I had the wonderful pleasure to work with Pavel of Dark Matter Zone on a photo shoot this weekend. He saw a photo of me online and asked if I would model for a shoot. I hesitated... I don't really think of myself as being all that photogenic.

Also, I've never thought of myself as a model. I have done some modeling, but that was for art classes at a couple of the local colleges, and it was something I could fit in between my classes. It was an enlightening experience. An hour or so of 30 second or minute poses with different lines and angles so students could work on quick sketches, followed by either a 3 hour or two 90 minute poses for the more intensive work. There was also a local artist (who has since moved away) that I did a few sessions for. The most fun part was seeing his display at a gallery and the 10 foot mural of me doing a backbend dive against the sky.

Photography is much different! Much more naked. It is not someone painting their perception of you. The art is in the use of light, setting, and orientation of the body within to create a perception. Very intriguing. I am not quite creative enough to be behind the camera.

Thank you Pavel for the opportunity to explore this new realm. While I will still probably never randomly volunteer to model, at least now I can better appreciate the complexities of the art...and maybe feel less intimidated in front of the camera.