(Snapped on 6/21/11)
This entry follows the previous one in rapid succession, because for one thing - my kids are all out of town this week, and so a.) I've been busily replenishing my depleted self-portrait reserve, and b.) I have extra time to sit and write about the pics.. But besides that, my haste to post something more interesting (visual?) than the last (perhaps?) disappointing post - is akin to the urgency that had me in a panic to make up for the failed shoot that I spoke about the last time.
I'm not gonna lie...my run-in with the cops the other week, wasn't as much of a wake-up call as it probably should've been - but rather a reminder of just how thrilling it can be to stage shoots that are a little more dangerous. Most of the self pics. that I've taken recently, happened after getting permission from the landowner. Now that's not to say they've been completely stress-free, but at least I wasn't worried about being arrested.
The night after the close call though, I was itchin' more than ever - to snap some new pics.....and equally ramped-up to do somethin' sorta sketchy. My kids had been home with me that day, so it wasn't until they went with their dad that evening, that I began mulling over what type of pics. I should take. I don't remember what triggered the idea to hop the fence at the back property, and photograph myself on the railroad tracks - but as soon as it hit me - I was all over the concept!
A dear friend of mine recently sent me the link to this deLIcious photography blog - and while poring over each and every photo, I was filled with admiration and envy all at once. Evidently the images became tattooed on my brain, because after snapping a series of ho hum pics., while perched atop the train tracks that night - my poses gradually morphed from predictable and stale - into something somewhat more dancer-esque. I am not a trained dancer by any stretch of the imagination, and I wasn't consciously trying to mimic the movement of the dancers on that blog - but as soon as the photo above appeared on my computer screen - I knew exactly from where the inspiration had come...
(Snapped on 6/24/11)
Thing was though, there wasn't quite enough variation between any of the photos, to warrant devoting an entire blog entry to them. And on top of that - much as I was diggin' their serene quality, it told nothing of how literally painful it was to run barefoot up that steep, gravel bank in order to get into frame each time. For days, I was picking splinters of metal and bits of broken glass from outta my poor tootsies...and never before in my life have I had bruises on the bottoms of my feet. Ow. But the other thing that I wanted my readers to know, is how nerve-racking it was to be standing in plain sight of motorists on the roadways beside and below where I posed.
Soooo...I decided to go back and stage a shoot during the daytime, that way I'd have more pics. to write about on my blog - plus I also hoped it might give folks a better understanding of how difficult it was to work in that environment.
And hey - check it out! Trains actually do travel along this track...at around 55 mph., I'd guess. Matter of fact, in the time that it took me to stage this second shoot, four different freight trains made welcome appearances.
(Snapped on 6/24/11)
The nighttime shoot lasted for a scant 20 minutes, but produced one picture that I actually like. The daytime shoot however - dragged on for more than three hours...and yes - I did an ok job of documenting the conditions, but other than that - the pictures fully SUCKED! Frick an A! I mean really?! Three hours of being nervous and abusing my feet - balancing on a rusty wire fence like a million times?! And yet again - sprinting barefoot over all of those rocks! And for what...literally nothin'. Like seriously? Where is the justice in that?!!!
(Snapped on 6/24/11)
The whole shoot felt cursed, but I knew that I was screwed - when I couldn't even eke out a decent cheesecake shot...*grrrumble*
(Snapped on 6/24/11)
I blamed the bleak results on a lot of different things; first the sun was too bright, but then it started to fade...and it was undeniably hard to become immersed in what I was doing, when I kept wondering if some passerby would sic the cops on me...oh yeah, and did I mention that this nonsense was absolute murder on my feet?!
(Snapped on 6/25/11)
The most messed up part about this story, is that I returned the next day to try again.........Listen, you ain't gotta tell me I'm thick...cuz believe me - I already know.
I had wanted to see if the morning sun might make a difference, but unfortunately - it was overcast and grey that day. Drats. It was also a Saturday and lawd was traffic heavy. There is a railroad crossing about 20 feet from where I repeatedly splayed myself across the tracks, and after noticing the same truck pass by several times - I got the willies. I collected my junk, scuttled back over the fence, and waited in the woods to see if anything would happen.
After a few minutes I thought, "Hmmmm...I wonder if I should try to sneak one or two topless pics., real quick..." and right at that moment, I heard a vehicle pull off the road and into the gravel on the other side of the tracks - and abruptly slam on his brakes. "Oh crap!" I bolted across my property and back towards my house, but before I had reached it - I heard a police car siren...until it shut off at what sounded to be - the very same place as where the other vehicle had stopped.
Now it could be that I'm just paranoid after my other close call...but I would bet dollars to doughnuts that both vehicles had come there to question the bikini-clad woman taking pictures of herself on the tracks...whatchu fank...
I'll be the first person to admit that I'm a hardheaded numbskull about certain things like...skulking where I probably ought not skulk. But in regards to my self-portraits? I think I may have learned a lesson. Sometimes it's probably best to leave well enough alone...