I Love LA. . . . . . . . . . We Love It!!!

On my recent trip to LA I was able to shoot Katherine from Vision. Every once in awhile I shoot a girl where pretty much after the first frame I can call that look finished. Katherine was one of those girls. Every frame was unique and beautiful (I basically continued to shoot just based on force of habit). She was coming off a cold but that didn't stop her from giving a 100% during the shoot and smiling all the way through. I consider Katherine a rock-star and am just looking forward to my next trip out west so that we might be able to collaborate on an editorial. Although I feel she'll be in NY soon enough so maybe I won't have to make that trip cross country (I never made it onto LA time, for 3 weeks I woke up between 3 and 5 am :-0 !!) Here is a small sampling from one look from that day. These are pretty much un-retouched (you'll notice the binder clip in one of the shots, I thought it added a little somethin' somethin' so I left it in).

The Other Half

The other half of the Ukrainian pair I photographed was Alex (her friends call her Sasha). Equally as sweet as Mariya (her friends call her Masha) but with dark hair instead of blonde. Turns out these two are with the same agency back in the Ukraine and have been friends for awhile. I think it would be cool to base a reality show on these two. Following them around Manhattan showing what it must be like to visit NYC for the first time from the point of view of two Ukrainian models. Come to think of it doing this in all different markets would be cool as well. It has everything that reality shows love, beautiful people, interesting locations, kind of like the travel channel meets americas next top model meets gossip girl. Get on that bravo! Here are some shots of the beautiful Alex (Sasha).

The Best Part

It might not be that obvious, and you definitely wouldn't be able to tell from looking at the photos, but the best part about my job has to be the people I get a chance to meet. The fashion industry definitely has its stereotypes, and yes you definitely run into, let's say, "challenging" people now and again, but for the most part I've had nothing but positive experiences. Like take this past week when I got a chance to shoot two Ukrainian girls fresh off the plane and brand new to NYC. They couldn't have been sweeter and they were so excited to be here in NYC! Seeing their eyes light up when spoke about going to the Empire State Building made me want to go and check it out for myself and I live 3 blocks away and never once thought about going up to the top. I'm just glad we didn't have a conversation about Times Square. Here are a few shots of Mariya. I found out a few days later that she was totally under the weather during this shoot and no doubt massively jet-lagged as well (she flew in the day before), but you would have never known it to shoot her, total professional.

I Can See The Finish Line

I am almost, almost caught up with all my re-touching. My recent trip back to Chicago to visit with family and clear my head a bit turned out to be more of a work trip than I had anticipated. I am just now finishing all the post production from that trip and right back to work here in NYC. If you want to gauge how behind I am I still haven't gotten to my taxes, FROM LAST YEAR! No worries, I filed the necessary paperwork for the extension so I have till Oct 15th which means I will be real busy the night of Oct 14th. But I wanted to post a few images of Natalia from last week. This Brazillian bombshell was a total sweetheart with a killer body as you can plainly see above. Thinking about a possible trip to Brazil this winter, you know it'll be summer there in February. . . . . . . . .

I Want To Shoot Her Again!

You wouldn't know it from talking with her, (she has the sweetest, softest voice) but this girls a rock star! Always moving, trying new things, just an all around fun person to shoot. I think she's back in Germany now, but hopefully i'll get a chance to shoot her again the next time she rolls thru NYC! She was a blast!

What Can I Say, Leticia.

Had the opportunity to shoot Leticia the other day. She is in the current issue of V magazine wearing a t-shirt and a rose. Wow! What a stunner, and filled with such great/positive energy! The time just flew by, and when it was all said and done, I was able to step outside my box and experiment a bit (last 2 shots pictured above). I still love soft light, but c'mon. that last one is just pure fun! ;)

A Lot Has Happened Since My Last Post!

I renewed my commitment to go to the gym, then I broke said agreement, then I re-renewed said agreement. I've shot like everyday which is great until you realize all the computer work that entails, I'm like crazy behind! I'm back on caffeine as of about 4 o'clock this afternoon, 3 months was a long enough break, (a personal best I might add). Tons of other stuff happened more pertinent to photography, but unfortunately I have to get back to work so all that will have to wait till next time. Until then, here are a couple shots of Alannah from our first two looks!

What A Perfect Way To End A Perfect Day

Than with none other than home-made chocolate chip cookies baked by yours truly! (home-made is kind of a stretch, I just heated them in my toaster oven, but it was still effort) They were warm and delicious and a perfect way for Ariel and I to finish our shoot. There are no words to describe what an amazing person she is, filled with life and positive energy and such a sweetheart! (well I guess technically those are all words) Nonetheless it was one of my favorite shoots of all time (and thats saying a lot because I've been fortunate to shoot some amazing girls recently). The only downside is now I'm hooked on those chocolate chips and it's getting really close to bathing suit season! Good thing I only wear a one piece.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Like with Fernanda for example. When she arrived at my apartment/studio I was clueless. Clueless to the fact that she had been in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue for 4 straight years, a Victoria Secret model, has her own TV show in Brazil and about 25,000 followers on Twitter! I, knowing none of this, just treated her like any other model that makes their way up my 5 floor walkup. I first offer them a glass of water, talk a bit about how after awhile you get used to the stairs, ask them what type of music they want to listen to, then we get to work. Fernanda and I had a great time shooting together. Maybe the fact that I treated her like anyone else was refreshing to her, I don't know, but I'm making it a rule not to google anyone before I shoot them. If I would have known that she was the "Tyra Banks" of Brazil, I would have probably tried too hard and totally screwed things up! But as is the case, IMG chose like 20 some images from the shoot and who knows, I might very well develop a Brazilian following on Twitter?! First I have to figure out what a "Twitter" is. See, I told you I was clueless.

I Like Surprises

Like when Sarah took my white t-shirt and decided to wear it as a complete outfit. Stretching it, pulling it, forming it into all types of organic shapes. I've never seen anyone take a shirt to that much of an extreme before. It was brilliant! I was also surprised later to find out that she is a former Maxim cover model. We don't get many of those out here in NYC. . . . . . . . . . well at least I don't.

Spring Has Sprung!

You know how I can tell? In Washington DC, Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom and here in NYC I awake to the sound of jackhammers outside my window. I like to think of it as my own little March Madness. Spring also means that I will begin shooting outside again, so say goodbye to plain walls inside and hello to plain walls outside! Woohoo!!! But since its still rainy and cold for a few more days, here are a couple indoor shots of Poala @ IMG.

I've Never Been As Scared . . . . . . . .

As when Kristin decided to put my ipod on shuffle! With the end of every song came the unknown, "will it be something normal like 'The Killers'?", "what will I do if one of my 'motivational books on tape' pops on? Will I run to turn it off quickly or will I laugh it off and blame it on when I lent my computer to an old roommate?", "Oh My God! I think I have a Kelly Clarkson song on there!!!" See, I told ya, scary stuff! . . . . . . . . . how lucky am I that nobody found out about that last one huh?. Fortunate for me the shuffle experiment only yielded good results, like LCD Soundsystem, The Postal Service and some old R&B, (which actually fit perfectly with the series I was shooting at the time which was soft and backlit). Whewww! Here are a few shots of Kristin from the other day. We had a great time shooting and she couldn't have been sweeter. She even folded up the clothes from the shoot before she left! How nice was that?!!! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going get back to retouching while I listen to my ipod. . . . . . . . . . . . "But since you've been gone, I can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "

Taylor For Laila Azhar

Always a great shoot when your studio shares a wall with Tortilla Flats!

A Tornado Just Hit My Apartment!

Well, not exactly. But it kinda felt like it! Let's just say Lia has no trouble in the movement department, which made my job so easy that day! What sometimes could take the better part of a half hour to shoot took all of 10 minutes. Which means we were able to shoot about 5 looks in less than an hour. What was I going to do with all my free time??? Edit thats what, and post a few shots on facebook which yielded a request from Maud at Fashion Does It Better for a few shots for their site. Lia is the perfect editorial girl, free spirited and a rock star in front of the camera which means every shot is unique and uniquely Lia! I'm currently sitting at JFK waiting for my flight so I do not have all the images at my disposal, but here are a couple shots from our shoot.