It has been a while since my last post to this site. It is time to take care of that issue. As the image shows, I have been busy with my latest project, book three of the Naked Poetry series. The original plans, of course, were completely ignored as the photos were taken in preparation for writing the poems. In the first two books, I wrote the poetry before considering what photo could be used or taken to fit each poem. In the second poetry book, I had sent a poem to a number of naturist friends who then submitted a poem to be included in that second book. It worked, worked well. I had originally thought I would write all 45 poems based on the three books by Robert A. Johnson – He, She, and We before I got photos to match. It didn’t work out that way as I got stuck. So much for well laid plans.
Above, is the proposed cover photo for Naked Poetry series. book three. Like the second book, my wife is on the cover with me. She has been an integral part of the creation of this third book of poetry. It soon became a project that involved my wife in a major way. She is featured in all the photos that required a female presence and she had numerous ideas for the scenes and sites for those photos of her and of us. As I write this, there are just two photos left to be taken, photos of myself with her as the photographer, a new role for her in terms of being part of the three poetry books.
As a result, I can’t claim the sole role of photographer or even as the person conceiving the scenes for the poetry. My sole claim to complete ownership is with the poetry. Since in the end, it is a poetry book, I feel good about how it has all worked out. I will make sure that photo credits are given where due.
The experience of writing with the photo being used as a backdrop is a new idea for me. It removed the need to select a few lines from a poem in order to find a way to match a photo to a pre-existing poem. As a result, I find myself very satisfied and willing to try the same approach again in the future.