Indochine's Top Shelf

Sabrina Hunter

The Fantastic Four - The Indosplace Edition


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Sabrina in Repose

Sabrina Hunter: the epitome of Indosplace.

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Sabrina Hunter - Womanly Wordsmith

Super thighs novelist Sabrina Hunter.

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New Sabrina Hunter

Getting ready for book number 2! Photos courtesy of photographer Bryan Anderson. Reach Sabrina on Twitter here.

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Sabrina Hunter Throwback

Why didn't I just help her tie that darn necklace, lol... Reach the beautiful and curvy Sabrina on Twitter here.

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Sabrina Hunter - Using Urban Modeling to Her Advantage

As many of you know, Sabrina Hunter is a model who is also a successful writer now. She briefly dabbled in urban modeling in 2005 and then returned to the scene to take some exclusive pictorials for my blog. Our photo shoots were a success and she wound up on Media Take Out and many other blogs several times due in part to them (she also would have been in Smooth magazine were it not for a strict no-thongs policy on her part (kudos)). But Sabrina always had a game plan in mind when taking photos. She was doing it to gain notoriety before going public with her novel, Skeletons in the Closet. Her plan worked quite well and illustrates perfectly how urban modeling can be used to a woman's advantage. It is just another tool to focus the public spotlight on an aspiring model. What you do with that spotlight once you get it is up to you. (Click to enlarge)

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Why We See Fewer High Quality Women in The Industry & The Ones Who Remain Won’t Show as Much

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Today someone on a message board asked why Sabrina Hunter won’t do any straight-on back shots. My answer: we’re lucky women like Sabrina are even willing to do this at all anymore, let alone give up back shots. What we are witnessing now is literally the manifestation of the saying, “you reap what you sow.” The industry, a shadow of what it was 10 years ago, is downright disreputable. So it’s no wonder it no longer attracts quality women, or that the ones who remain aren't willing to stake as much on it.

People are quick to forget, so I’ll just give a quick reminder. Ten years ago – let’s call it “the Melyssa Ford era” – we had quality celebrities like Gabrielle Union, Regina Hall, Jennifer Freeman and Tyra on the cover of KING magazine, in swimsuits no less! Melyssa Ford hosted an entertainment news show similar to Access Hollywood on BET. It was the golden era of urban modeling, when it still had a specter of respectability and was not so far removed in public perception from its white counterpart of glamour modeling (e.g., Maxim, Sport’s Illustrated, etc.). During that period up-and-coming actresses, college students, and women with proper jobs were all willing to don a bikini (maybe even a thong) because to tell someone you were an urban model was not so bad.

Cut to 10 years later. Virtually no notable actresses do this anymore. Instead, what we have are mainly strippers with lots of tattoos and bad Photoshop repeatedly featured in the same rags. There are no more female grad students (see Candace Smith) willing to try this on a lark, or even college students. At best, the business has been reduced to street-smart hustlers* willing to parlay magazine spreads into hosting opportunities.

So given this change in climate, is it any wonder that the few respectable women still willing to dip their toe in this cesspool won’t give it their all and do thong shots? Context and stakes are what women gauge these things by. Who else is doing this? Is anyone I respect doing it? What can I gain by doing this? Both context and stakes are in the toilet for urban modeling. The context is strippers and the stakes are nothing. You reap what you sow. We the consumers didn’t demand more. We let this thing come off the rails and rode the Buffie trend into the ground. So now a woman with a college degree who looks like Melyssa Ford won’t come anywhere near this, and you can’t blame her.

*See V. Veasley's quote: "So yeah, the spoils then go to the hustlers..."

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Sabrina Hunter - Up Close and Personal

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New pic added 6/18:
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Sabrina Hunter - Thicker

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UPDATE: Candid shot added 5/13

UPDATE: New shot added 5/15... Thumbnail pic added 5/17 is in full size on the Indosplace FB page...

FINAL UPDATE: New thumnail, which is probably the last of these for a while (maybe). It's the one and only Easter Egg from the set. Much bigger version *somewhere* on the site...
After a long sabbatical, Sabrina Hunter is back - and significantly more voluptuous. woohoo She moved to Texas last year (from Cali) and I guess it's true what they say about everything being bigger (and better) in Texas. When I asked Sabrina about her new curviness she's like, "Gotta compete..." LOL

More pics to come in the next few days...
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Update as of 5/14....
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Top Picks

You can click on the image to enlarge it. The two main qualifications to be on this list: 1) I have to shoot with the model, and 2) they had to be in my top traffic searches (e.g., people are still looking for them on my blog). There are couple newcomers on the list, like Carol, and a couple that got bumped. Sad They are listing in alphebetical order.

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Sabrina Hunter - Poolside

Sabrina Hunter may be the one model I shoot with who does her own hair and make-up better than anyone else can do it. Looking forward to shooting with her again (hopefully) this May. Bonus shot.

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Sabrina Outtake

UPDATE: New pic added as of 11/26. (1st Image can be clicked to enlarge)

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Not the best from the shoot, but still kinda sexy. Besides, Sabrina's juicy legs seem appropriate for Thanksgiving. Winking

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Blog Fav Sabrina Hunter

This photo of Sabrina Hunter, taken in a somewhat industrial area of Los Angeles, proves that if you have an attractive model, a nice camera (Canon 5D Mark II), and a good make-up artist ( Tai Young-Jackson) you can get a good shot just about anywhere. Winking If you like it and her, hit Sabrina up on her Twitter.

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Sabrina Hunter Candid Photo

Pics like this make me wonder if my photography makes any difference at all in showcasing this girl's beauty. You can reach Sabrina on Twitter here.

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Sabrina Wallpaper

Just a little wallpaper of Sabrina Hunter I made in 1024 x 768. (Credits: Photography - Indosplace.com | Everything Else: Sabrina)

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Sunday Night Sabrina

Without question one of my favorite models to work with. Just a natural... (note: I may update this post later with one more pic) Reach Sabrina on Twitter here. (Credits: Photo - Indosplace.com | Make-Up - Tai Young-Jackson | Styling - Sabrina Hunter)

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Bonus pics:
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Indos Top Choice

Just six models I've photographed and featured on this blog that I think have brought something unique to the game. (Click to enlarge)

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Sabrina Hunter: MVP

There are some models you can always count on to come through in a pinch and whenever you are in doubt on what to post. Sabrina is one of those models, so she gets the title of Indosplace MVP. You can catch Sabrina on Twitter here. (Click for larger version)

Credits: Photography: Indosplace - Hair/Make-up: S. Hunter

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Happy Monday From Sabrina

Have a good week people!

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Added 3/2:

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Sabrina Hunter - End of the Week Special

Well, this formally concludes Sabrina Week, but something tells me I'll be posting more from our last shoot before it's all over. You can reach Sabrina Hunter on Twitter here.

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Sabrina Week Continues

Interesting fact about Sabrina for all you weave intolerant types - those beautiful locks are all hers woohoo (Click to enlarge)

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And one bonus candid from the car:

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Sabrina Hunter - Bebe Trench Coat

As part of continuing Sabrina week and from our most recent shoot. (Click to enlarge)

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New Sabrina Hunter - Commercial Appeal

Look at Sabrina, getting her Disney Channel on, lol. Anyway, I took these today. There are a couple different looks so stay tuned. More to come this week. (Click to enlarge - top pic only)
You can reach Sabrina on Twitter here.

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And one candid from the shoot...

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Stairway to Heaven - Sabrina

She may be gone, but she's hardly forgotten. Happy Thursday!

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Why It’s Important We Bring Some Class Back To Urban Modeling

I’m going to take a break in my regularly scheduled programming to talk about something that warrants discussion in my opinion: the rapid decline of the urban modeling industry.

As anyone who follows urban modeling knows, after Buffie the Body hit the scene in 2004, the quality of the market took a serious nosedive*. These days, booty shaking videos and thongs abound; one piece, full back bikinis, however, are nearing extinction. Say what you will about Melyssa Ford, but at least she did this with some class.

Why is class important?

Advertising Dollars

For urban modeling to be taken seriously as a genre and attract advertisers that will support the magazines and websites featuring your favorite models, it cannot continue in the direction it is heading. Advertising in print magazines is already becoming increasingly rare as media migrates to the net, but poor content is also to blame for top advertisers abandoning ship on urban modeling magazines. "Advertisers refuse to advertise in Smooth because a black woman with curves…resembles pornography." (Westhoff, “End Run, How a Few Black Publishers Are Making a Play for the Maxim Man” Village Voice (May 22, 2007) The Village Voice Online.) That’s right. To the mainstream world, a picture of Bria Myles oiled down in a thong is pretty much porn, and quality advertisers do not want to be affiliated with that type of content. No advertisers means no money, and no money means no sustainable business model for profitability, aka a dead industry.

The Best Models Are No Longer Willing To Do It

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I recently shot a model named Sabrina Hunter who was featured on this blog. She got an incredible response and quickly started burning a trail through the internet. But less than a month after we had shot, she decided she didn’t want to do it anymore. Her reason: “I HATED the reputation urban models have earned and I don’t want to be guilty by association.” (See Sabrina’s Blog Post)

This is not an isolated incident. The more urban modeling is associated with stripping and booty shaking videos on Youtube, the less any self-respecting woman is going to want to do this. Fewer quality models means less respect for the genre and fewer advertising dollars, not to mention that we the consumers miss out on the best girls because the market has become a cesspool. Again, a dead industry.

What’s The Problem; What’s The Solution

The women who’ll do anything for some spotlight aren’t really the problem; it’s the consumers who are too shortsighted to see that their insatiable desire for increasingly risqué content is driving this market into the ground. For the market to be restored, consumers have to demand quality.

To analogize with the black filmmaking movement, ten years ago people complained that there were too many “ghetto” films, but when a quality flick like “The Best Man” or “Love Jones” came out, it didn’t draw the same large numbers as “Jason’s Lyric” or “Menace to Society.” So the studios stuck with the safe bet and we got more ghetto movies. When they finally realized those movies had run their course we were left with nothing. That will soon be the case with urban modeling. At this rate, there won’t be any urban modeling in 5 years. It will just be porn.

We’re at a turning point with this market. I saw a thread on a message board the other day with a picture of Bria from her recent J’Adore pictorial and someone said: “She is a beautiful young woman…No back shot needed.” We’re going to need a lot of more of that and a lot less “When she gonna do porn?” if the market is going to revive.

For those of you shaking your heads and thinking “This fool doesn’t get it. I could care less about respecting these women, I just wanna see ass!” Don’t worry; there will always be Cubana Lust type videos. The internet opened a flood gate to that sort of content that will never be closed. But there won’t always be quality magazines and websites featuring top-notch women if this train doesn’t get back on track.

Regularly scheduled programming will resume forthwith. Laugh

*Buffie was not the cause of this nosedive per se, but her entrance on the scene marks the point when the quality really started to slip.




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More Sabrina Hunter

Here's what: I'm going to continue posting pics of this girl until people stop asking for more. In other words, be prepared for more Sabrina posts, lol. (Click to enlarge)

Hit her up on Twitter here.

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Friday Night Sabrina

More Sabrina Hunter, just because...
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Sabrina Hunter Redux

As promised, this is Part II of my Sabrina Hunter post, all photos compliments of your friendly neighborhood blogger. Click to enlarge.

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Sabrina Hunter

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After three years away from the urban modeling game, aspiring novelist Sabrina Hunter has decided to give it another go. I caught up with her recently and took some brand new photos of her, proving she's as gorgeous as ever. I also asked her a little bit about her past in urban modeling and why she decided to give it another go. An accountant studying to obtain her CPA certification, this college graduate is far from your typical urban model. But we'll let her tell you in her own words... (NOTE: All pics can be enlarged by clicking)

When did you first appear in the urban modeling scene and how did you get started/noticed?

I got my first job in a video for Bubba Sparxx and it was arranged for me by a friend. After that video, I was "noticed" by my former manager at an event. I gave her my contact information, she contacted me, and the rest is history.

What were your most prominent jobs once you got started (e.g., music videos and/or magazine appearances)?

I did videos for Kanye West, Jon B., and Fabolous. I was also a cover/feature in the Rookie Edition of Smooth Girl Magazine 2005, and I was in King Magazine with The Game in March 2005.
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What made you decide to step away from urban modeling for a while?

The main reason I stepped away from the urban modeling business was due to financial reasons. I do what makes dollars and SENSE. I had just graduated from college with my Bachelor's degree when I was getting the most work and I was ready to see some cash and stability. Modeling full-time didn't provide what I was looking for in a profession, because the work didn't pay enough on a steady basis so I put my degree to work for me instead. I chose to not model part-time, either because the cost was more than the benefit, so I dropped it altogether.

What made you decide to return, even if only in a limited fashion?

I want to make myself visible to the public. I just finished writing my first novel, entitled Skeletons in the Closet, and my desire is to be published, so I'm using modeling as a marketing technique. The novel is about a young woman in LA who falls in love with a man who is a professional football player who turns out to be bisexual.

Are you concerned that urban modeling will come back to haunt you in your professional pursuits, and if not, why?

I'm not concerned because I do what I feel is right for me. Also, there are some things I just won't do. If I'm not comfortable or if I feel something could harm me professionally, I don't do it. I know the urban modeling profession, as a whole, has a pretty bad reputation. As in any profession, there are people who do the right things and there are people who do the wrong things. I just stay professional and let my work speak for itself, whether it's modeling, writing a novel, or preparing financial statements.
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If you had any advice for new talent looking to get started in urban modeling, what would it be?

First, decide where you want to go with modeling, create a plan and then go for it. Second of all, stay professional and true to yourself and your plan. Set boundaries and don't compromise yourself or your plan. Realize anything and everything you do in your personal and professional life has the ability to get you closer to your goal or haunt you and inhibit you later.

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Look for another blog entry about Sabrina later this week with additional photos. Meanwhile, enjoy some of her oldies below and shout her out on Twitter...

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