Hey everyone!

I’m contacting you all because there’s a very special photography project in mind in which I need several different people (read: models) to complete. 

Project title: “The Heart Says…”

Keep in mind that when I say I need models, I don’t expect any of you – male or female) to be rail thin, extremely muscular, or anything like that.  Those of you who have seen my portfolio should already know that I can make anyone look good – regardless of physical appearance or how much experience they have in the world of modeling.

There is only ONE true prerequisite for participating in this project:  You must be extremely passionate about something - there must be something you desperately want to tell the world - something, maybe someone, you feel a fierce need to stand up for.  It can be something as simple as “I Love You, Mom” to “Reform in Iran NOW”

You modeling mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to wear a plain white T-shirt and a pair of jeans (simple, right?) on the day of the shoot.  Using a black permanent marker, you will either have me write down whatever you want to say on your shirt, or you can write it yourself before the shoot.  Either way, whatever your message is, it will be written on your shirt.  If you want, you can also go shirtless and write your message on your chest/ arms/ (face?).  HOWEVER, ladies if you choose to do this, I ask that you wear a bra or cover up your breasts in some way, shape, or form, as I would like to keep this project fairly PG-13. 

As far as details of your message is concerned, all I ask is that, 1: it’s coming from YOU, and 2: it’s unique and not cliché.  For example, if you’re a Christ follower, you aren’t allowed to write Not Of This World (or the NOTW logo) on your shirt or chest.  I’m all for standing up for Jesus, but those NOTW stickers are everywhere these days, and I would like to push you to come up with something more original to say.  On the other hand, if you’re, say, an atheist, you also will need to come up with something more original/ creative than Viva La Evolucion, or drawing the Darwin Evolution fish eating the Jesus fish on your T-Shirt.  Also, since I would like to keep this project PG-13, you might want to refrain from putting an excess of profanity in your message.

That said, in regards to the subject of your message, I don’t really care what your political stance is on it.  In fact, it doesn’t even need to be political if you don’t want it to be. At the end of this project, I expect my participants/ models to have come from all different walks of life and mindsets.  Again, whatever message you have on your shirt, I simply ask that it is something you sincerely and fiercely believe in. I would prefer, however, that whatever your message is, it is ultimately a positive/ uplifting one.  There are exceptions to all of the aforementioned rules, of course, but keep in mind that, since this message is coming from YOU, you are putting your own behind on the line, you’re baring your soul, and will have to be prepared for whatever others might have to say about your message. 

In order to provide a visual example, here’s mine – I recently contributed a photo to an Australian online photo gallery, in which people from all around the world stood up against homophobia.  In my particular case, I chose to do it from a Christian perspective:

http://www.thisisoz.com.au/blog/daniel-rarela-usa.html

According to one of the site admins, the image has gotten quite a bit of buzz Down Under, and I’ve already seen it featured in several blogs, and even an online magazine.

YOUR image will more or less have the exact same vibe – you and your message written either on yourself or your shirt, and nothing more.  I intend for each image to be very powerful by being direct, simple, straightforward, and stark.

As far as how you will be lit in the photo, I’m using a special kind of light called a ring flash, which lights up the model in a very stark, aggressive sort of way.  You can check this link if you want to see what it looks like:

http://www.superiorpics.com/jennifer_an … fer022.jpg

So, that about covers it!  If you’re interested in participating, and/ or if you have any questions about the project, drop me a message and let me know.  If you’re having trouble putting your message into words, let me know and I’ll do what I can to help you out – as a photographer who is also a graphic designer, it’s part of my job to come up with clever catchlines/ slogans/ etc to get an audience’s attention.

Once I get enough people, I’ll set up a day where we can all get together and I’ll shoot each of you one by one.  If I get a lot of models, we might need to divide the shoot up into two or three separate days. 

But first, I need to know who’s down for it!  So drop me a line and let me know what’s on your heart!

~ Dan