When LovesBooks told me that she was coming to the Friendly Green Conference, I knew that she’d get naked for me. Heck, she practically risked her life to pose for me two years ago – and she stripped naked IN THE SNOW to pose for me last year. I wondered what she’d be willing to do this year. I soon found out: she brought her husband and got him to pose too.
That’s one of the things I love about the naked photo project — the way it gathers momentum. Once someone poses, they usually start coercing their friends to get naked for me as well. When Great Blue Heron finally posed for me, after years of pressure from his friends, he said to me, “I’m relieved to be in the club.”
All the cool kids pose naked for my blog. Everyone knows that.
I had a fun time getting to know Trail Mix, the husband of LovesBooks, and we all agreed to meet on the last morning of the conference for an early morning photo shoot. I figured everyone would be relaxed because we’d have all of our obligations out of the way. What I forgot to factor in was how sleep-deprived we’d all be.
As the three of us stumbled sleepily out of the dorm, I looked around at the campus buildings, filled with windows and people, and wondered where the heck we could find a secluded spot. I was so tired that my head felt like someone had filled it with jello which was congealing nicely.
Luckily, Trail Mix had given the enterprise some thought. “Remember that building where we had the opening reception? There were reflecting pools. And even naked statues.” I knew the spot he meant. It wasn’t terribly private. In fact, it was right in the middle of the campus.
But he led us confidently over to the spot, stripped off his clothes, and handed them to his wife. It helped, actually, having an assistant. It’s nice to have someone to hold the clothes.
He walked barefoot over to the sculptures and began posing, while I yelled ideas. “Put your arms in the air! Now, maybe a sitting down shot? Like you’re doing yoga?”
“Ouch,” Trail Mix said as he sat down obligingly. “The stones are a little rough on my butt.”
“Think of it as a massage,” LovesBooks said helpfully. I snapped the photo pretty quickly, just as the sun was coming up over the building.
“You might as well get a shot of me,” LovesBooks volunteered, before I even asked. Seriously, I love this couple. She sat down near the water, her legs stretched out, and I took the shot.
We didn’t even have time to look at the photos on my computer. We squinted at the photos in the back of my camera and exchanged hugs all around before they went back to pack up for their journey home.
Read more about the history of the naked blogging project and check out the gallery of photos.
