Over the summer, Melanie Iglesias came by SlickforceStudio for fun and spontaneous shoot. One of the images spawned from that shoot was Mel’s Ice Cream Disaster, which went viral almost immediately after it was announced.

This video takes you behind-the-scenes at our second poster release, and this time Mel arrives life-sized, from head to toe. Melanie’s interaction with the teddy bear certainly deserves an award, we’re just not sure which one. Think of this as our version of Tom Hanks and Wilson in CastAway.

Order your “Bedtime with Teddy” 24×69 door/wall poster at MelanieIglesiasStore.com and SaglimbeniStore.com. Orders for AUTOGRAPHED posters placed by this Thursday, December 12 at midnight, will receive FREE personalization while Melanie is in town visiting her store. Post pictures of you with the poster and tag #LifesizeMel.

Enjoy!

CREDITS:

Photography by Nick Saglimbeni
Makeup by Therese Williams
Hair by Al Ingram
Styling by Tara Williams

I’ve always felt that art should be displayed as large as possible. It’s a form of exhibition that has become even more rare in our current era, where most pictures never get bigger than Instagram size, only to be replaced seconds later with something newer. Large format allows the viewer to become immersed in the fantasy.

With the recent explosion of the Melanie Iglesias Store, I had an idea to print an image of Mel at her actual height. Aside from the sheer resolution concerns, we only found a handful of printers who could print a large volume of posters at over five-and-a-half feet tall each. We ultimately went with Ferrante & Associates, who I must say did a spectacular job of printing our starlet. Last week, our first pallet of Melanie’s life-size “Bedtime with Teddy” posters arrived via truck and forklift. And they are truly a sight that one must appreciate up close.

You asked for it—you got it. True 100% scale life-size Melanie Iglesias, right in your room. Order your “Bedtime with Teddy” 24×69 door/wall poster at MelanieIglesiasStore.com and SaglimbeniStore.com. Post pictures of Mel in your room and tag #LifesizeMel for a chance to win a personalized poster!

CREDITS:
Photography by Nick Saglimbeni
Makeup by Therese Williams
Hair by Al Ingram
Styling by Tara Williams
Production Stills by Joyce Park for SlickforceStudio
Print process photos by Audrey Ferrante

In early November, SlickforceGirl made its first public appearance at Stan Lee’s Comikaze Convention in Los Angeles. We commemorated this special occasion with the release of our sixth SlickforceGirl, Ayanna. Our resident Indian Princess might be the most petite of our heroes, but consider this fair warning that looks can absolutely be deceiving. Though not much is known about Ayanna’s abilities, rumors of mysticism and magic are enough to keep us on her good side.

Collect Princess Ayanna’s Limited Edition 11×17 poster, along with our other heroes, at SaglimbeniStore.com. As with the other posters, a portion of your purchase will go to help the fight against breast cancer. Visit SlickforceGirl.com for more info!

Enjoy these behind-the-scenes images of Ayanna’s shoot taken by the amazing Joyce Park!

CREDITS: 
Model: Ayanna Jordan
Photography by Nick Saglimbeni
Make-up by Therese Williams
Hair by Al Ingram
Styling by Diana Chan
Production Stills by Joyce Park for SlickforceStudio

Last week, Melanie Iglesias dropped by SlickforceStudio to sign her new Ice Cream Disaster posters for the Melanie Iglesias Store. With the recent launch of her new MTV2 shows Guy Court and Girl Code, Mel’s star has been rising faster than ever. She was stunned at the number of posters waiting for her autograph.

Since I first met Melanie at our WMB 3D: World’s Most Beautiful shoot in 2011, she has always looked for ways to give back. Never one to miss an opportunity, Mel announced to her fans that anyone ordering Ice Cream posters in the next 24 hours would not only get them signed but also personalized. Even better, a portion of sales would be donated to Autism Speaks—a charity close to her heart.

What soon followed was the highest traffic day in the history of the Melanie Iglesias Store. Hundreds of orders poured in in a matter of hours, and Mel extended her signing visit an extra day to accommodate all the orders. After signing the last poster, Mel and the team made a sizable donation to Autism Speaks. We are proud to have partnered with such a stellar woman, and are grateful to all the fans who supported our signing promotion.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes video detailing the impressive weekend. Enjoy!

From WorldsMostBeautiful.com:

Triple-threat Nazanin Mandi has made waves in modeling, acting and music, and she’s made it look easy. The starlet and songstress opens up to WMB about her career, her personal life, and the changing voice of Middle Eastern women.

WMB: You started your acting career on wholesome teen shows for Nickelodeon. But recently, we’ve seen your shoots getting much sexier. Explain the process of going from rated-G to NC-17?
Nazanin Mandi: [laughs] I’m evolving into the person I’ve always wanted to be. I’m finally comfortable with my sexuality, and I’ve also accepted that there is always a class way to do things. It is possible to be both sexy and classy.

Read more and see Naz’s full pictorial in WMB 3D #3 on iPhone/iPad, Android, and in Collector’s Print.

CREDITS:
Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Make-up by GABY RAMOS TORELL
Hair by AL INGRAM
Wardrobe Stylist SARAH WALLNER
Production stills by DEREK ESKRIDGE for SlickforceStudio

WMB 3D: Nazanin Mandi – Culture Chameleon from Nick Saglimbeni on Vimeo.

As promised, here is a behind-the-scenes video from our SlickforceGirl shoot with the amazing Kaitlynn Carter. It would be hard to ignore just how sincere Kaitlynn is in her portrayal of her firefighter character, and one quick look shows you the amount of fun we had on set that day. My thanks to the wonderful Ms. Carter for her devotion to this courageous role. Order your Limited Edition Firefighter Kaitlynn posters here. A portion of proceeds from poster sales are donated to the Breast Cancer Charities of America’s iGoPink campaign.

As a reminder, SlickforceGirl will be making it’s FIRST public appearance this weekend at Stan Lee’s Comikaze in Los Angeles, November 1-3 at the LA Convention Center. Come meet me and SlickforceGirls Erika Medina, Ayanna Jordan and Vanessa Veasley. Pictures, autographs, and other madness will ensue. We’ll be at booth 1631!

This summer, I photographed good friend Khloé Kardashian in super-sexy black latex for a personal project of hers. The shoot was featured in Season 8’s “Life’s a Beach (House)” episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The risqué shoot quickly went viral, and we’ve been overwhelmed with requests from both photographers and Kardashian fans to get a closer look at Khloe’s shoot.

Here are a few of the final shots, some behind-the-scenes images, and a detailed lighting diagram of the setup. Photographers should note the amount of negative fill (4×8 solids) used in the setup—as black latex reflects everything. My thanks to the stunning Khloé for trusting us with such a wild concept, and to the amazing stunt team that rigged the hanging swing and taught our star how to fly!

CREDITS:
Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Hair & Makeup by ROB SCHEPPY

Summer may be over, but there’s plenty of heat for Firefighter Kaitlynn to contend with. Our newest hero joins the SlickforceGirl ranks this October, constantly putting herself in harms way to save others.

Here, Kaitlynn risks her life to save a pair of dalmatian pups in this Saglimbeni Store Exclusive Collector’s 13×18 Poster. A portion of proceeds from poster sales are donated to the Breast Cancer Charities of America’s iGoPink campaign. Order your Limited Edition posters here.

My thanks to the incredible team that helped make this high-concept shoot a reality, especially model Kaitlynn Carter, the SlickforceStudio crew and our brilliant glam squad. We’ve got a wonderful making-of video for you on the way next week. Stay tuned for more details.

The SlickforceGirls need your help. Find out how you can join the fight at SlickforceGirl.com!

CREDITS: 
Model: Kaitlynn Carter
Photography by Nick Saglimbeni
Make-up by Therese Williams
Hair by Al Ingram
Styling by Diana Chan
Post-production by SlickforceStudio
Production Stills by Joyce Park

After weeks of anticipation and a record number of pre-orders, Melanie Iglesias’ Ice Cream Disaster 24″x36″ Collector’s Wall Posters have finally started shipping. Order yours now at the Melanie Iglesias Store or right here at the Saglimbeni Store.

For those who want a closer look (and really who doesn’t), here is a behind-the-scenes gallery and a video from Melanie’s shoot at SlickforceStudio.

CREDITS:
Photography by Nick Saglimbeni
Makeup by Therese Williams
Hair by Al Ingram
Styling by Tara Williams
Production Stills by Joyce Park for SlickforceStudio

In late August, we packed up our bags and headed to Germany for our fourth PhotoKamp workshop. Being our first PhotoKamp outside the US, this weekend workshop drew participants and crew from 9 countries—some traveling from as far as Nigeria.

On day one, we met at Luminanz studio in Saarbrücken, near the French/German border for a meet and greet with the photographers, followed by an informal Q&A. As a sign of the changing times in our industry, a majority of the questions this year focused on brand building, marketing one’s art, and making a living as a photographer at a time of unprecedented competition. We then all headed for a real German meal in downtown Saarbrücken.

On Saturday morning, we met at Luminanz studio for a full day of studio lighting. I divided the room into two setups. The first was a commercial fashion lighting setup, similar to what I’ve done for Kardashian Kollection and Neiman Marcus. The second, by popular request, was my “pinup glamour” setup, which I all but retired in 2010 when I stepped down from my last long-term magazine contract. I also covered several “one light” setups that produce striking (and super affordable) results.

On Sunday, in classic PhotoKamp tradition, we ventured out for a day of location lighting. Our German coordinators arranged for us to shoot at a vacant coal mining facility, complete with all kinds of industrial madness. We again split into two setups. The first involved lighting a massive space with minimal lighting, using a combination of natural light, strobes and fog. The second focused on mixing strobes with outdoor elements, positioning your model relative to the sun, and—an unplanned lesson—shooting in the rain.

I continue to marvel at the good fortune we’ve had to attract such amazing talents and personalities to our PhotoKamp workshops. Being that even I was out of my Los Angeles-centric comfort zone, it was a wonderful opportunity to eat, talk and bond with both new friends and old. My sincerest thanks to our German coordinators Stefan Rasch, Carsten Simon of Luminanz studio, our four wonderful models and makeup artist Miriam Regitz. Also to my amazing international SlickforceStudio crew Scot Fortino (US), Hayden Phoenix (NZ) and Peter Major (Hungary).

We’ve just created an official PhotoKamp Facebook page to learn more about PhotoKamp and for past students to stay in touch. New dates for upcoming workshops will be announced in the next few weeks on our Facebook page and at PhotoKamp.com!

CREDITS: Photos by Hayden Phoenix and Carsten Simon.