ernaburn

A new groove

Added 2024-01-28 03:27:06 +0000 UTC

I have hard drives full of photos, organized by photographer. Just over the last six or seven years I've worked with over 100 people, most of them men.

I guess back in the day, it felt like 100 first dates...each new person was a couple hours of chatting and getting to know each other while we worked, all the while me being naked or half-naked. Thankfully I've had largely respectful experiences, and maybe one in 10 of those people I worked with again and again.

I can get energized by other people's creative energy, but I can get depleted by it. But for the last year or more, I've been slowing down on working with new photographers. I've been learning to photograph myself, and also prioritizing women and non-binary people behind the lens. I get in grooves, channels with certain people. We get to know each other's style, we work quickly, the photos turn out well.

But I tend to get stuck in my grooves, and maybe even making rules that limit myself. I have an Instagram inbox deeeeeep with DM's of people who asked about working together, but I felt drained or there were simply too many to read them all. Some perhaps I just tabled for later and, in my ADHD way, forgot to circle back.

@chellothephotoguy was one on my list for a long time, someone I wanted to shoot with but was struggling to find the time in my schedule. I have to say it was a refreshing experience, and made me miss engaging with new photographers in that way. I love these photos so much (there are more too, will share those soon). Definitely check out his Instagram if you don't follow already.