“…sail the darkened seas
On a great big clipper ship
Going from this land here to that
I put on a sailor’s suit and cap

Away from the big city
Where a man cannot be free
Of all the evils in this town
And of himself and those around…”

(a quote from “Velvet Underground” song)
Ahoy, I say…

To be continued.

So, in that presentation, someone said: “Did the caveman stay in the cave or wondered what was beyond those hills and went to explore them”. When I heard that, I realized how exploration is important not only for human progress, but also for me and my life. I should never stop, because I am an explorer; some people raise family, some are businessman, cooks, taxi drivers, singers and poets… I am an explorer. Whenever I venture somewhere, that’s when I feel complete.

So, finally, after my friend and I fell asleep on the grass across the bay, 6.5 miles away from the launch of the space shuttle, someone woke us up and said it’s going to take off in a few minutes. I was wearing only shorts and a tank top, I felt very cold, sick and tired. Suddenly there was a little puff of smoke, two seconds later she went into the clouds and that was that. Another second or two later a roar came through, someone said, there she is, I looked up and saw nothing but clouds. A few moments later someone else said, there she is, I looked up and again, saw nothing but clouds. My friend was very disappointed, to tell you the truth, I was somewhat disappointed as well. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I guess the fact that people went into space and I was a life witness to it was, may be, important somewhere deep down.

You might say, what does all this has to do with being a Photographer Miami or South Beach Photographer? Well, sometimes exploration doesn’t mean you have to go into space, one might explore inside oneself. For me it’s both, it’s the combination and the balance of two. I’m still preparing my sailing trip through the Caribbean, that’s my space exploration and on the inside, I’m looking for that perfect photo, the perfect harmony of the female figure in the relation to the surrounding.

It was the morning of my 50^th birthday, when I woke-up feeling that I’m not living my life and I’m not me. My apartment, my job, my girlfriend, my friends… Everything was off. I felt that I’m not living my life and, may be there is someone else, somewhere else, who’s living mine and we need to find each other and swap our lives. That seemed like a crazy idea though, for the moment, I needed a more practical and realistic solution.

So that day, I called my therapist and made an appointment. In his office I asked him if that’s how Midlife Crises feels like. He told me, let’s hear it. I explained and he said that I’m not experiencing Midlife Crises, but Existential one. Now, I was somewhat familiar with Existentialism; an early 20^th century philosophy of existence, not really living. That day I looked up the Wikipedia Encyclopedia definition and it said: “A meaningless life in the absurd world”. That was it, my therapist hit the nail on the head.

During that time, I was running a photography studio, working 12 to 14 hours, 7 days a week and still couldn’t pay my bills. The stress was unbearable, even though I was surrounded almost every day by beautiful women/models and had a very attractive young girlfriend of my own, I was unhappy.

I realized my life had no meaning. Don’t get me wrong, I had goals, one of them was to shoot a cover of Vogue some day, but on that day, I had this strong feeling it wasn’t for me, it wasn’t my goal. To be hones with you, I don’t really care much for fashion and definitely don’t have the type of a personality that would carry me through meeting all the right people, going to the right places, saying and doing the right things etc, etc. Later I realized, I’m  more comfortable in my solitude, riding waves on my sailboat, going to the distant shores to find that perfect shot. But I’m jumping ahead of my self, so let’s get back to my story in a chronological order.

Back in my 20’s, I used to know who I was and what I wanted, but lost myself somewhere a long the way, I lost my personal as well as my artistic identity. So, what should I do, I asked myself as well as my therapist. From what I recall, Ken asked me what I want to do in my life that would make sense. I had no answer for him that day, but I got to thinking and what I came up with was “Artistic Identity Search”. I decided to get me back and for that I needed time. So I allocated one day a week for this project. It was Saturday. I asked everyone not to bother me, even my mother. To my surprise everyone thought it was a good idea and on that day left me alone. The only person who didn’t quite understand what I was trying to do was my mother, so she ignored my request, but that’s okay, later, she started respecting it as well.

Fist Saturday I sat in my studio not having a clue what to do. Then I started looking through my old photographs, one thing led into another, and voila, I found it. I decided what I want to do is to sail through the Caribbean’s‘, find the most beautiful women there and photograph them, possibly even nude, in the most beautiful settings I can find. With those photos I would publish a book that I was going to call “My Last Hurrah”, but my therapist didn’t like the title, he said that, what, after that you’re just going to kill yourself? So I renamed it to “The Real Treasure of the Caribbean’s‘”. I got my destination and my purpose. Now the question was how do I get there. So I spend the next 2 years figuring it out.

I’d like to go back for a moment to talk about my father’s death that occurred earlier that year. He died quietly, taking his last breath watching TV on Friday evening, so my mother and I, after getting over the initial shock, could go back to our jobs that very Monday. By Wednesday, he was lying in a box at a funeral home in Staten Island. It was draped with black fabric to hide the cardboard it was made out of. My mother didn’t see it necessary to spend the money on the expensive coffin if he was going to be cremated anyway. There were only three people at his funeral; my mother, her best friend and I. In a dim light, I saw death hovering over my fathers’ body, looking straight at me and saying; this will be you one day, so please, do me a favor, don’t waist your life like your father did.

That moment had a profound effect on my existential crises and fueled the energy for my “Artistic Identity” search.. To get there, I used a Business Plan format; mission statement, research, research, research… I was actually taking business classes first to try to may be salvaging my business, but later, to create a structural plan of action.

So, I decided to Move to Miami, situate myself there, continue making a living as a commercial photographer, get a sailboat, fix it, if I had to, learn how to sail and start taking trips to the Caribbean’s. Two years later, I did it. I couldn’t leave my mother in New York though, so I brought her with me to Florida. She lives in Sunny Isles Beach now, the Russian community in an independent living facility for retired people. At the age of 90 she has a good fulltime job at the Miami City Ballet School playing piano and loves it with passion. Every day she worries that they might fire her because of her age, but they haven’t yet. As far as me, I’m happy as a peach, I have a sailboat that I’m finishing repairing and getting ready for the voyages, I live in South Beach, few block from the ocean, make my living as a professional photographer. Sometimes I say to peoples; I feel like I died and went to haven. But most important is that – I’m me.

To be continued…

First one is a digital format, the most popular. This format includes a web media (internet), laptop, smart cell phones etc… On Internet, besides face book and many other different social websites, I personally recommend ModelMayham. For some of you who don’t know it, it’s a social website designed especially for models, photographers, make-up artists and clothing stylists. The address is: www.modelmayham.com Take your time to create a profile and place the right type of photos.

Second is a Composite Card (Compcard). It’s a card, about the size of a large postcard, most of the times 5.5” x 8” with images on both sides. Front is usually a face-shot (beauty-shot), it could be a half body, but not much more then that and the back contains several images, some are full body, some ¾, may be another face shot… On the back of the card images should definitely contain you wearing different outfits in a different settings. The purpose of this card is that when you go on castings (go-sees), you need to leave something behind you for them to remember you by. This card should also have your stats; height, bust, hips, waist, shoe, dress, hair and eyes – for women. Height, waist, suit, shirt, inseam, shoe, hair and eyes – for men, and for children it should include the D.O.B. The card should also contain your phone number and an email address. You might want to print about 100 of those and the place to do it is in a professional print shop.

Third is a portfolio. In this electronic age it’s becoming less and less necessary to carry this big, sometimes very heavy book. However, when you inter a room full of clients it would make you look a lot more professional if first, you hand them your portfolio book to leaf through and then leave a compcard right before you leave. For a book I recommend 9”x12” hard cover, without any zippers, handles, metal rings in etc… simple. You can get those at www.models-mart.com or at the shoot with me for an additional price of $50.00.

All images should be properly retouched, not too much, not too little, just right. I take a special pride in my retouching being a realistic portrait painter in the past.
So, good luck, don’t forget to prepare yourself for the shoot by studying photos from magazines, catalogues, billboards, internet and whatever else you can get your hands on. Rehears those poses and expressions, if you have any questions, you should call the photographer you’re going to shoot with, don’t be afraid to bother him, a pose and expression, in this case, are the most important elements, because the shoot is about you. You see, the client needs to know three things when they‘re looking for a model; do you have a right face, the right type of body and can you pose. As they say, a picture worth a thousand words. In this case, I couldn’t agree more.

Having a nightclub photographer in Miami clubs adds to the “Paparazzi” atmosphere that those clubs promote — an atmosphere that appeals to one of humanity’s most base desires: to be rock stars. Treat the club-goers like they’re models, celebrities, or otherwise somehow worthy of a photographer’s attention, and not only will you get some killer shots, but you’ll see those customers again and again and again.

The highlight of a nightclub photographer’s night comes with some big name comes to perform a live concert at their club. Magazines, record labels, and PR firms are always looking for great shots of an artist performing live. You’ve got to be very skilled to balance the low light conditions with the constant motion on stage, but if you can take a few skilled shots, you can make some serious money as a performing artists’ photographer. Miami nightclubs, especially the larger ones, can offer a photographer opportunities like this on a surprisingly regular basis.

Once you’ve proven that you can take nightclub shots well and you snap a few hot-selling live artist shots, you can really start selling yourself to the local bands, record labels, newspapers, magazines, and websites. Get hired by one of those, and you can get a press pass and get well on your way to earning a serious reputation.

The profession of nightclub photographer is one that doesn’t see a lot of press — but it is one of the funnest, exciting, and — if you’re patient and persistent — profitable things you can do with a camera and the skill to use it.

The number one thing you have to be able to make some classy photos of Miami’s beautiful ladies is take the sex OUT of the picture. Any attempt to look sexy on your model’s part, and what you end up with is tacky — not sexy. Looking sexy with your clothes on is one thing — it invites the imagination — but looking sexy while wearing nothing turns it into a predation, not an invitation.

On the other end, to avoid the ‘glam’ look, the simple secret is to have your model look away from the camera. Glamour shots almost inevitably feature nudes looking directly into the camera, so do the opposite. Tell your model to look into the distance and think hard about something she finds distracting. Alternately, if she’s really a good model, tell her to look lost in thought. The photograph will instantly look much more artistic and full of depth.

If your model must be looking at the camera, try to evoke an emotion that cannot coexist with thoughts of sex. That’s why many models appear to be scowling or brooding in their nude shots — because that’s one relatively easy way to focus on the art of the shot rather than the skin that fills the frame.

For a purely artistic shot, you can also create a nude shot that skips the face altogether. By avoiding any direct visual interaction between the model and the audience, you also avoid any chance of looking sleazy. You don’t have to cut off the model’s head; you can also simply face her away from the camera, or angle her head so that you get the idea of the face, but don’t actually see it.

If you’re an aspiring nude model photographer in Miami, keep these basic tips in mind, and you will find it much easier to produce truly classy and amazing nude photos of all of the beautiful ladies of the Magic City.

There’s nothing unusual about letting your eyes guide you across a page while your brain absorbs the images and turns them into an inherent assumption about what to do next. In this way, images direct your actions in a subtle but significant manner: see an image that resonates with you, and you instinctively seek more information. That’s the power of advertising photography.

Of all of the photographers Miami, FL has to offer, any can give you a picture of your product in a good light — but only a skilled advertising photographer can relate the elements of a shot to the ability of that photograph to sell products or services. The perfect picture needs only a small paragraph to explain the point and direct the reader about where to find more information, whether that be on the next page or on the other side of a web link.

An advertising photographer’s responsibilities are unlike those of any other photographer. Faced with the task of creating not just beautiful photographs, but successful advertisements, keeping up on sales trends is absolutely vital. For example, have you noticed that since the Tiger Woods debacle occurred, there’s been a significant drop in advertisements featuring athletes or celebrities in the Miami area? Or that more and more companies are using comparison advertising — directly holding their product up to their biggest rival and telling you why you should choose their own product? That’s the kind of knowledge and understanding that profoundly affects the way a product will be shot.

There’s a lot more to advertising photography than just keeping up with sales trends in print advertising, though. While advertising photography is very effective in that format, the evolution of online advertising is drawing photographers into the Internet arena as well. As various forms of banner advertisement, popup advertisement, and preloader advertisement become more and more common, they will expand their target markets. By the end of next year, you may very well see advertisements for everyday items like dishwashing detergent or bananas popping up in these formats — and you can be sure, those products will hire professional advertising photographers to take the shots used in these formats as well.

That said, if you love the art and science of photography, and you’re hard working and patient, it is possible to build a name for yourself. Everyone likes to believe that they’ve got ‘the knack’ that will get the attention of the industry, but the fact is that overnight success comes after years and years of overnight failure. But if you’re willing to accept that hard work and focus plus talent will eventually lead to success, you might have what it takes to make it as a photographer in Miami.

The first step is to finish the compliment of fashion photography courses at an institute. As you prepare to graduate, talk to your institute’s Career Services office, and work with them to build a portfolio and a resume. Then, ask them to introduce you to local studios, newspapers, and merchants that work with fashion photographers. As you start to expand your network of industry contacts, you’ll find that getting jobs becomes easier and your personal brand starts to build itself.

At that point, you have two options. Either you can apply persistently to various reputable fashion photography organizations until you’re hired, and then work your way up the ladder there — or you can build yourself a website, take out some advertisements, and try to forge your way on your own. The latter path is much, much more work — and most of that work isn’t anything you learned about at the institute. On the other hand, the profit margin is larger, the clients are more dedicated, and after several successive successful years, you will have people seeking you out…and isn’t that what it’s all about?

One of the most critical factors in posing is practice — there are thousands of ways to pose correctly, but there are an infinite number of ways to screw it up. Just like learning to type or do karate, the only way to ‘teach’ your body how to do it instinctively is to do it over and over and over. That’s the only way your posing is ever going to look entirely natural — and natural is what everyone is looking for in a great model.

Before you leave for a photo shoot, stop and grab a fashion or glamour magazine. If you don’t subscribe to any, you should start — immersion is one of the best ways to learn how to succeed. Either way, give yourself an hour or two, and practice a few of the poses out of the magazine that you haven’t done before. Do it until you feel comfortable in those positions — and then forget all about them and let your photo shoot flow naturally.

While your body should be flowing naturally without any conscious thought on your part, your face and hands are just the opposite. Posing with an empty mind will make any shot dead and unimaginative, no matter how amazing your background or your pose is. Keep your mind on the setting, the emotion you must convey, and your hands. Close your eyes, focus on one thought relevant to the scene, and project it out of your face and hands. That’s how photographs come to life.

It really doesn’t matter if your talking to a photographer in Miami, FL or one in Paris, France — if you practice posing until you don’t have to think about it, and then think about the scene rather than the pose, you will end up producing killer shoots.

The Night Before
First, get plenty of sleep. If you’re excited about the shoot, it can be difficult, but there is no single thing you can do to look better. Second, drink about twice as much water as you usually do starting about 12 hours before your shot. Avoid coffee, salt, or greasy foods for at least 24 hours before your shoot. Finally, use moisturizing lotion — regardless of your gender or how ‘tough’ you’re trying to look — both the night before and the morning of your shoot.

What to Bring
Most professionals will be able to provide these items, but it’s good to bring your own just in case. A comb or brush. Some light hairspray. A light facial powder (again, men too!) that matches your skin tone. A color-free lip balm that’s not shiny or waxy. Any makeup you may feel you need. Antiperspirant (not just deodorant!) — shoots can occasionally run long, and the lights are hot; you don’t want pit stains marring your headshot. Dental floss or a toothpick. Finally, bring some eyedrops, just in case some fleck or something gets in your eyes, or they start to dry out under the bulbs.

What to Wear
You need at least three different looks in your headshots. Ideally, one will be casual, one elegant, and one edgy. Casual doesn’t mean logos, however; keep it clean and simple. You want people looking at your face, not your clothes! Your elegant clothes should lean more toward ‘first date’ and less toward ‘interview’ (unless your headshots are being taken specifically for an interview.) Your ‘edgy’ look should define who you are as an individual, whether that means ethnic (think saris or kimono), vintage, or ultramodern.

If you prepare fully for your headshots, whether they’re your first experience with one of the many Miami commercial photographers or you’ve done it a dozen times before, you’ll find that the experience is easier — and the results fantastic.