...

David Murcko, NY

"She got so she received all things with the stolidness of the earth which soaks up urine and perfume with the same indifference."

--Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes were Watching God

A road may lead to a single house...

[This photograph is full of secrets.]

...but it is not love's road.
Love is a river. Drink from it.

--Rumi

Chutes and

Deep Exposure, with Anoush Anou and Meghan Claire, CA, 2013

This is from a last-minute shoot in CA I was able to squeeze in before flying back east. I hadn't known either Meghan or Anoush would be coming to the shoot, and it was an awesome surprise--generally I really enjoy working with other models [disclaimer: within certain bounds...ahem]. 8]

A couple days after this the three of us rambled around a couple parks and then got the best ice cream in the Universe.

It's funny how much of my friendships-via-modeling seem to be the result of arbitration...it generally feels like a coincidence when I encounter another model at a shoot, given how much we tend to move around. Connecting, as a nomad, often requires a specific sort of opportunism.

Oh, and a follow-up to two posts ago: contrarily to all the books I'd listed, the first book I finished here on the east coast was Shakespeare's Macbeth, of all things. Though that's since been followed up by The Drunkard's Walk, which is an absolutely fantastic book on the history of probability theory and statistics, and commonly-held misconceptions regarding both--it's more heavy on anecdotes [giving amusing historical context, and illustrating problems in a qualitative, logical way] than on mathematics, so it'd be a worthy read for the layman as well as for the bona fide nerd.

...Oh yeah. I'm a model, not a book critic. I tend to digress quite a bit with these blog posts.

Dusk

James Jacob Desmet, NY, 2013

Modeling challenges my self-perception quite a bit.

It's interesting trying to figure out one's identity when one is a professional muse, inspirer, and--in many cases--pretender. When one makes a living off baring oneself--and off disguising oneself.

It's been a week now, and this trip has been a good one so far:

--In my first four days of modeling in NYC, three photographers asked to book me for a second shoot to take place during this same trip. Lots of last-minute bookings to more than make up for the very few cancellations.
--Have been able to kick it with some good friendpeople--including fellow models Elena Siddal, Emilie Pontellier, Velocity and Sister Thyme, as well as a childhood friend I've known since age two.
--Have indulged in some of the perks of NYC in the form of Sleep No More [!!!], a play called Love Machine, rambling through parks, and some fantastic eateries. Always, always, there must be some time for play. 8]

Feeling appreciative, appreciated, and awash in abundance--headed to DC for a few days.

In addition to modeling [part of which will be for a workshop on Sunday, the 26th--scroll down to a few posts back for details] I'll be visiting with my childhood nanny, and spending some time on an organic farm with a friend I made while backpacking in Yosemite's high country.

Bookworming

Christopher Lee Donovan, NH

As a model I've experimented both with road trips and with flying to a city and relying on public transit while there.

For urban areas and shorter trips that are more than a day's drive away, public transit's generally the way to go. It tends to be cheaper [and in many cases, faster].

But my favorite part about it is that it gets me to read--I actually look forward to these trips for that very reason.
As a kid I was something of a bookworm, but in recent years I've had a rather sporadic and fast-paced lifestyle and usually can't convince myself to plop down and get lost with a book when there's so much LIFE to experience instead [or when I'm stuck behind a steering wheel or a set of handlebars--I'm somewhat finicky about audiobooks and don't often use them].

Last time I was in New York I spent my subway rides ploughing through Anna Karenina.

I just managed to finish Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston the other week. Beautiful.

When traveling light [i.e., out of a backpack instead of a car] my book selection tends to be based on compactness and density more than anything.

My reading list for this trip:

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives -- Leonard Mlodinow
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories -- Franz Kafka
One Two Three...Infinity -- George Gamow
The Stranger -- Albert Camus

...Oh, but I've just now found a copy of The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker on my host's bookshelf...may have to read that instead...

Start spreading the news...

Badass polaroid taken two days ago by Deep Exposure! Meghan Claire, myself, and Anoush Anou in CA.

I'm leaving today...for New York, New York!

It's been about two years since I've been to the east coast--I've always had an absolute blast there.

My last trip entailed the two most productive and rewarding weeks of my entire modeling career [sometimes three shoots a day, working with incredible people to create some really beautiful work]...

...and a few days off to play. I stayed in an ecovillage in Western Mass where I got to help build a cob bench, milk goats, and ride a really powerful scooter through the woods, I made a good number of new friends [both within and outside of the modeling industry], and had some other fantastic adventures.

And that's not to mention how much fun I had the last time I was hanging out in DC--spent an extremely full day running around the National Mall like any good tourist and stayed at my old nanny's house [I hadn't seen her since about age six].

I'll also be hitting up Pennsylvania for the very first time ever.

Anyway, I'll be back east until June 7th!

Pre-tour, it's been a good few days. Whenever possible, I like to visit my family before embarking on extended solo trips [taken for modeling, or otherwise]. Was planning to be a recluse at my old house and told no one--but somehow my closest still-local childhood friends seemed to just KNOW I'd been in the area, and all called me out of the blue upon my arrival. Caught up with old-old friends, explored a strange yuppie-dog-walking-park/reclaimed-hobo-village with my sister, indulged in some fantastic local food...

I've spent this night preceding my flight playing bridge with my family [yes, I play bridge--anyone, anyone?], drinking rose tea with raw honey, and taking a lavender chamomile bath [quite a luxury--not only do I generally not make time for such things, but my home base in Reno doesn't have a bathtub].

As much as I'd call myself something of an adrenaline junkie, I relish the less flashy pleasures. 8]

Bam. Haiku-for-no-reason.

Bill M, MA

Glammiest of glam.
Some who love it; some will hate.
Yay, variety.

MARYLAND WORKSHOP IN MAY!

Yeah, capitals.

Who: Yours truly!
What: Fine art photography workshop--plus pool party and barbecue! Yes.
Where: MD [exact whereabouts released to participants after sign-up]
When: Sunday, May 26th, from 1-4pm

Here's the information:
http://simplyarlieevents.com/post/46504383824/body-and-soul-with-freya-gallows-may-26-2013

Interested? Contact Arlie directly: lightimagined@gmail.com

This is a great opportunity for those who want to shoot me over on the east coast but are lacking the budget for a private shoot, for those who are new to photography and would like to some guided practice, and for those who think a pool party and barbecue with myself and a few other photographers sounds pretty dandy. 8]

There are only two or three spots left, so time is of the essence! 8]

Fifty feet of chain

"Like all cold men...

...he was easily driven to sentiment."

Quotation by Ian Fleming [re: James Bond].
Photos by Annie Montgomery. [She's amazing, no?]