Joshua trees in the Mojave desert and just before arriving in Las Vegas, the breathtaking sight of Solar City.
We arrived in Vegas and I stopped to pick up Masuimi Max and her husband, Morat. I’ve been shooting with Masuimi for years and she’s become a close friend, bonded over our affinity for technology and all things nerd culture. As a teenager, I had Bizarre magazine issues with Masuimi on the cover, pinup art cards featuring her by legendary artist Olivia De Berardinis. Shooting with Masuimi has been surreal enough, but to consider her a friend is both unbelievable, and yet, completely unsurprisingly. She’s one of the most down to earth, humble “famous people” I’ve met in my time shooting in LA. We ate at my favorite Vegas restaurant, Paymon’s Mediterranean. @vermillionfox assisted with a shoot the year prior, so she and Masuimi caught up over dinner as well. A perfect start to the remaining days of our vacation.
The next day, I had to get to work. Bright and early, I had a shoot with my best friend, @vintagevandalizm. For the second year in a row, we scheduled a shoot in February, knowing full well we wouldn’t be able to collaborate during Viva Las Vegas. This shoot was for the final pages of “Dark Pinup”. As always, @vintagevandal was over the top in her styling and preparation. She took me to a remote conservation land with tall dried grass, and a tropical palm and waterfall backdrop. We finished the shoot at our friend Sandy’s beautiful home in Paradise Palms. It was my favorite shoot together since our very first in 2014.
@vermillionfox and @guthrie enjoyed the resort time-share we stayed at. I think he was missing the water since his first run in with the Pacific Ocean. I was making calls and pulling wardrobe from Glam Factory vintage for a huge shoot the next day. Ellie Rayne and I we’re set to shoot during my final day in Vegas before coming home. I’d lost a really important model for “Dark Pinup” and the prospect of shooting with Ellie meant new photos for the book, and a perfect fit for what was a devastating blow for me personally. Ellie has never shot vintage/pinup and I knew we’d create magic…if we pulled this shoot off.
At the final hours, I put a call out on Instagram for hair and make-up artists for this shoot. Within 30 minutes, I’d received a message from a make-up artist named Emily Caitlyn. She was available and was able to connect me with a hairstylist as well. My friend Ralph confirmed that his incredible midcentury modern home was available to us, and with that the shoot was slated to happen.
Ellie met me at Ralph’s Speakeasy at 6:00p.m. I can go on about this shoot for another 5,000 words, but it was perfect. She looked stunning right through the door. She absolutely killed the pinup look with the help of a world class beauty team, shoot location and a collection of vintage wardrobe. She even felt comfortable enough to shoot implied/nudes, which the “Proclivities” chapter of the book desperately needed. It was perfect! I can’t wait to shoot with her again.
The night ended with me keeping a promise to take @vermillionfox for Korean BBQ. She found a place with great reviews and we arrived, savoring our remaining hours in Vegas. The food was so good, I knew it would ruin any Korean BBQ experience we have available to us in the Twin Cities. I was still on an art high, she was on a food high and we closed out the night grateful for the miles traveled and memories made these last ten days.
Thanks for reading! For more travel, photography, art and the stories behind the work, follow me here @kommienezuspadt!
Oh man that top shot of Ellie. Its absolutely stunning. Your colour work really is world class!!
Thanks @davekavanagh! Means a lot from such a great photographer as yourself.
Just saying it as I see it dude. Work like this deserves high praise.
Love the styling in the tall grass! The photo feels so exotic paired with her headpiece. Can't wait for the book to come out - I just officially placed my order yesterday!
Awwwww, you did!? Thank you so much @polebird! That means so much to me that you'd support the book. It's the truest representation of the last five years of my work. A lot of my blood, sweat and tears went in to making it.
Yes, of course! ☺️Your work is amazing and I can definitely tell all the dedication you put into your photography - truly an art! Even more dedication to publish and share with everyone! Congrats on getting down to the final 2%, you are in the home stretch 😁
You do amazing work!
Thanks @kp138! I try!
Nice ass!🙂
Wow that’s brilliant and I can’t appreciate enough the amount of effort you putting in to create this👍 Great great job😊
Thanks @lucky17! I do what I can.
Awesome!!! Can not wait for the book
Awwwww, man. @chickenfeet. Comments like this make me so happy.
Please let me know when it's out :)
I'll be following you anyway.
Great use of light...your pictures are really cool my friend...using light,composition,colors...directing the model...everything is superb..!!!
Congrats and have a nice day my friend...:)
Thanks @mnallica! So nice to see those qualities are noticed by other artists.
You are very proficient in the field of photography @kommienezuspadt, the images are full of art and intriguing. I want to learn a lot from you.
Thanks @damilfian. If you go back through my feed, I've posted quite a few lighting tutorials and Photoshop walk throughs. Thanks for the comment.
Amazing post. The pictures are spectacular. That lady in the tall weeds almost looks like a religious icon, in her roses and shining crown attire. The family photos are warm and open, and the food one is making me hungry and jealous at the same time. Thumbs up, mate.
I totally thought that, too, @goodnode! The wardrobe has sort of a Catholic vibe to it. She made that headpiece herself. Thanks for the comment and upvote!
Wow, that last (besides the food, lol) photo of her with the light in front looks like a drawing or a painting; I love how the shadows give it an almost surreal feel. Your work is amazing.
Really appreciate the kind words @phoenixwren. Thank you. One of my favorite comments on my work is that "...it looks like a painting". You're the best!
fantastic & accomplishment!
Thanks very much @pwangdu!
the food look faaaaaaantastik like this post ;)
keep it up!
If you're a foodie, follow @gringalicious, if you aren't already @kingyus! Thanks for the comment.
Wow great photos and content. Thanks for sharing. @journeyfreedom
Appreciate the continued support @journeyfreedom!
she is hot and yummy.
Okay.
Ellie is a fantastic model and the lighting in both images is superb. It gives of a high fantasy vibe, like a sorceress or succubus. Well done :)
Ohhhhhh! I like that comparison @mrlightning! Thanks for the comment.
Holding on photos is so hard, and the mire I hold them the harder it is for me to publish them after. I have a set thats now 2 years old and I still can't decide to release those images
Do it @vmoldo! That's what Steemit is all about. Wait until communities roll out. There's going to be such great photography groups.
I honestly hope for more portrait photographers to join, there are so many great landscape photographers but on the portrait side we are quite under number
Stunning photos, love the light and colors!
Thanks @chriskautzer. Appreciate that!
I wanna go to the Dark Pinup release party that @ghostfish mentioned. I wonder if that is still happening! :D That book is going to be amazing.
It is happening @velveteendream. There's a big one in Vegas on Thursday, April 19th at The Artisan Hotel, but if you can't, there's going to be a release party in Minneapolis at @caffetto with burlesque and all sorts of crazy shit.
I love the lighting in the pin up photos. The film in the background and the setting gives it the old hollywood vibe. The exotic woman in the tall grass was also a great idea for a photo. Her clothes blending in with the yellow grass make it looks like she's emerging from the grass like some kind of goddess.
Thanks very much @thunderbirdcomic! I've sort of cornered the market on the Old Hollywood noir thing over the last five years. I love working with @vintagevandalizm, though, because we're always doing something totally different.
Fantastic blog. Hope you guys didn't lose money on the Craps table like I did. ..
I didn't lose anything @jameshsmitharts! I do all my gambling in the crypto-space and that's nerve racking enough, lol. Thank you.
Jazmin and Masuimi Max are two of my favorite models! So lucky you get to work with both! Have you ever done work with Sabina Kelley? I think she's beautiful as well!
I am so glad your trip was so much fun! Sharing times like that with family is the best part. Hugs and love to you friend! <3
Thank you @artedellavita! Yes, it really is unbelievable to me Masuimi has become such a close friend now. I grew up collecting magazines and cards that featured her. This was when I was like 19! @vintagevandalizm is probably my closest friend these days. She's amazing! I love her so much. I've never shot with Sabina but she's a close friend of the @wcpublishing team.
Lucky duck! And they are lucky to have you in their life! I can’t wait to buy your book! It’s gonna be a coffee table staple in my home 💜
It's nice to finally read one of your stories and gain an understanding of what you do. I've heard Adam and Kylene talk about you on their Iceland trip that I also went on, accompanimg my sister. Anyways, great photos. I really like how edgy they are, I especially like the one either the girl in the tall grasses. It just made me feel good and some sort of magical.
HAHA! Thanks @rubygoat! So you're @joleenwillis' brother? She's doing great here. I love her photography. When @vermillionfox and I get married, I'm seriously considering hiring her. We're thinking New Zealand.
It's kinda funny, I knew it was you because you look just like Adam! I was like, this has to be him. Haha. I am @joleenwillis' sister, Ruby! Ya, she has a gift and it's neat to see all that she accomplishes with it all the time. New Zealand would be rad, I'm sure she would love to do that and all of you would have such a great time together. Maybe I'll get to go again too😂
You guys are gonna have the most fantastical wedding shots! I mean NO PRESSURE or nothing but they better be amazing!
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STOPBeautiful photos, I'm a little sad and annoying because I could not publish anything for the Trial by comics and they stole some cables and leave everyone without internet, many days and nothing I can do anything because there is no Internet :(
Gosh, what a beautyful photos, first one is dope
Fantastic, this looks amazing! Glad you found a good stand in for the girl that canceled on you. That food looks too good.
OMWord!!! I love the gold themed shot in the woods....brilliant!!
Your work is sick :)
Ah I can't wait for my favorite new coffee table book! (Don't worry, I have a big coffee table) Not to sound morbid, but is that lamp just made of tessellated Ellie Rayne cheekbones??
Amazing photography, and really interesting to hear the story behind the images. Beautiful ladies, great composition, striking colour palettes... Bravo!