By Shawn Petrovich of Totally Ripped of Los Angeles, which specializes in photography and video of fitness models.
The Kent Hotel
in Miami's trendy South Beach neighborhood rolled out the red carpet for our male models there. And it came with an unexpected bonus - a rooftop view of the Miami skyline that proved a very private photography backdrop.
Planning a Trip to Miami Beach
We'd scoped out various Florida locations for our week of shooting. South Beach with its classic Art Deco architecture, throbbing night life and proximity to the ocean really caught our attention.
Our staff mailed letters to Miami Beach hotels and property management firms, requesting temporary quarters for our models and crew in exchange for an advertisement in the printed calendar we were photographing.
The Kent Hotel Staff Offers a warm welcome
The Kent,
a refurbished South Beach landmark built in 1939, responded enthusiastically. Following a long, tiring road trip from Ohio, our 10 student-models and assorted stylists, make-up artists and photographers, got a warm welcome from the hotel manager and staff.
To our surprise, the Kent gave our group nearly half the rooms on the hotel's second floor. The photographer, hair stylist and other crew members each received a private room. And the models doubled up - with two guys in each room.
Posh Rooms
Located at 1131 Collins Avenue, the Kent's rooms were lavish and beautifully furnished - so much so that the photographer was able to photograph some models right there in his hotel room.
Rooftop bonus
The hotel's rooftop, with its breath-taking view of the Miami skyline, was an unexpected bonus. We found the rooftop was not only a very private place to shoot semi-nude photographs, but also a backdrop of spectacular proportions.
The models were caught up in the sunshine, the view and the party-all-day-all-night atmosphere. They had a great time - and headed to the nearby sands of Miami Beach itself whenever there was a break in the action.
A return visit?
A week of shooting left everyone tired, but thrilled with the experience. The Kent Hotel staff was so excited about the presence of so many good-looking young guys and the prospect of free promotion, they invited us back the next year.
Lucky
Other models and photographers should not expect this kind of luck when scouting prospective photo locations in Florida. But for our models and crew, a week at the Kent Hotel was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Miami Beach is known for its nightlife and these college sudents certainly stayed out late each night.
If you know the name of a fun-loving college student who fits the "Miami Beach" attitude, you can nominate him to become a Campus Man by going to our front page and clicking "Nominate a New Student to Become a Campus Man". The guy you nominate will have a chance to build a little fame for himself on his own campus.