Describe yourself in 20 words or less
Reliable, dedicated, strong minded, hard worker, good sense of justice, constantly striving for peace and calmness all around.
5 things you love
Sleeping
Enlightening Conversations
Long Showers
Family
Sweets
5 things you hate
Waking up
Bad drivers
Liars
Laziness
Greed
Favorite food
My mom’s cooking.
Favorite drink
Cold coconut water
Favorite getaway
Don’t have one yet…
Fav music artist(s)
Bob Marley and then everything else
What you like to do during your downtime?
Movie and take-out
Do you model just part-time or do you want to pursue this professionally?
I’m not sure what lies down the road for me yet.
Best modeling gig you have had to date and why?
Photoshoot at Florida Jacks. I felt accomplished and proud throughout the entire shoot.
———————————— ReelModels is constantly looking for new faces to showcase. If you are interested, CLICK HERE for more information.
The year 2010 is almost winding down. I began reviewing various stats since the launch of the RM Blog and found some interesting numbers. I opened up the the blog early January, but really didn’t start pushing content and monitoring stats until April. I pulled out the log for this year. As of October end, it’s had 1423 unique visitors, 4399 visits, 12,188 page views and 43,127 hits. Not too shabby for a new blog. Below is a quick chart summary of unique visits each month:
It is quite nice to see a fairly steady growth overall, and more so the steep spike between September and October. The spike is quite obvious for many reasons. September was when I got back from a long needed vacation and started working on the new RM. October was when I launched the new RM, started the Model of the Week showcases and began pushing various other updates.
Another very neat stat were the top 3 most popular content that was being viewed:
It’s very fascinating to find out the most popular article is Part 1 of the Art of Shave series. I started that series out of frustration and just wanted to vent. Moreover, I wanted to share with other guys out there the proper way to shave, for those in a similar confused state. I plan to publish a follow-up Part 3 soon. Also interesting to note is the fact that the next 2 most popular items were the RM Talk series. It makes me excited to know people seem to be enjoying them, which will motivate me more to keep at it. Following a close 4th is the very first Model of the Week publication with Leah.
I look forward to seeing the momentum continue to grow and to bring more interesting publications and showcases to the site well into 2011. I have some possible opportunities I am looking forward to next year, hopefully things come to fruition. Thanks to everyone who has been very supportive including all the readers, models, photographers and industry citizens.
Describe yourself in 20 words or less
A little kid living inside a grown woman.
5 things you love
Down Comforters
My CHI hair straightener
Ohio in the Fall
Plastic Utensils
Tacos… well just food in general
5 things you hate
Socks
Being woken up from a nap
Cars honking their horns
The talking baby commercials
Tomatoes
Favorite food
Mashed potatoes
Favorite drink
A long island iced tea on the beach… but if Mom is reading this… Capri Sun.
Favorite getaway
My car on a long drive with my iPod plugged in.
Fav music artist(s)
Mumford & Sons and The Temper Trap have been quite regular on my playlists recently.
What you like to do during your downtime?
I recently acquired a bicycle… you can catch me peddling down Ocean Drive.
Do you model just part-time or do you want to pursue this professionally?
Right now my goal is to finish school and do well in it, but there are so many opportunities in Miami. I’m just going to see where it takes me.
Best modeling gig you have had to date and why?
I did a photo shoot for a friend of mine for a portfolio he was turning in to the Miami Ad School. At the time I had just moved to Miami. It was right in front of the Port of Miami Bridge with the entire skyline in the background. He titled it “Miami State of Mind”. It was just a reminder of where I was and what possibilities there were to come in the future.
———————————— ReelModels is constantly looking for new faces to showcase. If you are interested, CLICK HERE for more information.
I was checking up on TechCrunch today as per my usual routine, when I saw an article on Boticca. Boticca is a startup that launched this week and is focused on connecting Designers direclty with Users in a very interesting and effortless way. The neat thing about this startup is that they seem to be focused on up and coming designers, which is a good thing. Here’s is an excerpt from TechCrunch:
Says founder Foroughi, “The most singular thing about the site is how the site combines fashion aesthetics and ecommerce usability in a way that hasn’t been done to date.”
In fact Boticca’s website is beautiful, simple to navigate and user friendly. Aside from sorting by “Jewelry,” “Bags” and “Accessories” as well as staff picks, you can also search and scroll through individual designer profiles through the “Designers” page. Each designer profile allows you to read background information and actually interact with the designers, hence Boticca’s tagline “I’d rather wear a unique story.” The profiles also show the most popular pieces and commentary for each design.
I’m all about supporting the little guy. The Boticca team also seem dedicated to providing quality content via the application process. It is concepts like these that get me really excited, where unseen and unique talents from all over the world are showcased and promoted. It also allows said designers to make their deserved income while cutting through all the middle channel b.s. If you are a talented designer with very unique offerings that could be of interest, you might want to give Boticca a try and apply to the site. I look forward to following how the site progresses and who knows, maybe I can have an RM Talk with some of the Designers and/or Boticca team sometime in the near future.
A friend on mine posted this video via Facebook and after watching it, I thought I just had to share this. I am quite surprised this video is not even viral yet. It is so powerful it gave me chills and goose bumps, yet very inspirational. The video is called “How Winners are Made” by Gary J. Raser of Limu Nation
Below is a full text transcription which I was able to find at This Moment Called Life, which saved me the hassle of re-typing the whole thing.
Life is tough, that’s a given. When you stand up, you’re gonna be shoved back down. When you’re down, you’re gonna be stepped on. My advice to you doesn’t come with a lot of bells and whistles. It’s no secret, you’ll fall down, you stumble, you get pushed, you land square on my face. And every time that happens, you get back on your feet. You get up just as fast as you can, no matter how many times you need to do it. Remember this, success has been and continues to be defined as getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down. If experience has taught me anything, it’s that nothing is free and living ain’t easy. Life is hard, real hard, incredibly hard. You fail more often than you win, nobody is handing you anything. It’s up to you to puff up your chest, stretch your neck and overcome all that is difficult, the nasty, the mean, the unfair. You want more than what you’ve now, prove it! You want beat the very best out there that is, get out there and earn it! Once you decide that, you’ll know where it is you want to be, then you won’t stop pushing forward until you get there! That’s how winners are made. At the end of the day, success is what we all want. We all wanna win, and the race will be won. There is no question about that. So c’mon, get out on top, run faster, dream bigger, live better than you ever have before. This is in you. You can do this. Do it for yourself. Prove it to yourself.
This is one of those cool finds, I found this one through a friend who photographed for them. Trendy Room is a boutique in Port Orange, Florida that carries trendy clothes for women. It got my attention ‘cos I thought the name and logo was really neat. I then decided to check out the site and find out more info. They carry stuff from the major fashion cities. So if you are looking for some super trendy attire ladies and are in the Port Orange/Daytona area, check it out.
Kanye West’s “Runaway” short film will debut on Saturday, October 23. It will be shown on MTV, MTV2 and BET at 8PM EST. The screening was yesterday in his hometown of Chicago. I can’t wait to tune in on Saturday and see what the film is all about, should be interesting.
Nikon d2x, 35mm, 105mm, 17-80mm, and a 12-24mm, killer lenses! 1 hot shoe flash and in studio/on location lighting kit.
First off, how did you learn photography, did you go to school for it or is it something you just picked up on your own?
Well I never intended to take up photography in college, I took it as an elective because my best friend cohered me into doing so, wasn’t too thrilled about it but ended up doing pretty good in the class. From then, I never really took an interest in it until 5 years ago. Now here I am, doing it as my full time occupation.
What is in your equipment toolbox: cameras, lenses etc…?
Nikon d2x
35mm, 105mm, 17-80mm, and 12-24mm, killer lenses!
1 hot shoe flash and in studio/on location lighting kit.
What is the most important equipment to you?
My mind.
How do you usually go about a typical end-to-end photo session?
Well I do research first, I try to theme the shoot depending on the client, I read tons of magazines to get ideas, I do test shots with lighting, then we’ve all got makeup, styling and location that come into play, all things I think out before the actual shoot. On the actual shoot, I try to envision the shots, create a shot list (mentally) and move forward. I can’t shoot unless music is playing. Shoots are always unpredictable. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. But at the end of the day, I just want shots I’m happy with.
Does anything inspire you when going into a photo session?
Well A lot inspires me about photography in general, other photographers, art, music, culture, the ‘not ordinary’. As of recent, the world’s history has really been stimulating my imagination.
What are your thoughts on Film photography vs. Digital photography and which do you prefer or use the most?
Well I started out the old school way with film but the way of the industry now, digital is faster and more efficient. I love digital because it allows me to work faster, better and I have more control over what I’m doing. Its politics though, some photographers will stick to film while others have already converted over to digital. Either way, both are very expensive!
A lot of the work I’ve seen of you are subjects, do you prefer shooting people over objects?
I really prefer shooting people, it’s just more comfortable for me to work with a living, breathing, two hands, two legs subject. I love expression and I’m able to bring this out of people really well. I don’t dislike still images I just prefer to work with what I can directly interact with.
After most of your photo sessions, do you apply any Photoshop touch ups or is it pretty much RAW?
No, I use Photoshop to retouch, clean, sharpen and colour my images. I don’t over do it though. Photoshop is just a tool just like my camera; I control them and not the other way around. It helps me preserve my own creativity.
I have to say I enjoy all of your photos, it almost feels like each has a personality. You could see through the emotions of the subjects how much fun they are having; do you tend to be very hands on in terms of art direction?
Yes, I art direct all my shoots. It’s important to me because I know EXACTLY how I want the images to come out. Now some clients give me some idea as to what their own vision is but I’m lucky to have free reign with the direction of the shoot. So sometimes I just get crazy and go all out, or I remain as simple as possible. Either way, I enjoy the direction.
What is your best photo or photo session and why?
I’d have to say shooting a homeless guy for my first art show ‘Kinesis’ www.thekinesis.com was possibly my best experience. By photographing someone who most people try to steer away from, I brought even MORE attention to my show’s mission. Shooting him was a blast. I got to learn about his life on the streets. Where he came from, and even his family background. He was quite an interesting character and it showed through in the image.
One thing I admire about you is that Photography isn’t your only forte. You also do web design and development, correct?
Yeah I do. I’m trained in graphic design with a B.F.A. degree from the Savannah College of Art & Design. I just like being creative with most of the art forms I find interests in, web or graphic design being one of them.
What is the balance of time you spend between Web work vs. Photography and which do you enjoy more?
I would probably say 3-9. I do ALOT of photography not only because I love it more, but also because it pays the bills faster, hah!
Another thing I just found out while preparing for this article is that you have a blog. I will have to add it to my RSS feed and read up on your articles. Just like myself, you seem to really just enjoy Media + Technology and try to keep abreast of trends…what areas of technology do you follow the most?
I love apple and anything they make so I try to stay in the loop whether they are developing a new product or releasing an update on a current gadget. I’m a Nikon guy too so I love camera gear, new lenses, lighting techniques, different things like that. I’m a tech guy so anything that spells HD, clicks, shifts, slides or has a touch screen, I would always read up on.
I know you always have some cool projects, any upcoming future projects you are really excited about and want to share?
Well I want to work on a controversial/history driven installment series for next year. I also want to travel more, work with other photographers locally and abroad, do more workshops/tutorials. I’m always working so it’s just finding the time.
I like your logo. I’ve always been a fan of handwritten or signature logos, I think they are the best when done right. I always wanted something like that for myself, but it never came out right. Did you do it on paper first and trace in illustrator, or was it all digital?
Well this logo went through tons of changes. I drew it by hand over and over until I came up with the present one. I scanned my sketches and traced them in illustrator and played around with the paths until I came up with a design that was the most appealing visually. I love it, its sleek, simple, strong and sexy!
There you have it. If you happen to be in the Nassau area and need some quality work done, don’t hesitate to check out Scharad. I’m look forward to keeping up with him in the future, especially awaiting the controversial/history driven installment series. Stay tuned for the next RM Talk.
Describe yourself in 20 words or less
I would have to say I am determined and focused, yet very outgoing and loving.
5 things you love
Family, Friends, Shopping, Love itself, and my kitties.
5 things you hate
frozen food, humidity, boys (most of the time), crowds, and bad hair days.
Favorite food
Pasta with Pesto
Favorite drink
Iced Tea
Favorite getaway
Mexico
Fav music artist(s)
I really enjoy ALL types of music!
What you like to do during your downtime?
Because of my busy schedule that makes me constantly interact with people and go to big events, during my down time I like to do exactly the opposite.. This consists of sleeping, watching movies in the living room alone or even better with my closest friends, or going out with my family. I definitely avoid crowds and places were I have to wear super uncomfortable clothing!
Do you model just part-time or do you want to pursue this professionally? Right now I am a student and my only job is modeling.. I believe that eventually after school I can take all of my modeling experiences and apply them to PR, Marketing, and/or Advertising. Until then, modeling is my passion and a full time commitment!
Best modeling gig you have had to date and why?
Not to sound cliche, but I really do love all of my jobs equally. The only thing that I think would seriously stick out in my head would have to be the hair shows because there is always rockin’ music and you are on stage with tons of lights & people to watch your before and after look. These are so great because not only do you get the new seasons trend for your hair but also there are so many great people who make the whole event fun,crazy, and upbeat!
———————————— ReelModels is constantly looking for new faces to showcase. If you are interested, CLICK HERE for more information.
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