Dave's Visit and the Sara Ziff Documentary

"We might need to see you without your bra, he told me. I was 14... I didn't even have breasts yet." 

~ Sara Ziff, supermodel

This is not Sara Ziff

I know I wanted to keep Tara, The Organic Sister's post up for a spell, but I didn't mean for it to be this long before I posted again. I've got a couple projects I'm working on and am behind, actually, so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Okay...Update...

Got to chill out with the incomparable Dave Rudin last week. That's was cool. I took him around some of my stomping grounds near Red Rock to scout out some locations for a shoot, which didn't happen. That was still okay. It just didn't work out timing-wise with the model who was traveling through Vegas. Dave still got to shoot another local girl while he was here. Breakfast, as always was at The Original Pancake House and I had my same old French Toast. We also got to head out to Valley of Fire since Dave hadn't been there in a long time. I thought I was going to have to take it easy on the guy, but hell, not only did he keep up, but he was out-pacing me at times! It was good to see him again. I guess its my turn to head back to New York for a change. Let me just go book a ticket right now...

Hysterically, I just popped over to Dave's Blog. He's basically already done yesterday the same thing I'm doing today only he's posting shots of me and also regales his adventures while here. I just wanted to point out that it was by mere coincidence that we are at the movies both wearing red shirts. Just thought I'd clear that up. COINCIDENCE!

Dave must have forgotten that he can't be a Vulcan.

All Vulcan's names begin with a letter "S".
(I apologize for knowing that.)

I'm hoping to find the new autobiographical documentary by supermodel, Sara Ziff called, "Picture Me: A Model's Diary". What started out as personal videos has turned into a full on feature length movie where she gives some insight into the darker side of the modeling industry. This following is an exerpt from Sheila Marikar's article, "As Fashion Week Trots On, New Documentary Exposes Exploitation Behind the Scenes", 16Sept2010

"Picture Me" follows Sara Ziff, a New Yorker who started modeling at age 14, over five years of falling in and out of love with the fashion industry. She struts for Calvin Klein, Chanel and Marc Jacobs; she poses in London, Paris and Milan. But backstage footage of Ziff and her friends (shot by Ziff and her then-boyfriend, filmmaker Ole Schell) reveals realities of the job that few outsiders ever see: models crying as shameless photographers snap them semi-nude, stylists pulling at scalps and tugging at limbs as if their subjects were Barbie dolls." 

Dave Rudin, just messin' around

I found this 2009 interview by Louise France, for The Observer to be most intriguing. Its like she's a whistle-blower on the entire industry and is leaving no one without guilt, though she doesn't name names. I'm imagining that the more this documentary is publicized, the more investigative work that will be done and then those names will be revealed. Some type of federal intervention will ensue, maybe some prosecutions (because she details sexual assault), and then possibly a congressional oversight committee will be established to create some rules called the Sara Ziff Laws under which the Fashion Models Guild will be created to unionize the business. So there's plenty of controversy regarding Sara's documentary and the motives that cause her to shine the light on an industry that has made her wealthy and internationally known. When I do get to see it, I'll be sure to review it here, on PHOTO ANTHEMS BLOG, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here is another Sara Ziff interview done by Mother Jones.

On a much more solemn note, I wish to express my condolences to the family of photo peer, Scott Leighty who died last weekend of a massive heart attack or a stroke. He was a member of a photo society I help run and also worked at my favorite camera store here in Las Vegas, B&C Camera. 

Picture Me Trailer from Blake on Vimeo.