We’ve kept it under wraps for over a year. But now the secret is finally out! If you haven’t heard by now, we are releasing the first full blown educational fashion photography DVD ever made!  We have pulled out all the stops to leave no stone unturned, no question unanswered. And I am honestly very pleased with the results!! Initially we wanted to base the format of the DVD loosely around what I teach at my workshops: a chance for photographers to work on a real fashion shoot with top models and professional hair stylists, make up artists and fashion stylists. And that’s great for a seminar when you’re in the room with me so I can show you what a difference it makes when you work with a pro team. But then we took a look at the bigger picture and realized that the real challenges that most young or up and coming fashion photographers face is inside knowledge on how to break into the industry. On Fashion Photography Exposed,  I show you how to produce better fashion shoots with better lighting and then I show you the importance of  promoting yourself and your business so you can compete in a very competitive and unpredictable industry. There is so much that the DVD offers but I’m not going to go into all of the specifics here in this post. You can find out all the information about it on the Fashion Photography Exposed DVD website.

What I will say is that we take you on a journey and I’m with you every step of the way. For over 3 hours, you get a completely honest inside look at the elusive “club” that the fashion photography industry truly is. This DVD is not only for education, it’s for inspiration. While we go into a lot of technical information, I emphasize that the most important component needed to being a fashion photographer is the love and passion for it.

Putting together a 3 hour film is a ton of work! But you know what? I am incredibly grateful to my readers on this blog and to my fans. For the past 3 years that I have had the Fashion Photography Blog, I have received thousands of emails from people all over the world and you all have touched my heart immensely. So this is my gift for you.

I’m not selling you on any camera gear or equipment on this DVD. I am not sponsored by anyone. You don’t need a lot of expensive gear to take great photographs. In fact, I’m going to talk you out of going out and spending a fortune on gear. What you need to take great photographs is a real passion for fashion and an undying love for taking even better pictures, every time you shoot! And this DVD speaks loudly to those of you who have that love and passion. So come into my world as a working fashion photographer and see how this all works!!

It’s a fact: I haven’t been blogging much since I moved to New York City this past January. I can blame it on a all kinds of things but the real truth is is that I just haven’t really felt much like writing. My blog is a personal insight into my career which has always been very closely intertwined with my life. Of course. My career IS my life. Or a huge part of it, any way. And a lot has been going on since moving to NYC in my personal life, some things that have been very difficult to share. The biggest thing probably has been the loss of my 13 year old pit bull, Lulu. Lulu was my rock, she was my road dog, she was my friend and my companion. Last August she was diagnosed with cancer and given a death sentence of about 3 months. This was in the middle of us packing up our house in LA and planning our move to NYC. I nearly lost it. I didn’t know if Lulu was even going to make the move with us or not. But I dismissed the chemo and started her on acupuncture and chinese herbs, spoiling her rotten, giving her all the love I could give. She made it on our road trip and landed in NYC with us on January 3rd. She witnessed snow for the first time in her life and even got to visit a few dog bars in Brooklyn. She also was able to go to a few photo shoots in New York, as she was always present on as many shoots she was allowed to be on in her 13 years. My teams would often joke that Lulu was a bigger Diva than any of us!

Lulu passed away May 19th. One of the saddest days of my life. I spent as much time with her as I could and silently, quietly said good bye to her as she started declining the last two months of her life. It was painful as hell.

But life goes on. And you keep shooting through it all, through the painful moments and even the happy moments. The jobs don’t stop because you lose someone close to you. Your bills don’t stop just because you’re experiencing a difficult time in your life. But my voice stopped and my desire to teach or share or even be close to anyone, that stopped too. And I’m still shut down. It’s only been 10 days since she’s left my life. It’s going to be hard, letting her go. But I’ll get through it. And what I usually do to “get through it” is I throw myself into my work for comfort. For distraction. For salvation.  I SHOOT through it. And sometimes I produce some amazing shit. Sometimes. Here’s a little story on how chaos can become alchemy in art, turning metal into gold. Sometimes.

I went through a difficult period at the end of 2003. I lost someone who I loved very much. He took his life and we were all devastated by his sudden and abrupt departure from our lives. I slept on the floor for two weeks, with Lulu by my side, because I was so numb, so torn apart. So utterly depleted. When I went to Holland to see his family (he lived in Holland), I had a chance to get to know his 17 year old nephew, Jordi. Jordi was very comforting to me when I was there. He talked to me about my ex, he got his mother and I to go out one night to a nightclub where we ended up dancing and laughing and having a good time. Through the pain, Jordi was there, smiling and happy and taking our minds off this horrible event that left most of us a bit crippled for some time. Jordi also happened to be very good looking. And from what I could tell, had a tremendous potential to pursue modeling. I told him so, and we decided to do his very first test. Right there, while grieving my ex, Jordi and I got together at a friend’s studio in Holland and shot a test. The last thing I wanted to do was pick a camera and shoot. But it was a life changing event. Because from that first shoot, I could Jordi was photogenic and definitely had the potential to go for it. So I convinced him to keep pursuing modeling and to keep me updated through the process. And you know something? He did just that. He has gone on to embrace a successful modeling career, being signed to every top modeling agency in Milan, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Hamburg, Athens, Tokyo and now finally, New York. He has traveled the world modeling. And it was I who convinced him he had potential from that very first test where I was literally reeling from pain.

In February, Jordi and I saw each other again after 7 years, after that first test in Holland, during the time I was there to grieve with his family, collect some of my ex’s things and ashes. There we were, facing each other after 7 long years. And he’s a star! Gorgeous, fit, tall, and just the loveliest of personalities! Warm and gentle and kind. Just an all around great guy!!

Of course, we wanted to shoot again. I thought of taking him out to my friends place in Long Island on a cold March day. We brought Lulu with us and it would be her last photo shoot. We shot all over Montauk and Amagansett, in the gorgeous, natural early spring light, on a bright but cold day. The pictures weren’t for any assignment. I won’t submit them. There wasn’t a client. We just wanted to shoot with each other again. And following are the results. There’s no magical lighting set up, just the sun. I didn’t use any filters or tricks. Just my camera, the sun and an awesome model. I used my Nikon and switched between the 85mm and the 24mm lenses. There’s really not much more to write about the technical side. I thought this post could be about continuing to shoot through pain, through life events that are out of our control. Or maybe about continuing to explore models, or people or ideas, even after sitting with the ideas for years. I don’t know what this post is really about but I was ready to share a little of what’s been going on with me so the twitter and FB comments about “why aren’t you posting anymore” could stop a little and you can all recognize that even I go through shit sometimes and I have hard times. I have days where I feel like throwing it all away and opening up a Rum Bar in The Keys, Florida. Some times I want a break, hey….teach ME something! Sometimes I want to be left alone and just sit quietly with myself.

I went to Miami after Lulu died and I’m still here, writing this post. I leave back to NYC tomorrow morning with a bunch of work coming up. I have a bunch of editorial coming out in June, so I can blog about that soon. I just found out my Nike campaign is going comes out this week, so I’ll blog about that too.  I’m shooting a 12 page editorial in the next two weeks, so…..yeah……Going to blog about it!  Hey, you can look forward to lots of new posts coming your way. In the meantime, here’s your post now. This one’s for you. And for Lulu, most of all. R.I.P.

Photography ©2011 Melissa Rodwell Photography

A little belated, but Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that 2011 is a very healthy and prosperous year for all! The big news for me is that I moved to New York City over the New Year holidays and I’ve been settling into my new life! Unfortunately, it’s one of the reasons I’ve been off the radar……unless you follow me on Facebook!

I thought a great way to start off the new year would be to showcase one of my blog readers! I’d like to make this a permanent addition to the blog as well. Every couple of months I’ll be showcasing a young, up and coming fashion photographer who’s work I strongly feel shows potential.  I’ll interview them and write up about how he or she is making it happen for themselves!

So let’s dive right in and introduce you to someone who I feel has a great eye and therefore, a tremendous potential to make it to the top, if he so desires! I actually met William David Walsh through Facebook. He sent me a friend request awhile ago, after sending me a message on how he follows my blog and is a supporter of the efforts I try to make in enlightening young photographers on the world of the fashion photography industry. I then found William’s updates either hysterically funny or the photography he’d post simply stunning and totally on the same page as my taste. I knew by seeing what William finds to be an interesting fashion photograph, that he too would have an interesting eye. After checking out his website one day, I proved I was right. While I can admit that William is still learning and experimenting, his tests prove to me already that he has “the eye” to begin with. And truth be told, whenever I’m doing research on an upcoming shoot and I am pulling images to put together a mood board, I actually send William a Facebook message and ask him if he can find a certain editorial that I’m looking for. I’ve never even met him, but I know he has done his homework and knows his fashion editorials and imagery and that’s a great way to learn how to become a better shooter.

At any rate, I wrote William and asked him a series of questions and to send me 10 of my favorite shots from his website. And here he is: William David Walsh! Truly a young photographer to keep your eye on:

How old are you?

22

When do you first pick up a camera and what prompted you to do so?

I picked up my first (working) camera late in life, actually. During my third year in high school I decided I wanted to go into gaming illustrating and as a result of that I purchased a Kodak point and shoot to capture images on the go ( for those reading between the lines yes my introduction to photography started with digital cameras, I’m an avid film lover now though and I work with the medium a lot ). Shortly after that a photography club was started and I entered my first competition back in Jamaica . After 3 merit awards I decided this was the road I wanted to down. Plus, being the impatient person I am I’d take two days in a digital darkroom vs painting for a week in an art studio any day.

When did you decide that fashion was the direction you wanted to go in?

I think it’s always been at the back of my head to go into fashion photography. I remember collecting Vogue covers and editorials to use for reference when painting in art class. Something about the glamour and drama behind fashion images always sucked me in. After about 2 years into photography school I came to realize that glamour and drama were far more painstaking than those glossy pages lead me to believe.

Do you have a day job? What’s it like to handle working and trying to find time to test for your book?

I do have a day job.  Retail….The glamorous life of a college student! Where balancing them is concerned, I work 40 hours a week and during those 40 hours all I can think about are ideas for shoots on my days off!

What photographer (s) inspire you the most? And what about their work moves you?

My biggest inspirations from the old school era are Helmut Newton and Richard Avedon. I absolutely love how simple and powerful the photographs from those two are, not to mention the passion they had for the medium. Newton especially had a major impact on my work. Believe it or not, I hated black and white photography at one point until I was introduced to his work through my visualization class. I can go on and on about how I admire his approach to shooting: simple, to the point and straight in your face! He wasn’t afraid of anything.

What are your plans for the future?

Publications…….publications……more PAID work and eventually turning photography into a full time profession….A little New York and Paris here and there wouldn’t hurt either…..

(All Images © William David Walsh Photography)

My Final Question is: Are you SURE about Fashion Photography as a Career?

Yes I definitely want to continue on the path of fashion photography.. I live it and breathe it… Nothing gets me excited like fashion and photography do!

And it takes that kind of passion and dedication to not only photography but to fashion as well that determines the success of a young, emerging fashion shooter. I’m quite impressed with Williams hard work and diligence. I see his Facebook updates where he is at his “day job” all the time but posting ideas or recent pictures from his latest tests. He works now with top modeling agencies in San Francisco and Los Angeles and has been published in Flasco Mag and Love, Sex and Dance Magazine. Here is a link to his website: http://www.williamdavidwalsh.com/#home

I’m a fan and I’m going to keep my eye on him! You should too!

In other news, there’s a lot to update you with but I’ll save that for the next post. I promise, though, it won’t take me a month to write it! Stay tuned! xoxo

SO much is going on that I barely have time for anything other than taking care of what’s right in front of me. David had surgery last week, all is good there, he’s recovering nicely. We’re packing up our house, downsizing for the move to NYC! You never realize how much stuff you accumulate until you move! We’ve got a lot of exciting things going on with the Blog that I can’t exactly share just yet, but I think you’ll all be pretty stoked when the news breaks! And I have been working: I shot an ad campaign last month for some nice $$. I shot another Harper’s Bazaar Arabia editorial, this time I shot the cover too! Have an editorial coming out in KURV Magazine in Australia that I’ll blog about once that hits the newsstands and my portfolio now officially is in NYC full time and won’t come be in my possession again until I’m living there! It’s been called in about once a week to various advertising clients and magazines. The transition is going smoothly but it’s non-stop work! AND, we’ll be back in NYC this weekend for our first ever NYC Seminar! We’re shooting at Drive In Studios in Chelsea and we have a great group of people coming that I’m really excited to meet and work with! Damian Monzillo, my brother from another mother, soul friend and hair stylist extraordinaire will be doing the hair for the seminar! He rocks the Universe with his hair, he’s that good! And he’s MY official hair stylist, giving me those razor sharp bangs, my signature trademark. One thing that makes me so happy to be moving to NYC is that Damian lives there! We have such a passion for inspiring work and we love collaborating so  my excitement for the move is doubled by knowing Damian will be along side me on the crazy ride that NY surely will be!

Inspiration! I get asked what inspires me almost every day! Most people ask what blogs I follow and they’re disappointed to find out that I don’t really follow any other photographer’s blogs. I follow fashion blogs like Fashionista but I don’t subscribe to any photographer’s blogs. I don’t really check out too much photography either because I get my inspiration from my life experience much of the time. I know I have to keep current with the trends, fashion moves forward with every season and keeping up to date with what’s NOW is really important. Even fashion photography has it’s trends and of course I have to keep up to date with those trends as well. But I don’t sit on other photographer’s blogs reading about photography. If I really am honest here, and I know you appreciate this blog because I’m honest,  I get my lighting inspiration from movies. I learn lighting from watching cinematography. I found the cinema before I found the camera. And I was completely hooked  from a young age.

A Still Image from the Movie “Chinatown“

My parents were one of the first in our neighborhood to get cable TV. Yeah, way back in the day! We had ON TV. It was one of the first cable TV providers. ON TV had foreign films on it, late at night of course because they were “risque”. I was about 15 years old and couldn’t sleep one night so I was up watching cable and this film came on by Bernardo Bertolucci called La Luna. The story line was pretty racy: a mother and son’s  “distorted” relationship involving heroin and opera! Epic drama! But the lighting! I could’ve watched this film with the sound turned off because the visual imagery was so moving. Vittorio Storaro was the cinematographer on La Luna and his work has since then captivated me. He’s lit such other epic films as “Reds“, “The Conformist“, “Last Tango in Paris“, and my personal favorite, “Apocalypse Now“. Who can forget the richness of lighting in that film?? The Robert Duvall scene where he made his troops go surfing during a bombing. Or the deleted scene where Martin Sheen has an affair with the French opium addict. The lighting in the bedroom of that scene sits in the archives in my brain as “go-to” lighting monumental moments!

Shortly after I was transfixed by Bertolucci and his beloved Storaro, I saw a picture in the LA Times advertising a film by Francois Truffaut: “Small Change“. I fell in the love with the picture in the ad and begged my mom to drop me off at the local Landmark theater in Pasadena, The Rialto. The Rialto played all the foreign films on the big screen. I went by myself and sat and watched “Small Change” and “The 400 Blows” by Truffaut. And I was hooked. I went as often as my mom would drop me off to that little theater on Fair Oaks. I soaked it in. I was 16 when I first saw “Last Tango in Paris” and I nearly fell out of my chair. Ha!! But it was the lighting, mainly, in these films that really moved me. And it’s the lighting that still does really move me when I watch a film. And to be even more honest, I can forgive a movie for it’s weak story line or tepid characters if the lighting is profound. In other words, I will watch a movie deemed by the critics as “bad” if the lighting is interesting.

Still Image from the Movie “A Very Long Engagement“

Below is a SMALL list of the 10 movies that have made an impact on me as a photographer. This list is small because there are 100′s of movies that have inspired me. They’ve inspired my lighting, my aesthetic, my sensibility, my eye. Some of them have even inspired me in the way I shoot fashion. I’d love to hear what movies have inspired you as photographers. If I haven’t seen it yet, I will check it out because I am always looking for movies that help direct and guide me on my path of learning and growing as a photographer. 

1. The Night Porter: This film will always be controversial. You have to see it to understand why.  But for me,  the lighting in it was amazing. It’s such a twisted dark story but even the main female character, Lucia, who’s name means “light” and her leading man’s guilt complex being afraid of the light just adds so much more intrigue for me as well. I have watched this movie so many times and I always see something new every time I see it. Alfio Contini lit this dark story beautifully.




2. Apocalypse Now: I mentioned this film earlier and have to mention it again. Although the story carries the film itself and Francis Ford Coppola is truly a genius, the lighting is equally brilliant and so strong that it made you feel like you were really there with the gang on their journey to find Colonel Kurtz. I mentioned a few scenes that stand out to me but I’ll mention another one; the final chapter where Martin Sheen confronts Marlon Brando! I mean, the lighting in that scene is so incredible. I’m getting goosebumps now just writing about it. If you haven’t seen this movie, it’s just simply a must.




3. The Godfather: Again, Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film will remain one of the top films ever made. The story, the actors, the art direction, they’re all amazing in this movie. But the lighting was impeccable.  I remember the first time I saw this movie. The first scene had me. The lighting had me. Gordon Willis has always been one of my favorite cinematographers. He also lit my favorite Woody Allen movies, “Manhattan” and “Annie Hall”. AND he lit one of my all time favorite movies ever: “Klute”. I put Klute on as background when I’m in bed working on my computer.




4. Don’t Look Now: Anthony B. Richmond: Genius!!! He also did The Pianist which is phenomenally lit. I go back to “Don’t Look Now” about once a year and watch this movie. Again, it’s a disturbing tale but the lighting informs us that we want to have sympathy for these characters and the grief they’re feeling with the loss of their daughter. It’s just a must-see for the whole entire movie.




5. Days of Heaven: Nestor Almendros and Haskell Wexler did such an amazing job on this film that it won an Academy Award, as did a lot of the movies I have mentioned so far. I was basically unconcerned with the story and can’t even remember the plot line too well but I could talk about the cinematography for hours. Nestor Almendros also did “Sophie’s Choice”, another beautifully lit movie.




6. “Chinatown“: John A. Alonzo lit this tragic story in the harsh Los Angeles sun thus informing the viewer that a film noir doesn’tand “The Pianist”. He’s a genius and he chooses genius cinematographers. Watch all of his films. He just proves that film noir does nothave to be shot in black and white to convey the heaviness of a story. Roman Polanski directed this film and he really is one of my favorite directors. He also directed “Repulsion” and “Rosemary’s Baby”




7. Strangers on a Train: We can’t leave Hitchcock. And there is so much to learn about photography and film making by watching his movies. I listed Stranger’s on a Train here but Robert Burks, Hitchcock’s premier cinematogapher also was the cinematographer on “Vertigo”, “Birds”, “North by Northwest”, “To catch a thief”, etc. etc. And there is much to learn from all of these films. When 4 of the films I just mentioned either won an Oscar or was nominated for one, you have to study the cinematographer earning that kind of respect. And while I don’t watch Hitchcock’s films on a regular basis, I did when I was going to Art Center and learning about lighting for the first time.




8. “Out of Africa“: David Watkin’s lighting was so moving that I literally was choked up throughout the entire film. I saw this at the Graumann’s Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd in 1985 and my first husband was so mad at me because I couldn’t stop crying. Ha! Just see if you haven’t. But watch it alone. ; )




9. “Se7en“: Darius Khondji’s lighting in Se7en is magnificent and flawless. He was also the cinematographer on “Stealing Beauty” which isn’t one of my favorite movies but the lighting was gorgeous! I study Darius’s lighting for Se7en a lot and it’s another movie I will keep on as background. Brilliant!!




10. “A Very Long Engagement“: Another one of those movies that had me choked up the whole time because of the lighting. Bruno Delbonnel’s lighting in this sad little love story is so over the top beautiful that I immediately watched, back to back, every one of his movies after seeing “A Very Long Engagement”. Delbonnel is probably more famous for “Amelie” but I prefer “A Very Long Engagement”. Maybe it was Gaspard Ulliel who starred as the lost lover in this film that has me won over the other movie. He’s been someone I’ve wanted to photograph for a very long time!

I had to keep this list short! There isn’t enough room or time (or memory in my own mind) to create a list of every movie that has ever moved me. But the above list is a start. Now I want to hear what films have inspired YOU!

God, I feel like I shot this so long ago, a whole history book of my life could’ve been written between the time  today when I’m sitting down to write this post and the day I actually shot this editorial. But here goes! Thank God Tyler is in the other room retouching for me. He’s young….he can remember the details!

When Felice Fawn asked me to contribute to the Spring issue of MIRRIN Magazine, I already had a concept in mind that I wanted to shoot for it. About a month before she contacted me, I was casting for an advertising job where I needed a male model and a package came in with Tait’s portfolio. Tait wasn’t right for the job I was casting for but when I saw his portfolio I knew I HAD to shoot him in the near future.  So when MIRRIN came along and Felice told me to shoot what I wanted,  I knew I had my model. At least one of them. For this shoot, the model informed the story. Tait has this very androgynous look. He’s 16 years old, tall and thin with wispy, straight long blonde hair and this really gorgeous  face. He’s very edgy, very beautiful. I wanted to do a semi-romantic theme….after all, it was for MIRRIN’s Spring Issue and the whole concept behind MIRRIN, as they so succinctly say, is to erase the line between elegant and dark. I didn’t want this to be a typical love story. I wanted it to have a disturbing, ambiguous feel to it. A darker edge with a light, Spring almost fairy tale feel. I knew Tait could pull off this look. Now I had to find his twisted partner. After scouring the model boards and having numerous submissions come in from the various modeling agencies, I chose Dani from Photogenics. She almost looks like she could be Tait’s sister.  Long, sinewy body with long, goldilocks and an achingly beautiful face, she defies the conventional and the banal. She’s sexy, like Tait, without being overt and obvious. That’s exactly what I was looking for!

We shot the first part of the editorial at my house in the Hollywood Hills. I live in Fred Astaire’s old estate and the grounds have that mysterious garden feel. There’s lots of steps leading to dead end, ivy covered areas with bricked in walkways and lots of twisted trees and overhanging limbs. I rented a smoke machine to pump up that  ominous look, like a misty forest for our enchanted couple to find themselves in. The second part of the day we moved over to Griffith Park where I hike when I actually decide to do something healthy for myself. When I’m on my hike I’m always distracted with the beauty there and I’m forming shot lists in my head to come back to and utilize on some shoot I might have coming up. I have to say, my crew was great for the MIRRIN shoot. Robert Medford did hair. Michelle Tabor did the make up. And Kelvin Seah, who I’ve worked more than a couple of times, did the styling. All artists are represented by AIM Artists here in LA and I would work with all three of them again! Great people!  Of course, Kelvin was the first person I contacted about doing the job. I gave him my idea, I sent him ideas and the model’s online portfolios and him and I collaborated further on the looks I wanted for the shoot. I like working with Kelvin for a lot of reasons, but the two more important ones are that: 1. He gets me without me having to over-explain myself. 2. He’s got great taste. I can trust he’ll pull exceptional clothing and accessories. Because organizing a shoot is a big job with many components, the last thing I want to deal with is mis-communication between myself and my stylist.

The weather was fantastic the day of the shoot in late January. Even though it was the dead of winter (lol….there is no such thing as the “dead of winter” here in LA but I like to sound dramatic sometimes), the day was warm with a mild breeze, so we didn’t need to rent a wind machine. From Ralph Lauren’s tulle skirt to Rick Owens’ bias cut gown, we ran the gamut of modern luxury. And Dani and Tait were perfect as my lovely “couple”. Sorry, there’s not much lighting tech talk on this post. I used natural light with the exception of two shots where I used a SB800 for a little flash fill that Tyler, my first assistant hand held roughly about 10 feet away. It was turned down to 1/4 power with no diffusion or cute coffee filters made into soft boxes over the head. I used an old piece of foam core that had been sitting out in the rain and was completely warped as my reflector. No other reason than hey, it was still usable. Why not? I used my NIkon D2x, switching between my 24mm 2.8 lens and my 85mm 1.4 but I also used a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 for a lot of the shots.   I wanted to throw out the backgrounds so I shot wide. I shot fast, too.  Sometimes my shutter was at 1/2000th of a second because I wanted to freeze the action of the hair flying in the air but also because I wanted to shoot wide.

You can download the issue from Lulu here! It sells for US $47.10 but you can download the entire issue for US $7.85! Depending on your budget, either format is wonderful! There are some great photographers that contributed to this issue and it’s worth every penny to see the incredible design and lay out that Felice did! Also, for an extra treat we did a BTS video for my readers so you can see a little of what went on during the shoot. I absolutely detest being in front of the camera, I can’t help but smile and look away because I find the whole thing so….hmmmm…..I don’t know the right word. My dear John Waiblinger is patient with me. John is the man behind the video camera and he actually gets me to relax a little and forget that he’s even filming me half the time. A big thank you to John! So  here you go….here’s the BTS video  and like we  used to say back in the day…..this one’s for YOU!!!

Watch the Video

More Images

(ALL IMAGES © MELISSA RODWELL PHOTOGRAPHY 2010)

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I recently traveled to Dubai to teach a series of workshops. It was an amazing experience on many levels that was as rewarding as it was stressful. It truly tested my limits—as a photographer, as an artist, and as a person.

It tested my limits physically and psychologically, too—I have had jet lag for so long now that I’m going to have to give it a going-away party when it finally leaves. Dubai is a roughly 16-hour plane flight from Los Angeles, with a 12-hour time difference. 12 hours ahead. I hit the ground running when I arrived, and I didn’t have one day off the entire two weeks I was there—in addition to teaching workshops the first week, the second week I had to shoot three editorial assignments: Two for Harper’s Bazaar Arabia and an editorial assignment for Maniac magazine, the last of which I had no time off to prep or even come up with a concept. Not that I’m complaining, but it was difficult. No sleep doesn’t make for an easy temperament; plus, I had just gotten over a bout of walking pneumonia immediately before leaving for Dubai. The pressure to be creative in those circumstances while undergoing severe culture shock was brutal. But I made it through without too much damage.

I had some wonderful students in my classes. Some were blog readers, and it was a blast to finally meet some of my loyal followers. Here I was, halfway around the world and meeting people for the first time that I had been e-mailing and communicating with for over a year. And in Dubai! It was incredible.

Of course, Dubai is known for “incredible”: The tallest building in the world, the only six-star resort in the world, the only indoor ski resort in the world, the biggest mall in the world. To be honest, it all sort of reminded me of Las Vegas, but without the sin. As an L.A. native and a fairly extensive international traveler, I wasn’t eager to do the touristy things, though. I was more interested in seeing the traditional Arabic architecture and experiencing the local culture.

Watch the Trailer

Special Thanks to: Harvey Glen and Andrew Clemson at Alchemy Films Dubai

I met some extraordinary people in Dubai. A few stand out piercingly in my memory. One student who really made an impression on me was a girl named Hamdah. She was a local Arab girl who was in my first two-day workshop for intermediate students. She sat in the front row, and she was veiled. Her presence confronted me with something I’d been dreading: How I was going to get along in a society that—in my Western eyes, anyway—oppressed women. I’m about as feminist as you can get. I believe firmly in equal rights for women and being able to have a voice. I’ve been playing ball in a male-dominated industry (photography, not fashion per se) for a long time now, but this was different. So I was a bit nervous when I first arrived in Dubai. Can I admit that my initial reaction to seeing women veiled was a natural aversion? And there I was, on day one, perched on a desk in front of my students, and Hamdah sitting right there in front of me.

I immediately suspected that Hamdah was not going to be a “fan” of me. In fact, I predetermined that she would find me way too “American.” But I noticed she kept making attempts to connect with me throughout that first day. She showed me some photos she shot in class and engaged me in several conversations. “OK,” I thought. “That was cool.” But I was still on guard. The second day she engaged me even more, and I was really touched by her genuine openness—she even laughed at some of my lame jokes.

I was pleasantly surprised by the acceptance and warmth this local girl was showing me. As excited as I was to be in Dubai, I didn’t expect to be popular there. It’s a very conservative, buttoned-down culture, and I don’t censor myself much nowadays. You either like me and accept me for who I am or you don’t, and we leave it at that. I’m not out to win friends anymore. Those days of people-pleasing are long gone, thank God. But I got the impression that Hamdah sort of understood that about me intuitively, and she accepted me with all my faults and rawness. And jet lag.

But what caught me off-guard about her took place four days later. On the only morning I had off, I desperately needed to go location scouting. I had to shoot that editorial spread for Maniac magazine in a few days, and I really needed to see some locations to get some creative juices going and plot out a shot list. I had eight pages to fill, with no real clue of what I was going to photograph or where I was going to shoot. It was lovely that Maniac’s fashion editor, April Hubai, trusted me so much, but I really did need to prep the shoot thoroughly. Hamdah generously offered to drive me around old Dubai and help me location scout. I accepted, though at the time I don’t think my jet-lagged brain understood her sincerity.

Did I mention my jet lag? It was BRUTAL. I averaged between two and three hours of sleep a night. I would crash around midnight and be wide awake between 2 and 3 in the morning. Of course, the morning Hamdah was supposed to pick me up at 7 a.m., I fell back to sleep around 6. The front desk called me at 7:30 to tell me that Hamdah was waiting for me in the lobby. I was shocked, to be honest. No one in L.A. ever keeps their word. I grabbed a hat (I had terrible bed head, I couldn’t go out looking that wanton!) and ran down to meet her. She had come with a driver and an assistant, and off we went to location scout.

I could hardly believe it: Here was a girl that I thought wouldn’t want to give me the time of day outside of the photography workshop, and not only was she choosing to spend time with me, she was also driving me around in her car, helping me find inspiration for an eight-page editorial. Hamdah was so generous with her time and her spirit. She had a driver, so she sat in the back seat while I sat in the front, and I got to actually SEE Dubai. In the daytime. At my leisure. The Dubai that I wanted to see, not the tourist traps. We talked. I mean really talked. And it turns out there were a lot more similarities than there were differences between the two of us, a young Muslim girl raised in traditional Arabic culture and a seasoned Hollywood fashion photographer who claims no religion. I was completely moved by that morning spent with her, driving around old Dubai and talking about religion, culture, marriage, love. And lo and behold, I not only found my location for the Maniac shoot, I was flooded with inspiration for it!

The whole experience brought to mind a question one of the other workshop students had asked me just days before. “How do you find inspiration?” he’d asked. “How do you keep getting ideas, year after year and shoot after shoot?” I paused for a moment. This question doesn’t have an easy, 1-2-3 answer. I told him that I needed to think about it and that we would continue the discussion over the next two days. A couple of students offered their own thoughts: “Watch the light”, “Music!”. But those weren’t the kind of answers he was looking for. He wanted to know about the creative process, that journey of discovery that wells deep within us and propels us forward to accomplish a shoot that we’re proud of. It’s not an easy thing to explain. That student and I had many conversations over the next several days. He even came to the hotel where David and I were staying, and we all sat up at the pool bar talking about inspiration. The answers came through many discussions. I can’t just give a one-liner on how I get inspired. It’s a process. And it’s organic. There’s no formula, and there are no rules.

The morning I spent with Hamdah is a great example of how inspiration happens, at least for me. Before I met Hamdah I was told so many things, so many warnings about how to treat the veiled women in Dubai. Don’t do this, don’t do that. I was actually nervous about spending time alone with her, yet her ease and genuine kindness spurred me to take a chance and get to know the culture for myself by asking her questions that maybe one wouldn’t normally ask in polite, formal society. And not only was she was open to discussing things with me, she actually encouraged me to ask. Because of this, I was flooded with emotion, ideas, and most of all, openness. And that’s one answer to finding inspiration.

Being open to experiences is what sets us free. And when we are free, we are most creative. I think I’ve said it before, I don’t run around with a point-and-shoot camera when I travel. I live. I take in the moments. I want to meet the local people, I want to see the local places. I want to breathe in as much of the moment as I can. And then…the ideas come. The creative juices start flowing, and soon I’m wading in vast amounts of ideas that I can later translate into images.

Hamdah took me to the Spice Souk in old Dubai. It was a Friday morning and Fridays are their weekend, so most of the shops were closed. But the few that were open were tantalizing to me. Big barrels of spices set out in front of small shops, spices flowing out of the barrels. Reds, yellows, greens, a visual candy store for a visual artist. And the shop owner taking me through every spice he owned, in his broken English. Fantastic! I was allowed to touch the spices, feeling the textures and listening to him explain each barrel. I could smell the frankincense. I could taste the anise seed. I could feel the lavender. It was a sensory delight. And it brought me ideas. I walked around the Souk alone while Hamdah ran to the car to get her camera (ha ha—yeah, I didn’t bring my own). I wanted to just grab a few shots so I could continue to build a shot list back at the hotel. I shot some of the wall textures there. Magnificent pale pink washed-out walls that were naturally water-stained. This was no fancy Hollywood set, this was the real deal.

As we headed back to my hotel, I gathered up the courage to ask Hamdah a question that up until then I’d been too shy to ask: I asked if I could shoot her with my model on Tuesday for the Maniac editorial. In fact, could I shoot her and about five of her veiled friends? I was so nervous asking her, I think I went dizzy for a couple seconds. She answered back: Sure! And not only did she say sure, she photographed her five friends beforehand and sent me their pictures for approval. AND her sister provided the hijabs that the girls wore. AND she organized the girls to arrive at the shoot in the Spice Souk for the following Tuesday. AND they all showed up! On time! All looking gorgeous!

Openness. It’s key to the freedom that is the path to creativity. Uncensored, raw, unapologetic, honest openness. At the end of our shoot, amid the film crew, the mobs of spectators, the wardrobe stylist, hair and makeup people, assistants, equipment all over the place in a public place, I came back to my camera bag and there sat a gift. In glorious wrappings sat the most beautiful incense burner I’ve ever seen. It was from Hamdah.

While we were location scouting at the Spice Souk and the shop owner was describing each spice he had, I began collecting some to take home with me. She asked me if I was using them for cooking. I laughed. Noooooo, I don’t cook. She asked me what I was going to do with them. I sort of looked away, avoiding the subject. I told her I burn them as part of a spiritual way to connect with, you know, God. ; ) I mean, I didn’t want to go there. Religion. Murky subject. Especially since, you know, I was in the Middle East. But I did. I went on to tell her some personal things about myself and my view of spirituality. It opened up a floodgate of communication between the two of us. That experience, that morning, Hamdah and The Spice Souk will remain with me forever. And the incense burner sits proudly in my living room in the center, on a table that holds my precious memories.

Melissa and Hamdah

Oh and yeah, I ended up shooting a pretty damn good editorial that day. ; )

Photo by Lori Hawkins – The September Issue

Everyone has their heroes, people you look up to and draw inspiration from, and Anna Wintour is definitely one of mine. I’m sure it’s obvious why. Anyone who knows anything about the fashion industry knows Anna Wintour. Over 20 years ago she rescued American Vogue from the brink of obscurity and restored it to its Diana Vreeland-era glory days, and she’s remained one of the most important figures in the fashion industry ever since. Her eye for style is unsurpassed, her taste is impeccable, and her power and influence in this industry cannot be overstated.

Yet she remains a controversial figure within it—mostly because of her “tough” reputation. (You’ve seen The Devil Wears Prada, haven’t you? The inhumanly demanding fashion editor the title refers to is purported to have been based on Wintour.) A fiercely private person, for decades Anna let her work speak for itself. Her reticence, imperious demeanor and steely professionalism fueled her reputation as an icon who was equal parts couture genius and bitch goddess. But Anna herself remained inscrutable, above the critics and the sychophants and the imitators. Until now.

In the new documentary The September Issue, Wintour lifts the veil of mystique, not only taking us behind the scenes at Vogue but also giving us a glimpse of her entire her life as she takes us through the grueling process of putting together Vogue’s September issue—easily the most important annual published piece of work in the fashion industry, thus its nickname: The Bible.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp8iIyKDOtk[/youtube]

The documentary gives us an unprecedented personal look at Wintour, and she doesn’t hold back. She doesn’t put on a happy face for the cameras, she openly shows her intimidating presence for all the world to see, pretty much confirming those rumors that she’s, well, “tough.” Being a woman myself, I know that you get labeled that in the process that it takes to make it to the top and stay there. I’m sorry, does that disappoint? Well, guess what: Powerful women who are in leadership positions are not normally meek, submissive, or pushovers. So I apologize to all out there who think you can be sweet and demure and still be strong and successful in the business world. You can’t. And you can’t worry about what people think. One of the things I love about Anna is that she never has—and never will—apologize for it. Now she’s letting the world see it, and I love her for that even more.

Of course, there is speculation about why she’s choosing to “out” herself and Vogue now, after so many years of secrecy and silence. The New York Post wrote: “That the most powerful and protected woman in fashion does so now—in this film, on 60 Minutes earlier this spring, on Letterman tonight—is a mystery. Except that after 20 years, with fashion in economic crisis, management consultants turning Condé Nast inside out, vulture critics circling and speculating about her own exit strategy, she must be thinking in terms of legacy.”

Well, yes—and she damn well should be. Anna is already a legend. She worked her way up from retail shopkeeper (at age 15) to Editor in Chief of American Vogue. She turns 60 this November, and her involvement in fashion—and, more importantly fashion editorial—has spanned nearly 35 years. I won’t list her resume here, you can check out her history on Wikipedia, but after reading it, you too will be amazed! She has endured heartbreaks, one-week affairs with rock stars, and a domineering father. And though she’s always had a natural affinity for style and aesthetics (her newspaper-editor father relied on her input for info on current trends amongst the younger generation), she paid her dues in the fashion trenches, working for magazines such as New York and House and Garden as well as the pornographically influenced Viva (whose publisher, Kathy Keeton, was the wife of Bob Guccione, publisher of Penthouse). In other words, Anna knows what sells, and that there IS a “dress for success”. Literally.  As she aptly told her father, after quitting fashion design school at 17, “You either know fashion, or you don’t.” I couldn’t agree more. I felt the same way at 17 myself.

Maybe I paint a more sympathetic picture of Anna than most. But perhaps that’s because I know how difficult it is to maintain equilibrium in an industry that is fickle, temperamental and operates under standards unrealistic for most people. I relate to Anna in many ways: She spent 16 years working to get the job she wanted: to be editor of Vogue. I can relate to that kind of “paying dues and developing your game.” I too am highly influenced by my father, who actually wanted me around him when he designed massive homes for the rich and famous here in Los Angeles. I started out working in retail at a young age, working in the garment industry on one level or another until I began photography school at 21. My father encouraged me to go into fashion, saying it was “my calling.” To everyone else, though, I am the black sheep of my family, the one who went into a “flaky business” as my mother used to call it. But you either know fashion or you don’t. And I’ve always known it. It’s a part of me the same way that my arm is attached to my body.

Photo from The September Issue

Fashion is a tough business. All of it. You have to develop a thick skin to work in it. Anna certainly has, and it’s shielded her from inside adversaries. I admire that and I work my ass off for the same staying power as I watch my own career (and personal life, for that matter) take its turns and dips along the bumpy road of what I cannot escape because it’s in my blood: fashion. I’ll be honest: I haven’t seen The September Issue yet. I wasn’t able to catch an advance screening before its release (August 28 in NYC and September 11 nationwide). But I’ve seen a few clips and researched the hell out of it, and it looks good. It looks good because it looks honest. Anna doesn’t come out looking like she wore a mask to appeal to middle America. She’s herself to a T. All sunglass-donning, Chanel-wearing, serious-face self.

Honesty is something I think the world is sorely missing these days. With personas being developed overnight for Facebook and Myspace pages, we as a society can hide behind our own sunglasses: the computer. I feel sorry for the younger generation, who thinks that starting a Facebook page with photos they took with their point-and-shoot cameras is adequate education for their up and coming fashion photography careers. Anna is the way she is because she is a product of her environment. As am I. As are most fashion industry successes.

So take a breath and keep an open mind. You’ll never hear me bash the woman who put Vogue back on the map. That’s NOT an easy task, folks. Vogue is our bible. Vogue is what we ALL want to shoot for. Have sympathy for the Devil in Prada.

I’m going to go ahead and admit it: I was very sad about Michael Jackson’s early departure from this realm. No, I didn’t own any of his albums nor did I go to any of his concerts. I lean more towards rock n’ roll, baby. But I grew up with Michael, in a sense. We are roughly the same age and I grew up listening to the Jackson 5. And I witnessed the Motown 25 year Anniversary special on TV the night Michael did his legendary moonwalk and the music industry changed, over night! I remember that night clearly, in 1983. Michael took the world by storm! He became a legend!

I have had friendships torn up over his death, literally. Some of my friends just couldn’t stand him and thus really weren’t too sympathetic about  his early passing. They just couldn’t see past some of the things Michael was accused of doing. I, on the other hand, was moved by his music, his passion, his abilities and his contribution to the world. He was a master at his craft. I overlooked his personal life and tastes because I was only interested in his creative process.

This post isn’t going to be about Michael Jackson, per se. But a few nights after they announced his death, my husband downloaded an interview they did with Michael about 5 years ago. There was one part in it that really struck a nerve, and I thought: THIS is what I’m going to blog about next! It was one of those tacky documentaries where they are truly more exploitative than informative, and I knew eventually I was going to become outraged by the interviewer’s intrusive and disrespectful brow beating on Michael to  get him to open up to some pretty heavy subjects.

In the beginning, though, when they first met at Michael’s infamous Neverland house, they were in his music studio and the interviewer was asking Michael just how he goes about writing  a song. Michael answered, “Look, if I HAD to sit down at the piano and tell myself I HAVE to write the best song I’ve EVER written,  nothing happens. Something from the heavens has to say, look, this is the time that we’re going to lay this song on you and this is when you can have it. I remember when I wrote Billie Jean, I was in my car driving down Ventura Blvd. All I had in my head was, I want to write a song with a great bass hook. And then I just let it go, really. Several days later the music came to me.” The interviewer stopped him and asked, “Yes, but WHERE did the music come from?” Michael pointed to the ceiling and said, “From above. The thing is, artists seem to get in the way of the music. You have to get OUT of the way. Don’t write the music, let the music write itself”.

“What’s going through your mind when you’re dancing?” the interviewer asked. Michael said, “I’m not thinking. Thinking is one of the biggest mistakes a dancer can make. You don’t think, you have to FEEL. You become the bass. You become the clarinet and the strings. You become the physical embodiment of music“. He went on to try to teach the interviewer how to moonwalk. Towards the end of the interview Michael became frustrated with the interviewer and at one point said, “You know, the process is really hard to explain“.

It IS hard to explain, I have to give him that. Look, photography is such a technical medium that sometimes we get too caught up in all the technical aspects of shooting. I agree that we have to have a good understanding of how to use the equipment we need, in order to create the images we want. But I think a lot of the time, photographers get too caught up in the gear and they don’t realize that, honestly, it’s not the gear you’re using, it’s the photographer behind all that gear. Too many times, I think, photographers HIDE behind their cameras, behind their gear because they are afraid to let go and become one with the camera. Look, NO camera in the world is going to get that shot for you or tell you when that moment is, YOU’VE got to find the shot and the moment and get it. You can go out and buy all the equipment you can afford and try to copy a photographer’s work that you admire but that doesn’t guarantee that you can create the same photographs. After all, a camera is just a housing unit. You need an eye with that thing in order to take phenomenal pictures. It’s hard to articulate how to get the creative impulse to create something that makes a statement or create phenomenal art. You DO have to learn the discipline and the craft, but ultimately you have to let it go, and let the impulse to capture the moment come and not have a barrier. If you’re too wrapped up in the technicality of photography, you won’t be able to feel the moment and get the shot.

There’s an old saying. There are two different types of photographers: Image Takers and Image Makers. Image Takers have a lot of technical know-how, and that’s about it. Image Makers create memorable art and photographs, they leave behind a legacy. Personally, I’d rather be an image maker but I guess to each their own.

I’ll end with this, you can say what you want about Michael Jackson, and I’m not going to get into an argument about him however you cannot dispute the fact that he was a legendary artist and has left behind a legacy and that’s because he knew that he had to let it all go and let the music write itself. Oh and this kid could fuckin’ dance!

]]> http://www.fashionphotographyblog.com/2009/06/attempting-to-explain-the-process/feed/ 40 http://www.fashionphotographyblog.com/2009/05/6-links-that-rock-my-web-world/ http://www.fashionphotographyblog.com/2009/05/6-links-that-rock-my-web-world/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 18:16:16 +0000 admin http://fashionphotographyblog.com/?p=2002 A couple of my favorite websites and
why I watch them religiously.

I’m back in the middle of pre-production again this week, prepping two editorials for Fall Fashion issues for two different magazines. Stay tuned for details. The more I find out, the more I’ll let you in on the shoots!  But in the meantime,  I really want to share with you some amazing websites that are chocked full of very useful information. These are websites that I either follow every day, that I’m subscribed to or that I visit frequently. The people that run these sites aren’t friends of mine, I don’t know them, most sites I’m not linked to so this isn’t some shameless promotional post with all my “blog buddies” getting a shout out. These are websites that I use to help my own photography career. So let’s get started, shall we? I’ve listed the link and why I favor it so much. And do me and your other fellow readers a favor: list your favorite link or two in the comment section. I think it’s very important to share knowledge and information. Thanks!

• Fashionista.com I love these guys! I keep up on the latest trends in the fashion industry, which is SO important as a fashion photographer, with their latest posts. The thing I love about fashionista.com is  their writers!  This is not your average, run of the mill, dry and bland fashion news reporting. I do not know any of their staff but I can tell that they love their jobs, they LOVE fashion and they know their shit! I trust their input and their feedback. They weed out the useless boring updates and inform on only what really needs to be reported on.

• Style.com Personally, folks, this site is where I find out what all the designers are doing. When I hear a stylist suggest a designer, say, Gareth Pugh, and I can’t bring a visual picture into my head of what Gareth has done, I go to Style.com, enter Gareth Pugh in the search window and then click on all of Gareth’s shows. It’s a very useful resource site to find any designer and their collections. Important when communicating with your stylists and editors.

• Lightroom-Blog.com Okay, I know Sean McCormack through Twitter, but this guy runs the most comprehensive and informative site on lightroom out there. And he’s been doing it for a few years. While I save the real digital tech stuff to my pro team, don’t think for a minute that I turn a blind eye to all of it. Of course not, I sneak and read what I can on the digital medium. This site lays it out so well that even someone like me who sort of still resists digital can navigate my way around the site and find information that actually makes sense and helps me.

• DPS.com Otherwise known as Digital Photography School. It’s a full blown information HEAVY site for all things digital photography. How to shoot better portraits, how to market your wedding photography business, how to use photoshop plug ins. I mean, you want to know about anything digital photography, go there. I visit this site just to learn MORE about my medium. It’s constantly about learning! It never ends. DPS.com is a great resource for learning!

• Fashion.net This site has everything! It’s Super Information Fashion Highway. Seriously I don’t know why I’m listing them, they refuse to link to my blog, but hey, I’m being honest here. They have links upon links. To magazines, blogs, designers, books, modeling agencies, fashion weeks around the world, photo reps, etc. etc. They really are a great library of sites for fashion photography and it’s business.

• X-Equals.com Another great site chock full of information on digital post production. Brandon covers everything from best tips for archiving to the latest photoshop feature and getting around the complexity of it all. Brandon is a virtual friend. We have never met but I wouldn’t endorse a site that I didn’t believe in as well. I visit plenty of websites, I don’t need to share them all.

David and I recently celebrated the 1 year anniversary of The Fashion Photography Blog! We both want to extend a very warm thank you to all of our readers and subscribers!! I think we’re both a little more than suprised that the blog has done as well as it has in such a short time and continues to grow and gain popularity. But it’s you, the reader, that has made this possible and we’re very grateful to all of you who have been so loyal and enthusiastic towards this blog. We have more things planned for the blog in the coming year including a store where I’ll list books and DVD’s that I recommend and tutorials we offer, plus the seminars that we’re planning on doing every other month in 2010! We’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead of us, so stay tuned!

One of my assistants, Matt Stone, approached me during the summer about collaborating with him on a fashion editorial video he wanted to shoot. I was intrigued with his idea! I figured he and I could sandwich together my resources for talent with his team and video gear to produce an interesting short video. Matt’s concept, “The Suburban Occult” was the story of 5 young adults getting together to celebrate one of their birthdays’ and they end up getting a little in over their heads when they start experiementing with the Occult.  His idea was to take an editorial idea and bring it to life by capturing motion. He said, “Recently, new tools have become available to still photographers allowing us to make high quality video with the same camera we use to shoot stills. To me, seeing a movie instead of a still makes the experience more palpable. In traditional editorial story telling there is a beginning middle and end which is also similar to the structure of film. However, unlike film, fashion editorial’s goal is to sell clothing and lifestyle and does not approach the traditional themes of film. In this way I wanted to stay true to the mood of fashion editorial by creating a film that captures an experience but also shows off some beautiful clothing.” Matt has always been inspired by the classic films of John Hughes, a film director that basically helped my generation through our late teen-aged anst! . But Matt wanted to take Hughes’ style and use modern tools. Matt shot this video on a digital format that he believes gives a certain sharpness and realness to the image so he used the Canon 5D and traditional film lighting. I shot the stills as if it were an editorial and Matt shot the video. It was a lot of fun and it’s something I’d like to do more of in the future. I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with other artists. Photography is a definitely a “one-man hobby” and sometimes it can be such a rush to work with other artists on a specific project.

I did the casting for the models and I also brought together the team of artists. We worked with 5 models: Eugenia and Denise who are represented by Photogenics. Rachele hailed from I Models here in LA. Our male models were Ilia and Nils, both from Ford Models LA. Our black magic/rock and roll hair stylist Steve David came out to do hair. That was the first time I worked with Steve and I think it’s fair to say that a friendship was formed that day and I’ve been working with him ever since. It’s funny how that happens, you work with so many different talented people but you end up clicking with someone and they become a part of your life. I mean, not only is he just a cool guy, he is so passionate about hair and that really impresses me. Make up was done by Burke Daniels who did an awesome job and Robyn Goldberg came in to lend her styling wizardry to the shoot! Matt Stone has entered his video in a contest on the Daily Film website. You should all go vote for his video! He put a ton of work into it and I think he deserves some recognition. Matt’s a great guy. I interviewed him back in March when I was looking for an intern and was immediately taken with how talented he is along with his cool demeanor. He’s one of those rare “real people” out here in LA plus he has a big huge future ahead of him. And I’m really glad we had the chance to collaborate on this. It was a blast!

In other news, my website www.melissarodwell.com is now permanently switched over to Viewbook and I have to say I LOVE IT!!! For the first since I’ve had a website, I am now able to finally go onto my OWN site and manage it all by myself. What a relief! No more asking arrogant coders, stuffy designers and grumpy husbands to help me update, upload images, delete, change contact page,  etc. etc. etc. As I mentioned in a recent post, I signed with Maria Bianco at the Blur Group who prompty edited down my portfolio to something like 12 images! Since that day in September, I have been testing as well as working and I’ve been able to build a new body of work. It’s been great fun, to be honest. It’s given me a new spark of inspiration and I’ve been enjoying shooting my ass off! But what’s really great is that Maria and I can now go through my site, even over the phone, and add or replace images and I can do it all so easily because of Viewbook’s incredible backend. If you haven’t had a chance to see my new groovy site, check it out when you get a chance. And if you haven’t checked out Viewbook yet…….I strongly recommend them. Alrik and Rien, two of the four Dutch brothers who own and operate Viewbook have been nothing but incredibly kind and helpful.  We like those words when we’re discussing the people who help us with our marketing tools. It beats the hell out of being held hostage by some overcharging jerk of a web designer. Those days are quickly becoming a thing of the past, thanks to sites like Viewbook and their great support team! I also have to add that I have received a fair amount of emails from my readers who have made the switched to Viewbook and they’re very happy with their new sites!

To wrap it up here, I’m in heavy shooting mode, as I mentioned and I will have a lot of images and tech info to post coming up here soon. I’ve been testing with different light modifiers and I’m completely in love with Elinchrome’s Octa. What a sexy/crazy light modifier. Big and luscious, that light just makes me swoon. (No, I’m not sponsored by Elinchrome and I’m sure if they read that description they’ll run in the opposite direction from me…lol) December is heavily scheduled out with location shoots. The weather here in Southern Caliornia is fantastic! This is my favorite time of the year in this city. A little cooler, better air, the light hangs lower on the horizon and the tourists have gone home, for the most part. As I’m writing this the wind is knocking against the windows and the sun is coming up over the hills and it’s pretty magical. I’m going to take advantage of the weather and start shooting outdoors again. That’s one great thing about living in this part of the world: we have the desert, the mountains and the beach within a few hours of our fingertips. In other words, there is just no damn excuse why I’m not out there utilizing it!

I’ll leave you with this gem: Steven Meisel, Fashion Photography’s Iconic Master, has a new book out. “Three Hundred and Seventeen & Counting” showcases Meisel’s covers for Italian Vogue from 1988 through 2009. This compilation of photographs is hands-down phenomenal. Meisel is a genius!  His eye for casting the right talent for the story he’s working on to mixing fashion editorial with cultural reference, is without parallel. You guys should at the very least check out his book, but honestly it should be part of your collection of photography books! If you read the “about the book” section you will see that Steven Meisel has created every cover and lead editorial story for Italian Vogue for the past two decades. There is definitely something to be said for that strength of a commitment, for both Meisel and Italian Vogue!