My Week in LA, May 2012
Hey guys - Sorry it took me a little bit to blog about my recent trip to LA. I actually meant to blog each day I was down there, but after shooting each and every day, mixed in with my meetings, I had absolutely no time for it down there. SO, here is what happened…
DAY 1 - Had a great flight, met a really nice woman on the plane, and arrived in Long Beach to get prepared for the intense week ahead. My call sheets were already finalized, my storyboards done; now it was just a matter of getting my equipment and mind prepped.
DAY 2 - Meetings with three artist agency owners in Hollywood for portfolio reviews, meeting with bookers at Elite Model Management in Beverly Hills, and then a swimwear shoot for Maxim & FHM with Ashlee Ricci in Malibu. So packed, but so perfect. Loved the light that day and loved the results. I’ve already finished editing that shoot, but I can’t post the images yet until they are printed by the magazines in a couple months. Really wish the magazines didn’t have that rule (but I completely understand)!
DAY 3 - Meetings with other modeling agencies and one more artist agency, then an editorial fashion shoot with Stefanie Wood @ Photogenics. The concept for this particular shoot was lots of warm tones, sleek hair, harsh light, and a mixture of water and rocks in the background, but the weather changed on us half way through our shoot… pretty much the worst timing possible since the art direction required harsh natural light. So, I had to improvise in order to finish the shoot while still maintaining that same edge as much as I could. In my eyes, it was still a big success! I’ve already started showing the raws to some magazines and they are considering the spread for a cover story! Thanks Stefanie Wood, Devon Poer, Traci Garrett, Red Dodge, James Gamble!
DAY 4 - Meeting with photo/artist rep Timothy Priano in Beverly Hills in the morning went great. The first meeting I had with him was about a year and a half ago, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. He’s been around the industry for years and definitely knows his stuff. Really looking forward to working with him next time I am in town (soon). Later that day, I had a swimwear shoot with the sexy Bridget Jones (currently unsigned, seeking representation - former Elite LA model). LOVED this shoot, but once again, the damn light changed about half way through. This trip started out at the end of a storm in LA I guess, so I had to change up the art direction a bit once again to maintain the mood for the story. Maxim, Stuff, FHM, and UMM are all currently interested in publishing the story and are awaiting the edited images. The crew and I all went out afterwards and had an amazing time in Laguna Beach! Such a cool place to hang. Thanks Bridget Jones, Traci Garrett, Red Dodge, James Gamble, Devon Poer, Lacy Ditto!
DAY 5 - Took this morning to sleep in a bit & recharge my energy for the next few huge days of shooting, but not before having a couple quick meetings with artists and then heading out for a shoot with the beautiful actress Mara Marini! She’s so sweet! What a cute personality she has. Check her out on Parks & Recreation as Brandi Maxxx! After this shoot wrapped in Santa Monica, I locked my key in my car and had my good friend Traci Garrett bail me out with the help of AAA. Definitely needed a strong drink after I got back to my place. Haha. I really wanted to stay out this night since it was a Saturday, but had to crash early to get ready for my celebrity shoot tomorrow!
DAY 6 - Shooting swimwear with celebrity actress Nadine Velazquez today! My friend & assistant James Gamble and I were driving out to the location, but the skies were FILLED with clouds. Usually the clouds burn off in LA each morning, but these were lingering around and were making me completely nervous since I love (and prefer) shooting with harsh natural light. The minutes crawled by, but thank God, because they cleared up only a few minutes prior to our shoot time! Nadine was a doll, and a wonderful model! Was very thankful to have met & shoot with her after being a fan of “Catalina” on My Name is Earl for the past few years. Beautiful! I’ve since reviewed the images with an agent of mine and we are both very excited for the clients that have expressed interest in publishing this story. Can’t wait! Huge thanks to Nadine Velazuez, HMUA Alfred Mercado, James Gamble, Katelynn Tilley, Rafael Linares, Lacy Ditto, and Chris Engiles.
DAY 7 - Swimwear campaign day with Adicora Swimwear in Laguna Beach! Could not be more excited for this day since the designer, model, producer, and assistants are all dear friends. And the weather today, wow! Could not be better. The colors, light, ambiance, energy, and people really made this day special. Thank you to Niveen Heaton, Will Heaton, Amira Heaton, Patience Silva, Faith B, Sarah, Eduardo Kwaham, James Gamble, Lacy Ditto.
DAY 8 - Another big day today, shooting swimwear with adult mega-celebrity Jesse Jane in Malibu! She was SO much fun! What a down-to-earth girl. Completely rocked that day. We nailed out 9 looks/outfits in under 2.5 hours! Showed these to some clients as well and so, so excited for these images to get published with them. Huge thank you for this day goes out to Jesse Jane, Digital Playground, Traci Garrett, Red Dodge, James Gamble, Lacy Ditto, Katelynn Tilley, Rafael Linares, and the Malibu city police for being nice guys. Haha.
DAY 9 - Shoots are all done, gear is all packed up, but not without my final meeting of the trip at Jed Root LA! Such a great meeting, very inspiring, and very motivating for me to get my butt to Los Angeles. Thank you, Chris, for your time and for all your words of wisdom. I will be seeing you again soon! And thank you, James Gamble, for helping me with everything while I was down there!
Can’t wait until I see all of you again and crank out some more gorgeous images.
See you soon, LA!
