If all you know of Toledo is that she designed Michelle Obama's outfit for the inauguration, toss your expectations out the window. Michelle Obama's dress and coat are the low point of the show, demonstrating that even a great designer can crank out some boring crap for politician's wife. I wish she was better known for her real work and not her compromises. But it got her on the map, so all's fair... go see this show (Isabel Toledo: Fashion From the Inside Out, The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), through September 26).

Alas, no photography allowed. This was nearby. (larger)

I know next to nothing about fashion design, but my impression is that most designers start by sketching and sort of imagine their piece and then have patterns created based on their sketches. But I think that Toledo is starting with the patterns themselves, looking for simple, elegant construction, and letting those concerns drive the outcome and look. Which is subversive, craftsman-like, and very beautiful -- and also applicable to other arts, including photography.

Prison (larger)

Off to "the" city for a few. Advance apologies to all my New York friends who I won't call.

Jen (larger)

The first time I go out photographing with somebody, when I get to this point, then I know that I'll get more good pictures.

Shannon (larger)

From a 1940s vintage Leica with an equally old Elmar lens, using good old Tri-X. It's hard to get any purer than that.

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Not that I care about the damn camera.

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But the third photo is from the digital camera, and while I like it for the image itself -- and I made my best effort with the post-processing -- I think the comparison shows why slow, deliberate use of film is still superior to the quick gratification of digital. It makes me want to get rid of everything else and just shoot 35mm for a while. And I am crazy enough to do just that, even if film is such a pain in the ass.

Shannon (larger)

This photo is not a faked Photoshopped oddity. It is an entirely straight shot showcasing Shannon's raw talent. (She can move her left and right nostrils independently too.)

Shannon (larger)

Grrr... then she stirred my guts with that giant swizzle stick.

Velocity (larger)

And converted:

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I'm not much into shooting with "traveling naked models for hire" but... Miss Velocity is quite the pro. If you're into that sort of thing, please hire her on my recommendation. This is an outake from a Zivity set that we did. I'm not much into that sort of thing either, but if you're going to pose or shoot for a website like that, don't pussyfoot around -- be bold as hell and do it right.

The inexpensive Panasonic G1 digital camera continues to impress me. It has a few quirks but thankfully image quality is not one of them. Now if only they would start selling a few fast prime lenses for it (and less expensive batteries).

I have a lot of photos left to edit and post, so stay tuned. Shooting more for my friend Miss Kramp on Monday too.

Uh-oh. Syracuse is the same city that Meagan Sample lives in. Dare I mix these two? Can my heart take it?

Shannon as a sort of zombie cheerleader. (larger)

I hope you like my studio. (larger)

She's been doing tutus for quite a while -- check this out. (larger)

Since she is just starting out, these are one-offs and her stuff keeps evolving, but I think you can see her style emerging -- just like any other creative endeavor, she needs milage (quantity = quality). If you're interested you should check out her Kramp Kouture website and Etsy shop. She really needs to double or triple her prices, but if you spend over $100 I'll include an 8x10 print of your choice.

Apologies to the dozen or so people waiting on images from the past month or so, but I just got my computer back from repair and there is a lot of catching up to do -- paid jobs come first, so the freebies and tests will simply have to wait.

I'll have a little free time in NYC at the end of the month, if any bona-fide clients or collectors would like to see my work and meet me in person.