Markus Klinko on ICONS, the Exhibits, Skinny Models, Model Mayhem and More!

Since my first interview with celebrity photographer Markus Klinko, many exciting events have happened in his and Indrani's careers. Markus and Indrani have been working together for nearly two decades and have produced an admirable body of work. Their portfolio includes stunning images of the hottest A-list stars  like Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Lady Gaga, Mary J Blige, Kate Winslet, Katie Holmes, Eva Mendes, Anne Hathaway, Will Smith, Elijah Wood, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Keanu Reeves, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Val Kilmer, Serena Williams, Jay-Z, and Kanye West.

Markus and Indrani have also collaborated extensively with The Honourable Daphne Guinness, also known as the couture queen. The Legend of Lady White Snake: Tribute to Alexander McQueen is a great piece directed by Indrani which sums up their collaborations with Daphne Guinness.

Markus Klinko is an inspiration to many photographers. Not only is he a true artist and a great talent, but he is also a man of integrity. I have talked to very few people who have achieved his level of success and yet remained so grounded.

I am honoured to have had the pleasure of another interview with Markus. It was great to catch up again and find out what two of photography's biggest talents have been up to in the last couple of years. In this interview, he not only gives praise to modeling sites like Model Mayhem which have provided many models with the opportunity to enter the industry, but also he takes a firm stand against anorexic models. He also told me more about his new book, ICONS, the upcoming Exhibits, and more.



AVIVA: Could you tell everyone a general outline of what has happened in the past year in terms of your show, additional agency representation, and other significant events in your career?
MARKUS KLINKO: We are really in the beginning of a new chapter.  We are breaking away from that time when we initially entered the industry, found some initial success, and then becoming kind of well-known, the TV show Double Exposure. The book is summing it all up. Now, we are moving to Los Angeles from New York. We are also going to be on the West Coast like you. That has several reasons: I think that Los Angeles is becoming more and more of a global fashion city; many big brands have relocated their head offices to Los Angeles; in addition to shooting stills, Indrani and I have also started producing and directing short films, commercials, videos, and we might actually produce and direct a feature film; we are also engaged in creating a fashion line and a lifestyle brand; we have all these new ventures that we are involved in. Of course, the photography that we do will still be at the forefront of our activity but we are branching out into all kinds of new and different things that are related to fashion.

We are open-minded in the style of photography and our style has relaxed itself quite a bit since we started. In terms of production, we are a lot lighter now and we don't necessarily need those gigantic productions that we used to put up. We can still get great images, in fact even better images. I'm actually really excited.

I mean you've seen the shots that we did with Daphne Guinness. She is a spectacular subject. She is a celebrity but is also an artist. Daphne is really a fashion icon and she has a huge following. We've done the film and it won a lot of awards, although the film is more of Indrani's doing and responsibility, I am involved but just not in the center. I love still photography more and I'm not as much involved in video and film stuff as Indrani, that's really her passion.


Definitely, I would say the book is a very significant milestone in our career, as well as the exhibits that we have coming up.

We really want to produce images that are not just for magazines or commercial purposes, but that are also art which will be used in galleries and books. This is another big development in our career.


AVIVA: Could you tell us more about your book, Icons?
MK:  Indrani and I have been working together now for 18 years. In a way, this book is a celebration of our 18th anniversary. It really looks back on all of our best work, which is very much focused on celebrities, like actresses and musicians, but it also includes a variety of models, like Naomi Campbell, Natalia Vodianova, Laetitia Casta, and Iman. They have transitioned from being models to becoming famous actresses and TV personalities. The book is doing phenomenal right now. I am happy that it has been well-received all over the world. We've been working on this book very, very hard and it's really a labour of love for us. So much work goes into making a book. Even though the images in the book were not specifically shot for it, they were all shot for other opportunities that have come along but to put it together along with the text took a lot of work. The text in the book is about each photoshoot, there were hundreds of hours of interviewing with our writer. We've described our entire career when we were writing about these photoshoots, some of which were done 12-13 years ago, although quite a few were done six months ago. It really spans our entire career. This book has been one of our main focuses this year, in addition to growing our activity in the film and commercial.

We've got fantastic feedback from all the people who are in the book and their publicists/managers, we are pretty close with some of them. Actually, Iman wrote the foreword for the book and so did Fern Mallis, the founder of New York Fashion week. We have two forewords in the book, one by Iman and one by Fern Mallis. Fern is a very important person in the New York fashion world because she is the initial founder of New York Fashion Week. We really appreciate the fact that they have agreed to write with us.

 

One of the reasons why we are so excited about ICONS is because it is a wonderfully-printed book and yet it sells for as little as $15.00 on Amazon right now. Some of the other photography books are generally more expensive, some can even be above $100.00. We wanted to bring out a book that was very accessible to young people and to people of all income levels.

AVIVA: How about models?
MK: We typically don't work too often with models, because celebrities are preferred for some of the top advertising campaigns and cover shoots. However, I feel that models will have a big comeback on the covers as well as spokespeople in big advertising campaigns. I am starting to see models coming back to land covers and I remember a period of about 5-8 years when almost no models were used on covers of big magazines. I feel that we will see a return to models being featured on magazine covers and in advertising campaigns.

AVIVA: Wouldn't it be cheaper to get a model for the same advertising campaign or a shoot though?
MK: That's absolutely true, but you have to understand that advertisers and magazines know that there is a worldwide interest in celebrities. I mean even with our book, the title is ICONS, and it might as well be "celebrities" or the "unreachable Gods and Goddesses of our time", but that's what the public wants. The public really loves to put people on a pedestal. Therefore, the effect that an advertising campaign or a magazine cover has when it features a very well-known celebrity is a lot stronger than if it's a model, especially if the model is new. Although the new model might appeal to some insider fashion crowd, but the reaction of the general public is so much stronger if it is a celebrity. When we photograph Beyonce for a L'Oreal campaign, everyone talks about it, but when we photograph models, even if they are great models from Elite, IMG, and other big agencies, the reaction is not the same. If we do a shoot with a celebrity, it's going to get picked up everywhere, from Perez Hilton, to New York Post, which is not the case if we just shoot a model. I think that's why the industry shifted that way.

I hope that new supermodels are going to be created soon and that the public is going to accept them. We are certainly ready for it.



AVIVA: Can you tell us about the exhibit at Lincoln Center on Dec. 11, 2012 as well as any other ones?
MK: The Lincoln Center is not only the world's most fabulous Center for The Performing Arts but it's also the location where New York Fashion Week takes place. On December 11th, we open Lincoln Center and then we will be in Zurich, Switzerland on January 6th, where we have another ICONS evening, where we are doing Photo 13, it's the biggest photography festival in Switzerland. Then, we are opening the same exhibit as Lincoln Center in Los Angeles at a famous art gallery on January 12.

The first day at Lincoln Center will be mostly for the Press, VIPs and celebrities, but it will be open to the public from the 12th-16th of December. It's at Alice Tully Hall, which is the biggest hall at Lincoln Center. We are going to be displaying 8 feet tall prints that are all the highlights of the ICONS book. We are very excited! Then that same exhibit will be in Zurich and Los Angeles.

We are also hoping that it will be in Hong Kong and that it will go around the world.

AVIVA: Since she is on the cover of your book, I've got to ask, what was Lady Gaga like to work with?
MK: Gaga is phenomenal. She is definitely, alongside with Daphne Guinness, and probably Britney Spears and Beyonce, Eva Mendes, and Kate Winslet, has been part of a handful of our favourite photoshoots that we have done. Of course, some of them we've worked with many times. Beyonce-we worked with her over and over again. Lady Gaga...we only shot her once and that was for Hello Kitty, it was a fantastic experience. She has actually used those photos as part of her album package. Gaga is one of the most interesting stars in the world right now; I was fascinated with her intelligence, the level of artistry and knowledge that she has, not just in her domain as a singer but also photography, fashion and general art. She is very, very educated and really smart.

Lady Gaga is one of those women, who, like Madonna, have these super glamorous careers, but they are very intelligent and very much in charge of their own careers. Lady Gaga more so than any other artist that we have worked with. Despite the fact that she has a large entourage of people that work for her, she is completely in charge and she dictates exactly how she works. It's extremely clear after we've worked with her that nobody tells Gaga what to do, she tells people what to do. She is a great collaborator when we worked with her, we had a wonderful exchange of ideas, but she doesn't have handlers that tell her what to do. A lot of artists have an entourage of people that handle everything for them, do everything for them, tell them what to do, what to wear, how to look, how to smile, how  to talk, but definitely not Gaga. She is not contrived, everything with Gaga comes naturally-that's just who she is.She is not fake. She is super cool, fun, and is very, very passionate about what she does. I love her. She's a great dancer, great entertainer, wonderful fashion leader, she's a great superstar. The fact that she agreed to be on the cover of our book is a big deal for us. We are very proud to have her.
 
AVIVA: Have you ever worked with Kate Upton?
MK: No, but I would love to work with her. She is very cute and sexy. She definitely embodies the kind of new model that is exactly what I was talking about earlier. Those kind of girls are going to bring the models back onto the magazine covers and into the advertising campaigns because she is more relate able to women. I like to talk about this actually. Maybe we've talked about this before, but specifically about the body shape of a girl like Kate Upton. She is a real woman with curves; she is not a skinny anorexic 90-lb 6ft tall girl. Let me be more clear though. I am not against skinny girls. If a girl is naturally skinny, they can be very sexy and very beautiful but what I don't like is all these modeling agents and all these designers pushing these poor 14-15 year-old girls, who happen to be very tall and very thin already, to become anorexic and be so unattractively skinny. I just don't understand why and who wants that. I think that this is why celebrities have taken over the covers of fashion magazines because I think that people aren't interested in skeletons. People want real women.
I can tell you for sure that women with curves are hotter than women that are sticks. But again, when Kate Moss first started out, she was very skinny and yet attractive. However, when you look at girls who are naturally a little bit curvy and they are forced to become so skinny that they are no longer themselves, then I get very upset.

To all the designers out there: If girls don't fit the sample size, just make the sample bigger. That's it. That's the solution.Why do the samples have to be so small that no normal woman can fit into it? I just don't get it. Take the biggest stars of today-none of them are super skinny and they look fantastic in designer clothes. Why do we need girls who model them to be insanely unhealthy? This is another reason why we dedicated our book, ICONS, to celebrities and women who are real trendsetters, like Beyonce, Eva Mendes, Lindsay Lohan-those are real women with real bodies.

I wish that the modeling world would be a bit more diverse. I think that it's good that Model Mayhem exists. I think at least it gives a chance to girls who are not necessarily 5'11" and ultra thin to start modeling and they can do different kind of photos and maybe even get discovered. They may end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated, because clearly they are not looking for skeletons and I think Kate Upton is a very good example. I'm sorry for the long answer, but I'm very passionate about this.
 
AVIVA: That's great. I wish that more photographers would be like you when it comes to thinking about this subject.
MK: I think that we need to speak out about this. The editor of Italian Vogue, Franca Sozzani, actually started a campaign within Italian Vogue with many of the Vogues following her because she is absolutely against skeletons. She has made very strong statements in press conferences that Italian Vogue will not publish sick-looking skinny girls and that they are showcasing beautiful healthy women. You can't ask girls that are already skinny to keep losing weight-it's unattractive, unhealthy, and it traumatizes the rest of the world. Young women all over the world develop this complex that they can't live up to that standard of having a size zero body when it's really a non-issue.
Some of the sexiest actresses I've shot, that are in the book, are a size 4 or 6-not zero. Why should they be?

AVIVA: I agree. I think that it's good to have a well-taken care of, healthy, proportionate body and it doesn't matter if it's a 2 or a 4 or a 6, and then find clothes that complement the best features.
MK: I fully agree. We are on the same page. I'm not afraid to talk about it.

AVIVA: Do you foresee doing another book, exhibit, or TV show in the next few years?
MK: Yes. Absolutely. We are already talking about another book and we are negotiating a new TV show. This is only the beginning of some of the new activities that we have undertaken over the last two years.



AVIVA:What are some upcoming plans for you and Indrani in the near future that you can talk about?
MK: We have just signed a contract with the Gucci Group, which is a company that owns all of Gucci and other brands. Our partner in the exhibit at Lincoln Center is Girard-Perregaux, which is the watch brand that's owned by the Gucci Group. They are the most high-end watch brand in the world, they have just recently been purchased by the Gucci Group and before that they were an independent Swiss watch-making brand at the highest level. We are actually going to be shooting all of their campaigns right now and we just started with an initial contract with them.They are going to be announcing it soon and they are actually the official sponsor of the Lincoln Center event. We are very happy and proud as this is a phenomenal partner. It's phenomenal to be working with the Gucci Group.

We are also getting offers from galleries all around the world to join their roster of artists, so it's a very exciting development for us.
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I would like to once again thank Markus for his time and for the interview. I wish him and Indrani continued success.
You can check out their website and Facebook page.
**Images on this page have been used with the permission of Markus Klinko.Copyright Markus & Indrani**

Interview with Celebrity Photographer Arny Freytag

Arny Freytag is a very talented Playboy photographer based in Los Angeles, California. He knows how to bring out the best in people and his images are outstanding. It is not a surprise that he currently holds the record for the most Centerfolds shot and is under contract with Playboy Enterprises.

In addition to being able to create amazing images using amateur models, he is also well-known for his stunning photos of many celebrities, including Carmen Electra, Pamela Anderson, Anna Nicole Smith, Brooke Burke, Jaime Presley, Eddie Izzard, Shemar Moore, and many others.

Freytag has also appeared on many television shows, such as The Girls Next Door, Good Day LA, Extra, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, and many more.

Currently, he is focused on helping glamour photographers step up their game by being one of the elite photographers who created Shoot The Centerfold. Shoot The Centerfold is where Arny Freytag joined forces with Jarmo Pohjaniemi, Byron Newman, and Ric Moore, all of whom are very successful and highly respected photographers.

I am honoured to share this interview with you all, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

AVIVA: Have you always wanted to be a photographer or did you have other career aspirations when you were younger?
ARNY FREYTAG: No, I started out as an Art Major first and then I stumbled into photography. I've been doing art since I was 5 years old and my mother was an artist. I realized I was much better at photography than I was at art.

AVIVA: And how did you stumble into photography? Did you have someone introduce you to it, or did you just one day pick up a camera and try it?
AF: I had to take a minor subject in art school, and I didn't want to do pottery or sculpture, and photography was another option that was offered. So I thought, "OK, I will try it." Then, I just fell in love with it immediately. I became a teacher assistant for the first six months, and really fell in love with it. After that, my art sort of faded into the background. Because I studied art for so long, I have a good understanding of light, composition, and shadows that a lot of guys don't know unless they studied art.

Unless you studied art, you don't know how light created texture, and shape, and form. I believe my understanding of light made a drastic difference in my career. Once you understand it, you can create the images you want.

AVIVA: I believe that this really is the difference between someone who knows what they are doing and someone who doesn't.
AF: It very much is. That's very true. I think what's happening now, while I do a lot of seminars, is I see so much reliance on Photoshop that the art form is truly going away. There are not a lot of people out there that really know light and composition because those things can be fixed on the computer now; it becomes almost like a cartoon more than anything else.

AVIVA: I see that. Now would you say that magazines prefer more of a natural look as opposed to the "over-retouched" look?
AF: Yeah, I think they came full circle around for a couple of reasons. All the modeling agencies have what they call "Polaroids" and when you click on that you see the girls without make-up and without Photoshop, and that's the real person you are getting. You are not getting the one that is Photoshopped and retouched to death so the agencies don't want to fool the photographer into thinking that the girl looks one way when she looks nothing like that. So that's why the untouched photos are provided. I think a lot of magazines are starting to do that because there was a huge lawsuit in England against Lancome where they lost millions of dollars on an ad campaign where they were selling an anti-wrinkle cream and it was all Photoshopped. The government then said, "That's false advertising, the cream didn't do it-your retouchers did". If you Photoshop the wrinkles out, the cream didn't do it-the computer did it.

So I think you will start seeing more truth in advertising because you can get sued for false advertising.

The other thing is, National Geographic does not do retouching at all. They got caught once on a cover and say that they will never do it again. 

So, I am all for not retouching. Most of my work is not retouched. I don't use body make-up either.

We got to shoot centerfolds with an 8 by 10  box camera.

AVIVA: Could you explain what an 8 by 10 camera is?
AF: It's a camera that has been around the longest. It is nothing more than a box with a lens on one side and a place where you put your film on the other side. The film is 8 by 10 inches. It's a camera they used in the civil war; it's a big box camera. We don't use it anymore, but we shot centerfolds with that for 30 years because it provided us with the best image quality possible and there was nothing better than that. Now it's digital, but in film days that was the best we had. They were never designed for people because you can't move at all, and if a person moves even a quarter inch the image will be out of focus. So it was a very difficult camera to operate, but the quality was unbelievable. We spent days lighting, and posing, and working on wardrobe to make the image flawless because we didn't have Photoshop; it didn't exist. We had to get a perfect image and we did it in camera.

Photoshop) but myself, I don't retouch my pictures at all. They retouch some of the covers once in a while, but really what you see is what you get with me. The other guys, I can't speak for.

AVIVA: That's amazing because there are people who say "if you can't work in Photoshop, then you won't succeed as a photographer", but then there is you and you are living proof that they are wrong.
AF: I believe in pure photography. I don't like Photoshop.

AVIVA: How did you feel about having Ken Marcus as a mentor?
AF: He is an incredibly good teacher. He is the most open and honest person I have ever met. He is never afraid to share secrets. Ken is very detailed and without him I would have never entered Playboy. I would have never got to where I am without Ken.

Ken is meticulous about detail.

AVIVA: Would you say that he is one of the best you ever met?
AF: As my mentor he made a huge difference in my career. I learned lighting and posing from Ken, which you can't learn in school. No one really teaches posing in school, especially the type of posing needed for glamour and centerfold photography.

He is still a very good friend of mine.

AVIVA: What personal achievement are you most proud of?
AF: There are a few things. One is having the most centerfolds ever published and I did a pictorial of an Olympian years ago. We had I think 8 or 9 Olympians and they said that they wanted me to do a coffee table type book, like an art book. They said, "Don't think Playboy, think outside the box". They just gave me the crew and sent me off. It was so nice to have the freedom and not have to please the editor.

AVIVA: What piece of advice could you give to a photographer who aspires to shoot for Playboy?
AF: I think the main thing is try to shoot in their style but do not copy me. You know, they already have me, but they do work within a parameter, so shoot that style without copying me. Do something unique and different but not too far from what they have.

AVIVA: Good to know. I guess the other thing is "don't give up and just keep submitting"?
AF: I'm not going to say that because usually you get one shot at this. The editor will look at your work and decide if they want to use you or not but he is not going to change his mind next month.

Going back to the Olympians...Christie Hefner actually sent me a letter saying "Thank you for taking Playboy to an entirely different level". The New York Times also had an article about me where they said "Wow, Playboy is now shooting Olympians", but then after that they said that Freytag took it to an entirely different level. It was very classy, and different from the Playboy look. Christie also really appreciated it.

AVIVA: What do you feel is the most critical success factor in a glamour model?
AF: I think the desire and the drive to make it happen but also the look (the face and the figure) are important. Obviously, that's what you are selling, that's your instrument. What I see is that girls who want to be a Pam Anderson or Carmen Electra don't put the effort into making it happen. They just want to stand in front of the camera and say, "Well, make me a star". It takes work and practice. You have to practice your facial expressions, your body positions, know your face, know your body, know your angles. Women like Pam and Carmen study and practice in front of the mirror constantly. They know exactly what works and what doesn't work. When they come to a shoot, they can contribute because they know what works and what doesn't. When you shoot a girl like that or a fashion model, you just turn the camera on and walk away. Once the lighting is done, you can just walk away because they move on their own. However, glamour models and Playmates, some of whom have never posed before, they are complete amateurs.

Did you know that?

AVIVA: No, not particularly. I didn't expect to hear that, actually, they are mostly amateurs. So, usually they are first time posers?
AF: Yes. It's their first time posing, and they are nude. There's a lot of pressure and nerves. It's pretty intense because here they are: their one chance at Playboy, they are at a studio in Los Angeles, they are staying at the mansion, they meet Hef, and the next thing they know they are in the studio with me and my crew, and it's very intimidating. It's quite an eye-opening experience. I mean it's up to me to get the girls to move, do the expressions, and make them look sexy and all that, but I do tell them to go home and learn their face and their body by looking in the mirror and seeing what works. A lot of times they don't. What I see with a lot of these amateur glamour types is that they don't try enough. They think, "Oh, I'm a pretty girl I will just stand there and look great", but that's not enough. You have to contribute to the party. Don't come to a photoshoot without ever practicing. You need to know what works with your face, your expressions, your smile, your body shape.

AVIVA: What do you personally look for in a model for any of your workshops?
AF: Well, the models at my workshops are basically Playmates. I have worked with them so I know them pretty well, and I know what works and what doesn't work when I shoot with them. As far as the other models, I like to work with someone that wants to be there, not a girl who just wants attention, but a girl who wants to look her best. I am looking for someone who practices, who knows her body, and her face, and who really wants to contribute to the shoot.

AVIVA: Do you think that there is only one body type that is suitable for glamour modeling or are there various ones?
AF: I work with all different kinds of body types. I'm not really a big boob or small boob guy, and I don't really care about that. It's really the face I look at first. You have to have a great face and the body comes second.

AVIVA: I think that the first thing people look at when they look at the picture is the face. Then, if the face is not good, then they are not going to look at anything else. Is that correct?
AF: I think so too. Yeah, I agree.

AVIVA: Do you pre-visualize your photos or do you put the components together as you go?
AF: I absolutely pre-visualize everything. I don't like surprises and I don't hope that something is going to happen because it won't, unless you set it up. There are many people who go out, trying to make "magic happen" but they don't know what they are doing. Magic won't happen unless you set the stage for it. You have to create it. By pre-visualizing, you set that up and you set the stage for success. I always have an idea before I go into the studio.

AVIVA: When you have an idea, do you also have plans for make-up and wardrobe as well?
AF: Yeah, we all have a meeting about everything before we go to a shoot. We plan all that stuff way ahead of time. You can't just go to a shoot hoping that something good will happen.
AVIVA: Which photographers inspire(d) you and why?
AF: Well, I've been at this a long time so they are much older. Victor Skrebneski from Chicago. He does really dramatic lighting and his pictures are very sensual. I really like the dramatic look.
Richard Avedon is another one. He had an incredible sense of style and movement. He also had a fantastic ability to project a person's personality in a photograph. His portraits weren't just portraits, they were statements about the person. Another guy is David Hamilton. He is an English photographer and he was the guy who invented soft focus. David has a romantic, dream-like kind of quality about his images, which I think is very pleasant.

AVIVA: Could you tell me more about Shoot the Centerfold for those readers who may not have heard of it?
AF: It's an educational based website where we are trying to teach very specific techniques for achieving the Playboy look and glamour photography. We host seminars, workshops, and we have DVDs coming out soon, and we also have posing guides to help people learn poses.

AVIVA: Great. Are any of them going to be online for people to look at?
AF: Yes, the posing guides are available now, and the DVDs will be available shortly.

It's a very unique field because the models that I use haven't posed before, so they need help on how to pose their body, as well as what to do with their legs and arms. When I'm on set, I generally have to tell the girls "do this with your left arm, do that with your right arm, move your legs this way, etc". I'm very specific about what I want and a lot of them just don't know. Many amateur models don't know what to do with their hands, and wrong hand position can make you look awkward.

AVIVA: Do you have any additional comments?
AF: You have to have your heart and soul into this. You can't go into this half-heartedly. It's not a part time job. You have to have passion.
AVIVA: Would you say that that's true for both models and photographers?
AF: Absolutely. I think it's true for anything you do in life. Every successful person has reached their level of success because of passion. It's not a job where you work 9-5 then go home and eat pizza and watch TV.
I feel very very fortunate to be able to do what  I am passionate about.
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And I feel very fortunate to be able to interview such amazing and talented people like Arny Freytag. In case you missed it in the introduction, here is his WEBSITE.

(I recently read an interview with Arny by Digial Photo Pro, and it appears like we did the interview around the same time.)

I wish Arny continuous success in his career, and I am sure that we will all see many more Playboy covers and pictorials from him.

Aviva :)

"Skyscaper" by Demi Lovato

I really like this song "Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato. It's part of her 2011 album 'Unbroken'. I think that some of the "not so great" things that Demi Lovato has been through when she was younger have played a major part in the lyrics of the song.

I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do.




Aviva

Lady Gaga: Born This Way Video

There is something about Lady Gaga that makes me want to watch her videos over and over.
Maybe it is her fashion sense, or maybe her music is just fun to listen to.

What I like about her though is her extra-ordinary sense of style. She is not afraid to stand out and wear something so "out there" that people can't help but watch.

So, I hope that you enjoy her video "Born This Way" as much as I do.

The album is also called Born This Wayin case if you want to look it up.

Courtnall Red Carpet Gala arrivals July 23, 2011 (Part 2)

Hi!

Welcome to Part 2 of the Courtnall Red Carpet Gala arrivals in Victoria, BC in front of the Empress Hotel. :)

I am excited to share these photos with you.

The reason I separated these images into 2 parts is so that you don't have to scroll as much to go through the photos.

By the way, you can see part 1 and more info about the event/my experience there by clicking HERE.

(Images copyright of Ian Simpson/IMS FotoGrafix 2011)

Cheers!!
A.

Courtnall Red Carpet Gala arrivals July 23, 2011 (Part 1)

Yes, I know I should have posted these earlier, but a few things had to be taken care of first before I could post more blog posts.

It was such a great event, and I was very happy to be there. The ladies on the red carpet looked absolutely stunning! They definitely would inspire any young fashionista out there.

I was assisting Ian in trying to get the best shots of the celebrities on the red carpet by the Victoria Empress Hotel. The Empress Hotel always has great events going on. The gala was followed by the Courtnall Celebrity Classic tournament. The Courtnall Brothers put on this tournament and the gala to help raise funds to improve the quality of life and care for mental health patients. You can read more about their cause  HERE.

Some of the people that were present at this event include: Aaron Pritchett, Manny Malhotra, Willie Mitchell, Candace Cameron Bure, Geoff Courtnall, Bruce Courtnall, Russ Courtnall, Greg Adams, Valeri Bure, Don Felder, Kathrin Nicholson, Lochlin Munro, Jennifer Finnigan, and Jonathan Silverman.


We rushed over there thinking it was going to be at 4:30, but apparently it didn't start until 6pm, so we had enough time for beef burritos at La Fiesta Cafe (AMAZING by the way..just so you know if you're in Victoria this is a great place to eat..1001 Douglas Street).

Enjoy the photos below. :) (Images copyright of Ian Simpson/IMS FotoGrafix)

Yes, come back for part 2!

Iman by Markus Klinko & Indrani

Today, while browsing around on Facebook, I couldn't help but notice Markus & Indrani's latest creation in my news feed: this photo of Iman for the London Times Magazine (July 2011). It was styled by GK Reid, who I think is, and has always been, a great addition to their team of photographic excellence.

The colours of this photo are perfect. They all go so well together. Everything from the hair to the make-up, to the wardrobe and lighting is amazing in this photo. Her dress is very beautiful and elegant, not to mention that it showcases her figure in great light.

Want to see more great stuff?

~Visit Markus & Indrani's WEBSITE

~Become their fan on Facebook

~Follow Markus on Twitter

~Follow Indrani on Twitter

**Yes, this image was posted here with Markus Klinko's permission**

Markus Klinko & Indrani Ace Daphne Guinness Shoot for The London Sunday Times

Earlier this month, I interviewed New York photographer Markus Klinko. In his interview, Markus stated that he and Indrani (his creative partner) shot Daphne Guinness for The London Sunday Times.

Daphne Guinnes is a beautiful fashionista/couture collector from London. She is the heiress of the Guinness Beer fortune. She is well known for her couture clothing collection, and for being a prominent fashion icon.

When Markus told me about the collaboration with Daphne Guinness, I knew right away that they were going to come up with something great. Markus & Indrani are well-known for their iconic celebrity images and spectacular photo spreads in the world's biggest magazines. (You can read more about Markus & Indrani on their WEBSITE)


Why do I love the image above? First, the image is perfectly composed with Daphne's face right at the point of interest (rule of thirds). Second, the subtleness of the Gothic architecture makes this such a great choice of location, that it's very hard not to keep staring at the photo. I definitely love the choice of wardrobe, which is incredible, especially because of the way it leads the viewer to the main point of interest in the shot. The lighting is perfect and even throughout the whole image.


Why do I love the image above? First off, the concept is cool and very interesting. Although I am not a big fan of snakes, I think that the snake adds an element of uniqueness in the shot. As usual, the image is perfectly composed and evenly lit. I love her outfit in this shot as well.


Above: Directed by Indrani is a short, ~one minute film, called A Tribute to the Spirit of Alexander McQueen starring Daphne Guinness. It features fashions of Alexander McQueen, Genghis Khan, Gareth Pugh, Philip Treacy, New York Vintage, Bess and Fred Leighton.

You can also visit Markus & Indrani's Facebook Page, Indrani's Twitter, and Markus' Twitter

(**Images courtesy of Markus & Indrani and have been posted here with permission**)

Interview with New York Celebrity Photographer Markus Klinko

Markus Klinko is a very talented, extremely innovative celebrity photographer based in New York. He is creative partners with Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri. Together, they have created unique, iconic images that have great impact on the viewer.



In addition to photographic perfection, Markus Klinko and Indrani, along with fashion stylist GK Reid, are now the stars of Double Exposure, a syndicated TV docu-series which follows their work with celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, Dita Von Teese, stars of 90210 and Gossip Girl, supermodels Naomi Campbell, Mark Vanderloo, and Esquire's "2010 Sexiest Woman Alive", Sports' Illustrated cover model Brooklyn Decker, as well as well-known fashion designers, magazine editors, and other high-profile members of the fashion/show business industry. Although Double Exposure was initially produced by Bravo in the United States, it has been picked up literally all around the world.

Check out this clip!


The duo have been featured in E News! Access Hollywood, Extra, Inside Edition, Larry King Live, In Style, People, MTV, USA Today, New York Magazine, New York Post, Huffington Post, Winnipeg Free Press, Washington Post, OK! Life and Style, In Touch, Perez Hilton, Just Jared, OUT, Cosmopolitan, American Photo, Harper’s Bazaar, Slate, LA Times and many more.

Some of their celebrity subjects include Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige, Kate Winslet, Katie Holmes, Eva Mendes, Anne Hathaway, Will Smith, Elijah Wood, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Keanu Reeves, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Val Kilmer, Serena Williams, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. Their commercial clients include Hugo Boss, Shiseido, L’Oreal Paris, Elizabeth Arden, Pepsi, Nike, Puma, Pantene, Baume-et-Mercier, Anna Sui, and De Beers.

Markus was born in Switzerland and had a great career as one of the world's top classical harp soloists. He traveled the world as a musician and released award-winning albums for EMI Classic. For his amazing musical talent, he received “Grand Prix du Disque”, which is the European equivalent of a Grammy.

I have been a huge fan of Markus' amazing work for a long time, and it is my honour to have been lucky enough to interview him for this feature. I am excited and delighted to share Markus' insights with you.



AVIVA: What photographers inspired you, or what inspires you as a photographer?
MARKUS KLINKO: You know, there's really only one big name that comes to mind in terms of who inspired me a lot. It was definitely Helmut Newton. I think that his work, which is mainly from the 70's and from the 80's, is really amazing.Every photo that is taken by Newton that I look at is absolutely amazing. With contemporary photographers, I like a lot of people's work here and there, but it's all hit and miss...You know, I look at somebody's work and then I like this, but then I don't like something else. So I would say that Helmut Newton is unbelievable inspiration.

In your question, you're absolutely right to ask what else inspires us, and I have to say it's mainly not photography, it's mainly other things that inspire our photography, like movies, pop culture in general. For instance, we worked with Lady Gaga, and she's on the show, and I think that she is great inspiration. It's great to follow her career, and I love working with her.

It can also be paintings from the 15th century, so it's pretty random, and we can get inspired by a lot of different things. I mean I can meet a gorgeous girl and get very inspired. So it's not just one thing or the other.

You could almost say life itself is inspiration for our photography, and we certainly don't want to shoot the same pictures someone else is shooting. That's another reason why we don't really follow trends, we create our own trends. Having our own TV show also helps, because, of course, so many more people are able to watch it.



AVIVA: Do you previsualize your photos or do you put all your components together as you go?
MK: Again, the answer is not one or the other, it's really both. There is always a plan and a concept, but as we arrive on a shoot, or in a location, or a studio we are very open to the idea to adapt to opportunities and get more inspired from the celebrities or the designers we work with. It's really a mixture of the two.

AVIVA: What achievement are you most proud of?
MK: That I've had a career as a classical musician at first. I was actually a classical concert harpist and I recorded for EMI Classic and had a completely different life traveling the world, playing concerts, and making recordings. Seventeen years ago, due to a hand injury, I decided to become a photographer, to stop performing, and change careers completely. So I think that one of the things that I am the most proud of is that I equally love music and photography, and I'm very excited that I've been able to have great careers at both, which is a blessing. So now, to add the third dimension of television aspect... I'm very proud that I've been able to go from music to photography and now have a worldwide television show built out of that. I look forward to the next projects to equally be versatile and not repeat myself, and the new challenges that come along. We are now starting to direct videos and commercials as well; mainly Indrani is doing that, but it adds to our scope of what we are doing.



AVIVA: Could you tell me more about Double Exposure and what made you decide to star in the show with Indrani?
MK: Double Exposure really is a comedy. People look at it as a reality show but it's a television drama. It's real and all the shoots that you see are real but then it's still television, so there is a little bit of self-parody in it. When we filmed this show, we wanted people to laugh and be entertained. We were definitely highlighting the drama, and it is definitely not meant to be taken seriously as a documentary; it's entertainment.
What happened over the years as we developed as photographers, we got asked a bunch of times to be on certain shows. Like when they started America's Next Top Model, they asked us to be the main photographer on the show, and we didn't feel it was right so we turned it down. As reality television culture developed, because 10 years ago there really was no good quality reality TV, but it developed and became so much better and more exciting. Over the years, as people saw us working together as a team, Indrani and myself, being an ex-couple, and being quite passionate about what we do, a lot of people started saying to us "You guys are like a walking reality show; you should have your own TV show". Little by little we started thinking that it is a good idea, and coincidentally Bravo executives were thinking of having a photography show, and they tried out a few big name photographers and they didn't find anybody quite right for TV, and one day we met them and it was kind of like a match made in heaven. So after months of negotiations back and forth, it was decided that Double Exposure was a go-ahead.



AVIVA: What is the most common trait that you see in new and up & coming models?
MK: It's a good question. I would actually add another element to this whole model issue is that we have seen the era of the supermodels back in the 80s and 90s...We had Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and all those supermodels. Then, we seen a very long period of over 10 years where celebrities took over fashion completely. We seen many covers of magazines, and advertising campaigns, including cosmetics, all being done by celebrities, actresses, musicians, and for a long time models have almost disappeared from the first level of fashion exposure. I personally believe we are going to see a change again.I think that we are coming back into a phase now where models will be much more at the forefront again. I think that right now we have had several years where there were not many recognizable models; a girl would do one or two campaigns, or a cover or something, and their careers didn't last. I think that we are going to go back to the more iconic and more new stars popping out. Hopefully, they are not going to be as skinny, and as bony as some of the girls in the past. Personally, I'm a big critic of skinny, anorexic models on the runway. I think that girls should be feminine and have bodies, and have shape. I don't think that girls should be 6 feet tall and weight 80 lbs, to me it's really not that attractive.

AVIVA: What do you believe they should be like?
MK: I think that they should be curvy, and comfortable in their skin. I mean if somebody is skinny naturally that's one thing, but what I'm very much against is women starving themselves and being unnaturally anorexic, when it's not their body type. I'm looking at some of our favorite subjects that I've ever shot, like say Britney Spears, Eva Mendes, or even Lindsay Lohan, women with curves. I mean, especially Britney is a great example. She is not very tall, and her body type would never be accepted by a modeling agency, she could never be with a major fashion agency, but I find that body type so much more attractive. So I hope that the models of the future will be more sexier, rounder and not so anorexic.



AVIVA: What do you feel is the biggest challenge when setting up and working on a shoot?
MK: It's so specific to each shoot. There is not really a rule; there are some shoots where the challenge is the time, another time it's to not go over budget, and yet another time it might be a celebrity who has a schedule that's very very tight, they come in for only an hour so we have to be ready exactly at the right time. I really think that there is not a single challenge that's the same, but there is never a shoot where there is no challenge. I would say it varies.

AVIVA: Do you have any funny/crazy/weird photoshoot experience that stands out to you and you would like to share?
MK: I'd say that most of our photoshoots are fun and high-energy. I mean, there has been a lot of different fun moments. For instance, it was very fun when I shot Ciara; she's a great dancer, and at one point we were playing some Michael Jackson during the photoshoot, and she started to dance. I was behind the camera and I was dancing behind the camera a little bit too. Then she came and grabbed me and said "Let's dance"; we started doing this dance and it was so unexpected. Here I was dancing with Ciara, who is probably one of the world's best dancers, and it was 90 seconds of total fun.

Sometimes the funniest people on television or in the movies, when they are in a photoshoot, they are not funny at all. We had a shoot with Chris Rock, which was one of the most difficult shoots, because he doesn't really like to be photographed. I love him as a comedian and as an actor, he was really nice, but he just didn't like to be photographed in general.

Other people, like Keanu Reeves for instance, they are so easy. Keanu, to photograph him, is like effortless because he has such great angles, he's a tall guy, almost as tall as I am and I'm 6'4". Every frame looks great, we shot for a short time, and it was great. There is always something surprising for sure.

AVIVA: What are some of your upcoming projects/campaigns that we should be on the lookout for?
MK: The problem with being a photographer is that we are not really allowed to talk about new things until they come out. One thing I can mention though, is that we have just shot Daphne Guinness. She is probably the world's number one fashionista, she is a very famous London socialite; she was the muse of Alexander McQueen, and Tom Ford, and she has personally developed an amazing collection of couture clothes. She is the heiress of the Guinness Beer fortune and we shot her for the London Sunday Times and that's going to come out really soon. That will be on our website as soon as it comes out, and it is one of the best photos we have ever done.

AVIVA: Who is your favorite musician?
MK: Well, now I don't listen to classical music as much anymore; it's not that I lost interest. Classical music for me was the most fun when I was playing it myself. Just listening to classical music doesn't hold my interest as much these days. I am interested in pop and pop culture in general. I do love Lady Gaga very much, and I like a lot of the trends in new music, but I like rock as well, and some 80's bands, 80's metal bands. I like Whitesnake for instance. I have quite a broad spectrum of musical tastes. I love Sharde, and I like Spanish music as well. There is a beautiful Spanish album by Jennifer Lopez, we actually shot the cover for it. Spanish music is very romantic.

AVIVA: Would you be OK with a Proust Questionnaire?
MK: I've never done one before, but yes we can try that.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Proust Questionnaire is a form of interview devised by Marcel Proust. A version of the Proust Questionnaire is used by James Lipton, the host of the TV program 'Inside the Actors Studio'. I thought it would be very cool to try this interview style on Mr. Klinko.

AVIVA: What is your favorite word?
MK: Love

AVIVA: What is your least favorite word?
MK: Hate

AVIVA: What is your favorite food?
MK: Avocado

AVIVA: What is your least favorite food?
MK: Snails

AVIVA: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
MK: I would be a manager or a publicist

AVIVA: What profession would you not like to do?
MK: I wouldn't want to be a soldier

Check out Markus Klinko & Indrani's portfolio by clicking HERE, become their fan on FACEBOOK, and follow Indrani's Twitter and Markus' Twitter

I look forward to continue following Markus & Indrani's careers, and seeing all the great images they will continue to produce.

Aviva

**Images on this page have been submitted by Markus Klinko, and published here with his permission.**

Harrison Ford: Imperfect Hero...Reflection and review

A couple of days ago, I finished reading the biography of one of the most successful film actors in Hollywood, Harrison Ford. The book was written by Garry Jenkins, an entertainment journalist, who worked very hard to research everything about the actor. Garry Jenkins conducted hundreds of interviews with Harrison's colleagues, friends, and family. He went above and beyond in describing Harrison's tough road to success.

I believe that this is a must-read for anyone who would like to pursue acting because this book describes Harrison's reality as an actor before he was famous. He went from being rejected by his peers at school, to broke actor who couldn't get representation to one of Hollywood's biggest A-Lister's who ever lived.

His movies have sold more tickets and made more money than any other actor in movie history.

Harrison's road to success was the farthest thing from easy, and people would be foolish to believe that acting is an easy road to fame and money.

A few lessons that I would like to take away from reading this book that can benefit aspiring actors are:
~It takes years to prove to someone that you are worthy of being renowned for your acting. It takes VERY hard work and dedication to succeed in the movie/show business, including facing one rejection after another and still having the courage to continue to audition while perfecting your craft.

~You must want to act because you LOVE acting, and not because you want fame and money. VERY few actors, unless they are very lucky, ever get A-list status, or even make enough to live on. When Harrison first started pursuing acting, he was broke, rejected and struggled to find enough money to pay mortgage and feed his family.

~Sometimes you have to be picky with what projects you choose to take part in. For example, when Harrison was starting out, although broke and out of work, he did not take part in projects that could undermine his reputation as someone who is serious. He did not take part in commercial acting, although it paid good money, because he believed that doing so would prevent the serious movie people from taking him seriously.

~The completed project that you think will fail might end up being a hit with the public.

~Those who are worthy of fame are usually the ones who do not want the fame/media attention. In the book, he said that "being normal is kind of a victory". The only time he wanted to be covered by the press was when he had a movie to sell, but not any other time.

~You should only contribute to charities because you genuinely care and want to help. Although Harrison Ford donated millions of dollars to worthy causes, he did NOT use his philanthropy as a publicity stunt. In fact, he kept quiet about it.

If you would like your own copy of Harrison Ford: Imperfect Hero, you can purchase it HERE

Some quotes from the book that I liked:
"My job is not to show you that the character and I have something in common. My job is to show you that you and the character-even one who may seem a little crazy-have something in common"-Harrison Ford to American critic Gene Siskel (pg. 250).

"He is very strong; he has a lot of determination and doesn't quit"-Steinfeld said [about Harrison Ford] (pg. 264).

"The only reasonable place to be a movie star is on the set where you can use it to control your own destiny, and that's its only use"-Harrison Ford(pg. 316)

Of course, there are many, many more, but I won't completely ruin the book for you.


Happy Reading!
~Aviva