Ask Abbie: How Do I Make Sure a Nude Shoot is Comfortable?

Me at work

That time a gay man asked a straight man to take naked photos of him...


Straight Shooter Asks:


Hi Abigail,

I have a guy who asked me to shoot him naked and I’ve never shot a nude before (apart from my ex girlfriend who was comfortable with me talking her pics) do you have any suggestions on how to make him comfortable ?

He’s actually gay so I don’t want it to create any problem with me shooting him, I’m totally fine with gay people and I wouldn’t mind if he was attracted to me. But how do I not create a tense environment?

Ps: I really like your work, I found it very personal and intriguing, you can capture a really profound side of people

SHE Rides 2018 Calendar

A friend said she was "down for a calendar" of my women biker portraits. A poll on Twitter yielded similar interest so I got to work on a layout.


This was around the same time images from the series were featured on Flavorwire. My under-the-radar personal project had made its first blip on the radar.


Now the SHE Rides calendar is here! It's a 2018, 12-month photo calendar featuring images from the 'SHE Rides' series. I wanted it to be a useful, but also fun calendar so I added the new and full moon for each month, national and religious holidays (Christian, Jewish, Islam, Hindu) and some of the quirky and weird holidays we've come to love - think National Chocolate Day, National No Bra Day, Sadie Hawkins Day, Pi Day, Left-Handers Day etc.


You can order the calendar at this link: 2018 SHE Rides Calendar

Bare Men Exhibit at the Erotic Heritage Museum

"Pierced", Abigail Ekue Photography, 8 x 12 in

This summer - June 1 to July 31 - Bare Men will be exhibited at the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas!



I sat on this news for almost a YEAR. I received word from the Erotic Heritage Museum curator in May 2016 that I'd be the 'Artist of the Month' at the museum -- and my work would be exhibited for 2 months!!

Abigail Ekue Photography Photo Shoot Marathon (AbbieSnapsPhotos)

On Saturday, July 16, I will be shooting all day in New York City. I have secured a location in Manhattan and am now booking shoots. The portrait, personality, and editorial shoots are open to any artist, entrepreneur, athlete, fitness professional, nudist, naturist who needs new branding images or anyone who wants professional photos of themselves.


I should clarify, this isn't a 24-hour marathon. Slots are limited! I do have the space booked all day but I also have considered time to eat and decompress between each shoot. Other than that, whatever we can create in an hour and 15 minutes is a-go!


Here are the details:

Interview about Writing and Self-Publishing a Book

In Las Vegas for my book signing, December 2015

You win some, you lose some, but in the end you can post it on your blog.


I was contacted by a women's blog for an interview about writing a book and self-publishing. That was a few months ago and it's safe to say that they won't be running the piece so I'm sharing it here:

Workspace Energy

Every once in a while I get stuck. It's not a writer's block because I kind of feel stuck in all aspects of my life - the writing, blogging, photography, journaling, working out, diet, sleeping - I even get stuck watching the same shows and having pointless exchanges of 'hey' 'what's up?' 'we should get together' over and over and over with dudes I really don't care for.


I'm a big believer in the power energy holds over someone. Stagnant energy in your home or office can also affect your day-to-day and your work. I was asked by WeWork what my ideal workspace would be like. Hmm...


Not sure about "ideal" but let me tell you about my current workspace: my room. I got my desktop, laptop, pens, loose paper, notebooks cause a writer gotta write and a writer gotta type. Two different things in my world. I have a stereo with speakers for ambient music and high-energy music blasting that fuels my photo editing marathons. My desk chair is a 65cm exercise ball. Ultra comfy. Great for bouncing and rocking when I get into my music and keeps my hips loose which is important since I'm sitting for long stretches sometimes. I have a big window that floods the room with sunlight. I need a window to gaze out of or  to open for fresh air. If I need inspiration, I can keep tabs on my neighbors. I have snacks and drinks at the ready too. Food is fuel and I'm a machine when I'm working.

Questions on Naked Men & Arousal, Seduction and Being a Woman Artist

How did I handle the men who become aroused during Bare Men photo shoots? Has work on Bare Men changed me as an artist or a woman? When's the book coming out?


Sarah McPhee asked me those wonderful questions about Bare Men after discovering it on Refinery29. It was very refreshing to receive her email - one step up from the praise emails and comments I receive and definitely better than the negativity from those who simply don't get or appreciate nudity or nude art. This one also had different tone from the interview in WideWalls.

Bare Men featured on Refinery29

Those who are not new to my blog or my work know I've been working on a male nude series, Bare Men, and that it's been a bit of a challenge getting my work exhibited. Who knew penis was so scary?

However...

I'm very excited that a major US-based media outlet has covered my series!  Please check out the latest piece on my male nude series, Bare Men, on Refinery29 -- 

12 Honest, Vulnerable (NSFW) Photos Of Naked Men

"In general, men don't need any more visibility in mainstream culture than they already have. But Bare Men strikes a different chord. Rather than exult the naked male form, Ekue normalizes and neutralizes it. These images don't attack or threaten us; rather, they put us in the position of voyeur, even intruder... After all, how often do we catch men in such a state? What changes when we see a man without his guard up, flaccid and imperfect? Stripped of everything from their clothes to their class, these subjects appear simply as men in their bodies."

The writer, Sara Coughlin did a wonderful job on the introduction, capturing the essence of the series and sharing her take on the images. As an artist, I also appreciate not being misquoted!

The Darker Side of Lust - 5th Anniversary Edition

The 5th Anniversary Edition is here! Thank you! It was fall of last year when it hit me --- December 2014 would mark 5 years since I wrote The Darker Side of Lust.

Back in 2009 and the following months and years, it was a joyful learning experience --- the formatting, and proofreading, publishing, literary events, book signings, calls and emails from new and old admirers of my work. 

I thank you all for the support. 

So then I figured why not commemorate 5 years with a new edition of that book. I posted a poll on this blog and Facebook because I needed your help in deciding which of my ideas to settle on.

The Winner:

Stories with alternate endings AND a new 5th Anniversary Cover -- it's been 5 years, go big!


Full disclosure, the "alternate endings" don't happen in all the stories. But there are completely new stories (24 stories and vignettes total), and the characters you may remember are there with more "oomph". I've also included the stories from my mini ebook, Exhaust Pipes, so if you didn't read them before, you can now!

My Writing Process - Blog Tour

It's unreal the number of notes that were passed in class between Glendaliz Camacho and myself between 6th and 8th grade. Not only the number of notes but the sheer volume of the written exchanges. Since then she's been published numerous times and is working on her short story collection ("La Baca" still thrills me) and will be included in an upcoming anthology. She's been a huge supporter of my blog and has wielded the red pen against my words. 

This is the cyber-version of passing a note -- Glendaliz asked me if I'd like to participate in this blog tour. It's good timing since my focus lately has been everywhere. Not in a bad way. Just that there are quite a few projects I have going on right now that are at different phases of development and taking some time to think about only my writing is needed.

Can't fight fate. We were destined to be writers. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

What are you working on?

I'm working on some stuff. 

I work to maintain this blog and it's many focuses -- the personal writing, the sex, dating and relationship writing, body image, rants on the idiocy of society, Ask Abbie, the guest posts, NY posts for my Native Creative Concierge business, Planet of the Apes -- there's a system to my Random Musings. 

I want a syndicated writing gig - a column. One that I get paid for. I need to do more work on getting that. 

The 5th anniversary edition of The Darker Side of Lust is also on my To-Do List.

Bare Men Preview (VIDEO)

Work continues on my male nude series, Bare Men. The book layout is at 90%. The images that will be featured in the solo exhibition are selected for the most part. But what was going to be the preview exhibit for my series has been cancelled. The images that were selected for the juried exhibition were pulled from the exhibit. The reason I was given was that the other artists did not want to share screens with me because my work would have to be seen along with theirs and they didn't want any of their guests to be offended. 

The Positive of Mercury Retrograde

 

Old photo from my trip to GA. Photo taken by my bro, "Kid"

Merely writing this blog post is indicative of Mercury Retrograde. Lately my work and creative energies have been focused on photography and exercise and fitness -- areas of my life that I've gone back to recently.


Revise, Rewrite, Rework, Relearn, Rekindle...



Bare Men is a major focus point right now. The project has taken on new life. I'll even be able to preview images this spring in an exhibit -- I've found a home for my nude men.

TED2013 - Session 6: CREATE!

TED2013: The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered. Session 6: CREATE!

Gotta love the friends who keep you "in the know" and share opportunities with you...

February 27, 2013, I had the opportunity to attend a session of TED2013 via TEDLive held at City College. It was made possible by Scott Elias of LivingWorks Ventures. After the talk he told us for all the years he's been attending TED conferences the common thread among all the speakers is their passion for what they do. What is your passion? Are you happy? How can you make yourself happy doing what you're passionate about? How will your passion affect change? These are questions he didn't have the answers to which is why at age 50 he started LivingWorks Ventures. It's one thing to create products for consumers, it's another to create from love, create memories, create a feeling that a person will want to recreate again with your products.

The Facts About Fiction

I love fiction that's based on reality. Always have.

I recently had to find my fiction sea legs again. I've been working on a story for an upcoming anthology I was asked to contribute to (it's great to have Muchachas in your life who see your potential and push you). Up until a few weeks ago, I didn't know what to write about. I had stories in my notebook I could've transcribed and submitted but I just wasn't feeling those stories.

Then, I had a great evening earlier this month and it sparked a story--my muse had arrived in the form of a man (nothing new there). So I wrote. It was great to write to get the story down on paper, but after further review, it was just a fictional retelling of actual events. Yeah, that works when that's what you're going for but I wanted to write a work of fiction.

A story.

About the characters.

Characters make or break works of fiction. They don't have to be likable, but they have to be relatable. That's my rule of thumb.

Dating A Nude Model

I was pondering what to blog about last night and within minutes, Raising Hope switched to a scene of Jimmy in an art class where his girlfriend walks in as the nude art model. The moment of truth--could he date a nude model?


I've done nude modeling since 2006. I'm not as active as I used to be because I'm more selective of the photographers I work with and the projects they present to me. You could say I'm semi-retired, but have no qualms being nude in front of a camera or posing for painters/sculptors/artists.


Being single, I don't have to consider anyone's insecurities at the moment. And I won't have any patience for it in the future. So the men I date have to be comfortable with the fact that I've modeled nude in the past and I'll most likely do it again in the future.

Kitty Photo Shoot

I'm a dog person.

This past weekend I did something new. I took photos.

Of a cat.

I was cat-sitting and house-sitting for a friend. When she first asked me, I asked a few questions of my own: Is she crazy? Is the cat going to try and sit on my lap?

My friend assured me that everything would be OK, that I wouldn't even see much of the cat throughout the weekend. The first night I was there, I spent it in very light sleep. Thoughts of being clawed to a bloody mess kept me awake. You would think someone locked me in a cage with a Bengal Tiger! (I do like tigers and lions though)

Raising My Hopes With Bob's Anuses

I caught up on TV shows Thursday and Friday night with one of my Hulu marathons. Two shows stood out to me this week - Bob's Burgers and Raising Hope.


The episode opens as Bob and his children are on an art crawl. I went on a gallery crawl on Thursday in Chelsea. I can't say the art I saw was "really, really bad". I gained some inspiration from the PAT: Unseen, unheard, unexplained exhibit at the Thomas Erben Gallery. I ended up at Chelsea Market afterwards and gazed at self-portraits by Kerry Skarbakka. The following day, I learned of the Nue York exhibit opening next month and was invited to the Freedom to Create show at the Ana Tzarev Gallery (If you've never been to that gallery, I encourage you to visit. It's a beautiful space). I need to make my next solo photo exhibit a reality. It's time.


On Bob's Burgers "Art Crawl", Bob's sister-in-law, Aunt Gail (that didn't go unnoticed), hangs a series of paintings of animal anuses in his restaurant. The family and patrons were offended by the art but couldn't tell her. Too much for a dining establishment? Or just too much?