Yes, I live in Forest Grove, Oregon. But when I shoot locally, I shoot in Portland. And I have access to a studio there. I also arrange shoots when I travel.
On my recent trip to Chicago, where I had the opportunity to work with some stunning models, I attended the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at the Art Institute. When asked how long a portrait session would last, the photographer apparently enjoyed giving this answer: "Longer than the dentist but shorter than the psychoanalyst." Clearly, the words "dentist" and "psychoanalyst" weren't chosen lightly.
I have joined Model Mayhem in order to advertise in an online portfolio seen by many models and photographers the work I have been doing in photography and cast a wider net for contacts, specifically, female models.
For unfettered access to several photos of mine like you see here on MM (or cannot see because some of these shots are blocked unless you are a Model Mayhem member), click this link:
http://photosofwomenbydoylewesleywalls.tumblr.com/
I am not a photographer by trade. I am a professor of English language and literature. I am not trying to change professions: I am expanding the one I have. Cross-disciplinary work is prized in a university where such topics as creativity, artistic self-expression, risk, and even the first amendment are valued.
A few years ago when I was on sabbatical from my teaching, I began taking photographs seriously as a stimulus for my writing. A sample of that connection for me between photography and writing can be seen at this URL on my Typepad blog (which I haven't been using much these days compared to my Tumblr site):
http://doylewesleywalls.typepad.com/bre … t-a-d.html
In addition, I have given a presentation--shown one hundred of my photographs and read from one of my essays--about my experiences photographing women and, specifically, the reaction to erotic imagery in the university today, at a conference held by The School of Visual Arts in New York City.
The fact that I am not a professional photographer but I am exclusively interested, here anyway, in photographing women does not make me a "GWC." (For anyone just surfing here, a "GWC" is a "guy with a camera"; it is a derogatory term well known among models and professional photographers for a guy who is using his camera as a ruse to get next to the models. He does not want to make art; he wants to make the models.) It is important to understand the following fact: just because a man with a camera is not a professional photographer does not mean he cannot be professional in his dealings with a model. I am here to make the best art I can with a camera (and Photoshop). I am here because I want to make more and better photographs.
Anyone who photographs people--no matter how proud of his or her work as a photographer--knows that a model is an important collaborator in this artistic endeavor, not merely a prop to be placed somewhere and then lit. (There is only one director on the set: me; but I would be foolish not to listen to ideas and respond to the person before me while we are working together.) As a professor, I work only with the mind and spirit of both the women and men I teach. However, as a photographer, I am just like every other visual artist--photographer, painter, sculptor, filmmaker, etc.--because I also appreciate the physical aspect of a woman. So her look is important, and I can and do celebrate everything from photographs that portray a soft beauty to those that exhibit a hard eroticism. But in addition to her look, I am seeking a particular spark in her attitude--something in her confidence, intelligence, and creativity.
I treat a model with respect and courtesy at all times, even when we are both working to produce an edgy portrait. I point to the woman who was seven months pregnant when we had our shoot, who wrote me a kind note afterwards and said she would like to work with me again. Her safety was my first priority on our shoot; making great shots was a very, very close second. I point to the woman who shot with me and then asked me months later if I would photograph her 17-year-old sister; that says something, too. I met the parents; everyone signed the minor release form, and we went to work. (Perhaps I should define the words "and we went to work": what I mean by that is that we turned, with serious intent, to the great pleasure of creative play in an attempt to produce work we would both be proud of.)
My biographical note is covered in greater depth in my profile at my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/doylewesleywalls
If you are interested in such topics as politics, art, humor, music, supermodels, commercials, poetry, film, philosophy, history, television, censorship, pop culture, and criticism, my Vodpod might interest you:
http://doylewesleywalls.vodpod.com
You might enjoy some mixes of music at my 8tracks.com site:
http://8tracks.com/doylewesleywalls
Or stop by my Tumblr site; most of my blogging is here now:
http://doylewesleywalls.tumblr.com/
If you are preparing to enroll at a university, or if you already are a university student, a recent essay of mine might interest you:
http://irascibleprofessor.com/comments-10-25-08.htm
Many talented models and photographers on Model Mayhem have inspired me. Thanks to all of you for that.
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