So I'm sitting here looking at the HTML trying to figure out what anyone would want to know that can't be seen in the photographs or read in the essays on the site. I sign everything as "Don" so I imagine there's some curiosity about the stuffy "D. Brian" business. I got to the web when it was still relatively young and didn't know what repercussions, if any, there could be to using my real name. So I used a variation on my legal name "Donley Brian Nelson."
Let's see. Photo background. Back in the mid-80's the wife suggested I do something artsy, as my left-brain engineering work probably needed counterbalancing. I studied commercial photography at City College in San Diego. Before getting the AA they offered I was shooting professionally, full-time. Hated it. Quit completely after a few years. Came back several years later to photograph only what I want. Which is what I do now.
So I shoot what I like (mostly beautiful women) and once in awhile some art buyer comes along and buys some of my pictures. Those buyers have included Reader's Digest, Stern (the German picture weekly), (NotOnly)Black+White (the really cool Australian art/fashion/photo mag), Nerve.Com and several other foreign and local magazines, a couple of photo anthology books, a modeling guide and stuff like that. I also covered nightlife as a freelancer for The San Diego Union-Tribune website, "SignOnSanDiego.Com" for about four years. My portfolio's been called in overnight a few times to major ad agencies, but it's just as well it got rejected, as I'm not real keen on shooting assignment just yet anyway - maybe after I retire from aerospace...
That picture is me. Shot by me. I hate being photographed, but at least if I hold the slides I can pick what I want to show. All my pictures seem to have a camera over one eye...
Now, if you're a model reading this to see if I'm good to test with, I should reassure you here that I'm harmless. OK - I'm harmless. I don't charge or pay models - strictly testing ("time for prints" for the web generation). You sign a release, so if a buyer likes the images I can sell them, and you get some combination of prints, scans or whatever - it's negotiable. If you've wandered through the site, you've seen a lot of nudes. Nothing but the girl. If you have nudity rules you might consider another line of work - though I do have to admit that bad, cheesy or porno nudes won't help your career a bit, so being selective is necessary. Of course if you decide not to select me...well, that's life.
And finally, if you're an art buyer reading this, email me at d @ fotog2 . net. I can deliver high quality (2000x3000 minimum TIFF) scans of any of my images overnight. I can also ship original art overnight, if necessary. What you see is what I've got, with some additional variations in the outtakes. All work is released except those shot editorial (Club, LAFB), which may also be limited to non-editorial use, due to "for hire" origin. (Email for the confusing details.)
I also happily respond to email asking about how I make those pictures, what kind of motorcycles I like, where I'll be next week...pretty much anything. I don't respond to letters with multiple addresses or other spam. If you have questions, feel free to ask. If I don't answer within a few hours, I'm likely travelling somewhere and have managed to leave the laptop at home. But I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
-Don