I had one of my most successful art nude photo sessions in June 2006, working with a model in the Nevada desert outside of Las Vegas. I really came back with a high percentage of keepers. (Five of the six most popular photos in my gallery at Deviant Art are from that one day, for example.) Maybe it was the location that was so great. Maybe I just felt very creative that day.

I can say with certainty, though, that much of the day’s success was due to the model I worked with, Carlotta Champagne. I’d wanted to work with her for some time, having been very impressed with the photos I’d seen of her. Having finally gotten to work with her and having seen the results, I of course wanted to do so again.

That finally happened last night. Carlotta is in New York for a couple of days, so she came over to work with me in my home studio set-up. This was the first time I’ve worked with a model since July of last year – eight months ago – and the first time that I’ve worked in my ‘studio’ in about a year and a half.

Whenever I work with a model after a long hiatus, I normally begin things by doing the tried and true. Last night was no exception, as I began working with Carlotta against a black background. Eventually, though, I began experimenting a bit, taping up a white piece of fabric (normally used to wrap around a model) on the backdrop holders’ crossbar to serve as a diffuse backdrop. I then placed one or both lights behind the fabric to illuminate it from behind.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the results of this photo session with Carlotta. Hopefully one day I (and you) will, but it’ll be a while. As I think I’ve written here already, I’ve already got 36 rolls from my trip to Southeast Asia to develop and file – and I probably won’t get started on that in earnest until I’ve finished filing most of the 25 rolls from Tibet that I still have to do!