Finally the holidays are almost over. Hope they have been full of cheer and good times for all!
So I choose to celebrate the solstice in a different way this year. I decided to do a photo shoot both with and sans clothes. Why? Because I felt like it and I wanted to mark the date in a different way. I wanted to do something for myself. I'm far away from my home this winter, and as much as I love Los Angeles, and appreciate the sunshine, the olde gods and the olde ways seem far, far over the horizon That's not to be said there isn't magic here. There's a distant tricky thrum to this place with currents and cross-currents of black and white, blue and red, but that is another story for another day. For the last many years I have been living in the French Pyrenees. It's been a wild and woolly journey, and I wouldn't change it for the world, but it has sometimes been distinctly harsh and without creature comforts - especially when 'Our Lady of the Snows' would arrive. It's amazing what one is willing to sacrifice just to stay warm. Day after day of freezing cold takes a toll on one's cheery disposition, not to mention one's health. So for this winter I decided to plug back into the matrix and re-join the 21st century for a while. And for now I find myself in sunny southern California.
The day I arrived in Los Angeles I was staying at Melissa St. Hilaire's house and while attempting to get on-line I saw a black-and-white photo on her FB feed which immediately spoke to me as the image was so beautiful. I asked her who the photographer was and she answered it was Nick Holmes. Then she proceeded to show me some of his other work. My first question to her was, "How can we get in touch with him?!!" A couple of emails later a plan was put into action.
We met up in Old Town in Pasadena in the early afternoon on the 21st. I was utterly charmed by Nick - confident, handsome, with exceptional manners and a personable quality which can sometimes be a rarity in this town. He took charge of the situation taking us on a scenic tour through the alleyways until he found the light and backdrops he was looking for. It's been a while since I have been in front of the camera and I admit I felt a little nervous. The morning had not gone smoothly and had left me feeling anxious. There was no need to worry as the day was warm and soon I found myself enjoying being in front of the camera once again. Nick was friendly and funny, making suggestions here and there, but most of all he was very relaxed and had a go-with-the-flow attitude. A quality, I find, that all great photographers possess. It was all over fairly quickly and I have to say I am more than pleased with the results!
Then we headed over to Nick's studio. Along the way we chatted about the difference between looking beautiful and feeling beautiful. I think feeling beautiful comes with experience. It takes time to de-program from the unrealistic visions portrayed in the media and embrace ones uniqueness. For myself, I'm an Amazon - and a super curvy one at that. No amount of exercise and starvation is ever going to take away these curves - nor would I ever want to. Nick and I had talked about the possibility of doing nudity and boudoir shots when I first contacted him. I'm not exactly shy but there is always that moment when you take it all off and face the lens. That is when you know your soul is bare and there is nothing left to hide. The solstice would have been rising as I stood there in my naked skin. I chose to celebrate who I really am. What I wanted more than anything was to set a kinder and more beautiful tone for the upcoming year. How can I celebrate the Goddess if I am not good to myself first? I have been tracking her mysteries for many, many years and yet somewhere along the way I forgot about the mystery within myself and the fact that She is a part of all of us. She can be a harsh mistress, but I have been the hardest taskmaster of all when it comes to taking care of and pampering myself. The dagger stops at me. I have to make the change. So it is done. Throughout the shoot Nick was upbeat, enthusiastic and completely professional. He even made me feel good about my short hair which I had just chopped for the first time in recorded history. Time flew by and before I knew it I was putting my clothes back on. The shoot was over. I have to say when I saw the boudoir pictures later that night my jaw hit the floor. I know it's the alchemy of light and shadow and photographic talent but thank you Nick Holmes for bringing these image of myself to life!
You can see more of his stunning work here.
There's Saurimonde news in the wind and it looks like there will be an audio version of the first of the series available before too long. January is traditionally one of my best writing months where the creativity flows and there's not much in the way of distractions. I'm slowly getting used to the transitional flux of modern life. Even if I don't always know where I'm headed, I have faith that 2015 will be a bigger and more magical year. I wish the same for each and every one of you out there.
Much love from where the worlds touch,
S - xx
P.S. Here's the link to buy the latest Saurimonde book - Amazon
So I choose to celebrate the solstice in a different way this year. I decided to do a photo shoot both with and sans clothes. Why? Because I felt like it and I wanted to mark the date in a different way. I wanted to do something for myself. I'm far away from my home this winter, and as much as I love Los Angeles, and appreciate the sunshine, the olde gods and the olde ways seem far, far over the horizon That's not to be said there isn't magic here. There's a distant tricky thrum to this place with currents and cross-currents of black and white, blue and red, but that is another story for another day. For the last many years I have been living in the French Pyrenees. It's been a wild and woolly journey, and I wouldn't change it for the world, but it has sometimes been distinctly harsh and without creature comforts - especially when 'Our Lady of the Snows' would arrive. It's amazing what one is willing to sacrifice just to stay warm. Day after day of freezing cold takes a toll on one's cheery disposition, not to mention one's health. So for this winter I decided to plug back into the matrix and re-join the 21st century for a while. And for now I find myself in sunny southern California.
The day I arrived in Los Angeles I was staying at Melissa St. Hilaire's house and while attempting to get on-line I saw a black-and-white photo on her FB feed which immediately spoke to me as the image was so beautiful. I asked her who the photographer was and she answered it was Nick Holmes. Then she proceeded to show me some of his other work. My first question to her was, "How can we get in touch with him?!!" A couple of emails later a plan was put into action.
We met up in Old Town in Pasadena in the early afternoon on the 21st. I was utterly charmed by Nick - confident, handsome, with exceptional manners and a personable quality which can sometimes be a rarity in this town. He took charge of the situation taking us on a scenic tour through the alleyways until he found the light and backdrops he was looking for. It's been a while since I have been in front of the camera and I admit I felt a little nervous. The morning had not gone smoothly and had left me feeling anxious. There was no need to worry as the day was warm and soon I found myself enjoying being in front of the camera once again. Nick was friendly and funny, making suggestions here and there, but most of all he was very relaxed and had a go-with-the-flow attitude. A quality, I find, that all great photographers possess. It was all over fairly quickly and I have to say I am more than pleased with the results!
Then we headed over to Nick's studio. Along the way we chatted about the difference between looking beautiful and feeling beautiful. I think feeling beautiful comes with experience. It takes time to de-program from the unrealistic visions portrayed in the media and embrace ones uniqueness. For myself, I'm an Amazon - and a super curvy one at that. No amount of exercise and starvation is ever going to take away these curves - nor would I ever want to. Nick and I had talked about the possibility of doing nudity and boudoir shots when I first contacted him. I'm not exactly shy but there is always that moment when you take it all off and face the lens. That is when you know your soul is bare and there is nothing left to hide. The solstice would have been rising as I stood there in my naked skin. I chose to celebrate who I really am. What I wanted more than anything was to set a kinder and more beautiful tone for the upcoming year. How can I celebrate the Goddess if I am not good to myself first? I have been tracking her mysteries for many, many years and yet somewhere along the way I forgot about the mystery within myself and the fact that She is a part of all of us. She can be a harsh mistress, but I have been the hardest taskmaster of all when it comes to taking care of and pampering myself. The dagger stops at me. I have to make the change. So it is done. Throughout the shoot Nick was upbeat, enthusiastic and completely professional. He even made me feel good about my short hair which I had just chopped for the first time in recorded history. Time flew by and before I knew it I was putting my clothes back on. The shoot was over. I have to say when I saw the boudoir pictures later that night my jaw hit the floor. I know it's the alchemy of light and shadow and photographic talent but thank you Nick Holmes for bringing these image of myself to life!
You can see more of his stunning work here.
There's Saurimonde news in the wind and it looks like there will be an audio version of the first of the series available before too long. January is traditionally one of my best writing months where the creativity flows and there's not much in the way of distractions. I'm slowly getting used to the transitional flux of modern life. Even if I don't always know where I'm headed, I have faith that 2015 will be a bigger and more magical year. I wish the same for each and every one of you out there.
Much love from where the worlds touch,
S - xx
P.S. Here's the link to buy the latest Saurimonde book - Amazon
