Shooting w/ Miki and the friendship that followed!

Good evening, Steemit! It feels good to be back in the fold, making daily posts, sharing work and interacting with the community. My time at the computer after my busy travel strides always offers as a reminder of how grateful I am this site exists. Not just for me, but for friends. @customnature, @strange_desire and @mtbmondo have been sharing great posts about art and life. 

One thing I love about my job and the subsequent travel that comes with it, is meeting people and making friends. An especially enjoyable perk for me is becoming friends with someone that leads a completely different life than the kind of friend I'd typically make. I have that kind of friendship with @moony. She's a Monster energy drinking, street bike riding, nature loving, equestrian. Her hobbies and interests couldn't be further from my own, but we get along great and I consider her a close friend!

Another atypical friend is a Miki. Miki came to me in 2013 to hire me for a shoot in Minneapolis. She's an active Air Force enlistee, fitness model and body builder. Our first shoot together was part of a personal project with a long time friend, in a BDSM dungeon [...never a dull moment in this job]. It was a trip, but Miki and I stayed in touch. Shortly thereafter, she moved to California.

Months later, I held my annual NOIR I LA event, and as bookings came in, Miki's name showed up on the schedule! I was excited to have the chance to shoot with her again as the dungeon was darker than I expected [...even for a photographer that's made most of my living working in dark conditions]. I'd recently bought a Nikon D750 thanks to a successful GoFundMe campaign for the second half of the capital, and with the new gear, a gorgeous downtown LA location, and a world class beauty team, this was going to be a shoot that I was sure to reach both of our potentials.

During NOIR, I felt Miki and I bonded beyond just a business relationship. Our synergy as a creative team was obvious and I was able to give her edits beyond the usual beach/fitness photography. Miki has a taste for real art, lingerie and fetish fashion [...more that lead to be intrigued by this soft spoken, sometimes nerdy woman]. The photos of her from NOIR were some of my favorite from that year.

Months later, as is the rotation with my job, I was coming back to LA. My housing arrangements fell through shortly before the trip, and Miki welcomed me to stay at her apartment in Manhattan Beach, CA. She extended a lot of trust to me giving me my own key card to her places, and without exaggeration, helped me get through some trying times on little sleep and high stress while shooting nonstop in Los Angeles. 

We've shot together twice since then, in a haunted mansion and in the middle of the empty deserts of California. One of our shoots was even sponsored by the notorious Jane Doe Latex brand in Hollywood. Photos I'm infinitely proud of, and I know she is as well. Our friendship has been an allegory for a demanding career that rewards you with unexpected perks, bringing you together with unique, genuine people you'd never have met otherwise.

Thanks for reading and following. I couldn't be happier to be back in my rhythm. If you aren't already, follow my blog @kommienezuspadt! When I'm not traveling, posting is a daily priority.