Confucius famously said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” What he failed to mention, however, was how critical the people you work with are to how much you love your job. (Nice one, Confucius.) As SlickforceStudio celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, it also marks the anniversaries of two of its’ leading ladies.

Last week, photographer and retouching wizard Joyce Park celebrated her 7th year at Slickforce. I remember the day I interviewed her, I said, “We shoot a lot of women, most of them aren’t wearing many clothes. Are you okay with that?” She giggled and nodded. The next day, SlickforceStudio made its’ smartest hire in company history. She now splits her time between Post-Production Supervisor and Associate Photographer.

In May, celebrity photographer Christian Arias begins her 6th year with us. Christian began at Slickforce as an intern, straight from Brooks Institute of Photography. She quickly moved into a paid photo assistant role, and then lead assistant. Few people have worked so closely with our lighting, so it seemed a natural move to have her start shooting. When I first asked her to shoot for our studio, Christian shyly said no. As of this post, she now has more than 25 magazine and book covers under her belt, and a bundle of celebrity clients to boot.

Between them, they’ve photographed and retouched tens of thousands of images for Hollywood’s top elite. I’ve been fortunate enough to work closely with both of them over the years, and I cannot imagine our company without them. Perhaps even more impressive than their incredible work ethics are their respective characters. They are both wonderful human beings, and it is truly an honor to work in the presence of such talented artists.

Take a look at their impressive portfolios here (Christian Arias, Joyce Park). My thanks to both ladies for choosing a home at Slickforce. You are lucky indeed, if you like the people you work with. Measuring by these two superstars, I would consider myself one of the luckiest people on earth.

PHOTO: Christian and Joyce pose with Kevin Hart at their shoot for WMB 3D. Photo by Derek Eskridge for SlickforceStudio.

The team just keeps getting stronger! In this video, travel to a remote location for a behind-the-scenes look at our SlickforceGirl shoot with the stunning Ayanna Jordan. She embraces the Indian Princess role wholeheartedly, and keeps the crew laughing along the way. My thanks to the lovely Ms. Jordan for her devotion to the SlickforceGirl campaign. Order your Limited Edition Princess Ayanna posters here. A portion of proceeds from poster sales are donated to the Breast Cancer Charities of America’s iGoPink campaign.

Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Makeup by THERESE WILLIAMS
Hair by AL INGRAM
Wardrobe Styling by DIANA CHAN
Track: “Light Speed” by Peter McIsaac Music

This week, Carnival is being celebrated all over the world. In nearly every case, the annual five-day event ushers in a party of historic proportions. And while celebrations in Brazil and New Orleans typically involve record levels of infamous wild partying, Venice, Italy instead transforms itself into the ultimate masquerade ball.

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing Venice Carnival, and it is truly a magical experience. A feast for the eyes in every way—from giant marionette spiders in St. Mark’s Square to cobblestone alleys lined with sorcerers, enchanters, and mystics—the Venetian gala champions art and artists from the arcane to the downright creepy.

Perhaps most fascinating is that none of the celebartions’ colorful players ever break character. If costume balls are your cup of tea, mark my words, this is one you want to experience. Eyes Wide Shut has nothing on Venice.

Over the last five years, the online presence for SlickforceStudio’s family of companies has grown dramatically. It has allowed us to connect with our clients and fans in more effective ways and reach a rapidly expanding global audience. And with the creation of those new avenues comes the need for solid servers, bug-free programming and round-the-clock technical support.

In 2008, I hired the newly founded Contus India team to help us code the SlickforceStudio website redesign. I wanted something artistic and clean for the galleries, and they came up with the fluid animated thumbnails that we still use today. (See it in action here.) Six years later, they have the been the programming backbone behind Slickforce.com, NickSaglimbeni.com, the Melanie Iglesias Store, WMB3D.com and many more. So on my recent trip to India, I knew I had to finally meet this amazing team, and personally thank them for helping us stay connected with the world.

When I arrived to the Contus offices in Chennai, I was stunned to see just how large their company has become. In 2008, they were a founding team of five. Today, they boast over 100 employees, and have expanded into app development, 3D interactivity, virtual motion and mobile optimization. The team extended wonderful hospitality to me during my visit, and it was wonderful to be able to finally meet the people we’ve worked so closely with over Skype and email these past six years. I can’t recommend them more highly, and they are an absolute pleasure to work with.

PHOTOS:
1: Managing Director Sriram Manoharan, Programming Supervisor Rajesh Ravichandran and Cheif Operating Officer Bala Murugan
2: Clockwise from bottom right – Sriram Manoharan, Balasubramaniyam Kandaswamy, Thiaghu Radhakrishnan, Amal Raj. U, Bala Murugan, Dinesh kumar Soundararajan, me.
3: The Contus team hard at work.

At the end of January, I had the pleasure of visiting someplace I’ve wanted to go for years—the Indian province of Goa. The once-Portuguese colony has a vibe unlike any other in India, drawing visitors from all over the world for its trance music, beach parties and hippie culture.

Nightlife aside, I found the Goan experience to be serene, particularly in the south in Palolem and Agonda. I spent most of my time wandering the tropical beach villages, and kayaking along the coast. I even accidentally crashed an Indian wedding that I mistook for a rave. Perhaps my favorite experience was sitting on beach with the wild cows, watching the sunset in peace. It was a welcome pace adjustment from the hustle of Los Angeles—one that I will keep with me for as long as I can.

Last august, we took our photography and lighting workshop to Germany. Here’s a look back at the amazing locations, the beautiful models, and the talented next generation of photographers. (See the PhotoKamp Germany photo gallery here.)

PhotoKamp 2014 is coming up April 4-6 in Los Angeles. Be sure to grab one of the last spots at PhotoKamp.com!

Special Thanks to Carsten Simon at Luminanz Studio for providing the time lapse footage, and also to Stefan Rasch, Vanessa Sofie, Joelle Lahr, and the wonderful photographers who allowed us to follow them around for this video. Enjoy!

This January, SlickforceStudio celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Just after New Year’s in 2004, we opened our doors at our first—and much smaller—studio on 5th and Spring St. in downtown Los Angeles. We soon began helping clients showcase their best faces to the world, and the rest is history.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients, team and supporters throughout our first memorable decade. Each of you has become like family to us, and we are forever grateful for the kind words that you shared with others, which helped us grow into the prolific art-house we have become today. As a special thank you to our expanding global audience, NickSaglimbeni.com has now been translated into five languages—Chinese, German, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Click the flags or the drop-down at the top right to switch languages.

Here’s a look back at the original SlickforceStudio—all 400 square feet of it—and one of our very first clients, the lovely and talented actress, Sandra McCoy (pictured above).

CREDITS: Production Stills by Nick Saglimbeni, Alex Saglimbeni and Shannon Kobashigawa

On the heels of the success of the Autism Speaks signing promotion, Melanie Iglesias revisits SlickforceStudio, this time to raise money for Toys for Tots. She gives her fans one week to order her life-size “Bedtime with Teddy” posters, and she personalizes each one, just in time for the holidays.

An extremely special thanks goes out to the Melanie Iglesias Store team, who handled hundreds of orders and worked tirelessly to insure Christmas delivery. To learn more, visit MelanieIglesiasStore.com.

Thank you all for your incredible support this year. None of this would be possible without you. Wishing each of you peace, love, and happiness during this holiday season and beyond. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Production Stills by JOYCE PARK

This week, the Combs family released their debut Christmas portrait. Each family member looked extra sharp in their all black-and-white ensemble, making for both a classic and a classy holiday memory. A very special thank you to Kala Faulkner, Jennifer Stith, and Sean “Diddy” Combs and family for allowing me to capture this special moment, and  to the amazing Slickforce team for their quick on-set maneuvering and support. Here’s a sneak peak behind-the-scenes. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Production Stills by JOYCE PARK for SlickforceStudio

In November, SlickforceGirl made its debut public appearance at Stan Lee’s Comikaze in Los Angeles. Our heroes Air Force Airman Erika and Indian Princess Ayanna turned out to meet fans and educate a curious audience on what SlickforceGirl is all about.

Here’s a backstage look at the exciting 3-day convention. Order your Limited Edition SlickforceGirl Comikaze Exclusive Collector’s T-Shirts and Posters here. Special thanks to models Erika Medina and Ayanna Jordan for their energy and enthusiasm, and to the amazing SlickforceStudio support team for orchestrating the appearance!

Videography by DANIEL U. MAGANA for SlickforceStudio
Stills by JOYCE PARK for SlickforceStudio