But.... someone has to do it, right?

It's all in a days work for me, people! The love and hate relationship I have with my modeling career.  I shot for 'Frontgate' last Friday, thus the last day I blogged I believe, was Thursday.  I have been non-stop busy since and just now getting a quick moment to post and go to bed, because I had another exhausting photo-shoot for 'Brookstone' today.  That's another story! 

I thought to sort of give those that ask and like this kind of info, a little inside look of a day of a model.  A tough life, but someone has to do it, or you wouldn't have your photos and catalogs to look at.  

I love my work when there is work to be doing.  When it is slow, you can go a bit stir crazy, but like anything else, modeling has it's "season's." Now that the holidays have come and gone, the modeling season here in Miami should start to pick up, although there are no certainties because of the economy.  Our line of work and business is affected liked anything else.  Although we may not officially "get laid off" our jobs, it can most deffiantally have the same stress and hardship as someone who has lost a job, because if work doesn't come in you do not have a job, if you do not have jobs, then you do not get paid... you get the idea.  So, lets hope for a good season so I can continue to work. 

One huge thing I love about my job is that it's always different, its not in an office and I can make what a lot of people can make in one to two weeks at a full-time job in one day.  I hate the fact that we don't get paid for our jobs for 90-days or more.  You have to learn to be very discipline with your fiances because it takes a long time to get paid, you are not guaranteed work or a certain amount of income and work a week or month or year.  Its a HUGE risk, but a great one if you do have work.   It allows for me to bring in extra income to my home during the season, and yet still be a stay-at-home full-time mom to my kids, a wife and homemaker. There are so many 'loves' for this industry.

However I do have some 'hate' and when I say 'hates' I am not whining.... I am simply letting out some playful venting.  So have some humor and fun with me! 

Here we go! 

A 5:00 Am wake-up call! (HATE EARLY MORNINGS)

This is a picture I took leaving my neighborhood at 5:30 AM.

You can see the moon and that it is still very dark outside. 

Here you can see that I need to get gas for my 2-HOUR drive up to Vero Beach,

while it is 52-degrees here in Florida.  That is COLD for us Floridan's, okay!

And did I mention the theme for this shoot is "Splash?" 

Yea, I am supposed to be in bikini's all day in a pool on floats --

It's 52-degrees out folks!! UGH!  (A HATE!!!) 

So I stop and get gas!

Finally you can see a little light making its way in the sky. 

As most people do I stop on the way at a Starbucks... oh wait, no I don't drink coffee.

But if I did, I would be a cool person and stop at Starbucks for some hot coffee.  

Instead.....

I am driving along waiting to see something that was open to grab a bite to eat.  

Krispy Kreme would be just fine.... 

(oops did I just admit that, when I am about to shoot bikini's) Not Me! 

Oh but wait.....here is a healthy place for breakfast I see as I approach Vero Beach....

SONIC!!

Nice!!!! I love Sonic, but we don't have them in Fort Lauderdale where I live.  

I grew up with Sonics in Texas and love them. 

I'll have the #11 with egg, cheese, potato please, with a rootbeer and tator tots! 

Awesome!!! Hey man, that's my version of healthy (yikes, did I just say that also?)

Okay so it has taken me 2 hours now to get to Vero Beach.  

Well in truth is should have taken me 2-hours to get to Vero Beach,

but when you drive like me and also ride the tail of not 1, not 2, not 3...

but 4 patrol cars at 90+ mph......

Lets just say you make pretty good time at that rate.  Enough time to stop at Sonic for a breakfast burrito nice healthy and warm breakfast! 

Well the warm part of it, anyways! 

Finally, getting close to my destination, admiring the sun beaming on the water -

through my bug infested windshield. 

I arrive for my 7:00 AM call time. (HATE EARLY CALL TIMES)

Getting my camera out to take some shots of my day as a model....

I take my test shot of my beautiful camera bag my honey got me for my birthday last month.

Now it's time to come alive.

The call to the beautifying chair for hair and make-up!  (LOVE IT!!)

I know how great this looks, believe me its pretty dang sweet and all...

but let me remind you, it is 52-DEGREES outside there, and I am about to be in 

a bikini and a pool.  The two do not mix well in my book. 

The first shot is me sitting in those pool made bean-bags.

That is the photographer looking at the screen, getting it all ready for me.

It takes A LOT of gear, props, supplies, people and trucks to bring

in all necessary items for one shoot.

Here you have the photographer, make-up artist and photographer assistant

getting the shot ready.  *NOTE* they are wearing jackets and not looking warm at all. 

This is the photographer and I, capturing each other in action.  He needed me

to sit in my spot for a lighting test, so I had my camera in hand and did what I do best, 

and got a shot from a 'models' point of view.  So it's really like looking through my eyes, as a model. You always have an audience watching you do your work! (A HATE AND LOVE)

This is the stylist getting the wardrobe ready. 

Note how little there is hanging on the wardrobe rack.

This is the next shot.... POOL TIME!!  Ugh!!

My "model boyfriend/husband" working with me today, is VERY smart..

he decides to go run for 15 minutes before having to get into 

a NON-heated pool at 40-50 something degrees, cold FREEZING.

The water was so cold people, that it was hard to breath, made your feet ache and 

by the time the numbing set it, it felt like a million ants all over your body

stinging all at once.  It was %#*&$* COLD!!! Do you get the picture now? 

Stylist and make-up artist were very good to us, standing by with robes and towels.

This is me doing a walking shot onto a mat next to some nice water sandals,

hidden behind the plant in this shot the make-up artist took for me.

Yea... although I am smiling (part of my job here today).... I am MISERABLE!!! THANKFUL!!! 

I can't breath, my body is trembling, and stinging and throbbing. While trying to sit 

on a water chair, keep my balance, keep my eyes open and smiling, 

 with a million reflectors shining on me,

while looking warm and relaxed. Not trembling and teeth chattering.  While not getting my hair wet or falling over....all in freezing cold water, in freezing cold weather, all at 8:30 AM 

in the morning!!!  

Just another angle and shot...with the silver reflector blinding us  

giving us that nice shine of light.

This is our next pool shot.  They are holding the floats trying to get the 

shot set up so when we get in, we only have to stay in as short amount of time 

as possible, which typically would be 15-20 minutes, if the sun and clouds were nice.

Once you got in and the numbness kicked it, it was still painfully cold, 

but I could start catching my breath and tolerating it.

What made it hard, was getting out of the pool, getting warm and then having

to do all of that over again for the next shot.

It really seemed to get harder each shot of the day, to get back into that pool with a smile on my face.

By the end of my shoot day at 3:00 pm, I am over it! I want to go home.

We wrap it up, call it a day and pack it back up for what should be a 2 hour drive back home...

but if you are Misty..... 

Setting the GPS to take me back home.

A pretty cool shot in my rearview mirror leaving Vero Beach, Fl. 

.....and if you are Misty..... you are not always lucky to get behind 

4 patrol cars going 90 mph, but instead are like all the other normal people out there, 

and are stuck in this traffic.  Taking me 3-very tired, sleepy and slow hours to get home.

But I made it home to my family....and then my second shift begins...

and I don't need to share what that entails, for all you mommy and daddy's know 

exactly what I am talking about. The most rewarding, but most exhausting 

part of our WORK days.

This house we shot at was beautiful, and there was this, sitting on top of the bar

and so I took a picture of it.  Thought it was cute. 

All in a days work and for a $___.__???  

I'll never tell! 

PS:  Funny thing is... I was going to do another one for today's shoot for Brookstone, but 

they had me doing the EXACT same things and items (float, rafts, misters and chase chairs), so it would have been a little too repeative. Although, not as cold both weather and pool today, it was still pretty cool.

What are the chances, that I would book two jobs, two very nice catalogs, in one weeks time, in the coldest temps in Florida 35+ degrees, which is cold for here. And shoot the exact same things for both? In my 13 year career...that's the first! 

But thank you GOD, for my career, these jobs, my job, my pay check.... THANK YOU!  But, next time can we not pick the same week to tease all those global warming believers to do bikini shots in 52 degree water?  *winking*  

And God says:  "but, Misty, someone has to do it!"