We are looking for a variety of people, male and female 20-something party goers, couples, families and senior citizens.  The photos will be used to promote the boat company, Seaway Navigation and Tours.

Compensation is a disk of photos for your portfolio AND a gift certificate for a free boat cruise at a later date.  These guys have really cool cruises, so it’ll be a good time.

Call 315-288-4893 or email shootme@syracusemodeling.com for more information.  Thanks!

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For any of these shoots please contact us by phone 315-288-4893 or email  shootme@syracusemodeling.com Give us the days and times you are most available and we’ll go from there.

First of all, we are looking for some senior citizen models.  We are going  to do a series on grandparents and other older adult issues.  Also needed are children 6-10 years old to play grandchildren for the same shoot.  Compensation is your time for photos on a disk that you can share or print as you’d like.  Here is a quick example:

Second, we need groups of models for a bar BQ picnic shoot.  Let’s go to a park, eat some food, play some ball or something and have fun.  Think Fourth of July and everything that goes with that. 20 something males, females and families all welcome to participate.  This shoot is also TFCD.  (plus good food!)

Thirdly is money issues, bill paying, headaches, relationship problems, health issues – basically anything that would fit “troubles and problems.”  We are looking for mainly adult models who can be very expressive with their faces for this one.  Single models or small groups.

Again, for any of these shoots please contact us by phone 315-288-4893 or email  shootme@syracusemodeling.com Give us the days and times you are most available and we’ll go from there.  Thanks!

~Sarah & Matt

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She actually came to us for some headshots but decided to work for us, too,  so we could give her all her photos for free.  She did a fantastic job and I’m sure we’ll see her face end up somewhere cool.  If anybody ever sees one of these pictures out and about, please let us know.

This was another shoot on my white background.  I’m looking forward to seeing some natural outdoor photos soon.

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Kali is available for modeling work.  If you have a job for Kali, please contact Real People Management .

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I really want a plush WTD stuffed duck!  He needs to sit on my desk and keep my cat company.  LOL

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I didn’t realize that I knew him until I was looking at his Model Mayhem portfolio.  Matt had said that he looked familiar but I really didn’t think anything of it.  Then I saw that he worked for cheapbooks.com and I remembered photographing one of their promotions a couple years ago and a big AHA! came over me.  So, THAT’S where I saw him before!  Small world.

Anyway, check out the photos and let me know in the comments below what you think.  Thanks!

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Billy is putting togther a new website for his business at www.billysfitness.com so if any of you models want to get into the shape of your life, maybe you’d want to give him a call.  His website is still under construction as of April 4th, but it’s getting there.

Yes, we do a lot of our photos over white backgrounds.  I am entirely SICK of our background after such a long winter so there will be something different coming soon.  However, we use the white one so much because designers love them.  Graphic designers can cut the subjects out and place them in any scene they want relatively easily.  I did throw in one “artistic” shot just to make us all happy.  I can do those, too.  Anyway, here they are:

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I took a bit of a break from shooting people these past couple of weeks and started shooting some pets.  It was a lot of fun and I want to thank all the people who brought their fur kids out to me.

I never knew SO MANY people had costumes for their pets.  It’s really kind of odd.  Sometimes the animals like it and sometimes they look like they are about to cry.  They are always cute and mostly funny.

I wanted to mention a couple of animal businesses that I’ve come across since I started this project as well.  Paws & Claws PetCare is an awesome pet sitting service in East Syracuse.  If you are going on vacation and need someone who REALLY loves animals to care for your fur friends in your home, Rachael is the one to go to.  She has experience with dogs, cats, lizards, turtles, birds and probably lots of other creatures that I have no idea about.  I’m going to be using Paws & Claws PetCare when Matt and I go on our next tour.  Contact her at pawsandclawspetcare@yahoo.com

The other business that I worked with is Dog Gone Inn, a doggie daycare in Manlius.  Leah is great!  Her daycare is open much longer than other daycares and she is a smart, animal loving lady.  Check her website out at www.DogGoneInn.com

Well, here are some of the photos.  These are not all the animals that came in, but they are the ones who are currently hanging out on my computer.  Enjoy.

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If you want to pay to have a portfolio professionally done by photographers who’ve been shooting models professionally for years, you can pay us to have that done.  We’ll spend a couple of hours with you, bring in a makeup artist, make you look fantastic and get some amazing photos.

If you want to have a portfolio professionally done by those same photographers for FREE, simply sign a model release instead of a check.  We want to be able to use the images for our commercial stock photo business and like Sarah said in her previous post that has some good parts and bad parts for both model and photographer.

So why $495 or free?  Because we want you to get your portfolio done with us for free! It’s that simple.  Come in, do some great concept photos with us, have a diverse portfolio of images to show off forever after and heck, someone may even *gasp* see your photo and like it!  What horrors!  haha

Those are your two choices!  I just thought I’d lay it out so everyone had a clear understanding of why we want you to come to us.  It’s good for you.  It’s good for us.  It may or may not be good for a modeling agency if you’re with one.  Make sure you always make the best decisions for YOUR future.

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Vanessa has been acting since she was 3 years old!  She started out at summer theater camp doing plays like “Billy Goats Gruff”.  She got hooked and spent every summer at theater camp and a lot of time in between hanging out in her bathroom playing dress up and practicing her characters in the mirror.  As she got older, her passion progressed to school plays and community theater.  Now she works at the Syracuse Children’s Theater.  It seems to her that acting, singing and modeling have always been her greatest dream.

“I am a very historical person”, Vanessa said, “I like to capture little moments and keep them forever.”  She likes to collect old photos of people from previous times.  The photos she gets from modeling are another way of capturing her own history and keeping snippets of her life close by where she can revisit them.  She also enjoys doing historical reenactments.  One of the shoots she did with Syracuse Modeling was a historical shoot.  Vanessa has a marvelous collection of Victorian clothes and she even knows how to communicate with one of those little fans ladies used to carry with them.

Vanessa says that acting is very important to her when she is modeling.  It’s just another way of performing.  She feels nervous before a shoot but as soon as she gets into character it doesn’t show a bit and she is amazing in front of the camera.   Because I know she is serious about her craft, I recommended her to Jennifer Brewer at the modeling agency,  Real People Management, and now RPM is representing her. If you have any work for Vanessa, please contact her through Real People Management.

Sometime in the next two years, Vanessa hopes to move to Wilmington NC to pursue her dream of acting in movies.  She calls Wilmington “the LA of the East”.  She and her boyfriend, Paul, are busy making a solid plan for getting her there.  It’s important to follow your dreams but to make them a reality you need a plan and a realistic time line.  I think Vanessa has what it takes.

What do you think?  Do you have any advice for Vanessa?  Please leave positive comments below.

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Stock photography is pre-existing photography that can be used for print and web ads, in books and magazines, in news, on websites, in brochures and packaging.

Most designers would LOVE to hire an agency for each photo they use.  That way they have perfect control over the way each one looks.  Big name designers such as Covergirl, Gucci, Prada all use ad agencies or in-house advertising departments to get exactly what they need.  They have a specific product that needs to be in each image and a specific branding to consistently represent.

For smaller projects or designers in a hurry stock photography is the way to go.  Maybe they need a photo of a couple of happy children playing for a school website or an article about diversity.  They could use photos of a man using a computer for a story about computer viruses.  If the article has to be published tomorrow and the school doesn’t have the money to hire an ad agency they use stock photography.

Why would a model want to pose for a stock photographer?  Syracuse Modeling does not pay for models.   So how does this help the model?

• Builds an actual, working portfolio for the model for FREE
• Gives real work experience
• Syracuse Modeling will refer you to a great modeling agency in Syracuse if you are reliable and work well
• Stock photography is already published everywhere.  It is on billboards, magazines, websites, etc. and if we find out where you are, we’ll let you know so that you can have it as a tear sheet for your portfolio!

Stock photography isn’t for everyone.  If you are a very experienced, professional model extremely concerned with the final placement of all images and have consistently been getting paid top dollar this is probably not for you.  If you are looking to build your portfolio and don’t want to pay a ton of money for a basic headshot portfolio, stock is a great way to get a diverse group of images free or at very low cost.

Some modeling agencies view stock as a threat to their business.  They are concerned more with their bottom line than a model getting experience and exposure.  In reality, most designers who are using stock do not have the budget or time to set up a full shoot with agency models.  In these cases only the model loses if they’ve chosen to completely avoid stock photography.

Be sure to decide for yourself what is best for you as a model.  Neither us as photographers nor the agencies are completely unbiased, so you need to evaluate what is best for your modeling career on your own.

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Swimming/Mermaid/man:

My project is to create isolated shots of people in various swimming positions.  This is going to take imagination!  For this project I am looking for people with GREAT bodies and two piece bathing suits for girls and tight fitting trunks for guys. Acting skills or an active imagination would be a great help.

There will be no nudity involved.  Still, this is an over 18 only shoot.

I am also looking for an awesome make up artist for this shoot.  You WILL receive photos of your work and I will take care of the $$ for your kit.  Contact me with your rates please.

Because a MUA will be at this shoot, there will only be one specific time that this is available.  Please contact me with your  schedules and I will set it up  for a day when the most people are available.

contact:  315-288-4893  or  shootme@syracusemodeling.com

Pets and People

For this shoot I am looking for people to bring in their WELL BEHAVED furry, scaly or feathered friends.  I would like both kids and adults with pets for this.  I want to see relationships here and I would also like to do some veterinarian set ups, too.

contact:  315-288-4893  or  shootme@syracusemodeling.com

Health, weight loss and fitness:

Looking for models to portray people living a healthy lifestyle as well as some to play people who could improve.  We’ll be taking pictures of running, lifting weights, yoga, doctors, nurses and patients, fit people with tape measures, less fit people with scales (no numbers!)  massage therapists and massage recipients, flu victims

I would like any age model for the Health shoot: children, adult and in between are all fine.

contact:  315-288-4893  or  shootme@syracusemodeling.com

_________________________________

For all the shoots, models don’t need to have experience but it does help.  Please only serious, dependable people   I’m  sorry, but anyone who does not call and does not show up will not be considered for another shoot.  Remember all our shoots like this are TFCD. See more general information above under the Syracuse Modeling tab.

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There is an amazing resource online called SparkPeople.  It is an extensive website dedicated to nutrition and fitness.  There is a tool to track the calories you eat.  All you do is enter the food you eat and it automatically enters how many calories are in it.  While it does this, it automatically teaches you about portion control.

You can also track your workouts.  It is easy to track your cardio minutes and the approsimate calories you burned.  You can also enter the strength building exercises to keep track of them.

SparkPeople also has a very active online  community that can help you achieve your goals.  There are forums and you can join teams.  People share recipes and techniques that have worked for them.  You can even keep an online journal that you can either share or keep private.  The support is there if you need it.

The best part about SparkPeople is that all this comes FREE!!  There is no cost.  I lost 50 pounds by following the program on SparkPeople a couple years ago and it taught me new skills that I still use every day.  It’s not something that is going to work overnight but if you use the site, and follow your program you will see results.  Whether you want to lose weight, or just stay on track this site can help you tremendously.

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Lava Night Club at Turning Stone Resort and Casino is having an Ed Hardy Fashion Show Saturday, March 21, 2009. On Thursday March 5, 2009 we will be holding an open casting call for male and female models from 7:00-10:00pm. We are looking for sexy, FIT, confident, fun individuals for the runway show. All applicants must be 21 years or older. Bring a head shot and a full body shot (do not need to be professional), and a valid ID. Come dressed to impress and bring your bathing suit. Chosen models get to keep their clothes.

For any questions or concerns call 315-361-8177.

Lava Night Club – Turning Stone Resort and Casino Resort

5218 Patrick Road Verona NY 13473

Remember, if you want to put your best foot forward and want professional photos done, Syracuse Modeling can do them!  If you sign a model release to let us use the photos commercially, We’ll do them TFCD, otherwise our normal fee applies.  GOOD LUCK!

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The way these work is we set up models in every city that we stay in.  Before we leave we come up with specific themes and ideas that we want to shoot with the models.  Sometimes it’s location specific and sometimes it’s just fashion stuff.  We love to setup groups of models, too.  It’s usually a whirlwind of activity.

We have to know where we are going.  We have to know how long its going to take us to travel from one place to another so we can schedule shoots at the proper times.  It’s hard to know how long it’s going to take for travel because we don’t know the traffic situations and what kind of other obstructions there may be around the times that we are going through.

We have to find locations to shoot in each city.  We have to do this in places where we have never been before.  We look at photos online and Google Earth to find places that look interesting.  We read travel books and magazines.  Then we have to find out if we need a permit and how much it is and who to pay if we do need one.  That all needs to be worked out far ahead of the shoot date so we can have the permit in hand when the shoot is occuring.

This is going to be so much fun!  I can’t wait to get on our way.  But don’t worry, we’ll still be shooting in Syracuse and other CNY locations until we leave and when we get back.

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My first shoot was with Zach.  Zach is one of my favorite models.  He has worked with me before and you have actually seen him a few posts down.  He has just graduated from journalism school and is currently working in the field.  Apparently, the website he made that used the photos from our first session worked out well for him.  AWESOME!  Zach played the contractor and artist for me this time.  He did a great job, as usual.  Thank Zach!

On to the Goddess and warriors of the group.  OMGosh this was the BEST shoot ever.  Matt and I  had so much fun we didn’t shut up and let them go home until 9:00 at night!!  We met these guys a while ago through Model Mayhem and ended up being great friends.  They are just the kind of people we love to hang out with.  They make us laugh.  Uproariously!   We started out at Caz Pizza for lunch and then headed back to the studio for the shoot.  Allie tried on lots of wigs (after a little persuading) and we found out that believe it or not she looks good as a blonde!  It’s amazing how different hair can change a look so dramatically.  After a while we managed to get Lee  in on the action.  We had NO IDEA that our greek warrior outfit was THAT short.  We were awful glad that Lee isn’t any taller.  He also tried the contractor idea.  These guys are great sports and are sooooooooooooooo much fun to work with!

Next post we will introduce you to our teacher and her students.  Thanks to everyone who has shot with us so far in 2009.  This is going to be a GREAT YEAR!

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don’t know how to push myself further.  So, I’ve been doing some reading and trying to figure out how to keep myself on the right track this time.  Maybe you can learn something from what I’ve found out.

I’ve read in many places that to keep a workout fresh (as in interesting AND to challenge your muscles more) you should change it up from time to time.  But what does that mean?  Should I ditch my elliptical machine and buy a treadmill or what? And does it really work?

Well, reading dozens of articles about working out hasn’t changed how confusing this topic is to me.  Truth is, if you are bored then you can change what you are doing to make things more interesting.  Make some changes instead of walking away from what you know is good for you. The added health benefits of the change are less clear.

Most articles insist that changing your workout is the only way to prevent plateaus and to keep your progress optimized.  They offer different forms for familiar exercises and changing the intensity and duration of your workout routine.  In theory, the muscles become “used to” an exercise and no longer progress if they do the same thing for too long.

Other articles, including some from scientific journals claim that there is actually no evidence to support this widely accepted theory.  These articles explain that the rapid improvement that people see when they begin to exercise naturally levels off after a certain level of fitness is achieved.  When people no longer see the obvious results, they believe that the exercises are no longer effective when actually they are still working but are just less apparent.  One example that was given was world class runners who do the same exercise every day and who continue to improve their endurance and their skill.  Perhaps the truth is that people just don’t feel they are working hard enough if they aren’t sore and miserable.

So, I haven’t been able to decide with any certainty the direction I should take my workout.  I think I will try to switch things up when I become bored and I’m not going to worry about it if it is too cold outside to go running in the park or riding my bike.  I am going to try some of the variations of weight lifting exercises because I like the idea of working different parts of my muscle and I have tried it and it gives me that nice sore “Hey!  I’m doing something” feeling.  I figure, as long as I’m doing something I’m helping myself get a better body and healthier future.  What are you doing to keep yourself fit?  Do you do the same thing every day or do you like to change it up?

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• Waitress/Waiter
• Bartending
• Office worker
• Car mechanic
• Architect
• Teacher
• Doctor
• Police Officer
• Librarian
• Farmer
• Veterinarian
• Animal workers/trainers
• Carpenter
• Etc.

We would like males or females for each of these jobs.  It would be helpful if you have clothing and materials that are appropriate to the job you will be portraying.  If you dont, please let us know before the shoot and we will get some for you.  This shoot is TFCD only.  We will include headshots if you need them for your portfolio.  Thank you!  Hope to hear from you soon.

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This was our first year in the studio and we have used it right up.  We have been using it so much that we are already starting to think about getting a bigger space.  LOL.  When we first came here we didn’t realize that we were going to accumulate such a large inventory of props and costumes.  Our commercial photography venture has really taken off and we’re going to need to upgrade our facilities to match our business model.  It’s really crazy how the more successful you get, the more you need.  It just never ends.  Matt and I have a running joke.  We look at each other WAAAAAY too often and say “you know what we need?”  Then we both have to laugh. I don’t know when we are actually going to be upgrading but it is closer than we first expected, for sure.

This was a big learning year for us.  We have found a couple of sticky points to this business and have been working hard to work out some solutions to them.  One of the most important was the speed which we could get photos back to models.  We admit it, we were glacially slow.  Please accept our apology if you were one of the models who had to wait so long.  We have changed our process and now models should be getting disks of fully edited images in 2 weeks or less.

We are also streamlining our casting call process.  We are going to be doing a LOT more themed shoots and we should be contacting you guys with a lot of fun new ideas soon.  Also, if you have an idea for us, let us know.  We are always looking for something new.  If you haven’t yet, make sure you sign up for our casting call mailing list so you can be the first to know about the new opportunities. It is my goal to have at least 2 but hopefully 3 themed shoots a week so stay tuned!

For the PI Portrait clients, dont worry, we’re still here.  I still love babies, kiddos and the whole fam!  We’d never leave you guys out in the cold. (unless you insist that’s where you want your picture taken, ha ha) We have new things like digital downloads and an easier shopping cart.  We are still comitted to capturing all the best moments of you and your families. I would like to further transition from posed formal portraiture to a more environmental, in-the-moment style.  To me, families are dynamic, interactive units and I prefer to capture them that way preserving memories and moments rather than just recording what people look like from year to year.  Most of my clients have truly embraced this aspect of my style learning to actually enjoy themselves at a photo shoot!  Imagine that. 

So, a big shout out to all our friends of Syracuse Modeling and Picture Infinity Portraits!!  HAPPY NEW YEAR.  Good luck and let’s make 2009 the best year yet, for ALL of us!!

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