happy valenitine's day!

my "lost in love" editorial in february issue of ROUGE magazine. more on my website.

her majesty w/ sarah deanna

the following day the same team (newheart ohanian, anetta klemens, linh nguyen), but with a different model (this time it was stunning sarah deanna from muse models) - we were shooting a very graphic and clean studio fashion story using an unfinished 9" long wooden bar as our prop.

the style of this shoot can be described as "british-glamour-punk-rock": newheart was artfully mixing haute couture pieces with ready-to-wear, leather with silk, jeans with sequin, etc. and sarah was definitely rocking the show with her very unique look and unusual poses she was suggesting. ten  looks with three strong cover tries - hopefully this story will be out soon for your to see! for now some quick previews from our backstage (shot by serge glinka)

 

ink drop

it was definitely a very special shoot for me. done for zink magazine, may issue, it was inspired by the abstract pattern ink drop creates while dissolving in the water, as well as tattoo culture using ink to create permanent adornments on human bodies.

the idea was to create visually arresting images utilizing front projection to cast  images of black ink drops on the set as well as the model. combined with graphic shapes and solid colors (black, white, nude) of clothes projections provided abstract dreamlike effects by morphing the shapes of clothes and creating new patterns.

prepping for the shoot i did an extensive research and carefully selected 20 high-res stock images that would work for the story. consultation regarding projections and technical support was provided by carlos palacio.

when i though of a concept there were no hesitation regarding which model i'd like to be shooting with. asia from muse models has been one of my favorites for long time, but located in paris, she is rarely in new york. i couldn't believe our luck when her booker, katie wolland, confirmed that aisa will be arriving just a day before our shoot! not further castings were needed.

it was also my first time working with stylist newheart ohanian, and i was very impressed by her professionalism and creativity.  newheart immediately got inspired by the concept of the shoot, and put together an amazing 12-looks wardrobe with gorgeous reptile patterns/shapes, sequin textures, leather accessories, unusual head pieces.

and of course, the style wouldn't be complete without edgy contoured make-up by anetta klemens and avant-garde shapes linh nguyen created using asia's hair. 6"0 asia on 8" tall heels and in gorgeous outfits looked like the most incredible alien beauty.

the shoot is in post-production for the next couple of weeks. look for it on newstands in may.

dream catcher

our coat story in december "holiday" issue of ROUGE magazine:

stylist: ursula agurto
make-up: anetta klemens
hair: daniel santos
photo assistants: aric gutnick and zoe roman
fashion assistant: evan narvaez
models: zenia sevastianova & caroline de marqui @ major model management NYC

"lines solitaire" in ocean style, september 2009

just got a confirmation from "ocean style" magazine about publication of "lines solitaire" story with lisa jackson in their september issue. excited to see in print!

china town

and another tearsheet package today - this time from bulgaria (ROUGE magazine) with my favorite "china town" editorial featuring gabi from NEXT model management, NYC.

now & again

another color-infused beauty story from my team (dina yassin, rebecca casciano, jamal hodges) - a mix & (mis)match of vibrant epochs and styles, starring amazing diana georgie from muse models.

working on this story i was initially inspired by the colorful 60s with its exression and bravery of mixing colors, patterns, and catchy accessories. in styling this story we went even further in time and space, and created our own interpretation of the theme. here is a sneak preview from the backstage; final images to come!

in the woods

despite of non-cooperative new york weather yesterday we finally managed to do our fashion shoot in the woods, and use that dull sky and flat light as our advantage to turn the story into a mysterious fairy tale. that wouldn't be possible without my good friend anetta klemens who this time apart from doing make-up and manicure was also a producer of the shoot - she put together an amazing team (stylist ursula agurto & hairstylist ianthe foushee), organized location scouting (forest park), as well as she provided her beautiful place for us to prep for the shoot before going in the woods.

it was my second time working with jae brickman from major. (you might remember this "blond fatale" from the beauty story "dreamers"). i am in love with this girl! amazing face and great personality. i knew she would be a perfect candidate for the role of the "woods spirit", and i was right. jae was gracefully balancing on her high heels on top of sleepery tree trunks, without a second thought laying down at dusk in the midst of ferns, and bravely ignoring all the bugs and mosqitos even after 6 hours of shooting.

and of course this shoot wouldn't be possile without my assistant aric gutnick who was the one responsible for creating misterious fog (aka "dog", aka "vogue" according to my tired & sloppy pronuciation of the word during the whole day of the shoot) around our model.

look out for this editorial on NY newstands very soon!

summer jewelry shoot

another great day filled with beauty and positive team energy. this time it was a jewelry shoot with olga from FORD. (i shared her pictures in my previous post)

the overall style of the shoot was light and airy - with simple lighting (and intentionally sophisticated catchlights in model's eyes) i wanted to create an "early summer morning" feel, elegant and sensual at the same time.

dina yassin put together 6 unique looks complimented by colorful jewelry pieces by different designers.

anetta klemens was on top of creating striking make-up looks focusing on olga's beautiful lips.

sato taeko did magic with the hair - from sleek french style bob to glamorous waves.

olga was stunning - classis european beauty, feminine and sensual, as well as very sweet & humble as a person. even my cat fedor fell in love with her and was jumping on her lap during the photosession to steal a kiss or two.

as always, backstage pictures for your sneak pick. more to come.

"alice in w" editorial (ROUGE magazine, april 2009)

and another april editorial - my "alice in wonderland" story published in ROUGE magazine.

it was a day full of adventures in my friend's (veronika ossi) beautiful loft in greenpoint. we were making the model (martina from MC2) climb the ladder and hang from the chandelier, play chess and have a crazy tea party with invisible guests, and listen to the songs of encaged red roses... everything how it is supposed to be on "the other side of the world" - upside down, with a twist!

full story can be viewed at: www.nymfea.com

"in the news" editorial (SENSE&STYLE, april 2009)

this month starts with a b&w editorial published in april issue of sense&style (philippines) - magazine i work with on a monthly basis for the past 2 years.

you can see full version of the story at www.nymfea.com

summer fashion

when i think "summer" i think "color", "energy", "freedom". all these we tried to show in our summer 2009 fashion editorial with beautiful marija from major model management. the story was clean and edgy - with lots of movement and expression. dina yassin who was styling the shoot pulled vibrant, playful clothes from amazing designers - manish aurora, PORTS 1961, cerpico, yeholee, irregular choice, juju, among others. bright, three-dimensional make-up by anetta klemens complimented the look. marija's hair were pulled up in a sleek yet unusual style (by jamal hodges), with a twisted braid and excuisite moon-shape hair piece.

there was so much of positive energy in my studio during this shoot that we managed to finish all 9 looks within 6 hours! time always flies in a great company.

"kat woman" editorial feat. russian top-model & emerging fashion designer katerena alkhimova

it was definitely a fun shoot and dream come true! my team (dina yassin [wardrobe], aldys minaya [make-up], sato taeko [ hair]) and i were shooting beautiful katerena alkhimova (muse of john galliano; face of jil sander, versus, keneth cole; face you saw on the covers of vogue and l'officiel, as well as editorials by steven meisel, peter lindberg, paolo roversi - among others) for her cover feature in ROUGE magazine as a russian top model and emerging fashion designer.
katerena recently started her fashion line - kat basics [http://www.katbasics.com]; her first collection consisted of two simple yet irresistably sexy pieces - skin tight black dress and body suit with transparent stripes. we were using both pieces - combined with current FW2009 fashion - to create 6 unique fashion looks and show katerena's inner women: seductive, romantic, glamourous, edgy, boyish, extravagant, and fatal. it was incredible to see all the transformation live! it felt like doing 6 different stories with one incredible beauty - as a photographer i could hardly ask for more.

for now just a sneak pick of the polaroids; full story to come shortly.

ROUGE cover story kelly carlson ("nip/tuck")

when i received an email from ROUGE magazine asking me whether i am available to fly to LA and do a cover story with gorgeous kelly carlson from "nip/tuck" series, i was - to say the least - flattered. it was my first assignment from the magazine after 3 months of very productive collaboration (by then i already had 2 cover stories, 3 editorials, and one feature with them, but all was submission-based)

we had 2 intense weeks of production and on-going communication between NY, LA, and bulgaria. finally, location was chosen (thompson beverly hills hotel agreed to provide their elegant premises for our hollywood-style story) and the date of the shoot was set. on march 2nd my stylist dina yassin and i flew to LA to meet with kelly and her beauty team.

the shoot had 2 parts - we started at the rooftop pool and in the afternoon moved inside the beautiful suite provided by courteous stuff of thompson beverly hills. glamour was in the air and on dina's clothes racks with elegant gowns from famous designers: PRADA, georges chakra, gustavo cadile, rosa cha, among others. my assistant (barett sweger from smashbox studios) was irreplaceable and helping me a lot to handle various lighting conditions. it great to hear an acknowledgment from kelly: "you really know your lighting. i love the way i look on your pictures".

and still it was a challenge. working with celebrities you need to be flexible and efficient; time is important and so are the right clothes and its variety to be able to choose from in case smth doesn't work. i think we did our best and rocked it. 9 beautiful looks and 3 cover options - not bad at all for our first LA shoot! definitely looking forward for more.

april issue of ROUGE with kelly on the cover is out on the newstands.

NOI.SE 24 & HIGHLIGHT 33

2 exciting emails from highlights publication [www.highlightsmag.com]: my "hello, charlie?" story will be featured in the following NOI.SE issue while "love letters" made it to highlights magazine.

on the newstands worldwide since april 2009.