Mood:
crushed outTopic: planet Miss O
Darlings, I once had to model in a fashion show where I carried a baby as part of my "look". I think I was supposed to be the young hipster mom. I was dressed in a chic ensemble and just before I took the runway, a live infant was thrust into my arms like some designer bag. I seem to recall that the tiny creature was dressed in a Halloween costume (possibly as a tomato), which did not help me in identifying its gender. But no matter, I worked the runway hard that day... I was "walking" for two. As you can see, I am a pro with any accessory. Below, some of the blessed creatures I have worked with...
This young man is on the road to a successful modeling career. Just look at that contact with the camera! At barely a year old, he is already a master at showcasing product. This shot practically coos,"Try our hair - it's delicious!"
These two are what we would call lifestyle shots. The maiden auntie out with her charges. I have guys in their 40's who want me to be their "auntie", but I digress...
Miss O had her first modeling gig as a young lass of 7. It was a lifestyle piece for a catalog. I was hired because I bore a strong resemblance to the model featured in the shoot. She was a gorgeous bi-racial woman named Bernadette who went on to marry Lynn Swann and Sugar Ray Leonard. Maybe you've heard of them? What can I say...even as a petite mademoiselle I liked to roll with the v.i.p's. (Bi-racial? Yes, Miss O was brown as a nut until the age of 12...lots of time spent in Malibu and the Cote d'Azur. My current East Coast pallor is more of a café au lait).
I can still remember the outfit I wore in the shot, quelle surprise. We were modeling sportswear, or, rather, Berna was modeling sportswear, and I was modeling a look called "adorable, well-behaved child" while we jogged over a hill, for what seemed like an eternity. Eternity sounds like pretty much every shoot I've been on, though that is probably the last time I jogged in public. Lest you think that modeling is always glamorous, I would be delighted to regale you with tales of decidedly unhip gigs like a print ad for fleece hoodies, after which I earned the privilege of saying "I shoot in Nashua". Nashua, New Hampshire, for any of you non-New Englanders, is not known as a hotbed of cutting edge chic. Would I rather be modeling evening gowns and furs in Paris? Absofreakin'lutely! But, Darlings, fleece hoodies pay the rent. Eternity and jogging notwithstanding, I remember being pretty damn excited that I was excused from school for "a job" at the age of seven and earned my first paycheck. Um, hello, child labor laws?
Ah, yes, the tight beauty shot, used primarily for cosmetics or skin care ads. This one says,"Use our night cream and you can have the babysoft skin of a 3-year-old (unless you are 3-years-old and then you can look two-and-a-half!)" It's all about marketing!
New faces department. I'm often a big hit with babies. I've always assumed it was bosom-related (see: Thai Lion Cub), but I recently learned that when babies' vision is developing, they respond to high-contrast images. Voila! Miss O's high-contrast face...ideal for stimulating visual acuity in infants.
This lad is going to be a heartbreaker like his old man. Right now he's working the strong, silent angle but as soon as he learns to speak, the bookings are going to come rolling in. I predict a Vanity Fair cover, but what do I know? I shoot in Nashua.
