Splendor in the Grass, Pt. 3

Here’s the link to the images: 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7MlCEoEDaftdndBRjVYLTBIR2M

SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS

It’s been a long while since I met a new model and considered her a close friend fairly quickly. Or maybe I should say it’s been a while since I trusted a model, let her into my thoughts and my life. Thankfully, Jessamyne is becoming one of those people.

I had worked with Jessamyne only once before on her way down from San Francisco on one of her modeling tours. She stopped through my small hamlet just to work with me. We had shot at the local sand dunes, then spent the rest of the night eating a bunch of tri-tip, drinking whiskey, looking at photos, and simply chatting and having some well-needed laughs. She was bright and fun and positive, the kind of person that cheers up a room and makes you smile against your will.

We kept in touch but I didn’t think much about her until last month when I had to go to Los Angeles for a talk I was giving at a group gallery show I was in. I always try to work with new models when making the three hour drive down to LA, both to stretch my creativity and to broaden my business community. Unfortunately, all the women who kept saying they wanted to work with me were suddenly busy, and though it sounds rude to insinuate that she was my second choice, I did hold off on contacting Jess until the last minute.

Unexpectedly, she was eager to make it happen, trying to rearrange her schedule on the off chance we could meet up. Eventually I gave in, realizing I’d rather have a reliable model who wants to work with me rather than a few flakes who were hemming and hawing. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

But all of that sounds shitty to say, as though I didn’t like her or couldn’t have cared less, which isn’t exactly true, though maybe there is a bit of truth to it. Maybe I didn’t want to get my hopes up about someone who comes off as positive and fun only to learn that it’s all an act and she is only using me for photos. I get messages like that every week, hence why I’ve stopped shooting with new people, mostly.

So I left home by 7am Saturday morning, making it to her place in LA at a reasonable 9:30am, having to unfortunately hear about the fight and struggles she had with her boyfriend the night before. She had complained about him in the past, and already I didn’t like the guy. Still, despite a bad night, she was sunny and fresh and sarcastic with her thick Australian accent, pulling outfit after outfit from her closet asking if I had a preference for wardrobe that day. “I mean….I’ll just be getting nakey eventually anyway, yeah?” she replied as if there were any doubt.

She hopped in my vehicle and we headed to my favorite, secluded spot in Griffith Park. We never stopped talking, laughing, confessing, and generally having a good time. We were honest and didn’t cover up the tougher parts of life, me coming off a recent break-up that I hadn’t mentioned to anyone and her struggling with her man, and it just felt good to be in a safe space with someone who made you feel comfortable.

Finally at our destination, we grabbed her bags and I grabbed my big, cheap reflector and my gear and we headed out. Jess liked the location a lot, and soon she was naked in the grass, reclining in the pockets of light that peeked through the dense tree branches. I could describe all the outfits, lighting choices, etc., but in my memory, that’s not what I enjoyed most about that day. For as wonderful and beautiful as the final images are, I honestly just phoned in that whole shoot and wasn’t really in the mood to shoot. What stand out most to me was how easy it was, how fun and chill and relaxed we both were. It was a safe, fun space to be, and I didn’t have to try to be anything I wasn’t, or to stroke some diva’s ego and keep her entertained. She was happy just to hang out with me.

Once we were done shooting, I offered to take her back home, knowing I needed to meet up with a photographer friend for lunch. Oddly, she asked if she could come along, saying she needed a friend and was genuinely having a good time. I couldn’t have agreed more with the sentiment, and next thing I knew we were navigating the LA freeways, singing along to the radio, laughing endlessly. My buddy, photographer Chris Fitzgerald, loved her and we all had drinks with lunch and gossiped and had a grand time. Then Jess went along with me to my lecture, which was at The Hive Gallery in downtown LA. She would walk around the gallery and explore the art, then come back and interject in a conversation I was having with one of the fellow artists, then head off again. She was the perfect “plus one.”

By the time I dropped Jessamyne back at her place at 6pm, neither one of us wanted to see the other leave. We hugged goodbye and headed to our respective lives, me to dinner with friends and her to have yet another long talk with her boyfriend. We texted each other all night, both not having a good time where we were, wishing we could meet up again for drinks, but it wasn’t meant to be.

We have hung out since then and have many plans to shoot and travel together in the future, since we get along so easily, work so well together, and have so much fun. It’s nice to have a new friend to get to know, to share my old stories with and to learn what makes them tick. I like learning things I’ve never heard about before, and she’s travelled so much that she has plenty to teach me. More coming soon!

Do you like Jessamyne? Let me know by leaving comments in the box below or in my DMs, or click on her hashtag below! And thank you as always for your continued support!!

Here’s that link again: 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7MlCEoEDaftdndBRjVYLTBIR2M