a model life or a model's life?

i've watched america's next top model and ugly betty, but nothing really prepared me for 9tailors' first photo shoot. i spent the morning preparing our set (aka, my apartment) and steaming the clothes to get all the wrinkles out. i left all the real work to the pros. 4.5 hours and 653 photos later we thought we had more than enough photos to use for our website. you can read all about the primary people involved in yesterday's shoot below.

meet our model: steve liu

sam: have you ever modeled before?
steve: no. well, i've been asked before, but i never modeled for anyone. [modeling] is kind of like selling yourself, so i never agreed to do it until now.

sam: so, since you've never really modeled, what did you do to prepare for the photo shoot?
steve: i practiced my blue steel.

sam: who are you more like then? derek zoolander (ben stiller) or hansel (owen wilson)?
steve: hansel. i don't take anything seriously. i will try anything once.

sam: describe your personal style in 5 words or less.
steve: in 5 words or less? it can't even be a haiku? i guess, simple, polished, modern, classic, and dapper.

sam: you're in very good shape. what's your beauty or workout regime?
steve: eat well. run. workout here and there. work-out my heart than anything else.
sam: what do you mean work out your heart?
steve: i work my heart emotionally and physically, but one makes you sleep less.
sam: i wonder which one, hmm...

sam: what do you do when you're not modeling for 9tailors?
steve: first year med student. i'm training to be a part-time stripper because all med-school students are strippers, right? what do you have to lose? just kidding. actually, right now i'm a bouncer in boston. every night I just try not to get punched.

sam: any favorite books? movies? music?
steve: well, i don't really have time to read outside of school stuff. I listen to any type of music. recently, I've been into country. can you make custom cowboy boots?
sam: i really want to! but, i have to do get the clothes right first.

meet our photographer: courtney perkins

sam: how did you react when sam asked you to model for 9tailors?
courtney: i started crying. just kidding. i thought it would be fun.

sam: you're so busy with school and work! what did you do to prepare for the photo shoot?
courtney: i looked hard to find a parking spot near your apartment. i bought a diffuser for my flash.

sam: who are you more like? ansel adams (cathedral peaks and lake, 1938, pictured left) or annie leibovitz (nicole kidman, 2003, pictured below)?
courtney: definitely annie. annie leibovitz shoots for so many stars, and steve is such a super star.

sam: describe your personal style in 5 words or less.
courtney: umm, what do you think sam?
sam: artistic? free-spirited?
courtney: yah. that and comfy, cute, eclectic... i just try not to be boring and conventional.

sam: what's your beauty or workout regime?
courtney: i dance. i dance for my school's dance company. so, that's my workout. and, i eat well...minus all the brownies, cakes, and cookies. i like to eat. i just dance off all my food.

sam: what do you do when you're not taking photographs for 9tailors?
courtney: i dream about 9tailors. no, i go to emerson college and i work for a photography company on newbury street.

sam: any favorite books? movies? music?
courtney: i love W magazine. i like the book, 1984. and, i'm a romantic, so i really enjoy love stories.
sam: i love W too...the hotel and the magazine.

sam: what's your favorite thing about photography?
courtney: cool angles and lighting. i like portrait and fashion photography.