Alysa rocks. I did about three shoots with her, and she didn’t have the need to be “pretty” even though she is obviously quite gorgeous. Modeling was her way of contributing to the arts, and I’m so glad I had the chance to work with her. She wasn’t afraid of going dark and gritty. Fiercely intelligent, and I sometimes find myself going through her shoots and finding an image I hadn’t noticed before…
Another way to have fun doing photos is getting to be any character you want! Anduin and I wanted to create a modern interpretation of Ophelia from Hamlet. It was the dead of winter, so we had to make do with a bathtub…
We did this shoot right before Heather got about 8 feet of her hair cut off…had to take advantage of the long hair one last time!
I love working with a team…but I love being one on one with people too. This young woman has been doing figure modeling on the side for quite some time…other careers have included management and the Peace Corps, and now she’s getting her Masters. This shoot took place in just under an hour with some chatting. I’ll show you more in an upcoming entry, but that one will require more writing time. I love the elegance in her movements!
So, I recently shot this image for wallpaper for the new Marisa Perry Atelier location…I’ve never done wallpaper before so that was challenging and stressful! The color didn’t turn out exactly the way I wanted, but I’ve decided to (ok, fine, TRY to) stop nitpicking and be happy with the experience. This was just a crappy shot done on my phone…
And this is the one off my camera. They wanted a sexy pin-up look to show their rings on, and this model, Brittany, was wonderful…she’s a dancer and could hold that pose endlessly while we fussed.
Check out her instagram, lots of amazing shots there! https://instagram.com/bricavaco/ Makeup and hair was done by Leah Stangas, another fab lady to work with….and here’s a behind the scenes look!
I don’t know what’s up with ivy and I…it keeps popping up in photos, I have it decorating my bedroom, and even have it tattooed on my ankle. I like vines, I like the way the green takes over. There are some wonderful buildings in NYC covered in it.
Ok, a few entries back, it was all about the cats! This time, here’s Bella the Boston Terrier wanting her close-up, thank you very much….
Not a fully edited shot since a different one was the winner for the client, but I was entertained by Bella, so here it is. What you don’t see is me lying on the floor, trying to shoot upwards with Bella licking my face 🙂
Lingerie shoots are one of my most requested shoots. Sometimes it’s as a gift to the models significant other, but more often than not, it’s just for her, to make her feel sexy and confident! Curious? Give it a try…you too, gentlemen!
One crazy story: I was at a womans house as she wanted to surprise her husband with some pin up style lingerie photos. She looked great, but was nervous, which is entirely normal at the beginning. The moment she got the courage to ditch the robe? Ding Dong! It was the Jehova’s Witnesses. She clutched her robe tight and explained that, thank you, she already has that book while I chased the dog, who of course managed to bolt the second she opened the door. I’m happy to report that the shoot still went well after that!
I enjoy chatting while I shoot, and learning about different experiences. People often think models are dumb, and pretty is all there is to them, but I’ve worked with an amazing group of people from all different walks of life, and am happy to report that they’ve been intelligent and awesome on many levels. For example:
Sometimes you have to get out of your normal setting, ditch your lighting setup, and go for a walk. Straight up a mountain. I think poor Heather was devoured by mosquitos that day…what a trooper.
LizZusev 