Last week, Kris Humphries asked Kim Kardashian to marry him, and I was asked to take the engagement pictures (ahem…where’s my ring?) I’ve never seen a bigger ring in my life…it was like something from Romancing the Stone. That night was a priceless opportunity to catch the ever-growing Jenner/Kardashian/Disick/Odom family in a genuine moment of surprise and support. As I watched Bruce Jenner share Olympic stories with NBA stars Lamar Odom and Kris Humphries, it also occurred to me how much alpha-DNA is in that family’s future bloodline.

Even more awesome was that the story made the cover of People, which has resulted in proud messages from my mother, family and friends who have been reading the magazine for decades. Thanks to People photography director Chris Dougherty for being such a pleasure to work with.

Congrats to Kim & Kris on their engagement. Grab your copy now!

Last month we held our second PhotoKamp in Los Angeles. Students flew in from all over the US—including 2 graduates from PhotoKamp I—and from as far as the UK this year, which was both awesome and flattering. The three-day photography workshop is designed to teach up-and-coming photographers how to handle professional photography and lighting equipment, direct models to desired results, and light subjects in difficult situations.

On Friday evening, I took the photographers atop a downtown skyscraper, where they captured the LA skyline from sunset to night, and the results were incredible—especially in an era where even consumer-level cameras feature respectable sensor sizes, robust ISO latitude, and long-exposure capabilities. After the rooftop shoot, we headed indoors to a warmer meeting area where my amazing team arranged dinner during an informal Q&A session between me and the students.

On Saturday, we met at SlickforceStudio for an in-depth lesson in professional grip and lighting equipment. We also discussed budget-friendly options, which allow for amazing lighting setups at under $100. It’s always fun to see the wheels turning in the students heads as they learn about new equipment and contemplate exciting lighting setups based on their newfound knowledge. Each student then rotated between the positions of photographer, camera assistant/tech, lighting assistant, and fan operator (always the most fun.) Two models posed for the photographers, allowing for each student to have two full hours per day as photographer, in charge of the entire set. They chose the models’ wardrobe, directed their team and the hair & make-up crew, experimented with lighting, and built sets.

On Sunday, we awoke early and carpooled to Ultimate Graveyard in the Mojave desert. Two new models joined us, and while they were in hair and make-up, I showed the photographers solutions for dealing with harsh sunlight and extreme contrast, as well as safetying equipment in high-wind environments and using generators on location. Everyone always has so much fun out in the desert, and there is nothing better than seeing new photographers get excited about cool locations, as I have since the first day I picked up a camera.

For more info and upcoming dates, visit the PhotoKamp site!

Special thanks to Kevin Savarese for coordinating the weekend, the SlickforceStudio staff and amazing interns for their support, and to Joyce Park & Derek Eskridge for these fantastic images!

Earlier this year, I received a call from the Skechers ad department to photograph Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner for their new international Shape-Ups campaign. Having been a Skechers fan for many years, I was really excited about the shoot, and also for the chance to reunite with two of my favorite ladies and their incredible glam squad.

The shoot took place at 5th & Sunset Studios in West Los Angeles, a fantastic facility with multiple sound stages and a virtually unlimited grip & lighting selection—a dream come true for a lighting nerd like me. Monica Rose styled the wardrobe, Joyce Bonelli delivered flawless make-up, and Clyde Haygood brought amazing hair styling as always.

Kim and Kris hit yet another one out of the park with this shoot, taking great direction and bringing their own personalities to the campaign. My brilliant SlickforceStudio team made me proud with stellar support that day. Our intern, Terekah, complimented Kim on her shoes, and was pleasantly surprised a few days later when she arrived to the studio to find her very own pair of Shape-Ups—a gift from the lovely Miss Kardashian herself.

It’s been a lot of fun watching the reach of this campaign. So far, I’ve seen billboards in several cities, multi-story retail displays, and perhaps the most fun: the ad ran in TSA security bins in nearly every airport in the country. Now that’s getting your brand out there.

Production photos by Derek Eskridge & David Rivera

Recently I had the honor of being selected as the official photographer for the 2011 Breast Cancer Charities of America campaign. This was particularly moving to me since one of my closest friends recently recovered from a bout with breast cancer. Charity has always been a critical component of our studio, so naturally, I jumped at the opportunity.

I was thrilled to learn that our first spokesmodel would be the ever-stunning actress and fashion model, Estella Warren. I have been a fan of Estella’s since seeing her in Sports Illustrated, Victoria’s Secret, and her Chanel campaigns, and of course in Planet of the Apes. When she arrived at my studio, she was as beautiful as ever, and I knew this was going to be an amazing campaign.

Estella is not only flawless on camera, but is an absolute sweetheart to work with as well—easily one of my all-time favorites. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to photograph her, but it now makes perfect sense why so many companies have selected her to represent their brands.

Credits: Make-up by Gabriela Ramos, Hair by Al Ingram
Bracelet available at ShamelessJewelry.com

In November 2010, with the help of my elite SlickforceStudio team, I held my first photography and lighting workshop. For years, photographers have been asking my advice on which lights to buy, what lenses I prefer, and how to direct models. So I compiled the e-mails and years worth of feedback from our Slickforce forum into a wishlist of features that would form what I believed to be the mother-of-all-photography workshops, and Nick Saglimbeni’s PhotoKamp was born.

On Friday evening, I met the attendees high atop what we affectionately refer to as “Slickforce Tower”. We enjoyed a barbecue dinner with the studio team while everyone introduced themselves, and then we went into an open-forum Q&A on the business of photography. I relayed several stories from my own experience, as well as those of fellow photographers. The energy of our class was amazing, and it was clear from the first night that it was going to be an exciting weekend.

Saturday morning, we met at SlickforceStudio to learn studio lighting. Here, I covered the many different types of lighting and modifier options, and then everyone watched me demonstrate live on one of our lovely models. Finally, we split the class into two groups, where the students rotated between positions of photographer, camera assistant, lighting tech, and even the fabled fan operator (which incidentally was nearly everyone’s favorite job.) They shot both fashion and glamour looks, and each student got a minimum of one-hour of complete creative control as the photographer.

Finally, we met early Sunday morning and carpooled out to Ultimate Graveyard in the Mojave desert, where the team was introduced to our new models for the day. Here, we covered both simple and complex location lighting, ranging from working with natural light to large-scale magazine-style lighting setups using strobes and reflectors. It was so much fun to watch the photographers’ excitement shooting in the desert—it reminded me of why I love shooting there so much. Once again, the students took turns creating their own lighting setups, directing the models, and assisting each other. I looked over their shoulders while they remembered why they LOVE to create art—and I realized we had created the ultimate playground for photographers.

After sunset, a few photographers experimented with long-exposure photography in the desert, capturing everything from the Milky Way to writing “PhotoKamp” with a flashlight. On the ride home, though exhausted from three days of power-teaching, I couldn’t get over what a pleasant and thrilling experience PhotoKamp was. The new dates for Spring 2011 have just been posted! But don’t take my word for it, here are a few quotes from our PhotoKamp attendees:

“PhotoKamp was one of the best weekends of my life. I was surprised how enthusiastic the crew was, and how they went out of their way to help each one of us.”

Raffael Dickreuter

Visual Effects Artist, Iron Man

“Of all the workshops I’ve been to, this one featured the smallest class size, the best models, and longer shooting time than expected.”

John Agger

Photographer

“Shooting at SlickforceStudio was like being in a photographer’s candy store—they had a beautiful assortment of lighting, modifiers, and even lenses for me to experiment with. But the biggest surprise was the models! They were not only professional and beautiful but had NEVERENDING patience!”

Kyla Schultz

Photographer

“I enjoyed watching how Nick’s team works together to achieve a work of art. I wish PhotoKamp was a month long—it is an experience I will never forget.”

Henry Thompson

Photographer

“PhotoKamp was a life-changing experience for me—it was AMAZING. It would have cost me far more time and money to rent all of that equipment on my own and figure out how to use it through trial and error.”

Von Jackson

Art Director

When I was a kid, I loved to roller-skate. And I told myself that one day I would throw a roller-skating party with models. It just seemed like it would be, well, the awesomest party ever. Hey, a kid has to dream. Then, in high school, I put away my quads and transitioned to roller-blading. And finally, like most of us, I transitioned again, only this time into the real world, where childhood joys were locked away in a chest and relegated to memories of the past. Until now.

As my company continues to be blessed by growth and prosperity, I find it increasingly important to remind our expanding family of those childhood thrills, as proof that dream-chasers can stay connected to the wide-eyed, unjaded enthusiasm that we all possessed as children, before we learned about rules and jobs and taxes. And what better way to do that than to shut down a roller-rink for all of your friends?

This year, in conjunction with the wonderful people at Moonlight Rollerway, I opened our SlickforceStudio Christmas party up to more than just our beloved staff. We invited close friends and clients, giving us a chance to show our appreciation to those who have helped us along our journey. At first, many were nervous—not having been on a pair of skates since middle-school—but ultimately we got nearly everyone out on the floor and had the time of our lives.

We also celebrated associate photographer Christian Arias’ first magazine cover, of rising-star Ayanna Jordan for Import Tuner magazine. Her work is a testament to the talent of our team, the ever-evolving creativity of the Slickforce brand, and our growing presence in popular media.

As we close out a landmark year, one that saw our 6th ModelKamp, my first SlickforceGirl book shoot, and more than 25 magazine covers, as well as the advent of PhotoKamp, Mastering Retouching, Kardashian Konfidential and countless related campaigns, I want to say thanks to everyone who has supported us, especially you, the fans. This is my reminder to you to never stop dreaming!

Merry Christmas everyone! 🙂

INDEX:

1: Aldis Hodge from TNT’s Leverage and brother Edwin

2: ModelKamp instructor Brittany Dailey & friend Courtney, me, Playboy Playmate Jessica Burciaga & model/actress Daphne Joy

3: Director/Cinematographer James Mann, model Ayanna Jordan, and Craig McNelly

4-5: Slickforce Models show their love!

6: Ayanna Jordan and SHOW Art Director Von Jackson

7: Tale of Two Alexs: Alex Saglimbeni and actress/producer Alexandra Merejo

8: Slickforce Intern Jessica Whitehead & Cinematographer David Tayar

9: Alex Merejo, me, and celebrity hair-stylist Rob Scheppy

10: Friends join SlickforceStudio’s associate photographers Cherry Gardner and Christian Arias

11: Me and Daphne Joy

12: James Mann entertains Slickforce post-production supervisor Joyce Park

13: GIRLS editor-in-chief Tanisha Brown and sister Alicia

14-27: Skate-crazy!

28: Slickforce Director of Operations Kevin Savarese joins Ayanna and Christian to celebrate their cover!

A few days before Thanksgiving, mogul/manager/matriarch Kris Jenner asked me to photograph the annual Kardashian/Jenner family portrait, which they’ve historically released just prior to Christmas. This was an exciting opportunity for me, primarily because it marked the first time I would have the entire family together in one room.

Having photographed nearly all of them individually throughout the last year, I knew each of their particular poses, facial expressions, and subtle nuances. But I wanted to do something different—less smiley and happy than I’ve done in the past—but something more gothic and stark—alluding to family portraits of Victorian era aristocracy, with little expression and the focus on mere presence.

I believe a family portrait should tell a story. In this case, I took a look back at the growth the Kardashian/Jenner family experienced in the last two years. Kris had only weeks before completed the remodeling of her home, which featured huge black-and-white marble tiles, high ceilings, and sprawling staircases. I blocked out the positions of the family members, paying special note to the couplings of Kourtney & Scott and Khloé & Lamar, as well as Kendall’s growing prominence in the media spotlight. I also felt that it was very important to capture this “turning point” moment in their family history, as it marked the first appearance of young Mason.

Hair, make-up, and wardrobe did a fabulous job as always, though as you can imagine it takes a while to get an entire family through the process. And as if having every Kardashian mini-mogul in the room wasn’t pressure enough, Rob had to leave to catch a flight, which gave me a pressure-inducing twelve minutes to capture the entire shot. I was thrilled with the final image, which given our enormous time contraints, proved once again that preparation is everything.

CREDITS:
Photo by Nick Saglimbeni
Make-up by Joyce Bonelli
Hair by Rob Scheppy
Wardrobe Stylist Monica Rose
Behind-the-scenes photography by Terekah NaJuwan

Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph the youngest of the Jenner/Kardashian clan, Kylie Jenner. The shoot was at SlickforceStudio in LA. Kylie was every bit as professional as her sister Kendall, but with a wonderful and unique look and attitude all her own. Being Kylie’s first fashion shoot ever, this was an exciting experience for everyone involved. It’s always fascinating to witness someone’s initial discovery of their hidden talents. You can really see how much fun she’s having in the shots. She did amazingly well, and she has some of the best eyes I have ever shot!

Then last week, when I shot the Jenner/Kardashian family Christmas card, I saw Kris’ beautifully redesigned house, with a “Wall of Fame” featuring professional modeling pics of her daughters Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Kendall. I was proud to recognize many of the images as my own, but there was also a space left for Kylie, which will come from this set and complete the wall.

Special thanks to the super glam-squad formed by genius stylist Monica Rose, my longtime star make-up artist Gaby Ramos, and hair stylist Alon Shalom for an amazing job. These beautiful behind-the-scenes pics were taken by SlickforceStudio assistant Derek Eskridge.

I am going to steal your brains! *Frankenstein groan*

In March 2010, the Kardashian sisters called and told me about a new book they had coming out, called Kardashian Konfidential. They asked if I’d be interested in shooting new images for the cover, to which I naturally said yes. After speaking with the publisher, however, it was clear that they needed an even greater range of images to use throughout the book, and so we planned this day at the studio.

The Kardashian/Jenner family had plenty of images of the girls growing up, etc., but what they needed now were shots of the modern-day Kardashians, as the world currently knows them. So we devised a shoot that was three layers deep—similar to the dream levels in Inception. First we set up our usual studio shooting area to capture staged and posed images for the cover and the inside of the book. Then, two of of my assistants captured production shots of the making of the shoot, and in between takes I would grab one of their cameras and follow the sisters to hair and make-up, where they would tease each other and play while prepping for the next shot. Finally, there were publicity crews from E! that captured press footage of my crew shooting behind-the-scenes of my actual shoot with Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé, that they could use to promote the book. It was a very fun day, but one where we didn’t stop shooting in some form from start to finish.

The book is available everywhere on November 23rd. I received my advanced copy a few weeks ago, and I’m thrilled with the final product. Kardashian Konfidential is a quality coffee-table book, with exceptional layout and printing, all very professionally done. Though the cover is a bit pink for my taste, I also realize that I’m not the target teenage female demographic. I’m sure this book will fly off the shelves. Brilliant work by the team at St. Martin’s Press for a fantastic publication!

CREDITS:
Wardrobe Stylist – Monica Rose
Make-up by Mario Dedivanovic
Hair by Frankie Payne
Additional Photography by Cherry Gardner and Derek Eskridge

Despite how busy we’ve been at the studio, Fall 2010 brought about many opportunities to play. SHOW Magazine hosted their 4th Annual Halloween party in Hollywood this year. I’d been busy planning the first PhotoKamp and ModelKamp 6, so I dug up my Wolverine costume that I had put together a few years back. Nearly the entire Slickforce crew came out to roam the streets of Hollywood, which made it one of the most memorable Halloweens ever for me.

Model Ayanna Jordan also celebrated her birthday at Falcon on Sunset Blvd. in October. Once again, my wonderful team showed up to help her celebrate, as well as her good friend and fellow model Nazanin Mandi.

As we begin the holiday season, here’s wishing you and your loved ones all the happiness in the universe, and remember to live every day to the fullest!

INDEX:
1-10: My brother as Scarface, photographer Christian Arias as the black cat, Slickforce crew Kevin Savarese, Derek Eskridge, and David Rivera as the Jabberwockies, Ayanna Jordan as Dark Angel, model Jesikah Maximus as a hot leopard, and SHOW publisher Sean Cummings as the priest.
11-15: Ayanna Jordan’s birthday with Naz Mandi, Kevin Savarese and Derek Eskridge