“Texas never got this cold” I mumbled to myself as I stepped out of the Spring St. subway station and headed for my very first job in New York City in February of 1997. I had landed a job with famed fashion lensman Ken Nahoum who made a name for himself in the 80s-90s photographing celebrities and pop stars. During my first week in Manhattan, I cold-called the famous photographer and his studio offered me a job on the spot. Ken was a superstar photographer well known for the infamous images of Tupac Shakur for the record album “All Eyez on Me.” I could not believe how lucky I was to get a job with the famous photographer right out of the bag. I really wanted to be a fashion photographer and here was my big chance.
MTV in the ’90s glamorized supermodels such as Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer and the black and white images (and videos) of Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber drew me to search out this business in the capital of photography. I had known very little about fashion at the time and I wasn’t going to learn about it in San Antonio so I took off to NYC and put up with the unbearable cold to find out what it was all about.
I had never experienced a true east coast winter and I was ill-prepared for those last few months of cold weather when I first arrived in Manhattan. Nahoum’s studio was on the corner of Avenue of Americas and Varick St and although the station was just a few blocks away, the cold, bitter wind coming off the Hudson cut through my Texas winter jacket and chilled me to the bone during that short walk. But I endured it all because I wanted to learn how to be a fashion photographer.
Nahoum’s studio didn’t exactly explain what my job would be but once I started working there, I ended up being nothing more than an errand boy for Nahoum, his dad, and two sleazy producers. Sadly, Nahoum was already transitioning out of photography and we only worked on a handful of photoshoots including one notorious outdoor night job that ended when a heavy storm cut across the City and soaked us. I remember taking the train home that morning and leaving behind a puddle of water where I had sat.
I had hoped to learn how the business worked from Nahoum but he ended up being a jerk and wouldn’t give me the time of day. I lasted about three months before I moved on as I had arrived too late in Nahoum’s career to see any of the magic he made back in the day. Ken wasn’t all that bad now that I look back at it. I had fond memories of his dad and those two sleazy producers. It’s very easy now to see why he treated me poorly as I hadn’t “made my bones” yet and was too green to understand. He worked with the best of the best and I was just…well…an errand boy to him.
After I left, I went off and assisted all types of fashion, portrait, and commercial guys putting lots of emphasis on fashion. But once I learned the fashion business was a nasty, shallow world, I knew it wasn’t meant for me. I did work for some really great people and some really huge names and all that hard work as an assistant taught me how to manage a career as a professional photographer. I wished I had become a dedicated understudy to a well-known fashion photographer for a long stretch but after so many years, I moved on to start my career elsewhere.
Ironically, Annie Leibowitz was in the same building on Varick as Nahoum and I accidentally rode the elevator with her. During that brief ride, I didn’t realize it was her and lost a chance to beg her for a job. Needless to say, I missed (some might say I was lucky to have missed out!) my chance but all worked out as far as I can see.
Fashion photography of Claudia Vaughan for Hi Luxury Magazine. 2016 Marco Garcia.
Fast forward nearly twenty years later and out of the blue, I’m offered a job to shoot fashion in Hawaii. HI Luxury Magazine asked me to shoot a fashion story on the magical property of Dale Hope, author of The Aloha Shirt: Spirit of The Islands. The photo editor had known for years I had an inner fashion photographer inside of me but never took me seriously when I told her of my past. She finally found a project I could work on and pushed me to produce a great shoot.
I worked with model Claudia V and a great team of makeup, hair, and styling. Dale’s property is way in the back of Palolo Valley and the environment fits well with the clothes and the styles. It was a challenging day but we managed to photograph five looks including a few options in a brief period of time. Overall, we made some fantastic images.
As I readied myself to shoot that morning, I recalled my days of fetching coffee for Ken’s dad and the two producers. I recalled having to head uptown to Hermés to pick up a Kelly bag for Ken’s Victoria’s Secret fashion model girlfriend. I remembered having to take something to Ken’s Greene St. apartment in SoHo and he refused to let me in and I had to wait in the hallway. I recalled that cold wind, stale bagels, riding home completely wet, and the nasty world of NYC’s fashion business.
But when I looked through my camera’s viewfinder, I saw Claudia and all the moments that led me to this palm grove and I smiled. I’d never had made it as a fashion guy in Manhattan but its good to know I learned enough to make these beautiful images in Hawaii.
Thanks, Ken.