Mamie Van Doren: Ten Year Anniversary Portfolio

In 2005 I had been working in Los Angeles four years already.  I was blessed to be working steadily as a Celebrity Photographer during this time, shooting people like Smokey Robinson and Steven Speilberg.  I also had a bucket list of people I really wanted to photograph and number one on that list was the sexy Actress, Mamie Van Doren.  Luckily for me, Mamie was ahead of her time and already had a big web site filled with current, as well as vintage photographs.  I could see Mamie still looked sensational, even though she was into her mid Seventies.  I composed an email telling her how much I adored her and would she be interested in shooting with me.  She wrote back immediately with an astounding, "YES!"

I was over the moon with excitement, but she didn't give me any clue as to WHEN she would be ready to shoot, so I wrote her back and boldly asked, "When?" It took her a few days to answer this time but she gave me a date a couple weeks away and we were set for a day in March.

The day finally arrived when Mamie, her husband Thomas and my four assistants were in the North Hollywood studio.  One always imagines what someone they have looked up to and admired will be like once reality comes and you hope you will not be disappointed.  I didn't have to be concerned.  Mamie was everything I could ever want and MORE!  She was so alive and full of positive energy.  We had an amazing photo shoot and I honestly felt like I made a new friend.

Once the photos were available, we all loved them.  We even got a classic shot the very first time out.  You can see the red skirt flowing here while Mamie danced around joyfully.  After this session we decided we had to do it again.  We had more great results.  We kept shooting and shooting routinely after this and built up quite a large portfolio with the passing years.  Now ten years after we started we got together in 2015 to celebrate our ten year working relationship and even more importantly, our ten year friendship.  

I do not believe I will ever have another relationship with anyone else I photograph even remotely like the one I have with the larger than life, Miss Van Doren.  I am her photographer, her student, her creative partner, her admirer and her friend.  She is my eternal creative muse.

I have picked out ten of my favorite photos over the past ten years to share on my blog.  I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed creating them with Mamie!