Photoline

IG: david_reeves_photoline

I chose the handle "Photoline" to brand my work in 1990, and had it officially registered locally. The "photoline" or "fotoline" you find online is most often me - as long as it's from Canada, the US or UK and has my given name on it. I'm on several popular social media and creative sites.  

First and foremost, I do photography for enjoyment. I have over 50 years' worth of expertise and a wealth of ideas, plus good communication skills and a thirst for travel.  All I need are the locations, models, supplies and services to make it work.  Valid collaborative proposals welcomed.

My interest in "glamour" really began when I was 7 years old, when I saw the film "The Ambushers", starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm and a cast of many nubile young actresses.  (I'm in my 60's, in case you're wondering.)  From a young age, I was aware of the beauty of such actresses and models as Raquel Welch, Diana Rigg, Brigitte Bardot, Elke Sommer, Britt Ekland, Catherine Deneuve, Pamela Tiffin, Jacqueline Bisset, Anoushka Hempel, Gabrielle Drake, Cybill Shepherd, Julie Christie, Barbi Benton, Dian Parkinson, and many others.

When I discovered Playboy in my early teens, the die had been already cast.  Now it was a matter of time before my vision could be turned into reality.  Like most kids of my generation, my passion for viewing the female form's pleasing and infinite shapes was kept to myself until my early twenties.

I have been shooting glamour photos since 1988. Not knowing anyone here in Edmonton who would willingly pose nude, I traveled to England in 1990 to do my first nude model shoots. With the experience I gained there I returned home and began booking amateur models for fashion and portrait shoots. When I returned to the UK in 1992 and 1994, I built on my earlier success by hiring more well-known Page 3 and magazine models.  These models include Carole Anne, Suzanne Brando, Michelle Cleaver, Tracy Coleman, Debbie Cummins, Sami Greaves, Verity Harrison, Clare Helen, Sarah Hollett, Debi Jackson, Donna Jackson, Anne-Marie Kyte, Shanine Linton, Carrie Lorimer, Claire Peckham and Nicky Rowe. I developed my techniques to a high enough standard to have a selection of my work published in print (French "Photo", "Glamour & Boudoir Photography" and "Glamour Girls: The Illustrated Encyclopedia" in the US) and online.

I then set my sights on L.A. and Chicago, where I attended my first Glamourcon dotcom convention in 1996. I quickly developed contacts among the Playmates and topshelf models. With 2 visits to the Playboy Mansion in 1997 & 1999 under my belt, I felt confident enough to ask several of the models to pose for me and my American colleague, J Greely. Models we photographed include Dita Von Teese, AnnaMarie Goddard, Victoria Zdrok, Alesha Oreskovich, Tylyn John, Roxanne Galla, Lynn Thomas, Tara King, Corinna Harney and Liz Stewart.

I have also participated in a few photo club shoots over the years, working with everyone from first-time amateurs through to Playmates Julie Cialini and Lauren Anderson. While these shoots have produced some good work for me, the circus atmosphere and limited time to build rapport with the models is a definite drawback. I will always prefer one-on-one shoots -- which is not to say that I mind having an observer, assistant or indeed more than one model in the room.  I run a professional set, and if there's any distractions or interference I will stop the shoot.

After a long break from shooting UK glamour models, I returned to my "favourite" subject last September. I contacted Image Park Studio near Horsham in West Sussex, and we organized 9 shoots over 2 weeks. I had contacted most of the models I wanted before I went to England, but the studio stepped in when I had a couple of no-shows. The ladies I worked with included Michelle Monroe, Lucy Zara, Dannii Harwood, Kerrie Croft-Bednarski, Belle, Gemma Carter, Donna Ambrose & Maria Sheriff.

In 2009 I returned to England to do a few more shoots with three new models (Abbie Montrose, Grace Leslie-Rowe, and new "Wonderbra" model Katie Green) and two I already knew (Belle and Maria Sheriff).

I am always looking for models, and am interested in building long-lasting working relationships and friendships with those I've enjoyed working with.  I should emphasize that while I do love to photograph female nudes, I believe female beauty comes from within, and is expressed through the eyes and a kind of aura.  The deeper the soul, the stronger the attraction.

I'm interested in expanding my portfolio, too.  I've found it much easier to work with experienced models, as they have a better understanding of my artisitic & aesthetic "vision".  I don't want to just shoot glamour photos, I want to do work that would be comparable to that of Helmut Newton, Bob Carlos Clarke, John Swannell, David Bailey, Francesco Scavullo, Bettina Rheims, Ellen von Unwerth, Albert Watson, Sante D'Orazio, Richard Fegley, Ken Marcus, Suze Randall, Pompeo Posar and George Hurrell.

I have recently begun shooting digitally. My many years of experience with shooting on film means I can edit shots down to the few that have real visual impact and are pleasing to the eye.  I own a set of portable professional studio lights which can be set up anywhere with standard 110v AC power.  I have a few props, portable fans, assorted fabrics, pillows, cushions, vintage magazines, etc.  I also own a variety of vintage outfits, which may be used to establish themes such as 1940s-'50s pin-up queen, '60s go-go girl, '70s Oriental exotica and '80s glitz and glamour.

I am a world traveler, having visited hundreds of cities, towns and villages in 29 countries.  This includes numerous trips within Canada and the USA; trips to Europe in 1984, '87, '90, '92. '94, 2005-09, '11, '12, '15, and '18; a 6-week trip to SE Asia in 1996-97; a month-long trip to Australia, Singapore and Japan in 2008, and an ambitious tour of Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia in 2016.  All of this, plus the work you see in my portfolio, has been paid from my own pocket from my former career in public service.

My long-term goal is to do photography on a part-time professional basis, preferably in a country such as Italy, where I may retire to part-time.

PLEASE NOTE:
All of my models have been paid/compensated by me personally or in partnership with other photographers.  That said, I consider every transaction open to private, up-front negotiation.  My time and labour are quantifiable; the value of the first impressions that my photos create are inestimable. 

Further, I do not request "spread shots"; such intimate views should be left to the imagination, or another artist with the skill to render this subject tastefully.

I promise I will never photograph anyone sitting on a toilet (when did that become fashionable?), tied up cruelly, holding a gun, giving the finger, or smeared with fake blood.  I've seen enough cliched ideas to fill a lifetime! 

Also, I am not an agent.  While I can give you valuable advice and direction, I am not in the referral business.  But I may unlock your potential if you give me your trust and time.

I want to work with professional models and serious amateurs.  My goal is to photograph the famous and soon-to-be-famous.  I want to do a female celebrity's "first" nude shoot, whether she's a Megan Fox or an Avril Lavigne.  I don't want to work with "could-be's, as in "She could look gorgeous if she lost 40 pounds," or, "She could look pretty if she wore enough make-up." Either you've got "the look", or you don't.  Just because someone took a picture of you once doesn't qualify you to have a career as a model.  You have to have the right look, the one that turns heads.  Bottom line: be naturally photogenic, be smart (smart models have long careers), show up on time, act professional and above all don't take your beauty for granted.  You may look pretty, but unless you're willing to put in the time and effort to do something with your life, the industry will just use you and move on.

Please look at my portfolio now that you know a bit more about me and my philosophies. Don't miss the "thank you" card dedicated to many of the people with whom I have worked with and contributed to their portfolios, photo albums and credits over several decades.