I've always liked saying that, even though it has nothing to do with the post because Devi identifies herself as a female.
What I really mean to say is that relationships are everything. I've known Devi for about 3 years and she's been with me through every step of my photographic journey. She's like my model wife. Main chick. Most supportive. And most importantly, she's communicative and punctual. With the bond we have we can just pick up and shoot and not ask questions because we know where we're going. Don't get this confused with physicality though, the photographer and the model should never have physical contact unless there's absolute reason or trust. I still have female models break pose to move hair and straighten wrinkles if there isn't another female on set.
In this shoot we planned it the morning of right after her partner's photoshoot with another model in this motel room. My dudes and I come in like Wu-Tang, pick out the clothes with her and just shoot. I wish I could do this with complete strangers but that normally works only on the street in spontaneity. To really get creative with lingering thoughts, real relationships founded on more than business are important. We shoot far less than we talk about race, class, and sex and because we connect and grow mentally we boost our value to each other and in turn, after every shoot she refers more models to me like her that are punctual, communicative, and expressive.
*For all of the gear-heads out there. Work with what you have and shoot to the strength of the light, location and model. This was shot at 1/15th of second handheld with an $80 50mm lens at F1.8 on TriX @400. You don't need state of the art to create art.
