MOASM: introducing SHANNON WALLACE

With heritage from his Chinese father and African-American mother, actor/ model Shannon Wallace has a captivating look. Those sharp angles and perfect sculpted cheekbones are unforgettable - the cut like a knife. It takes more than a handsome face and the right fit to make an impact as a male model. He has a great personality and definitely one to watch out for in the coming months.

 

photographed by Tarrice Love

SHANNON WALLACE - unsigned

styling and grooming by Tarrice Love

MODEL DEVELOPMENT: (MOASM) Making of a Supermodel

  

It all starts somewhere.

Before they were signed to the top agencies, shooting with the biggest photographers in the world, gracing the pages of  the top magazines, and appeared in the campaigns of the leading designers - Many of theses guys and girls were just regular people who never really imagined themselves with a career in modeling ....

I have helped these individuals without my hand out and no expectation of payment - Some people think I am foolish for not attempting on cashing-in on my ability see potential in people and their success. Sometimes I think I am stupid for not trying to make extra money off helping them especially after the way some of them treat me after they get what they want out of it. I help them because I am able to...because I can. I just wanna see people excel and if my work can contribute to their lives in a positive way.... that's payment enough for me.

CHRIS CLARK CATES @ VNY

 

I found Chris waiting tables in Chili's near the University of Memphis. Worked with him for months, helping him develop strong enough images to sign with an agency in NYC. Chris has appeared in  L'uomo Vogue with Bruce Weber, GQ, Complex, Trace Magazine and Details  

BRIAN PETERS @  Ford NYC

 

I found Brian in the parking lot at FedEx in Memphis, Tn - where both of us was employed. We worked together almost every weekend for almost 2 years before he arrived in NY to sign with Ford NYC. For the past 2 years, Brian's been on hold and option for damn-near every major campaign from The Gap to Givenchy. He's done commercial work for Target, JC Penny, Macy's and landed campaigns for SouthPole.

TIFFANY FAIRFIELD @ Ford L.A

I met Tiffany in college while designing the stage set for the campus fashion show. We became life long friends   and worked together for years before she took the images to agencies and signed with Ford  L.A/Robert Black Agency-AZ

DURAN BUNCH @ Wilhelmina Models NYC

 

A mutual friend refer us to work together - I remember like it was yesterday when Duran Bunch called and said "Hi, i'm Duran...I heard you was lookin' for some white boys, well, I'm white..." LMAO! Duran would ride his motorcycle from Nashville to my home in Memphis to get strong enough images to attract the interest of Wilhemina Models NYC. Duran has stomped it out on the runway for nearly all the top designers in Paris, Milan, and London. He also has been photographed the biggest photographers in the business including Stephen Miesel and Steven Klein... 

ANDRE` DOUGLAS @ Wilhelmina Models NYC

I met Andre` Douglas through the internet years ago when he was a college basketball player in Lawrenceville, Ga. By the time he was able to come to Memphis to shoot with me - I was in the process of moving to NYC. I told him that if he wanted to work with me, he had to come to NY. He maxed-out his credit card for a plane ticket to NYC and crashed at my place....with a broke foot. Since those days, Andre has done campaigns for Abercombie and Finch, Levi's, I.N.C, Bloomingdales, Southpole and D-Squared. He also graced the pages of GQ, Vibe Magazine and the runways of top designers in Paris, Milan, and New York. 

GEREMY ALEXANDER @ Fusion NYC

I found Geremy Alexander during my last visit home. A model friend was recommending I work with one of his friends on his Myspace page. I contacted Geremy but later realized he wasn't the person the model was refering.... but I liked Geremy more. After I shot him, agents saw the images and became interested. He flew up here accompanied by his grandmother to eventually sign with Fusion Models NYC. Since then, he has walked shows during fashion week, shot the video intro of Beyonce's I Am....Tour, done the PellePelle campaign and the cover of Bleu Magazine.

RUMANDO KELLEY @ CESD

 

Top model Lamar James recommended me as the photographer to work with to Rumondo Kelley when he first arrived to NY from Atlanta. When I met him,  he had done a few independent movies and a few really bad test shoots. He needed something that captured his energy and had "New York edge." I worked with him and help develop a strong presentation  that set the tone of his portfolio and we  became instant friends. Rumando is the face of Austrilian clothier Coogi, as well as one of the top commercial model earners. He is one of the few models I know that makes a living modeling (without a side job)


KORTNEY WILLIAM - HOPKINS @ BOSS MODELS

 

I first started working with Kortney Wailliams - Hopkins after we found each other on the website Modelmayhem. He told me that the worked we did together caught the attention of famed photographer Francois Rousseau for a major editorial and his latest book. He has also walked the runways for numerous designers in NY and Paris. He also has his own t-shirt line called INSpired. He is currently represented by Boss Models NYC 

LAURENCE McCREA @ Next NYC

Laurence McCrea was a young cat I worked with - trying to help him develop the strongest presentation possible for agency representation. As soon as I posted him on my blog as a face to watch out for, mother agent Shameer Khan @ Krush Model Mgmt snatched him up and placed him with Next Model Mgmt. Since getting signed, Laurence as appeared on the Bravo's reality tv show Kell on Earth, as well as appearing in the pages of Esquire Magazine and French GQ, and walked the runways for shows during fashion week. 

BRANDON PARKER @ Ford NYC

I met Brandon Parker on the set of a editorial I was shooting for Uptown Magazine. He was the prepper for the stylist. We exchanged contact info and started shooting together shortly after. I helped Brandon get a set of images that helped him get signed to Ford NY. Since signing he's landed gigs with Complex Magazine, Trace Magazine, Viv Magazine as well as walking the runway for Elie Tahari during fashion week

COURTNEY STEELE @ Mint Models

 

I met Courtney Steele (brother of ESPN sportscaster Sage Steele) when he moved to NY to pursue representation in NY. We instantly hit it off and worked together to get him images that snagged him representation with Mint Model Mgmt and Base Models in South Africa. He recently graced the cover of GQ South Africa's Style issue along with an 8 page editorial inside.

GENE GRADY @ Major Model Mgmt.

 

I found Temple University student Gene Grady on the modeling network website, Modelmayhem. I shot him for my submission to the Surface Magazine Avant Guardian competition. Crashing on my couch in between computing from Philly to NYC - I helped him develop the images that presented him in a more polished and expensive way that quickly attracted agents and top photographers. He quickly landed his first campaign for PellePelle and editorials for countless online magazines.  Currently Gene Grady is represented by Major Model Mgmt.

ISAIAH COLBERT @ Red Model Mgmt.

I also found Isaiah Colbert on the model network website, Modelmayhem. I saw something unique and special in him and wanted to help develop a strong presentation that attract the interest of NY agency representation. As so as he got the images in his possession, his girlfriend submitted them a few agency. Red Models quickly snatched him up. Since then, he's appeared in a magazine editorials and walked runways for many upcoming designers in NY.

RICHIE KUL @ Re:quest Model Mgmt.

Thai-American model Richie Kul is currently represented by Re:Quest Model Mgmt and Models1 in the UK.
you gotta LOVE a model that brings brownies..... yes he brought me brownies :)

 

photographed by Tarrice Love

RICHIE KUL @ Re:Quest Model Mgmt.

styling and grooming by Tarrice Love

WHAT AN AMAZING FACE - CHAVEZ @ Specimen/ Ford Models NYC

introducing Chavez currently represented by Specimen models and Ford NYC. He has powerhouse good looks with those insanely chiseled cheekbones. Great guy to work with....more to come.

photographed by Tarrice Love

CHAVEZ @ Ford Models NYC

styling and grooming by Tarrice Love

film: RENEE THOMPSON in THE COLOR OF BEAUTY by Director Elizabeth St. Philip

Yesterday I stumbled upon this website called WORK FOR ALL: Films Against Racism In The Workplace ( http://workforall.nfb.ca )
The Colour of Beauty is a short documentary about racial discrimination in the fashion industry. Director Elizabeth St. Philip follows a young and fiercely talented Black model, Renee Thompson, as she navigates the fashion world as a visible minority.



After watching this film yesterday, I began thinking about my place in this industry as a photographer.... and then as a BLACK photographer. I am often frustrated by how slanted this industry is when it comes opportunities for models of color. I do appreciate agencies, like Major Model Mgmt. who support my vision as an artist in this industry.

I try to provide images that parallel the images successful models (who are usually white) have in their portfolios for the models of color I work with, but those images never make it to their book because the idea of treating all models equally is not ideal - models of color end up with a boring, forgettable portfolio presentation and remain in a box with limited opportunities and the white models an unfair advantage.

I think it also sucks that many photographers, stylist, fashion designers of color go all out of their way to mask their race  by working with mostly white models. Some go to the extremes of changing their name and even lying about their background so industry people will assume they are white. I am very proud of who I am and the fact that I am a black man from the south making moves in this industry. I resist the pressures to hide my race  because I want to use my influence to represent my people in this business. I am proud that my work helps this industry to see models of color the same way their white counterparts are viewed. It allows them to be on a more equal playing ground - giving the models of color a fair chance.

I grew up during the height of the supermodel craze.... with models of color like Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford, Jason Olive, Veronica Webb, Beverly Peele, Roshumba, Sekou Carradine,Will LeMay, Daisy Fuentez and so many more..... seeing them made me hopeful. I wanted to see more colored faces and I really believed I could contribute to this industry.

After last years, Vogue Italia "Black" issue, I attempted to put together a portrait series that celebrated the black male models in the industry called IM2: The Invisible Men Project - I never expected to receive resistance from the models and their agents - especially since I had worked with so many of them in the beginning stages of their careers. I even had an agent tell me directly that had i been a big named white photographer, he would allow his working models to be apart of the project. The models themselves were either too afraid to do it on their own or just weren't interested because they are booking some jobs. I can't do it by myself so i'm scrapping  the project....for now.

I think this film is a great way to spark real dialogue that might help open the eyes of designers, editors, and agents in this industry....
This film asks the questions: Why isn’t the multi-cultural society that we live in reflected in our magazines, on billboards and on the runways of fashion shows? And who are the parties involved in this industry’s lack of diversity? Does the answer lie somewhere in the back rooms of fashion magazines or in the offices of casting directors of fashion shows? Is it something that is discussed at advertising agencies, or between designers and modeling agencies? Whatever the answer, the fact is that models of color work less, and their chances of success are very low.

Everytime I do a post about this issue I feel people going "oh lawrd, not this again" but I will continue to use my internet presence to discuss this issues until other people within the industry step up and take a chance and catch up with the diverse world we are living in now.

And what do you think? Work For All in partnership with Schema Magazine is launching a quest for your stories about how racism affects the world of fashion. And, they are launching a live event with our other partner The Museum of Vancouver. Find out more about this contest and event at Schema Magazine.

another brotha named Brandon: BRANDON ESPY @ L.A Models

Brandon Espy @ L.A. Models

So far I have photographed approximately 20 black models named Brandon. LOL This one came all the way from California -  Brandon Espy is currently represented by L.A Models. During his visit to NY to meet with modeling agencies and test with photographers, I had the opportunity to test with him as well. My good friend, photographer Gregory Prescott recommended that I shoot with him as well as his mother agent Michael Maddox. As soon as I opened my door, I understood why. He was star-quality stunning - very tall, very handsome, and a smile that lit up my hallway. I could here my momma's voice in my head going "whooooooo-wheee!"  (my momma is crazy, but she know what she like, lol)

I ended up working with Brandon twice during his NY visit. The first time, my objective was to shoot a great head shot and body shot. I decided to experiment with natural light... something I don't do often. I did some casual lounging around in my living room  eating Rice Krispies. The second time we worked together I decided to shoot him on the streets of Brooklyn wearing suits. I wanted him to have something authentic of NY that he couldn't get in LA. I also wanted to give him something I didn't see in his portfolio. His look reminded me of movie stars so I wanted his images to look like movie stills. The pictures turned out beautiful. I enjoyed working with Brandon and I look forward to us working together again.

photographed by Tarrice Love

featuring BRANDON ESPY @ L.A. Models

clothing designed by Zara NY

styling/ grooming by Tarrice Love

 

Brandon Espy @ L.A. Models

introducing ASHLEE DESIRE @ Major Model Mgmt - Germany

 

Ashlee Desire @ Major Model Mgmt./ Munich

Coming from California, Ashlee Desire, currently represented by Major model Mgmt. in Munich, Germany, brings a fresh energy to New York that inspires everyone she comes in contact with. I met Ashlee in 2007 at a fashion show in Times Square. She scared me - yelling and clapping at the the models. I thought she was gonna snatch one of the guys off the catwalk when they walked out in a barely there speedos, LOL.  When she realized she was sitting next to me in the front row, she insisted I look at her book ( she actually had it with her). Her book was amazing and her energy was so exciting and fun - we exchanged phone numbers and now in 2010 we came together to create some great fashion shots.
Ashlee Desire ( yes, thats her real name) is a really good model who can quickly give you hard fierce and in the blink of an eye become soft and demure. She was in NY for a few days working and stopped by my place the morning she was to fly back to Munich, her new home. All i can say is she kill'd it. We put together some really great pics. 

 

photographed by Tarrice Love

featuring ASHLEE DESIRE @ Major Model Mgmt.

clothing designed by Ester Perbandt and H&M

styling/ grooming by Tarrice Love

tarrice love feat. ashlee desire @ major model mgmt. from tarrice love on Vimeo.

 

ON TOP OF THE WORLD feat. BRANDON PARKER @ FORD NYC.

Brandon Parker currently represented by Specimen/ Ford Models NYC has a body that is sculpted to sleek perfection and i thought is was time to show off his amazing form.

brandon parker @ ford models nyc

photographed by Tarrice Love

featuring Brandon Parker @ Ford Models NYC.

shorts by American Apparel

styling/ grooming by Tarrice Love