Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Lost Gina Velour Pics


In 1999, I shot a roll of film with my long-time collaborator Gina Velour. Either I fucked up the light reading or the lab severely underdeveloped the roll of film, but the negatives were virtually useless. I tried my best to print the images in the darkroom but no matter how many times I experimented with the contrast filters and exposure times, I could NOT get a decent print.

Now in 2005, I decided to scan the negs with my new Nikon Super Coolscan 9000 film scanner. The scans turned out perfect. I didn't even have to adjust the tones afterwards. I am amazed at the amount of tonal depth from a negative that basically has none. In these scans, the dark areas show just the perfect amount of shadow detail and nothing is over-exposed in the highlights. I am in awe of technology right now!

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Shien Lee

This past weekend I went to Ventura to shoot Shien Lee from Montreal. I was going for that 1960s Shanghai look which I'm so fond of, especially after seeing the Wong Kar-Wai films In the Mood for Love and 2046.

Wedding Photography?

Last week I took some wedding photos at two friends' wedding. I would never want to do actual wedding photography but this was for friends, AND we even got to tie up and suspend the bride afterwards!


The bride tosses the bouquet


The knot has literally been tied!

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Jesus Christ! A Holiday Burlesque Revue!

Last night, I went to the Jesus Christ! A Holiday Burlesque Revue! at El Cid in Hollywood featuring a number of my past models (see below). I've seen a lot of lame burlesque shows in my time, but this had to be one of the best. I ran into quite a few people I hadn't seen in awhile. Good night indeed!


Desire D'Amour, San Francisco 1998
I hadn't seen Desire since 1998 when I shot the above photo of her for So Hip It Hurts.


Lucy Fur, Los Angeles 2002
I shot Lucy Fur a few times when she'd come and visit from Portland. Now she's made the big move to LA. Besides being a model/performer, she's also a really good photographer with her own book coming out next year.

Do the Bambi - Stereo Total


I took this photo earlier in the year for the German band Stereo Total. They've always been one of my favorites. For the release of their Do the Bambi album, they asked artists and photographers to contribute interpretations of Bambi. I had this amputated Bambi for many years so it was no problem setting up this shot for them.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Steve and Ivy in SF


Self portrait with Ivy Red during one of our shoots last weekend in SF. I decided to use my ol' Yashica T4 that weekend. I shot most of the color in The Beauty of Fetish: Volume II with that camera (the black and white is all medium format). That Carl Zeiss lens is so god-like. For a point-and-shoot, that lens serves up the most amazing tonal range. No wonder why so many photographers use it.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Thursday, December 8, 2005

Gallery Show & Book Release Party this SAT in LA


Madison Young, Los Angeles 2005

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Esperanza Studios
3620 Whittier Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90023

7pm-2am

Release Party and Gallery Show
for the New Book The Mammoth Book of Illustrated Erotic Women (Carroll & Graf)

Featuring the photography of
Saryn Angel, Ivana Ford, Perry Gallagher,
Steve Diet Goedde, Jimon, Stephen McClure,
and Dave Naz

Buy the book HERE

NOTE: Because of a previously scheduled event, I will not be in attendance of this event. My apologies.

Sunday, December 4, 2005

The Germs / Chicago Punk Rock Days

Went to see The Germs last night at the Key Club with Mr. Naz. It was the 25th anniversary of the last show they performed before Darby Crash died. The show's musicianship was great. Unfortunately the set was marred by the new singer's insincere attempt at trying to be as Darbyish as possible. It just came across as annoying and obnoxious. Everyone I talked to at the show agreed. I still I had a great time though. I don't get out to too many shows these days. The last live show I saw was Flogging Molly back in March.


Steve and Danni, Chicago 1985
The show last night made me reminisce about my old punk rock days in Chicago. The photo above is from 1985 and is of me and my then-girlfriend Danni. Her and I contributed the Chicago scene report to Maximum Rock-n-Roll Magazine. Danni wrote the stories, and I took the band photos. We also booked and promoted a bunch of local shows. Soul Asylum was our biggest band. My photos of them ended up being used for their Time's Incinerator album and also resulted in my first nationally published magazine photo - a two page spread in the Village Voice.


Soul Asylum, Chicago 1985

Friday, December 2, 2005

Joel-Peter Witkin


Local shooter JACK took this photo of me and Joel-Peter Witkin at his show at the Fahey/Klein Gallery this past summer. I had met Joel back in 1986 when he was hanging his show at Columbia College in Chicago, and he was very nice to talk to one-on-one. He's just as nice and personable now as he was back then.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

I love the '80s


It's 1982 and I'm sitting on my ol' yellow Chevette with my Sex Pistols tshirt and orange Chucks.


Jump ahead to 1988 in Chicago where I'm painting the car of my band Coma Diet. We used that car to haul our equipment to shows. It eventually stopped working, and we abandoned it on the side of the road somewhere.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

More Billy Bob


Billy Bob Thornton gives me the evil eye on the set of Sling Blade in 1994.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

SDG 1980

I just bought the top-o-the-line medium format film scanner the Nikon Coolscan 9000 and have been having a blast scanning all my old negatives. Way more shit to come!


Arty farty self-portrait in 1980 at age 15. It was the beginning of my punk/new wave phase (did it ever end?)
BTW, that's the same Canon A1 that I use today.

Glamourcon LA 2005 Pics!

Glamourcon this past weekend was a lot of fun. Dave Naz and I ended up doing quite well even though the first day was a bit slow. Masuimi Max and Smoking Mary Jane helped liven the atmosphere. Stacy Burke was next to us so it was a treat when Hugh Hefner came by to say hello to her and pose for some pics.


Masuimi hiding from her fans.


Smoking Mary Jane shows off a gam!


Stacy Burke taking a much needed break from signing.

More pics soon!

Monday, November 21, 2005

Ivy Red 11/2005

I recently did a series of shoots with long-time friend Ivy Red. Here are a couple examples. A few more can be found in Ivy's journal .


Latex by


Is that really Ivy?


Just for fun, a semi-pornographic snapshot

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

SDG, Naz, and Masuimi at Glamourcon this Weekend


Masuimi Max, London 2003

Glamourcon LA 2005
THIS WEEKEND! November 19 & 20, 2005
Radisson LAX, 6225 West Century Blvd.

I will be sharing a booth with Dave Naz at this weekend's GLAMOURCON.
We'll be selling books, DVDs, postcards, posters, etc.

Special booth girl MASUIMI MAX will be signing my DVDs and Calendars.
(Masuimi's hours are Saturday 2:30-5:00 & Sunday 12:30-2:30)

Detailed info at www.glamourcon.com

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

SDG in the Holy Land

Check out www.luxuryfetish.com for my first ever interview in Hebrew. Pretty interesting, eh? I can't believe what I admitted to in that article! I must've been really drunk!

Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Is anyone reading this?

I have no way of tracking traffic with this blog. Is anyone reading this? If so, respond to this with a simple 'yes' or actually write a comment. You can even do it anonymously.

Thanks!

Steve

Sunday, October 23, 2005

SDG Annual Report 2005

It's not a secret that I don't rely on my photography to make a living. I've even talked about this subject in my books. My art is far too personal to me, and I’m not driven by money. That’s probably hard for some people to grasp, but I’m more concerned about my mental well-being than I am about my bank accounts. I'm not saying that I've never compromised my art for money; I just don’t want to do it on a daily basis and depend on it.

On occasion I do shoot for money but only under the right circumstances. A little extra income is always nice. Recently, I’ve started shooting for Taboo Magazine because I was invited to. I have full artistic control, it’s easy, and the pay is nice. I’ve also started doing work for Wired Magazine taking portraits and doing editorial work. There too, I have full artistic control and the money just happens to be good too.

But I can’t see myself doing that kind of work full-time, especially commercial photography. Technically, I hardly know anything about what it requires to do “pro” photography. I barely know how to use a flash. My method and style depend on my self-imposed limitations. That is what has given me my style throughout the years. I know how to take the kind of photos I take, and that’s all that’s important to me. If I had studied studio photography when I was younger, my style would probably have been too diluted to stand out stylistically.

I also couldn’t handle the stress involved in working that way. Even the photoshoots themselves would be far too stressful for me. I suffer from high blood pressure and hypertension and am always in danger of suffering a stroke even though I take medication for it. So it’s important for me to live a very calm lifestyle. I’ve always had day-jobs that provide me with calmness, steady income, and the freedom to take as much time off as I need for my artistic pursuits.

In Chicago, I worked at various record stores for 13 years. It was during this period that I shot my first book The Beauty of Fetish (Edition Stemmle). When I moved to LA in 1998, I got a job at the Stockroom because I had known the owner and his girlfriend since before I moved to LA. I shot The Beauty of Fetish: Volume II (Edition Stemmle) during the first two years here. It’s now the end of 2005, and I’m still working at the Stockroom doing graphic design. Why? Because I love it. It’s very low-key, they pay me well, I work with my friends, and I can take off as much time as I need to travel and create my art. The steady paycheck is very comforting too.

I’ve never been a competitive person. I just do what I do to make my friends and myself happy. I know too well that material and monetary gain does not bring happiness. Happiness is knowing who you are, loving yourself, and then spreading goodwill. Financially I may not be rich, but on the inside no one can ever rob me of the wealth I possess.

- Steve Diet Goedde, October 2005

Monday, September 26, 2005

Another Artist's Tragedy


Framed photo of Siege with his mother and brother which was under 25 feet of swamp water.

Last year, my good friend and photographer Siege spent his life's savings on a trailer for his mom and 13-year-old brother in Louisiana. Katrina destroyed their home and all their belongings. He has been in Louisiana with his girlfriend to help with the recovery process.

Siege has created an amazing blog documenting his life and efforts down there since the hurricane. He has taken some of the most personal and heartbreaking images of this tragedy. I highly recommend all to visit the blog and see a reality that you're not seeing in the mainstream press.

For those who wish to help, he is selling prints of his art here to help raise money to find his mother and brother a place to live. There is also an eBay effort from his friends auctioning off various art. Artists donating work are Spencer Tunick, George Pitts, and Carlos Santana (auctioning off his solid mahogany guitar). The auction ends tomorrow September 27.

Please feel free to post and pass the information along. Thanks.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

SDG Calendars for the USA


Good news for US people who want my calendar. Calendars.com is offering it at $12.95 plus cheap shipping.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Another Masuimi Photograph


This was shot last week on my balcony in the darkness of night. Street lights were the only source of illumination for this 6-second exposure. Masuimi and the tripod-mounted camera had to stay very, very still. No manipulations were used to give it this quality. Latex by Vex!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Self-Exposure


I was asked to take part in this book project featuring male nude self-portraits compiled by Reed Massengill for Universe Publishing. Sorry to disappoint y'all, but my selfy is only from the chin up. Dave Naz's portrait however....

"Self-Exposure showcases more than 100 self-portraits by the established masters of photography. This collection documents the development of the male self-portrait since the birth of photography with such greats as Andy Warhol, Peter Gorman, David Hockney, Steve Diet Goedde, Pierre Molinier, Robert Mapplethorpe, Yasumasa Morimura, Dave Naz, Pierre et Gilles, Jan Saudek, Kim Weston, Tony Ward, and Duane Michals. Each artist has a varying approach to their self portrait ranging from the shockingly perverse and aggressively erotic to the elusively self-conscious and sublimely beautiful. Self-Exposure is a powerful survey of this most seductive subject and is complete with brief biographies of each photographer."

Buy it HERE

Masuimi, Ozzy the Cat, and a Doritos Chip


A fun photo from last night's shoot with Masuimi (and Ozzy the Cat).

Leticia


I will miss you dearly Leticia. You were a very good friend.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Katrina Benefit Gallery Show


Artists for Katrina
Saturday, September 24th
from 2pm til 11pm

Lightspace
1984 N. Main Street
Suite 501
Los Angeles, CA 90031
located inside the Brewery Art Complex


Please join us for a benefit art exhibition featuring 30 artists from all over the world.

Azcra, Guillermo Bert, Eduardo Bonilla, Wil Cohen, John Cope, Mitchel Evans, Ivana Ford, Ed Fox, Perry Gallagher, Steve Diet Goedde, Jim Groves, Phong Hong, S. Jenx, Gene Jimenez, The Joker, Rick Lujan, Dave Naz, Marco Patino, Pixie, Lisa Prichard, Mark Rasmussen, Donna Ricci, Simone, Tiffany Trenda, Christine Uskievich , Mitzi Valenzuela Cardenas, Victor, Yoffy

Proceeds will be donated to:
American Red Cross
Feed the Children
SPCA
HSUS

Artists have agreed to to donate 50-100% of their sales of artwork to the charity of their choice.

Friday, September 9, 2005

Victor's Birthday Party

My good friend and master black and white photographer Victor (www.lightworship.com) had his birthday party a few weeks back. Octavio (www.winkytiki.com), Dave Naz (www.davenaz.com), and I celebrated a new year of Victor at Footsie's Bar in Highland Park. You haven't heard of it yet, but you sure will in a few years when it'll be an A-list celebrity drinking hole. Footsie's has shiny, quilted red leather booths sandwiched against wood paneled walls displaying naked lady paintings from the 1960s. Nice bartenders and jukebox too!

Octavio, Victor, Dave Naz, and I


Octavio being Octavio.


Mere seconds before I devoured Dave Naz.

Wednesday, September 7, 2005

Midori Signing in West Hollywood!



My good friend and long-time collaborator Midori will be in West Hollywood on Saturday reading from and signing copies of her new book Wild Side Sex: The Book of Kink (Daedalus Publishing). I will be there showing my support.

Saturday, Sept. 10th, at 7:30pm

A Different Light Bookstore
8853 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
310-854-6601

Wild Side Sex: The Book of Kink
Midori's Fire Horse Productions

Saturday, September 3, 2005

New Fetish Stuff


Frankie, Los Angeles 2005

Okay okay, just to keep all y'all people interested, I better start throwing in some fetish stuff here. Here's a somewhat recent shoot with Frankie.

New PhoneCam!


Ozzy the Cat, September 3, 2005

I had to upgrade my cell phone cuz my old one finally crapped out on me. I knew this day would come. I've been wanting to get a fancy new PDA one but was hesitant cuz I still wanted the crappy image quality of my first generation phonecam. So this past weekend I finally said "fuck it" and got a new Treo 650. As a phone, organizer, web browser, and messaging device, this thing is invaluable! I'm SO in love with it. Of course the image quality is better, but not too significantly better. The photo of Ozzy the Cat above was taken with it. I reduced the size by a few inches so it wouldn't be too big for your webbrowsers. I even got a 1GB SD card for it which means I can store thousands of images in addition to hours of video and MP3s. So back to the art issue, I'm just looking at it as the next phase of my phone art. I actually have enough images from my old phone to call it a collective series which has finally ended.

www.phone-art.com

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

No, that's not all I do...


Sixspace Gallery, July 2004

I received an unusually odd comment last week from someone at a signing basically condemning me for doing non-fetish photography. Some people take fetish way too seriously. Do they have any real appreciation for art or do they only like what's IN the art? I take photographs because I feel compelled to record the world that I see. I see beauty all around me whether it's the light shining off a body-forming latex dress or the accidental stain on a mechanic's office ceiling that I just happen to notice while patiently waiting for my car. Having a phone-cam lets me instantly record these moments of unintentional beauty. It's what I react to. It's me. One unfortunate thing about being pigeonholed in the erotic/fetish genre is the closed-mindedness of *some* of the people who like it. Again, it's rarely about the art but what's IN the art. In their minds, photography is merely a means of documenting something that arouses them. Nothing more.

Then there's the technology factor. I happen to love the low-def quality of a simple phone-cam shot. It's the same way I love the low-fi audio quality of PJ Harvey's "Four-Track Demos" album. It's music reduced to its most simplistic and raw elements. It's this rawness that makes the art even more real and emotional. There's no fancy technology or manipulation masking whatever defects are laying within. Combine this simplistic rawness with engaging composition, and I accomplish what I want visually. It's sad to me that some people judge quality by megapixel size. They're the same ones who value quantity to quality.

It's funny, I've been doing my phone-cam art for a little over a year now, and I've received more significant exposure in the mainstream art world than I've ever had for my 15 years of fetish work. That's something to feel good about.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Billy Bob Thornton



Since I moved about a month ago, I started finding all kinds of things that I had forgotten about. I figure I'll post some of them here for all to see. Otherwise it'll all stay in a box unseen for years to come.

Above is a photo of Billy Bob Thornton that I took on the set of Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade in 1993. I did all the photography for the DVD cover as well.

Friday, July 29, 2005

New Still-Lifes

I haven't been shooting much lately except for a quickie shoot with a few weeks ago. Tonight however, I got inspired and did a few still-lifes of my favorite pair of classic vintage Vivienne Westwood platforms. Both of these were shot with available light with long exposure times. No lighting was intentionally set up for these nor were there any digital manipulations.



The above shot was photographed on a glass table outside on my balcony with only streetlights illuminating it. ISO 200, f3.5, 10 second exposure.



This was shot with available light looking inside a hallway. The blue light is reflected from my TV set. ISO 200, f3.5, 5 second exposure.

Saturday, July 9, 2005

Chewbacca & SDG

The big apartment move is next week, and in preparation I've been going through a lot of old archives. I was thrilled to find Chewbacca's autograph! Courtney has a HUGE crush and fascination with Chewy so she was thrilled that I found this as well! I think I met Peter Mayhew at a science fiction convention back in 1979.



Speaking of science fiction conventions, I will be in San Diego for Comic Con again this year July 14-16. I will be signing at the X-Sanguin booth (booth #433) Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Come on by and say hi!

Saturday, April 30, 2005

Fisher and Sons Funeral Home



It's been a LONG time since I've posted any of my phonecam shots. I just got into the habit of slappin' them up on my Phone Art site.

Anyway, here's a new one. It's the Six Feet Under house in the Adams district of Los Angeles.