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Katy Villanueva

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Katy Villanueva

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HAPPY ENDINGS

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These photos tell a story of a girl. I have arranged my photos in an order that tells a story of myself. Girl is alone. Girl meets boy. Girl is walking into a house. Girl is throwing her bra out the window. Girl is in bed, naked and laughing. Although I did not necessarily do these things or even take these pictures in that order, I believe they still tell a little about my personality and my style.

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Katy Villanueva

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I chose to have a theme for my series: leopard print. Initially I had the term “wild feline” in my mind, but it turned into more than just that. Leopards are fast, agile, smart, graceful, fierce and beautiful. I do not admit to being all of these things, however my personality does in fact reflect some of these qualities. I did not want the leopard print to be the main focus of each photo; I simply wanted something to tie each one together. As it happens, the leopard print represents a more sexy, sultry side of myself that I was lucky enough to explore throughout this project.

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Katy Villanueva

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Katy Villanueva

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The term “Self-Portrait” carried a lot more weight than I had expected. Throughout my childhood I have been instructed to paint, draw or sculpt a representation of myself. However taking pictures of myself forced me to look at myself a little differently than I do in the mirror every morning. I had to take lighting, setting, attire and mood into account when photographing myself these past few weeks. I don’t think I see myself as clearly as others see me (just as we all don’t). Throwing my favorite bra out the window and photographing my legs on Locust Walk both helped me see myself a little better. No, I did not go home with the boy in my second photo, and my mother was with me in the room in my last. However, the story reveals a side of me that I don’t get to express very often.

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Katy Villanueva

About The Author: Katy Villanueva is a freshman enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2014 – Copyright 2011

Crucifix 1

Posted on December 8, 2010

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The last shoot I did in LA, I was very sad over some heartache. The model was also going through some of that too when I picked her up, so my head wasn’t in the right space and hers wasn’t either. I still shot her and in many of the pictures the sadness came out. Not until now because I’m feeling a lot better that, I edited photos with a different eye, I liked some of the results. I think they reflect that, dark, sadness and to me the cross speaks more in terms of what men can put you through in love, a crucifix……

Crucifix 2

Photographer: Alejandra Guerrero - Fashion: Vex Clothing Co.

To purchase Skin Two – Issue 61: http://www.adultmagstore.co.uk/skintwo/
To learn more about Vex Clothing: http://www.vexclothing.com
To learn more about Alejandra Guerrero’s photography: http://www.alt-er-ego.com

Self Portrait: Monday, October 4th, 2010, Chicago

Posted on October 6, 2010

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In general my self portraits are more spontaneous, a thing of the moment, though sometimes I elaborate a bit more. I had been wanting to portray an alter ego as somewhat of a Photography Villain. My work deals with the erotic, taboos & fetishism, which are more associated in general with the darker side. I identify with characters that are somewhat dark and mysterious, femme fatales, vamps, villains etc… I wanted to portray this using common kind’s of cartoonish elements, the eye patch, the smoke, the overall look and since my work is mostly of an erotic nature, I thought it would be nice, since I don’t create explicit self portraits to produce something a bit more bold by being body painted and have that erotic undertone, while at the same time being covered in paint.

I also didn’t want to have the camera in my hand like I usually do.  Instead, I held a remote as to make it clear, “I took this image of my self”. So I got in touch with my make-up artist friend and told her the idea and she loved it. It took her a few hours to prep me. She also assisted me by holding a mirror while I framed the shot, so I was able to see what I was doing.

By the way it wasn’t easy at all! Modeling, holding poses, firing the camera and mostly smoking (which by the way I’m not a smoker), made me very dizzy, but worth it because the effect with the smoke gave the self-portrait that touch of bad ass it needed. Funny enough I was going after to a Playboy Magazine party and it took me a long time to wash the black off, I got tired of scrubbing and left my upper body clean, while the lower part had still some stain spots. Two days later I’m still stained! The photo made it all worth while.

To learn more about Alejandra Guerrero’s work, log on to www.Alt-Er-Ego.com.

Jobs With justice

Posted By Ed Simmons
Photos By Harvey Finkle

……….They really don’t give a damn about anyone else. They all lack empathy for the people whom they represent. Christ, the whole damn bunch of them took two summer holidays, leaving millions hungry. I went hungry, the bastards had me cut down to one meal a day. I’m down to 173 pounds and at 6’3″, I need to be somewhere near 195 to do my job in construction. Oh yea, I got a job today. Not that things are turning around out here in Los Angeles, I was just very lucky. The job situation out here is still ugly! This attitude of, I got mine, can be contagious. They split us up, the unemployed, left the 99ers behind, the American Workers who are most needy of a hand up!

Poverty Kills

In my work, if we’re not getting our job done, the entire crew is subject to being run off. Should our Congress not be held to this same standard? Now some of these slugs want to continue the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, the top 2%. This top 2% needs to accept some responsibility for bringing our economy down. They need to be throwing down some scratch, help our nation up out of this hole, not bury the 99ers in the ditch. Why is it in Congress, there is so much concern over Corporate America at the expense of the American Worker? All these corporations are doing fine. They all have plenty of money to hoard with manufacturing moved off shore, most of the money they make, doesn’t make its way back around into the hands of our citizens. It just pads the pockets of the privileged. Its skimmed off the top!

Union

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it once more, we as a Nation united need to run ALL these bums out. Put in people who will honor their oath of office, people determined to get their jobs done. Its hard for me to comprehend how a bill in Congress can run thousands of pages, yet our Constitution is only four. The only conclusion I can come to is our Government has gotten out of hand. Like a fright train rolling down a mountain side, crushing everything and everyone in its path! Our Government has been hijacked. It is no more a Government of the people, by the people, for the people. Today our Government has become an unyielding beast. I say let’s slay this beast and bring back our American Dreams! I’m sick and tired of this smoke and mirror Government, I’m fed up, the people of Bell got fed up too. The people of Bell, the first to step up, all across our Nation. Our Citizens need to follow their lead, enough is enough, they’ve all shown their stripes, We The People, need to take our power back!

Unite

Our highest court has sided with the powerful. No longer do they defend the rights of the common man. Their rulings on campaign funding spit in the face of the people their supposed to defend. Corporations are not people. We Are The People! Its ever more clear we are out here on our own, all alone! Absolute power, corrupts absolutely, the citizens in this country, need to follow the lead, set in place by the hoodwinked people of Bell! I can’t forget, I won’t forget about the 99ers plight, I will not let this go.

A Shelter Is Not A Home

Mom told me way back when; “Edmund remember always, but for the grace of God, there you go!”. I’m tired of this congressional conspiracy set on sabotaging our American Dreams! I’m embarrassed, I’m ashamed, there are broken down families, families that have been broken up, living as refugees, living in tent cities, all just cast aside! We can’t let this stand. We all need to see to it, that the disenfranchised American unemployed, get theirs back. Common men and women in our nation have to motivate, to get out and vote, and on the day after November 2nd, say to all of Congress voted out of office; hey pal,”You Got Yours!”

End Poverty Now

To read more of Ed Simmon’s blogs, log on to www.yeeha.org/art

Blackberry Self Portrait

Posted By Ed Simmons

Pride. Swallow It

That’s what its there for. I spent the morning, and some of my afternoon, standing in the welfare line. Thank you Senators, for your job well done! A lot of men like me, standing in those lines are not broken men, just angry men. I heard a lot of rude statements about illegal immigrants. Our Government got a lot of people scared of the Sewer Gators, I know illegal immigration is not our problem, we are a Nation of immigrants. What we need, what we want right now, is work! Its important to say, the people working in this welfare office, are wonderful people, they get it. They know the people they’re seeing these days, are only the effect, the cause, a dysfunctional Congress! It takes more than talk, to make something happen. Where have all those shovel ready jobs gone anyhow, its ugly out on the streets out here in LA. Not much going on, nothing much will get going on, until the banksters cut loose with some cash. Why in the hell would they, they make so much more money moving it around markets, they’re still playing both sides of the fence, for them. This is a thing of beauty, the perfect storm!

40% of this Country’s GNP is all about nothing, they aren’t producing product, they just continue the poor business practices that got us into this mess in the first place. WE THE PEOPLE, bailed them out once, don’t be fooled, all this crap is still going on! We need to clean house in this Country, I’m not talking about the immigrants. Who I’m speaking of, are the bastards, and the bastardetts, wasting space in the Congressional Hallways of Washington. I remember hearing more than once, first we’ll kill all the lawyers, we desperately need a cross section of the fabric of America, occupying the seats of Congress, people in touch with the Citizens they represent, the Common People of America, taxi cab drivers, carpenters, janitors, and cooks, our labor force and librarians, our fishermen and our farmers, people not beholden to the corporate scum! In their quest for unbridled profits, these corporations have sabotaged our once Great Nation, just think about this situation for a minute, tent cities, sprouting up, all across our Country.

I’m sure Congress would truly feel shame, if only they cleaned their Capitol Office windows. You know, this assumption I make, hinges on believing they have a conscience, with all we’ve witnessed through these troubled times, we all know they don’t! Christ, all I hear from them, is more tax cuts for the rich, I’m not the sharpest tack in the pack but I know, with the tax base eroded as it is today, any solution other than an increase in tax, is insane.

If I could just get a job, I would be more than happy paying double the tax, I know, I’d be bitching and moaning, in lock step with everyone else. However, as a result of these misdirected polices, firemen, police men, and our teachers in our communities now are loosing their jobs! These are the jobs that grow our society, the professionals that keep our communities safe! So I am going to reread the Secret again this weekend. I’m wearing out the pages in this book. I’m just a little worried the pages may turn to dust before this awful economy turns around! Here is the hope I can believe in, the November Elections are coming and all these clowns in Congress who’s seats are up for election will leave!

Type O Negative Fan

Posted by Alejandra Guerrero

……….TW I didn’t tell you the OTHER part of why I took these pics, besides that I was feeling all pretty, the reality of things…. I was very sad that day because I woke up to find out that Peter Steele, singer of one of my fave bands, Type O Negative had died the night before of heart failure.

He Even Gave Me A Kiss

I’ve been a Type O Negative fan since I was 15 and I had a personal fascination for Pete, maybe it was because I found him so frightening that I thought he was sexy. He was tall, his long black hair, deep green eyes, kind of Vampire looking, very masculine and seeing photos of him in Playgirl magazine at the end of the 90s, he was proportional to his height, he was 6’7” ! He had been in my fantasies for a long time… I often Googled, looking for stuff on him.

Better yet, I met him twice 10 years ago. The first time he even gave me a kiss! He was very nice and had this awesome dark sense of humor. I took some photos but they were ruined by accident processing the film. The ones with me… I thought then, I’ll see him again, take other ones, never did… 

RIP Pete, you are going to be very missed.

To learn more about Alejandra Guerrero’s work log on to www.Alt-Er-Ego.com.

Play With Light 1

……….Our cover subject for the month of April, Alejandra Guerrero is a very talented model as well as accomplished photographer. Ms. Guerrero recently sent this series of pictures to the studio, as she was excited to play with “florescent” light. The result’s from her self-portrait session’s are always quite remarkable.

Play With Light 2

Play With Light 3

Play With Light 4

To learn more about Alejandra Guerrero’s work log on to www.alt-er-ego.com.