The Right Words
My best buddy always seems to have the perfect thing to say, or wear, at the best times. Maria Bertrand… model, actress and writer. From our “Red Tire” photo shoot with Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle.
Winter Wonderland
“Winter Wonderland” is the first thing that crosses my mind. Which is an example of why I do not typically title my photographs. However I can correctly title Maria Bertrand… Beautiful! From our photo shoot at Venice Beach.
$75 For You, Millions For Me, But We Appreciate You!
‘We pay $75 per day for you to work in our booth at the Olympia.’ ‘We pay $20 per photograph that we use and we give you photo credit.’ ‘We don’t pay for articles but you will get a lot of exposure.’
How many of you have heard things like this from supplement companies and others? Now let me give you a real life example about how much money these companies are making when they tell you about their woeful budgets and hardship tales about paying you…
“During the period from October 2008 through October 2013, the conspirators collected at least $400,000,000 in revenue…”
“Transferred over $230,000,000… proceeds from USP Labs business account at Chase to the USP Charles Schwab accounts”
“… transferred over $154,000,000 to at least 21 other financial accounts maintained at Charles Schwab, Chase Bank, TD Ameritrade Bank, TD Bank, and Bank of America”
These are quotes directly from a Federal criminal indictment filed on November 4th against USP Labs and S.K. Labs and their principals. You saw their products at the shows and in all of the magazines like “Jack3d”and “OxyElite Pro”. The charges involve fake ingredients, frauds, deceptions etc. Importantly however, the indictment does give you an idea about how much money is involved with supplement companies and such.
Now I will say that there are good companies out there. Their products are good, real and they treat people well. But they are seemingly few and far between.
So remember that when you are standing mostly naked in a booth at the Olympia, feet hurting in those high heels that the money you should be making you have given to the owner of the company to go have dinner each night at some high end restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
Or when you spend thousands and thousands of dollars on your photo equipment, you are paying the interest on your credit cards so the money you should have been paid is being transferred, when the company owner drives over in his Mercedes SLS Coupe, to the bank to transfer a few million dollars to his other accounts.
The full indictment can be found here at United States of America v. USP Labs et al.
Wind and Hair And So Very Sexy
Sometimes the wind blows and hair gets messed up. I love those moments. Some are funny but some with the right look on the right model are so very sexy. And so this moment with Maria Bertrand. From our photo shoot the other day along Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles. Photographed on Hasselblad.
Girl Just Gotta Have Fun!
Behind the scenes, as Maria Bertrand and I went off to do a photo shoot along Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles last week. Maria is just too much fun! I am so lucky to have this woman who has been in the pages of Vogue and more in front of my Hasselblad camera! Keep watching here for a few photographs from this shoot. We did back up traffic along the highway for sure!
Writer!
Talking about Maria Bertrand yesterday. Long list of modeling credits including the top fashion magazines and fashion houses around the world, and acting in movies opposite the most well known stars, and top name brand television commercials; now add writer for West Hollywood Magazine! Chronicling “nightlife, dining, shopping, art, design, celebrity” Maria makes the magazine all that more classy! And more classy in front of my cameras is obvious like here from an excursion with me to Venice Beach. Click on the photograph to see it bigger and better full screen on my Website! 
I Am Mom Approved!
An email I received from Maria Yvonne Bertrand… “Ian L. Sitren, look at what is framed and hung in the hallway at my mums house. A really awesome photographer took the picture.”
I am Mom Approved! Too Fun! After all that Maria Bertrand has done her Mom picked my photo! How cool is that.
And what has Maria done… been a model for Guess, Versace, Gianfranco Ferre, Le Vie en Rose, Dynamite, La Perla, Armani, Coke, Le Grenier and walked runway for wedding dresses, lingerie, jeans, high fashion, gowns and much more. She has done tons of catalogs, sports catalogs, and hair shows.
She has worked in Milan, Paris, London, Athens, Montreal, Toronto, Capetownand many places in between. Her magazine appearances and covers include Vogue, W, Chatelaine, Elle, Sante, Living Fit, Femme D’aujour’hui and more around the world.
How about commercials… Audi, Miller, Bud Light, Baskin Robbins, Molson Dry, Coppertone, Pela Windows, Comcast, Oceans, Michelob Ultra, Club Med.
Not done yet, Maria has been in eleven movies with the biggest stars you know and some cult favorites. Ands then numerous television shows.
So I am really good with her Mom liking my photograph of Maria enough to have it framed and hanging at home. Makes me smile!
You can click on this photo to see the actual photograph itself on my website.
Kicking It Up!
She is kicking it up and bringing it to others. Maria Bertrand loves health and fitness and is going to share that love. Doing her re-certification as a personal trainer and bringing something very special to social to what she does. And that something very special is herself. I can assure you, very special indeed! Do you know that as a professional model this woman has been photographed and appeared in the most prestigious of magazines and for the most well known fashion houses. She has a very impressive list of movie and television credits. And Maria Bertrand even gets in front of my camera now and then. How good is that! Let’s do it!
Bus Stop, Mall or Social Media
It was in a shopping mall where Maria Bertrand was handed a business card and told she would make a great model. She ended up modeling and appearing in ads and magazines for Guess, Versace, Gianfranco Ferre, La Vien en Rose, Dynamite, La Perla, Armani, Coke, and Le Grenier. Maria worked in Milan, Paris, London, Athens, Montreal, Toronto and Capetown. Then commercials for Audi, Miller, Bud Light, Baskin Robbins, Molson Dry, Coppertone, Pela Windows, Comcast, Michelob and Club Med. Also there are about 20 movies and television shows. And like Maria said to me “I forget half the stuff I have done “. Pretty good for being spotted in a mall!
So where is the “mall” today. One top model, Asheigh Good, who is all over everywhere today, said she was spotted at a bus stop. “They took those photos, and then nothing much happened”. But three months later they went up on Facebook. “It was only two hours before a call came in from Ford Models. One week later, Ashleigh had booked the Givenchy in Paris, as an exclusive.” – Interview from “CR Fashion Book” Spring/Summer 2014 issue.
So I am making a point… Social Media is very powerful. For those of you looking to move ahead, be the person you want to be and be careful how you use Facebook and other Social Media. And if you are using horrible photos of yourself, well, that is what will be seen. By the way, all my Social Media is watched and has been seen by millions of people from all walks of life. That includes the owners of major companies, editors and art directors from all kinds of magazines and so very more. I have found it for me to be the most powerful tool I have ever used for “getting out there”! If I can give you any assistance or ideas or when you are ready for the photo shoot, send me a note to SecondFocus@mac.com. I love seeing people become successful! Thanks!
Edgy Like I LIke…
Something I might think of photographing for an edgy editorial shoot. A model on her knees perhaps lost in a more pleasurable thought or place. Somewhat erotic while still being fully dressed.
But no! My photograph of the hyper realistic art of Marc Sijan. Life size sculpture indistinguishable from a model I might actually have before the camera. Amazing imagination and talent!
Photographed on opening night at the Fine Arts Fair in Palm Springs for Modernism Week.
I Love Photographing Her!
I was going to do a list here of all the reasons I love photographing Randalene Sergent but I knew it was getting way too long when I got to Chapter 19. Also let me say, wonderful Makeup and Hair Styling by Natalie Lyle! Thanks!
SecondFocus Blog 