Getting Naked

As many of my readers may know, I belong to a photography club that meets to take all kinds of photos: sunset and evening photos in the ByWard Market; sunflowers in farm fields; evening exposures of the Milky Way.

We also photograph models: some with clothes on; others, without.

I've shared some of these photos on The Brown Knowser, keeping the full nudity to a minimum or, at the very least, showing only the implied nudity photos, where the 'naughty bits,' to take a line from Monty Python, are covered.

Also, there was that photo that I shared, a few weeks ago, where I exposed my bare ass.

The location for our photo shoot.

On my last photography meetup, a few weeks ago, we hired a model to pose in a field of sunflowers, at sunset. And while the field had lots of sunflowers, the majority of them hadn't fully opened. But that didn't stop us from capturing images of our model, who stood in the field, around various crops, in various states of dress and undress.

So far, I've interspersed photos of our model and some of the opened sunflowers in my Instagram account. To adhere to Instagram's policy on no nudity, I've only shown the fully clothed or implied-nudity shots. I'll continue to do that (though, I may pixelate those naughty bits to share some of the nude images).

There is one image that I shot, where our model chose a pose on her own, as we were moving through a pumpkin patch. She lay on her side, stretching out her body, but moving so that her head was completely obscured by the large pumpkin leaves. I took a few shots while she changed positions.

Because our sun was becoming obscured by smoke from the fires in Northern Ontario, the sky was a characterless grey-white. Many of my shots were angled so that no sky was captured, but for some of the angles, there was no hiding the sky.

In post-production, I decided to use Luminar AI, with some of the portrait templates and the editing tools for faces and skin. For the sky photos, I used the enhanced sky templates, as I did when I first started playing with this photo-editing software.

Of this series of photos, my favourite shot has been edited to enhance the glow of the setting sun, but because the sky was greyed out by smoke, I added my own dramatic clouds and sunset. And because my fake clouds look ominous, I also added some lightning.

Because the model almost looks like she's hiding from this imaginary storm, I envisioned her seeking shelter from the wrath of the impending tempest, and I've since entitled the photo, Gimme Shelter.

For me, this photo is pure art.

I really like how this photo has turned out and would like to share it on my blog (I've already shared it on my 500px account, which contains lots of my NSFW photos). The thing is, our model is not covering up. Only her head is hidden.

What do you think? Should I keep nudity away from The Brown Knowser or should I share not only my creative writing but my artistic nude photography?

Let me know what you think by leaving your thoughts in the Comments section. Your opinions will help me form a decision. And either I'll share this photo on Friday or I'll post something that all audiences can view.

Thanks.

In the meantime, tomorrow's Wordless Wednesday will share some of the photos of our model that I have no problem sharing on this blog. With and without enhanced skies.

A Great Vintage

It was an idea I had in March, 2001.

When my first child was born, I decided that I wanted to celebrate, years down the road, when she would be able to share a drink with me. In Ontario, that meant that she would be legally able to buy and consume alcohol in 2020, when she was 19.

Of course, DW and I let her try booze, off and on, long before then. When she was about 5, we let her have a sip of wine. She didn't care for it. When we took a vacation to Italy, in 2009, we let her sip our wine, once again. She didn't mind it, so when we returned home, we'd occasionally pour her about an ounce of wine when we all sat down to holiday dinners (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter).

When she was in high school, we talked to her about underage drinking. We suspected that she would be invited to parties where alcohol would be involved. We let her know that experimenting with booze was a right of passage, and that if she was to be presented with alcohol, that we would be there for her if she ever drank too much or needed a lift home. We encouraged her to be open with us, that we wouldn't judge her.

She actually didn't drink at a party until just a couple of weeks before her 19th birthday. (She had tried some alcohol when she and her best friend travelled Europe, in the summer of 2019, when they were 18.)

In late 2003, I went shopping for a bottle of vintage port, hoping to find one from 2001. Vintage port is bottle-aged for two years or more before it is released. Also, not every year is declared a vintage year: the harvest must yield exceptional grapes and the Portuguese vintners do not like to have subsequent vintage years: maybe two years in a row can produce vintage ports, but rarely could you declare a vintage port three years in a row.

In 2001, which was an exceptional year, most port producers did not declare the year to be a vintage, but I did find one, by Cockburn's. When I found a bottle in the LCBO, I picked it up and placed it at the bottom of my wine rack, in my basement.

Every so often, I would check the bottle to ensure that none of the liquid made its way out of the top. With each inspection, I noticed more and more dust accumulating over the top. That was the only change that could be discerned from my inspections.

As my daughter's 19th birthday approached, last March, I reminded her that I had this bottle, and that on her birthday, I'd like to make a Brown Knowser video of us opening the bottle, sharing the first sips. She wasn't keen on being in a video (she doesn't often like having her picture taken) but she told me that she'd like to open the bottle with her grandma and grandpa over, so that we could share it with more people who matter.

Unfortunately, by the time that her birthday arrived, we were at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and everybody was in lockdown. Her grandparents couldn't come over, and so she asked if we could wait until things improved and we could have company again.

Last Saturday, my folks came over to my house for the first time since February. It was a beautiful evening, so we set chairs at a safe distance in the back yard, got our propane fire pit started, turned on our fountain, and had a lovely visit.

About halfway into the evening, my daughter said, "Hey, can I open my bottle of port?"

"Of course you can," I said, "it's your bottle."

She asked me to open it and stated that she didn't want to document the occasion with photos or video. She just wanted to share the bottle with family.

Because we had all been drinking before then, we agreed that each of us just wanted a small glass. I pulled out our dessert wine glasses, which are also perfect for drinking port. I slowly poured equal measures but also decided to decant the rest of the bottle. Nineteen years of resting on its side was going to mean that there would be a lot of sediment.

As I poured, I could smell the rich, intense fruit. Cherries and plums, with a bit of toffee hit my senses. In the glass, the colour was a deep garnet. Not a speck of sediment made it into a single glass, nor in the decanter. About a half-cup of the fortified wine was wasted, about half of which was a silty sediment.

On the palate, rich cherries and prunes brought the mouth alive. This vintage port was at its prime, could have even held on for another year. I loved it but my main concern was to know what DD19 thought of it.

"I'm going to have to sip some more of it before I decide," she said. That was a good sign: whenever she sipped beer, she handed the glass back, saying, "Yup, that's beer." Her face screwed up, it was obvious she wasn't a fan.

As her port glass went down, she asked me, "Can I save the rest and invite my friends over tomorrow?"

"Of course, it's your bottle," I said again. "Can you save me one more glass when you and your friends enjoy it?"

She saved me two ounces.

I've decided to keep the bottle. Apart from the neck, which I cleaned off before pouring, it's still caked in dust and dirt from the sixteen-and-a-half years that it lay at the bottom of my wine rack. Like the first tooth that she lost, it's a milestone worth keeping.

Worth the Wait

Last week, the family and I attended a dinner party with some very good friends that we hadn't seen in more than two years. It was a fabulous get-together that reminded us all that two years is way too long to let slip before seeing each other.

The friends that we visited are all wine aficionados, most of them having either worked in the wine business, taught wine-appreciation classes, worked in the restaurant industry, or have made wine themselves. Suffice to say, they know wine.

So it was no surprise to have an abundance of fine wines at the dinner party. And it was a perfect opportunity for us to share a bottle of wine that we've been wanting to open for some time.

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you learned in January that I was hanging on to a bottle of Brunello di Montalcino that I bought in Montalcino in 2004. Lori and I were celebrating our 10^th wedding anniversary with a trip to Tuscany, and I wanted to pick up something special. And thanks to Lori's flirting with the wine merchant ("what's your favourite wine?") and my ability to read a wine chart ("do you have that wine in a '97?"), we walked away with a really nice bottle. We packed it carefully, brought it home, and kept it in our cellar, waiting for the perfect moment to open it.

That moment was last week at our friends' dinner party.

It was a 1997 Col D'Orcia. The wine had a burnt-red colour: not brown; not ruby. It was a dark, brick red. The nose had a rich, earthy aroma. And the flavour in the mouth was clearly tannin-driven, though there was still a hint of cherries and a pepper finish. It was at its peak: another year, and any fruit would have been lost. It was the perfect time to share it.

There were other great wines of the evening, and I thought I'd brag tell you about them. The following is a mini review, told by someone who hasn't appreciated such good wines in a long time, so don't laugh at me if I use simple words to describe them. I like using words like "yummy" at wine tastings. I'm not a pretentious wine drinker. I just know what I like. So here goes:

Sumptuary Zinfandel 2007: one of my friends at this event—Andy—introduced me to California Zins many years ago, and I am eternally grateful. Before, I always associated Zinfandel as a blush wine, a type that I really don't like. Andy introduced me to red Zinfandels, the way I think they're intended.

I find them quite complex, so full of flavour. This Zinfandel was rich in fruit with a chocolate finish. It could have aged longer, but right now I think that it's drinking beautifully. It's just the way I like a Zin: sumptuous.

Wayne Gretzky Estate Series 2007 Pinot Noir: this was a big Pinot. I had my doubts when I saw The Great One's name affiliated with a winery and didn't think that the wine would be great. And while it was very good, I think calling it "great" would be a bit of a stretch. But I did enjoy it. Again, there were a lot of tannins driving this wine, so perhaps a couple more years would add finesse.

I suppose I shouldn't have been that surprised by the quality of the wine. Lots of exceptional Pinot Noirs come from the Niagara Peninsula, so why not Gretzky's?

Two Hands 2008 Sophie's Garden Padthaway Shiraz: I love, love, LOVE Australian Shiraz. If you ever want to give me a gift, remember that I love Aussie Shiraz. This wine was my favourite of the evening. Deep red, bordering on purple. Rich, jammy fruit on the nose, with hints of mint or even mild eucalyptus. Solid, ripe fruit on the palate and a slightly hot finish. I could have consumed this wine all night. I found it went particularly well with our pork tenderloin main course—especially with a little goat cheese on top. I can feel it in my mouth even now, remembering the experience. Hands down (two hands, down), my favourite of the bunch.

Another wine that we had but for which I didn't shoot the label was our friend's wine. Andy makes the most amazing wines, and he offered a 13-year-old Pinot Noir from his collection. Normally, I don't think of Pinots as a wine that can age, but Andy's hit it bang-on. There were still definite notes of cherries, and the pepper finish was wonderful. So good.

There's nothing better than an evening of good wines with great friends. After more than two years, it was a gathering that was long overdue. But waiting until this time to open these wines was well worth the wait.