I passed 800,000 views on my flickr page on Sunday. The above shot, from my September shoot with Kat on a Lake Huron beach was one of my best to date. A total Bardot classic pin up vibe to it as was mentioned to me more than once. She is wearing one of Violet's corsets. Violet's corsets have been a God send in this past year - as much credit goes to to her and them as does the beautiful girls who have worn them for me.

Rick, one of my friends on Flickr commented that my work has progressed a lot over the last year. That I was meant for this. I know I have grown as a photographer. I always try to push myself and try different things. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes I do not. It certainly has been a fun ride. I usually subscribe my success to serendipity, but I know there is more to it than that.

I found the key is to have fun and build a good rapport with the models. I like a quote I found a while back by photographer William Albert Allard. In part ,

"If a subject has a delicate surface to it, you do not want to go charging in there. You need to establish some kind of presence and understanding. I will say, 'Try to forget I'm here. I won't ask you to pose, I won't ask you to do anything.' It's important that I just be allowed to be around, to be present. Photographing people requires a willingness to be rejected. So, I think the best approach is to be honest and direct. Very often, I tell them, "You don't know me. There's no reason why you should trust me...the only thing I can promise is that I'll try to do the most honest work I can." Ultimately, it comes down to somehow being able to instill confidence. I don't think you can bullshit your way into that, because a lot of these people can see through walls. If you want to photograph people, you'd better know something about them."

I try to really follow that. Seems to work for me most of the time. :)

Mike Wood
mikewoodphotography.com