fjcm

*** P L E A S E    R E A D    B E F O R E    Y O U    C O N T A C T    M E ***


Yale-educated, former professional performing artist now pursuing fine-art and commercial photography. My short-term goal is to be represented by a creatives agency this year.  Will you be a part of that journey?  And the one thereafter?  I'm here looking for paying work, and to find models and other creatives to be a part of projects I am working on (some paid, some not).  Hit me up if you'd like to push boundaries, make a statement, make art.

Always striving to create work that is fresh, relevant, thoughtful, beautiful.  Looking for models and other creatives who are goal-oriented, hardworking, smart, dedicated and risk-taking about their work.  Ultimately, I would love to create an atelier, to be working within a community of artists who collaborate and support each other and resource share and have a shitload of fun while getting ahead.

A G E N C Y   A P P R O V E D

*** Important information about working together ***

I am laid-back, fun and very friendly, but I also abide the highest standards of professionalism.  I ask the same of you.  That includes being on time, treating everyone involved with respect and putting in an honest shoot's work.  You are welcome to bring an escort but they will have to sit in the lobby of my work building when in-studio or at a reasonable distance when on-location, no exceptions.

If you are contacting me first (this includes casting calls), I will also want to see the following; very few exceptions will be made:

Models (men, women, everyone in between): a varied, recent portfolio that shows your face and body clearly.  This should include but is not necessarily limited to: clear, color headshots unobstructed by sunglasses, hats, hair, etc.; photographs that show your entire body; at least one unretouched, clear portrait/"polaroid" that shows me what your skin looks like; accurate statistics including your age.

Please understand that this is what every photographer worth her/his while wants to see; you are not fooling us with blurry pictures or having '99' as your age.  I won't even care about your age if you have the right look, but trying to obscure it tells me quite a bit about your professionalism and self-confidence--and I have no need for models lacking either.  I also don't care how "cool" your current photographs or the concepts behind them are; I am not looking to copy someone else's work.  I want to know what you're going to look like when you show up at the shoot.

I reserve the right to cancel any shoot for which models show up looking significantly different than what their photos portray.

Creatives, including MUAs, Hair Stylists and Fashion Stylists: Looking primarily to work with people who know their craft, but also possess a strong sense of curiosity, get creative when it comes to problem solving and want to work collaboratively, giving and receiving constructive feedback.  The best teams I've worked with are teams in which everyone walks away having learned something about their craft and about making images: because we talked and listened, wondered aloud the hows and whys of each other's techniques, challenged each other to take it to the next level and put aside our egos in our willingness to learn something new.  I have a vision for every shoot I go into, and I'm looking to work with people who do too; we'll draw from everyone's best ideas to make it great.  Lastly, I am looking for other creatives who are willing to put in work outside the shoot as well.  Putting together a shoot is a lot of work, from reaching out to models and creatives, to assembling wardrobe, props, etc.  Preference will be given to those willing to participate in this capacity too.

Retouchers: Technical skill is obviously a must, but what really sets apart the retouchers I want to work with--so far, I have always done all of my own post-production--is that they understand that retouching is about more than pixels.  They know where things belong and don't belong (say, a shadow or highlight, the right/wrong shape or size of a pore); they know the human body and face; they have a strong sense of the impact of color in an image; they can look at something and immediately deconstruct what's wrong with it or how it might be enhanced; they know when to pull back or when to push it further.  In short: they have discerning eyes, a meticulous attention to detail and, most importantly, great taste.  Please be able to match or, better yet, best my avatar.  It's not perfect, but it's a minimum standard.  I will make exceptions to those with a strong artistic eye who are willing to put in the hard work to learn the craft quickly.  I have all the necessary equipment and can provide a place for you to polish your skills.

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One last thing: I thank all of you in advance for the tags and compliments, but I am not here to socialize online for the sake of socializing or getting an ego boost.  I am here to work.  As such, it is unlikely I will return the gesture unless you've said something particularly heartfelt; if I want to work together, I will message you.  Doesn't mean I'm an ass; just my priorities are different.  Cheers.