March 2008
Modern Day Femme Fatale Heidi Van
Horne is here to take your questions on pin-up modeling. Got something
to Ask Heidi? E-mail
us! And don't forget to read Heidi's print column in Bachelor
Pad Magazine.
Note on February's Column:
Since things have been so busy for me lately
and I didn't get a chance to make a full column, I decided that, in honor
of missing the month of February, I would make a list of my favorite African
American Pin-up influences for you. I certainly am missing some, and I
bet there are a ton of new girls who I just don't know yet, but this is
a nice little start. Sometimes I hear people say there have been and are
no pinup girls of color. These gorgeous gals would laugh them right outta
the room. Take a gander at these beauties…
The Classics
Josephine Baker--Though she was American born, this exquisite
and amazing performer relocated to France where her ethnicity was less
of an issue. She was still involved in the American Civil Rights Movement
and made great strides in the entertainment industry. She was a large influence
in the integration of shows in Las Vegas, as she refused to perform for
segregated audiences. http://www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/
(official site)
Dorothy Dandridge--Dorothy is most recently noticed due to the
TV film about her life where Halle Berry portrayed her and went on to win
multiple awards, including an Emmy. She was the first African American
to be nominated for an Oscar and the first to appear on the cover of Life
magazine. She's most known for her iconic images and her role as “Carmen.”
http://www.dorothy-dandridge.com/
(nice tribute site)
Pearl Bailey--Broadway star, composer, actress and singer, this
gorgeous gal even went on to win the Presidential Medal of Freedom!
Ruby Dee--Phenomenal actress who's career has spanned from the
late 30’s and is still regularly acting today, most recently in “American
Gangster” and on TV’s “CSI”.
Eartha Kitt--From playing the iconic
Catwoman on the Batman series to singing the Christmas burlesque go-to
song “Santa Baby”, this fiery lady has been proving for decades that Sexpot
doesn't come in one color only--another actress who still works today,
she's had a star on the Hollywood walk of fame since 1960!!
http://www.earthakitt.com/ (official site)
Lena Horne--well, obviously, other than her family having a nicely
spelled last name (hee hee), Lena Horne was a stunning, talented woman
of mixed ethnicity-African American, Caucasian and Cherokee--and beyond
being a beautiful addition to many movies and WWII wartime pin up campaigns,
she had an equally beautiful voice, and was a prominent contributor to
the Civil Rights movement. She also experienced the extreme bias in early
Hollywood firsthand, as her scenes had to be cut out of movies to be released
in the south because she wasn't white! www.Lena-horne.com
(nice tribute site)
Modern Lovelies
Arekah C--This beauty has been on the cover of Garage Magazine,
in Lowrider, Smooth, and was in David Perry’s “Hot Rod Pin Ups” and the
2007 West Coast Choppers calendar with me! She has great variety and her
pinups are super hot! http://www.arekahc.com/
Miss Doe--She’s modeled for Mode Merr and Pin Ups for Troops,
and having had the pleasure of meeting her in person--I can say she is
a doll! I have such a great shoot in mind for her, I can't wait to finally
be able to make it happen! I promise to share when we do! http://www.myspace.com/doepeterson
MoniquiTiki--This girl is not only a smokin’ hot pin up, but
she's also a pro Polynesian dancer! She's a beautiful gal, and a
great example of a modern pin up girl. http://www.myspace.com/moniquitiki
March--LUCKY LADY!
Luck--1 a: a force that brings good fortune
or adversity b: the events or circumstances that operate for or against
an individual 2: favoring chance; also : success
For March I think we just have to talk about
LUCK! The best advice I ever got in the entertainment industry was this--All
the times you hear that someone was discovered just by being in the "right
place" at the "right time"--they usually studied long and hard to find
out WHERE that place was and WHEN to be there!
So, to work on your own pinup luck, think
about WHERE you should be and WHEN!
Where do the people you want to work with
GO? Do the people behind your favorite clothing line or the photographer
you hope to shoot with publicly state their favorite hang out spot? Have
you ever tried swinging by and saying hello? Do you go to their sponsored
events? Do you check out their sales or parties when you get the invite?
Try making your face more visible, you'd be amazed at how much more work
you get when people have seen you recently and have you fresh on the brain.
Plus, you are no longer just a name on a mailing list if you actually attend
and support their events. But, it's a fine line--part of it is also
having them want MORE from you--if you are at EVERY event and e-mailing
them constantly, you no longer are something intriguing, you are stalker-ish
and you aren't gone long enough for them to miss you! Let yourself be known--and
then back off for a while and let your work speak for itself.
Also, think about when is a good time to be
around. If you know that a certain photographer or client is always sponsoring
an annual event, make sure to be looking good that day and say hello. If
you hear that a project is coming up, don't wait long before dropping them
a line or letting them know you are interested. Then leave it alone--they
will get in touch if they are interested, if not, then hopefully the next
time you try down the road it will be the right, lucky timing!
Another trick about luck is that its often
easier to keep going than to turn! Inertia works for the human spirit as
much as it does in your car, and its easier to keep a good attitude going
than to turn a bad one around! So try your best to see the positive things
in what you are doing, even when things don't go your way. Try to keep
in mind the good you got out of something (ie. “I met so-and-so, so even
though I didn't book that job, I made a good contact out of it.”) and you'll
be much better at keeping that good spirit up. Plus, good attitudes are
contagious, and the more pleasant you are, the more people are going to
want to be around you, which also means the more work you will get! Part
of what you are selling in modeling is an escape--we want to see someone
having a good time or enjoying themselves--because it makes us want to
have that good time and enjoy ourselves, too! So if potential clients or
photographers see you and are excited to shoot and if you are a positive
energy on set, you are that much more likely to get hired again--and for
your work to shine and lead to even more! After all, work begets work!
So, my March wish for everyone is lots of
GOOD LUCK! Look for those four leafed clovers and beware too much green
beer! Happy St. Patty’s Day to you all!
I also just want to mention that soon I will
have a new home online for my pinup photos and all the latest pin up news,
links and advice from me. Since myspace no longer allows links to many
sites--seemingly those that don't spend lots of $ to advertise with them
(even like our own favorite, Java's Bachelor Pad!)--I am
going to be moving all of the content I used to post there to a new networking
site. I started my page at myspace years ago because it was all about sharing
your current projects and contacts with one another, not just about mainstream
advertising revenue. Since that has changed I am taking my content elsewhere.
Keep your eye on my monthly column here--I will let you know soon where
it is, and you wont’ have ANY problem linking to great sites like Java's
at the new place! In fact, I will have a great links page with all of my
favorite pinup sites, and you know Java's will be at the
top of the list!
Love ya’ll!
xoxox
Heidi Van Horne
www.HeidiVanHorne.com
A little about Heidi: "I starting acting
in Texas at age 13, I have worked and trained as an actress in film, TV
& commercials for most of my life, as well as working behind the lens
on various projects. I have been shooting my own retro pinups since late
2003, when I started doing self-shot photos (just like Bunny
Yeager did!) with a self timer and a tripod in my home. Since
then, I've been on the cover of 3 books ("Hot Rod Pin Ups" by David
Perry and MBI Publishing, "How to Be a Dominant Diva" by Avalon
Press, and the new "Modern Vixens: World of Winytiki" by Octavio
Arizala and Goliath Press) as well as being featured on the
cover of 3 (and inside 2 other) Pin Up Calendars for 2007, magazine covers
and countless layouts, features and interviews in counter-culture publications,
as well as a few mainstream mags. I've gotten to work with tons of amazing
companies and photographers, including original pinup, pinup photographer
& living legend, Bunny Yeager--shooting on the same beach
where she and Bettie Page made
Pin Up history! Living in LA pursuing my acting, I've kept myself busy
on the side shooting the genre I love the most- and I'm thrilled to see
how the niche has grown and grown worldwide!" |
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