(All pics. snapped on 7/23/11)
My approach to this shoot, as well as my disposition while taking the pictures that you see in this post - could not have been more dissimilar to that of the last set of pics. that I wrote about. During the fated "amphibious" shoot, I was anxious and antsy and unable to apply myself - all because I was too geeked out over the prospect of meeting a man on a blind date, later that day.
There is a common thread connecting the two shoots however - "my date" who (sight unseen) had me in too much of a tiz to make anything (good) happen with the "amphibious" pics. - is also entirely to blame for how this "love shack" group turned out. Not only did he provide the location for this shoot (Thank You!), but it was because of him - that I felt a renewed sense of purpose to tap into something more meaningful...and why I was brimming with genuine inspiration.
The tricky part about all of this though, is - for as much as I'm tempted to go into elaborate detail about all of the ways that "my date" helped to imbue these pics. with more oomph than that last dismal set - I feel that I must bite my tongue - in order to circumvent turning The Big Ugly into another over-the-top "tell all" digest, a la my old Big Ugly Blog. I wouldn't dare risk jeopardizing this very new, but promising thing we've got going on, by exploiting it..."my date" deserves better than that.
What I will tell you though, is that this was unequivocally the hottest shoot that I have ever staged. The mercury was aiming to reach a new summertime high, and that - combined with brutal humidity - had me slipping out of that nighty and into something more comfortable, soon after just getting started. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the temperature inside of the shack was easily 105 degrees or more. I honestly don't remember my body ever being quite that drenched with sweat, before this.
Compounding the sweat factor, was my trepidation over if or when - a snake might come out of hiding to terrify me, or if I'd be bitten by a black widow spider, or finally get stung by the wasps that relentlessly dive-bombed and surprise-attacked me - for the solid hour that I shot these interior pics..
But you know something? I loved every single minute of this shoot. I loved feeling focused and exhilarated once again...I loved the setting despite my fear of snakes, venomous spiders, and aggressive, stinging insects...and believe it or not - I actually liked being this sweaty for my pics..
In a nutshell, these self-portraits sort of signify to me - that I was (when I took them), and somehow miraculously still am now - in a much, much happier place - geographically, artistically and emotionally...(Knock on wood that I don't mess it up)