It takes good friends and a lot of trust to do what I do. I was recently reminded of that trust when my friend "Monica" came to Winter Haven for a visit. Let me premise this by saying that in terms of good kind people "Monica" is at the top of my list. Her kindness and compassion for the world continue to inspire me on a regular basis. By working with Monica I learned a very important lesson about photographing people. It's great to have a model that is beautiful on the outside- but it's amazing to have a model that is beautiful on the inside.
So I met Monica in a college photography course that we were both in over a summer many years ago. I was taking a break from film school at the time and as I look back now I had no idea the ramifications this class would have on my life, as you can guess I didn't finish film school. Anyways Monica was struggling with the course and asked for my help in order to preserve her grade point average so I agreed and a friendship ensued. I too needed a favor so I asked her if she'd mind modeling for an art project. I had recently seen Alan Parker's Angel Heart and decided that I'd like to do a variation on a scene that included Lisa Bonet doing voodoo. Monica must have thought I was a little crazy as I described this to her -I mean what smart girl is going to go in the woods with some guy she hardly knows to dance around a fire? Yet there she was waiting for me one early saturday morning and into the woods we went.
This was the first of many times she signed up for one of my crazy photo shoots and still to this day she follows me into the forest with no trepidation what so ever. Thanks for believing in me Monica your faith in me is one of the reasons I keep trying.
The two images I've attached show the first time we worked together and the last time. There are so many cool images from all the times we've collaborated together that I just can't show them all. Don't worry I'm sure more will continue to pop up...
