photography

Broken Home /  by Rebecca Tillett

I love urban exploration; exploring abandoned man-made locations. A week or two ago, my friend Jessalyn and I had made a plan to explore and shoot in some abandoned homes out in the middle of nowhere north of Denver but I hadn't known yet what exactly I was going to do there. I really opt out of doing much straight fashion photography anymore because I quite simply don't get much satisfaction out of it. It's boring. A few minutes of brainstorming and this idea occurred to me; falling down, broken home with a broken person inside.

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Only Grace Will Remain /  by Rebecca Tillett

My selves, my being, my love, my pain
Trudging through madness but desperate to keep sane
Stuck between darkness and everything illuminated
I, the accomplice in these suicides perpetrated
And from the cadaver, wretched self-disdain
and from the cadaver, only grace will remain.

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The Guesthouse /  by Rebecca Tillett

Every great once in a while, my camera and I collide with a model whose confidence and fearlessness know no apparent bounds, someone who isn’t afraid to look silly or stupid or even ridiculous on the gamble that we’ll create a great shot. I‘ve had the pleasure of photographing several amazing women with these bold qualities -and the added fortune of calling them my friends in most cases- in the last 12 years I’ve pursued this passion of mine. And Edie is one of them.

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...On the Way to a Dream /  by Rebecca Tillett

Truthfully, I'd been looking for a new job for at least a few months beforehand because ultimately I realized I'd become far too comfortable in the position and found myself stewing in all the little negatives that tend to exist within so many companies. So I was very fortunate when a previous coworker (and friend) whom I'd worked alongside for more than 5 years at the Indy offered me a job working with her and the super-sweet owner of the studio. Needless to say I accepted in a heartbeat. (The hardest part of the transition was that I'd be leaving my most favorite boss-and one of my best friends-in the world.)

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She's Having a Baby /  by Rebecca Tillett

I shot my beautiful friend Britt and her husband today. It was actually the first time I really got to stretch the legs of my new Canon 5D Mark III since my husband got it for me for my birthday a full month ago. Needless to say, life has been a little crazy these days. Me and so many around me are stepping into new chapters and I suppose that's necessary and that's life. The only thing constant is change, after all. Nothing ever stays the same which I've always found bittersweet. I wish Britt and Brennen all the luck in the world in their new adventures in Seattle. I sure as hell am gonna miss them. And as a sidenote: This camera is damn amazing. I hope I'm badass enough to handle it...

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The Great Pacific Northwest /  by Rebecca Tillett

There's something mysterious and magnificent about the forests up there and I had a feeling of bittersweet sadness but a strong yearning despite it that I couldn't shake. The ocean was beautiful, of course, but it always leaves me feeling a little cold and extremely lonely and I've never craved to be near it as so many others do. The desert is my home and where I'm most comfortable; warm wide open spaces and a clear 360 degree view of the landscape and the horizon and so I confess that being shrouded by so many gargantuan trees left me a little claustrophobic but the entire time it was something I was absolutely certain I could shake or learn to live with it if the opportunity to live up there ever presented itself.

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Shanna & Shiloh /  by Rebecca Tillett

Last Wednesday I had a shoot with my friend and tattoo artist, Shanna Keyes.
t's something we've been talking about for a while since our last shoot was 2 or 3 years ago or so now. But it always seemed like our schedules wouldn't mesh or she just wanted to finish getting tattooed a bit more. Her ultimate goal is to be fully covered and she's heading towards it quickly!

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Omaha, NE /  by Rebecca Tillett

Earlier this week, I traveled to Omaha to watch my youngest cousin, Rachel compete in the Olympic Swimming Trials. I was planning to be there about 3 days or so to watch her swim and then spend a little time with my family as well as a friend who would coincidentally be there at the very same time for work. Unfortunately, the Waldo Canyon Fire here in Colorado Springs cut my trip short and I got an earlier flight home in case my neighborhood (which was only mere miles from the fire) was to be evacuated. Fortunately, that didn't happen but I'm completely bummed my time with friends and family was cut short. It's not often we all get to see each other. Rachel didn't qualify in her race on Tuesday but she has another shot on Sunday so please help me in sending positive thoughts her way!

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oh!pic /  by Rebecca Tillett

My good friend Britt and I have combined for the perfect side biz! She offers hair and makeup and I, of course, my photography. What you see above is an example of our work. We're completely thrilled and I imagine this will only lead to bigger and better things! So please keep us in mind should you find yourself in the Colorado Springs area and need amazing portraits done.

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Something /  by Rebecca Tillett

This morning was the first of the last 4 that I woke up withOUT a throbbing headache. Saturday-Monday morning I woke up around 5am all three days stumbling through the house looking for pain reliever because my head was hurting so bad and I just wanted to go back to sleep. Anymore, I feel like my primary objective in life is simply to avoid the inevitable pain at all costs. That's a basic summary of my life these days...inevitable pain.

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Rag Doll /  by Rebecca Tillett

It's always both exciting and nerve-wracking when shooting a brand-new model. Exciting because it's new and fresh and inspiring. Nerve-wracking because expectations are all over the place. Not only is Edie a new model to me, but she's also a new model having never really modeled before. Edie Adelstein is the Arts Editor (and quite an amazing writer) at the alt-weekly I currently work for as a graphic designer and it only just recently came to my attention (despite us having worked together for several years now) that she was interested in modeling for me. And boy am I grateful that it did. Not only is she beautiful but she's a rare natural and seems completely at ease in front of the camera. I absolutely can't wait to shoot more of her in the future!

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Right Where I Belong /  by Rebecca Tillett

I've become so afraid and guarded that I rarely allow anyone else to take pictures of me. When I get in front of my own camera, I'm fully aware of what angles and views are off limits. I also always make stupid faces because, for some reason, I can look at those without wanting to gag. I'm under the assumption that I'm less ugly when I make stupid faces. Whether this is true or not, I'm unsure. I'm also still unsure if I'm delusional when I look in the mirror and sometimes like what I see or if I'm just completely and unfortunately totally unphotogenic. I'd of course hope for the latter over the former. Either way, as most women do, there are a million things I wish I could change about myself but can't...especially as I get older.

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Images thru the iPhone /  by Rebecca Tillett

 was recently invited into an art show this April by Chas Ray Krider at his Gallery - The invisible Gallery in Columbus, Ohio and in addition to us, Steve Diet Goedde, Aaron Hawks, and Collin J Rae will be exhibiting as well. All these men are powerhouses in the nude/erotic photography realm. I've looked up to them for years and am so very flattered to be participating in a show with them. The show is called Images thru the iPhone and is only to include pictures that have been either shot or edited (or both!) with an iPhone app.

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Pepper and Family /  by Rebecca Tillett

All too often I see babies being born to people who have no business raising children. Unfortunately, I think the majority of my generation (and all those younger) come from unstable and/or broken homes. It was sometime during my growing-up years that "dysfunctional" finally surpassed "functional" as the family norm. Now that the products of those rocky situations are producing their own offspring, the dysfunctional family trend is showing no signs of slowing down which, to me, is altogether heartbreaking.

The Hawkins family is the rare exception to this rule. 

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Beginnings /  by Rebecca Tillett

I spent a good chunk of today scanning 8+ year old prints for my Beginnings set on Flickr. I shot all of these with my very first Canon SLR. I'd started this more than a year ago and never finished and today was as good of a time as any! My friend Amanda is in 95% of them and though some of them I still consider quite good, there are some that are a bit funny or definitely amateurish - like the one below. Take note of my own feet in the bottom left of the frame.

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