More than Followers

Who knew male models could be so smart and interesting? I did!

For many years I've had to defend my male model friends, as people see the profession in a very dumb and marginalized way. The same doesn't happen with female models. But why?

In an effort to show the true beauty of men, I have now started to include them in my bi-weekly Model Musing columns on Look Books. My goal is to show the beauty that these men carry inside them, and to show that being a model is not only about looking good in the picture or having perfect abs.

Enjoy.

Model Musing: Fabio Nunes

It was when Fabio found himself in front of a camera and had the photographer ask him to “smile with the eyes” that he realized what it was like to be a model. Fabio’s career didn’t start by chance, his sister always said he would be a model. The minute the boy turned 16 years old, she took him to an agency near their small home town, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, for a test shoot. From that first shoot on, Fabio has accumulated trips around the world, jobs with renowned photographers and designers and a smoking hot girlfriend that would not have been possible if it wasn’t for his job.

The owner of his own business alongside his loved one, the model Carolina Fontaneti, Fabio took some time from his busy schedule to tell us why this picture means so much to him.

Why do you love this picture?

Because it’s me and my girlfriend, working together for Vogue Brazil. I really admire my girlfriend’s career as a model, she is a constant source of inspiration. It was a great pleasure working with her.

Who took it? Were you excited to work with this photographer?

It was Renne Castrucci, who along with Fabio Delai also created a video editorial. I really admire their work, they are great in what they do. These two do their job from their hearts, and you can see it in the images.

What was the location for this shoot?

It was a 500 year old coffee farm from Brazil’s colonial times; it was a truly beautiful and inspiring setting.

Who was the stylist?

Giovanni Frasson, the fashion director of Vogue Brazil.

What were you wearing?

Calvin Klein underwear.

What was the direction given to you by the photographer?

“Act natural! Think that you are in your honeymoon with your wife!” - and that was easy, is there anything better than that?

Do you see yourself doing anything else besides modeling?

I do;  in fact I do several different things at the same time. I know that most people who like to cook seem to think they are great at it, and I also believe I am. I believe I am a great cook and I would love to have my own restaurant when I reach my 40’s. I have also been contemplating doing something in real estate as an investment, but currently I am invested in this clothing store that I have opened with my girlfriend back home and in which I sell exclusive products with the help from my close friends who are a part of my sales team.

Do you love fashion?

I do, and I respect it a lot too.

And what have you learned from your career as a model?

I’ve learned that life is what you make of it. You can’t separate your personal life from work but you can’t also make of this connection something bad, you have to find balance so that with each moment you can become better as a person and as a professional. I love  the chance to meet new people through work and with that to see the difference between the good and the bad ones and to learn to differentiate what I  want to be from what I shouldn’t be. I learned that having a friend is more important than having a thousand followers.

Fabio Nunes is represented by Way Model and you can follow him on twitter@F1Nunes

A Ride with the Dolphins

Another week, another Model Musing, this time with Carolina Fontaneti.

Have a look at it here or read below.

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