A New Model Search for a New Idea

I've had this idea in my head for the last 18 months or so. I've kept it to myself because quite frankly I just haven't had the time to cast a model or number of models for the series and sit down and map out an editorial story for it. I still haven't quite nailed down the model for the series yet but I figured I'd get something just to hold me until I do find my model. In comes Kim.

Now if you've read how I carry on about her you would know that she's often described by me as sexy-quirky and she hasn't changed a bit. I had zero plans for her to do any of these looks. Not because she isn't perfect. On the contrary, as you can see she is more than capable. It was to be something of a mashup of beauty mixed with glamour with very dramatic lighting effects. Kim is a perfect blend of extraordinary beauty and glamour. My decision to not use her stems from a need for a new face, variety and simply just the want of something fresh. Forgotten was the fact that here is a stunning capable woman willing and able to do anything I wanted done within reason. Kim would do it not just because I asked but she would also do it to show me that when pushed she could do it. You can't but love those kinds of models.

All Rights Reserved
©heliosimaging
Model: Kim Jonet

I still shared the idea with her if for nothing else but bouncing it off someone else. I didn't have a sample pic or anything to show her but I guess after working with me more times than I remember she intuited where I might be headed with it. After a few minutes she pulls up this article of clothing; the one in this pic. I thought I'd died and went to heaven. My first question is always the same. "Have you ever been photographed in this before?" That's kind of a pet peeve of mine in case you didn't know. She said "no. It has been sitting in my closet collecting dust for nearly two years. I just didn't know how to use it or what to use it for. I knew I should have shown it to you before but I kept forgetting it was there. Do you want it?" Is she serious I thought? As if my slack jaw didn't give it away she waited with a sneaky smile for a reply. I think I died and went to heaven again. That's twice in the span of two minutes I think. She was saying all the right things as usual of her.

It was perfect. One of the first things a fashion photographer learns to do is envision how something will look on a particular frame of model. How it fits, how it will hang and hug all flashed through my head within a millisecond. That will dictate the angles and the light setup for maximum effect. I knew Kim would be the one to wear this glorious thing for me. It was just too perfect for her body and if pushed just hard enough, Kim can be immensely expressive and emotive which is what this situation called for.

While she will not likely be my final model for this series, she kicked it off nicely. Her successor has some work to do to follow her. That's for sure. Maybe a dozen or so pics later we're jumping up and down hugging as to how epic it looks. She was happy she got to use the garment and I'm just happy that she's happy. I finally kicked off this series the right way with the right model. 

It ended up being just a test shoot for this a larger idea and it was wildly successful. I've named the series and planned it out but now comes the even harder part. Who will be her successor? I'm starting the hunt right now. 

2015's Greatest Models Part 1

It has been nearly 15 years since we began this process - never perfect but always perfecting and always striving to improve. As one might imagine we've come across more than a handful of talent from the vastly experienced to the person getting in front of the camera for the very first time. Even though we didn't officially publish her this year, she was this year's most popular model by every single measure.

Every blog, every image sharing site, every website and photo-stream where any picture of her appeared went viral. By every metric we could obtain she is the most talked about, most shared, most visited, messaged, emailed, tagged and liked model we've had for the entire year. We could simply post a picture of her and received essays about her beauty. We might share a photo from a recent shoot and get email server errors due to the inbox overflow. She is a phenomena a photographer can only experience to believe.

Kim Jonet
All Rights Reserved
©heliosimaging

We simply don't know anyone that doesn't love her. She is kind, patient, flirty, fun, intelligent and incredibly sexy. She has a natural kind of sultriness that can't be duplicated and it emanates from the sites, pages and blogs where she appears.

What impresses us the most is her preparedness, trust and humility. She is always ready. She brings what was agreed upon - sometimes more but never less. She is never boastful or demanding. She is gentle, soft spoken and incredibly humble. She doesn't pretend to know everything despite you knowing there are few things she doesn't know. She will ask you if she needs direction and yet she is confident without arrogance. She is without a doubt one of the most gifted individuals we've worked with over the entirety of our creative careers and most of that stems from a most agreeable personality and an intoxicating visage interlaced with malleable and endless talent.

When you're shooting she truly puts herself in your hands to do your craft. She relinquishes creative control so that you're not inhibited as an artist. In a very real sense, she is yours to command artistically and creatively. She will not argue, complain nor make unnecessary requests. She does not whimper, whine nor cry. She is 100% committed and confident in herself and to her love of modeling but she never takes advantage of people with her obvious enchanting wiles. It makes getting those challenging shots that much more fun and we always get the look we want with Kim.

You can't pay for that kind of trust with anyone else. But even so, you have to earn it; you have to nurture it over multiple photo shoots and collaborations. More importantly, you have to deliver with Kim. Make no mistake, she is there to work and you owe it to her to get it right and never leave her wanting. You'll want to buy her an island, cars, houses and pretty much whatever you can acquire to keep her happy and satiated. But all Kim wants is a great experience, your artistic respect and of course stunning images.

People never ask why we have Kim back again and again and again. They see it in the image. They see our comfort with one another and they can feel our sense of camaraderie. That feeling you feel when you see her, that distinct but fleeting gasp that escapes you when you stand in front of her is a real thing. She will always have a spot on my schedule without even asking for it. She is one of a few who can call at a moment's notice and get whatever it is she wants. For us, she is more than a model; she is a cherished friend and we wish her all the best for 2016. If we're as fortunate as we have been in the past then 2016 will belong almost entirely to her. In a nutshell it means that for 2016 if Kim wants me to shoot with her then she will have the highest priority. What do you say Kim?

Sircus Magazine Issue 9 Special Swimwear Edition Releases

Publishing Sircus Magazine Issue 9 had to be the most challenging and yet rewarding experiences ever. I owe it all to our chief stylist / booking agent / and my primary lighting assistant Trexie Dorrell. 

Trexie is my greatest inspiration and a chief of staff in a manner of speaking. She orchestrates the makeup artists, the models, the hair stylists, the manicurists as well as choose and assemble clothing, write pull orders, orders props, orders clothing and accessories, co-edits, help with transportation services for models when applicable and even aids in makeup and lighting. She is the reason anything gets done. Nothing could happen without her. She is the one every model we publish has to get pass to even get an audience. Whether it’s me that’s talking on the phone with them or not, Trexie influences decisions and assists in making judgement on whether or not a makeup artist or model or anyone meets our criteria. She’s not always as tall as some of our other talent, but unbeknownst to them, Trexie has and could take anyone’s place. She has been on the other side of that camera before and she is as skilled as anyone I’ve ever known. 

No matter what you do in the art world it’s always better to have a second opinion if you take your work seriously. Trexie is all 100% pragmatic. I may have the eye and the technical skill to pull off most any look, but it is she that jumps in a tells me what is and what is not practical. Despite what I think of a stylist, a fellow photographer or a dress maker, Trexie takes out all emotion and reminds me of what is at stake; our reputation for excellence, our style and our quality. 

I have a personal saying, “ We choose to collaborate with someone because we believe they are the best. A lesser artist chooses to collaborate with someone because they are available.” It’s important to distinguish the difference between the two. We believe it’s important to choose discriminately. With graphic design and photography being such overcrowded fields, it is ever more paramount to have extremely high standards and to keep getting better and better at what you do. Trexie helps me to keep my standards high and minimize unnecessary risks. For that I am eternally grateful.

I continue to seek out new partnerships such as Trexie. We look to collaborate with dedicated skilled people. Even someone new may hold promise of greater things. We all began somewhere and we still have so much more to learn from one another. We welcome all the models of Issue 9 to the Helios/Sircus Magazine family and more collaborations from those individuals of various creative fields we have yet to meet. 

Special thanks to Trexie Dorrell for making Issue 9 wonderful. This Issue is dedicated to you. 

Wil

Editor/Photographer/Graphic Designer

What Are We Shooting?

What photography do we like to do? Naturally, paid assignments take priority. That's a given. But we're fans of most photography if not all. However, for publishing and personal projects, fashion, beauty and avant garde take priority. We’re also major fans of fitness in general so most opportunities to shoot fitness under the right circumstances we’re willing to do. The truth is, we're more likely to take on a fashion editorial or even a fitness project over a lingerie one. It's just our taste. 

The trends lately has favored glamour and lingerie. While we love beautiful lingerie and glamour as much as the next person it has become our priority to take on such projects with extreme tastefulness while still being sexy and stimulating. Too often have we witnessed lingerie slide slowly into distaste and pointless sexual exhibitionism. We're convinced that lingerie can still be gorgeous, sexy and sensual without going too far. We've use Victoria's Secret as a benchmark. They've always been tasteful, sexy, glamorous and beautiful without overstepping decency. They have found that perfect balance of what we coin as "acceptable sin." But there is nothing sinful about looking, wanting and being sexy and even showing it off a little. We'll be exploring this topic more in forthcoming issues of Sircus Magazine.

Swimwear is wonderful; the beach, the water, sunshine; who wouldn't love it? Categorically, it's nowhere in the vicinity of lingerie to us. Same amount of skin showing - perhaps less, but it's just not the same. We akin a well poised swimwear photo shoot to a fashion one. We approach it the same way. We still consider accessories and lighting and props. Our fav is swimwear with separates like jackets, heels, and clutches. If we can bring fashion to the beach we're down for it. 

Art nude is also a favorite of ours. Strangely, it is one of the most sublime and less sexualized than one might think. It is far more about light sculpting and mood than about the person; It's an exploration that admires and highlights the human form. It takes a special person to do art nude modeling and a special team to shoot them. We're fortunate to have done a few and we have always been pleased with the results. 

For the more immediate future the plan for publishing will fashion editorials, beauty and avant garde. Naturally, we will always consider different ideas all throughout the year. Our TF or "trade for" assignments are minimal to almost non existent. Currently, nearly every shoot is a paid assignment by a client or model or used almost strictly for print magazine publishing or online publishing. It doesn't mean an immediate "No." It just means we want our minds blown about an idea before we will even consider it. 

We will keep you up to date as events unfold for 2014.

ShyAng3L from Sircus Magazine i.5

ShyAng3L from Sircus Magazine i.5, a photo by helios00 on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
"Like" Us on Facebook
Sircus Magazine Issue 5
Pages 1-7 of 52 Includes several never before seen images of new freelance models.
© heliosimaging
All Rights Reserved
Unauthorized use is prohibited
featuring models...
Tiffany Roe, Chanel Alexis, Kristi Wright, Nique Haggerty & ShyAng3L.