I’m inspired. I’m absolutely fired up. I’ve been building custom lights and rigs, new camera mounts and sets. My vision has blown open.
The problem is I’m in the middle of prototyping, iterations, and sometimes I feel like I’m running in circles. But that’s not the worst of it… I may not have anything to show for it for at least a year or two. That kills me.
But I keep shooting. I keep looking. I keep making my special brand of filth, trash, etc…
Looking back at the first year of the Mister Devious project… it’s still going, morphed and distorted from it’s original intent. It’s still going though. Whatever form it bubbles into in the next 10 years, there will always be a consistent thread through it all:
A personality is the sexiest damn thing there is.
Here are some sample images from those early days. Forgive the technical failings and the technological shortcomings of the time. Let those things fall aside and enjoy the photos of beautiful people who briefly let you into their intimate world.
I thought I’d take a moment to remember Ash. The fuzziest, sweetest photo assistant I ever had. Sure, others were more helpful. That’s to be expected; Ash was a cat after all. Until cats grow opposable thumbs they’re limited in usefulness.
He did shine in one aspect. Everyone loved him. He deserved every ounce of affection given to him. He deserved every rub, scratch, lap, treat. He deserved the baby talk, piggy back rides, warm bed and large meals. He was special.
I’ll miss him.
Here’s Chloe giving the ol’ boy a rub before getting on with the shoot.
Megan Murray was one of my favorite people to work with, and for a time she was a good friend too. Our time working together was prolific, rambunctious, filthy. With her, and a few other models, I think we successfully blurred the line between art and porn.
I’m not going to call it erotica, ’cause that’s just fuckin’ stupid. (I always felt that erotica was wank material for spineless shits.)
Either way, this portrait doesn’t fit within either of those classifications. I think it’s just a damn good capture of an introspective moment of a beautiful girl.
Harmony Hanson, the first model (and first shoot) featured as a Devious Girl for the Mister Devious project.
Ten years ago this week Harmony Hanson gave form to the very first Mister Devious shoot.
Ten years later I’m still working, playing, touching up those early photos. Ten years I’ve been beating myself up over mistakes, coulda’s, shoulda’s, woulda’s. This week though, I’m going to pat myself on the back. The mistakes I’ve made (many, many mistakes) aren’t holding a candle to the experience, the friendships and adventures I’ve had. I’ve helped start some interesting careers, ended a few too, I think (hopefully not my own).
I’m not going to get nostalgic on yo ass. I wont wax rhapsodic. I just want to take a moment to thank all that submitted to my camera, made art with me, showed vulnerability, defiance, humor and sex, sex, sex.
