markvelasquez

I Remember, Pt. 3

Years later, it's these small details that stand out to me more than our long, complicated relationship and its tumultuous, impactful ending.  For better or worse, you are almost completely a series of simple still-frame images trapped in my fading emotions, and I can't say I'm unhappy about that. 

I Remember, Pt. 2

I remember the first time I saw you, leaning down to gather the contents of your spilled life from that bag. Your skirt just a bit too young, too short, revealing a crease between your right cheek and thigh that through practice I could later trace in my mind. Though only slightly older than me, you easily conveyed experience and knowledge that intimidated and electrified me from the very beginning.

I Remember, Pt. 1

By special request, an erotic tale of raging highs and dreadful lows. Enjoy!

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Find this special series at the $25 Level and no where else!

HIGHER, Pt. 20

After about fifteen minutes hanging out at Ana's car, we casually walked back to the entrance of the building, happy to discover the building manger was no longer in the lobby. We carefully and quietly made our way up the elevator and back to the apartment where she was able to grab the rest of her things, and she gave me a tight, warm, loving hug that only a stranger who has shared a harrowing experience with you can. She loved the photos we createdthat day and assured me that she would love to...

HIGHER, Pt. 19

While making all these calls and waiting to have the matter resolved, I repeatedly apologized to Ana, fearing that she was judging me as an unprofessional lout. Thankfully, she was the ultimate professional and was laughing about it, saying it was the first time anything like this had ever happened on one of her shoots. Clearly, this was a day that we would tell stories about for years to come.

HIGHER, Pt. 18

I was stunned by the sudden change in our circumstances, and I was unsure of why or how I had let the man force us out of the building. Even though I still had the keys in my pocket, I didn't dare upset the man further. Worse yet, for the first time in years, I was at a loss of how to react to the situation, especially with the man fuming on the other side of the glass door, glaring defiantly at us only inches inside the door.

Thankfully, Ana had brought her purse along, and only having parked...

HIGHER, Pt. 17

I tried to make my way to the second floor, but the man pushed me on to keep going, and refusing to tell him what apartment number I was in, he once again accused me of just sneaking into the building. With no regard or concern about Ana at all, he then continued to lead us down to the lobby, where I offered to go to my truck in the garage and show him I was there by permission, but at that point, he was apoplectic, and he shoved me and Ana out the door of the front lobby, her still in her under...

HIGHER, Pt. 16

As we walked down the flight of stairs, Ana still in her underwear and the see-through lace vest she had worn earlier, cluthcing her meager belongings to her chest, the aggressive, bellowing building manger followed us only two feet behind, continuing to yell.

"What apartment number are you in, who let you in this building?!!" 

"I have a key, sir, I'm parked in the garage below..." I muttered, worried more about Ana's comfort and safety than anything else. 

"Bullshit, who...

HIGHER, Pt. 15

But apparently my agreeable manner wasn't enough for this man, who finally introduced himself as the building manager by screaming that information at us. "Who are you house-sitting for? What apartment number?!"

"We're on the second floor, we're getting off the roof right now, there's no need for further yelling," I assured him calmly and diplomatically. However, I could clearly see this man had no desire to be placated or calmed down in any way.

"Get the FUCK off my roof!" we heard behi...

HIGHER, Pt. 14

Almost without warning, as Ana stood there in little more than her underwear, an older gentleman of about 70+ came storming up the stairs, literally screaming, demanding to know what we were doing up on the roof. As Ana quickly covered herself, I calmly assured the man I was housesitting for a friend and that I thought it was okay to be up on the roof. 

"Can't you fucking read?!" the man asked rhetorically, which I knew better than to sarcastically answer. "The roof is off limits, we're d...

HIGHER, Pt. 13

After the banging ended, we continued to shoot, with Ana repeatedly playing with her outfit, slipping parts of it off, then changing back and forth between the dressing gown and being topless and letting her hair cover her breasts. That's when we suddenly received a visitor that would ruin the rest of the shoot.

HIGHER, Pt. 12

As she stood there looking more classic and iconic than the Statue of Liberty, we began to hear (and feel) a gentle banging from below us. We knew we weren't making any noise, gingerly walking on the roof as best we could and talking in low, hushed tones. Still, the people living below us must have finally woken and grown immediately dissatisfied with the noise above them.

HIGHER, Pt. 11

Getting low, I shot up at her, making her appear as a Mary Magdelene type figure in my biased, Catholic school boy perception. She was heavenly, and I thought nothing could destroy the feeling of awe and wonder I was engulfed by in that moment. Unfortunately, I was of course wrong in that assumption.

HIGHER, Pt. 10

Finally, Ana took everything off and just put on a long dressing gown I had found in an old thrift store the week before. The moment she turned to me htere on the roof I thought I had stepped back in time. She looked so classic, like a Waterhouse painting, and I was actually dumbfounded and speechless for a moment before trying to figure out where I would be shooting her in it.

HIGHER, Pt. 9

She truly is quite astounding.

HIGHER, Pt. 8

I probably should have thought out a better idea than "stand there and look dreamy," but for the earliness of the hour, I was satisfied with what we were achieving.

HIGHER, Pt. 7

Satisfied with that first outfit, she next tried on a simple white slip I usually carried on my Los Angeles trips. As expected, she made it look elegant.

HIGHER, Pt. 6

As expected, Ana was a goddess. Not only was she beautiful, but she was calm, relaxed, and never complained. Plus, an added bonus, she needed no direction. Ah, the benefit of working with professionals.

HIGHER, Pt. 5

It was surprisingly overcast, and the chilly wind that rustled the eye-level palm trees didn't seem to bother Ana, so I tried not to worry about her comfort after the third time I asked if she was doing ok.

There were signs on the roof that read "Do Not Enter," but they were only on one small side of the roof and so I chose to use the other, signless area. We  threw our legs over the four foot high railing carrying a small bag of clothing options, and Ana stripped down to the underwear an...

HIGHER, Pt. 4

Once we got up on the roof, we were unsure of what to do, other than knowning I wanted her in all white. I'd been a fan of her images for a long time and wanted to enhance her dreamy, ethereal look as best I could.

HIGHER, Pt. 3

I had driven dwon the two and a half hours to LA to shoot with Ana and three other models. It was goign to be a long, busy day, and I had been up since 3am. My friends near Korea Town once again were gone on a trip and had left me their keys and parking garage opener, so I parked inside the gate under the building and was all set up by the time she arrived. We shot indoors inside the naturally well-lit apartment, then decided to head upstairs to the roof, where I had shot many times before with ...

HIGHER, Pt. 2

Spanish actress and model Ana Corbi currently splits her time between Los Angeles and places in Europe, and I was lucky enough to have her agree to work with me pro bono in 2015. She was as friendly and easy-going as she was ethereal, and she was as stunning and unreal in person as she appears here in these images.

HIGHER, Pt. 1

What's it like to shoot an internationally known model and actress in her underwear on a rooftop while being yelled at by the building manager? The story that goes along with these images is almost too outlandish to believe.

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McKenzie Eckels on Playboy.com!

I'm so honored to have my sixth submission accepted by Playboy! As you all should know, McKenzie is one of the best models out there and one of my favorites to work with. Playboy's write-up is so perfect, I'll let it do the talking for me:

" With skin like milky cream and curves seemingly designed to distract, model/actress/artist McKenzie Eckels brings to mind the most iconic of old-school bombshells (think Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe). When photographer ...