Friday, February 27, 2009

My First Trip To New York EVER (Preview)

Going to take my first trip to NYC ever this weekend. " ) You have no idea what a big deal this is. I have always wanted to go..... it just never seemed to work out. But I've finally got my Bolt ticket, and am ready to go. It's only been 24 years... To be honest with you though, and I'm not proud of if, but I'm going for the food, and dive bars. In true New Yorker fashion (or so I imagine) I plan on eating pastrami at Katz's Deli, checking out Times Square, then rounding the weekend off with some dive bars (specificaly, per Anthony Bourdain, and author of 'NewYork City's Best Dive Bars,' Siberia Bar). If I could just squeeze in MOMA, I'd have New York in the bag! Yeah right. It's like DC tourist saying, "If I make it to Ben's Chili Bowl and the White House, I pretty much own DC." Not quite acuret, but it could be worste. " ) Stay posed for a recap on my shenanians in the big apple!

Picture is Worth A Thousand Words..


Finally have my computer back after a week with the computer guy.... I'm sure all three of you have noticed ") But enough about the details, let me catch up...
Above is the lasted pic by Danny from the Betsey Johnson runway show I did last week.Feel free to click on the picture to see it larger. Also, please disregard the intolerable face I'm making, and the open left hand (low five anyone?). In my opinion, the picture is about so much more than a girl in a pretty dress making a heinous face. Take a second, and absorb the women on the left's expression. And after you draw that in, contradict it with the man on the opposite side's expression. Wow. It reminds me of why I spend five years studying photography in college. What an exciting picture that talkes about so much. Can't wait to see what Danny catches next!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Betsey Johnson Runway Show I Was In Last Night

Last night at Posh was so much fun!


We all had our hair and make up done at PR and Partners, just around the corner from were the show was at, Posh (owned by the creator of BET, Bob Johnson ). We had the VIP upstairs blocked off so we could change, and hang out. It's a beautiful space, and it was even catered! We had all kinds of juices, champagne, pasta, the food there is ridiculous! I highly recommend this club/restaurant to anyone in DC, it's a diamond in the rough. Well the show started at 8 (after 3 hours of hair and makeup!). There were only six of us, but the girls were beautiful, and the dresses were sooo fun! I really love the people at Betsey. I had the oppurtunity to work with them at the Howard runway show and I'm so thankful I got to work with them again. We did three passes each, and ended the flood in true Betsey fashion with huge red heart balloons. :) It was a ton of fun.

I am so fortunate too, because a photographer I'm working with, Danny came to the event! He got there about an hour before the show and, the great photographer he is, caught tons of shots throughout the whole night. (Including the above shots!:) It will be wonderful to have professional pictures of those gorgeous dresses! So stay posted for more pics!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

I'm Going To Be In A Betsey Johnson Fashion Show!


Come out and see me at Posh Supper Club 7pm Wednesday night as part of DC Fashion Week!!

Funny how this happened too! I saw an add on Craigslist last week to come audition for this show, but the date had already passed when I saw the post. I e-mail them anyways with my picture, saying I worked with them in the Howard Runway show last fall, and to please keep me in mind for further events. Well, small world it is, Stephanie (photo shoot we did together here) e-mailed me back, and she was the one running the event! She said she was looking for my contact info, and wanted me to be part of it!! :) So yesterday I went to the fitting, tomorrow hair is at 3, run through at 6, show at 7, come check it out! (Above is a picture of Club)

JohnnyBe, Carey Hess and Adhesion Photo Art Photoshoot Recaps

Busy past two days!

I stayed up until 3am Saturday night watching There Will Be Blood again. Not the best idea since I had to wake up Sunday morning at 7:30am. But I made it up, and was out the door with freshly made muffins by 9am. The first shoot of the day was in Baltimore with Johnny at 10am. I really like his work, and wanted to add an alternative flare to my portfolio. When I got there he already had all of this lights, everything set up, AND the fruit cut, and ready to go. That's unbelievable for 10am! But it was great because I did my own make up and hair so we got started shooting pretty quickly. The first look Johnny and I did was ballerina. He is really talented with studio lights, so these simple shots on a backdrop are going to be sick! The second look we did was the fruit salad look. Johnny cut up a dorian (see a picture of one here) and made it to a coconut bra type thing with bean straps. Then we put a cluster of mini green bananas around my neck. :) You'll love these shots. Johnny was so poliet throughout the whole thing. We spent a good 20 min trying to tie fish line on me like a bikini, which could have been awkward, but it was no big. He was a real gentleman about the whole thing. Then the last set we did was with a corset... have you ever been in a corset... that is an experience. Wait until you see those pictures, it's madness! Can't wait to see all 3 looks!

After that shoot, it was straight to Carey Hess' apartment across town in Baltimore at 3pm. He had found an article online to make (note to all photographers) a turkey pan beauty dish.
Which was wicked cool! Carey is so awesome, we had no problem BSing and conversing about ideas. He kind of makes me want to barf though... Here's why: We only really did two looks. We shots up on the roof of his apartment building, some against a wall with a ball gown on, and a few messing around with his ring flash (my new fav photography toy!) So he really didn't take that many pictures. But here's why I hate him: almost every shot he showed me was AMAZING. He took the most honost picture of me. Not only that but he caught a candid shot of me laughing that is so real. He is known for his glamor/maxim style, but I saw more than that in his work. And by him capturing something like that, shows intuition of a true artist. I know Carey doesn't ever shoot TFP, so I was so lucky he was making an exception for me, and wants to do some different stuff. I look forward to working with him again really soon!

That night I didn't get back to DC until 11pm. Then yesterday was busy too. I had a fitting at Betsey Johnson in Georgetown in the morning, then a shoot across town in Columbia Heights with Stacia, Chontae, and a rope artist Mike, at 3pm. That was a unique shoot, and yes I did say rope artist. In a swimsuit top and boy shorts I was wrapped in purple and lime green rope Seriously. Again, could have been an awkward situation, but everyone kept it completely professional. It was an interesting experience in 4 inch heels, half naked leaning over the edge of backdrop so Chontae could touch up my makeup. All the while a man was wrapping rope around me, and the photographer was taking test shots of me. Yeah, could have been awkward. Thankfully it wasn't and I'm stoked to see the pics. The most edgy, fresh, high fashion shit, I've never seen done before. :)

Stay posted for pics from all three!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Last Photos From Gary's Photoshoot




That middle picture looks so different in black and white from the color one! The art major in me really comes out when I look at it...color can completely change the meaning of an image. The bottom picture is about the necklace, and color, but the top one... and isn't that what great art does, make you think. :) Anywho, I really like the top one. Probably my favorite of the bunch.

Fashion Week Starts Today!!

Check out the official website here ...wish I was there...

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Are Amy Adams And Isla Fisher The Same Person?

Did anyone else think this was the same person?... I though the chick that is going to be in the Shopaholic movie (that I'm dying to see), was the same one in that Petegrew movie... Apparently they were separated at birth. Silly girls. Even Isla (right, I think) commented on their likeness:

"If Shopaholic is a hit, then it was Isla Fisher in the movie, and if it doesn't work out, it was Amy Adams."

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

PHOTO SHOOT Recap: Tony Valeoz ( first set of pictures)





INSPIRATIONAL PHOTOS:
Lady Gaga lookGold & Silver Look
Purple eye shadow as seen in the spring '09 Gucci ad

Photos I took and e-mailed Tony:


These are the glorious first pictures I've got back from the photo shoot with Tony on Sunday. (Along with some behind the scences shots as well) But first, about the shoot....

Tony and I had been planning this shoot for probably a month. I had been looking forward to working with him longer. Having ample time to plan was great because we had a lot already thought out, and time to acquire accessories to really make the shoot work. In the end, we had three looks in mind: 1.) Lady Gaga 2.) Silver and Metal 3.) Spring Romper/Onesie. I pulled some pictures of lady gaga off the net (see above) and pulled the green cowl shirt you see on me above. I tried to chanel her vibe from the lightning bolt picture. The second look, Tony e-mailed me and said he'd like to do something similar, so I e-mailed him the picture of the black jumpsuit above. He loved it and picked up those wonderful bracelets seen in the pictures from Forever 21 to really complete the look. For the third look he had just mentioned a spring vibe and maybe a romper. I e-mail him the above shot of a super cute one I had, but was worried the picture wouldn't do it justice. One everyone saw it on, we knew we had to shoot it. And, of course I had to spray tan before the shoot so I could be super fake tan like Lady Gaga, and tan for the Spring look as well. I also brought along the above Gucci ad for makeup inspiration. It's funny how it all works it's self out in front of the camera! The make up artist Shawn was so delightful, and it was an honor to work with him. The makeup artist, D.D. isn't the most experienced make up artist but I really like how Tony pulled the color out! And, after most of the time sitting in hair and makeup (twice each) Tony only did about 20 minutes of actual shooting all together. It amazes me how some take hours, others take minutes...
I love the pictures so far, and it's fun to see the inspiration and the final product. My favorites though- I want to marry the polarized (very top) photo. (It and this one are my current favorites). I call it "Pookie" some of you might know about that... I really really like it. I also love the last one of me with my leg up. Soo fun. It's like I was saying to all three of them standing around me- I am so honored that talented people like yourselves are taking time out of their busy scheduals to work with me to build their portfolio. I am very lucky. I am just a vessel that others channel their creativity through. And fortunietly I have had the oppurtunity to work with some great people.

Whatever the case, the long wait to shoot with Tony payed off, I'm so excited about how the pictures turned out! And stay posted for the rest

PHOTO SHOOT: Bo Zhang Final Pics





Here are the last of the images from my photo shoot last week with Bo and Chontae (See all of them here). It almost looks like it wasn't 20 degrees out (note the real snow at my feet, and real high shoes I'm wearing. Awesome combo.) But hell, if Bo stuck it out in a t-shirt, I could in a tissue paper thin leopard print dress dammint! I also love what he did with the brown dress. The second to the bottom, and bottom dress are the same! What versotility in a photographer! Even with the leopard print dress- he made two completely different looks out of it. This is the most shots I've ever got from a photographer. Hopefully the admiration is eqaul. I was so flattered with what he said on his blog about me:

"Overall I’m quite happy with essentially a one in 50 retention rate for this shoot. That’s one image out of 50 which I really quite like. This is much better than my other shoots (with other models), which typically is about one in 80 or 100. I would attribute this mostly to Katelin’s posing variety and style. Most of the time I have to work with a model through quite a few shots to get that one pose spot on. With Katelin, it was much easier. If all models have the same amount of creativity and energy… "

What can I say... it was a wonderful time, and I absolutely LOVE the pictures. ")

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

PHOTOSHOOT RECAP: West End Photography



On Friday afternoon I had a shoot with Gary at West End Photography. The shoot was at his studio/apartment in BFE (ie Georgetown, more on that later). The day was busy. I went early, 8am to Joya to meet up with Kecisha. She set my hair in pin curls and we drove to Georgetown. Ok, I know all DCers say this, but I need to reiderate the fact- Georgetown might as well be another country. If you don't live there, you don't go there. The metro doesn't stop there, there's no parking, and riding a bus takes all day. That being said, I try not to go there, and after paying $15 that day to park, I was reminded why. Once we got to the shoot my doll Chontae was already there makeup set up and ready to go. We did a couple looks, and it was great haveing my girls there! What was interesting is after each look, Gary sat us all down in front of the computer to look at a few. That way we could analyze the hair makeup lighting etc. Then go and shoot the next look. It was an interesting shoot, because it was mostly from the shoulders up, and I have been doing a lot of high fashion lately, which is more body movement. But it really made me get creative with what I can do from the shoulders up, and in the end I think it will help my whole body modeling. But at one point in the shoot, my bottom lash had slipped, and a few pictures were lost because of the amount of retouch it would have taken... though it was a good lesson, we'll have to keep here close next time. But she painted this masterpiece on my face! Gary showed Kecisha my portfolio while we were doing makeup, which I thought was a great idea. And when she styled my hair, she pulled my bangs back in a different way. She said it was something I hadn't done in my portfolio. She was absolutly right, I love the hair! All and all I really think she shots showcase all involve's talent.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Men- How To Wear a Suit





Who doesn't love a man in a suit?! But the right suit, makes all the difference. I'm doing a photo shoot with Tony Veloz this afternoon, and one of his pictures (the top one) inspired me to do a post on men's suits (also to wear one in a photo shoot seen here). So without further ado, above are some samples of how the suit should look, and below, GQ and msn teamed up with a few pointers on how to wear a suit. Below are some of my favorite points they made:

1. Slim—not skinny—pants make you look taller and thinner (could someone tell Matt Lauer that please).

2. A lower-set button stance on a jacket, paired with a narrow tie makes you look taller and more grown-up.

3. Never button the bottom button unless it’s snowing and you’ve lost your topcoat (and even then, think twice).

4.Take note: Longer lapels, leaner torso. It’s that simple.

5. When you’re mixing patterns, only one of them (ex the tie) should really pop.

6.Unless you live in Rio, khaki suits are for spring and summer. They should be cotton; they should never, ever be wool.

7.The slickest Italian loafers won’t look like much without a polish.

8. Round-toe, not square black shoes. End of story

NY Photographer's Insightful Slideshow on Snow


Watch my favorite NY Times Photograher, Bill Cunningham's slideshow here. He's just so insightful and silly. He has fun with photography while talking about social context, our culture, how fashion, location and many other elements play into a great photograph that tells a story. One picture would not have worked as wonderfully as this set does. Seeing 10 or more you really start to think about something as simple as walking off the curb. And, in my opinion, great art takes something simple and talks about so much more. Makes you think... I could talk for ages about Bill's slide show...In essence though-the whole idea to me, has a direct reference to the above Cartier-Bresson image.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Bo's Pictures Part 2



Bo's good. He's real good. :) Stay posted for the last set we did in my leopard print dress in the alley!

And You Wonder Why He Saw His Shadow.....

Hit That Michael Phelps!


The picture was taken November 6, at a house party at the University Of South Carolina in Columbia. Phelps was allegedly there visiting Jordan Matthews, a student there he was seeing. Read the whole story here.

News Of The World sources say: “Michael came to visit Jordan, but ended up just getting wasted every night."

Free Breakfast And Coffee? Yes please!



Get your ass out to any Deny's tomorrow, for a free Grand Slam from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m! While your out getting free shit, head over to your local McDonald's that has a McCafe, (check here for your nearest) from 5-8am and get a free coffee every day in February!