In this industry, there are plenty of people that call themselves “models.”  However, most photographers will attest that there is a strikingly low percentage of models out there that can be deemed “high caliper” … or top-notch.  Of course, each photographer has his or her own criteria by which they rank the talent they shoot.  For me, there are three … in order of importance:

#1 Professionalism: I don’t care how stunning a model is in her looks, if she is not professional the beauty means nothing! What good is a model that is almost flawless in her body and looks, if she doesn’t show up on time or at all, is obnoxious, has a “diva” complex or is just down right rude and disrespectful to the people she works around? I have seen a few… and usually I try to cut them off at the pass and hopefully prevent them from even stepping foot into my studio.  If you consider the talent out there with “super model” status, you would be generally hard-pressed to find those bad traits I mentioned above in them.

#2 Complete Beauty: I wrote the word “complete” before beauty because I have found that most models will posses an amazing body and “ok” face, an amazing face and “ok” body or unfortunately neither.  My heart will usually skip a beat when I come across a model that has both of these qualities.  I was watching an HD show that had women in bikinis posing for a shoot on the beach.  I just laughed as they presented these women with hard bodies and blah-looking faces – complete with close-ups of their sad, blotchy, pimple and make-up covered faces.  Yuck! They even had one woman posing topless, which reminded me of another peeve of mine.  Sometimes women will automatically expect I will want to work with them because they are willing to pose nude.  I don’t blame them for this expectation, but rather the GWCs (Guy’s With Camera) that are so desperate to get a woman naked in front of them that they will accept and pay anything.  Doing so lowers the standards for everyone else in the industry, pushing photographers to hire someone who is lacking the “quality” because they will remove their clothing.  Some may think I am being too critical, but keep in mind when someone tags themselves as a “model” they are inviting a review and judgment from everyone and anyone.

#3 Open-mindedness: Ok, so I have managed to line up the most amazing model – the pre-shoot details are set, the shoot is scheduled, the model is booked… my creative juices are flowing like a river and ready to be captured on film.  Great!  Model shows up and then proceeds to lay down the law – I won’t do this, I don’t like this angle, that makeup is too much, I need 10 bathroom breaks, lots of this…lots of that… My creative license has been pretty much revoked or stifled before I even shoot my first frame.  Point is… if a model is not going to be open-minded enough to embrace my creativity and professional movement to ultimately create some fantastic images, I say “why the heck are we here?”

Fortunately, this industry is a scalable one, so there IS work for the masses and less than perfect specimen.

Took me a while, but I finally pulled together my thoughts and have established a new project I am now working.  Over the summer, I will be casting and photographing twelve beautiful Native American women for this project.

Scope:

The calendar will contain images of women who have at least 50% Native American heritage.  I will be shooting outdoors, on location, in four different areas of the country (Pacific Northwest, Southwest, Central, East Coast).  Three women from each location, will represent tribes from that local region.  I could have went the route of having each woman wear specific tribal accessories, but I decided against it.  There is enough media content, whether it be images or movies, that stereotype the “American Indian” and I just won’t subscribe to it.  Instead, I’ll keep the intensity and focal point on the model’s beauty – presenting Native American women as sexy, strong and most of all empowered.

Charity:

I have decided to donate $1 for every calendar sold, to a Native American charity.  Still need to find a charity that will embrace my calendar and help to promote / sell it once completed (since they would have something to gain from the sale too).  If anyone out there wants to recommend their favorite charity, please let me know via my “about” page.

Casting Details:
Now shooting for 2012 glamour calendar featuring Native American women.  Yes, 2012 – I plan on distributing / selling starting early next year.  Must be comfy posing up to implied nude.  Shoots will take place outdoors so must be able to endure possible sudden weather and temperature changes.  MUA and hair stylist definitely will be provided and present. Lunch and expenses paid as well.

Please, must have at least 50% Native American background and please be at least 18+.  ALL experience levels welcome.

Send me an email, if you or someone you know might be interested in applying for this gig.

…from a recent shoot at the boutique class Alexis Hotel in Seattle.

Kristen: Upholstered MUA: Freakishly Beautiful

Kristen: Emerald Teddy MUA: Freakishly Beautiful

Similar to most artists, my body of work is contained and presented in my portfolio – in this case on my main studio website.  I had a photography professor at the university I attended, Loyola University of Chicago, always remind me, “Your portfolio should always say more than your physical words.”  So, naturally I try to present my very best images and not take a shotgun affect by dumping everything on the website.

However, one of the side affects of showing my best work is that sometimes prospective clients can feel intimidated by the beauty of the women on the site.  They want to work with me, but they think, “this looks like fun, but I am not pretty, they only shoot good looking people.”  Sometimes I wish I could post the person’s “before” image prior to working with me to show that they came through my studio doors looking just as ordinary as the next person.  Helping to build confidence is part of what I do as I am shooting a person, but sometimes I have to do this even before they become the client!

When I am confronted with a person who is not feeling “pretty” enough, I try to explain to them that I put to use my skills in creating the most flattering, creative  and glamorous images possible – which is exactly why I am being hired.  Most people are not “A-model” material, but my job is to get their images to reflect this as much as possible.   I always use a makeup artist, pose subjects in the most flattering way and afterwards use Photoshop to “nip and tuck” some of the “challenging” areas.

C’mon ladies! Like my “about” page says – I am happy to shoot anyone and everyone – no matter what they look like.  I truly believe I can find at least one unique and alluring feature in every client I shoot; I have not failed yet.

For all of my East Coast brethren, my mother is a professional painter / pastel artist and she belongs to The Riverside Artists Studio & Gallery, in Westerly, Rhode Island (USA). She works along-side three other talented professional artists (Fran Knapp, Millie Donovan, Ian Newbury),  – all dabbling in various art mediums. I encourage you to checkout their blog, become a Facebook Fan or maybe buy a piece of art at the gallery’s online shop.

Below is the latest painting my mother did of my younger daughter Alissa:

"Alissa" by Marie A. Laudini, 2010