So this past weekend Miss Natalie Rose and I traveled up Coast Highway to beautiful Newport Beach, California for a little liquid latex photo shoot fun. When Ego Assassin supplied us with a gorgeous wave print outfit for her to wear, I wanted to tie in the wardrobe somehow with the setting location.

Much of my work and style calls for bi-polar contrasts with blacks and whites. I thought at first to shoot against a white grimy self-serve car wash tile wall. Believe it or not at 9 o'clock at night the lighting at a local car wash (at least a special one by my house) can be pretty decent. But then again the lighting six cop cars can provide after a riot occurs when a gorgeous girl is dressed in latex in public can be quite interesting as well!

Natty had mentioned she knew of a cool secluded location in Newport Beach. Although the location sounded wonderful I was a little hesitant as I didn't want to shoot some Sports Illustrated style shoot.

But then again, I don't shoot that way, so I left my reservations behind far back on the 15 Freeway and we traveled up the coast and following emerged from creative latex waters....




Photographer: Bryan Barnes
Model: Miss Natalie Rose
MUA: Nikki Lipstick
Wardrobe: Ego Assassin Latex

Location: Newport Beach, CA (United States)

Today I learned of some news that my grandmother passed away from a heart attack. She was 78. Needless to say, I'm very saddened by the loss as the rest of my family and friends are as well.

She was known as Grandma Barnes, or as I called her 'Red Gram'.

I may have been a little too 'artsy' for my own good because when I was little I assigned each one of my grandmothers a color in front of the word 'grandma'  (the other being Blue Gram, or Grandma Shad) so that I could tell who someone was talking about (or who I was) and because that was their favorite color. And besides, just the word 'grandma' seemed boring to me. I guess if I would have gotten even more specific when I was little, I could have specified a Pantone color or Frazee color. But I guess going on about color theory seems a little trivial now.

The funny thing is that even to this day, each one of them would sign their respective names as 'Red Gram' and 'Blue Gram' on cards or would call themselves their 'Bryan name' when I would talk to them. No one ever seemed to question their names, either because maybe they thought it was cute or they saw a young artist emerging.

Despite what one ex-girlfriend may say (is she even important now, honestly), I feel that I'm pretty in tuned with the universe, or maybe that could be my own specific universe and the people that play their part in my life. The last couple of days, I seemed drawn to keep playing 'Death in the Family' by Sparta. Perhaps something (or someone) was telling me that something (or someone) was wrong.

I even played it today before I was notified of the passing:


Feeling tense, tired, and spent
I lost my head, my sight, my nerve
Life is changing
One foot can only outrun
The other one so many times
Life is changing
So do what you will
Tomorrow is today
We march as you run

Tomorrow is today
With a death in the family
Blind faith revolutions
That I can watch but hate the sound
Life is changing
I'd give up everything
To never live this year again
Life is changing

I'm not sure I'll ever choose a side
Without a fence I wouldn't have a choice
I'll just close my eyes and barrel through again
And be glad I did
Be glad I could



God bless, we all love you and we all miss you.