Meet our featured members for the month of September! If you would like to be considered as a future featured member, please email us at featured@modelwirenetwork.com. To collaborate with any of our members, reach out to them via their ModelWire Network profiles or post a project to our Projects page. Now, we're thrilled to introduce you to some amazing talent this month!
We're excited to feature Nicoline V., a newcomer to ModelWire Network. Nicoline is from New York, and you can check out her portfolio here.
Lionel Reyes is a Filipino-American portrait, fashion and rock photographer from Sacramento, CA. He received a degree in Digital Media Arts from California State University, Dominguez Hills. He currently works as a newspaper photographer, opened a photography studio and started his own company which specializes in fashion editorial and portraiture. In the short amount of time that he has been doing photography, his work has been featured in various publications.
Why photography?
I'm an artist and a sentimentalist. Photography is my creative outlet which allows me to capture special moments in time and show all of the beauty and art that's around us through my point of view.Who is your favorite photographer of all time?
Cindy Sherman. She's one of the most influential photographers/artists of our time. I especially like how she takes on multiple roles in her projects.What inspires you?
The source for my inspiration mainly derives from the female form, fashion (past, present & future), music, movies, and ethnic cultures.What do you look for when selecting a model to work with?
Besides the obvious main factor of having a certain look that I'm searching for; professionalism, self-drive, and no drama are at the top of my list. Whether it's during basic email correspondence with me or we're on set at a photo shoot, I expect the models that I work with to conduct themselves with utmost professionalism. Also, please check all drama at the front doorWhat kind of camera/equipment do you use?
I use a Nikon D600. I use the Nikkor 28-300mm as my all-around lens, which is really useful for events and newspaper coverage. For fashion, I use the Nikkor 50mm and 85mm lenses.What is your favorite project you have worked on?
My favorite project is usually the last project that I worked on because I try to out-do my previous shoot. After all, you're only as good as your last work. My recent favorite shoot was on-location at Stinson Beach, CA with a model from Stars Model Management. It was a gorgeous day, I had a great team of hair and makeup, and we had a beautiful model who was an absolute joy to work with and took direction really well, With all of those factors, who could ask for a better shoot.What is your personal style?
My particular style is dependent on the gig/occasion. If I'm shooting on-location, I'm usually wearing jeans and a t-shirt with my trademark backwards black cap. If I'm shooting something important like a gala or a fashion show, I'm usually wearing something dressy and professional looking.What is your favorite band or song of all time?
Hands down, my favorite band of all-time is The Beatles. Through their years, they managed to re-invent themselves musically and artistically. I hope to follow in their footsteps with my photography by re-inventing myself and evolving artistically.What was your most embarrassing moment professionally?
I was shooting a group of doctors and surgeons and totally forgot to put an SD card into my DSLR. I was wondering why I couldn't take their pictures, so I looked to see if I had an SD card inside. Long story short, they saw me inserting the SD card into my camera and started chuckling.
MAKEUP ARTIST OF THE MONTH: CHRISTY MAURER
Christy continues to develop her own signature style while under the mentorship of Emmy award winning makeup artist Patty Bunch. In an effort to continue developing as an artist and to better serve her clients on all levels, she enrolled at the Career Academy of Beauty and went on to graduate as a California State licensed medical esthetician. Christy continues to work as a makeup artist and hair stylist in Los Angeles, and around the world, while running her own private esthetician practice.
Why makeup artistry?
I've been fascinated for years with artists who had the ability to make people glamorous or hideous. To be able to reach into your own personal creative energy and paint on a living canvas, I thought, would be the most amazing thing a person could ever do. When I actually started doing makeup for photo shoots and started to learn about and get to know a lot of the women I've worked with, I found that the ability to make someone feel so much better about themselves - how they look and feel - is really the most amazing part of my craft.Who is your favorite makeup artist of all time?
I have to qualify two artists for this questions. For special effects work, hands down, Rick Baker. I've loved his work for so long, and I often cite him as one of the reasons I got into the film and television side of the industry. The other, Alexis Vogel. The quality of her work and list of personal clientele speaks volumes for itself. She is one of the few artists in the industry that I constantly use as a measuring stick against my work and abilities.What product can't you live without?
I'd love to give you a laundry list of cosmetics, but really, when it comes down to it, any artist will tell you they live and die by the quality of their tools. For me, I can't live without my Bdellium brushes. I got my first set a few years ago and have been a devoted follower ever since. I've never believed that any product is perfect, but for me, their brushes are as close as it gets!What inspires you?
Everything around me inspires me at some level. I know it sounds cliché but it's true. An image, a painting, a comic book, a movie or a piece of music. I can always take little things from these and make them my own. Maybe it's a design or a color palette or the angle of a line. It's really hard to say what will strike my imagination at any given time. But I've always felt the best and purest forms of inspiration come when you're not looking for them.What is your favorite project you have worked on?
I have been truly fortunate to be asked to work with so many talent and creative photographers, models and actors, that it is really difficult to say. I did a movie with Lochlyn Munro, who is an absolute sweetheart. We had a blast and talked about hockey non-stop, which I love! But I'll always have a special place for this short film from Drop Dead Films called "Two" because it was the first time someone gave me the chance to really take control of a project and push myself. Plus it was a lot of fun to play with blood and fake monkey brain!What is your favorite band or song of all time?
Music is a HUGE part of my life. I've always got something playing when I'm working or just hanging around the house. By far, my favorite band of all time is U2! They have been with me my entire life and they have to be the one band that I can listen to and tell you specific points in my life when I heard certain songs.What is your most embarrassing moment professionally?
As much as I hate to admit this, I had just finished a shoot the night before and had to go out to a photo shoot the next morning. Low and behold, I forgot my brush roll on location and had to scramble to use q-tips and cotton balls for the application. Luckily the photos turned out good and we still got published in an overseas publication!
HAIR STYLIST OF THE MONTH: AUDREY BETHARDS
Learn more about Audrey on her website or check out her MWN portfolio here!
WARDROBE STYLIST OF THE MONTH: MALY SIHARATH
Maly Siharath is a freelance fashion stylist in Los Angeles. She has worked on celebrity styling, editorial styling, ad campaigns, and fashion shows. Her work has been featured in Coast, Quatro, 1968 Magazine, M Magazine, and Vogue Italia, to name a few.
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