Nick Saglimbeni is the leader of the pack when it comes to shooting super hot and sexy models. You may know him for being the main photographer for Show Magazine. His style is simply perfect. His lighting is impeccable, his photoshop work is pioneering and his vision is unparallel. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Nick Saglimbeni moved to Los Angeles to pursue cinematography at the top-ranked USC School of Cinema. After shooting several commercials, music videos, and short films, Nick was recognized by the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) with a Heritage Award. That same year, after hearing from many actors and models about their frustrations with bad photos and even more awkward photo sessions, Nick opened SlickforceStudio in downtown LA.
Clients quickly responded to the cinematic nature of Nick’s photography, and Slickforce soon became one of the hottest studios in Los Angeles. True to the studio’s motto, “You. Perfected.™” Nick’s clients enjoy a photographic experience like none other, including state-of-the-art image capture, signature retouching techniques, and a stress-free environment.
Nick shattered all expectations when his 100th magazine cover hit the newsstand. In 2009, Nick won the Blackberry Small Business Award for his work with SlickforceStudio. The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) has awarded Nick with a staggering three Grand Prize Awards.
Nick currently shoots for a wide array of venues, including album covers, national and international ad campaigns, and many major magazines. Nick also continues to shoot for TV and film, most recently on the History Channel’s “Cities of the Underworld.
Accolades:
- Winner, 2009 Blackberrya/AT&T Small Business Award – SlickforceStudio
- Grand Prize, Excellence in Photography- 2008 Photoshop World/NAPP Awards
- Grand Prize, Excellence in Retouching – 2008 Photoshop World/NAPP Awards
- Grand Prize, Excellence in Photo Compositing – 2008 Photoshop World/NAPP Awards
- Heritage Award – 2002 American Society of Cinematographers Awards
An interview with Nick:
What is your ultimate goal as a photographer?
When I first got into photography, my goal was to level the playing field for non-white models. I felt it unfair that mostly-white models in mainstream mags like Maxim had access to quality hair, make-up, retouching, and photography, while urban models had to worry about whether a photographer could capture their complexion properly, whether a make-up artist knew how to make up dark-skinned models, or whether weave tracks and stretchmarks were going to end up in the magazine. SlickforceStudio’s tagline “You. Perfected.”™ was created because we were the first studio to evenly target models of all ethnicities, with the belief that anyone should have the right to an amazing photoshoot. It just so happened that black and middle-eastern models needed me more at the time, and that’s how I fell into the urban scene.
Now, I think the industry has been radically transformed. Mainstream mags like Stuff and FHM are failing, as are equally-polarized urban titles like KING. On the other hand, magazines like SHOW and ALT, which are not classifiable as “white” or “black” titles because of their diversity of models, have become the new mainstream.
What is my goal now? Well, I’m not sure there’s that much more I can do in glamour. I think we’ve created the new glamour standard, and we’ve set the bar pretty high for what models expect. Photographers now realize that they can’t just be a dirty perv with a camera anymore, and it’s good for the whole industry—because models can now focus on shooting, and photographers are actually pushing themselves to make art. I’d like to do the same thing in the fashion and commercial worlds. I’ve got a few ideas that would make ad executives pee themselves. I like a good challenge.
Are budgets tight for you as much as it seems to be for everybody else?
Not so much anymore. And trust me, I’m not oblivious to the recession or the declining print industry. I’ve been very fortunate in my career, and hopefully it’s the result of carefully choosing the people in my network, as well as which battles I fight. I’ll usually do one shoot for a mag with a crap budget, and if they can’t see the value in my work after that, I’ll just move on. I had one mag tell me that my Jessica Burciaga cover was their most profitable issue of all time and they still wouldn’t bump my rate! Does that make any financial sense?!
At some point, I realized the energy I spend arguing with cheap publishers was taking away from the time and energy I could be putting into my work. I’m very lucky to be shooting mostly only what I want to shoot. But there are definitely a few projects I’ve taken mostly for the money, because it’s hard to finance your visions without cash. I often taken money from a shit project and use it to finance something awesome in my head.
Also, I think it’s pretty clear in my behind-the-scenes pics that I LOVE big productions. And a lot of photographers have told me that they’re inspired by the scale of the shoots! That’s so cool to me, because I used to look at Michael Bay and James Cameron movies and think “I wanna do big sh*t like THAT!” I mean, what guy doesn’t like playing with expensive toys? But somebody has to pay for all those toys…
Did you ever struggle as a photographer or has it been smooth sailing for the most part?
My battles are mostly with myself. I could have been a photographer who shoots out of his apartment using natural light, but instead I chose to grow Slickforce as a brand and build a team that actually produces the magazines you read. That’s never happened in any men’s magazine, as far as I know. Cover to cover, there’s not a page that wasn’t conceived, shot, retouched, and print-optimized in this studio. In fact, we’ve completely outgrown the “photograph-for-hire” model altogether. But with an amazing team of artists comes an even more amazing payroll! So my struggles have more to do with deciding just how big I want this beast to get. Sometimes smaller is easier.
What has been your favorite travel location to shoot?
Kenya is my favorite place I’ve ever been—I got to go live in an actual Maasai village with a tribe! Does it really get any cooler than that?
But if you mean for paid magazine shoots, I would say the Laura Doré SHOW issue that we shot in Italy along the Amalfi Coast would be pretty hard to top. You can see the production pics here, it’s unreal! http://nicksaglimbeni.com/?p=396
Who is the one model that just undeniably stands out in your mind?
Ha! I’m far too diplomatic to answer that question, but I will say that the first model that really left her mark on me was Lanisha Cole. She was in Pharrell’s Frontin’ video with Lauren London, and I had a ridiculous crush on her. I couldn’t take a bad shot of her, no matter how nervous I was, and I was like, “This girl is good.”
I’m probably too desensitized to pick a favorite now. I like girls that don’t bring drama into my studio. I don’t care about the NBA player that broke your heart again—you should know better. I mean, he’s plays in the freaking NBA! What about this surprises you? Some of these girls crack me up.
Do you think you will every marry one of these super beauties or will it be the girl that doesn’t know anything about the modeling industry?
LOL next question.
What percentage of Urban work do you do compared to celebrity, fashion, etc..?
It varies depending on the market. Recessions do funny things to people. When I first started my career, it was all Maxim, Stuff, and Loaded (UK). Around 2006, that shifted and the majority of my clients became urban mags like Black Men, Today’s Black Women, and SHOW (which was actually more urban in it’s early days.) That opened the door to urban music, which led to clients like Universal/Cash Money and Interscope/Geffen. We did some really cool work for artists like The Game, Nas, TI, Wayne, Birdman, and Nicki Minaj. In 2009, the client-base again shifted, this time to celebs with their own TV shows, like the Kardashian family, LisaRaye, and Brandy. I pretty much roll with the punches, but I know exactly where I’m trying to go.
Do you feel that your passion is so extreme that it will always keep you on the forefront?
God willing. I couldn’t possibly love what I do more than I already do. This job is THE BEST, no joke. It’s a lot of hard work, and lately I’ve been focusing on backing away from Slickforce so I can get back into really cutting-edge photography. In the battle between CEO and artist that rages in my head, CEO almost always wins, and that’s about to change. I have something up there that I hope will push photography forward a full generation.
Any advice for new photographers?
Master your craft. Push yourself to be the best. There are a lot of people who want the same job you do, and they’ll do it for cheaper—TRUST ME. Your only protection is your talent.
Contact Info:
Nick Saglimbeni
SlickforceStudio – You. Perfected.®
155 West Washington Blvd., Suite 650
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213-489-9309 ext. 1
213-745-5858 fax
www.nicksaglimbeni.com
www.slickforce.com
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