Cute kid to beautiful woman

I have been so inspired by the girls I work with, they have gone from cute kids to beautiful women. That's the case with Lauren Goodman.

We met Lauren at the age of 13, when we judged the Miss Earth Florida and Miss Teen Earth Florida pageant.

We were 10 judges from all walks of life; we were photographers, business men and women, makeup artists, stylists, designers and beauty queens from other pageant systems.

The pageant director walked in with her staff to go over the rules and instruct us how to ask the questions and if we deemed necessary to ask more questions to please do so, show no mercy. She wanted her delegates to become prepared women and young women of the world.

The pageant director leaves and the doors open and the first batch of young ladies walk in. Some are quite intimated and others completely care free. Lauren was not in the first group. We started to ask the established questions and trick questions, most failed because of nerves. Some thought they were going to get by on their looks and/or talent.

The second group walk in, these are delegates from the Miss category, immediately I see the winner of the Miss division. This time the established question were more worldly, these were the ladies to drill and talk about their platforms. Again, we knew who won this Miss division.

The third group walks in, the young Miss, and Lauren is in it. Lauren glowed, her smile, her hair, she was poised and ready for this. The other girls were invisible to me, my eyes and most eyes were focused on Lauren. We had questions for all the ladies, most questions were directed to Lauren.

The fourth and last group to walk in, the Miss division. The ladies were okay, no one stood out like the first group of Miss Delegates.

The pageant is about to start, we are moved to a private room and then escorted to our tables; 2 tables of 5, across from each other. Up on stage, we saw several crowns with different stone colors; obviously we knew the crowns with clear stones were the winner crowns. The other colors represented the elements, green for air, blue for water and red for fire.

It was a long pageant, talent was part of the ladies curriculum, and some sang, some recited, some played an instrument and others danced.

Lauren danced and is an accomplished ballet dancer, very beautiful, danced to her own interpretation of Swan Lake.  The winners were called and I was right, the one I predicted won the Miss Earth division and to my amazement Lauren did not win the Miss Teen Earth title; someone who did not make an initial impact won.

Lauren placed with Miss Teen Earth Water and the others placed with the other elements. Meanwhile, Francisco and I fell in love with Lauren and saw a huge potential in her and her future.

We met with her mother Carmen, and also fell in love with Carmen.  We took Lauren under our wing and started doing photo shoots, introduced her to photographers and put her in different looks and styled her differently.

We did not have to do much though, Lauren was a natural. The dance experience also helped her. The poses were massive, strong and crazy beautiful. Her facial expressions were regal and demanding.

Lauren was our muse, we included Lauren in everything, editorial shoots, and fashion shows. She was in high demand. Carmen, Lauren's mom also business savvy, took the reins of her daughter's career and ran with it. Now Lauren has shot and walked for bigger names; been included in all the big fashion shows of Florida, New York and the world.

Lauren has been signed by agencies; she is in such demand that she has changed from agency to agency.  She has done product commercials, been in Spanish soaps, TV shows, music videos and higher end editorials.

Lauren is quite the model/dancer/actress (triple threat) and I am so proud that we are her godfathers in fashion. We will see wonderful things from Miss Lauren, watch for her.....you can also see more pictures of Lauren on our websites, www.franovik.com and www.modelsanddesigners.com.

Viktor Franovik  

www.franovik.com
www.modelsanddesigners.com
info@franovik.com
viktor@modelsanddesigners.com

 

Beauty Queen-Model dedicated to patients and their well being

We met Jana March 2008 while casting for a fashion show. She was the current Miss Earth United States 2008. Besides the Miss Teen Earth and Miss Earth organization titleholders, there were titleholders from Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, Miss Universe organization, Miss World, Miss America and Ms. Latina International, past and current titleholders.

Francisco and I must have met 30 to 40 wonderful ladies, mostly titleholders and models from top modeling agencies from South Florida. The moment we saw Jana, we fell in love. She was tall, fit and had an angelic heavenly face, she was going to be my Vanessa Williams. We immediately ran to her side, started talking to her, and discovered that besides being beautiful, she was friendly, kind, down to earth and did I mention gorgeous.

We became friends, and Jana became the face of Franovik Designs.

Because of Jana, we became the official costume designers for the Miss Earth United States organization for the following three years. The organization flew us out to the different pageant locations and Jana was right by our side. On the Las Vegas trip, we were together most of the time; she was the current titleholder, so she could not be around the contestants; so we hung out.

We did the first fashion show for Miss Earth and Miss Teen Earth and since I had a professional photographer, Don Seidman there, we did editorial photo shoots around at the hotel and areas. Miss Earth was our second pageant system where we were official designers.

Among our conversations we found out Jana is quite the celebrity, she has several beauty titles under her sequin belt, she is a model, and was on a TV newscast (previous traffic girl) in her state and to top it all off, a Doctor of Physical Therapy. It does not get any better than that. Jana is a traveling therapist so she goes where she is needed.

She works in a variety of practice settings across the country from hospitals to nursing homes, to private practices. She assists in rehabilitating people after surgery, those who have had heart attacks and strokes, orthopedic injuries, and any other ailments. Jana's fulfillment comes from investing time and expertise into people who truly need her help and seeing them overcome their physical debilities and get back into a normal life day to day routine. Her patience and kind heart make physical rehabilitation the perfect profession for her.

Despite all she does with her very demanding job, she still manages her time to support our causes, fashion shows, TV engagements, photo shoots and important events.

Jana has been involved and included in many of FRANOVIK’s most influential shows, fundraisers, magazine articles and events. Most of the shows included Green Fashion Miami, Elements of Green Funkshion 2010, Million Dollar Diamond show, Funkshion-Elements of Green 2011 and 2012. Jana has been included in magazines like Nuvia Rose International, Bayfront/Icon, HerLife, Broward Lifestyles, Keel Magazine, Lucky Magazine, just to mention a few.

Jana has been on NBC6 South Florida Today, Univision, and Hola TV and soon to be involved with our upcoming event on September 28, where Franovik gives back on our 5^th year anniversary.
Everyone she comes in contact with immediately loves her, other titleholders and models too. They want to be her. Lately, she has been involved with her own pageant, Miss Essence.  Now she is also preparing her wedding in June. You know, we are designing her wedding dress.

Thinking back and quite frankly, we have been blessed with many beautiful, professional, exciting women in our lives, but what can I say about this incredible and supportive woman besides “She’s our IT GIRL” the face of Franovik and we want to Thank her for being there for us and also being an inspiration to us all.

I hope we continue to work together regardless of Jana getting married…..Congratulations Jana....

Viktor Franovik

www.franovik.com
info@franovik.com

The "Ins and Outs" to a photo shoot

It has been my experience putting together a photo shoot it's not as easy as it seems. I have been part of many of many shoots. The one's I did not plan and coordinate seem to go badly for me and the other folks involved. I want to go through a few steps that have helped me to ensure an effective shoot. 

During the planning stages, be clear on what you want to achieve, what is the feel and looks? Pick the clothes you will be showcasing. Will it be Indoors or Outdoor? If Indoor, get the studio or location confirmed. If it's outdoors have a plan B, nature can play tricks on you and some other issues can arise. Also outdoor decide if it's early or late in the day. If its broad daylight make sure you have all your equipment, reflectors, etc. Your photographer will know what to take and when to take pictures.  

Speaking about photographers, decide who your photographer is going to be. Depending on who they are some could be more experienced with editorials versus runway, some specialize or prefer In (studio) or Outdoor (elements). Photographers should have back up cameras, batteries, lights and any other items they need to do their job.

I normally have a long conversation with them for various reasons, First, I need to convey my ideas and secondly, I want their input; they are artists just like myself plus their years of experience is valuable to be as a designer-stylist of my company.

Next your hair and make-up artists, just as the photographer, connect with these very essential people. They can make you or break you. Sit and discuss your vision and ask if they can accommodate your vision creating the looks you need. I also want their input; I am not a hair and make-up artist, although sometimes I have had too because the artist have not shown up. 

Your models are the most important element of the shoot. Go through your models and see who will be the right one for the shoot. Have a few models at the shoot and also back up models should something happen, we are human. While one is shooting, work on the others so there is no downtime. Remember TIME IS MONEY but you should have breaks between shoots. By the way, No one gets paid until the job is done.

Every photo shoot, you should have a back up photographer, hair & make-up artist, and models, just in case.

Always think of your models and staff, have beverages and food, most, if not all shoots run all day. On the subject of food, think light, small sandwiches, fruits, snacks, water, juices, coffee or tea or both. Forget heavy meals (carbs), sodas, it's a shoot; they have to be lean and light on their feet.

Once all of these things have been done, then comes the fun part, bring everyone in.  Since I am "The DO IT ALL", I become Santa and make a check list and check it twice before the day begins.

On my shoots, I expect everyone to be on time. If you are traveling to the shoot allow extra time. It’s better to be half an hour early than five minutes late, so allow for delays, (that's why I always invite more models). Remember extra time gives you chance to relax after traveling, and to prepare yourself prior to hair and makeup.

It's good practice to introduce yourself to the photographer with no pressure to start working immediately. When you meet the photographer, make-up artist, or other models it’s really important to greet them with a friendly smile, eye contact, and possibly a handshake or a kiss.

When you are shooting it’s important to put all your effort into your work. It’s your job, and you’re lucky to be doing something you enjoy, so be grateful and make sure you offer the photographer value for money in the form of effort and involvement. Take direction and make suggestions. Be patient, be polite, and work with the photographer to make sure he gets the images he wants for himself or client.

I like to play music during my shoots, silences can become long and awkward, and this might affect the quality of the pictures, I like to have fun at my shoots. I don't like posey posey, I like my shoots to be active (walk, jump, spin, sing) yes sing. I have found that lip-syncing is awesome for picture taking. 

Some of my best shoots have been when the photographer, models and I have a laughed all the way through. Models have to be engaged, you see they also get pictures so it's in their best interest to put 100% of them in the shots.

 Time flies when you are having fun, don’t be afraid to suggest and play with ideas and poses. The photographer might not have thought if it, and will be grateful for your input. In my shoots, I like people to participate we all learn from each other.

 

Viktor Franovik

www.franovik.com

info@franovik.com