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Model Musing: Carolina Fontaneti
From a very young age Carolina Fontaneti knew she wanted to be a model, with support from her parents she signed up for the Elite Model Look contest back in her native Brazil; but it wasn’t until three years later, after she concluded her studies in high school, that Carolina really took on modeling as a full time job. Carolina’s mother used to tell her that she raised her kids to embrace the world, and this one certainly listened.
Since then her mileage card has been filled a few times while traveling around the globe for jobs that include editorials for Vogue, L’Officiel, Elle and Marie Claire and campaigns for L’Oreal Paris, H. Stern, Elle by Yves Saint Laurent and a Dunhill Fresh Fragrance commercial that put her in a James Bond inspired setting as the sexy counterpart of the secret agent in question.
Carolina looks back in her career and tells us why she likes this picture so much.
Why do you love this picture?
Because it had always been a dream of mine to swim with the dolphins, and this picture not only allowed me to make a dream come true but it also gave me a very unique moment, a moment of profound intimacy with nature in an environment that is so unusual for humans. The feeling is indescribable.
Who shot this?
It was a photographer called Lothar Schmidt; I had never worked with him before and that is something that always excites me, because in that lies the opportunity to meeting another great person, and Lothar was definitely all that.
Was this a long and difficult shoot, considering it involved Dolphins and an underwater setting?
This particular shot was very quick because the dolphins can get stressed after a while, so we shot this very quickly and moved on to something else. The entire shoot was done in a couple of days. The whole experience was wonderful, because we were in a heavenly setting; on a Tahitian island, it couldn’t be better, the weather was perfect, the food was delicious and the hotel was stunning. The experience of shooting in the open ocean among sharks and stingrays is unforgettable.
What were you thinking as they were taking this picture?
All i could think was how rubbery the dolphin’s skin was and how unbelievable that I was “riding” him!
What was it for?
Madame Figaro
Who was the stylist and what were you wearing?
The stylist was a sweet French girl, her name is Julie, i can’t quite remember her last name, but she used to call me “little mouse” for some reason... I was wearing a Louis Vuitton swimsuit.
Do you love fashion?
I like fashion, I like that it is another way of artistically expressing your feelings, I believe that many designers create their work like that.
Do you see yourself doing something else?
Definitely! In my veins there is artistic blood. I love to create, to express myself with words, I am constantly creating something, it keeps me moving forward. I want to play the piano, I want to dance, sing, paint, write; I am inspired by my feelings by the restlessness of the soul in expressing itself in different ways.
What advice do you wish was shared with you in your early days as a model?
To be patient, to study myself and the market, to know where my place is in it and to always try to bring out the best in myself and to share that with the ones around me.
You can follow Carolina Fontaneti on twitter at @CarolFontaneti
Carolina Fontaneti is represented by Elite Model Management
