Paul the photographer

Last night I went to a casting for a pre fashion week show. I find it humorous when I go to castings and have no idea what they are for. The amount of emails I send and postings of potential castings I experience on the daily is absurd and when I receive an invite or confirmation to attend a casting I usually just add it to my schedule sometimes without a proper label. This sometimes puts me in awkward situations when I am forced to act as if I know all about and am a fan of a designers work, BAD MODEL-i should be spanked! None the less I got selected for the show and am awaiting details.

After the casting I walked up a few streets to a Starbucks where I met a photographer I had just found through craigslist, Paul was his name. His posting stated that he was moving to China in a few weeks and was seeking models to get some last additions to his portfolio, something like that...I'll be honest I don't remember the post! I got to the coffee shop 10 minutes early (GOOD MODEL-you can still spank me if you like) and gave Paul a call. I told him that I was there and he replied "oh I'm just trying to find a seat". I looked around and saw no one with a phone to their ear so I told him that I did not see him and he replied with a humor that I can appreciate, "I'm here, I'm everywhere, I'm everything you see...no just kidding, I'm the little black guy over near the bar waiting for my drink". QUALITY.

We made our introductions and he explained to me what he does and why he is relocating to China. When he was younger he was with a surveillance squad in the special forces and actually photographed for them. He was being sent on a mission to photograph the sweat shops and put an end to the misery once and for all so that we would no longer be forced to read "MADE IN CHINA" and feel guilty about little Lo Mein spending 100 hours a week in a hut made out of chop sticks for his ten cent pay check. No wait, he was being sent there to photograph for some fashion company...whatever, its the same fuckin thing!

Paul asked the usual questions about my journey through modeling and then put a smile on my face by telling me, "well you've got the look". He then asked if I had some time to shoot and even though I had a fitting to attend I told him that I was all his. Something about him gave me the vibe that I should jump on this unexpected opportunity for a mini test. We walked north and stopped first in front of a diner with red lighting. There were mad people walking around us on the sidewalk but he was down on the ground rolling around so in depth to his mission of capturing the angle that he could care less of the pedestrians. This was a clear sign of how seriously he loved his craft and I was ready to commit to him until he was satisfied with our shoot. We continued north.

He was seeking the correct lighting and we found a spot with a very bright street lamp so we stopped, took a few shots in the street, and moved to the sidewalk. As we began to shoot the window rolled down to the drivers door of a limo parked on the street. Paul walked over and they started chatting then signaled me over and told me to get in. Shocked I looked at him and he said, "this how we do it".

I got into the limo and he told me to act as if I were a super model and was looking out at the paparazzi like what the fuck are you shooting me for. I posed a bit then he shot me stepping out of the ride and called it a shot. We thanked the driver and continued heading north. After a few shots on the stairs of the public library we walked towards Bryant park. While I was leaning on the concrete barrier to the park my new found photographer said "we need something else!" So he jumped in front of a women and asked if he could borrow her scarf.

She complied and I shot a few with the accessory round my neck and we called it a night. His actions in that short photo shoot made it clear that he was someone to work with. He said he will try to find a classic car for me to shoot with in a nice suit, something resembling that of a GUCCI ad. We Shall See.