All Time Favorite Model Finally Revealed

I said I would never do this. I said it was disrespectful. I carried on about how it’s a slap in the face to everyone I know and everyone I’ve worked with. But after days, months and years of thinking about it. I decided to unveil who my favorite model is/was. 

First of all why the change of heart? Well people deserve to know because I think she is a source of great inspiration and a magnificent example of poise, grace, beauty and endless professionalism. Additionally, I spoke with one of the most well-known photographers in the world and he chatted publicly about his fondness for one particular model and even raved how she is his absolute favorite. I thought “Wow!” He just shocked me and went against everything I’d ever said and I admire this guy’s work like crazy. 

I realized, that much of my apprehension in admitting such a thing was because people have a way of disappointing you when you throw all your weight behind them. The second you build them up is the moment they tear you down and crush your every expectation. But I don’t own her. She has no obligation to live up to any idealized view I have about her beauty and her infinite talent. She is her own person and I have to accept that and take the gift she bestowed upon me; that is the gift to collaborate with her and create some of the best images I’ve ever done. Perhaps it was her personality, her confidence or her willingness to simply put her trust in me to basically try everything I threw at her. That’s a special and unique thing; not to question, not to get overly disturbed about the unknown but to have an open mind and a willing disposition. 

Not to put too fine a point on it but I went back and re-read her interview from SIRCUS™ magazine Issue 10 at www.sircusmagazine.com. Her interview reaffirmed my conclusion that she is the best model I’ve ever photographed. That interview reminded me of why I was drawn to her in the first place. If that wasn’t enough praise, I can easily say that only my wife has impressed me more as a model and that is no small feat. I read and then re-read something in that interview that shook me. In paraphrasing she said, “I decided to be beautiful.” You have to read that interview to get the full context. It’s one thing to say such a thing. But it’s quite another to live it. It was clear it wasn’t just idle talk but a philosophy of life. That sat with me. That sentiment grew n me and changed me as an artist. She raised the bar to a height few will ever achieve. That is not to say some will not. I’m scaling back but I have a few more shoots left in me yet. I just believe that Lauren Moon is the best model (to date) I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. With the combination of beauty, talent, personality, confidence, adaptability and talent, she is/was my absolute favorite model. 

It’s not all about beauty, talent or just ability. It’s all of those things and yet none of them. She’s a special blend of perfect attributes that simply makes everything or everyone else seem a little dimmer in comparison. There were unexpected last minute personnel changes on our shoot with her and yet Lauren never wavered. Without showing the slightest bit of hesitation or doubt she forged on. Creatively malleable without end, she didn’t frown with challenges, she accommodated change and even welcomed the unknown. She did it all with a regal disposition and fearlessness I’ve rarely seen in a single person. 

I thought of all the best traits of every model I know beyond my present company and thought what a model might be when it’s all put together. In less than a second, I thought of Lauren Moon. Thank you for a great experience Lauren. May you continue to enlighten us all with your grace, your gift and your beauty.

Also a special thank you to model Chanel Alexis and The One that is everything, Trexie Dorrell. 

Thank You Chase

There is Chase and then there is no one. From the first time we photographed her years ago until this very day, she is the most consistently perfectly performing model ever. She was then just as she is now... unquestionably perfect.

A few weeks ago we crossed text paths and shared a Happy Holidays and Season Greetings sort or message thing. It had been awhile - too long in my opinion. It's always a good idea just to stay updated with the best of the best models if for nothing else than just a chit chat to see what's going on with them. To our delight, she was interested in a photo shoot. We all agreed that it should be something smaller this time around. Something that didn't require a full crew and only called for minimal gear. It had been awhile after all and we knew Chase was a fan of natural looks. Now when a model tells me she wants natural that normally makes me cringe. Once upon a time my mind would have interpreted that as no makeup, no hair styling, no clothing stylist and bad bad bad clothing options. My every instinct would have screamed no freakin' way. It was only after working with her once years ago I realized that when you have the right talent, everything will be fine. In fact, with Chase it's stellar.

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Model: Chase "Whitehill" Rubeor

You see, she's not just stunning but she is also the most gifted and professional person I've ever had the pleasure of working with on a photo shoot. Not to say that no one else is great. Chase is simply... I don't know. I don't want to say "flawless." That seems so final and committed and such words have a way of biting you in the ass later. You just know what you're going to get every single time and it's never ever wrong. She is never late. She never complains. Everything fits perfect and looks amazing on her whether we buy it or she brings it. There is never a mix up on who is doing what or bringing what or going where. She is not demanding or pompous. She is not overly emotional. She is drama-free. She doesn't bring her personal problems to work if you know what I mean. Yet, she's personal and has a cozy personality like a blanket (okay that's weird but you get it). A girl next door kinda personality vibe (that's better) but she just happens to look like and model like an international supermodel (she already kinda has been). She's not gonna break down in tears at the slightest thing (you'd be surprised what we've seen over the years). She has an unmistakable sense of personal style that is both refined casual and classically sophisticated and oh boy she wears it well.


It's really difficult to describe how well arranging a shoot goes with her. We don't need to exchange 30 emails or 50 texts because we've come to trust her unconditionally. I send her one single image of an idea for inspiration and she replies, "I know exactly the mood you're going for. I got it." That's music to my ears. "The Mood." She understands. She gets how this whole thing works. She understands modeling, call sheets, go-sees and test shoots. She gets mood boards and story boards. She's a professional. If I hire an MUA we don't get nervous that she will be late or not show up. If I have a hair stylist, we're not concerned that she's gonna complain about the hair styling or  how the clothing looks. There is a mutual trust and respect for one another's gifts and contribution. She does what she does best. We do what we do best and it's always beyond expectations even when we don't seem to ever take enough images of her or see her as often as we would like. Then again, there could never be enough images of her.

I suppose there is one hiccup if any. Availability. We would like to give her solid week of shooting. At least three back to back to back days. Unfortunately, we all have busy schedules and lives to go about. But good things (good people) are worth waiting for. Ten years can go by and Chase will still be Magnificent Chase whether she is wearing Givenchy or Gap,  Burberry or Balenciaga. She could be full body air brushed or have no makeup on at all and it's still Chase. If she's not feeling well but committed to doing the project anyway, it will still be the magnificent, high performing, beautiful, professional, endlessly talented and intelligent Chase.  

Thank you Chase. Thank you for making 2016 end on a high note and 2017 begin with a sense of discovery and possibilities. 

Visual Conceptualization Acuity

Leave it to me to coin a phrase that has zero meaning to anyone outside of the purview of those with an acute handle of high-brow vernacular; in other words, people who probably write too many words to say simple things that just don’t sound as good with little words. But in all seriousness I will take a moment to explain what this means as it pertains to different facets of art and the perception of art in general.

I can’t explain this concept without first going back to when I photographed fashion, beauty and art model Lauren Moon. For those lucky enough to have a copy of SIRCUS™ magazine Issue 10, I will not rehash just how wonderful she is. You will  learn everything you need to know about visual conceptualization acuity just from seeing the pictures and reading our interview with her. For those not so fortunate, I translate the meaning as being able to disseminate complex ideas and concepts into executable and tangible reality. 

We easily rank Lauren as the most intuitive models we’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing. She still has that title. With that said, let me further explain as briefly as possible how we work. This the abridged version. We have an idea. We create a storyboard. We write a few lines describing a scene and often make sketches as to how it may look. In Lauren’s instance I even had a dressed sketched and custom made by a designer and styled with a fashion stylist that went with the idea. I sketched out and listed the necessary props, worked with the stylist on accessories and shoes and then had several people included as to how the makeup and hair would be done to tie it all together. Over the course of weeks leading up to the editorial, everyone stayed in touch; briefly exchanging tweaks and corrections in the ideas as the day approached. When the day came, everyone was ready. Using visual cues and prints as I often do I take a few moments to bond with our model (Lauren), going over the story. I told her you’re an Empress. You’re privileged, beautiful and elite. You want to invoke a sense of entitlement and pompousness. I want you to be spoiled but prim. I want you confident but dismissive. I want you to be sultry and sexy but off-putting and yet desirable and insatiably alluring. I said it once, maybe twice and when she got into the perfect dress for Empress - once the makeup and hair was complete and done by MUAH Lindsey McAndrews, Lauren completely and totally immersed herself in the role. We wanted that... "I run this. I'm all that but I refuse to wear a crown because it makes me itchy (or it's too heavy)" kinda attitude. 

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Model: Lauren Moon
"Empress" SIRCUS™ magazine Issue 10

You see, a perfect model is an actor; a chameleon. They are adaptive. They can intuit what the photographer needs. Lauren could see the story in the garment and makeup. Lauren could see the styling and understand what she was to become within the context of the whole idea. She understand likely sub-consciously how she should move in the clothing and how she should pose when she saw the color of it and the way it hugged her. Everything was done on-purpose. There were no accidents or guesses and Lauren transformed into an Empress right before our very eyes as we knew she could. That’s why we gave her the look. That’s why Lauren had so many looks in this issue. That is also why Lauren was the Cover Model. She has the most perceptive ability of awareness than anyone I had ever seen. It made her very easy to photograph. We glided through the shoot seamlessly and without worry. Everything worked beautifully. 

A few short weeks later we concluded the remainder of the other looks with Lauren. We had a completely different MUAH (the incredible Dawn Dominick). Just like the first time Lauren excelled beyond anything we had ever witnessed. She brought the vision alive with a heightened perceptiveness and awareness of what the look required. 

It’s not unlike when a sculptor says the statue was already inside the bronze before they carved it. They simply pull back the layers. It is not unlike the painter who perceives how the light falls across the subject before he even picks up the brush. It’s not unlike a fashion photographer or designer that can visually project a garment into a theme or scene even before they pick up a camera or sketch out a pattern. 

Good models can take good pictures. Great photographers can take great photos. But to be truly spectacular one must transcend just wearing the clothes and just operating the camera. They must be able to project their will forward; to move their minds beyond what they see and embrace all that may not be immediately tangible. Lauren willed Empress into being. That’s pure skill. That’s natural ability and no one could have done it. She still has yet to understand how I cherished our shoot and everything that we created. It will remain one of our favorite sessions. In fact, every look with Lauren was equally captivating. It was very rewarding to see her manifest our concept in real time. 

That is visual conceptualization in the most simplified way I can word it; with an actual example. Everyone can’t do it. Every model I’ve had simply can’t get into character and meld the clothes, the emotiveness and the posing into a synergistic whole. Lauren can and Lauren does. If I say be Barbie, Lauren embraces all that is Barbie the second she dons the clothing, the gets the big curly wavy hair and prissy pink perfectly fitted bodycon dress on. When we say be a Hampton socialite, Lauren laid casually back on a designer woven-back chaise, prim and poised like she owned the place. Then I said Lauren be Cotton Candy, she became teasing, playful, flirty and fun. She saw the storyboard, she saw the inspiration images and owned them as if she was in the moments and became those characters. That is how it’s done.

A lack of visual conceptualization acuity is why some of the most beautiful people you know aren’t great models. It is also why the most expensive gear owned by photographers do not produce great pictures. They’re clear, they’re crisp, they’re well lit but they have no soul, no character. They lack ambience, mood and feeling. These people struggle. They never make the connection that people like Lauren do intuitively and effortlessly.

When I consider taking on a new model I’m looking for those potentials. I want another Lauren. I want to know that at the very least this person has the fortitude to see it through. I need them to understand they’re not just wearing clothes or jewelry. They’re inhabiting a lifestyle. They’re emoting a feeling and a sense of being. 

The next time you look at an image you can’t take your eyes from; the image you can’t get out of your mind. You see the model in the image, you see the light and composition of it and the garments. You see her expressiveness, her pose and you’re captivated by it. Then ask yourself why it works. Why does it captivate you so? It’s because you feel the image rather than see it. It stirs you because not only does the model wear it well, she is convincing you without a single word that she lives in that space - in that moment. You see fashion isn’t selling you a garment directly. They want to sell you a lifestyle. A perception of the person you will become by owning the garment. The most convincing artist makes you believe. 

That my friends is visual conceptualization acuity. 

Gina Rules the World

It is not only possible but plausible. Gina could become one of the greatest Helios models ever.

It started some time ago; years that we first met Gina. Like all first shoots there was that slight but quieted anxiety in the air about what to expect. It's always that way with someone new. You just don't know what you'll get. I know that's how we felt. I'm sure she felt the same. Our anxiety proved to be unwarranted. Gina impressed us and still continues to do so. Even so, since then we've refined our casting process and usually meet prospective models first to eliminate that first few critical minutes of awkwardness. In other words we cast/interview to eliminate potential problems beforehand, discuss expectations, gauge interests and commitment. But I felt a creative kinship to Gina I rarely feel the first time out with anyone. There's just something about her I thought, just like "There's Something About Mary."

Now it's years later and at least three or four more shoots into our creative relationship. I still feel the same vibe. She's just "cool people" as it is often said. But very recently something changed. It was like an epiphany that elevates one's consciousness. Something evolved this last time around; an unwavering new confidence I've never seen her exude before. She was always good and I had no reason to believe she would get even better. She is already near perfect. Who is this new person because we're crushing hard on her?

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Fitness Model: Gina Perkins

She doesn't know it but she has always been my ace in the hole and one of my most desired people to shoot. Sure I say that a lot about many different people but Gina has always been a little different for me. She feels familiar and comfortable even if you've never met her before; like the friendly neighbor you grew up with. Everything is relaxed and unforced. But now Gina has positioned herself to take over my entire creative world. She exhibited a sense of boldness I've never seen since our first shoot. She was soft and yet strikingly fierce. She was poised and delicate but not vulnerable. She was ready for whatever I could dish out. You could tell she was confident and prepared and it was contagious. We were throwing around looks like confetti and she mastered it all with very little effort.  

I'd always gotten that from her. But this time she came with a fire I'd not previously witnessed. If this is what we can expect from her then I'm game-on for whatever whenever she wants. She scored serious brownie points for just being a bad-ass this most recent time around. 

I only wish I was more available to her. The only hurdle to our taking over the creative universe is scheduling. I'm not exactly walking distance to her and my time of shooting nowadays is limited so people have to get us when they can. When someone asks to change a booking schedule there are seldom any do-overs. It may be weeks, months or years to get back. That's a problem we will have to overcome. But you had better believe that the world is hers for the taking if I have anything to do with it.

The next person up for our "Denimism" series has a tough act to follow. Gina is no slouch on anything and she killed it.