June 3. David Armstrong's House, Bovina, N.Y.
Woke up before everyone else and walked around the house for a while to think about what was on the day's roster for shooting. One barn on the property caught my eye. It was vast on the second floor and beautifully dilapidated. I used three models and three assistants. We videotape every shoot, and I need someone to tend to the music and change the song if it's not the right mood. But a loud cracking noise-the floor, which almost broke-was our call to stop. We went outside and walked over to a patch of purple flowers, and I had everyone lie on the ground. I turned on the smoke machine, but it didn't look right-so I got up on the ladder and shot from above. After the models got up, they had tiny purple flowers all over their backs. It was a beautiful shot that I couldn't have planned.
Woke up before everyone else and walked around the house for a while to think about what was on the day's roster for shooting. One barn on the property caught my eye. It was vast on the second floor and beautifully dilapidated. I used three models and three assistants. We videotape every shoot, and I need someone to tend to the music and change the song if it's not the right mood. But a loud cracking noise-the floor, which almost broke-was our call to stop. We went outside and walked over to a patch of purple flowers, and I had everyone lie on the ground. I turned on the smoke machine, but it didn't look right-so I got up on the ladder and shot from above. After the models got up, they had tiny purple flowers all over their backs. It was a beautiful shot that I couldn't have planned.
June 10. Smoke Hole Cave, W.Va.
We went swimming in a river, then headed to Smoke Hole Cave. We purposely got there late to take the last tour. We didn't have permission to shoot nudes, so we were just going to wing it. Chris went into the office to talk to the woman about making "art photographs" that will be in museums and galleries. She said in her Southern accent, "I don't care 'bout art. We have fishing and hunting magazines that come and make photos on our land." Chris was persistent and convinced her to give us a private tour. She got one of the kids who works there to walk us through. He gave us the regular tour about moonshiners and the Native Americans who smoked meat in the cave. As we got farther into the cave, we asked if we could start shooting. Chris asked the guide, "You're okay with the photos being nude, right?" Hanna immediately took off her clothes. Girls-first always works. Then everyone else got naked. Jonas was walking around wearing a sailor hat and looking very Querelle. We stayed for about an hour making photos until the guide's shift was over. As we were exiting, Chris told the guide not to tell the owner it was a nude shoot. He kept saying he wanted to see her face when she found out. We gave him a big tip. As we arrived, the woman from the office pulled up to a screeching halt beside us. Jonas said in his Swedish accent, "Hi, how are you?" She was screaming, demanding the film. She got so crazy that Christian gave up five rolls out of the 15 we shot. Chris said, "I told you this was fine-art photography." She said, "That's not fine art. That's just gross."
We went swimming in a river, then headed to Smoke Hole Cave. We purposely got there late to take the last tour. We didn't have permission to shoot nudes, so we were just going to wing it. Chris went into the office to talk to the woman about making "art photographs" that will be in museums and galleries. She said in her Southern accent, "I don't care 'bout art. We have fishing and hunting magazines that come and make photos on our land." Chris was persistent and convinced her to give us a private tour. She got one of the kids who works there to walk us through. He gave us the regular tour about moonshiners and the Native Americans who smoked meat in the cave. As we got farther into the cave, we asked if we could start shooting. Chris asked the guide, "You're okay with the photos being nude, right?" Hanna immediately took off her clothes. Girls-first always works. Then everyone else got naked. Jonas was walking around wearing a sailor hat and looking very Querelle. We stayed for about an hour making photos until the guide's shift was over. As we were exiting, Chris told the guide not to tell the owner it was a nude shoot. He kept saying he wanted to see her face when she found out. We gave him a big tip. As we arrived, the woman from the office pulled up to a screeching halt beside us. Jonas said in his Swedish accent, "Hi, how are you?" She was screaming, demanding the film. She got so crazy that Christian gave up five rolls out of the 15 we shot. Chris said, "I told you this was fine-art photography." She said, "That's not fine art. That's just gross."
June 16. Augusta, Ga.
We woke up really early and drove to Augusta, Georgia. In the car I have a butterfly mask that belongs to my friend Lily, who modeled for me on my first cross-country trip, in 2005. She brought it along the first day and put it around the seat. She said it would bring us good luck. Lily overdosed in early 2007. She was the most fearless girl I've ever met. I suppose this is a quality I look for in all my models. I always think that she protects us from above on our journey.
We woke up really early and drove to Augusta, Georgia. In the car I have a butterfly mask that belongs to my friend Lily, who modeled for me on my first cross-country trip, in 2005. She brought it along the first day and put it around the seat. She said it would bring us good luck. Lily overdosed in early 2007. She was the most fearless girl I've ever met. I suppose this is a quality I look for in all my models. I always think that she protects us from above on our journey.
To see the full manuscript, click this link: Ryan McGinely - Interview Magazine
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