The Ladies’ Entrance…

I have a very simple rule when it comes to photography … if I ask someone to pose for me, and I have plans to enter that photo in competition, I pay that person for their time and ask them to fill out a short model release form.  The person can use the photo for his/her modeling efforts and/or his/her social media outlets.  I consider that a fair exchange.  Yeah, I could do the “TFP” – “Time For Prints” – or I could tell the model that I’m offering “exposure” for their work.

Horse manure.  You can’t buy groceries with exposure.

Last week, I asked one of my friends, a model named Muse, if she would be interested in a half hour’s work as a photographic model.

She agreed.

So let’s get this started.

Back in the day, the Capital District’s bars and taverns had separate entrances – one main entrance for men, and one smaller, discrete entrance for women.  Troy’s old South End Tavern was one such eatery with gender-specific entrances.

Another place – this one on North Lake Avenue in Albany – still had an old “Ladies’ Entrance” sign over an old alleyway.  The sign may have been neon-electrified; from what I can tell, that neon disappeared a long time ago.  And the sign itself often disappears in spring and summer, as foliage from a nearby shrub covers the alleyway.  But like some vintage advertising Brigadoon, the sign appears for just a few short months.

Which gives me plenty of time to get this photo.

I set up an appointment with Muse for a modeling assignment.

The idea I had was to show the “Ladies’ Entrance” sign as a symbol of so much that has been achieved by women in the decades since that sign first illuminated that alleyway … and how much still must be achieved by all of us – women and men – today.  Maybe we all have come a long way, baby … but only if you’re smoking Virginia Slims.

So here’s some of the photos I created with my model Muse.

 

Then I went to the black and white views.

One more …

After the photo shoot concluded, Muse signed some artist release forms … including one additional form.

See, the New York State Fair requires that any photos who show a person with a recognizable face must agree to an artist release.

And i think I’ve got one of these images that will hopefully make its own entrance to the Harriet May Mills Art Center in August … and hopefully break the #syracurse.

What say you, dear readers?  Do I have an entrant in this list?  Let me know in the comments below.