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2010-01-30

A Model’s Sense of Entitlement

Filed Under: What NOT to Say to a Casting Director, Photographer or Client

Dear Photographer,

I am assuming that as I have not heard anything from you that I was not fortunate enough to make the cut for the project.

It is another staple of this industry whereby if you make efforts to be punctual, follow up, and show enthusiasm – in the end if somebody else is chosen you will more times than not receive no communication from anyone involved to give the news.

Many companies do not even have the courtesy or humanity to disclose the fact in an email thanking the participant for answering the audition call and informing of the fact that you were unsuccessful. You are left with that ‘Up in the air’ feeling, and it turns out to be another wasted morning or afternoon of preparing yourself and traveling to the location, attending the shoot or audition, and returning – in the end to not only not get the chosen spot but not be contacted again as a courtesy.

Well, it was good to meet you. I have heard from you many times that you ‘want to work with me’ but I am not expecting to hear anything further from you or the project.

I am seriously weary of the modeling industry and the many disappointments and let-downs that occur, and I am going to push ahead with my acting training and concentrate in that area.

Signed, Model

Author’s Note: I sent a response, and then she deleted her modeling profile. It takes a thick skin to make it in modeling.

** I know people will have a variety of opinions regarding this issue. I would love to hear your comments and will follow up with a subsequent post.

Photo by BJ Formento

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2010-01-26

Valentine’s Day Headshot Party!

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. I love this holiday, especially this year as it falls on the same day as Chinese New Year. I’m hosting a Headshot Party in Houston, Texas on February 6th and would love it if you could all help me get the word out. The event takes place near the Galleria area in full view of the Williams Tower.

Attendees get two beautiful headshots from a choice of three unique backdrops (pink, red, and/or white). I will have Valentine’s Day props, good lighting, good food, and most importantly, good people. I hired a couple of professional makeup artists to assist us that day so everyone looks like a cover model. :) This is great for people who want to surprise their loved ones with a truly unique gift or even for models/actors that need to update their headshots.

Everyone is welcome to join! $150 gets two professional photograph prints. Be a model yourself, or pose with your friends/children/loved ones for the same price. Retouching available separately from a European Photoshop expert for $50 a print.

Limited availability, so call today to reserve your appointment: (713) 777-7171. Ask for Jon.
Or email me directly: amy@amydunn.com

A 50% deposit is required to hold your spot. You can make a safe, secure payment via PayPal or drop off a check/cash to a convenient office on Westheimer. Jon will provide all the details when you call.

Come join me, and let’s celebrate an experience you will not forget!

xoxo,
Amy

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2010-01-26 News
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2010-01-25

Like a Fat Kid Loves Cake

Hello, friends!

Thank you so much for the positive support by joining my Facebook page. I have over a 100 “fans” now, and I have been too shocked to express my gratitude. I love you all like a fat kid loves cake.

Speaking of fat kids, I accepted the P90X challenge and have kept myself busy with workouts. The picture below incorporates a self-portrait I did last year with the assistance of Jeff Fuller, Diana Manzanares, and Jon. I never posted the photo because of my low self-esteem: too much cake from the previous year made me look and feel like a bloated pig. I actually cried when I saw the photo, and it motivated me to work out. This year, I feel incredible, and I owe it all to new scenery, a change of pace, family, and great friends like you. I appreciate you more than you know.

My gift to you is this hilarious link to have fun with your photos. Thank you for the birthday wishes, your support and your friendship.

Love,
Amy

Amy Dunn's Birthday

New York City, 2009

© Amy Dunn
All rights reserved

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2010-01-15

Join Me on Facebook!

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2010-01-03

Aviator Amy (Mia & Wasabi, too!)

My favorite TV commercial from last season was the Kindle spot, the result of a contest held by Amazon. A beautiful blonde actress named Annie Little graces the television screen, and she sings the ever-so-catchy “Fly Me Away.” The commercial captivates the audience’s attention with the costume changes and adorable photograph flip-book quality. It reminds us to dream, to suspend our disbelief, and totally dive into the pool of creativity. Part of that creative process, for me, is the ability to reverse engineer lighting and post-processing.

I had an aviator cap and goggles for another self-portrait I wanted to try and conveniently stumbled across some faux snow from the holidays. I set up the seamless background and added the fluffy cloud bits with tape. In the commercial, a fairly obvious light shines strongly from camera-left, and at the 0:07 mark, a rectangular shape appears on the goggles. I set up a medium softbox, put my camera on a tripod, and got my wireless remote ready. Jon assisted by waving my scarf around and kept an eye on Mia and Wasabi so they did not fall off the stool. Boy, those two would do anything for a treat.

After a few minutes of shooting, I popped in the photos into an editing program and processed the images to have a Polaroid 669 film kind of feel. Voilà! Done. Even though the formula differs, I achieved similar results. Just remember, it only takes minutes to come up with something this creative and fun. The winner(s) of the Kindle contest shot an entire commercial in a seven-hour take. It inspired me to get creative and quit making excuses about my time. Congratulations to Ithyle Griffiths, Angela Kohler, Annie Little, Sharon Williams, and Rachel DeSimone. Thanks for the inspiration!

[See the adorable commercial here]
Kindle Commercial featuring Annie Little

Self-Portrait by: Amy Dunn
Photo assistant: Jon S.
Models: Amy, Mia & Wasabi

Houston, TX 2010

© Amy Dunn
All rights reserved

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2009-12-31

My Top Five Blog Topics of 2009

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone is having a safe celebration. I am preparing for the New Year and wanted a plan of action for my blog. I noticed the top five topics on my blog this year included the following:

1. Stolen Photo in **** Magazine, Croatia where an international magazine stole one of my photos, printed and published it. I am sure most photographers could relate to this blog entry because of the sheer number of instances this occurs–especially in foreign countries where copyright is not as enforced. Now that I work full-time as an attorney–a “real” one and not as a corporate monkey–I plan on pursuing these topics a little heavier so that I can help more photographers. I also reckon the number of hits on this blog because of the immensely popular search this year for Kesha Nichols.

2. Solitude of Self – self-portrait

3. amydunn.com v2 – My web designer, Jon, created a new website for me, and I asked which design my readers preferred. Your insight and suggestions meant a lot to me, and I have a new look to my website, thanks to you. Love you heaps.

4. A Moment in Time – self-portrait

5. The Model Photographer – a little video introducing myself and my mission statement for this blog. I will try to give my blog a more personal touch and share more of my videos and archived photos. For example, I made my mom some cupcakes on her birthday, and this is the hilarity that ensued (see photo below):

Thanks for the love on my self-portraits. I have some fun ones planned and can’t wait to share. Let me know what topics you want to read about as well. Oops! I hear firecrackers. Time to get ready for the big celebration. See you next year!

xoxo,
Amy

Casino Cupcakes

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2009-12-28

Learn How to Use Your 7D – With Me!

Did anyone get a Canon 7D for Christmas? If so, lucky you! I love the new AF feature on this camera and hope Canon incorporates the technology onto future cameras. My friend, Jeff, found this gem of 16 Canon 7D tutorials, and Rudy Winston is the genius behind the camera and the instructor. Enjoy the tutorials and let me know what you think about the 7D’s new features!

Canon 7D Tutorials

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2009-12-27

Revisiting Old Photographs

I never appreciated the concept of revisiting old photographs with new post-processing techniques. I figured the photos you take represent the photographer you are/were at that time. In other words, even though some of my older images could benefit from some fresh post-production work, I like to move forward with my photography and take new photos with these ideas in mind, rather than work on my older photos–especially given the last post, Pruning the Portfolio.

Over the holidays, I had a lot of time to read and reflect. I thought about what direction I wanted to take my photography into the New Year and how I planned on doing that in the new market I live in, Texas. I always had a fascination for vintage photography, and this week, I stumbled upon the great works of Lot 8 Photography and Jaime Ibarra. Lot 8 has a wonderful and informative blog you should check out if you ever wanted to capture that vintage feel. And Jaime’s processing got a shout-out on a modeling/photography/retouching forum. Several sleuths tried to reverse-engineer Jaime’s post work to achieve the “glazed” look, and a pretty talented Photoshop Wizard, Tarazz, suggested futzing with the blue channel in curves to start with the vintage processing.

While I understand processing takes much more than a flip of a curve, I decided to try the technique on one of my already well-exposed shots. I opened Photoshop and grabbed the first thumbnail that popped open. I quickly found a photo of my friend, Jaclyln, a.k.a. “Jac of All Nets” from the NBA NJ Nets. Not only did I adjust the blue channel in the curves layer, I added a slight vignette to darken the edges as well. Lastly, I applied a trick Lot 8 recommended to create a “haze,” effect, but I will let you explore his blog to learn his tricks.

In three easy steps, I ended up liking the new “vintage” version of my shot better than the original one I posted. It made me wonder how many of my other images would benefit from the nostalgic, dreamy, vintage feel. But then I thought about what I originally maintained: that photography and photographers should move forward with their vision. While the new post-processing techniques would breathe new life into some of my older photographs, I would much rather apply those methods into my new work. Many thanks to the aforementioned artists for their inspiration and education. I look forward to refining the techniques I learned into my new work.

Retooled 2009 version of my picture of Jaclyn:

The original 2007 version:

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Photo assistant: Jon S.
Makeup artist: Alice An
Model: Jaclyn

New York City, 2007

© Amy Dunn
All rights reserved

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2009-12-20

Pruning the Portfolio

I read this pretty kick-ass entry on Scott Kelby’s blog, “How To Become Known As a Better Photographer.” In a nutshell, Kelby suggests posting your BEST work in order to attain the maximum impact on a viewer’s perception of your work. Like many photographers, I have a deep, emotional connection to my images. They take me back to a place in time, they captured a memory–a smell, a sight, a pleasant sound–and some instantly put me in a great mood when I see them. Despite the nostalgia, I understand I have grown as a photographer, and my online portfolio should reflect those changes.

Kelby recommends researching photographers you admire and also engaging in peer evaluation to strengthen the portfolio. Kelby’s right–the photographers I adore only post their best work. One comment on Kelby’s blog by Sally Wehner sums it up:

“The difference between a bad photographer and a good one? You never see the good photographer’s bad pictures.”

I spent the last few days editing my portfolio, taking out some repetitive pieces, some of my older work, and some images that simply do not represent my best work. While the actual process hurt something fierce, my updated work looks fresh, and I do not miss the archived images. On my computer, I have nine rows of images and four columns, totaling 28 images per page for me. I know this varies from computer to computer, but justified my chops by deleting most of the stuff past the viewable screen; honestly, I would not mind making a few more cuts. I still need to work on the arrangement of my photos on a single page.

Friends! I need your help. If I have any images that you feel simply missed the mark, please share your thoughts here. I can handle a good old-fashioned critique, so feel free to voice your opinions. Please refrain from comments like, “I don’t like this picture because the model’s ugly.” That’s not helpful. Neither is, “I don’t like this picture because you cut off her head.” That’s called selective cropping. By way of reference, I will soon merge the Animals & Misc section together–or even purge them all into my Archives folder. I still love the pictures, but they do not represent the type of photos I currently have in my portfolio. As a compromise, I keep a small Archive link on my website so I can look back and reflect on the work I have done and see how far I have come since I first picked up a camera.

A new decade. A new portfolio. My heart flutters to think what the ’10s have in store! Thank you in advance for your time and critique!

xoxo,
Amy

A Sample of My Archived Work:

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2009-12-13

A Shout-Out in Flavour Magazine

His weapon of choice is the imagination before the camera. His colorful photos look like virtual eye candy, and if a photo says a thousand words, his photos rival an entire Shakespearean sonnet. Meet FrizzyCube, one of the world’s most renowned digital artists–and my #1 homeslice.

I met Neil “FrizzyCube” Nakahara in 2005 when Myspace was still an acceptable form of social networking. Before the website got filled with creepy stalkers, I befriended Neil through some pleasant exchanges, and we set up a shoot. We chatted on the phone and talked for hours–I had not done that since junior high, back when I loved to prank call people and obviously before *67 and *69. Neil explained his “Toasty Hot” photo shoot concept to me and scooped me up for a shoot shortly thereafter.

Neil’s assistant at the time had full access to this amazing steel factory outside of Manhattan. After a few hours of set-up and shooting, I noticed that the strobes kept moving. One time I looked over, the softbox slowly slid from one side to the other. No drafts, no A/C…just an empty, dark, cold and creepy steel mill. I pointed it out to Neil, and as we both watched the light move from left to right, he said the light had moved five or six meters away from where he originally placed it. Zoiks!

Neil mentioned this experience in the latest issue of Flavour Magazine, this really fabulous e-zine based in the UK. With printed magazines going out of business left and right, it looks like e-zines represent the wave of our future–and Flavour easily takes the cake as a pioneer. Check out the cool interface. I enjoyed sitting in front of my computer, flipping through its pages.

I got the warm fuzzies AND cold chills when I read pp. 68-69. First of all, how cool is it to get a shout-out by one of the most sought-after digital artists/photographers out there? I have some of his big-wow PSD’s sitting on my desktop, and I marvel at the level of skill, time and effort he puts into one single piece of artwork. Any Photoshop geek would appreciate the layers upon layers of tips and tricks in a single FrizzyCube PSD file.

Neil spent countless hours teaching me Photoshop. Every time I get stumped with a retouching problem, he comes up with an easy fix. I want to start something new on my blog next year where I interview photographers that have greatly influenced my work. If you have any interview questions for Neil, please post them in the comment section below. In the meantime, take a gander at FrizzyCube’s dreamy photos (www.frizzycube.com) and show some love!

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