And one bonus Suelyn pic (The top pic enlarges)

Tags: Alysha, Bria Myles, Suelyn Medeiros

Per request by IMAX, this is another photo of Tracy Hudson, the model on the cover of my ’95 Darker Image Calendar. In the late 90s this girl was very hot, running in the company of Elan Carter and Karin Taylor. She was on the boxes for hair product, in magazine ads, and had a TV show in the works.

EDIT: Additional pic added.

Tags: Tracy Hudson

Every now and again I’ll come upon a model that I think has the potential to go farther than usual in the urban modeling game, but because of her location or the resources available to her, she may not able to fully maximize her potential at the moment. That’s how I feel about this month’s Diamond in the Rough - Jernie. Lucky for her, she’s got many years ahead of her to make it happen (she’s only 19).

Anyway, hopefully one of the magazine editors will see this and reach out to her. I’m not crazy about a lot of her “pro” shots so I’m just posting a few that I think show off her versatility. (Click to enlarge)

UPDATE: Link to video of Jernie photo shoot added...


Video of Jernie photo shoot:

Tags: Jernie

Posted for the sole reason of giving y’all a peek at what the other side of that white swimsuit looked like.

Tags: Bria Myles

These are some pics of Miss Koi from the Los Magnificos Car Show on November 22, 2009, in Houston, Texas. Gotta love this girl’s combination of killer curves and a cute face.

Tags: Miss Koi, Koi

There are so many beautiful aspiring models on Model Mayhem. I’m going to try to give one of them some shine each week. This week it’s Maryland’s Myriah Noney.

Tags: Myriah Nonay

What if Melyssa Ford had done a provocative photo like this in her heyday. What would the black communities’ reaction be to it? Would we say this is going too far and is in poor taste? Sometimes it feels like there are greater restrictions on the commercially acceptable* sexual expression of black models, and the curvier and more innately sexy they are, the greater those restrictions. Just food for thought. Be interested to hear other’s opinions.

* By this I mean sexual expression that is allowed mainstream acceptance, versus sexual expression that is limited to the internet and sites like Model Mayhem, but will never see the inside of a Barnes & Noble book store.

Tags: Jenny McCarthy, Melyssa Ford

At 5’9”, Jameka is packing a lot of beauty into her statuesque frame. I posted her because I think she’s a very good example of a model that has done the urban glamor thing with class. With these photos, Jameka can do anything she wants in the future. She’ll never have to look back and think, “I regret taking those pictures.” You can reach her on Model Mayhem here and on Twitter here.

BTW, Jameka went to famed photographer Nick Saglimbeni’s Model Kamp, and based on these photos I’d say she got her money’s worth. Just something to consider for all you aspiring models. Every photo except the fourth is attributable to Slickforce Studios. (Click to enlarge.)

UPDATE: If you want to see more of Jameka (some candid shots), visit the world renowned Wasabi’s links to more Jameka photos.

Tags: Jamekathemodel, Jameka Carter

I had these custom 6” x 8” booklets made for the crew and models on the J’Adore shoot. I went through Apple’s iPhoto printing services. Very nice... If you’re interested in one, PM me. But they aren’t cheap. (Click to enlarge)

Tags: Suelyn Medeiros, Alysha, Bria Myles

Can you believe Melyssa Ford has been in the game for a decade now!? Who else has gone this long? She should be an inductee into the Urban Modeling Hall of Fame (if there was one).

She was recently exiled from Twitter, otherwise I would post that link. But not to worry - life goes on. Melyssa just completed a shoot in Atlanta today called “alter ego” where they made her up to look like a sexy crocodile. Check out the BTS shots here and here. (Click pics to enlarge)

Tags: Melyssa Ford

Megan is one of those models that it's tough to take a bad picture of. Unfortunately, she has no Myspace, Facebook or Twitter. She used to have Model Mayhem, but I think it’s gone.

Tags: Megan Fusako Gaines

This is a photo of Bria Myles I took between poses at the J'Adore Magazine shoot.




_mg_9687-bria-med by Indochine is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Tags: Bria Myles

In a first, the Eye Candy of the Year is a tie between Rosa Acosta and Tammy Torres. You can keep up with Rosa Acosta on her Twitter or drop her a line on her MySpace.

Don’t rule me out of the scanning game fellas.

Tags: Rosa Acosta, Tammy Torres

Larissa is probably one the most versatile and beautiful models I've ever shot. Even though she was in over a dozen music videos, including Ice Cube, Jay Z and LL Cool J, she turned it around and went commercial with her modeling. This girl has a serious body too. See ladies, it can be done. (Click to enlarge ads)

Tags: Larissa Bordere

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

Tags: Sabrina Hunter

What a difference 10 years makes. I remember back in ’95 it was damn near impossible to find a thong shot of a model like Bria Myles, short of looking in a magazine like Players or finding a copy of Howard Morehead’s infamous Bronze Beauties calendar (and those women were not Bria Myles calibre). There was no internet back then. And even if there was, there weren’t any black women on it. I took the photo above of model/actress Tanya Baetz for The Darker Image Calendar back in ’95 and it made a lot of waves at the time. So much so that she was asked on the Jenny Jones Show to talk about it, where she proclaimed “My butt is the most talked about butt in LA!” And it probably was, because that sort of thing was hardly seen in those days, much less in Barnes & Noble bookstore.



I think we would all agree that Tanya’s photo is modest by comparison to what we’re seeing today, however, which Kedesha Ferguson’s photo on the right typifies. Don’t get me wrong, I love the black woman’s shape (and for the record, I like that Ferguson photo). In fact, back in ’95 I was trying every line possible to get women like Kedesha to wear a thong, but it never worked. But now I’m starting to wish for the old days. The days when we all knew 40” hips were a thing of wonder, but could only see it undressed if we earned that right. I mean too much of anything can desensitize you to it, and I don’t wanna be desensitized to women that look like Melyssa Ford. I also don’t want people to get the impression that this is all beautiful black women who want to model are good for - ass shots. So I guess this is yet another post bemoaning the state of urban modeling and asking everyone who is a part of it to be cognizant of your role. Don’t just go with flow. Change it up. Improve the situation, or in another 5 years you may be out of work.

Tags: Tanya Baetz, Kedesha Ferguson

I believe this picture of Ms. Cat originally appeared in Straight Stuntin' magazine. From a photographic perspective, this pic has some serious pros and cons. The pros are the subject, the candy bikini, the setting overlooking the city. All thumbsup. The cons are the horrible lighting that creates harsh shadows on her face.

Anyway, still an interesting photo, if for no other reason but Catya’s raw physical appeal. (Click to enlarge) Follow Ms Cat on Twitter or her MySpace.

Tags: MsCat, Catya Washington

Check out Bria Myles new SHOW pics at BlackJackSkanz website. Nobody does quality scans like BlackJack, and these are no exception. Great work as always.

You can follow Bria Myles on her Twitter or visit BriaMyles.com.

Tags: Bria Myles

Just a reminder to all you urban model photographers: make sure you keep an eye on your subject’s face. Technically, you should be able to crop to just the face and still have a good and/or interesting photo. If you can do that, that’s how you know you’re shooting a worthy model and you’ve taken care of hair and make-up as needed.(Click second pic to enlarge).

You can reach Miss Koi on Twitter here and Myspace here. (There is no Facebook)




img_9224-koi-med-cropped by Indochine is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Tags: Miss Koi, Koi

This is a spot on Jenny Jones for the Darker Image calendar I shot and produced while I was in college. It features Jossie Harris and Amy Hunter. You'll probably get a kick out of the feathered hair, but having dealt with models of this calibre is what makes it tough for me to deal with some of todays biddies, lol.

Tags: Jossie Thacker, Amy Hunter

I found this girl to be downright non-responsive when I attempted to reach out to her about an interview on the blog and a photoshoot. Later, when I suggested her for the J'Adore photoshoot the feedback I got was chilly to say the least, which leads me to believe maybe she had rubbed a few other people the wrong way. BTW, these gorgeous scans are attributable to BlackJackSkanz and SHOW magazine.

Follow Ms Cat on Twitter or her MySpace.

Tags: MsCat, Catya Washington

This is one girl that just radiates raw sexuality in her photos. We actually had to cut back on that some for this shoot. Imagine saying that to Suelyn. "Okay, that's great, but uh, less sexy please." lol

Funny story re: this girl’s sexiness. At one point the hair stylist -- who is a female -- had to make an adjustment to her swimsuit, and after she was done she playfully tapped Suelyn on the butt (which gave a heavenly ripple). Suelyn says to her: “you just wanted to touch it.” Imagine that! She said that to a female. Now you know she has to be pretty confident that she’s hot if she said that to a woman.

(Click to enlarge)



suelyndriftwood-cropped-med by Indochine is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Tags: Suelyn Medeiros

This editorial in BlackMen from 2006 typifies the blurring of the line that started to happen between “models” that were known strippers and models who had never been involved with that side of the business. (Esther is not a stripper.) I can’t even think of the white analogue to the model/stripper in the urban market. Who has Maxim of FHM (repeatedly) featured on the cover who was an admitted stripper?

Anyway, I think these type of features were the beginning of the end for the urban market. This and glamorizing girls like Angel Lola Luv who were obviously not the genuine article.

Tags: Esther Baxter, Buffie The Body

Headhunter doesn't need any additional pub from me - he gets plenty of attention on his own on Model Mayhem, lol. But I find his work visually striking and interesting. Besides, he shot Joanna “va va voom” Peña - see below. He is also a great illustrator.

This photo is an outtake of a shoot I did with Bria Myles where we were copying an idea that Herb Ritts had done with Claudia Schiffer many years ago (see below). The idea is to have the sun shining through a diaphanous sheet with an attractive pattern and put the model in front of it. I was really tempted to use that gold reflector to bounce light onto Bria, but my assistant hates the gold reflector, so we went with white.

What we wound up with wasn’t really that close to the Schiffer photo after all - it kinda became its own concept (or at least that’s how it seems to me). You can see one of the fully edited images here. I actually think the outtake looks better than the final, lol. Also, notice how much retouching had to be done to fill in that fabric above Bria’s head and below her waist.



Bria Outtake Yellow by Indochine is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License


Photo imitated (love this picture):

Tags: Bria Myles

One of the better programs for the Mac is their Powerpoint substitute, Keynote. Keynote Pro is a company that designs templates for this application, and they’re all pretty nice. A lot better than most of the stuff that comes with the app or Powerpoint. You can download the high res (1680 x 1050) of this image here.

Tags: Suelyn Medeiros, Bria Myles, Alysha

Photographer’s Corner: One thing about shooting into the sunlight - autofocus usually stops working so well. That’s what makes these types of shots particularly challenging. Gotta get your manual focus on. Give Alysha a shout out on Facebook here. (Click to enlarge)

Tags: Alysha Young

Stylists corner: That scarf Suelyn is wearing costs $500 and is by Alexander McQueen. Those bracelets are about $750 and are by Louis Vuitton. Finally, the white monokini is by Aguaclara $120.

Tags: Suelyn Medeiros

Ms. Ice is what I'd call a classic beauty in the sense that the guys in the barbershop would have gone nuts over her 20 years ago, and they still do today. The freckles, the undeniably sexy hourglass figure (showcasing a powerful lower half), the genuine smile - that's just good genetics! However, I wonder if an OG beauty like Ms. Ice can stand apart in today's highly exploitative urban market, by which standards her photos are relatively modest. I recently reached out to Tina to find out her thoughts on urban modeling and where she'd like to take this.... (Click pics to enlarge)

• Given the current state of affairs in the urban market, and the fact that you are intent on doing things with class, what's your plan for world domination?

My plan is to hold my ground and not fall under pressure in trying to please everyone. When I first started I was determind to not shoot "eye candy", I did not want to be labled as a "booty model" but when I came across other models like Ms. Koi I saw how beautiful her images were and how she was able to keep it clean and sexy, I decided to give it a try. But of course, I have shot from some angles that I wish I could take back.

• What are limits in terms of what you will and won't do at your photo shoots to be perceived as sexy?

There are shots out there that I wish I could take back, for example the full back shot (no face included). I will not shoot a pic of me making out/ licking on an object smh. Those images, to me, scream out PORN. I will not shoot any "girls gone wild" images meaning they are kissing and touching each others "temple" again, to me, that screams PORN! I will not be on youtube popping my assets, I will not shoot nudes. I will try to keep it creative, by bringing themed ideas for my shoots. I will try and leave something to the imagination. I will shoot only implied nudes.


• What have your experiences been like so far in urban modeling so far?

In modeling it has been hard for me because every photographer I would schedule a shoot with would cancel on me once I told them I'm not doing "eye candy" and they would tell me that I would not make it in modeling because urban modeling is the only thing out there for black women with curves. So after hearing that a number of times I decided to research more on the whole "urban eye candy" thing and it was not until I came across Bria, Laura Dore, and Ms. Koi (to name a few) that the word eye candy wasn't so bad. Now the only problem I have is dirty old men trying to get me to shoot nude smh.

• If you could name one model that has inspired you to get in the game, who would it be and why?

I cant name just ONE! Tyra and Kimora inspired me to do modeling, because they are sexy and sucessful black (or half) women. Ms. Koi, Bria, Melyssa Ford inspired me to give urban modeling a try.

• How long do you intend to be in the game and what are is your ultimate objective?

I really don't know how long I plan to be in modeling. My life is not built around being in the spot light, meaning you will not see me degrade myself just to stay in the game. I have too many things to fall back on. My ultimate objective is to finish school (May 2010 !!!). My ultimate objective in modeling is to become a commercial model.

Tags: Ms. Ice

Recent Maryland Institute College of Art graduate Zach Osif asked if he could paint Bria for one the works at his first major exhibit. He just sent me an email tonight with the final. I think it looks fantastic.

Who knows, this may be worth something some day....

Tags: Bria Myles

Photographer’s Corner: This picture of Alysha was taken midday with strong overhead sunlight. To give it an even, natural lighting both a silk and scrim were used. These pics may look simple, but controlling light outdoors is tougher than it appears. I had three assistants, and even with that at times it seemed like we were shorthanded.

Tags: Alysha Young

Tags: Bria Myles

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

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.

*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.

Tags: Sabrina Hunter, Melyssa Ford, Buffie The Body

Sometimes less retouching, less artificial lighting, less styling, is better. This simple pic of Suelyn sitting on driftwood let’s you get close to her in a way a lot of her other urban modeling pics don’t. Compliments of J’Adore Magazine!

Tags: Suelyn Medeiros

For the J'Adore shoot we used two surfboards (one pink, one yellow), but for some reason the yellow one found its way into the best pictures. So we wound up with several models using the same surfboard. Urgh! At any rate, this is one of Suelyn's better surfboard shots. This idea of shooting into the sunlight and letting the photo wash out with lens flare elements was something we wanted to do from the start with this layout. You don't see this style of shooting much in urban modeling, but it's in a lot of the cooler magazines like Foam.

(Click to enlarge)

Tags: Suelyn Medeiros