First edits from LA and Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend!

It’s a rainy morning here in Minneapolis, but that’s okay. Peru is today's light roast at Caffetto coffee shop in uptown, and I’m listening to Fanny’s first and only album from 1971, “First Time In A Long Time”. These are the days that I know freelance was the right choice for me […despite the lack of health insurance, sick days, benefits and very low pay]. 

It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks. I mentioned in two previous posts that I’m coping with this condition called meralgia paresthetica; a result of losing some weight on the Viva Las Vegas trip […enough to go down a belt size]. The consequence of a tighter belt, four hours in a small rental card driving from LA to Las Vegas, then immediately catching a 3 1/2 hour flight home was a crushed lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. It really sucks. Some of the worst pain I’ve ever experienced […and thank you to those of you that’ve left comments and words of encouragement, even links to treatments]. 

The good news is, the meralgia has improved. It hasn’t gone away, but is getting better and better each day. Smash cut to Saturday morning when my son and I were rear-ended on interstate 35WN. Fortunately, we’re both okay. He has a high rated 5 point harness carseat. I took him to Children’s hospital and he was given a clean bill of health […other than being shaken up and scared]. I, on the other hand, was leaning forward when we were hit. I’m currently sitting here with a case of painful whiplash.

To my earlier point, however, no sick days in freelance life. I’m editing photos this afternoon and happy to do it, even though I’m in some discomfort. I’m actually behind and the stress is adding to the shoulder tension. The last couple of days, I’ve been pushing through edits from VLV and LA. Getting some of these off the plate has helped manage the stress, and now I get to share them with you.

One of my first shoots during VLV was with Masuimi Max. I’ve written about Masuimi at great length. I never take the opportunity to shoot with her for granted, even though we’ve become good friends. This shoot was different than most of our other work together. We finally managed to shoot at The Artisan Hotel; one of my favorite places to take pictures in all of Vegas. Masuimi has an endless collection of incredible wardrobe. This is the first of many from this shoot to come.

@vintagevandalizm and I did an incredible shoot, way outside of her usual comfort zone. Jasmin wanted to push herself and that she did. She had a talented latex designer create a custom varsity jacket with a symbolic “V” on it. We shot the entire day, three looks, and even managed to get permission to shoot in a baseball field.

My friend Sunny and I shot during VLV, and she’s always one of my favorite people to spend time with. Sunny is almost definitely coming to Steemit. I told her at length prior to this shoot. She’s a deeply intelligent, interesting person. Professional acupuncturist with two practices on the east coast and endless knowledge of Eastern medicines, yoga and treatments. She would be a wonderful addition to the community. We’re Skyping this week to give her the broad strokes on her first steps to Steemit. This photo of Sunny was taken at The Artisan Hotel.

This shot is hot off the memory card, edited just this morning. Marion is a beautiful pinup from Norway who booked me for VLV, and she was an absolute pleasure to work with. This trip must have been incredible with her. She shot with myself, Shannon Brooke […one of my favorite photographers], Chris Gomez and another few respected photographers within the vintage/pinup community.

Another just finished this afternoon is my friend Edie. This was the second VLV she’s hired me for a session, and I just realized she’s a Minnesotan as well! Edie is a coordinator of the Viva fashion show. She has incredible lingerie and wardrobe. She’s a tall beauty, total bombshell. Sweetheart. Such a dream client. This was taken at El Cortez hotel.

Cindy, Cindy, Cindy! She’s one of my favorite people I’ve met throughout all my time in LA. She booked for NOIR I LA three years ago. She also booked for NOIR I LA in 2015 and we’ve remained close friends. She’s a gorgeous, shy Latina, but when we shoot, an entirely different persona takes over […which we’ve named “Silhouette”]. She hired me for a private session this trip, which was nice, because I spend more time with the model. We had a relaxing evening shooting in a beautiful mansion in La Cañada.

Holly Madison! We’ve been talking about this shoot for years. She started following me on Instagram after a shoot I did with her friend Claire Sinclair, and eventually, we talked about shooting together as well. We picked a date, and then Holly found out she was pregnant.  I’ve become at peace with the universe providing opportunities if they’re meant to happen, and being comfortable with letting them go if they aren’t. Holly did get in touch with me again after her daughter was born, and this Spring, during my most recent trip to LA, the shoot finally happened. I feel very proud to be the one to catch a darker side of this beautiful woman.

Thanks for reading! Follow me here @kommienezuspadt for more photography, illustration and thoughts on the world in crypto and beyond. I have a lot of opinions.