Avian – Press Kit Shoot

On a wildly rainy day we took off to Long Island to shoot upcoming singer AVIAN on location for her new EP covers and press kit. She is a spitfire, with incredible energy and is absolutely charming. I am still blown away by her huge voice coming out of such a tiny body. Her manager, Jdot is deep in the hip hop community,and already has her cutting tracks with 50cent + some upcoming special releases coming out soon. You can catch Avian on next seasons “The Voice” too, check her out! Also, thanks to my crew, you guys always blow my mind.

You can more finals on my site

NY Fashion Week – Merge

Me wearing an EngieStyle original design at the runway's white carpet

Been a quick minute since fashion week but I had to take a minute to blog about the Merge/ Dominique Auxilly fashion show I attended. Dominique is the designer of the red dress I wore when I hosted EngieStyle’s one year anniversary. Her dresses grace the top fashion mag’s and shine on the red carpet on celebs like Nicki Minaj, Angela Simmons, Brandy, Shontelle, etc.

Her new line is gorgeous, and so is Dominique. Thanks girl for putting me in your beautiful dresses and for the VIP treatment at the runway. Also a big shout out to Engie Hassan, stylist/designer extraordinaire!

The show was put on by Merge and Beautiful Planning, there were many designers and lots of gorgeous clothes I can’t wait to wear! For some reason I can’t find the runway photos….but there are some exciting shoots coming up featuring some of the beautiful clothes! Can’t wait!

Engie Hassan with Dominique posing for the press

Fashion Party – Behind the Scenes

Getting my makeup done by Ruth

On 2.2.11 I hosted Engie Hassan’s, CEO of EngieStyle, web launch and 1 year anniversary celebration. It was a bit nerve-racking getting on a 4 foot wooden box in 6 inch Jimmy Choo’s to deliver my speech, but I made it. The celebration was a huge success with a room full of  heavy hitters in the fashion and celebrity industry.  We sat high above the city at the Hudson Terrace in their rooftop glass cabana. Engie did an amazing job as did her team, Iman, Sam, Emily, Steph, Ash and Steven. On my side I had the fabulous and lovely Megan Toscano, who is a major asset to anyones life. I’m super proud of Engie and everything she has accomplished and was honored to be a part of the celebration.

We had the joy of wearing Dominique Auxilly’s beautiful gowns. One of the most popular questions of the night was “Who are you wearing?” Her dresses are a smash hit whether its on the red carpet or covering the pages of fashion magazines.

The press photos & tv interviews are out and about (you can see one here), below are some point-n-shoot photos & a home-movie. Photographed/Filmed by Megan Toscano.

Makeup and Hair: Christopher Ritchey, Alicia Oliveri, Jessi Butterfield , Ruth Fernandez, Donald Francis

in the elevator at the Hudson Terrace

 

step & repeat

gettin my hair did

Jessica, Daryana, Me, Engie

tv interview

Niia (one of my fav singers and clients) and myself

me being interviewed on tv again and Engie waiting for her interview

Group Photo & GQ photo: by Natsuko Matsumura | Above: Engie during the run through

A celebration. 2.2.11

Tomorrow night I am hosting a fashion presentation by EngieStyle’s president and founder, Engie Hassan. I love to celebrate, can’t wait.

 

Press Release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Manhattan, New York, United States of America(Free-Press-Release.com) January 20, 2011 –
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Photographer Carrie Schechter to Host EngieStyle One Year Anniversary Celebration

Fashion presentation highlighting a year of high-end, high-fashion styling.

(New York, NY, January 18, 2011) – International fashion stylist Engie Hassan is thrilled to be celebrating the one-year anniversary of EngieStyle. Since January 2010, Engie has styled celebrity and royal clientele in original designs, preparing them for red carpet appearances, magazine photo-shoots, and book covers. Famed photographer Carrie Schechter will host the styling presentation. The remarkable Ms. Schechter specializes in fashion, music and celebrity photography, has won countless international photography awards, and was newly honored for her Top Covers of 2010. The private affair will bring a star-studded mix of press, celebrities, fashion and entertainment industry elite, including editors from eminent publications, prominent fashion designers and bloggers, top models, photographers and New York City socialites.

A fashion styling presentation showcased by Vogue Alumn, Engie Hassan, will take place for exclusive guests with an introduction from EngieStyle’s, Director of Public Relations, Iman Hussein. The show will provide guests with a unique glimpse into Engie’s fashion genius, and highlight her extensive and remarkable talent in both designing and styling. There will be approximately 200-300 people in attendance, joined together to celebrate this special occasion; plus the Launch of http://www.EngieStyle.com. DJ Jay Mcelfresh, resident DJ at Bergdorf Goodman and one the hottest club DJs in the city will be spinning hits all night long for guests to enjoy themselves and party.

Date: February 2nd, 2011
Time: 7:30pm – 10pm
Location: Hudson Terrace, 641 West 46th St New York, NY 10036
PRESS CONTACTS:
EngieStyle : rsvp@engiestyle.com
Carrie Schechter : rsvp@carrieschechterstudios.com

About Carrie Schechter:

Carrie Schechter is a fashion, music and celebrity photographer living in New York City. Carrieʼs work appears in magazines, ad campaigns, book and album covers. She has had numerous international gallery shows and won numerous international awards for her imagery and her technically outstanding use of light, mood and texture. Her work is described as haunting, beautiful and hyper-realistic. Her free-spirited nature rubs off on her talent and her clients and she has a special way of getting people to let go of their inhibitions to create very conceptual work that has a strong impact on the viewer. Constantly pushing boundaries and experimenting with her imagery, her work is provocative with a style that is her own.Some of her clients and subjects include: Columbia Records, Interscope Records, AP Magazine, Billboard, Magazine, HarperCollins Publishers, MTVʼs The Jersey Shore, Ludacris, Janelle Monae, All-American Rejects, Cobra Starship, Alexis Dziena and many others.

About EngieStyle:

EngieStyle is the premier luxury styling brand recognized for its merchandise, leadership, and superior customer service. The company specializes in fashion styling, personal shopping, creative directing and brand imaging. EngieStyle is catered to women and men from all different countries, cultures, religions and customs. With a modern energy and great flair, the company is dedicated to offer fashion leadership and outstanding service to clients through sheer commitment by providing them with a highly personalized and unique experience. “Our clients express themselves through their clothing, and we ensure they are always elegant, chic and timeless. We are constantly striving to provide clients the finest fashion and quality products in an exceptional environment.”
Engie Hassan

#####

In a Soap + a Nomination

I received a Nomination in the Fashion Category from the International Color Awards. The nominated image is from my series, “Cruel, Cruel Summer“(pictured below).

In random news ….

At a celebration one night, a friend in the daytime drama industry and I were joking about me being on tv. A month later the casting directors intern from As the World Turns called and I had the opportunity to be an extra.

I arrived at the studio & was showed to my private dressing room. After I got settled (and tried to calm down the mutant butterflies in my stomach) I took a walk to the green room for lunch and was overtaken by a warm & loving crew & cast that welcomed me right in.

in my dressing room before wardrobe

I hear the call over the speakers that its time for me to go to set. I get my final dusting, wardrobe check, the director gave me some quick direction, someone shouts….”quiet on set….aaaaand…action”. one take, no walk through, and that’s a rap.

on set

It was a blast, but I couldn’t wait to get back to the other side of the camera for a cover shoot the following day. See the clip below – if you blink you’ll miss me walking through the background.

**I highly recommend turning the volume off, I haven’t figured out how to remove the loud “hum” yet…sorry.

No Evil

I chose the concept: See No Evil, Speak No Evil Hear No Evil. Ro Shar crafted her mirrored shackles. When the shoot rapped, Ro began removing her hair and makeup. We stopped …looked at Calei….looked at each other & set back up and continued to shoot. Ro Shar began painting on her face and I was just in love with the photographing the deconstruction of hair and make up.

Model: Calei at Fenton Moon

MUA and Hair: Ro Shar

Official site: Carrie Schechter

My Interview In PDN

A few weeks ago I was interviewed about an ad campaign I shot for Glamour Kills and Gabe Saporta (Cobra Starship). Here it is in print. For me personally being in PDN as a photographer is like a singer/band getting written up in Rolling stone, so I’m pretty excited. The article is copy and pasted below.

PDN write up – LIVE

check out my work here.

Overnight Sensation Behind the Scenes

OS Finals

Cobra Starship photo session here.

As photographer Carrie Schechter likes to put it, it all started with a fashion war between front man Gabe Saporta of the band Cobra Starship and Mark Capicotto, founder and CEO of Glamour Kills Clothing. “I was sick of watching Glamour Kills jack my style and make a ton of money from it… says Saporta.” Glamour Kills clothing has a youthful, trend-setting style full of bright colors and a flying pig that has become a huge part of the rock scene. The public taunting was all part of a marketing campaign for their new fashion collaboration “Overnight Sensation.”

Schechter is an emerging fashion, music and celebrity photographer in New York City whose career has been skyrocketing. Aside from gracing magazines, books and album covers, she has won numerous international awards for her imagery and outstanding use of light, mood and texture. Her work is described as haunting, beautiful and hyper-realistic. Clients say aside from her quality of work, part of her buzz is she’s so easy to get a long with, has never-ending energy, a fresh viewpoint and can produce whatever they throw at her.

Schechter shot Saporta’s band, Cobra Starship, as magazine editorial to publicize their album “Hot Mess.” Everyone had a great time on the shoot, and the magazine hit the newsstands. Months later, Saporta contacted Schechter and asked if he could use some of the Cobra photos and bypass the usual label red tape. They worked it out and became friends in the process.

This past fall, Kyle Roeger, head of marketing for Glamour Kills, contacted Schechter from Saporta’s recommendation to shoot their new Overnight Sensation campaign. Knowing Saporta’s style, his favorite visual artists and aware of the current ads for GK, Schechter knew that this had to be shot differently from the rest of her work to match the branding of the line.

Schechter says, “sometimes clients hire you because they want everything about you and your style, sometimes it’s the environment you create on set behind the scenes and the confidence they have in you technically and emotionally to do something completely different. Mostly it’s both. I work 10 days a week and 90 hours a day, I’m very driven. Word of mouth has brought me a lot of clients and I’m grateful for all of it.”

Schechter collaborated with all the creatives involved, and they all wanted an outdoor shoot in Manhattan’s Soho district mid-day. But the night before the shoot, Saporta called Schechter and decided he wanted to change everything from location to models. He even tweeted to fans at 1 a.m. telling them about the shoot and that if they wanted to be in it to please email pictures. Schechter was still going through emails at 4 a.m. with Saporta, while the shoot was to start in just seven hours.When Schechter finally arrived on the set, she was informed the building shut off the water and there would be no bathrooms for at least five hours. No liquid lunch or any lunch on this shoot. Everyone just crossed their legs and put down their coffee, tea or Redbull.

Saporta was Art Director on the shoot and had a great sense of vision for the photos. Capicotto and Roeger always brought new ideas and added a dynamic energy to the day. The shoot ran until midnight, followed by a launch party for GK at Angels & Kings.

The “Overnight Sensation” images are now running in print and on the Web. Four shoots and six days later after the campaign, Schechter left for Venice, Italy for a solo exhibition and to photograph campaigns for some of her new Italian clients. Needless to say she was an “Overnight Sensation.”

NEW AND REFRESHED

There’s a NEW SECTION in my portfolio now available for my shameless self promotion. Under the music category check out the NEW “POLAROID 600′S” section with behind the scenes Polaroids and comments from the actors/musicians we love.

http://www.carrieschechterstudios.com/

I just finished doing some major editing on my website and my portfolio, and I feel a hundred pounds lighter. You get so involved with your photos they become like body parts and sometimes the emotions you have connected with that shoot cloud your judgment of if it’s really a good image or not.

EDIT EDIT EDIT. Less is more and you’re only as strong as your weakest image. At a marketing conference Suzanne Sease and Amanda Sosa Stone said take your “hero” image and compare everything in your book to it. I go to my more famous shots, the girls at the piano from the Lovers Story, my unreleased new work, Scarlet Affair, Hades, etc. As each image is lines up next to my best work –  I hit the delete button or its a pass. Maybe I could toss a few more, some  already say I tossed their favorites, I did what I felt is right at the moment and I feel good.

Portfolios are shredded. New Portfolios are being printed as we speak. New (HOT) shoots are in and finalized (but not released) I feel like I just purged my soul in the sweat lodge. All my old marketing material that was left is gone and its on to bigger and better things. I’ve got some new people I’m working with and I have that feeling in my bones that something huge is coming.

**this is a repost from my tumblr account, my tumblr and my wordpress blog serve similar and different purposes, but for this post – I wanted it heard on both ends.

Glamour Kills + Gabe Saporta = Overnight Sensation….Finals….

We’ve gotten a ton of emails about my Overnight Sensation shoot for the new collaboration between Cobra Starship’s Gabe Saporta and the incredible Glamour Kills. The line is super hot, the cotton on the purple and grey shirts feels like big fluffy clouds on your skin – the wolf geek t is still one of my fav’s. We (we = Gabe) cut the shirts up for a ton of funky-fresh styles. (is there anything he doesn’t do?)  Here are a handful of the finals. There are more out there, hope you enjoy them as they release. As I’ve said a ka-zillion times before – Mark and Kyle from GK, Gabe from CS, the models, the crew – you all kick ass!! a special thanks to my 1st assistant Derrick whose arms we worked till they were jello.

Check the line here.

Cobra Starship here.

Behind the scenes of Overnight Sensation shoot here.

My shoot with Cobra here.

Me here.

You….over there.

Cycle of Style

Finals from Bicycling Magazine. Behind the scenes.

See it All!!!