miami, day 4

wake-up time - 5am, call time - 6am. and all this to be able to catch beautiful morning light and avoid midday heat. after all, we have 10 looks to go and 2 locations to shoot at.

amanda arrived early but she got confused with hotels and instead of room 435 at "continental" at 6am in the morning she knocked at the door of room 435 at "shelborne". "is there any photoshoot going on?" she asked; the sleepy lady who opened the door was not even surprised.

by 7am are are already in the water. sunrise is beautiful, and light is gold and diffused. 3 first looks are sensual and wet - literally.

by 8.30am my assistant is picking us up at the reception and we are heading to key biscayne. there are dunes, and rocks, and pure white brick of the lighthouse - and local audience of sunday beach-time lovers. the ranger working there is very helpful and accommodating. only once he approached me with a request not to shoot at the palm trees alley since our model was wearing a see-through outfit and there were kids at the lighthouse who might see it. "i personally don't mind at all" - he says - "she's so gorgeous! But parents might complaint".

6 more looks are done by 11am, the only thing's missing is the shot i fancied in a palm tree shadow, next to the water.. who would have think that this is so hard to find in miami? most of the palm trees around key biscayne park are separated from the shore by concrete see wall, others are too tall, or not curvey enough. so around midday we are heading out of the park searching for a "perfect palm tree" to shoot our last look - ultramarine transparent tunic which amanda so gracefully wears being completely naked underneath.

almost-perfect palm tree was found on our way back to south beach. of course, there were cars, and chaise-longs, and portable fridges, and couples, and kids, and dogs all around it - both on the fore- and background. but we were patient enough and managed to get a perfect shot - or even couple - that looked exactly liked planned.

relaxed, sensual, colorful, and very exotic swimwear story is on its way!

frying pan

and yet another re-make (that location is so worth it!) shot at a chelsea secret gem and one of my favorite spots in NY - lightship "frying pan". this time my prop stylist veronika ossi dressed the boat in black velvet and blue silk, and decorated its interior with antique mirrors, dry flowers, stuffed birds, and empty picture frames to create a dreamy and mysterious mood.

our model was norvegian blond nina from muse models. rebecca casciano added a touch of fuchsia to nina's eyes and defined her eyebrows with dramatic black;

dj riggs created a tall platinum blond hairstyle inspired by marie antoinette;

on top of it all ursula agurto styled nina in surreal latex gown, metal mask with horns, kinky chain top, etc.

team of 9 people, we took over the boat and had so much fun exploring its rooms filled with weird objects and pieces of furniture. (an old wooden pianio on the first floor, a creepy dentist chair in the wheelhouse, a vintage typewriter, old suitcases, and even a small cabinet of curiosities) each of us had a chance to contribute to the outcome - even though i had it all pre-panned i was trying to be flexible and closely followed my team's suggestions about good angles & photogenic spots each of us was finding around. thanks to them (and especially my assistant aric gutnick) i also ended up having a pretty good backstage reportage.

newton creek

today we've successfully launched location photography season 2009!

despite of the gloomy weather forecast we decided to take the risk. location was chosen more then a year ago and carefully preserved until the right moment.. right moment was created by my beautiful girls - dina (wardrobe) and anetta (make-up&hair), as well as by gorgeous lisa jackson (you probably saw her at american next top model show) from major models.

our location was a hidden greenpoint's gem (so hidden that i managed to get lost driving everybody there), newton creek park at the far east end of box street. it charmed me with its minimal concrete walls of organic shapes - an unexpected piece of architectural design in the middle of nowhere. it was the perfect background to our fashion - minimal clothes of unusual shapes and neutral colors that look stunning on our 6"0 tall jamaican beauty. overcasted sky made me a big favor by serving as an oversized softbox giving the most amazing even lighting while not being too flat.

we finished just on time (again, a record - 7 looks within 3 hours) - at 4pm the downpour started, but we were already driving back to my studio to have delicious polish food bought for all of us by anetta. a little bit of red wine, a friendly chat & laughs about our adventures today, and we are all saying goodbye to get some rest before tomorrow's shoot.. but that will be another story.