Soft

Photo by: Cadence McCarrell 

I tend to do "hard" shoots. When I say that, I mean more "edgy" "funky""dark" or "punky" shoots.  It isn't as though I don't HAVE a softer side, but I naturally gravitate toward that look...so when finding outfits, that's what I pick first.   And since, at this point 99.9% of the time, I supply my own clothing, that is what gets shot ( I would LOVE to do a latex shoot...unfortunately I worry about reaction as I do have a mild allergy to it...ending up broken out and itchy, isn't really worth it, unless I am making a lot of money.... and even then, it would be iffy)
I ,of course, am open to other clothing, especially sponsorship...don't hesitate to contact me.
I am constantly trying to stretch, so when I found this dress, I immediately bought it...I am glad I did.  I tried to run with the softness of the dress with hair and makeup....I think I pulled it off .

Space Chair and Grumpy Cats

Photo by Cadence McCarrel

Somebody once said ( I forget who) Never work with babies or animals.  I learned why today during a fun shoot with Cadence Mccarrell .  ( or at least the difficulties of working with cats- Working with horses or other animals may be much easier, I will find out soonish. )
Trying to shoot with my own cats, who are friendly, loving ,purring, and snuggling most of the time. When trying to pose became squirming,grumpy things that only struggled to be put down.... then when put down, wandering around and getting in shots at floor level.  Despite pets and treats and hugs, they were having none of it.

Ah well,we gave it our best shot ( and I think got some really good images despite it.)    

Need

Photo by: Michael Barton Art

What do I need,you may ask?  I NEED more paying gigs.  I am doing my best to get "out there" but I need to work.  Lets be honest, the recession hit EVERYBODY hard... no question. And me,well I was one of the 99rs.... yup,one of the ones that lost a job ( Kitchen and Bathroom/ Interior design, if you are interested) because the small company I worked for, couldn't afford me full time....then they couldn't afford me part time,then they couldn't afford me at all,before going out of business totally.  So I applied for other design jobs ( few and far between) I applied for retail jobs, admin jobs,fast food jobs.  I sent out applications every single day. In that 99 weeks of unemployment I got exactly 5 interviews.  Sad huh? But certainly not unusual.  I did manage to get a very part time job with a friend that is a chiropractor. ( 4-10 hours a week) And I still work every once in a while for him, when he needs me.  I used up all my unemployment insurance, and racked up more bills than I like to think about....and now that I am working MORE steadily,I am doing my darndest to get them paid down ( hard slog, that...missing out on lots of stuff I would LOVE to do,places I would LOVE to go...but that is life)

So now, I am working regularly as an art model, traveling all over the Chicagoland area,and totally enjoying it.  But lets face it... I need more.more art gigs,more photography gigs...a girl has gotta pay the bills,you know ?

I know that I do not fit the shape, the age, the look of what everyone needs / wants. I TOTALLY get that.  But for anyone looking for a mature ( emotionally as well) tattooed( they don't HAVE to show, depending on wardrobe) easy going, hard working, consistent model that can  hold a pose, do my own hair and makeup when needed  and won't give you the diva attitude, ( always willing to listen and work with you) I am the one you want ... contact me! Don't wait!  ( shameless self promotion? Absolutely...somebody has to! LOL)

Lightbulbs and prom dresses

Photo by: Michael Barton Art 

Photoshop

Photo by: Michael Barton Art

 There is always quite a bit of chatter about the "evils" of Photoshop.  But what many people forget is that Photoshop is much more than  making someone thinner or taller or whatever.  It is about changing backgrounds,it is about color correcting, or fixing lighting,it is about fixing stray hair,or getting rid of under eye circles or a zit, it is about getting rid of wrinkles in clothing.
Photo retouching is NOT a new thing,it has been around almost as long as photography has...except in the past, it was done by hand. They would tint photos, fix issues and what have you.
( Amusing family story... My Great Grandfather ( step) only had one eye, (as he had been kicked by a mule when young) he didn't wear a patch,just had an area of smooth skin where the eye used to be.  At my Uncles wedding in the 60's, he of course, was in many of the pictures , as was expected of the grandfather of the groom.  The photographer, hadn't really bothered to ask or had not spoken directly with Grandpa Clark, and had a bit of a freak out when the negatives came back.  He thought something had gone very wrong with his camera ( not really thinking it through that it only happened to this one specific person)  and very carefully, in every picture Grandpa Clark was in, drew in his missing eye.  When Grandpa Clark saw them,he smiled, and laughed, and said something like "Huh! That"s what I look like with two, handsome fellow!"  )

Photo by: Mike Jones MYK Productions

      These two pictures here are  good example of color saturation as well as overall smoothing. Photoshopped image is the top one)   Photoshop can fix makeup issues ( or add makeup where there is none   )   It really can do a great deal, though most photographers would prefer that as much as possible is  done " in camera" before Photoshop gets involved,but some things just aren't possible, that is real life. Photoshop is just a tool,and used well it is a good one. When people talk about using un Photoshopped pictures in magazines,I don't know if they realize that even school pictures are shopped, to a certain extent ( that option for "blemish removal"? yes,Photoshop)

And when we talk about fantasy or art photography, Photoshop can be even more involved. Flaming swords and tigers and wings are generally just not practical ( or inexpensive) in real life.  ;)

So just remember, Photoshop can be used with a light touch or a heavy one.  It can be used to manipulate a picture, a background the color of an item of clothing.... it is a tool ,nothing more . And also remember there are people who are artists with it,and those that are not very good at all.
      

Artists

By Tracey Padron EFT Studios

Since most of my money from modeling that comes in ( and my most consistent gigs) comes from Art modeling, just thought I would talk a little about that.

I have met many amazing artists, and recommend you go check out their work., I will try to supply links.

   The above piece was done by Tracey Padron at the Division Street Drawing Guild ( they meet every Thursday in Elgin)  I always love her use of shadows and high lights  , as well as her classical leanings.She is such a vivid, energetic,passionate person.  Her intensity while working always astounds me.

By JacQueline Zemke  

  JacQueline, seems always to be trying something new, and she tends to gravitate toward a wonderful use of color . I get to see her at the Dole Mansion Drawing group in Crystal Lake as well as The Division Street Drawing Guild. She is colorful in real life, not just in her work...it shines from her.

By Piotr Antonow 

And speaking of color, I met Piotr at one of the painting drawing workshops given by the amazing Evanston  Art Center,   All of his portraits are so very vivid. He has a sly sense of humor, and is really fun to work with.

By Chuck Kulma

Chuck is another I met at the Division Street drawing Guild in Elgin.  He does wonderful ,flowing watercolors. Chuck is great guy , mellow, funny  and I always find his work graceful.  


  There are SO very  many more artists that I have met in the 2 or so years I have been doing this ( but I don't have pictures/ examples of all of their works... which makes me sad, I need to be better about getting shots of things- if anybody ( hint, hint) wants to send me shots of finished pieces, I would love to do another version of this post...or make this type of post more regularly to share your art ) All of the people I have had the honor to work with are great people, and always make my work hours go so quickly. Humor,and kindness abound. Sculptors, painters, those working in pencil, pens, pastels. The teachers of workshops and classes, the students and artists.  I truly enjoy my time modeling for them.  It always fascinates me how many versions there are of the same pose , and the same person.It goes beyond just different angles and into truly different styles and approaches to the art itself.  It is truly beautiful to watch.

Submissions

Photo by Blue Note Images

Part of being a "freelance" model is submissions ( although, technically I have been signed by Kingdom Model  talent Agency and The Twisted Agency.  But Kingdom, my local agency deals more with "lifestyle" and commercial type work and Twisted is UK based, and still working on getting really established here in the States. So neither, at this point have gotten me any paid work)

You submit to magazines, you answer e-mails, send packets to casting calls, and you submit to  agencies ( as long as any agencies you are all ready signed with are non-exclusive ones)
I submitted to Inked Magazine to be one of their models as well as sending a packet with pictures and stats and such over to Famous Inked Models today ( which is a branch out of Famous Models) They  specialize in tattoo models, unlike many other agencies, that from what I see, don't quite know what to do with me. ( Which I don't mind, As I myself am not sure what my "nitch" is...though I know there is one!  They are based out of LA, but do bookings all over.  I am hopeful that they will see that there is a market for the older tattoo model, as I am all ready working and booking my own gigs.... but having a big agency might just give me the push I need to really get going.

Econica, a first look

Photo by: Michael Barton
Dress by Econica

So I did my first shoot with a piece of  Econica's clothing line ( this is a piece I had recently ordered from her- not one of the ones she is sending me- which is still a mystery, as to WHAT she is sending me. I am truly antsy to find out- I know I will love anything she does though )
I wanted to do the shoot, to give her a base point, so she could tell me if she wanted anything changed stylistically or  lighting wise. ( or any other way)  Before I got a whole bunch of stuff, and shot. I want her to be happy with the images,and I want them to be usable for her upcoming stand alone website.

So what do you all think?  How is this for an online  catalog ? What changes do you think I should make for the next shoot? By the way, this is her " Long pullover tunic dress with pintucks and asymmetrical hem"     The sleeves are a touch longer than normal, as I like them long.

I am truly excited about this whole prospect.

Summer Bookings

Photo by Michael Barton Art

Summertime is usually when bookings ( at least for me) tend to pick up.  Which makes sense. People can get out of the studio,and if they don't have a studio to work out of,outside is  a good call for a great many types of shoots.

That being said, I am always looking for bookings.  For alternative local  bookings please contact me through this blog ,or though my FaceBook page, at ChristaC1313
For more lifestyle , Editorial or Fashion type shoots please contact my local agency , Kingdom Model Talent Agency at info@kingdomtalentmgmt.com
And international opportunities  ( UK or Europe) (Though keep in mind, I am not able to travel for the most part... so clothing or accessories would have to be sent to me ) Please contact  The Twisted Agency at info@thetwistedagency.com

So far, this summer, the following dates are booked with photographers. ( I have other dates booked for Art / drawing modeling, which do tend to book out, so please don't wait too long, or the summer and nice weather will be over .  That would indeed make me sad)
There are also a couple other concepts that don't have specific dates at the moment, but are going to happen... that would include at the least a Fairy Shoot  and a Tattoo/ Phoenix shoot with another tattooed model.  So again,don't wait!

April 25th-McCarrel Photography-High fashion Cats
May 30th- G&D Studios- Cowgirl and nerd pinup
May 31st- Absinthe Moon Photography- Black Metal Glamour
June 14th- Thom Rouse for The Clothed Image Catalog
June 29th- Larura dark photography- Ethereal Wolf

So if you have an interest in booking something, please contact one of the above e-mails, depending on what your concept/need  is.

Goals

Photo by: Michael Barton Art

It is good to have goals... in life,in business, in anything you do. It gives you that next level to reach for, the next step to take the next direction you need to push for.  I ,for the past 10 months,have kind of been treading water.  Mostly because of the unfinished state of my tattoo. I haven't been PUSHING. I have been doing shoots as they come up, and not really searching for them. I have been doing lots of Art Modeling,because then it is the purely up to the artist at hand if the tattoos are to even be included in the piece. ( not to mention that it is paid)
 
As I look at the tattoo being done in a couple weeks,what ARE my goals for this year? What is my next step.  ( and some of these I have touched on before,but here, I clarify them in my own mind)

1. To be in a print magazine,that can be found in a bookstore or newsstand.  ( or even more than one) A Tattoo magazine, a photography magazine.  Something that anyone could just buy, or subscribe to and have it come in the mail)

2. To be in one of the amazing online magazines, like Dark Beauty, or Giuseppina Magazine that focuses on amazing art photography.

3.To get a cover, of any magazine.  ( I know better than to be picky)

4. To work on more collaborations with clothes designers, accessory designers. I will be working with the amazing Econica very soon, but I want to do more

5.  More paid bookings.  ( MORE is such a nebulous word, what does it mean...for me,MORE is at least one paid shoot a month, every month...maybe even 2) This is, after all how I pay for groceries.  I LOVE TFP type shoots, mostly because it seems that there is more give and take between the photographer and myself, there is more of a willingness to just see where things go. BUT running with what is needed for a specific use, or the photographers vision, or a companies vision, that is good as well.  I need more bookings.

6. Stretch more, explore more,do more that I have not tried before.  Things like underwater photography, wind / motion/ fabric photography, Extreme make up/ body paint photography. Editorial photography, couture photography.... the list goes on of things that I want to try, things I want to do.

Realistically, will  all of this happen this year? Probably not, but if they don't, they roll over to next year, and if they do... well then ,I have to set higher goals for myself !  

  

Can you hack it?

Photo by: Michael Barton Art

I was reminded again that you need to have thick skin and not take things personally in this business of modeling.  You WILL get ignored, rejected, and sometimes even spoken down to, ( because of course, a model couldn't POSSIBLY have a brain)  or bluntly told that your "look" or your size, or your whatever, is not what is being looked for.  You will get reasons from age, to height to tattoos ( too many, not enough, not in the right spots)  Picture quality, style, retouching..... all of it. There will always be a myriad of reasons for you or your work  being rejected.  Or they will just not bother to respond at all .  Many will let this get to them, let it drag on them, and let it become some sort of editorial about their "worthiness" to be a model, or for some, even more sadly , even to exist.

You simply CAN NOT let it get to you.  You can make the choice either to keep going, or to give up if you can't handle it....but don't keep on doing it ,if it is going to contribute to  you being  miserable.... nothing is worth that. Trust me.

And trust me as well... it doesn't matter how thin, how tall, how big your boobs are or aren't, what styles you work in or don't work in...It WILL happen ...on more than one occasion, most likely fairly frequently.  I bet even Kate Moss or Cindy Crawford has ad campaigns tell them on occasion, that they aren't what  is being looked for.  This is part of the life.... if it isn't something that you can let just roll off your back, then this isn't something you will cope with well.

People  think about, and imagine the glamour  ( really,not so much,unless you count getting to play dress up- which is fun, no doubt) Sometimes call times are unpleasantly early, or late, or during evenings or weekends.  You have to network, network, network. You WILL be exhausted after a long shoot, trust me.  It can be too cold, to hot, wet, messy, dirty and just plain uncomfortable. BUT, you also have a chance to meet WONDERFUL people as Make up artists, designers, photographers ,magazine staffers, other models. Sometimes you get to do things that you would not normally get to ( sit in a vintage plane for example, or get to actually touch a wolf) Sometimes you get to travel.

What I am saying is this... you have to be willing and able to roll with the punches,keep going even with rejection,and keep a good attitude, and retain the ability to laugh the entire time....

This is a big part of being a model... it isn't just standing there a looking pretty. Your internal emotional landscape has to be able to cope as well.

   

Dragon and Phoenix.

Photo by: Michael Barton Art

Everyone wants to take pictures ( or draw or paint or sculpt ) my new tattoo..... Frequently as a close up.  I will take that to mean that it is a good one! ( I am happy with it,that is for sure)
April 29th, I go for ( in theory) the last session on it. After 10 or so months, 20 or so hours and over $3000.00 it will be done.  ( a good tattoo artist, is TOTALLY worth that kind of money, no question) I could have bought a motorcycle for that ....but I made the choice that I wanted THIS. To represent myself, to represent My husband, to represent our relationship.  And if photographers like to take pictures of it, all the better.

Just Inspiration

I am just going to post this link because these images are amazing lovely, and they inspire me.  Inspire me to get messy, to work even further on my flexibility and strength and inspire me to push even further. ( caution...they are nudes, though no bits are shown) By Ludovic Florent  the "Star Dust" series

Click here to see

Poses

Photo by Michael Barton Art

People always have questions about posing.... how should I do it?  What should I do? What in the world do I do with my HANDS?

It stands to reason that different types of modeling require different poses....though there is one consistent across all types " Suck it in, push it out"  Yup, just what it sounds like... suck in your tummy,push out your chest ( ladies, you may also arch your lower back a bit to accentuate your backside )  We won't get into facial expressions,that is a whole other post.

Because I like to do "arty" and think about lines and angles ( Fine Art Minor, you know), poses tend to be vaguely uncomfortable at the least, and sometimes actually hurt and can only be held for a few moments before a body part cramps up,or gives out.

You may think that is rather brutal...  I do it to myself, my goal is to have interesting, and on a good day , beautiful poses...though a photographer may urge me to push it, and strain more than I am all ready doing, I very, very rarely have one dictate a pose to me.  It helps that I do research for poses, depending on the type or theme of the shoot.  Anyone who says that modeling is just about standing there and looking pretty, isn't working hard enough.

Working out and being in shape and strong ( and yes,there are some bigger girls who are AMAZINGLY strong,so that is NOT a dig about size)   is crucial to the more strenuous poses, and being able to hold them...( and not let it show on your face)

Many poses, that look great as an image...don't even LOOK like they are that strenuous, until you try to do them yourself.....go ahead,put on a pair of heels and then try to copy some poses from magazines ( and not the just standing there ones that are showing off clothes and such) do the more art type ones...the ones where they are draped, folded, twisted or even bending.  See? Not as easy as you thought, huh?

On the subject of hands... to me they should match your body tension....if you are in a very graceful ,soft pose, your hands should match....if  there is tension in your body, your hands should be spread, or up on fingers or in some other way dynamic.Watch a dancer,of any kind, watch the kind of things they do with their hands.... work on emulating that.  

And on that note, I am going to work out .      

Experiments

All photos by Michael Barton Art

Yesterday's photo shoot was experimental  for me and Michael, the photographer, in many ways.

Experiments with light and wind and motion and capturing it all.

The shot with the leaves, we had to figure out how to light it, so there would be shadows....we didn't want to use photoshop, we wanted real time. ( nothing wrong with using photoshop,but that wasn't our goal)  Playing with positioning , figuring out how to get the leaves to fall "right' ( thus the fan) It was a puzzle that took almost 2 hours of back and forth experiment and test to get "right"  The image above is just a quick one... no real editing.... I am anxious to see more .

Then Michael wanted to experiment with multiple light bulbs ( he likes a single one and uses it quite a bit in shoots) he scrounges all over the area for parts to make 13..... and then had to figure out how to hang them.  I think the lights themselves were good....hanging needs to be worked on.  Then playing with settings to deal with ALL that light.  Again that was at least an hour in just set up.

Then I threw another loop,and brought out 3 strings of mini lights, which necessitated more testing and playing and experimenting.

It is a wonderful thing to have someone who is willing to do there own experiments, as well as more than willing to explore someone else s ideas and experiments. I am truly glad that I have found that kind of person in Michael Barton.  We push each other ( though I truly think he pushes me further...but he has been a photographer for far longer than I have been a model.  ) Finding a photographer that turns not only into  a friend, but someone that pushes you creatively...it's rare, and something to be truly grateful for.  

   

Noir

Photo by: Mike Liberacki ( SnackKing) 

Spring, and the White Sox won their opener

Photo by: G & D Studios