well i have to admit that i would have never imagined for things to unfold this way. i remember in january when the most important thing was trying to get the couch i ordered to fit through the door. that was some serious pain that i even blogged about it. and now here we are six months later and things are beginning to feel like it's about to blow up!
a lot of people have wondered how things have evolved so fast since i moved to dc in january 2010. i mean, really though, it hasn't been that fast. but things did move fast once it started moving. not sure if that made sense, but it's like when the ball is rolling, it rolls.
it all started when i tried to get in new york fashion week. i contacted IMG, who manages it, and they said my portfolio was good enough, but i needed to be backed up by a major media outlet or something. even the PR manager called me and said she'd love to get me in, but she couldn't do it. she said to try again in september. so i said ok.
after that, i ran into a link for "pink jams, fashion rocks". i emailed christa and asked if i could participate as a photographer and she said yes. considering i had only shot 1 fashion show before, i figured i needed some practice. so i googled fashion shows in dc and ran into what is called "dc fashion week". it's not really your typical city fashion week, but i won't get into that now. i ended up shooting all 4 days and definitely gained some experience. after dc fashion week, i was fully prepared for the pink jams, fashion rocks show. that show turned out to be a major MAJOR milestone. i did not know it at the time, of course, but the photos that came out of that show somehow put me on the map. considering that nobody knew who the hell i was, people were starting to wonder. but again, nothing would come to fruition until much much later.
after shooting 5 fashion shows in a span of three weeks, i was hooked. fortunately for me, dc was brimming with fashion shows. and not only that, they were non profit events too! i thought it was perfect. next up would be fashion for paws and couture for a cure and a tigerlily event.
before i talk about those events, i want to give a shout out to models chelsea alexander, dana filatova, and kate michael and also to designer liz stajka and hair and makeup artist mari shten. these wondeful individuals all agreed to do a photoshoot with me before any of this "fun" stuff was happening. they definitely made me feel like i belonged and that my work was worth something. it's funny how you email so many people and you only get one or two responses back. and i emailed tons! but fortunately for me, the responses i got were from awesome individuals.
what's funny is that after the fashion for paws show, i was pretty exhausted. this was in april and i was starting to feel a little burned out. i even proclaimed that i would not do another fashion show again! then of course came the email from jennifer harlow asking me to be a part of the tigerlily garden fashion event and couture for a cure. i remember telling her that i MIGHT do it, but it would totally depend on the dates.
i was already booked to shoot claire and dave's wedding in may and after so many fashion shows already, the last thing i wanted to do was shoot more fashion shows. i mean, once you've taken pictures of dogs in tutus and diamonds, what more do you really need? at any rate, the dates turned out to be ok and jen was a pretty good closer. i told her i'd be part of the tigerlily event and couture for a cure.
prior to all this, i also emailed fashion fights poverty and asked them if i could do a photoshoot with them. funny enough, michael dumlao originally asked me to do another project, but it was so hard that i had to tell him i couldn't do it (he wanted me to find an abandoned textile mill and find an ex worker who worked there). i mean, i didn't want to say no, but i had to be realistic. fortunately, he was ok with my answer and he booked me for a fashion spread instead. i was so nervous to work with the creative geniuses such as michael, elaine mensah, and kemy greene that i couldn't even change a lens! hahaaha. luckily, they were all easy and fun to work with and i had a blast shooting with lisa and anthony. and it was really fun to see my fashion photos in a magazine for the first time.
somewhere in the middle of all this was dominique fierro's photo exhibit. she had emailed me on shoot for change and was interested in the idea. we emailed back and forth and she invited me to her photo exhibit. when i accepted it on facebook, i noticed that jen harlow also signed up to go. she actually thought it was mine and when she realized it wasn't, she asked me when i would have a show in dc. she was shocked that this hasn't happened yet. she talked to her friend, angela steever-diba, who also happened to like my work. three weeks later, i'm at the peacock cafe being introduced to shahab, maziar, and micky farivar. and of course shortly after that, in the month of JUNE, i had my first show in dc.
and in the next few days, in the month of JUNE, i was blogged, written about, and interviewed. in the month of JUNE, i was invited to be part of BoConcept's fall launch party. how did that happen? jen met a girl in her real estate class who happened to be a designer at BoConcept. one conversation led to another and jen invited tia to the 10x10 event. unfortunately, she couldn't come, but their conversation led to SFC being part of the BoConcept launch party. Wow. i actually had to email jen the next morning to make sure i heard her correctly. and i did. i then went to a lunch where we discussed how Shoot for Change could be part of their event and how chanel will be there to do makeup. CHANEL? really? BoConcept? are you kidding me? it all felt like a dream!
i kinda wish that all months could be like JUNE. but at the same time, i remember what last june was like and it was definitely not this fun. honestly, i don't really know where it's going, but i do know that it's going somewhere. i'm grateful for all the incredible people that i've met and who have been interested to know me. i've lived in many places around the country and in some parts of the world, but so far, moving to virginia turned out to be a pretty cool idea.
let's see what happens next!
my first photo exhibit in dc
Looks like I'll be having a photo exhibit in DC around June and maybe a second one sometime after that! So crazy. Basically, there are two ladies who really like my work and tonight was the first time I met them in person.
I shot their photos at a Pink Jams fashion event in February and they really liked the photos I took of them. One lady, Jennifer, is a breast cancer survivor and she told me that the photo I took of her during that fashion event was just her absolute favorite. She said that she never would have imagined having that kind of picture when she was going through her cancer and it sorta hit her when she saw the photo. One photo I took of her caught her really laughing as she's walking down the runway.
The other lady, Angela, is also a big fan of my photos. When I met both of them tonight for the first time at an art exhibit, Angela was telling me all her favorite pictures - and it was so funny because some of them dated back from the beginning - like the "I Miss You" or even a shot of Paris or Budapest that I barely remember.
So both of them want to organize and host an event for me. =) They already have the venue, talked to the owners, and now it's just a matter of picking a date.
I actually had never met two people who were that excited about my work (maybe Jill or MJ). They kept on and on and telling everyone about my work - even introducing me to the artist who had the show tonight. It was kinda overwhelming. And it was definitely exciting.
Stay tuned!
I shot their photos at a Pink Jams fashion event in February and they really liked the photos I took of them. One lady, Jennifer, is a breast cancer survivor and she told me that the photo I took of her during that fashion event was just her absolute favorite. She said that she never would have imagined having that kind of picture when she was going through her cancer and it sorta hit her when she saw the photo. One photo I took of her caught her really laughing as she's walking down the runway.
The other lady, Angela, is also a big fan of my photos. When I met both of them tonight for the first time at an art exhibit, Angela was telling me all her favorite pictures - and it was so funny because some of them dated back from the beginning - like the "I Miss You" or even a shot of Paris or Budapest that I barely remember.
So both of them want to organize and host an event for me. =) They already have the venue, talked to the owners, and now it's just a matter of picking a date.
I actually had never met two people who were that excited about my work (maybe Jill or MJ). They kept on and on and telling everyone about my work - even introducing me to the artist who had the show tonight. It was kinda overwhelming. And it was definitely exciting.
Stay tuned!
first magazine photos
Last weekend, I was involved in a fashion photoshoot for a nonprofit organization called "Fashion Fights Poverty". And today, I just saw the electronic version of the magazine they publish to help raise money for their programs.
I still cannot believe it! This has multiple layers of goodness for me in that, first, I was involved in a shoot that was designed to be in a magazine. And secondly, it was for an official nonprofit organization that leverages fashion. Knowing all of this and working with the team involved during the shoot, I was actually very nervous. It got to a point where I couldn't even figure out how to do a simple thing like change lenses! Luckily for me, the creative director and founder of Fashion Fights Poverty was very reassuring and made sure I knew that he liked how the photos were turning out.
Anyway, just wanted to share that with you. You can see the electronic version by visiting the link below this email. I also pointed out the pages of where I saw my work and/or name (I never thought I would be this giddy about this stuff).
And you can buy one for $20 and help raise money for the programs that Fashion Fights Poverty support. Considering that this is mine (and Shoot for Change's) first published work, it might be worth more when you try to sell it on ebay later. Just a thought. =)
Great times.
--
Pages 4-5
The photo in the middle in between the Editor's and President's letter! I also took the photo of the founder, Michael Dumlao (small picture on page 5).
Page 7
There's a little info about Shoot for Change and of "Walter Grio" with a small black/white picture.
Pages 28 - 33
These photos were taken in Michael's basement - ridiculous. It even had this old school bicycle! My favorite picture is the one with the bike. The first draft of the layout had this as a small photo, but I'm so happy they turned it into a full page layout and the cover for the section.
Page 41
Credits page for the "Mix and Match" photoshoot and more text about Shoot for Change.
Cover Page (icing on the cake)
Credit says "Fashion spreads by Jodi King and Walter Grio" To even be in the same sentence with Jodi King is just crazy. As you can see in the photos she took, she is just on a whole different level.
Link to the magazine:
http://magcloud.com/browse/Issue/78981
Link to Fashion Fights Poverty:
http://www.fashionfightspoverty.org
-
I still cannot believe it! This has multiple layers of goodness for me in that, first, I was involved in a shoot that was designed to be in a magazine. And secondly, it was for an official nonprofit organization that leverages fashion. Knowing all of this and working with the team involved during the shoot, I was actually very nervous. It got to a point where I couldn't even figure out how to do a simple thing like change lenses! Luckily for me, the creative director and founder of Fashion Fights Poverty was very reassuring and made sure I knew that he liked how the photos were turning out.
Anyway, just wanted to share that with you. You can see the electronic version by visiting the link below this email. I also pointed out the pages of where I saw my work and/or name (I never thought I would be this giddy about this stuff).
And you can buy one for $20 and help raise money for the programs that Fashion Fights Poverty support. Considering that this is mine (and Shoot for Change's) first published work, it might be worth more when you try to sell it on ebay later. Just a thought. =)
Great times.
--
Pages 4-5
The photo in the middle in between the Editor's and President's letter! I also took the photo of the founder, Michael Dumlao (small picture on page 5).
Page 7
There's a little info about Shoot for Change and of "Walter Grio" with a small black/white picture.
Pages 28 - 33
These photos were taken in Michael's basement - ridiculous. It even had this old school bicycle! My favorite picture is the one with the bike. The first draft of the layout had this as a small photo, but I'm so happy they turned it into a full page layout and the cover for the section.
Page 41
Credits page for the "Mix and Match" photoshoot and more text about Shoot for Change.
Cover Page (icing on the cake)
Credit says "Fashion spreads by Jodi King and Walter Grio" To even be in the same sentence with Jodi King is just crazy. As you can see in the photos she took, she is just on a whole different level.
Link to the magazine:
http://magcloud.com/browse/Issue/78981
Link to Fashion Fights Poverty:
http://www.fashionfightspoverty.org
-
fashion for paws
Here are some photos from the "Fashion for Paws" event that took place at the Embassy of Italy last night. It was a pretty fun event with TONS of people. I think there were some VIPs there but the only one I recognized was Clinton Portis. haha.
This event benefited the Washington Humane Society and basically the "models" each raised a certain amount of money to get to walk the runway. I was slightly disappointed that not all the dogs on the runway came from the shelter, but I guess the bottom line is that they were able to raise over $300k.
Here is the link to the photos:
http://modelforchange.com/section/160931_Fashion_for_Paws.html
This event benefited the Washington Humane Society and basically the "models" each raised a certain amount of money to get to walk the runway. I was slightly disappointed that not all the dogs on the runway came from the shelter, but I guess the bottom line is that they were able to raise over $300k.
Here is the link to the photos:
http://modelforchange.com/section/160931_Fashion_for_Paws.html
i dream of masks
one night, i woke up and thought about masks. i wanted models wearing a mask. the next morning, i went to eastern market and bought a zebra mask. i had already shot with a lamb mask and now i had this dream of shooting a model wearing a zebra mask and a white dress. dream come true.
my first fashion shows
In a span of one week, I went from having zero experience in shooting fashion runway shows to now being somewhat of an expert. I learned a lot which included sometimes having to beat down other people from the press so that they wouldn't take my spot. I also learned to show up AT LEAST an hour early if you want to have a decent chance of having a good spot. And as the show starts, you still have to muscle your way as the photographers and the audience act like they're about to board a Southwest Airlines flight. At one point before the show, I even put my bag in front of me to serve as a "barrier" between me and other people. I thought it was an awesome idea until someone decided to sit on it. Lesson learned.
the couch
when i found out i was moving to the east coast and possibly living a local life, i was kinda excited. having gotten rid of almost everything i owned when i started traveling for work, i suddenly had the opportunity to fill up an apartment. and one of the two things that i was excited to purchase was a couch. the other thing was a tv, which was pretty simple to choose. but a couch, well, that's a little bit tricky.
anyway, after looking and looking, i finally found the couch that i wanted. i bought it even before i found the apartment so in some ways i tried to find an apartment that would fit the couch. so i did. i was so excited about this couch that i would actually sit in the store and hang out in the display living room area of the store. yes, i know.
i scheduled the delivery of the couch, along with the chair and the ottoman, right after i moved in. unfortunately, the couch did not fit through the door. my apartment and the building are pretty spacious, but the couch was just a little too long. they tried and tried, but no luck. so they took the couch back. i did, however, keep the ottoman and the chair.
i then proceeded to order a smaller version of the couch and because i was nervous about the door, i ended up ordering a very small version. it was the same model, but somehow i didn't take into account the width of the armrest when i looked at the dimensions. so it's so small that i cannot even lay down on my couch.
after a few hours of sitting in it, i decided to take it back. having learned my lesson, i went ahead and measured the entry way to determine how big of a couch i can have. so i ordered it. and i ordered the matching chair and ottoman. so basically, i'm returning it all and starting from scratch.
so i ordered it online like i did the others. the following day, the store informed me that my credit card declined it. so i called the credit card company and asked what was going on. they said nothing was wrong. so i called the store back and told them to run it again. 24 hours later, the stored called back and said it was declined again. so i called the credit card company, the store, the credit card company, etc, etc.
THIS HAPPENED FOR FIVE DAYS IN A ROW.
finally, the credit card fraud department realized that there was one transaction that might have caused the problem. why didn't they find this the first time is the beauty of offshore customer service. i digress. so they cleared that up and told me now the card is good again.
when the store ran the transaction again, the couch purchase was successful, but the chair and ottoman were not. they said the credit card declined it, but when i called the credit card company, they said that they don't even see the transaction. umm, ok.
i know for sure that the couch will be arriving at some point. whether or not the chair and the ottoman comes is still a mystery.
what's the moral of the story? money can't buy you happiness. and apparently, it won't get you a couch either.
-
anyway, after looking and looking, i finally found the couch that i wanted. i bought it even before i found the apartment so in some ways i tried to find an apartment that would fit the couch. so i did. i was so excited about this couch that i would actually sit in the store and hang out in the display living room area of the store. yes, i know.
i scheduled the delivery of the couch, along with the chair and the ottoman, right after i moved in. unfortunately, the couch did not fit through the door. my apartment and the building are pretty spacious, but the couch was just a little too long. they tried and tried, but no luck. so they took the couch back. i did, however, keep the ottoman and the chair.
i then proceeded to order a smaller version of the couch and because i was nervous about the door, i ended up ordering a very small version. it was the same model, but somehow i didn't take into account the width of the armrest when i looked at the dimensions. so it's so small that i cannot even lay down on my couch.
after a few hours of sitting in it, i decided to take it back. having learned my lesson, i went ahead and measured the entry way to determine how big of a couch i can have. so i ordered it. and i ordered the matching chair and ottoman. so basically, i'm returning it all and starting from scratch.
so i ordered it online like i did the others. the following day, the store informed me that my credit card declined it. so i called the credit card company and asked what was going on. they said nothing was wrong. so i called the store back and told them to run it again. 24 hours later, the stored called back and said it was declined again. so i called the credit card company, the store, the credit card company, etc, etc.
THIS HAPPENED FOR FIVE DAYS IN A ROW.
finally, the credit card fraud department realized that there was one transaction that might have caused the problem. why didn't they find this the first time is the beauty of offshore customer service. i digress. so they cleared that up and told me now the card is good again.
when the store ran the transaction again, the couch purchase was successful, but the chair and ottoman were not. they said the credit card declined it, but when i called the credit card company, they said that they don't even see the transaction. umm, ok.
i know for sure that the couch will be arriving at some point. whether or not the chair and the ottoman comes is still a mystery.
what's the moral of the story? money can't buy you happiness. and apparently, it won't get you a couch either.
-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)