So what ever happened to Barbie? The work hard but play harder role model for little girls everywhere. The woman who launched a million Paris Hiltons and Linsey Lohans. The girl who spent years trying to convince herself and the world that her boyfriend Ken was not the poster boy for the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” generation. Years of part timing on the runway and bouncing from job to job did not fulfill her dreams of one day becoming anatomically correct. Oh and we can forget the all night binges at the Play House in Malibu. Or the numerous times she crashed the sports car after a night of cocaine and meth binges. Some people just don’t learn. While others were sobering up and moving on to new and better lives. Barbie was still being spoiled with shopping sprees for new clothes, jewelry and accessories by little girls around the world. It was too much too soon for Barbie. For her life was a never ending party. She didn’t foresee that there wasn’t much of future in plastics and her years of retirement would be spent naked in a crowded Salvation Army bin with He-Man (Also gay) or even worse, a Staten Island land fill. I decided to tak a before and after look at Barbie and maybe give a Lindsy and Paris a look at what their future holds. Hope you enjoy.
Category: Beauty
Welcoming the New Year
In case you haven’t noticed we’ve entered a new year and decade. I’ve been feeling particularly creative as of late and have my eyes on new projects, new adventures and new avenues for exhibiting my work. As the new year rolled in I signed up with a few networking sites and groups including Smug Mug and Model Mayhem. I mention these important networking tools because this week I had my first face to face experiences with both. Attending my first Smug Mug workshop at B&H and working together with my first Model Mayhem contact Diana. My first experience with Smug Mug and Rob ‘Ninja’ Nicholson was excellent. Entertaining, informative and completely reassuring at the same time. Listening and watching Rob made me better understand why people join cults and believe in alien abductions. I wanted to stay and meet everyone but there’s something about crowds that sometimes give me overwhelming anxiety. The room was so packed that all I could think of was fresh air and how close I was to the door. The very same week I had my first meet up with my very first Model Mayhem contact Diana Lo. What drew me to Diana’s profile was the simple beauty of her pictures on the site. A lot of the work I had seen on the site was a combination of sex, raunch and endless hours of Photoshop. Her photos stood out to me. After a couple of emails and a phone call we chose a date and time. I’m always a little nervous before a session. I admit that after all these years I still get the butterflies before every session. Working with someone and trying to capture their essence five minutes after you meet some one for the first time definitely has it’s challenges. But Diana and I had instant chemistry. During our phone conversation she told me how much she liked the location work I had done. So I promised her we’d visit some of my favorite spots before we went back to the studio. She had never been to Hoboken before so I was more than happy to give her a tour. As we talked and took pictures Diana became more and more instinctive. I almost immediately noticed that the pictures on her profile, although beautiful, didn’t even scratch the surface. I meet a lot of beautiful, unique and special people in my line of work. Diana however took it to another level. She reminded me of someone who was very special to me a child. Someone who opened my eyes to the beauty the world has to offer. Whenever I think of that particular person I have so many special memories. To this day I get choked up just thinking about her. As we went from one spot to the other Diana would thank me for showing me these new places, explaining my approach to each photo and making her feel included. She told me about growing up in Hong Kong and living in Manhattan. What was scheduled to be a two hour session went past five hours and I can honestly say that not a minute was wasted of forced. We both loved the shots we took and enjoyed the whole process. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be doing what I love. I’ll go back to this session and this blog post whenever I need a reminder.
Something different
As of late I’ve been wanting to break away from the more traditional portraiture I’ve been working on for the last year or so. Nothing drastic but something to break from the norm I guess. I’ve always had numerous ideas and visuals that I wanted to work on but it’s not always easy to find the right person who shares your ideas and visions. I few months prior I met and photographed Maria. For two people who had met only minutes before our shoot we shared incredible chemistry. As we took pictures and talked she mentioned her interest in theatrical makeup and some very artistic concepts including something more gothic. At the time I kind of shyed away from the idea. I think I had just become so comfortable with the style I had been trying to perfect for so long. But as time passed I was getting a little bored and wanted to try something a little different. I got in touch with Maria and over the next week or so we started bouncing ideas off one another. I was getting a lot of strong visuals about what I wanted to accomplish and Maria did more than her part in relaying her ideas and visions. I’ve been trying very hard to bring some of my ideas and concepts to life. Sometimes taking something from the imagination stage to and actual creative work flow takes time but I think we got off to a pretty good start. There are a number of projects I hope to work on with Maria and others. I really look forward to bringing them to life.
Happy Birthday to Tracy Keats Wilson aka Lightnings Girl
Friday Session: Edwige
I was dropping off a print at thegallery today when I saw this beautiful woman in the hall. I was scheduled to meet todays session there around the same time and though she barely resembled the picture that had been sent to me. I felt I had to ask. Cautiously I asked “Are you looking for someone in particular?” When she said “James” I smiled and introduced myself. In all honesty the picture she had emailed me did not even come close to the beautiful woman I was talking to. After a short introduction we jumped in my car and headed back to Jersey. Everything seemed to be going smoothly in the beginning. We shot some pictures under the overpass and headed over to the Monroe Center. She had big, beautiful eyes and a soft voice. She told me about her home in East Africa and how she missed the small things. How her first year of school had it’s challenges both academically and socially. I was eager to get back to the studio and work on some creative lighting. As much as I love working outdoors in natural light I have become more and more comfortable in the studio. I was also eager to work again with the strip box I picked up last week. She had told me earlier that she would get frustrated when she felt she wasn’t taking direction well and I felt that maybe our communication was off a bit. As we were taking the first shots I felt like I wasn’t achieving the lighting I had hoped for. Posing had also been somewhat of a challenge. All of the sudden it seemed as if we hit a wall. She looked somewhat drained so I asked if she wanted to call it a day. She said she was fine. Just a little tired. I told her to chill out for a bit (yeah, I say that sometimes) and offered her a drink. She opted for a Coke and “Pow” before you knew it we were back on track. In a short time we got some of the best pictures of the session. The dress she had brought was worn for the last few shots. I recall she had picked Duran Duran out of my CD collection to listen to and during the last few minutes was actually dancing. She really seemed as if she was in a good place. And for that I’m happy.
Histoire de Melody Nelson
I’ve been listening to Serge Gainsbourg for weeks now. Histoire de Melody Nelson is an amazing album that I am shocked somehow managed to elude my ears for so many years. This a perfectly crafted Pop album with a lot of dirty, sexy twists and turns. Now listening to this album may not make me a better photographer and it might not score me any points with my Punk and Hardcore friends but fuck it. Music is music and it comes in so many colors and flavors. Listening to it’s many angles and nuances also made me want to post some of the pictures from last weeks session with Steph. I’ve worked with Steph several times and she is an amazing woman. A mix of Japanese, Philippine and Spanish. She has a great laugh and a shy smile. We had a blast that morning and even though she was late we got some great images in a short span of time.
As for Serge Gainsbourg I am learning as I go. I’ve picked up two albums so far and learning a little bit about the man himself. It would seem he was quite the playboy back in the day. Setting Paris and the rest of the world on fire with his raspy voice, seductive lyrics, controversial record covers and smooth orchestral sound. I don’t speak more than a few words of French but I know damn well what he’s singing about. Serge, you’re a dirty, dirty man and for that I am forever a fan.
Fridays Session
This past Friday I had a fun session with Denise and Kelly. I had asked Kelly if she would help me out on a little project I was working on and she was cool enough to indulge me. I might Kelly a few years ago through my friend Denise so it was a no brainer that she’s be coming along. As of late I have been using a black seamless background almost exclusively but sometimes worry that it might be a little too stark. I had seen a number of pictures of Kelly on her facebook page wearing some colorful dresses. That combined with her beautiful red hair would pop against the black and somewhat harsh background. I also wanted to get some cool, dramatic black and whites. Having Denise along for the session was great and helped add to the fun atmosphere. Towards the end of the session Denise snapped a few shots that were really nice. We’ve been debating which ones were actually hers but I’m willing to take her down for copyright. Thanks to both of them for making the beginning of the holiday weekend a blast.
The core of my heart.
Sebastianne came into my life at the age of three. At the time I had become close friends with her mom KC. Through the years KC and I remained good friends and I watched Sebastianne grow and mature. Even as a baby I was impressed and even amazed at what a smart and well behaved kid she was. She always seemed mature beyond her age. She was very special to me and along with her mom was there for some of the most important times in my life. As the years went by both KC and I moved out of Manhattan and saw less of one another. There were holidays and the occasional get together. They remained very special and loved throughout. A few years back I was having a special dinner with some friends on the lower east side and invited KC to join us. We were already in mid celebration when KC arrived with a friend. As I stood up to give her a hug I asked “Who’s your friend?” It turned out to be Sebastianne. In a short time she had morphed from a cute child to a woman. She was the same sweet, beautiful kid. I couldn’t get over how much she had sprouted. Fast forward to last week. I was in the middle of a session when the phone rang. I didn’t pick it up due to the fact I was in midst of photographing a beautiful woman. Later that night I checked my phone and didn’t notice the 914 area code. Once I checked the message I was still a little unsure. The message was very basic just mentioning her name and to call her back when I got the chance. When I did call back I realized right away who it was. My sweetheart Sebastianne. We talked and made plans to get together before she was set to start high school today. So yesterday I went up to Harlem and picked her up from the train. We went out for lunch at Gobo in the village and had a chance to catch up. She filled me in on her Summer and what she’s been up to. There are a handful of people in my life that occupy space in my heart. People you would do anything for at the drop of a hat without any questions asked. She is without a doubt one them. After lunch we headed back to Hoboken and did a laid back , impromptu photo session. Sebastianne is a really smart gifted kid. She loves to read, learn, writes, including her own songs. She’s beautiful but not the least bit self involved. A lot of kids her age hit that rough patch where they think everything is lame and stupid but she’s so balanced I don’t have the least bit of worry about it. Later that night we watched the movies I let her pick out at Blockbuster (Pink Panther I and II) and laughed ’til it hurt. This morning I drove her home and to her first day of High School. Sebastianne, I’d wish you luck but I know you’re going to synch it. Love you always.
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