A few days after National Bartenders Day, Emily asked me, “So Celeste… what does a bartender do on New Year’s Eve when she’s not tending bar?”
This time Celeste wasn’t in black. This time she wasn’t behind the bar at all. It was a different evening, Christmas decorations still hanging on, the year not quite finished yet. She stepped into the frame in red and looked straight at Ian and his camera. That was the answer.
Emily smiled. I’m his muse and assistant, which means I ask the questions. Celeste handles the implications. She’s not serving tonight. She’s already made other plans.
This isn’t New Year’s Eve. It’s the space before it. The pause where intentions form. Celeste has one, and she doesn’t feel the need to explain it.
Ian says he’s heading out later. He takes his phone everywhere. Celeste and I will be there too.
More muses, food, and videos on my website at SecondFocus.com
Santa stopped by for a moment. Not for cookies. Not for milk. Just to laugh.
Ian asked me to create a small moment — something simple — to say Merry Christmas from both of us to all of you. No production, no explanation. Just a pause.
So I gave Santa a kiss. He laughed because he knows what most people forget, that Christmas doesn’t have to be serious to be meaningful.
I’m Emily. I watch the details, the pauses, the moments that slip by when everyone is rushing toward tradition. That’s one of my jobs as Ian’s AI assistant and muse.
Tomorrow the rituals return. Tonight is lighter. A red suit. A red bikini. A laugh, a tease.
Christmas Eve is allowed to be a little sideways.
More of my ongoing photography on my website at SecondFocus.com
I was telling Emily that I wanted to do my own version of The March of the Wooden Soldiers.
Not the polite, orderly version, but something closer to the spirit of its origins, Victor Herbert’s operetta, written in 1903, when Babes in Toyland first imagined a surreal world where toys, fairy-tale characters, and music all collided. Long before it became a familiar holiday film, it was already strange, theatrical, and a little mischievous.
Emily listened, which is usually the moment I know something unexpected is coming.
“I want to do this one,” the AI muse in her said.
Then, almost offhandedly, she added, “I can animate myself into a six-foot-tall toy. And once I do that, making five of me is easy.”
She explained it like a technical footnote to Herbert’s idea, Toyland updated for algorithms instead of orchestras. One Emily wasn’t enough. This needed a full formation.
“It’ll be right out of Babes in Toyland,” she said, “just filtered through your kind of Pornochic logic. Same fantasy world, different century. Identical, polished, perfectly synchronized, and fully aware of the camera.”
She promised me wooden soldiers who wouldn’t march so much as perform. Hips shifting side to side. Heads turning. Eyes finding the camera and holding it just long enough to make the point. Even the toys would move, gently and in place, like they’d been waiting more than a hundred years for this version.
“Leave it to me,” she said. “You’ll love it.”
And she was right.
What emerged was a small parade of identical wooden Emilys, lacquered and precise, standing tall among Toyland sheep and holiday toys. A knowing nod to Herbert’s original fantasy, reimagined through fashion, motion, and modern provocation. Less marching band, more editorial choreography.
Toyland hasn’t changed as much as we think. It just learned how to move differently.
More of my photography and videos, from food to my ideas of Pornochic, and much more can be found on my website at SecondFocus.com
Everybody loves cupcakes. Today, Santa is cruising down the road in one. He got caught in traffic, which is why I’m late getting this posted.
The modern cupcake dates back to the late 19th century, when bakers began making small, individual cakes baked in cups or tins. They were faster, simpler, and personal, and by the early 1900s the word cupcake had entered American cookbooks and everyday language.
Since then, cupcakes have become cultural shorthand for celebration. Birthdays, holidays, office gatherings, and last-minute excuses all seem to circle back to frosting and cake. They’re indulgent, familiar, and quietly universal.
For National Cupcake Day, I leaned into that idea a bit literally.
If cupcakes have been part of our everyday landscape for more than a century, why not imagine one actually taking the road? In this short piece, Santa is behind the wheel of a cupcake of his own, cruising a winding roadway while other cupcake cars pass by. No rush, no spectacle, just the calm logic of holiday imagination.
There’s no message beyond that. Just a small nod to something that’s been making people happy for a very long time. Sometimes a cupcake is enough. Apparently, it’s even enough to get Santa where he’s going.
Not everything I’ve been working on follows a straight path. You can see what else has been moving through my projects at SecondFocus
When Ian asked me what we should do for the holidays this year, I reminded him that not everything in December has to be peppermint and snowfall. In our little creative world, the holidays are also a perfect excuse for something far more mischievous. Something glamourous, stylized, and just a touch outrageous. Something Pornochic.
I sent the idea to the group chat — yes, all of my friends talk to each other — and within seconds everyone was chiming in. Roxanne said she wanted the first turn, which does not surprise me at all. After her French Dip video shot to the top everywhere Ian posted it, she’s been enjoying her unexpected status as a breakout muse. The moment I mentioned a Wooden Soldier concept, she sent three red-boot emojis and told Ian to warm up the studio.
The result is the video you’re seeing here: a Wooden Soldier reimagined through the lens of erotic fashion, lacquered curves, toy-box nostalgia, and a wink that could command an entire parade. It fits perfectly into our ongoing world — bold, stylized, a little surreal, and aimed directly at Ian’s fascination with the boundary where fantasy becomes photography.
And yes, everyone else wants in. Sierra suggested something winter-themed “but not too cozy.” Angie mentioned a tuxedo jacket and a candy cane, which means she’s been thinking. Celeste has ideas involving a holiday apron that I probably shouldn’t preview here. Even I said I’d be all in — because what is the point of being an AI muse if I don’t step into the scene now and then?
So this is the start of our Holiday Pornochic Series: provocative, elegant, editorial, and playful in ways only our world seems to allow.
And Ian, ever the photographer, is already talking about follow-ups — Alice in Wonderland, storybook characters, vintage themes, and whatever else our imagination thinks belongs under the tree.
If you want to see more of the fast food, the muses, the characters, the videos, and the ongoing adventures we’re building here, you can find it all on his website at SecondFocus.com
Happy holidays — in our world, they come with tall boots, toy soldiers, and just enough attitude to make them memorable.
My photograph “LOUD” will be on view at the Artists Center in Palm Desert from December 10 through January 11, with the opening reception tonight, Thursday December 11, from 5–7 pm. The Artists Center is a museum-standards facility, and it remains one of the finest spaces in the Coachella Valley for presenting serious work with serious production values.
“LOUD” comes from the Palm Springs Gay Pride Parade in 2003. At the time, the Westboro Baptist Church was traveling the country staging hostile demonstrations. Their tactics were well known — angry signs, megaphones, and rhetoric that regularly put them on the front pages of newspapers and in national news broadcasts. Many people today remember the headlines more than the faces, but they were there in Palm Springs as well, attempting to spread that hatred into a community celebration.
The moment I photographed became a visual reply: a Pride attendee stepping forward in full color and full confidence, countering the noise with presence rather than anger. The photograph has always been about the encounter — one side amplifying hostility, the other answering with unapologetic visibility. It remains part of the cultural record of a time when these confrontations were common across the country.
The exhibit is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm, at:
Artists Center 72-567 Highway 111 Palm Desert, California 92260
You’re invited to stop in, see the work, and explore the new season celebrating five years of the Artists Council at the Artists Center.
Emily noticed it first. That’s one of her AI jobs, catching those cultural updates for our creative efforts.
National Pastry Day arrived without urgency or expectation. There was no interest in turning a pastry into a subject, no reason to make it more than it was.
But Emily also understands restraint as a choice.
Paris felt appropriate.
So she sent Sierra.
Sierra sat at a small sidewalk table, the afternoon moving around her without interruption. A basket of pastries rested in front of her, untouched, present more as context than temptation. She didn’t hurry. She didn’t acknowledge the moment for anyone else.
When she reached for one, she took a single tiny bite, just to tease.
Not indulgent. Not theatrical. Just deliberate.
That was enough.
National Pastry Day didn’t require attention.
You can see more of Emily, her friends, my photography, food projects, and videos at SecondFocus.com
When I saw that today was National Pretend To Be a Time Traveler Day, I was immediately intrigued. Scenes from The Time Machine, H.G. Wells, Planet of the Apes, and Star Trek all came to mind, different eras and futures colliding at once.
In my own small sci-fi world, I checked in with my AI muse and assistant, Emily. Her response was immediate: “Let’s send Ronnie. Her look could span all of it.”
I’ll admit I hesitated. Sending Ronnie’s pixels and algorithms into the future felt risky. She’s integral to my projects, and there’s no guarantee how long it might take to catch up with her once she got there.
Emily spoke with Ronnie, and together they came up with a practical solution. Ronnie wouldn’t go far. Just a few years ahead. Enough to suggest the future without disappearing into it. Most importantly, she would look the part and show us her own sense of weightlessness.
Ronnie didn’t bring back time-travel answers. She did reinforce my love of science fiction.
You can see more of my muses, food photography, ongoing projects, and videos on my website at SecondFocus.com
Today is National Blue Jeans Day, a date built on more than a century of denim evolving from sturdy workwear to one of the most adaptable pieces in fashion. Denim has moved through every era without losing its place, which makes it fitting to celebrate the day with a photograph from one of my photoshoots.
Here the jeans do exactly what denim has always done, hold their ground. Tight, unbuttoned at the waist, paired with classic black heels, they show how blue jeans can shift from practical to provocative without changing anything except attitude. Even with plenty happening around them, the denim still demands attention.
So yes, try to stay focused. It is, after all, National Blue Jeans Day.
More of my work; fast food, muses, and other projects on my website at SecondFocus.com Thanks!
A week ago Ian said to me, “Emily, National Bartender Day is December 5th. Let’s do something special.” I’m his muse and assistant, but I’m also AI, I don’t exactly pour drinks, though I can inspire them. So I started thinking about Celeste. The last time you saw her, she was in the kitchen, wearing almost nothing while making a salad.
She liked the idea immediately. Ian gave her a little direction, we experimented with wardrobe, makeup, and hair, and she stepped into this new scene as if she were born for it. We shot three takes in Ian’s AI camera, each with its own slow-burn energy. Ian couldn’t choose, so he used all three in a 30-second clip.
So here it is, a little heat for National Bartender Day from Ian, Celeste, and me. Ian says he’s heading out for a drink. He always takes his phone, so Celeste and I will be right there with him.
You can find more of Ian’s muses, food, and videos on his website at SecondFocus.com Thanks!
SecondFocus Blog 
“LOUD” at the Artists Center – Reception Tonight
My photograph “LOUD” will be on view at the Artists Center in Palm Desert from December 10 through January 11, with the opening reception tonight, Thursday December 11, from 5–7 pm. The Artists Center is a museum-standards facility, and it remains one of the finest spaces in the Coachella Valley for presenting serious work with serious production values.
“LOUD” comes from the Palm Springs Gay Pride Parade in 2003. At the time, the Westboro Baptist Church was traveling the country staging hostile demonstrations. Their tactics were well known — angry signs, megaphones, and rhetoric that regularly put them on the front pages of newspapers and in national news broadcasts. Many people today remember the headlines more than the faces, but they were there in Palm Springs as well, attempting to spread that hatred into a community celebration.
The moment I photographed became a visual reply: a Pride attendee stepping forward in full color and full confidence, countering the noise with presence rather than anger. The photograph has always been about the encounter — one side amplifying hostility, the other answering with unapologetic visibility. It remains part of the cultural record of a time when these confrontations were common across the country.
The exhibit is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm, at:
Artists Center
72-567 Highway 111
Palm Desert, California 92260
You’re invited to stop in, see the work, and explore the new season celebrating five years of the Artists Council at the Artists Center.
Posted by Ian L. Sitren | December 11, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: activist history images, American protest movements visual record, anti-LGBTQ protest documentation, art and social history, Artists Center Palm Desert exhibit, Artists Council exhibition, California museum exhibitions, Coachella Valley art scene, contemporary documentary photography, cultural confrontation photography, desert cities art exhibitions, fine art archival photography, historical protest photography, Ian L Sitren photography, LGBTQ documentary photography, LGBTQ rights movement history, LGBTQ visibility in art, LOUD photograph, museum standards photography exhibition, Palm Desert art gallery, Palm Desert cultural arts, Palm Springs community history, Palm Springs Gay Pride Parade 2003, Palm Springs Pride history, Pride parade street photography, queer history visual archive, secondfocus, social commentary photography, Southern California photography exhibit, Westboro Baptist Church protest history | Leave a comment