The Runway Photographer

The Adventures of #6: Concrete Jungle, What Dreams Are Made of

2010-04-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Scott and Elizabeth move to New York City to pursue their dreams. This is their story.

"Ha!! Yes, we're here! Park Place in between Rogers and Nostrand, yes this is it!" Scott beams as he checks his Blackberry to make sure it's the proper street number.

"Um, ok…now what?" says Liz.

"Now we wait, the broker should be here shortly." Scott plops down on the curb and dust off a space next to him, motioning for Liz to join him.

Liz reluctantly takes a seat. Un-phased by Liz's skeptical demeanor Scott takes in the scenery. "Aren't these trees awesome, and there's an elementary school right here, I totally get the family feel."

All Liz could see were the 3 old people occupying the stoop. A lithely built older woman likely in her late 40's but appearing to be in her late 50's with orange wiry-hair, anxiously feeding moldy bread to a drove of pigeons, and, two elderly gentlemen fussing about the trash. One of which looks dazed and confused, half-baked style and the other completely gray and pleasantly plump with a cane resting against his knee comprised the inhabitants of this building of walkups.

"Is she not aware that pigeons are the rats of the sky?" Liz looks on confused.

Further up the street she could see two churches and laundry mat. A fed-ex truck pulled up to the building next to the one they were waiting to go in. A stout handsome man jumps out and dashes in the building, the stoop dwellers stop and gaze as if watching the return of the Messiah. This was truly a motley crew but, to Liz, anything was better than crashing on Andrea's couch for another month.

"You wanna go talk to our future neighbors?" Scott nudges Liz as he springs across the street.

"Hey…usually people wait for someone to say yes!" She calls out, running to catch up.

"Morning! Hey you all live here? You guys like it here? How is it?" Scott employs as he gently grabs Liz's hand. That was his way, assertive but always gentle.

Wiry-haired woman: "Oh it's alright, I been here 15 years ain't never had no break in, nothin' like that." Scott: "So it's pretty safe you'd say?"

Older man: (chuckling to himself) "Safe as any place you gon' find round here, ya know depends on what you call safe. But naw, not too much going on over here."

We all nod uncomfortably.

Scott: "I'm Scott and this is Liz, we're looking at a place in this building and just trying to get a feel for the area."

Woman: "oh…ok..I'm Ms. Helen."

Man: "I'm Fred and that over there…that's Jimmy."

Jimmy: "hey there Boss!!"

At that moment as Jimmy greets them with a hearty grin, Liz notices that Jimmy is missing teeth and that Fred is comfortably posted on what appears to be the building's trash receptacles.

Liz: "So the neighborhood's pretty decent then, you guys like it?"

Ms. Helen: "Well I ain't goin' nowhere so…yeah it's nice"

Just then a white Nissan Sentra screeches into a curb parking space.

"Ehhh looo!" bellows a tiny man, mid 30's with a very strong eastern- European accent, and overly gelled come over. It's the broker.

"It's him babe" says Scott. "I'm Vladimir. Look at you wait so patiently. Let us see new home, ya?"

As they walk up the stoop and through the small foyer/mailroom they immediately stop at a door that says #1. Liz grabs her stomach nervously and clinches tight to Scott's hand, "I think I'm gonna be sick".

-Kristen White

Laura Smalls SS10

2010-04-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Rachel Roy, Ralph Rucci, Keisha Whitaker

2010-04-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

9th & w. 15th: number 2

2010-04-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

This guy has come in here and stood caddy corner to me. Long black trench; shopping bag; black square toe shoes blue pants; 3 breaks, sitting low on waist, blue button down. He reeks of wanting to be trendy but he has too much money to shop smart. He is wearing what the world has told him to wear with his new blackberry bold, long sideburns, pompadour hair, popped collar. roundular face. and his shopping bag.

My intriguing friend has moved seats. He knows a lot of women it seems. I watch him in the reflection as he plays with his belt clip.

The pompous one sits in the middle table in the middle of the room and talks loudly. One elbow on the table...ok! loudly on his blackberry. one hand in his pocket. Giving advice about resume writing. But it's 2:00pm and he's in a coffee shop. Definetely broke and faking. Girl across from me that moved the intriguing guy just picked her nose. Two fingers. Both sides. Same time.

Jeffrey's Fashion Cares Atlanta 2009

2010-04-27T09:23:00.000-07:00

Carolina Herrera SS10

2010-04-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

Jason Wu

2010-04-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

His last name should be history. From dressing mavens such as Ivana Trump, January Jones and Amber Valetta, Jason Wu had already began climbing mountains with his traditional yet modern designs. But, not until the day he dressed "BLACK history" did his name become household to the world.

The nations cardinal African-American First Lady Michelle Obama wore Jason's white one-shouldered chiffon masterpiece which caused an uproar in every editor's office. Birthed in Taiwan, the Chinese bred designer began to make freelance doll clothing designs, at age 16, for toy company Integrity Toys under the lines "Jason Wu dolls" and later "Fashion Royalty." When he turned 17, he was named creative director of Integrity Toys.He decided to become a fashion designer while spending his senior year of high school in Paris, and later interned with Narciso Rodriguez. Going on to study at Parsons School of Design (where he never graduated from) Wu tackled his very own art of design. Since then, Wu has dressed history, working with celebrity drag-queen RuPaul, designing dolls and launching his very own ready-to-wear line.

Bryant Park is also not an unusual playground for Jason. He has now presented there several times behind his launch. His first full collection debuted in 2006 and won the Fashion Group International's Rising Star award in 2008.Also in, 2008, after rubbing elbows with Andre Leon Talley, who introduced Wu to Michelle, he was nominated for the Vogue Fashion Fund award. From full-length gowns to more casual day wear, Wu's pieces have clean, classic lines and incorporate bright colors and prints without being flashy. The result is modern and wearable but consistently noteworthy.

-Casey Billingsley

Zac Posen SS10

2010-04-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

DVF SS10

2010-04-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

9th & w. 15th: number 1

2010-04-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Documenting passers-by from a fashionable coffee shop in the fashion capital. Who interests me today?? Maybe you.

Sometimes I sit and wonder what people's life is like. Why are they the way they are and what qualifies them. Then I wonder when they look at me if they are thinking the same thing.

The world looks stressed. New York is hard cold and unforgiving. Forget all the philosophical bs, people intrigue me. This woman dropped her ipod; moved over here and settled in reading a spiral bound text that she pulled from a manilla envelope...black wedge shoes, round toe, 1.5" high, two straps, bronze buckle. Boot-cut jeans, frayed. White socks. Black cardigan over green sweater.

This guy sitting in the corner watched her. I love his eyes, deep set. square jaw, square chin. slightly sunken cheeks. He keeps staring out the window while two women in military uniform standing above him talk. His eye is caught by well dressed men and women as they enter the coffee shop. He intrigues me.

Jeffrey & Jason Wu

2010-04-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Models Night Out

2010-04-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

After A Long Hiatus

2010-04-16T15:36:00.001-07:00

...the runway photographer is back blogging backstage and runway photos from your favorite fashion shows.

Katy Wynn on A Runway Photographer's Camera Bag

2008-08-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Top Runway Photographers

2008-08-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

Telegraph ran a blog post listing the top runway photographers in the world and there were 8. We will profile them over the next few weeks and also tell you about an up and coming runway photographer

Marcio Madeira and Don Ashby-style.com and firstview
Dan and Corina Lecca-mbfashion week
Frazer Harrison-Getty Images
Ed Kavishe-Fashion Wire Press
Randy Brooke-Wire Image
Peter Stigter-Fashiontalk
Giovanni Gianini- WWD
Giorgio Niro-The Daily Front Row

Amsterdam Fashion Week Interview

2008-08-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

An Interview with Amsterdam International Fashion Week CEO James Veenhof

[cosmoworlds.com]

Stockholm Fashion Week SS09

2008-08-19T13:03:00.001-07:00

The best of Sweden present their designs for the world to see! Visit Stockholm Fashion Week for more info.

Few Tips for a School Fashion Show

2008-08-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger Shaik Pasha is sharing her most recent post on producing a school fashion show. Check out her blog for your next production!! It's time for Fashion School.

If done properly the School fashion shows will be quite interesting and funny. If done the incorrect way, however, it might end up being one uninteresting affair which is only occasionally enlivened by the people laughing at a shamed model. Hence, you require some tips to help your self to be a good model in the world of fashion style.

1) Theme is important – When putting up a school fashion show, it is always supportive if you use an interesting theme. A theme gives a fashion show a sense of organization and people would be able to speak about the fashion to the theme. There are various types of themes to choose from and select one which seems to be very interesting and go ahead:

a) Season – Depending on your school fashion show on the season is forever trendy. You could design and model a variety of wear that correspond with the time of year. This would too give you a thought of how to beautify the setting. Basing your school fashion show on a season can help you set free your originality and make your brain cells work. How can you equilibrium the freedom of imagination with the confinement of the theme? This will certainly help you get better your skills.

b) Literature – There is one more fantastic idea for a theme and it is literature. You be supposed to think about based on your school fashion show on a great piece of literature. How about basing it on the book The Great Gatsby? Ever tried creating fashion pieces for Frodo? This can be amusing as you will be bringing the visions of authors to life. Based on your school fashion show a piece of literature can also be a bit easier than other themes. As most authors actually have attractive thorough metaphors of the clothes their temperament wears. This is particularly factual for fantasy novels. Cloaks, anyone?

2) Music – It is very interesting, since, the music sets the complete mood for the whole fashion show. It creates the special attraction for the fashion show. It strikes the subconscious of the watchers and thus, determines how much concentration they will be paying your school fashion show. This means, of course, that you need to decide the correct sounds to go together with your school fashion show.

Here remember that, the music selected should be interesting and that grabs the attention of the spectators enough to hypnotize them. It is advised to choose the best and the best type of music to use would be instrumental. This is because instrumental music can place the mood for the show with no disturbing the audience with familiar lyrics.

3) Lighting – The importance of lighting will also act an important roll in fashion show. Since, proper lighting effect is always necessary if you want to have a grand school fashion show. As one with the background music, the lighting effects provide the audience a wide-ranging emotion to feel. How do you want them to act in response when they see a convinced ensemble? You can make them react as you want them by just combining light and sound.

4) Spontaneity – Students hate inevitability. Since, the best obsession that your school fashion show possibly will have is a bolt from the blue. You need to show your students something unpredicted and entirely new. In doing so, you will be capable to grab their attentions and keep it. By being impulsive, you will keep viewers guessing as to what will come after that. This will keep their eyes on the school fashion show and off their watches and mobile phones. If you can make the spectators forget about the gadgets on their pockets, then you would know that your school fashion show rocks.

[Photography courtesy of Jason Riffe]

Make Me Beautiful - fashionaddictgirl.com

2008-08-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Today we are fortunate enough to have a guest blogger on our site. fashionaddictgirl.com is a teenage fashion addict who writes about a mix of fashion, entertainment, and personal stories on her blog. You can read about her experience in Japan from the ranges of style of dress to her personal experience walking through the streets of Tokyo. Her editorial pieces are one of her many strong points as she reviews hot cultural topics in fashion from Lebron's Vogue cover to the Coppola ads. The piece written for The Runway Photographer is about the influence of living and integrating with a culture that is not your own and how people will go to extreme lengths like plastic surgery to feel fit in. Visit fashionaddictgirl.com for more exciting reads!!

Being an Asian girl, growing up with mostly Caucasian kids had its good times and bad. I still remember being called 'flat face' or 'Chinese eyes' and it really hurt when I was little. Now I can just laugh about it all, but inside I can still feel that pain that I had before. But does that drive me to go to far lengths to feel fit in? Of course not; I have matured and I actually love my differences and the way I look. But I can understand why many Asians and other women of ethnic groups choose to alter their looks and go under surgery so they can feel better about themselves. Many Asian women undergo doubleeyelid surgery to change the look oftheir eyes.

For instance, double eyelid surgery is a common surgery that many Asian women go through. Most Asians are born with a very small crease in their eyelid or nothing at all. Nowadays, many Asian women are led to think that the Caucasian look, including the eyes, are much more attractive which cause many to undergo changes. It's quite common in Japan for women to use special glue to lift their eyelids up to make them look more Western. Even magazines recommend girls to consider surgery to look better.

I understand where a lot of these girls are coming from when they say they want to look better, but I feel that there's really no need to change their physical appearance. These girls seem to be very weak towards criticism and the media, making them feel like they are not as pretty as another girl. The media does tend to pressure women into thinking that beauty is one or the other, but I think we should all understand that there's really no specific standard to being beautiful. I think it's time for women to become stronger and say to themselves, "I am beautiful, even if I don't look like the woman next to me." Asians and other races have different attributes, but I still consider them beautiful the way they are.

Just to keep things straight, I want to say that I have no problem with surgery, I have nothing against people that do it, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it either. However, I think that all women of different races should be proud of their differences and embrace their beauty. Let's face it, every one's different - even celebrities look different, meaning everyone has a different part of them that makes them attractive. Besides, surgery often means lots of pain and money, and some cases don't even work out like you expected. I think women with different facial looks are absolutely gorgeous and they have a special beauty that no other can have. Why not treasure it?

Visit Fashion Addict Girl.com for more!

A Night To Remember

2008-08-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...where are the images?? Well runway photographer Jason Riffe was there to capture the event, but the contract does not allow me to post them on any website or publish in any magazine...We all have to make our bones somehow, but I will do my best to describe the event.

A fashion show in the deep south is like no other; you have all types ranging from small student designers, using their friends as models, to large non=profit fundraisers hiring out to model management companies, but one thing is for certain there is very little in between.

The Atlanta Apparel Mart which occurs every few months in one of those shows you walk into and feel as though you are at Bryant Park, NYC. It is the pinnacle of fashion for the entire southeast..buyers...sellers...fashion students...media...paparazzi...you name it AAM has it.

With a runway measuring almost 20 yards the models from Elite Model Management - Atlanta were blasted with over a dozen high-wattage lights as they seemed to float down the runway decked out, head to toe, in prom wear, bridal gowns, and evening wear. G.R.I.T.S. will buy these gowns off the racks faster than before.

A true southern belle show with the most beautiful of models, America's Mart did a fantastic job!!

See you in October!

Copenhagen Fashion Week

2008-08-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Imagine if you had been surrounded by wafer thin models, porcelain skin, ruby red lips, and a performance that could stop Galliano in his tracks. That was the scene in Denmark, one of the worlds epicenters for trade and commerce, last week August 6 - 10. Copenhagen played host to over fifty of the worlds best designers: Guden & Guden, Vagabond, Noir, Blue Willis, BZR...the list goes on. One thing is for certain; Denmark knows how to put on a show. The cirque flair and marionette feel to this fashion week created a whimsical wonderland of fashion. Visit seattlepi.com for an array of images from this event:

[image via Getty Images]

Dan Lecca

2008-06-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

Dan Lecca is a gorilla in a group of monkeys. He began shooting fashion circa 1976 and never looked back. Dan's story is one of many tribulations and perseverance. From being a successful graphic designer in Romania, to a short order cook in the States, he keep pushing when many would have quit. To learn more about this inspirational man visit Look Online.

Firstview.com

2008-05-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Firstview.com is a website started over a decade ago that houses photo collections of all major designers and fashions shows catalogued by date, location, and type of shot. For a small fee you can view the latest fashion trends coming out of the House of Dior, etc. or view archived photos for free.

Stop into Firstview.com when you get a chance and browse through the beautiful imagery.

An Interview with Ms. J

2008-05-24T06:29:00.001-07:00

Ms. J is a specialist in his field. He is the go-to-guy for coaching the catwalk and mentoring upcoming models. After first being hired by Valentino, Ms J. found and filled his niche to quickly become recommended repeatedly by André Talley. Click below to view an interview with Ms. J. Alexander.

Randy Brooke

2008-05-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

There are less than a dozen first class runway photographers and Randy Brooke is numbered among them. Randy studied photography and Art History at Ohio University before returning to New York where he worked as a studio manager and assistant to Bill King. Randy has gone on to become a true professional in the art of runway photography. If you would like to learn more about randy, view his write-up at LookOnline.Com