 |
| Images by Shameer Khan |
"...focus on the positive things in life"
We meet outside the Starbucks on 14th
Street and introduce ourselves. He gives me a gentle hug and smiles. I smile
back. After luckily finding a free table we sit across from each other. His
eyes suddenly squint in seriousness and he stares me down. Somehow I feel like
an ant being examined by a zealous teenager with a magnifying glass. I want to
look away, but I know that I shouldn’t.
This scoping of my face goes on for seconds, though it feels like minutes. In a subtle voice he instructs me to turn my head
slightly to the side. I do that and his thick eyebrows wrinkle. He's pensive. I’m told to turn my head to the other side, but his expression doesn’t change. I'm thinking this meeting is going so well. Maybe I'm not as striking. Finally I'm told to suck in my inner
cheeks. “Like this,” he says and assumes the perfect angular face with pouted
lips.
Inwardly I’m saying to myself, this
guy is crazy! But he seems to know what he’s doing and trustingly, I try it. Those black brows
wrinkle, animatedly again, as he shakes his head no. Apparently I’m trying too
hard. “Like this,” he re-demonstrates. I make another attempt and this time he nods with
satisfaction.
“Okay good. Let’s go,” he finishes.
I follow him out the Starbucks and
seconds later we enter a building that’s his friend’s studio. The temperature has dropped tremendously so
it’s too cold to shoot outside.
His name is Shameer Khan, a Trinidadian native living in New York. At the time
we met, he was on the cusp of his teenage years. For his age he is extremely knowledgeable
about the fashion industry, in particular—what model agents want. He reels out—in
a non-bragging fashion—a list of girls he got signed with agencies like Elite
and IMG. There's something about his photographs that captures the pure essence of a model, even the ones with the slightest potential. Now these agencies send him their models when they need development test shoots done.
As I was instructed, I keep my puffy extensions
straightened. The weave is so well done, that it looks like I was born with that full head of hair. He presents an
H&M bag with clothes he bought from the store and I dress in an orange leotard and black leggings. This outfit is much simpler than my usual
shoots, but he reminds me that it’s about my body, not about the clothes. I already
have on a light foundation, but Shameer applies an extra layer, still enough to
look natural, and surprisingly, applies my eyeliner, lip gloss and uses the eyeliner to
contour the sides of my face. Taken by the comfort of his actions, I ask him where he learnt all
this. He explains that sometimes stylists and make-up artists are a no-show to his test shoots and so, eventually, he learned to do everything
himself. I am very impressed.
 |
| The end result of my shoot with Shameer |
He patiently directs me into the poses,
in an almost-soft-spoken voice. The movements are not sudden or dramatic. Very
simple. Just enough to highlight my length, my features and that I can, at
least, pose. I suck in my cheeks just like we practiced and he snaps away. The
easy-going Shameer is smiling and that is a sure sign that the images are good.
After a few changes the shoot is over and I’m looking forward to the
possibilities.
It’s hard to count how many models
Shameer has discovered, but it’s safe to say at least twenty—males and females
combined, and that’s just being modest. One of his greatest finds is Diandra Forrest, an albinistic model, who
captivated interests by fashion agents right away.
In no time the Trinidadian born photographer
realized that he was good at what he did. When others took notice, he
quickly became a respected name in the New York fashion niche, receiving special features
on models.com and publishing editorials in UMag, Hommestar—The Pop
Magazine, and Highlights Magazine, just to name a few.
Shameer…
What’s the first thing you usually do
when you wake in the morning?
First, I thank God that I am alive,
then I reach for my phone!
What can’t you leave the house
without?
Can’t leave without putting on my
Chanel Homme Sport cologne that I got as a gift from one of the models I work
with, Michelene.
 |
| From left: Oscar Reyes, Iman, Shameer, Joan Smalls |
Give us an idea of your typical day?
Wake up, brush my teeth, make coffee,
check my emails, visit my favorite blogs, then plan out my day, jump in the
shower, get ready and head to the city. Some days I may have a shoot, other
days—a meeting, or maybe just shopping or something.
Do you believe you have found your
calling and when did you realize that?
Yes I think I have. When I was 16
years old I got my first camera from an MTV event and I fell in love with
photography. Unfortunately I was robbed and that camera was stolen, but eventually,
my parents later got me a professional camera because they saw how much I loved
photography. I still us that camera today.
I never liked school so I didn't apply to college because I knew that this is
what I wanted to do, for sure.
Anybody famous or intriguing you’ve
met or come across in your career/life? What was that experience like?
I’ve met Tyra Banks through a very
good friend of mine Oscar Reyes, who was her agent at Elite. She took us out
for Frozen Yogurt and then to a comedy club. It was fun. She's actually an
amazing person.
Who do you hope to meet or work with
one day? And why?
I hope to work with Nicki Minaj lolll…
I would love to shoot her one day. We are both from Trinidad and both grew up
in the same neighborhood (Southside Jamaica Queens)
How do you usually end your day?
I just grab my favorite snacks,
chocolate, and soda, jump on the couch and fall asleep watching TV.
Is there anything that has happened to
you in your life that has sobered you up, or has impacted on your life today?
Just moving to this country at the age
of 9, and going through a lot of struggles when my family and I got here, my
parents sacrificed a lot to give me and my brother a better life.
What philosophy do you live by?
Take life one day at a time and focus
on the positive things in life; and forget about all the negative things.
Any closing words from your awesome
self? Like maybe your goals for 2012 and beyond? Anything!
My goal for this year is to travel and
see the world. I haven’t been back to my country in 13 years and I plan to go
very soon to see my family. Then I plan on going to Europe! Especially London and
Paris, because I have a lot of friends there :)
