There’s some juicy celebrity drama going on relating to the modeling and advertising industry. Ooh… yum.

In the marketing world, many times it is necessary to cast specific types of models for the target market.  In this Old Navy (owned by Gap) advertisement, they chose a model named Melissa Molinaro that looks pretty close to the famous celebrity Kim Kardashian (Bruce Jenner’s stepdaughter, star of the reality TV show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”). She’s not 100% identical to Kim of course, but there are some pretty strong similarities in their features.  Watch it, and see what you think.

The first thing I thought when I saw this Old Navy ad a few months ago… woah, who’s the Kim Kardashian lookalike!?  Then next… wow, they’re even knocking off the Black Eyed Peas pretty hard.  They are a trio, each of different ethnic backgrounds, similar to how the group in the Old Navy commercial was depicted.  Those guys aren’t suing them, though.  To add a bit more of interesting knowledge to the story, I read here that Melissa (the Kim Kardashian lookalike) is dating the real KK’s ex boyfriend, NFL football star Reggie Bush.  Could this have sparked the lawsuit?  Hmm… interesting. Oh, what tangled webs we weave.

We know Kim is a gorgeous model, but is she also a singer, like Melissa? Not that I know of.  Melissa actually has a pretty great video here, and the song is actually decent when it comes to dance/pop standards.  This is not the last we’re going to be seeing or hearing about this woman. Here is the music video for Melissa Molinaro’s song “Dance Floor”.

So that’s our celebrity dish post of the year, most likely.  It’s interesting because underneath it all, it comes down to one model looking similar to another.  Would I personally ever want to do a stock photoshoot with a model that looked almost nearly identical to huge celebrity? Like Lady Gage, Rhianna, Megan Fox, or Shia Lebouf? Probably not.  While it would be incredibly tempting, that might have disaster written all over it.  Stock images get used all over the place, in more applications than you might even expect.  Sometimes marketers will use lookalikes almost deceptively, and stock photographers have no control over how or where the images are going to be popping up. Once celebs and their PR people and agents catch wind of these types of things, it’s sometimes time for them to break out their lawyers.  They’ve got plenty of money to play around with as well.  Let this be a lesson for all of us, even if in the end, Old Navy/Gap still comes out on top.

You can read more about the story here on USA Today.

It’s always fun finding my images in use One of the delights of the stock business. It never gets old.  Back when I was mainly doing graphic design work, laying out ads and editorial spreads, I had a little bit of control over which images I used.  Now, I’m on the other end of the spectrum.  I sell hundreds of microstock images daily, and never know if they are simply laying around on a designer’s hard drive, or actually being used in marketing materials.  Once in a blue moon you will get a nice person that emails you and says, “hey check this out, I used your image in this ____”.  That rarely happens, though.  This advertisement, below, was spotted on the Metro North train by the model herself. Thanks to her, I got to see this cell phone pic.  Model Ellisse was used here in a montage of surprised faces for this poster by Mohegan Sun Casino located in Uncasville, Connecticut. I also noticed another photo belonging to my buddy Jason Stitt (keeweeboy) in the top row, fourth image.

The original photo is found here:

See how shooting a variety of different expressions and poses during a photoshoot can be useful in marketing?  Whenever I work with new models I always explain to them that because we are shooting for stock, their images will be in use and in action in a variety of different places, if they are in fact sold.  The thing is, you never know where they might appear.  We just have to keep our eyes open, and eventually they will show up somewhere.  I’m not sure how doubtful or sure they are that this will happen, but so far the majority of the models that I’ve worked with have been pleasantly surprised to find their photos in use for some incredible tear sheets to add to their modeling portfolios.

We had a recent shoot with a beautiful model recently that I thought I might share.  Let me know what you think. All of the images here will soon be available for licensing on http://arenacreative.com

If you live in the New England or Connecticut area and are in need of Senior portraits, an engagement session, or just a general portrait shoot for your modeling portfolio, please feel free to contact me at the link above.

Celebrities see a lot of cameras in their daily lives.  Usually they’re getting chased around by paparazzi or getting blinded by flashes going off at movie premieres, parties and charity events.  Ever since I started see Ashton Kutcher in the Nikon TV commercials, it made me wonder which celebrities actually know their way around a dslr?

Which super stars enjoy photography as a hobby?  Which prefer getting behind the camera it and not just being in front of it all the time?  Here are a list of all the celebrities (who are also photographers) that I could track down.

#1 Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks is not only one of the world’s greatest supermodels and talk show hosts, but she can also handle her own with a Hasselblad!  You can see her on her show America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) frequently shooting some of the contestants.  Now does she know how to set everything up in the camera settings and lighting?  Who knows, and who cares – she probably just has to worry about pointing and shooting.  Being around the modeling  business for so many years, she has probably absorbed so much photographic knowledge that it just comes naturally to her.  Think about it, don’t most actors usually move towards directing later in their careers?  It seems to be a common trend in models and actors.

#2 Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens told MovieFone in an interview that photography is her favorite hobby. “I think it’s a lot of fun … savoring the moment.  I get to go to all these beautiful places, so it’s nice being able to take pictures of it.”

#3 Drew Carey

Yes sir, Mr. Price is Right himself also shoots sports!  This surprized me a lot.  I’ve always liked Drew Carey as an actor/comedian, now I like him even more.  Drew shoots for the U.S. National soccer team on occasion, and he sells his images under the pseudonym “Brooks Parkenridge”.

#4 Jerry Bruckheimer

We all know Jerry as the fantastic film and tv producer, but he actually started out as a photographer.  His interest in film got him to where he is today, but that’s not to say that the art of photography didn’t help him along on his career path.

#5 Brad Pitt

You might be sick of hearing about Brangelina gossip on shows like TMZ and Extra, but here is an interesting tidbit.  This dude is so much of a photo geek that it has been said that he drives his wife Angelina Jolie insane with it.  Angelina said her hubby Brad Pitt  “has become obsessed with photography and ruminates for hours on how to improve his art”.  Supposedly Brad really geeks out and studies everything about the art and science of photography and imaging.  Hey, I have to give him some credit.  He isn’t pulling the “rich doctor” syndrome.  You know, when highly wealth people buy a Canon 1ds MkIII even though they have no clue what they’re doing with it.  In that case, it’s like they’re walking around with $8000 necklaces.  Brad seems like the type that really geeks out, and for that I have to give him props.  You can read more about his obsession here.

I highly that Ashton was into photography before Nikon decided to use him as their post child.  Hey, I’m not knocking him – I think he’s great as an actor.  Heck, one of my dogs is named after his character on That 70s Show.  I could be wrong, but I can’t find any evidence that he’s a real life photographer aside from his Nikon commercials.

Did I miss anyone?  If you know of any other famous musicians, actors, actresses, athletes, or other celebrities that also love photography, please post them in the comments below! To learn more about top celebs and their other hobbies, check out this great post at NotSoBoringLife

“What is a TFCD Shoot?”

Models that are new to the business often ask me what TFCD means.  TFCD is an acronym for “Time for CD”.  Basically it means an even trade.  My time, a free photoshoot for you worth $200/hr or more, plus all of the edited images on CD in exchange for your modeling.  TFCD sessions are beneficial to myself, the photographer, as well as to the model. I take the photographs, post-process and mail out to you a DVD with your final edited jpegs (high resolution copies that are un-watermarked) so you can make prints or post them in your portfolios online. Often I send the model some of the best shots from the shoot (low res) so they can immediate start posting them on their blog, Facebook, Myspace, or other social networking profiles.

The model signs a model release for me to use the photos for commercial purposes (the release tells the agency that you give us permission to use your photographs).  If I’m fortunate I might make a few bucks off the images we produce in the coming months.  Sometimes the images sell on the sites I upload them to, other times they don’t. It all depends on the model, the theme, the situation, etc. If in fact I do find any of the images of any of my models in use, I immediately forward the finds along to them.  What a great way to get modeling practice, exposure in the industry and to add to your tear sheets! I’m a very busy guy, but I like to do at least few new location shoots per month, if I can.  My schedule is pretty flexible. Contact me for rates.  I am shooting TFCD selectively at the moment; as long as the majority of the shoot is a stock photo concept or commercial lifestyle theme that I can market as stock imagery.

Portraiture is only about 25% of what I produce, as graphics, vector art and other miscellaneous images make up the rest of my portfolio.  I don’t have a need for professionals, although I have worked with many.  Stock photography works great with “real life” non-models, as well.  I have had great success even using family and friends to model for me, so don’t think you need to be a runway model to qualify.  If you live in the New England area of the US (preferably from New York, Connecticut, Massachussets, & Rhode Island) and are just starting out or looking to build your portfolio with some stock themes; by all means, contact me.  I will review your current head shots and let you know if I can be of assistance!  I also can offer huge discounts to my shooting rates when model releases are signed – this includes engagement sessions, senior portraits, family portraits, and more.

Most importantly, a photoshoot should be fun!  I will help you make the most of your time by getting you the most variety of angles, lighting, and themes that we can during the session.  For the most recent samples of our work click here.