Girls, Tamales, and Weed: A Roadside Stack in Cathedral City
Photographed on Perez Road in Cathedral City, the stacked signage reads like a checklist of vices: Showgirls Gentlemen’s Club at the top, followed by The Tamale Spot, and finally Mr. Weed at the base. Neon-lit adult entertainment, Mexican-American food, and a cannabis dispensary — all sharing one stucco arch like an accidental monument to indulgence. Whether intentional or not, the visual alignment is perfect. And no, I didn’t rearrange a thing.
This scene is one of many I’ve captured throughout the Coachella Valley and beyond — places that catch the eye, make you laugh, or quietly say more than they mean to.
You’ll find plenty more on my site: fast food photographed as-is, straight from the bag. Stark desert signage. Protests. Gallery installations. And yes, a body of work that leans into what might be considered porno chic. Go to http://SecondFocus.com
Keeping up my interest in aviation, this was a design I thought was good for a future flight suit for women. Model Kajira saying what one might expect “Is This What You Wanted To See?” From our photoshoot.
I was so very pleased to have found Nova. Totally random but for some reason I remembered her. I collect these Hasselblad books. Nova Published In Hasselblad Victor Photography Book One. Original photograph by Damon Loble. Nova was very excited to see this. She had never seen it before.
From time to time I have been asked to do lighting classes on photographing models and using lighting modifiers. I doubt if my ideas would get me any manufacturer backing. However some photographers might sign up. What do you think?
Behind the scenes with Amber Flowers wearing a Broncolor softbox. Hasselblad digital camera system.
Amber Flowers wearing a Broncolor softbox. Hasselblad digital camera system.
Amber Flowers working on the proper positioning of a Broncolor beauty dish. Hasselblad digital camera system.
Amber Flowers working on the proper positioning of a Broncolor beauty dish. Hasselblad digital camera system.
Marisa Mell as Eva in the movie Danger Diabolik being projected on a wall at an event for Palm Springs Modernism Week 2014. The erotic look of her dress and the scene is my idea of Mid-Century Modern.
Modernism Week, an international event annually in Palm Springs. Alongside is the Fine Arts Fair which can be, in my eyes, a little more fun than just architecture and furniture. Here are some examples from 2015.
Naughty Booty by Steve Maloney.
Photograph of a work at the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair during Modernism Week. A more edgy work.
Photograph of a work at the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair during Modernism Week. A more edgy work of similiar scenes painted and photographed in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
A photograph of The World At Your Feet by artist Jay Kelly. At the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair for Modernism Week.
A photograph of a photograph of items of Helmut Newton. My office looks much the same without the flowers and 8 ball. This was at the Annenberg Space For Photography in Century City CA.
When shooting film, I have learned that it is more economical to photograph with two models at the same time. I will have to remember to do that more often.
Should I add this to my sports photography portfolio? It is cycling. Ok maybe not. Model Aristodeme. Hasselblad digital camera system and Broncolor lighting.
A truly superb documentary about photographer Helmut Newton. Certainly my most admired and that of many more over the decades. From 2004 on the introduction of the giant volume of his works by Taschen. Long since sold out but last available for $22,500. https://www.taschen.com/…/blog/1485.exclusive_preview.htm
“As BABY SUMO, a masterpiece reworking of Helmut Newton’s seminal tome, hits shelves on what would have been the photographer’s 100th birthday, Vogue asks if sex really does still sell women’s fashion?”
“It’s an interesting moment to rerelease SUMO (1999), the 464-page Helmut Newton monograph that weighed 35kg and came with a specially designed Philippe Starck stand. To meet the current moment, it has been redesigned: now called BABY SUMO, it’s half the size and relatively speaking, it’s reasonably priced at £1,000. (The signed first-edition of SUMO became the most expensive book of the 20th century when it sold at auction in Berlin for 620,000DM in 2000, approximately £506k today.)”
SecondFocus Blog 