new site!

de León Photography has a new home . . .

When we first added my galleries to the same site as the journal Standards, I never expected my hand on a camera would ever amount to more than an incidental aside, leaving the journal as the prominent focus of the Dust Jacket site. In the last few years, my work has come to interfere with the goals and presence of the journal, so I'm moving to my own zone on the web *s

I've also come to recognize that I actually like working for free; the collaborations with models in Claiming Masculinity and the Art of Scars portfolios are my most rewarding photographs. Thus, I've taken the leap into not for profit photography (or just started admitting that's what I do, as some friends tease *s).

Going through the process of filing for 501(c)(3) status is arduous, and would make me a corporation. I'm not certain I'm up for all that. The only benefit would be so that your donations are tax deductible, and we're really only talking the Five Dollar Freedom Fund, or the cost of the prints.

You all will have to let me know what you think about this. I'm content working under the international guidelines for not for profits organizations (NFPO) with charitable intent.

Oh, wondering why the domain name "viewshock"? That's because the most frequent exclamation I hear from models, when I photograph them, is "That's me?!"

Mm hmm. That's you.

And I like the sound of "viewshock." No idea why.

Let me know what you think of the site. It's probably still a bit buggy.

You'll have to be patient with the load time of the larger flash movies . . . but hey: google analytics tells me my site has a 65% faster load time than the average website *s

Happy Holidays to everyone, if I don't post before then.

xo,

~Emmanuela

Website Update!

Been a minute, because I've been doing the daily grind over there at flickr (where, if you're not a member, you can't see most of my works, cuz they're set to "moderate" or "restricted," mm hmm, but I've finally got my act together, and redesigned my website (where you can see everything). Ta da!

There's a new front page, too.

Okay, so the Claiming Masculinity galleries are down, for the moment. You all will have to let me know how you feel, about that. Over the last year, I've been talking with all of you, and there have been so many changes, I'm leaning toward a whole new set of everybody (not just you, Big Daddy Dre *s).

Meanwhile, I've been photographing femmes. Yup, you heard right. So y'all masculine types can rush over to my galleries, and let me know what you think of the new works.

And most of the recent models have been coming to me to heal trauma. This has evolved into a portfolio I'm calling The Art of Scars. Hey, we've all got scars, whether visible or not. Photographing the beauty of survival is part of the wonder of my work.

And . . . are you wondering . . . is the rumor true: did Emmanuela break ranks with the butch-femme dance? Let me put it this way: I've never been one for "ranks" and, if you've been paying any attention to me at all, over the last several years, you know that's right. What does it even mean, to pay allegiance to one form of loving over another? I was the girl who said butch on butch is hot, hot, hot . . . remember? *s

So, yeah . . . it's true: I fell for one of those women who don't quite identify as "butch." Neither does she identify as "femme." There are still some regions of the world where those markers just don't make any sense, for the citizenry. What're ya gonna do.

I'm happy, and I'm still me. Now, as to whether I'm still seeing that one, let the rumors fly . . . *s

xo

Photos, Photos, Photos

Hard to tell by my website, I know, but the project is still going strong, and keeping me very busy *s

Last month, I shot the first in a series with Calyb, who will begin transitioning in December. Peace and blessings, Calyb *s The early photos show a very nervous person, who just started getting a bit more comfortable, as we were losing light. A second session is scheduled for a coming weekend.

Oh, and Calyb is the Incredibly Kind Person who's been working toward creating donations to the project. Much love!

Next, PJ and I were down in Philly on a cold Autumn afternoon, where I shot 18-year-old Meg outdoors, in a park near her dorm. Meg is the youngest person to join the project, and I welcome her thoughtful commitment and generosity of spirit. We'll be doing a second session, after Winter Break . . .

This past Saturday, author TJ Fleming made an appearance at my home, where we were able to complete a quick session, between various holiday commitments. TJ is stunning; I'm hoping to have approval for those photos within a couple of weeks.

Sunday brought great light, after several days of snow and clouds. PJ was once again willing to grace me with her modeling skills, in a new set of figure studies . . . with guitar.

Beyond the second sessions I currently have scheduled, I'll be taking a bit of a hiatus from working on the project in December: my family will be with me, and I'll be photographing all of them *s

Thanks to Joe, who reminded me to post an update . . . you're a sweetheart.

~Emmanuela