Category Archives: modeling

A word from Philipe

Philipe is a photographer, make-up artist, and hairstylist from Upland, California. He has been doing make-up and hair for several years, and has shot models from some of the best modeling agencies in the world. Shooting with Philipe is like having an A+ team working with you to create amazing images.

Philipe has won several hair and make-up competitions. Additionally, he is creating his own fashion line 🙂

Some of his clients include Dolce & Gabana, Gucci,Canon, Prior and many others. He’s shot models on America’s Next Top Model and The Janice Dickinson Agency.

His work and credits can be seen on
~MODEL MAYHEM
~MYSPACE
~MORE OF HIS WORK
~ HAIR/BODY PAINT/MAKE-UP WORK

I am thrilled to feature Philipe’s word here. There is a lot that one can learn from him.

AVIVA: How long have you been doing photography?
PHILIPE:I’ve been doing photography for about 5 years.

AVIVA: What got you interested in hair/make-up and photography?
PHILIPE: I started doing hair a long time ago, then make up.
I was doing hair and make up for photographers and I just was not getting any pictures back. So I decided to pick up a camera and take pictures. At the time it was film, then I went to digital…Even during digital I was still shooting film.

AVIVA: How long after you started model/fashion photography did it take you before you started working for big names and major commercial clients?
PHILIPE: For a long time I was just shooting agency models and I still do.
I don’t know, I have not really thought about it. I’d say about three years into doing photography…

AVIVA: Do you have any advice for photographers who would like to get published?
PHILIPE: It’s tricky, I normally have clients that take care of that or I get contacted, asking to use my work. I never submitted to a magazine to see if I could get in. So for everyone, it’s different.
The goal should not be “to be in a magazine”. The goal should be, to always do your best, no matter who sees it.


AVIVA: What do you believe is the best way to approach potential commercial clients?
PHILIPE: I’ve never approached potential clients. The way it has been done for me is that I get contacted, then I respond. As far as me responding back, it’s always brief. I ask what their budget is and what they want.
I never hype myself, because it’s a matter of they either like my work or they don’t. So, if they contact you, it’s obvious they like your work.
But I also understand that they are probably contacting other photographers too. It does not mean I’ll go into a betting war. My fee stays the same. I do negotiate with the client.
But most of the time it’s “This is our budget and this is what we need”.
If the price is too low, I say “what you’re asking for is going to take more work, I’ll need a better offer”.

AVIVA: What are your thoughts on TFP? Did you do it at the beginning of your career?
PHILIPE: Yes, I did TFP in the beginning. My thoughts are, still give the model what she needs as far as pictures. Remember she is doing you a favor. She will help you get good pictures to lure paying clients.

AVIVA: What is your favorite thing about photography?
PHILIPE: Creating, discovering something new. Seeing the end result.

AVIVA: Do you have any weird/interesting/crazy shoot experience you would like to share?
PHILIPE: When I get a normal day in my life, maybe the craziest day will rise to the top and stand out.
My last crazy day was shooting for 17 hours, now understand that some photographers will say, I do long hours all the time. They forget, I do all the hair and make up and body painting, arrange my own light set up on all my shoots.
I’d call it a vacation if I just shot pictures.



AVIVA: If you could say a few things to aspiring models, what would they be?
PHILIPE: Respect yourself, work hard and be honest with yourself.
Never kiss up to a photographer (he or she will think your a bitch for not kissing up, but it’s just their ego).
Don’t do drugs, if you drink, control yourself.
Be responsible.
Be careful of the egos of some photographers.
So many photographers think they’re “bad ass”, try sitting next to Steven Miesel, look at his career, then look at your yours. You still think you’re bad ass? Don’t even think about it. He shoots for Vogue like we tie our shoes or drink water. It’s just there for him, it’s normal and common for him. Like nothing to him; just another day.

AVIVA: Any last comments?
PHILIPE: There is always someone out there better than you. It’s very important to stay humble before you make yourself look like a fool. If you think that the way models and photographers act on TV is the way you should act on a real life shoot, you’re wrong.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Again, I thank Philipe for his time and his answers.
I wish him continued success in this industry for many years to come.
Aviva 🙂

Craigslist Talk 2.0: To Reply, Be Sly, or Fly?

There are hundreds of Craigslist ads that are currently active and running…

The most popular sections where “photographers”, “models”, “agents”, “producers”, and the like post their ads are:

*artists
*art/media/design jobs
*marketing/pr/ad jobs
*TV/film/video jobs
*creative gigs
*talent gigs
*event gigs
*and if that’s your proclivity “adult gigs” aka porn/stripping/or simply “nudity”

Some things that I have noticed about Craigslist ads:

~The majority of people posting on Craigslist who are looking for models (and photographers, make-up artists, and stylists) are always hoping to get someone to work for free (under the disguise of a TFP/CD shoot, although TF should not be equated with free when done properly) on a collaborative basis in order to create “Art”.

~Some people who claim to be agents and producers do not write the name of their company/agency nor give any contact info other than an anonymous Craigslist email. This is a huge warning sign. If they were real, they would have a bit more (or even some) basic info about their company, such as a NAME!

~Many of the photographers (and others) who post on Craigslist advertising their services produce substandard amateur photos and hope to get paid for their “work”.

~Some people who post on Craigslist are not what they seem. A few are looking for resumes, personal information (address, phone number, name, SIN, etc), and free photos. Once they got your basic info, who knows what they can do with it. Let’s see, sell it and credit card fraud are the first 2 that come to mind.

They: “Send pic and resume”
Me: “Who are you? What is this for? More info, please?”
They: “Sorry, only if you send pic/resume will we give you more info”
Me: “Wow! That secretive, aren’t you? If you were real, you’d have at least used real sentences in your communications and gave more info. Bye!”

That usually did it. They didn’t reply again. However, now I don’t even go through that process. I just look at the original email, and ignore/delete it as soon as I see something along the lines of “k, u send pic and resume” or “hey, sup, wanna have some fun; I make you a star!”.

~Looking for “nude models” ads. There is absolutely nothing wrong with nude models, and a few of my favorite photos also involve nudity of some sort. What bothers me the most about ads where the poster is “looking for nude models” is the fact that quite often the person posting them is not looking for models, but instead is looking for adult performers or sexual companions.

~When there is an ad for “bikini/lingerie models” then that is all it should be. Sadly though, the moment nudity is mentioned, then that will be all the poster wants, and the bikini/lingerie BS was just geared towards getting aspiring models to respond.

~Even though an ad states that the person posting it is “hiring” talent for paid gigs, they are hoping that someone will agree to volunteer, because this provides “exposure and valuable experience for beginners”. Not all Craigslist ads are like that, but the majority of them are. The moment the person who’s hiring writes a long email about how wonderful the opportunity is (ie. “This will be your big break because it provides tons of exposure”), they have lost me. For one thing, I can decide myself what will be a good opportunity for me, and I do not need to read a long sales pitch about it. If I like someone’s idea/project, I will respond, collaborate and cooperate.

~Some people who post on Craiglist looking for talent don’t even know what/who they are looking for, and are not serious. Therefore, if you respond to an ad, and don’t hear back, there is a fairly high chance that they weren’t serious or real to begin with.

So here’s the scoop…

1.The following is a checklist for replying to an ad on Craigslist and being reasonably sure that you are not giving your info/photos to some hack.
~There are details about the project (time, location, concept)
~The grammar, punctuation and spelling are correct for the most part (a typo here and there is alright though)
~The person writing the ad does not promise you unbelievably big things nor to make you a star, and only states what the project entails.
~The email address is not some obscene/stupid word @hotmail/gmail/yahoo.com
~There is a company name in the email address, ie. contactname@companyname.com
~The name of the contact is shown (ie. Please send photos/resume to John Smith)
~There is a way to contact the poster other than an anonymous Craigslist email (ie. website or phone number)
~It indicates what the compensation is (as opposed to DOE or “To be Negotiated”, although some legitimate gigs do say that)
~There is an indication of the physical features they are looking for in their talent (ie. Blond, at least 5’6″, size 4, etc)

In order to respond to an ad you believe is legitimate, emphasize why you are right for the job. So, if they are looking for a girl who’s 19 and 5’7″, then tell them that you are (IF AND ONLY IF you actually are!!!). If they want you to have previous experience, let them know that you have some. Make sure your grammar/spelling/punctuation is correct, and write the reply in a way that shows you’re serious about being considered. Also, send them sample pics that are closest to what they are looking to shoot, in order to show that you are capable of producing such images. Comment on each of the points of the ad, in order to mimic it in your reply. Do not lie.

2. When to be sly in responding to an ad. In this case, the reason you have to be sly in your reply(if you choose to reply at all) is because a few of the aforementioned conditions that are symptoms of a legitimate ad are missing.
For example, the ad does not indicate the name of the company, or the name of the company cannot be found on google. Also, there may not be any details that are specific to what type of talent they are looking of.
An ad of such nature may read like this:

A new swimwear designer is looking for beautiful bikini models for a photoshoot and catalogue work. Please respond with photos, stats, and contact info

The reasons you have to be cautious on this one are:
*Where is the contact name?
*Why don’t they give the name of the swimwear designer?
*Do they have a date/time frame in which they need to get the photos done?
*Is there compensation, or is it TFP?
*Why don’t they indicate if there are any specific characteristics that they want the models to have (ie. height, weight, hair colour, etc)
*Wouldn’t a person who is serious have more than 2 sentences worth of an ad when looking for models?

So, in this case, I would respond along the lines of this:

Hello,
I am a model from Victoria, BC. I am responding to your Craigslist ad where you are looking for swimwear models. I am 5’6″, 118 lbs, measurements 34 24 35, blond hair, and have experience with bikini/lingerie modeling. Please check out my website www.anatkhempler.net and my Model Mayhem account www.modelmayhem.com/1017150
I am interested in more information about the photoshoot and you can email me back or contact me via the contact form on my website.
Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you,
Aviva

In the above email, I was able to show my experience, photos, comment on their ad, and ask for more information without giving out personal info, such as my address and phone number. If the person is serious, they would get back to me and let me know more information and whether or not they want to use me in their shoot.

Being sly is about responding to an ad without giving out too much info, other than what’s on the Internet already (ie. on my site). The bottom line is, do not sound desperate in your reply. Good luck! (Hopefully the ads you doubt about are real)

3. When to fly. Also known as, hit the “back” button the moment you read an ad on Craiglist, and possibly even flag it.
~The ad is riddled with spelling errors
~The person posting it promises to make you a superstar
~Text talk is used. Texting is for kids/teens/friends. Serious business people do not use text talk in their ads when looking for talent!
~There is no indication at all of what the gigs entails, and usually the ad is a one-liner.
~No contact info at all, other than an anonymous Craigslist email.

A typical ad of such nature reads like this:

Wanna b models, gurls?
Send pics and phone #, and u’ll be da next big thing in Hollywood w awesum partys and mansions!

OK, maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. Do not reply to something like this. It’s most likely written by some hack who’s looking for free photos, information, or to “meet” girls. And if you really feel like doing the online community a favour, flag any ad that reads like the above quote.

Good luck with your Craigslist endeavors! 🙂

~Aviva

Let’s Talk About Craigslist for a Few Minutes…

Whenever the name “Craigslist” is mentioned, different people have different thoughts floating in their heads…

Craiglist has been in the headlines for the scammers, and rapists, as well as even a killer. However, several other people have talked about legitimate jobs they’ve applied to and got off Craigslist, so to each his own.

What I will tell you about Craigslist, will leave you wondering what my true thoughts are about the site. Instead of talking about what I think of the site, I will discuss the positive and negative experiences that I’ve had with it.

Let’s start with the positives 🙂
~I met a photographer that was able to provide me with photos that I could actually use in order to market myself as a model. He knows his craft, is great at dealing with people, knows how to pose models, is prompt at returning photos. Additionally, I became good friends with his wife and him. His business name is IMS FotoGrafix and his work can be seen HERE

~I landed a gig with JP Erickson shooting for HerFlexAppeal.com, by first finding his ad on Craigslist. I traveled to Vancouver to do the shoot and made a good sum of money.

~I found Eriko, a VERY AWESOME hair stylist who introduced me to Kat of Nightshade Beauty (published Make-up artist), and Shimon Karmel (published photographer). We did a photoshoot in order for Eriko to enter the Contessa, a national hair styling competition.

~I contacted a couple of marketing companies who hired me as Promo Girl for events held in Victoria. They constantly post on Craigslist advertising for event staff in various cities. The pay for promo work is very good, at least $15/hour. Considering that the average North American makes $12/hour, working jobs that are less fun than promotional modeling, it is definitely worth a try.

~Lynn of Empress Jade Vintage and I met through Craigslist and have worked together on several occasions doing catalog shoots.

~I was able to find countless other paid modeling gigs, which by the way did NOT involve nudity.

And now…the Negatives…Dun. Dun. Dun…
~There were a few sickos that contacted me asking me to send them full nude photos. Of course, I just ignored them, and moved on.

~Guys who promised “to make me famous” contacted me on there too, and invariably fed me a bunch of bullshit. Unfortunately for them though, I responded with something along the lines of “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. No legitimate person offers a girl guaranteed Super stardom just from working with them. Bye”

~People who gave no info on the gig responded to my ad solely with “Hey U, send pic and phone number”. I mean seriously? My ad stated that before I send any info/photos, I need detailed information about the project (time, date, budget, concept, location, contact name and number). If the respondent is serious, they WILL take a moment to add the “extra” but necessary info, as opposed to “Hey u, send pic and number”.

~There were people who claimed to be affiliated with major magazines/agencies/corporations/businesses who sent me shoot inquiries. The only problems were that the return email was a gmail/hotmail/yahoo account, the email was ridden with grammar/spelling errors, they offered me payment up front, and the person who sent me the email asked for far too much information. ID theft? Scam? Who knows??!!

~I’ve browsed through countless Craigslist ads, responded to them, only to find out that:
*the lingerie shoot that was advertised is actually a cover up for a nude shoot;

*the liquor promo gig is actually a strictly commission paid nightclub promo;

*the photographer who advertised Maxim Style photos is actually a pimp

*the person with some agency is a scammer who’s charging large sums of money to be listed on the “agency’s” site;

*the people shooting a calendar are gathering info for a possible ID theft;

*the guy shooting for a swimwear company is a perv who wants to get free pics of women in bikinis/lingerie to “use”;

*and so on.
Just be careful about sending your info/pics online!

In my next article,Craigslist Talk 2.0, I will discuss decoding ads, and ways to tell (based on my own experience) if an ad is legitimate & the benefit of the doubt (including how to respond to an ad where you question it’s legitimacy).

Check out My Facebook Page for more updates and pictures 🙂

Aviva

Tom Gore: Victoria Fine Art Photographer who Runs the Advanced Imaging Lab at UVic

The other day, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tom Gore. His photos have been published in several newspapers and magazines. In addition, he’s had many gallery shows and does not plan on stopping. 🙂 Tom’s collection of Fine Art photographs is outstanding and he brings a unique and interesting style to his work.

He’s shot several subjects, including, but not limited to: architecture, fine art nudes, landscapes, bodyscapes, fashion, portraiture, as well as traveled throughout Europe shooting the beautiful landmarks and experiencing a wide variety of cultures.

Tom Gore is well-educated and well traveled. He has a very creative mind and his photographs definitely show it.

Some of the places where you will see Tom Gore’s work are:
His WEBSITE
Flickr account
Model Mayhem

AVIVA: How long have you been doing photography?
TOM GORE:Since I was ten, but seriously since I first went to Europe when I was about eighteen. So for almost 45 years.

AVIVA: What is your favorite thing about photography?
TG: The ability to make and share ideas through beautiful images.

AVIVA: Where has photography taken you (as in travel)?
TG:Mostly Europe, especially to New York, Mexico, England, Scotland, France, Italy and Turkey. It also took me to the Arctic and the bottom of the ocean.

AVIVA: Do you have any funny/interesting/weird shoot experience that you would like to share?
TG: Well, there was this time I was thrown out of Fort Rodd Hill for photographing nudes in a National Historic Site.

AVIVA: Do you have a favorite subject?
TG: The landscape, the cityscape and the nude.

AVIVA: You run the Advanced Imaging Lab at UVic; could you tell me more about it?
TG: Our Lab was the Biological Photography Laboratory, teaching scientific photography in all its aspects. As everything became digital we “modernized” the name, but our function remains the same, “making the small larger and making the invisible visible”

AVIVA: Where has some of your fine art work appeared?
TG: The Globe & Mail, Saturday Night, CNN, Camera Canada, Camera Mainichi, Raddle Moon and a number of photography text books.

AVIVA: Could you tell us more about your style and what you do to the images during post-processing?
TG: I have a number of “styles”. For about eight years I’ve worked exclusively digitally but I still do a lot of traditional black & white work, both landscape and nudes. I do a lot of somewhat journalistic travel work, mostly in Europe and increasingly I am making large colour pieces that involve collage techniques, with images built in layers in Photoshop. I can achieve exciting results that go way beyond what I could ever do in the darkroom and that is very liberating.

AVIVA: Do you have any advice for aspiring models and new photographers?
TG: Look at as many great pictures as possible and think about what makes them great. Photography is far more about ideas and vision than it is about tools and techniques. Good techniques help realize the idea, but without the idea no amount of technique can make a great image. Models and photographers can learn so much from looking at paintings as well as photographs.

AVIVA: What is your preference: shooting commercial work or fine art?
TG:I don’t do any commercial work now, but when I did I learned a lot by having to deal with difficult locations and situations that I wouldn’t have attempted otherwise. I much prefer the self expression of fine art work, though.

AVIVA: Any last comments?
TG: I wish there were more opportunities to show work. Thanks for asking for my thoughts.

AVIVA: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, as your contribution is very valuable!
————————————————————————————-
Stay tuned for more interviews of photographers, models, designers, make-up artists, clothing store owners, and much, much more!!!

Get inside the heads of the individuals who allowed me the privilege to tap into their thoughts a bit.

Enjoy the beautiful July weather =)

Aviva

How do I stay in shape?

As a former long distance runner who used to compete at provincial level, I can offer my insight on staying in shape (although I am not a professional athlete). When it comes to being in shape, although there is no “quick fix”, it does not mean that you have to spend at least 2 hours a day/7 days a week in the gym and eat next to nothing. If that were the case, then I would have given up on being in shape a long time ago 😉

Now, back when I ran competitively, I used to train 6 days a week and have one day of rest. My training routines consisted of tempo runs, plyometrics, sprints, weights, timed runs (which give you a sense of racing), and extra long runs. I followed this routine for about 4 years. I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and saw no negative effects on my body. The reason for that was because: 1. I was younger and young people naturally have faster metabolisms and 2. I trained very hard, and thus used all the calories I consumed.

However, it’s been a couple of years since I last raced and/or seriously competed in athletics. I currently watch what I eat and try to get at least 3 workouts per week. MY goal is to mostly maintain, though.


As of right now, my exercise routine consists of:
*The occasional 25 minute jog
*Going on the elliptical trainer for 45 min in the gym
*Using the X-Country Skiing Machine for anywhere between 30 min-1 hour at a time
*Weights, squats, and ab work

I try to vary what I do each day to avoid getting bored of exercise. Before, when I worked out with the track team, there was no chance of getting bored because I had company/exercise buddies and the coach gave us direction. Now, I have to direct/motivate myself, but I still reap the benefits of the valuable lessons that I learned from my coach.

Some things that I learned:
*The moment an exercise routine gets boring will be the moment that exercise will be forgotten/abandoned.
*If you have an opportunity, have an exercise buddy
*Don’t get discouraged when you don’t see the results of your workout routine within 1 week (that’s too little time, no matter how you put it)
*Once you get past the “I hate exercise because it’s painful” phase, you’ll reach the “I love working out and I don’t want to miss it” phase.
*The more work it takes for you to get into the condition that you are happy with, the more likely you are to continue with your exercise routine, because you wouldn’t want to have your previous body back.
* When doing a Body Age Assessment, don’t be discouraged when your body’s age turns out to be older than your actual age. It is reversible!!!!
*Start out with shorter/lighter workouts and then build up. I’m still shocked by the number of people who go too hard, too fast too soon and end up with injuries.
*There is no need for extreme calorie cuts in order to maintain (or even lose weight), especially if you are exercising regularly.

In my next fitness article, I will talk about how to separate the Fad Diets from Plans that you can actually maintain.

Until then…

Let’s see what photographer Tom Gore has to say about the craft in his interview.

Stay tuned,
Aviva

Creepy and Weird Photoshoot Story from 2009

Back in July of 2009, when I was just getting going and hadn’t had any weird experiences yet, little did I know that one day it was all going to change…

I set up a lingerie shoot in Vancouver with an amateur photographer off of an Internet website. Since I had to travel outside of my city of residence and meet this guy (“photographer”) off the net, I decided that it was a good idea to bring my best friend/assistant with me.

The moment we got there, the guy was acting super weird. First, he looked at my friend like he was a space alien. His face sunk upon the first glance at my friend, because I honestly believe he expected me to show up alone (even though in our emails I stated that I was bringing a friend with me, so it shouldn’t have been a big shock to him). Then, he started having a difficult time speaking and it turns out that English is his second language, which created a barrier in our communications.

When we entered his home studio, it was apparent that he’d already downed a quite a few beers. He offered my friend a beer as well.

While we were shooting, he was slurring his words as a result of being drunk. He tried to direct me, but it was clear that he could not say exactly what he wanted to say. He’d stop mid-sentence and angrily sigh as loud as he could.

Then, he got angry at his lights for “not doing what they were supposed to do”. He looked at the screen on camera, and sighed after every photo because he didn’t get the lighting right, and he couldn’t explain to me the poses that he wanted me to do. A couple of times, he tripped over the power cords of his lights. One time resulted in a light falling down and nearly hitting me, but luckily I moved out of the way very quickly.

Additionally, he was talking about how wonderful he was at photoshop and how much money he spent on his equipment. He also stated that photoshop is a very easy program and that he could do anything he likes in photoshop.

Then, he started telling me stories about how whenever he puts out an ad on the Internet site, he always gets junkies and hookers replying to the ad, and how happy he was that I was not one. LOL

At the end of the shoot…he picked up two open beers and said “Hey, guys, look! I got two going at once!!” That was hilarious…I mean he was WASTED by the time we finished. For all I knew, he probably wouldn’t even remember shooting with me or that we were there.

I sure was excited to see what the photos turned out like…Well, curiosity killed the cat. When I saw one of the pictures…I couldn’t recognize myself. Although, I have to admit, if I’d sent in that pic while I was applying to be a cast member of a horror movie, I’d get the part. 😀

All’s well that ends well…I guess. He paid me for the shoot. So it wasn’t a waste of time. And the experience, as weird as it was, was worth it, since now I can talk about it.

Hasta Luego, amigos,
Aviva

A Real Blast from the Past Part 1: Who really got me started?

I’ve been modeling now for about a year and a half, and I’ve dealt with quite a large number of photographers, models, hairstylists, MUA’s, and several HIGHLY successful photographers who are well published. In this time, I’ve made around $3500,been on a number of websites, and I’m about to be published in two magazines. In addition, the most successful of all the people I’ve ever dealt with, whose images inspire me, contacted me to discuss my modeling career. The modeling industry in Victoria is very small, and the majority of modeling gigs are TFP shoots and volunteer fashion shows at the mall. Threfore, I feel blessed to be able to make as much money as I’ve made in my city. I only say this to show you what level I am at and by no means do I claim to be an expert, but I can share my experiences.

In the past, I’ve had a few questions about my modeling, especially how I started.
Quite often, I get asked if Craigslist is a good place to find photographers, or if Model Mayhem can get you noticed by serious industry professionals.

I heard about Craigslist when I first moved to Victoria. I was told that it was a site where people can place ads for free, which I thought was awesome =) With that in mind, I decided to give it a try, and see if any photographer would be interested in doing a photoshoot with me.
It all started when I posted an ad on craigslist…
The ad read something like this:

Photographer Needed
I am an 18 year old girl who is looking for a photographer to trade portfolio images with. I am 5’6″ and 118 lbs. I would like to do some fitness & bikini shots. Please let me know if this is of interest to you. If so, please email me with samples of your work and your availability and I send you some photos of myself. Looking forward to hearing from you.

When I wrote this ad, simplicity and honesty were key. I knew that when I was a first year university student I could not really afford to be spending $300+ on a photoshoot so I thought that if a photographer saw potential, he/she would work with me on the basis that he/she too would be able to use the photos.

I got quite a few replies, about 20-25 in total. The majority of photographers were hobbyists, amateurs, or stated that they were “just starting out”. I did not have a problem with those people, since they were honest, and hey, I was starting out too, so I couldn’t be too picky and I was fully aware of it.

I replied to everyone, because I think that it’s the proper way to conduct yourself when you do business. If I knew then, what I know now, I probably would not have responded to many of the amateurs or anyone “just starting out”, except to say “Thank you, but I’ve found who I’m looking for”, just to be polite & professional.

However, I also got a few perverts who knew nothing about photography, and sent me photos which they obviously did not take. For example, one guy sent me photos that were taken by Richard Simonsen, a well-known photographer.

Another guy offered me to take some nude photos, but I wasn’t comfortable doing that as a first shoot. I’ve also had a few creepy messages from guys who were obviously not looking for models, but they were looking for sex providers. Thanks, but “no thanks”. I’ve dealt with a lot of sleezebags through craigslist…

However, there was one AMAZING local photographer whose images were outstanding. They were properly lit, well-composed, and colour balanced. In addition, he shot the style that I was interested in. To this day, I shoot with him on a regular basis because he is professional, knows how to properly use the equipment, and is fast at getting the images finished. Additionally, he is an incredible retoucher and is very creative. He studied art, photography, and photoshop for many years. His name is Ian and he owns IMS FotoGrafix. You can see his work here
He is the person who got me a great portfolio at the very beginning of my career. As a result of his photos, I was able to apply to several modeling jobs and book some paid work.
I’ll definitely do an more detailed article/interview on IMS FotoGrafix.

If you would like to book a shoot with him, please let me know (you can message me through my website) and I will get in touch with him for you or give you his contact info. His rates are very reasonable and shooting with him will save you a lot of time and trouble.

As far as Model Mayhem goes, the forums are interesting, and you can definitely meet some very good people there, as well as book some paid work. At the same time, there are several people that you wouldn’t want to meet. Just like with any other tool, you have to use Model Mayhem in order to yield any results from it. So, seek out your connections and pursue them. I’ll leave it at that for now.

Have a great day and good luck with everything =)

~Aviva

A Moment of Reflection…

As I sit here typing this, I realize how far I’ve advanced both as a model and as a person. I took the last couple of years as an opportunity to learn and grow, seek out my strengths and emphasize them.
I’ve always known that I wanted to be a model, more specifically, a sports/fitness/glamour model. I’ve always been in shape as a result of participating in various athletic activities, and ate well…

However, it wasn’t until I moved to Victoria, BC, that I actually decided to pursue modeling and see what comes out of it.

The following images were taken when I was in grade 12. One was a grad picture of me holding a volleyball and the other was a snapshot that my friend took when he got his new camera and wanted to experiment. I posted an ad on craigslist that I needed a photographer to do some TFP (see my later blog entries about TFP). When the respondents asked for a couple of pics, I sent them the ones that are shown here.

I’ve had a few respondents, and picked the best of them all. His name is IMSFotoGrafix. He is a great photographer, and therefore an article on him is coming up soon.
Now, I’ve advanced to shooting stuff like the images that follow.

So far, I’ve worked with several great people, including MUA’s, Hair stylists, Wardrobe Stylists, and photographers. 🙂

Aviva Now, Anat Khempler is History


When I first started modeling, I used Anat Khempler as my stage name because I thought that was a way to protect my identity and I liked the sound of it.

However, I soon realized that stage names are very important and many girls choose to use a stage name in order to separate their modeling career from their real life.

Benefits of a stage name:
*People in your real life don’t know that you model (which could be good with all the myths about modeling that are out there)
*An internet stalker won’t know your real name, so they can’t track down
*It it’s catchy/easy to promounce/unique enough, then it might help your career
*Allows for privacy and anonymity

My problem with Anat Khempler is that it was too difficult to pronounce, and too long.
Therefore, I thought Aviva is a better choice because it’s shorter & sweeter, and it’s also my middle name.
From now on, all my online profiles will be under Aviva, just like Facebook

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