Sunday, May 24, 2009

Everything old is the new "new"

Ready or not, but I'm preparing for a new photo shoot! With real/professional models!
(It's not for a magazine or anyone but my own improvement)

Now that I've deflated expectations, allow me to explain why I'm doing this.

But, before get a real model, I must first convince a (or more than a) modeling agency here in New York that I'm worth giving a model to. And I'm not even asking for Gisele or Lyla here, I'm looking for nobodys - new faces that need more exposure.
Over the past weeks, I've already been rejected by a couple of agencies (nothing I didn't expect); however, one of them was insightful enough to mention specifically because they thought my work sucked.

I figured it was better than an ambiguous "no" for no reason I could perceive.

Amongst working on my sales pitch, of myself, to improve my chances of at least one of these agencies to see a grain of potential and give me a model, if for no other reason, out of pity. And and to make it less obvious that my best looking friends were, in fact, my "models" in college, I have since been trying to scrape around my portfolio to improve what I still can.

Exhibit A: Madame X Revisited Part Deux

Here is an "after and before" (thought I'd switch it up to further prove my capability of outer box thinking), the "after" is on the left.
Previously I had shot this with a 4x5 horseman camera with Kodak EPP chrome. I thought to convert it to B/W and fix the model's pose and skin. Her face is tilted off to the side which looks unflattering in the direct lighting, I changed her face position slightly and retouched her skin. Her wrists are creating a LOT of tension so I smoothed them out, as well.
I thought B/W treatment would be more mysterious and better convey the mood I was attempting at that time.



Exhibit B: Aileen in Red Part Deux

I've always had mixed feelings about this shot (the "before" is at the bottom and is color). I wanted it to be "colorful," but I can tell you that I did not have quite this in mind when I started this shot. I mostly wanted to change the make up and background, and once again, the easiest way to change was to convert it to B/W; there was too much going on with the color.



So, ask yourself, look deep down if you have to: If you were a NYC modeling agency would you give me a model? For free?
If not, why not?

(seriously though, I started this blog seeking constructive criticism, not a circle jerk fest like Deviant art; so crit generously but constructively)