Crazy week.....

Hey there, boys and girls.

This will be a quick post, but I just wanted to relay some things back at ya all.

First, the holidays. Now, normally I'm off to the Windy City to see family and friends, but this year, I decided to forgo that tradition, and start making some of my own. And frankly, I'm beyond happy that I didn't go there, as it was fucking cold (was -5 degrees one day!!), and I just can't handle that anymore.

So I stayed here in LA, saw some friends, and of course, ate and drank to my fill. I do just love the holidays. But then again, as soon as Christmas came, it went, and it was business as usual again.

Which for me, means shooting. It's funny - sometimes I think that I'm more comfortable without clothes on. A few weeks ago, I left my apartment to run an errand, and it was such a warm day, and the breeze was exhilarating, I just wanted to take off my clothes and walk down the street naked. But I digress....

So Saturday, I went on a field trip with Coop, back to the Salton Sea. He was so intrigued with it, that he had to see it for himself. It was one of the most desolate places I've ever been, and you are lucky enough to get to it, driving through more desolate places. It's so hideous, that it's amazing.

See for yourself....

(photo by Coop)

And so unlike me to burn the candle at both ends, I had a shoot the next morning too. But I take my work, and everything else that I do seriously, so a little bit of coffee, and I was good to go.

Now, Mark is another person that I met eons ago via Flickr and subsequently through Model Mayhem, and we've been teasing each other for a shoot for a long long time!! Each time we almost hook up, something happens. Which is why we were so determined to shoot!

And we did. And we had fun getting to know each other. And Mark takes fantastic photos too. He's such a warm, caring, understanding, fucking funny guy.

So enjoy this one from Mark.... I do.

(photo by Mark Velasquez)

So since you're here, reading this, check out the work from these two talented guys.
Coop's Flickr stream... http://www.flickr.com/photos/coop666/
Mark's censored Flickr stream.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/markvelasquez/
Marks uncensored Flickr stream... http://www.flickr.com/photos/markvelasqueztoo/

You've already been to mine, haven't you?!? ;)

Happy New Year, everyone.

And this wasn't nearly as short as I intended it to be.

The Holidays and All That....

Sorry everyone - it's been a while since I've posted a new blog entry, almost 2 weeks!!.... Things have been a bit crazy lately, and well, sometimes life gets in the way of me doing those things that I really enjoy. C'est la vie!

So, what have I been up to? Those who know me would probably say trouble... to say the least! ;)

I've been busy shooting in between trips elsewhere. After attending a holiday party, and having a few too many shots of tequila, I had 2 shoots back-to-back last Sunday. First, my friend James, who I've modeled for on several occasions, and then later that day with a new friend, one who I had met through Flickr many many months ago, and who I've been teasing him for a shoot, Art Silva. He came all the way down from Santa Barbara to see me, well and several other models in Fontana for a group shoot, but I like to think that he was there for me. I'm a bit selfish that way. ;)

(here's a warm-up pic from Art)

Art's style is so beautiful, so graceful, and I always wanted to shoot with him. So we finally got together, spent the whole afternoon shooting, everything from fully clothed (whoa - I own clothes!!) to more erotic stuff, and even some Christmas erotica. Tis the season, isn't it?!?

So enjoy these few from Art. And please be sure to go to his Flickr page, there's a few more of me floating around.

(a little Christmas tease for you all, courtesy of Art)

After that, I had to run away, all the way to Baltimore. Not that I needed to get away, no one was chasing me... but as I wrote earlier, sometimes real life gets in the way of having some fun. Baltimore is a funny city. I spent much time in the Inner Harbor area, which is quite gentrified, but as I've begun to travel there more frequently, I've started exploring a bit.

My first night there last week, in between the rain, I ventured from my cozy hotel room to the nearest pub. Sometimes you just need a beer. So I chatted up the bartender and his friend (I guess that they didn't mind talking to me! ;), about things to do and places to go in the city. Turns out that there is a huge punk culture - which is right up my alley and my urban roots.

So next time I'm out that way, I'll have to explore a bit. The free spirit in me needs to get out from time to time and breathe some fresh air. And hopefully, I'll be able to run into those friends that I've made through these various websites. :)

Since I've gotten back, it's been business as usual. I spent all weekend shopping for gifts, wrapping said gifts, and shooting. Here's one from my good friend, Coop, taken on Saturday.

(pic by Coop)

Happy Holidays to all of you!! I love you all dearly!

xo - Skye

Things I Like....

So, I've slowly been giving you a bit of insight into me, who I am, what makes me tick, that sort of thing. Sometimes, it's what I've been up to; others, it's my thoughts, feeling, frustrations....

Today, I'm letting you know some things that I like. Maybe it's because Christmas is coming, and I like to be pampered. ;)

You already know some things that I like -
my feet and the rubbing and toe-sucking associated with worshipping them...
my eyes, as they really show my emotion. I certainly don't have a poker face...
my friends, both new and old. You're all so special to me...
being tied up...
being naked...

But here are some things about me that you may not know I like -
to cook. I suppose if you saw the shot on my Flickr page of me with a turkey, you may have figured it out...
bubble baths, the long hot kind, with extra bubbles...
sports, both watching and playing. Watching more now though. Growing up in Chicago, I was lucky enough to watch Michael Jordan play for the Bulls, and now, I watch the Lakers. I even had a shoot a few months ago where the photographer and I watched a playoff game...
the arts, architecture, theater, music. It speaks to me, it's in my soul...
beer. I like vodka martinis too, but beer is one of those things I just have, like water...
South Park. I admit it - the show's fucking funny...
tulips...
walks but not on the beach...
my DVR and all of the terrible programming that I record and never have the time to watch...
wrapped up under a blanket with the windows open and the cool breeze coming through...
and hopefully not alone. ;)

Things I Just Don't Understand....

Today's topic for discussion....

Why is it, that when I post a picture of the Baltimore skyline (seen below) to my Flickr page ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/skye_shelly/ ), I average 50 views a day?

Now, I realize that 50 views is nothing, especially compared to some of my other photos, which average 100's of views a day. But for a shot with no nudity whatsoever - in fact, there are no people in the pic - I think that 50 per day is pretty good!!

And then you see the picture next to it....

You'd think that this, being a bit naughty (but nowhere near as naughty I as typically get), would have thousands of views at this point. But would you believe that this photo gets LESS views?

Things I just don't understand.

*******

Hey, don't forget to check out my other Flickr page. This one is for my modeling work.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skyes_other_page/

And also, there's my YouTube channel with some foot fetish videos.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SkyeShelly

Deserted....

It's been such an amazing trek. As I've said before, I've been so very fortunate to work with fantastic, creative and inspiring photographers here in the LA area. In some ways, Flickr has been good to me. With each photographer, I guess that they like working with me, so they tend to tell their friends. I'm not sure exactly what they say, but I hope that it's all good. ;)

So I met Kronos, a Denver-based photographer, through another photographer friend. There was a certain quality to his work that I was just drawn to, a je ne sais quoi. Well, actually I do know what it was - his work is dark, surreal, erotic, and definitely something that I wanted for my portfolio. We had been teasing each other on Model Mayhem for a while, saying if either of us were in the other's city, we'd hook up. Now a lot of times, this is just bullshit. But sure enough, I get an email from him last week saying that he's coming to LA - and wants to shoot me. Of course, I jump to the occasion. So we start texting, talking, etc., leading up to the shoot.

Finally this past Sunday, we meet. And we get to know each other over the course of the day - and when I say "day", I really mean it - as he picked me up at 9am, and didn't drop me off until 12 midnight. Certainly my longest shoot to date. And probably will be for a while.... Especially since we spent most of the day fighting the post-Thanksgiving traffic. :(

We drive out to the desert, through Palm Springs, on our way to shoot at deserted locations around the Salton Sea and Joshua Tree. We get there; it took about 3 hours, stopping for coffee and gas along the way. And because of my luck, his camera doesn't work. Now, for those that know me, that have shot me, I like to take my clothes off. Sometimes with an audience. And I was totally itching to get nekkid. ;)

But a photographer without a camera is a very frustrated, tortured soul. And this one, since he's already a tortured soul, was certainly no exception. Kronos spent the next couple of hours, trying to make the camera work, calling anyone who's ever heard of an "Error 99" on a Canon camera; I spent time draining the battery on my iPhone, surfing the net looking for anything that would help. To no use. Only a few shots were taken out there, despite our finding absolutely perfect places to shoot - a decaying former recreation building (which at this point is just a place for the birds to shit all over), an abandoned silo, and even a rocket - or an ICBM, as I called it. ;)

We leave to head up to Joshua Tree, to the motel that Gram Parsons died at. Where, supposedly, his ghost roams. We didn't see the ghost, but there were some strange occurrences, flashes of light, sounds off in the distance, to feed the fire. Along the way there, we stop and buy a new camera. Almost did the shoot with cell phone cameras. They've come a long way, but still not the same as a DSLR. So, armed with a Smurfy-blue point and shoot camera, we finally made it to Joshua Tree, checked into the room, charged up the camera, and got busy. Now, if any of you have checked out the work of Velvet Scars, the name he goes by for his work, you'll know the type of work that he produces - it's certainly not Vargas-style pin-ups! I was tied to a chair, wearing a gas mask and little white cotton panties, holding in my hands a crucifix-shaped dildo. Later, wearing the same cotton panties and gas mask, covered in blood in the shower. Sort a bit of a pre-teen menstruation accident gone wild, with a bit of bio-chemical warfare mixed in. Trippy.

Because of the painting process that Kronos uses, I think that it's going to be a while before you see any of the work that we produced, but once I do have something, I will share it with you all. This way, you'll have to come back! And come back often.... :)