tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124392352007-11-09T10:37:08.232-08:00FitSightsBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-2892710055115558452007-09-22T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-22T00:20:31.687-07:00

As you can tell, things have been slow on the FitSights front lately. The site will soon go through a bit of a transformation, focusing alot more on photography and, well, not much more. But that's neither here nor there, because this post is about another site.. My good friend Melissa Deal recently launched her site, and its pretty cool if I do say so myself. She was the one who organized and

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-37240260871435935142007-07-24T21:22:00.000-07:002007-07-24T23:44:05.346-07:00

This evening I shot with NPC San Diego overall winner and NPC LA short class winner, Crystal Lowrey. Crystal is a couple days out from the USAs, where she'll be stepping on a national stage for the first time. She's built up a good amount of momentum in Southern California, blowing away the competition in her class, so it will be interesting to see how she stacks up against a higher caliber of

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-24370428160370059242007-07-22T10:44:00.000-07:002007-07-22T10:52:10.798-07:00

Fresh off her overall figure win at the 2007 NPC LA competition last night, I thought it was only appropriate to post a photo of Melissa Deal, someone you've seen photos of before here on The Eye, but maybe not a photo like this. This was taken on Thursday, just a couple days out from the show in Los Angeles. Hopefully Melissa's success at the LAs is foreshadowing to even bigger things at the

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-52422695148390698702007-07-14T21:22:00.000-07:002007-07-15T12:22:18.080-07:00

It's only fitting that Nicole Wilkins chose to wear a Wonder Woman costume during her fitness routine, because she pulled off something suitable for a superhero at the 2007 Team Universe — an NYC Sweep. Competing in both fitness and figure, Nicole not only won her pro card in each discipline, but she also won the overall in both as well, something I don't believe has even been done before.

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-47027477411366222412007-07-12T12:18:00.000-07:002007-07-12T12:28:55.167-07:00

More and more, I see my figure friends getting into fender-benders and somewhat serious car accidents, and I can't help to hypothesize that this isn't just a coincidence. In the final few weeks before a show, competitors are physically exhausted and mentally drained, even though its that same exact time when cardio is ramped up and a number of things on the contest prep checklist need to be

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-77644078230424730982007-07-04T11:11:00.000-07:002007-07-04T18:44:20.222-07:00

Little did I know that my shoot with Olesya a few months ago would spark so many ideas and change the overall styling of my shoots to this day. First it was Gina, then MaryJo, and last night it was Arizona figure competitor Christine Aguilar. Stating that she loved the styling of those past shoots, Christine put together a little (figuratively and literally) baseball inspired outfit. Lucky for

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-27567055025219500702007-06-29T22:31:00.000-07:002007-06-29T22:38:25.867-07:00

I usually don't post blog entries whenever a new site goes up, but I'll make an exception this time around. One of my best buds in the industry, Olesya Novik, launched her revamped website not too long ago. Olesya is an extremely talented and gifted person, with writing being one of her specialties; so be sure to check out her Training Zone, which contains alot of her amusing and informative

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-86216983915771020362007-06-28T11:03:00.000-07:002007-06-28T14:09:58.295-07:00

First off, I want to apologize for the hiatus I took from blogging. Like my favorite TV show Lost, I had to take a little break, although my absence had nothing to do with hatches exploding or being captured by the Others. I've got lots of stuff on my plate, sort of like a Hungry Man dinner, and I needed to focus on some other important things (like the turkey and stuffing) before I could get

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-26800269433344870962007-05-27T17:51:00.000-07:002007-05-27T19:15:07.137-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to work with the ridiculously gorgeous Angela Terlesky. After turning pro at last years USAs, the Cal marked Angela's first time on the professional stage. Although things didn't go as best as they could have, she realizes what she needs to do to continue to improve as a pro and should climb the placings ladder and time goes on. And frankly, I could care less what

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-48814740356733847422007-05-26T14:54:00.000-07:002007-05-27T19:15:17.524-07:00

Sonia wins again! Here's how the Cal Pro finished up, placing-wise: 1 Sonia Adcock USA 5 5 10 2 Mary Jo Cooke-Elliott USA 12 12 24 3 Felicia Romero USA 15 13 28 4 Cheri Lewis USA 20 22 42 5 Chastity Slone USA 23 24 47 6 Pauline Nordin Sweden 34 37 71 7 Nicole Pitcher-Scott England 37 35 72 8 Zhanna Rotar USA 37 37 74 9 Kristi Tauti USA 44 47 91 10 Kristin Gomes USA 50 46 96

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-76859974545777737682007-05-24T23:22:00.000-07:002007-05-24T23:24:25.847-07:00

On Saturday, I'm going to attempt to do live updates, with a couple of photos, here on the blog. Not sure how it'll pan out, but theres only one way to find out. So get your browsers refresh button ready on Saturday around noon Pacific Time to get the scoop on the action on stage.

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-80858876255357084232007-05-24T23:16:00.000-07:002007-05-27T19:15:25.575-07:00

Here's a quick sample from my shoot with Waleska Valle a couple of hours ago. She'll be stepping on stage at the Cals in a day or so, so as you can see, she's in pretty remarkable condition. Waleska's placings have steadily risen over her pro career, so lets see if she can't get herself a Top 5 finish at the Cal Pro.

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-43352967026458257042007-05-16T22:46:00.000-07:002007-05-27T19:15:36.411-07:00

Ok Mother Nature, we need to talk. Did I say something to offend you? Is Father Time giving you drama at home and you're taking it out on me? Please, just let me know what I can do to fix whatever is wrong, because things between us.. they are just, I dunno, different than they used to be. I feel like.. I just feel like I don't even know you anymore. Yeah, so as you can tell, Mother Nature

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-29810944693329925212007-05-14T21:03:00.000-07:002007-05-14T21:22:13.655-07:00

Although greeted with little fanfare, I felt that it was important to point out the return of a former champion to the competitive stage this past weekend at the NPC Contra Costa figure show. Who, you might ask? Tanya Merryman, winner of the 1998 Fitness American Pageant. Being the industry historian that I am, it was cool to see Tanya up on stage and in clear heels again. Even though the

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-29088226297439268112007-05-13T19:27:00.000-07:002007-05-14T17:56:36.488-07:00

Finally! My long awaited shoot with MaryJo Cooke was finally realized today, and even though our shoot was cut a bit short due to the weather and conditions, it was definitely worth the wait. MaryJo is a true professional in front of the camera, and it made the process a breeze. Also, she allowed me to do a little styling for this portion of the shoot (we were also supposed to shoot at the

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-22426747229185399122007-05-08T13:48:00.000-07:002007-05-08T14:10:38.888-07:00

If you live in Southern California and are a fitness or figure competitor, you may want to make the drive to San Diego's Pacific Beach on Saturday, June 2nd to attend a workshop with one of the industry's icons — Tanji Johnson. Tanji will be conducting three — yes, THREE — interactive workshops that day aimed at improving your on-stage and off-stage skills in the fitness industry. The clinics,

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-31358910602347602092007-05-06T11:59:00.000-07:002007-05-06T12:05:48.914-07:00

The results are in for the Pittsburgh Pro, and congrats to San Diego's own Sonia Adcock for taking the title in 2007. Ever since I saw Sonia on stage at the local level, I knew she had it, so its cool to see her take it to the next level and start racking up some pro wins. Personally, I think she has "figure icon" written all over her, but maybe that just me and my bias talking. Anyways, here

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-22441197386232183862007-04-29T15:06:00.000-07:002007-05-27T19:15:46.002-07:00

Congrats to Paola Almerico (above) and Valerie Haines for garnering the first pro cards of the year, given at the this Saturday's Jr USAs. The top five for all the classes were: Class A 1. Huong Arcinas 2. Melissa Froio 3. Jennifer Gates 4. Jessica Madden-Lyons 5. Sue Upson Class B 1. Valerie Haines 2. Gale Elie 3. Melody Clere 4. Edith Driver 5. Andrea Ferry Class C 1. Amy Wilson 2. Erin

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-23765907446333124652007-04-29T13:53:00.000-07:002007-04-29T14:09:44.170-07:00

Wow. I just wrote a Pulizter-quality report on the Orange County show, but as soon as I go to spell check it, Dreamwaver (the web publishing software I use) crashes. And of course, I didn't save. So, in protest, I'm not going to post an official contest report and just blog instead. Why, you ask? Well, I had some problems at the show.. example A: Yeah, this is an example of what I had sitting

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-18627947645168210332007-04-22T21:13:00.000-07:002007-04-22T21:22:24.668-07:00

Today I shot with a figure competitor wth one of the coolest names out there — Irish Marie. Of course, I had to bust out my Ireland shirt for the occasion, because everyone knows I like to coordinate my clothing with the names of the models I work with. It seems like Mother Nature has a beef with me as of late, because I was once again greeted with cloudy skies, cool temps and a bit of a

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-89204648483363963912007-04-15T16:18:00.000-07:002007-04-15T16:50:24.253-07:00

The final photoshoot of my Florida trip almost ended up like my first day here, with darkened skies threatening rain and a cancelled shoot. Even though a few sprinkles fell, it wasn't enough to hamper my shoot with Amy Parks — although the wind is another story. After 4 days being out and about at various South Florida beaches, I've come to this conclusion — its windy around here. Morning,

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-25301934249021742282007-04-14T09:45:00.000-07:002007-04-14T09:59:22.344-07:00

Today I braved the stiff coastal winds of northern Miami on only 2 hours of sleep for a sunrise shoot with Wendy Rider (above), followed by Hayley Womack (below), at Haulover Beach. Although the wind did prove to be a problem with my shooting setup, it did provide a nice wind blown effect to the hair of both models. The only problem was that the wind was so steady that it forced the girls to

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-21532713546384391012007-04-13T21:28:00.000-07:002007-04-13T21:53:43.114-07:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of shooting with Casandra Madero, a relatively new but very talented fitness model from Miami. And when I refer to her "talent", I'm not just talking about her stunning good looks and great physique, because this girl is not only walking wikipedia, but she's also one of the funnier people I've ever been around. I haven't been around too many people that in one breath

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-10651869785871512592007-04-12T23:04:00.000-07:002007-04-13T22:39:01.169-07:00

Tonight's shoot with Crystal Fawn was unique for a couple of different reasons. First off, Crystal is the bass player in a group called Featured on Friday, so we got to infuse her instrument and Guitar Hero poses into alot of the shots we took. Also, I was lucky enough to shoot at numerous spots along South Beach in Miami and actually didn't get hassled, pestered, ticketed or kicked out of any

FitSightstag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12439235.post-45484988753000645892007-04-06T16:23:00.000-07:002007-04-06T16:31:30.791-07:00

Olesya Novik wrote a pretty inspiring and candid article revolving around what it takes to be a figure competitor, which can be see on the T-Nation message board. A definite must-read, even if you're just a casual fan. Of course, the thread slowly degrades into the usual "is figure/bodybuilding a sport", which is expected, but that shouldn't tarnish the original message. I'm only mad that

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