Top 7 Images of 2017 by Helios

Can you believe it? The year has nearly passed us by. It has been an adventure like none other. We've had several new faces cruise by this year; a handful we have photographed, a few we did not and some we may decide to photograph later. In keeping with our normal tradition, we have done a great deal of casting interviews for future published work. As a result, we have met some beautiful people and I expect we will meet many more before we have selected any finalists for serious collaboration and publishing. Sometimes the spark you're looking for takes several dozen interviews before you find it. What we did manage to find was the top seven most popular images of 2017.

For those of you that keep tabs on us (and we hope you do), this is about the time we select a model of the year - this is usually the person that has been exceptional all year long, producing captivating take after take of riveting imagery session after session; someone driven and passionate about what they do and has a strong sense of purpose about where they are going. This year will NOT be a year for a Model of the Year we're afraid. We simply didn't photograph some people enough or didn't work with many at all for several reasons. Sometimes it's a bad vibe, incompatible scheduling or it just didn't work out. But every year we have chosen someone the bar is raised. The next year selection gets even tougher because when the bar is raised the selection criteria becomes more difficult. Additionally, we have had a handful of great collaborations this year and I'm fond of them all but MOY candidates usually come from a pool of the year's published work which was minimal this year because of the aforementioned reasons. Hey, it wasn't due to a lack of trying. We just didn't feel it this time around as often as we would have liked.  

Now about those images... it took some doing. We combed thru our Flickr metrics, Google analytics largely from our www.heliosimaging.com website and several other media sites to find out what has been trending the strongest all year. There were seven images that reigned as the most popular among of all images taken this year. Based on views, comments, shares, visits, likes, favorites and a tiny bit of barely perceptible personal bias, these are our best images of 2017 chosen by fans, followers and maybe a few Page or Site stalkers. LOL!

We always obsess over data so it was interesting to note that some of the images were of people we had never photographed before this year. We drew a few conclusions from that. First, our fans and followers like new faces and they want new and interesting ideas from us even if it comes from familiar faces. People just aren't content to see gorgeous people in gorgeous things if they're the same sorts of things. They want shock and awe. They want interests, variety, intrigue, mystery with great styling and new locations. Also, the images that are the most popular this year for us had looks and styling not representative of that model's normal look or her normal portfolio which again emphasizes their followers' and fans' desire for variety and newer points of view in our humble assessment. I guess people want to be awed all the time. Otherwise, they get... well... they get bored. I can see that. We do too. What was surprising is that these were simple collaborations were not like our normal more complicated published shoots which goes to show great things can come from simple ideas if your styling is on point and you have the right people. Most of the looks are simple and yet incredibly stylish. We attribute that perfect balance to the models' keen talent to project the mood of the looks and their expressiveness along with relevant composition and location selections.

In all their magnificent splendor the top seven images of 2017 are as follows: 

Model: Shweta Pandey

#7 with model Shweta Pandey. It was our first time ever photographing Shweta and she did not disappoint. Following a brief and productive face to face meet-up prior to the shoot, I knew upon meeting her working with her would be amazing. She is very expressive and her friendly personality and willing attitude made all the difference. She exceeded every challenge put before her without complaint. Despite not having tried looks and posing such as this before, her trust in our eye, our style direction and compositional style with her confidence made all the difference in creating such a riveting masterpiece of fashionable sultriness. 

Model: Yuliana Kelley

#6 with model Yuliana Kelley. Yuliana is a gift from the fashion gods. Here in her fashionably casual delectable goodness, she demonstrates a complete and total mastery over her environment; casual look equals casual pose with casual and summery location. Seldom do I meet someone that understands the association of expressiveness to location to styling as well as she does along with an ability to project the appropriate mood in the context of her garment and overall wear. The comments included with this image were things like, "beautiful and casual." "Great location. She really knows how to pose to show the best of the clothing." "Laid back but stylish." "Phenomenal shorts!" "Summer love." The list went on and on and you had to be there to appreciate how well she emoted that scene. One look/change equals one location/scene is a philosophy her and I both share. 

I had never photographed her before and I can't even imagine where we would be now had we ever worked together or met prior to more deliberately coordinate our ideas. She is extraordinary!

Model: Shweta Pandey

#5 There are few things in this world more precious than working with someone that gets what you're trying to do with your look; not with words but with feeling. I often explain what I'm looking for using abstract emotional concepts or phrases like, "How does the romper make you feel? Where do you imagine you would be if you're wearing it? How would you look if you wanted to capture attention or how would you move if no one was looking?"

Understanding is key to such a well executed look and Shweta SLAYED it. Even before going there I gave her some idea of the location; a location she had never been to. Sure I had shown her a mood-board but I didn't tell her how to pose because when you have a great model you don't have to. I told her simply to "feel" her way thru the look because once she saw the location and we started shooting that she would understand. I had confidence that she would understand what to do. Emotional intuitiveness is so huge and I can't stress that enough. 

Having the pleasure to have met her in-person prior to the shoot tells me so much about how a person might react to a certain look, their level of skill, their confidence and what they are comfortable doing. I knew beyond any doubt she would fully embody the look and feel of this garment and this location the second I met her. She will tell you herself that when I met her that within seconds I had a ton of ideas I felt she could be great with despite not having tried them before. We can confidently say that she is one of the best discoveries of the year.

Model: Yuliana Kelley

#4 Yuliana again?! Damn right it is and for all the obvious reasons. "OMG! She is a doll." "Her eyes..." "Her hair is so thick and luscious." "The light is perfect." "Love the background against the strong contrast of her garment." "Beautiful jewelry." The comments went on and on and on. I must confess it is one of personal favs photographs this year. Her gaze, the guarded but innocent stance is yet warm and approachable and yes she does look flawless like a doll. LOL! But perhaps her stance isn't guarded but embracing. Love of self perhaps? See? That is what wonderful images make you do. You're engaged and thinking and longing to know what is transpiring in the scene. What is she thinking? What is she looking at? 

I don't know what else to say other than it was a fantastic day with great light, good company and positive vibes all around. It didn't take long before I began envisioning Yuliana as a SIRCUS magazine cover model someday. I'm just saying. It is possible. She is THAT good.

Like any top elite model she changed clothing and became a different person; a person that emoted the personality of the garment. Yes folks, garments have personalities whether you want them to or not. You can make the garment or the garment can make you. The key is understanding the difference and controlling the contextual relationship. Okay, I may be losing some of you but Yuliana understood and projected accordingly. I barely know her but I can't help but love this girl and it would seem everyone else does as well. She rocks!

Model: Tanya Sonkin

#3 No "best" image lineup will be complete without my bestie, my friend, my rock - fashion, runway and beauty model Tanya Sonkin. When spoken about in creative circles, Tanya incites an almost worship-level reverence from fans who speak of her from jaw dropped mouths and glazed over eyes. She is the one person I can't seem to photograph enough for obvious reasons. She is one of those models that the more you shoot the more you want to shoot and I see no end to that so as long as I can lift a camera. 

This image is the most commented on from all the images of her by Helios this calendar year. I've been getting..."The most beautiful model I've ever seen." "This is your best work ever with Tanya." "This image is all I would need to work with Tanya forever." "Why aren't we seeing more Tanya?" "What is next with Tanya?" "When is Tanya coming back?" Only her denim looks from last year, that has an almost religious following is commented on more. That is saying something because despite not creating half of what I had hoped we would produce together this year including vid, we still created some of what I consider some of our best work this year. 

It is that look of hers here -that glance towards you that stills your heart. Honestly, she sort of surprised me with this one; stepping out of her comfort zone a bit and nailing us with some serious fire emanating from her thru softly parted lips and tousled hair. She was fully engaged on this shoot and it speaks volumes as to Tanya's skill and incontrovertible prowess in front of the camera when it counts. It is spicy enough to show you that she can go there if she wants to but not so much that you'll ever have enough. It is as she is... insatiable.

The styling is point perfect -screaming of casual upscale elegance with a splash of sexy that only Tanya can bring. 

Model: Trexie Dorrell

#2 with Model Trexie Dorrell. The one who is many. Fitness, fashion, beauty, glamour, art and everything in between. Except she can't sing and she can't dance worth a damn. LOL! Believe me I've seen her try. Otherwise, Trexie Dorrell is my one tried and true everything model. No one understands me as much as she does and for this reason it takes us all of 10 minutes to shoot any look in any location in any kind of weather. Emoting? Check! Styling? Check! Makeup & Hair? Check and Check! Posing? Double Check! There is no one I trust more with my brand image. She truly understands the scope of everything I try to achieve with every look no matter the genre. Perfectly sculpted, beautiful and religiously driven she is the singular person that can step in for any look or any model from lingerie to avant garde. Cocoa_pecan complexion, chiseled high-born cheek-bones with abs to match, she has no equal. For posing, styling, fit-level and expressiveness she garners the most attention than most of the models I have met and/or photographed combined with few exceptions. She has the most no-nonsense casual and laid-back attitude about it all despite being the Cover Model of SIRCUS™ magazine Issue 12 in the editorial "Doll Play"and a key player in the making of Issue 11 "Fitness is in Fashion." 

Arguably the most accomplished in terms of her role around these parts and her widespread everyday offline popularity, she, not unlike the aforementioned Yuliana Kelley, has a strong sense of style and natural affinity for aesthetics. Trexie simply doesn't take any of it that serious though. She is as casual about her looks and her personal style as she is about her rainbow fuzzy sock collection she wears around her apartment throughout the week. I believe her followers can sense the "this is so easy but I'm not stuck up or haughty about it" attitude coming thru on her images and they are draw to her authenticity. That laid back relaxed aura says I could just as easily take a nap here rather than get all bent out of shape about how I look right now. Yet, she looks ravishing and completely content. But she would also lie down in the same spot in the pouring rain if it meant the shot would be perfect. That is the commitment you want on every shoot - relaxed, stylish, beautiful and it will be done when it's done as long as it's perfect kinda attitude. That is my Trexie and the people that worship her as I do get it.

Model: Yuliana Kelly

#1 One more time with Yuliana. I know I know. She accounts for three out of the seven top 2017 images and I'm not even making this up. The numbers don't lie and it shows our followers have great taste. She owns her space is the best way I can sum it all up. You had to be there but everyone that attributed to these numbers and given us this feedback was NOT there and they are as enamored with her as I am. 

I can only explain it as natural ability coupled with gloriously heart-stopping beauty. It still amazes me how much she reminds me of Trexie in that she seems so "in the zone" on the shoot. Being as I've only worked with her once I can only guess that it is simply who she is. 

You can fake a great many things but talent isn't one of them and I can say she is definitely born to model. Whether she is smiling or not, standing or sitting, leaning or reclining; each image conveys a sense of belonging, a strong sense of style and environmental awareness. 

"Angel." "Beautiful." Beautiful work." "Great styling." "That smile..." "Very fashionable" etc etc. The comments are carried the same message and the views were astronomically high. It is definitely a I wish I was there kind of image. I want to do what she is doing. I want to wear what she is wearing. I want that happiness and comfort. I want that hat and bracelet. I want to get to that location. I want that life. That is what modeling is about. People need to want to be the person who the model seems to be; the lifestyle, the scene, the moments and the feelings that emanate from that world. 

Despite not having chosen a single Model Of the Year for 2017. We had a fun time assembling the top images of 2017. Thank you Shweta Pandey, Tanya Sonkin, Trexie Dorrell and Yuliana Kelley for making 2017 such a special year. Extra special thanks to all of you that made these images possible and for everyone else for collaborating with us this year. It has been an absolute pleasure meeting new people and I look forward to continuing to work with some of you again. 

10 Years - 10 Best Helios Images - (#1) Countdown

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Model: Chanel Alexis

If it was only the model then everyone we've ever worked with is great. Truly they are. We've come across some very beautiful and very talented people over the last 10 years. But we can only speculate as to why some images captivate us more than others. Some images get more attention, feedback and shares than others. We attribute it to a combination of factors not the least of which is the absolute stunning beauty of the model herself. But it was so much more than just that. There was real talent that put this entire series together. All that combined talent manifest itself in this final image that we have chosen to our #1 best image of the last 10 years.

No words could ever describe this photo shoot. No amount of lines would ever describe this model, the way she looks, her warm personality and her skill. No words could ever hope to describe her ability.

Chanel Alexis is the first model you might say we had a “photo crush” on. We didn’t want the shoot to end. Every single shot was perfect. We found her ravishing and quite frankly the kindest, sweetest person we have met since we have lived in the Pacific NW. Ironically, she wasn’t from here; but she is from South Florida and not that far from my hometown. I suppose we had creative affinity for one another that bonded us. 

There were zero complaints and no problems with punctuality. Every single garment was a perfect fit. Chanel needed very little if any makeup at all but the makeup artist Noelle, did a marvelous job. 

This image was one of many from a shoot that was part location and part studio. It is the most blogged about and most shared photo in the series; perhaps the most in all our series. Taking into consideration comments, tags, shares and likes, this image has been the most buzzed about across all sites, blogs and other social media. 

Of course it is purely visual for the onlooker. No one knows how flawlessly the shoot was executed by Chanel and by our stylist Trexie Dorrell. It was the easiest photo shoot we’ve ever had and produced the most enchanting and timeless results. Chanel has the talent and those exotic looks to make it all come together. She is one of few people that if she ever chose to come back, we would find a way and fly her back the country again if necessary should an opportunity exist. 

We all made instant friends; friends enough for her to crash here if she wants to. She is simply that laid back. She is always welcome. Thank you Chanel for being marvelous and creating truly timeless images with us. 

How to Know if You're the Next Sircus Magazine Cover Model

We’ve been asked a few times how we choose our cover model for Sircus Magazine. It is not an easy task. Every single time is difficult when dealing with what we consider to be the best professional and amateur models throughout the Pacific NW. It’s never going to become easy either. However, there are a few things we do on every issue to help guide us in terms of importance. You may be surprised at this level of importance we place of each thing but it's easy to know if you're on track for cover. Here's how...

1. Ability: this is by far one of the most important determinants is choosing the cover model. Not totally excluding all other factors to follow, how well the model performed before, during and after the casting, shooting and interview process is the key. Getting the looks, the theme, the posing, the expressiveness, the style, the genre and overall class of what we were trying to capture is the key to everything. Now, how hard or easy was is to get to that point is what we use to determine overall ability. But nothing matters like results. Did we get what we need? Does it fit the theme? Can we market it? Can we use it to promote the model and the periodical? If you were apart of this last issue then you know the importance we placed on the thoroughness of your casting replies. We often mix professionalism with ability. But that's our thing. Results is by far the most important determinant for us is choosing the cover model. Those results stemmed from realized ability. 

2. Attractiveness: a touchy subject for sure but let’s be honest; Looks Matter. But it’s not about who looks best because if it was everyone would make front cover. Everyone we’ve decided to ever photograph is beautiful. But beauty doesn’t necessarily mean someone has a great personality, was easy to work with or communicable. Beauty also doesn’t mean a model had ability. We’ve seen it several times when models skate by on stereotypical physical beauty but every single image looks the same as the last which denotes inexperience and/or an inability to adapt to different looks. It’s an easy trap to fall in to. Besides, attractiveness is such a subjective thing. Despite being of huge importance if a model doesn’t suit the market or the style of our magazine brand, then it’s simply ineffective, a waste of time and resources for this particular project and best suited for a side project without consideration being given to publishing. 

3. Marketability: Is it our Brand? This one of our first question. How well does the model look, act and perform like our Brand? Can he or she be marketed alongside the magazine? The models are pre-selected based on several factors chief among them is marketability. Despite how much we love photography and would love to do it for pure fun, how well a model appeals to the public in general when considering the target market and theme of the issue is extremely important. Even after all the shoots and processing is done we revisit every single model's portfolio, assess overall effectiveness, look, their communication details with us, style, and current portfolio and compare all these factors to choose the cover model. 

4. Personality: How well you interact with the team is just as important and how the images turned out. If our makeup artist says you questioned every stroke of color then that denotes either inexperience or a failure to get along with people. If you have a negative disposition about everything then it will likely manifest itself visibly. These things aren’t always made known during casting but may come up during the shoot. A confrontational personality type doesn’t bode well for our reputation if we are a magazine about talent. Being on the cover is not too unlike an endorsement even though we can’t control what happens after our shoot or interview. We’ve seen several types of demeanors: the models that are distracted easily and seem somewhere, the seemingly disinterested model, the easily excitable model, the I’ll do anything to get the shot model, the let’s try this hanging from a tree model, or even the very dry seemingly bored model, the arrogant divas, the quiet, the loud, the bullies and the I’ve been modeling for years and no one can tell me how types, the I know how to do this already with the I’ve been published before so this is no big deal types of attitudes. Whatever the type we’ve likely seen it or heard it but it will and does effect the photo shoot and the cover spot pic. 

5. Dedication: Is the model playing pretend or is this a real go at being a model or becoming a model. Quite frankly, if someone just isn’t genuinely interested then nor are we. Why adorn the front page with someone playing around or not really serious when it can be placed with someone who is working at modeling? This can sometimes be difficult for us to determine upon first meeting someone. However, with personality and communication issues we’re usually able to determine who is and who is not trying to make it and who is and who is not serious. We would much rather give that cover spot to someone passionate about their gifts, someone truly wanting to make a go of it or someone active. A lack of dedication can also reveal itself in the model’s current portfolio. Is the port somewhat scattered without any real direction, genre or improvements? Is it a hodgepodge of randomness of selfies mixed with professional images? This could indicate either a new model or a non-dedicated one. Again, if it’s the former then it’s not a deal breaker. But if it’s the latter it could indicate an unfocused person.

6. Communicable: This is just as important after the shoot as it is during or before the shoot. For us details matter. If you have been to our shoots then you know we undergo huge time and expense bringing a model in. When you aren't communicating before, during and after a shoot then it makes of nervous about your ability, results and your motives. We see you as a person first but also an investment. For a time, we're partners and working to develop your look and ultimately add to your notoriety and portfolio. We have to have details before after and during our project. We need to trust that you know your date, the time of the shoot and what is expected of you. There is no such thing as over communicating with us. The more we hear from you the more we know you’ll show which also means the more time and resources we’re willing to invest in your look(s). That always equates to more images, more looks, and more options and a much much higher likelihood the model will make cover. If you’re not easy to read or communicate with on set then it will be difficult getting the looks we need to publish or at least limit how much we get. But if we’re sitting around during our cover selection panel meeting discussing who was easiest to work with and communicate with before, during and after the shoot the cover model selection process will undoubtedly be clouded by the fact the the model did not reply to emails, texts, or phone calls in a timely manner if at all before or after.

7. Popularity: How well is the model promoting themselves? Do they have a Facebook account or a website or other means of promoting themselves. Are they well known or unknown. Years ago, larger and more popular periodicals made the decision to put celebs and socially iconic individuals on the cover despite the magazine being more about fashion and beauty (clearly the spot for a model). They did this because of the popularity of the person would bode well for the marketability and sales of the magazine itself. They took advantage of already marketed popularized people for their front covers. Furthermore, contemporary pop culture dynamics became more cross genre in that actors and actresses became fashion and beauty icons, while some models became celebrities in their own rights. So how well that model promotes himself or herself, how much of a following they have or are trying to get directly effects the marketability of the periodical. If that model isn’t doing well promoting themselves then having them on your cover just really doesn’t matter. 

So in conclusion, what do you think we’re looking for in a cover model? I’d say an naturally stylish, attractive, confident but not arrogantly so - driven person that is highly communicable with an agreeable disposition genuinely interested in furthering their skillset and seeking new opportunities. 

Sircus Magazine Issue 5

Sircus Magazine Issue 5

By SIRCUS Magazine in Sircus Magazine

52 pages, published 7/16/2013

Popular photo-centric magazine by Helios Digital Imaging & Graphic Design featuring a variety of fashion, beauty, avant grade, cosplay, glamour and lingerie photography from a plethora of different models. Additional issues to include themed shoots, articles about local artists, events and popular culture.