You know, after I wrote my first entry, I kept having a gut feeling like I should write more because of all the positive experiences I've had with Joem as a photographer and friend. First, I should've let the reader know I've been a signed model for a few years now and have shot with many photographers and Joem always stands out as a top-notch photographer! When I began with Joem, I literally had ZERO experience other than the typical guy flexing in front of the mirror in the privacy of his own home... LOL, so that's where our story begins.
When I was originally interested in becoming a model, I saw a friends shots with Joem and they were awesome! I approached Joem a while later and we set a shoot date. When the day had come and Joem and I met, I had no idea what to expect, how to pose, what to do, how the interaction was going to go, etc... Joem made me feel very comfortable and spoke to me as if I was a long time friend (granted we had a number of discussion before the shoot because I had a million questions...! lol, he answered them all patiently and always took time for me). I'm sure Joem could sense my anxiety about it all so as he set up he just asked me about life and chatted casually with me so I could feel more comfortable, relaxed and realize it was a safe zone. He let me play some of my music to get even more comfortable, which after getting to know Joem now I know rap isn't exactly his first choice of music, but he didn't mind one bit as it helped me.
When we started shooting, Joem did a great job evaluating my current skill set and slowly began to encourage and guide me through some possible poses that he felt I may like and could try. It was a slow start on my part, but thankfully Joem never rushed me and only supported me throughout the shoot. By the end, I felt way more confident in what I was doing because of his guidance and also Joem allowing me to explore my own twist and style on poses we were practicing. He'll let you run with it if you want, or walk with you. Either way he's got your back! Any time I didn't like a pose, wanted to try something different, felt like a pose wasn't right for me, etc Joem would respect that choice of mine and we'd try something else. I remember a beautiful cat strolled up to me during our first shoot, so I picked him up and began petting him. I asked if I could get a couple of shots with the cat just for fun and Joem went with it and loved it! Was great to be able to just flow through the day, more or less having fun while working.
I walked away from our shoot with a lot of great experience, great shots and a great supporter and friend with Joem. Joem and I have had many awesome shots and overall shoots since then and Every time with loads of potential photos to be used in my portfolio, social media, or whatever else we decide to use them for. I was able to use a Ton of our shots in my portfolio that the agencies loved and eventually got me signed as a professional model.
I have known Joem now for at least four years now I think, and watching his self-taught talent continue to get stronger and better over the years has been awesome to see! I would highly recommend him as both a friend and having worked with him multiple times professionally. If you look at his shots, like what you see and are considering hiring a photographer, I Strongly encourage you to reach out to Joem as you will Not be disappointed! He will most assuredly make you look Great!!!
Thanks for being one of the good ones Joem, both as a photographer and person. I'm glad our journeys in life crossed paths bud.
Scott