MODEL / HARLEE
PHOTOGRAPHY / JASON LEE
Harlee has a great intensity to her that’s matched by a stillness and calm – like a tigress.
Category: Painted
You Are Golden
MODEL / BRIAHNA
PHOTOGRAPHY / JASON LEE
Briahna and I explored the Boise River to get these epic body paint shots. Here’s her thoughts, post-shoot: “Thank you. It was super fun. Took Forever to wash the paint out of my hair but it was worth it!”
Grow Where You Are
MODEL / NICOLE
PHOTOGRAPHY / JASON LEE
Nicole agreed to hit up the Camas Prairie Nature Preserve with me to see if we could find some of their famous purple flowers for our backdrop. What we found is that we were too late for flowers, but it was windy and we took advantage of the plentiful swaying grasses for our bodypaint shoot.
Sing This to Me Slow
MODEL / ALLY
PHOTOGRAPHY / JASON LEE
Ally asked for experimental body paint and hot springs. In this post, I’ll share the body paint section. It turned out really cool!
My first World Naked Bike Ride Adventure
I just got back from an experience like I’ve never had before: the 2018 edition of the World Naked Bike Ride.
Portland is about a 7 hour drive from Boise. A couple friends and I jumped in the car and made the drive and it was absolutely worth the time invested.
It turns out that of all of the WNBR events worldwide, Portland has the largest one! They’ve been holding the ride for more than a decade and this year’s estimate was that over 18,000 people participated.
It’s kind of remarkable if you’ve never been. We biked across the city from our host’s home to the staging area and had about an hour and a half to soak in the evening sun and listen to a great fusion jazz band (High Step Society) before the ride began.
The whole thing is voluntary and run by volunteers: no tickets, no demands, no clothes! AND there were no incidents of violence or sexual assault– just people truly being people.
It was an atmosphere of simple joy — it was quite relaxing — and I couldn’t stop feeling happy being there!
About half an hour before the ride, the crowd was starting to grow and the band was getting their groove on. I don’t it on video, but later the natural amphitheatre filled up with nude dancers having a wonderful time. You’ll have to watch the video to see what I mean, but when someone says “naked people dancing,” what do you think of? Maybe a darkly lit nightclub and a pole?
This wasn’t that. This was people having carefree fun in their skin.
I didn’t have my DSLR, but I did capture a few candids of people enjoying the pre-ride festivities, getting body-painted and managed to get just a few during the ride itself. Maybe next year a GoPro will be in order?
As I rode the 6 mile course through Portland’s beautiful neighborhoods and along a bluff overlooking the river, there were two things that really stuck out to me:
- Riding a bicycle naked feels just like riding one with clothes on. Really! No, I didn’t get sore or chafed, but Yes, it was actually less sweaty and cooler because there weren’t any clothes to collect all that body heat.
- Along the whole bike route, parents brought their children outside on their driveways where they cheered us on, waving and ringing bells and welcoming us to their neighborhoods. It was such an emotionally positive experience!
I would definitely do this again and I hope you’ll come with me next year! Here are a few photos:
Leave the Past Behind
Watch Them Fly
MODEL / ALEXANDRIA
BODY PAINT / JASON LEE
ASSISTANT / COLLIN
PHOTOGRAPHY / JASON LEE
This is a Body Paint Series I’ve started called Wild. Alex is “Deer in Winter.”
Here are some bonus behind the scenes shots:
Though It May Cost My Soul
MODEL / Angel
PHOTOGRAPHY / JASON LEE
I’d always wanted to shoot at this abandoned industrial complex. Happily, Angel agreed and we thought a wild bodypaint would be just the thing to go with all of that fluorescent tagging.
I See Everything Clear
MODEL / KYLIE
PHOTOGRAPHY / JASON LEE
Body paint is so fun – especially when you have an enthusiastic model like Kylie!
Once in a Rare Blue Moon
MODEL / RACHEL
PHOTOGRAPHY / JASON LEE
Rachel was a tag-a-long on a shoot I had with Kylie. So glad she did! We had a great mini-shoot while Kylie was being body painted. I love to see each model’s unique personality come out in a shoot. Sometimes people wonder if I heavily direct my shoots, but I don’t. I want each model to bring her own soul to the shoot. Here’s Rachel:
