This short video, made from one of my photographs, is part of an ongoing process. The original frame was taken at the Salton Sea, with a six-foot-tall model whose presence matched the stark, surreal landscape. What once felt complete becomes reimagined. A new creativity emerges when a photograph is no longer the end point but can be the beginning of something else.
AI is not replacing photography, it is perhaps the next step in its evolution. Just as the darkroom once blurred the line between truth and manipulation, and just as digital editing expanded what could be done with an image, AI now pushes photographs beyond the instant they were first captured. A single frame no longer even has to remain fixed.
Photographers have always revisited their work. Returning to old shoots reveals overlooked images. Advances in editing software, like once with chemicals and light in the darkroom, allow us to reshape and refine what we thought was finished. AI continues that tradition—yet it also introduces something entirely new: photographs can now be recreated with words, or even imagined out of words alone. Perhaps a photograph is no longer just what we saw, but what we can imagine.
To see more of my work—from photography galleries to videos—visit my website at https://www.secondfocus.com Just click the menu button at the top when you get there. Thanks!
Maria Bertrand from one of our many photo shoots. This was along Mulholland Drive overlooking Bel Air. I am so privileged to have her in front of my cameras.
Noel in a chair that has been in my life for 36 years. Studio photo shoot with a Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Makeup and Hair Styling by Estee Lauder featured artist Blanche LeBeau.
Would love to get back to shooting some “Polaroids”. I still have a camera for it and some packs of Fujifilm. Discontinued, the film sells for a premium. But it makes for a look I really like.
Model Aristodeme naked except for wrapped in papier doux. A day we spent shooting with many unusual props and ideas. Much fun! Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Thanks!
Continuing my theme of shooting instant photographs. My photo shoot with Shauna Toerner had me bring out my Fujifilm Instax mini camera. We had so much fun shooting these and many more too.
Occasionally I get accused of objectifying women in my photographs. Far from it, I am only guilty of showing these women as powerful in their beauty and sexuality; with or without clothes. To quote famed photographer Helmut Newton… “My women are always victorious.”
Model Kajira in our photo shoot. Powerful in her own way. Studio shoot in Palm Springs.
This is the preying female of the species. From my photo shoot with Shauna Toerner. One from one of a few series we shot that day. Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting.
Xtine posing in our photo shoot at Bombay Beach at the Salon Sea, One of my all time favorite models at one of my all time favorite places. Xtine, a professional model at over 6 ft tall and a superb photographer herself. Video shot on a Fujifilm X-Series camera. Photo shoot with a Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting.
Just too fun! Instant photographs from my shoot with Shauna Toerner. Actually shot about fifty. Love the look and so simple.
And as for Shauna Toerner in front of the camera…. Just Wow! Love her and will be showing more from our shoot soon.
Including more of the Fujifilm Instax instant photos, the photos from the shoot itself on Hasselblad digital and Broncolor lighting. Some video too! Makeup and Hair Styling by the ever impressive Natalie Lyle. Thanks!
The scenic road along Mulholland Drive made much more scenic by Maria Bertrand. From our photo shoot. The dress, so flawlessly woven into the tree by Maria, GUESS by Marciano. Photographed on Hasselblad digital.
Just last week the Bombay Beach Biennale 2018 was a great success with art installations and ballet and opera and fun. Sadly I missed it with flying duties at the Palm Springs Air Museum. However I have been doing my own art installations at Bombay Beach and around the Salton Sea for a number of years.
Bombay Beach boating fashion with model Xtine. Eco-friendly, everything we packed in we packed out. And we walked away with our Art created with a camera. The Art created by Xtine, myself, a Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting.
Many installations of the Bombay Beach Biennale 2018, such as the the Opera House, The Hermitage Museum, Drive-In Theater, The Institute, Angler Grove, and Nine, have become permanent gifts to the town. I will certainly be going back out to take a look. Go visit and also remember that the Salton Sea is one of the most environmentally important places in the country and must be protected. Thank You!
There are those who know how to captivate the camera. You look through the viewfinder and as they move hit the pose, you slightly gasp in awe and press the shutter button. Such is Maria Bertrand.
Makeup and Hair Styling by the incredibly talented Blanche LeBeau. Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Always the best! Thanks!
“Emotion” – I just don’t know which one. From an incredibly fun photo shoot with model Severine. Superb Makeup and Styling with the stellar Blanche LeBeau.
Photo shoot notes… Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting. Only the best! Thanks!
Amber Flowers, fashion nude in our photo shoot. Through the glass this time, I love doing these videos! “Thrift Shop Fashion” styled by Amber herself and so very outstanding.
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