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January 2, 2018

Quotes by Jay Marroquin

I’ve always enjoyed writing and sharing my thoughts. These have normally come via Facebook status updates or shared notes. But some of you don’t use Facebook (hint, a girl I love very much) so I’ve decided to compile a list of some of my favorites. I hope you like them.

– I fear not the unknown for I will accomplish that which I’m passionate about.

– To achieve inner peace, one must let go, forgive and love more than oneself. Dream big, work hard and failure shall be a teacher, not a roadblock. Remember where you came from, be humble to others and a light to those in a time of darkness.

– Close one’s eyes and clear your thoughts. Let being been and hold fast and steady to hopes and dreams. Wake with eyes open and see the possibilities. Work hard to make them a reality.

– Let the wolves and vultures fight for scraps for there’s way more to me than flesh and bones.

– For love can destroy a man’s spirit and plunge him into the darkest depths of hell. But the same love can give a man hope and carry him until the end of time.

– There is no time nor place for racism…ever. Speak out and expose those with narrow mindsets. Cherish and embrace diversity, color, and race.

– As I sit and reminisce about things that could have been, I remind myself that things now…are things that can be.

– As I stand on the cliff’s edge with arms open, I peer down into the vast openness. Ready to take flight, hopes, dreams, and faith will be the wind beneath my wings. May dreams carry you across a thousand oceans. And the fruits of your labor lift you to the highest mountaintops.

– A thousand beautiful memories amongst the torn and ragged edges of a hundred photos.

– I enjoy the beauty of people, not beautiful people.

– You don’t change for better or worse, you simply change. How you change, however, affects people in a better or worse way.

– If I ask to photograph you, it’s because I think you’re beautiful just the way you are. I actually like you with your wrinkles, blemishes and little imperfections.

– When facing mortality, love will provide peace and solace.

Jay Marroquin – 2018

September 8, 2016

Conversation with Celesta Hodge

Last summer I had the pleasure of photographing rockstar model Celesta Hodge from Elite Model Management LA. Now we have a rare interview by the one and only, James Clayton.

James Clayton: I’m on my way to meet Model/Actress Celesta Hodge for a lunch interview at the Bel Air Hotel. She’s peaked my curiosity, there’s always an element of innocent intelligence and allure in her work. To my surprise she’s already seated in a booth sipping an Arnold Palmer. Silly me always assuming models are late. Her warm smile puts me at ease.

JC: “Mind if I record the session,” I ask?

CH:”You mean, whatever I say can and will be used against me?”

Her laugh is infectious and I find myself laughing perhaps a little too hard. Pull it together I tell myself!

JC: “So how long have you been modeling?”

CH: “Oh gosh,” she says with sigh and a rye smile, “as far back as I can remember. I had a huge trunk full of “dress up clothes” and I would sneak into my favorite place in the house. My mothers closet, and steal her high heels somehow managing to swagger down the halls and not break my neck in the process. I was constantly putting on fashion shows and dress up parties with my little friends. But, professional modeling I started when I was six. It just kind of took off from there. I was always dying to travel and my parents were very supportive and open-minded. I spent a lot of time working in Paris, Milan, London and New York. I feel like those places represent my childhood now.”

JC:”I know you were raised for the most part in Palo Alto California. Do you call California home, specifically Los Angeles?”

CH: “I do. I’ve always had a fondness for The City of Angels. Nature is such a big part of Los Angeles and it keeps me calm and grounded and it’s also close to my family.”

She orders the burger medium well with a side salad and no bun.

CH: “I only started eating beef for the first time in my life six months ago. Poor cows” she says. making a sad face.

JC: “Wait, you never had meat until 6 months ago! When were you born?”

CH: “I was born in 1990 and raised strictly vegetarian. I don’t like the idea of killing innocent animals it eat! It sounds so barbaric but I have more energy now.”

JC: “What is a Sunday afternoon like for you on a day off?”

CH:”I love going to art galleries and art shows. I’ve always been obsessed with the arts. Probably growing up with an architect father had something to do with it. Not to mention my mother, who always has an ongoing art or craft project. From drawing, painting, furniture, weaving, silkscreening there’s always a new endeavor. I’ve always been fascinated with expression through art and form.”

JC:” I enjoyed your role in The Bag Man. Can you tell me about your experience getting beaten up by a heavyweight actor such as Robert De Niro?”

CH: “He can beat me up any time,” she giggles.

“He was truly lovely and so professional. I even got to play with his beautiful Bernese Mountain dog that was in some scenes. I think he was bigger than the Shetland pony I had as a child!”

Sadly lunch is already coming to an end, I don’t want our interview to end.

JC:”You want to have a cigarette in the garden?” I ask.

CH: “Oh, I don’t smoke.”

JC: “You don’t smoke and you’re not late, are you sure the entertainment businesses for you?”

She laughs that infectious laugh of hers.

CH:”there’s no business like show business, so I’ve heard.”

She’s not what I expected. She’s more than I expected. I didn’t ask her if she had a special someone in her life on purpose. Some things are better left to the imagination.

Los Angeles CA September 29th 2015

Photographer: Jay Marroquin | Hair & Makeup: Amber Rose | Model: Celesta Hodge from Elite Model Management

June 18, 2015

Sydney Graus from Elite Model Management

After arriving in LA after an 18 hour road trip from Texas, I figured I would be the only masochist down for long drives. Well I came to find out my brilliant model Sydney Graus from Elite Model Management LA also made the long trek. She did come from a much colder climate in Jackson Hole, Wyoming however. Well let me tell you, there is nothing cold about Sydney. Scouted at IMTA LA this girl is absolutely on fire in front of the camera. To be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of IMTA, mainly due to the high cost, but hey, Sydney was discovered there!

I didn’t have much time to shoot Sydney as her mom was driving in to LA from Wyoming for the first time and we had switched some things on my calendar to make the shoot happen. As with most photoshoots, I wanted to knock out 2-3 looks on both digital and with my trusty film camera. For Syd, I was dead set on shooting some clean jean looks in studio and then taking to some alleys in LA’s fashion district. We saved all the film shots for the alley and I’m pretty stoked about how they turned out. Take a look at a few of my faves and I can’t wait to work with Sydney again.

Comment below, let me know what you think.

Photographer: Jay Marroquin | Makeup: Giovanna Paramo | Hair: Amber Rose | Model: Sydney Graus from Elite LA

June 11, 2015

Celesta Hodge from Elite LA. She turns it up to 11.

How can you put into words, the emotions or feelings you get when doing something you’re passionate about? When the people you work with make you a happy person, a better person? When people give you that which is invaluable, time? You really can’t. All you can do is say thank you.

As a fashion photographer, I can truly say I’ve been a very fortunate person to have worked with some amazing people, in some very amazing places. Riding a scooter across an island with a gorgeous Australian model looking for a hidden beach in Bali, or shooting on the streets of Tokyo’s Ginza district late at night. Well every place has that special something about it, an allure or magic. Well LA is no different.

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of working with rockstar model Celesta Hodge from Elite Model Management LA. Yes, she’s absolutely stunning, a beautiful girl with the top agency in town. Let’s be honest, that’s why you’re here. To appreciate some great photos of a girl who absolutely kills it in front of the camera. Whether you appreciate the photography, the beauty of the model, or the art, that’s why you’re here.

But what you don’t know is this, Celesta has a kickass personality. A wicked sense of humor and infectious smile. Not only this, but the girl has to be some closet race car driver. I mean, how couldn’t she when she’s rolling in an Audi R8. Maybe that’s why I liked this girl so much, perhaps I’m a bit biased with my prior driving background. Well, that’s ok, and I’m ok with that.

Comment below, let me know what you think.

Photographer: Jay Marroquin | Hair & Makeup: Amber Rose | Model: Celesta Hodge from Elite Model Management

May 29, 2015

Oly is 5’7″ and with Elite Model Management

One of the most frequent questions I get is “I’m not tall, can I still sign with an agency?”. Most of the time this question comes while having coffee with a potential model or talking to a girls parents. If there’s one thing people know about me, is that I can be pretty direct and honest at times. I guess this is what I love about working in NY. I’d rather someone tell me directly that my photography isn’t to their liking, or it sucks than be afraid to say that and lie giving me some kind of hope.

I think that works the same way with people trying to enter the fashion industry or become a model, male or female. If we’re having coffee and you’re less than 5’8″ in height, I’m probably going to tell you to forget about be a runway or high fashion model but focus on beauty, commercial or lifestyle work. Most agencies are probably going to push you to their acting division. I”ll get the “but Kate Moss is 5’7″ and made it” comment and I’ll reply, Kate is 1 in a million, err, actually make that 1 in 7 billion. But if I had listed to people telling me I couldn’t race cars professionally or be a runway photographer in Paris, I’d never be here writing this blog post.

So here’s some advice for girls wanting to be models. This post is directed to more of my female audience since I work with female talent quite a bit. You really have to know your market. Being a 5’7″ girl in Houston or Dallas is WAY different than being a 5’7″ girl in NYC. That’s just a plain fact. Girls rocking the runway in NY are now usually 5’10 1/2″ to 6’2″. Girls in Miami or LA are going to have more of a swim/lingerie figure. Also, be honest with yourself and be realistic. Look at what’s happening in the industry and see if you either fit a current mold or have a look that will break the mold. And never give up on your dreams, but do work hard to make them reality.

So how did we get on this topic? Well because of Oly. You see, Oly who is 5’7″ recently signed with Elite in LA. Elite Model Management is easily one of the top 3 agencies in the world. While recently in LA I reached out to Elite having worked the Elite Milan a few times. Serena, who is absolutely a joy to work with and a booker there, was kind enough to send me a package of around 10 beautiful girls. This is what I like about a top agency. Right off the bat I knew I was going to choose 2-3 girls to photograph. Immediately Oly’s port caught my eye. The girl is stunning and has a gaze to die for. I then looked at her measurements and noticed she was 5’7″. But that didn’t matter, why? Because the girl can model and knocks out the gazes and poses to die for. She naturally has it, that “it” factor that you can’t measure. All I have to say is kudos to the scout or new talent director that decided to sign her.

Comment below, let me know what you think.

Photographer: Jay Marroquin | Hair & Makeup: Amber Rose | Model: Oly from Elite Model Management

May 27, 2015

Photographing Bailey from l.a. models in East LA

Last week I had the pleasure of doing three things I love. 1. Road Trip 2. Photography 3. Hang with Family. About a month back, my brother Jaime Hellcat started talking about road tripping to Cali to pick up a custom guitar by the one and only Jason Burns from Blast Cult. Blast Cult makes some of the baddest hand-make guitars, basses and upright basses. Somewhere along the way, my dad got wind of this road trip and decided to join my brother. I yet, had no plans on going but as their trip neared, I noticed I had 4 or 5 days open in my calendar. Next thing you know, I’m moving a few things on the old calendar and joining in on the fun.

It had been a good while since I did any photography work in LA so decided I’d make the most of it and reach out to my friends at l.a. models. Brittany provided me a package of some girls that were available to shoot and I instantly fell in love with Bailey’s look. She has this killer vintage beauty about her. From her port and polaroids I knew she was exactly the type of face I was looking to shoot. Now to line up hair and makeup and a stylist. Luckily a casting I put up looking for makeup artist and hair stylist in LA got a lot of responses. Of all the makeup artist, Giovanna Paramo’s port stood out. I contacted her and we agreed to collaborate. Early I had reached out to my friend and celebrity hair stylist Pearson Knight who is living in LA but his calendar was full with the short notice. He then told me that our friend Amber Rose lived in LA and might be available. I was stoked seeing that Amber myself and good friend Dennis Clendennen had rocked a Christian Siriano photoshoot in New York a few years back. I contacted her to see if she was available and to my surprise, she was down to shoot all weekend.

For Bailey, we decided on two different looks since I was shooting both digital and film. One a very natural and boho feel and the other a glam 80’s look. Enjoy. Big thanks to Giovanna, Amber, Bailey and Brittany from l.a. models.

Photographer: Jay Marroquin | Makeup: Giovanna Paramo | Hair: Amber Rose | Model: Bailey

September 17, 2013

Christian Siriano Spring 2014

To say shooting Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week/New York Fashion Week is exciting, would be a understatement. Any IMG credentialed photographer shooting MBFW would say it’s not only a privilege, but incredibly cool. Now being a IMG credentialed photographer is a great accomplishment, but being a house photographer is totally different. But with the perks of being the house photographer (main photographer), there also comes the responsibility and pressure you have to perform. Not only must you knock out perfect images, but the turnaround time to process these must be instant for press/catalog usage.

For the 3rd season in a row, I’ve had the privilege to shoot the Christian Siriano show as house photographer. For me this not only brings great satisfaction, but reinforces my belief that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible. I mean, come on, a runway photographer from Texas shooting house? I’ll go out on a limb here and say that there are not many house photographers at MBFW that are not based or from New York, London, Paris or Milan, the 4 major Fashion Week cities where most of your top runway photographers hail from. Big thanks to John Perez and Nenaji Agbolabori who assisted in shooting the show.

So once again, I’ve had access to what for most, is just a fantasy world. To work with such talented people like Christian Siriano and see his beautiful creations up close is truly amazing. Not only this but his incredible staff including my good friend Ewa. So here we are on my blog. Not only am I bringing you all the beautiful looks from the Spring/Summer 2014 collection, including behind-the-scenes footage, but the full show in HD so enjoy. To see all the killer collections from Christian, visit his website at www.christiansiriano.com.

VIDEO:

LOOKS: Runway photos by Jay Marroquin | Behind-the-scene/Front row photos by Nenaji Agbolabori

Gallery Notice : Images have either not been selected or couldn't be found

September 5, 2013

LIVE STREAM: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week NY | SS 2014 #MBFW

Live from New York it’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Spring/Summer 2014. Watch all the shows via the live feed with a full schedule below 🙂 Share this, love it #MBFW #JMp

SCHEDULE:

September 05

September 06

September 07

September 08

September 09

September 10

September 11

September 12

10AM | RALPH LAUREN at 560 WASHINGTON STREET
11AM | RALPH LAUREN at TBA
2PM | CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION at 50 VARICK STREET

November 21, 2011

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From The Sidewalk to the Catwalk – Dallas

It’s late October and I find myself taking a break in Texas Hill Country. Wimberley, TX to be exact. After a full week of shooting Audi Fashion Houston, Wimberley made for the perfect getaway. I could relax, and also focus on editing all the shots with few distractions. Well that was the plan until the phone rang.

On the other line was Luis of Metrovelvet.com asking me what my schedule looked like on Thursday, Nov 11th. I told him I had a gig the day before and a big shoot the following Friday in Austin, why? “Would you like to go shoot Jean Paul Gaultier in Dallas?” he asked. Without hesitating I said YES. For the next few weeks I was slowly counting the days on my calendar eagerly anticipating Gaultier in Dallas.

November 11th and Luis and I find ourselves at the Dallas Museum of Art. From the moment we pulled into the drive, I knew the exhibit was going to be magical with the big banner that was hanging in front. We arrived a bit early at DMA while last minute touches were still being done. We waited around for a bit and closer to the event time we registered and got our credentials. We then made our way into the auditorium where the speech was going to take place. Slowly people started coming in and taking their seats. I think at that point Luis and myself noticed we didn’t collect our gift bags so had to pay the front desk a visit again, haha. I mean, who doesn’t want a Jean Paul Gaultier gift bag and goodies.

As event got on it’s way I was really looking forward to Jean Paul speaking. We all know how incredible of a designer he is, but I wanted to know more about the man, his inspirations, thoughts about fashion and take on life in general. What one word could I use to describe Jean Paul after hearing him speak? Genuine, yeah, I think that’s perfectly fitting. After all, Jean Paul was one of the first designers to use normal (non-model types) in his fashion shows. His passion and love for real people, real life really showed. It also shows in his designs, sketches and the way he carries himself.

After his speech, we were treated to a tour of the exhibit with Jean Paul himself. I particularly enjoyed him showing us a display which had one of his pieces and also a vintage looking tv show a 40’s French film that inspired him to be a designer. I believe the name of the film is either Fabela or Favela, I’ll have to ask for the correct spelling because I surely want to check it out. Anyway, while he was showing us, he lit up like a kid in a candy store. It was amazing to see how much passion he still has for that movie. He even took the time to sign the two JPG books Luis had been carrying around.

Special thanks to: Oliver Meslaym, Cecilia Bonn, Nathalie Bondil, Lisa Lawrence, Jelka Music, Kevin W. Tucker and the entire staff of DMA.

See the great write-up by Mr. G and photos by me on Metrovelvet.com – Click Here!

May 27, 2011

MotoPhoto Adventure – Day 26, 27 & 28 (From Vancouver to icy cold Montana)

So it’s Day 28 on the road and it’s been a few days since we left Vancouver.

Day 25 we rolled into Vancouver and settled in to a Best Western that was in the downtown area. It was going to be busy night meeting with people so the first thing to do was find a place to eat. A few people we met on the rooftop of the Best Western suggested a place called Earls in the Yaletown district which was about 10-12 blocks away. We walked there and met up with Anastazy (my stylist) to discuss the details of the next days shoot. Later in the evening Rhi (hair stylist) also met up with us. We had some great food a few drinks then it was time to call it a night. While having dinner we chatted up some people, made new friends and even had a few come out to the next days photoshoot.

Day 26 in Vancouver was really an entire day of shooting so not really too many photos I can show. You guys will just have to wait to see the actual photoshoot photos once their online…which if I may say I think turned out pretty damn hot! So hot we’re actually going to call it Radioactive Hot (check the vid, you’ll get it, haha). I will however post a few of the behind the scenes photos and videos. Also had a few newly made friends come along (Hola Luciana 🙂 ) to check out the shoot and good times were had by all. Anyway, once I get the photos online, I’ll make another blog entry solely about the shoots and also the photoshoots from Victoria.

One of the things Mooty and myself were commenting on was, that there couldn’t possibly be a better time to be in the Vancouver area. I mean, the Canucks are in the playoffs and the same day we’re in Vancouver, they win Game 5 to head to the Stanley Cup Finals. Heck the other day in Victoria the score was 0-0 in game 4. As soon as we walked into this pub/restaurant the Canucks scored 3 straight goals in about 5 minutes. I have to think the Texas boys are pretty good luck for the Canucks so we should get some Stanley Cup Final tickets comped. After my shoots on Tuesday, I hit the street with a few of the models and team for a quick bite to eat. We thought we had missed the game but it had actually just went in to the 1st overtime period. I grabbed some pizza, took some quick vid of the street action on Grandville (think of Austin’s 6th street, just twice as big and 10x crazier) and then made my way back to the hotel. We were leaving first thing in the morning so didn’t want to be out too late. I commenced to watch the rest of the game, now in it’s 2nd overtime back in the room. The Canucks then scored, won the game and are now headed to the Finals. Our hotel was situated about 2 blocks from all the action and right on Grandville St so it was cool seeing the town erupt. Around that same time Rhi sent me a message to see if I wanted to hang and possible shoot since she models as well. Who was I to say no…next thing you know I have Mooty working a reflector at like 1 in the morning. Those photos will be on Rhi’s post 🙂

Day 27’s post should be short and sweet and you’ll just have to see the Wet and Cold vid – Basically, we rode from Vancouver to Ellensville, Washington and the weather SUCKED. Partially thru the ride we had to stop and wait for some highway construction while getting fully drenched. Now you can ride cold or wet, but not both. We finally decided to call it a day when we got to Ellensville and I was pretty happy. My inner Betty White was totally out. Actually the first hotel we arrived at had no power so back on the bikes, wet and cold to the exit down the highway. Alright, enough about crappy day 27. From hot models in Canada to horrid conditions, ugghh…

Day 28, yay I’m actually here writing a blog entry on the actual day. Well today’s ride was definitely a cold one but luckily not a wet one. We had a bit of rain, snow, or sleet, still not sure but not too much. Happened right as we came into Montana at Lookout pass which is up in the mountains. Got down to 35 degrees and the roads were quite wet. I took the lead and was basically traveling at a snails pace to be on the safe side. Once we came down the mountain I opened up the wick again. Oh yeah, talking about opening the wick, remember to check for planes when clocking at triple digits across Washington. Guess the miserable Day 27 weather was behind us and we had some nice open roads and didn’t realize how fast we were going 😉 Got a nice souvenir and made a new friend in the way of a Washington State Trooper. He was actually a very nice guy, wrote us up for 85 in a 70 and we were on our way. When I told him we were going to blog about this he asked for the address of the blog because his kids would be impressed. We continued on our way thru Idaho into Montana. About 30 miles outside of Missoula we pulled into a rest stop. While there some guy asked for some assistance with his Ford Explorer. Some grinding noise was coming out of the rear drivers side wheel and he mentioned he had performed a break job a few hundred miles back. First thing I noticed was that the wheel lugs weren’t really too tight. We took the wheel off (Mooty and myself, guy didn’t even offer to help), gave it a once over and didn’t find anything wrong. With the deeper thud noise it was making I really think it was something with the driveshaft or related. Anyway, there wasn’t much else we could do so put the wheel back on and suggested the guy call his AAA or drive it way slow. The rain (snow/sleet) we had actually gone thru a few miles back was actually catching up to us so it was time to go. Back on the highway and here we are in the Hotel room now.

Alright, it’s time for bed. Seems like it’s going to be a rather cold day riding tomorrow so we need to figure out a plan. Oh yeah, this blog post will have a TON of videos at the bottom so make sure to check them out.

So it’s Day 28 on the road and it’s been a few days since we left Vancouver.

How do you stay warm and dry in 38 degree, sleeting rain? 7 layers up top, 3 on the bottom and 2 pairs of socks. Oh yeah and electric heating pants and vest pictured with wires.