Taking my picture.
Despite the fact that I’ve been in front of the camera professionally since the age of 5, I am always apprehensive about photography.
I fear I’ll look goofy, or that the person taking the picture will somehow look at me in a way that doesn’t capture the “real me” or worse yet, that the “real me” is not much to look at. That is why many of the pictures you see of me are self portraits…like the ones on the left there of me blissing myself.
Melvin Moten Jr. found me on Twitter somehow. Being the obsessive fucking Twitter addict that I am, within 35 seconds of receiving a response from him to some bit-o-bullshit I posted, I was checking out his tweets, his friend list, his follower list and then his website.
"Choke"~photo by Melvin Moten Jr.
His website.
Oh. My. God.
Fantastic photography.
Fantastic fetish Photography.
Fetish photography with fat women in there too.
"Swoon" ~ Photo by Melvin Moten Jr.
When he mentioned wanting to work with me if I ever found myself on the East Coast, I was already all over Virgin Atlantic to see if I could shift my flight to my old stomping grounds back a few days, so that I could get my big black butt to Pittsburgh to so a shoot with this guy.
Yeah, my life’s weird like that these days. But i have a little more freedom, bandwidth and stability in my life these days, so I’m-a exploit it by having amazing adventures.
Do check out his site, and his books, and marvel over how dope his work is and how awesome his models are.
And soon enough I am gonna be one too!
We spoke by phone last night and it was like catching up with an old friend. I learned a great deal about him, and I think he learned some about me too.
His concept for the first setup took me by surprise. It pits me in a role I never assume. It will be interesting.
Then he asked me what I wanted to do, what I needed to show.
I was stymied. What the fuck DID I think I was doing, being photographed?
So…I told him some secrets.
I am not sure what he will do with them yet, but he will, I am sure, see even more than I think people see, because that is how I operate. Stumbling, crawling reeling along and then having myself reflected back in shattered gorgeous facets of my life’s snail-trail.
I’m excited about going to Pittsburgh.
Do you hear that every day?
You better be planning on sharing those pix…. better yet.. auction them off with proceeds going to CrowdedFire!!
Reply
mollena Reply:
April 10th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Hey Sweetie!
That is a cool idea!
Perhaps I can get him to donate a signed print or something
xoxo
~Mo
Reply
Comment by Freakbear — April 10, 2009 @ 2:32 pm
Pittsburgh, eh? An hour from where I grew up and our parents still reside. It’s an alright place but I tend to dislike the entirety of that half of the state. Ok well, much of the state.
I am a bit surprised I haven’t heard of him!
Have you been to that area before?
Reply
mollena Reply:
April 10th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I have not, and as I am overnighting at an airport hotel I am not sure will be able to say I have been thereafter! *lol*
I am not surprised I wasn’t familiar with him too. One of the best kept secrets, I guess, but I’ll do my little part to change that.
xoxo
~Mo
Reply
Comment by DangerousLilly — April 10, 2009 @ 3:03 pm
MollyRen posted something about you and thickbondage.com? My partner and I have been discussing a bondage book that involved pictures of many body types, including us fat girls. I would love to chat with you about possible websites
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Comment by StacyCat — April 13, 2009 @ 1:40 pm
I’ve shot with Melvin *numerous* times over the last 4 years (being a “fat” model) and consider him not only an incredibly talented artist, but also a dear & trusted friend. His “eye” & creative vision are amazing, as is his ridiculously expansive music collection!
You will have a kick-ass time shooting/hanging out with him. Really! 
Reply
Comment by Mockingbird Girl — April 14, 2009 @ 10:58 am