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ELISAVETA | At Dylan Egons House

Elisaveta was shot in my friend Dylans house. She is one of the hardest working models I have ever shot and a sheer delight to work with. Her photos from this shoot really portray her many strengths and multi-faceted persona. I can say a lot about Elisaveta but that might embarass her so I won't. She is a dynamite girl with a great intellect and personality. I have included some music with her slideshow and the choice of song should be telling. It is U2's Original of the Species from their excellent album: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". Elisaveta is a true original with the ability to amaze and astound. And if there is anyone capable of dismantling an atomic bomb I'm sure it is her. She also wore my "KILLERS" T-shirt and made me feel like I was one of the geeks from Weird Science.

THE GREAT GATSBY SHOOT | BeLove at The Historic Whitney House

This shoot was one of my favorites for many reasons. First because I had an excellent team supporting me and helping to realize my vision. First was BeLove. BeLove is an incrediblepositive force that permeates and influences all around her. A natural beauty with an uncanny resemblance to fashion icon Audrey Hepburn, she was an obvious choice for this shoot. The stylist for the shoot was the very stylish Hala Schlub of Hala Vintage in Jersey City. Hala was adamant about BeLove being the right person for our shoot and her instincts paid off. Hala picked some beautiful one of a kind pieces from her boutique and did an excellent job dressing BeLove and getting her into character. Always very aware of the necessary costume changes and the right accessories for the shot. Without her unique original clothing the shoot would not have happened - period. Another vital part of the team was Orlando Reyes (director of the fifty8 gallery- www.fifty8.com) IHe served as Art Director for the shoot and was key in securing the location- The Historic Whitney House in N.J. The photos from this shoot are some of my favorites for thier ability to evoke another time. And the piercing truth and honesty in BeLove coupled with her ability to conjure Audrey Hepburn really made this shoot memorable for me. Also my little Jamaican princess Amber!

NURIT | NYC Test Shoot

Nurit is a young woman whose photos I had always found interesting and wanted to shoot sor a long time. She has these peircing blue eyes that are something else. After some cajoling on my part we shot in Little Italy and the Lower East Side. Nurits unique look and beauty make her a fascinating subject. She was getting over a cold when we shot. In between shots there was a lot of sneezing going on. But she always was right on and never complained once. I like to test out on location in NYC because it can sometimes be an unforgiving envioronment. People stopping to stare, commenting, background movement. The excitement is palpable. And if the model can focus and not be distracted working hard to get a good shot. Then I know that when we are ready for a full blown shoot she will perform as well or better under controlled circumstances. Nurit was a real pleasure to work with. Just a lovely intelligent girl and we found some great light. Not a bad monday.

JACKIE S | Rooftop Test NYC

Jackie is a Brazilian Godess. She has the presence of a Rock Star. I don't know how to describe it other than the fact that some of the Black & White shots of her remind me of Shakira or a young Debbie Harry with a latin flavor. Jackie has attitude galore. I especially like the shots of her smoking. These were taken during a break. And you can tell she is enjoying herself and the cigarette. These photos were my first exhibited on www.ModelMayhem.com. Where Jackie is a cult favorite and enjoys a large fan base. The shoot yielded one photo in particular which I love. It is a shot of Jackie loooking straight into the camera with NYC in the background, tall buildings in black and white. I used this as my avatar for a long time and it really has a lot going on. I got a lot of great comments from these photos and I am very proud of them.

CUBA | 2002-2003

My photographs and video of Cuba document my return to the place my parents called home-the island of my birth. My parents left Cuba when I was two years old. So I have no memories of it nor my family that was left behind. Going to Cuba in 2002 was a fascinating journey of self-discovery and artistic achievement. Nothing prepared me for the slew of emotions which came over me when I arrived and met my family that had not seen me in 30 years. The country is as different from the U.S as imaginable- Politically, ideologically and technologically. As an outsider I viewed this with wonder, amazement and awe. Equipped with the tools of a modern digital artist, I captured a sense of what it was like to be there under my unique circumstances. The images and video that I made taught me a great lesson. They are images of people, places and things. Which are universal in nature and transcend borders and boundaries- to impact the viewers square in their hearts and minds. I am pleased to share them with you.

JULIA BOORSTIN

Julia is good friend of mine. Besides being naturally beautiful and extremely intelligent she is also very supportive of me and my work. I had the pleasure of working with Julia at FORTUNE magazine. I knew from the instant she arrived that she was a great talent and destined for success. As a writer for FORTUNE and FSB magazines, Julia has profiled Damon Dash of Roc-A-Fella Records and Roc-A-Wear fame as well as Fabio. Julia can be seen on ShowBiz tonight on CNN. Julia was also the first person to invite me on Freindster, Thanks JB.

ANGELA FERIN

Hello Angela! Angie is a remarkable woman and dear freind. I met Angie through a mutual friend who insisted I ask Angie to model for me and when I declined to ask- She asked for me. The rest is history. Angie is a down to earth, positive, energetic bieng who is great to work with. The photos of Angie at The Cloisters in NY are among my favorites. The shoot almost did'nt happen when I was stopped by police and detained for not paying some overdue tickets. Then at the Cloisters an overzealous security guard was adamant on not having us shoot there. Niether I nor Angie would be easily deterred and we ended up shooting some of the best film I had exposed in quite some time. This is due to Angelas inherent undeniable beauty and determination and me deciding to risk prison to meet Angie for the shoot. No regrets. Angie is now the proud mother of a baby boy (Nigel). Already the mother of Zel ( a stunner) She was recently wed to Tim and because Angela is such a sweetheart I obliged her and was the photographer for her wedding. I anxiously await our next shoot.

PRAGUE | CZECH REPUBLIC - 2004

All my hip friends told me the same thing " Prague- Marco you have to go to Prague, It's beautiful!". So last December as my birthday gift to myself I went to Prague with my friend Mario Monroy (Creative Director-58 Gallery) to see what the fuss was about. It was GORGEOUS! The architecture, the small cobblestone streets, Charles Bridge and the Czech women- Outstanding! Originally I had planned to go to Cuba last year and visit my family in what would have been the third trip in as many years- But due to the newly imposed travel restrictions I was unable to go. This was a big disappointment to me. Last year had been very trying with the loss of my best friend Jerry Schade. So I knew I had to do something other than wallow in a depressed state. Taking off to Prague with Mario ( Ché ) as he is affectionately called, was a great experience. It fed my soul. Everyone was incredibly supportive and encouraged me to go. And I returned with these lovely pictures which truly express my feelings toward this wonderful city. I want to Thank Bara van der Kuch and Jeffrey Duque for putting me in contact with Matthew Gerstner and Katherine Berland who treated Mario and I so well while in Prague.

KATERINA POUROVA | Saint Kate

Or Saint Kate as I like to call her. Kate is great- PERIOD. I met Kate halfway into my trip in Prague. We had an evil receptionist. A brunette with Jack Nicholson eyebrows who was as cold as Ice in the North Pole (Evil Kate). Nothing would make her smile and with every polite question we asked she did'nt hide the fact that she could'nt be bothered with us and wanted nothing more than for us to leave. After four days of this shit I had had it. When we returned to our hotel ready to give Kate hell we were greeted by this beguiling little creature behind the front desk. It was'nt the evil Kate but her replacement- Katerina Pourova. Saint Kate spoke english with a slight Czech accent and punctuated her sentences with phrases like " Of course". We hit it off splendidly. While charging my batteries for my video camera I inadvertantly blew out the electricity in our hotel room. When we went to the front desk to seek Kates assistance- She investigated. Found our fusebox, and then... managed to blow out the electricity for the ENTIRE hotel! Ba-doww!!! With candlelight in hand and cellphone in the other. Kate spoke to a Czech handy man whose earliest E.T.A. was one hour. During this Mario found a hidden fusebox behind an elaborate mirror and PRESTO! Ché saved the day. After a deep sigh of relief Kate offered us some fine Czech beer (Pilsner Urquell) and I told her I was a photographer from NYC and showed her my photos ( a G4 laptop is quite handy when traveling). It turns out she is a model-Well whaddayouknow!!! So of course we hit it off right away and the free sauna Mario and I had did'nt hurt US CZECH relations either. To make a long story short, these photographs were taken in a day in Prague. We walked from Wenclessa Square to the Charles Bridge and Kate was GREAT.

DANIELA RADU

It is Danielas' beautiful face and soulful seaching eyes that grace the top of this page. Daniela is a student and the photo was taken on a preliminary test shoot in Jersey City shortly after meeting. We met at my friends gallery ( 58 Gallery) where Daniela was sitting so attentively while watching a slideshow by Martina Solej. She had these deep blue eyes that shimmered like saucers. I watched her as she viewed the slideshow with almost reverance. I later introduced myself to her and asked if she would consider being photographed. She said yes. And our test yielded some impressive shots. Not enough for an album but enough to know that I will work with her again because this young girl from Estonia has that elusive "It" so many photographers seek in a model. Stay tuned...