Photoshoot #6

[Team Hara-Kiri]

~ Li Bingbing as Hotei, God of Happiness ~

Sigh. I didn't want to do explanations for Team Kamikaze's photos because it seemed to defeat their suicidal mission statement, but since it's double elimination and I've had some terrible luck lately I figure I might as well bite the bullet on this one. 

I went with this picture because I think it works on a metaphorical level: Hotei is the god of good health and abundant growth, which is represented by the bicycle and the freshness in both the expression and the setting (with green being prominent, as well as greenery very apparent in the reflections on the window). From a more literal standpoint, Hotei is the laughing Buddha, primarily depicted as a wanderer wearing sackcloth clothing. The texture of the dress is reminiscent of what Hotei wears in most of the pictures I've found, the pose is similar to some carvings that I've seen of Hotei, and the way the skirt sits evokes Hotei's signature rotund figure without looking quite as grotesque as he usually does. Hotei is also usually depicted carrying a basket or a sack, which also shows up in the photo. 

Hope you like it!

Picture for reference:

[Janice Dickinson]

That's a good picture of Emmy you posted as an reference of Hotei, but I must focus on Bingbing. I don't think you needed to go so indepth on that description, though I do appreciate it. You have the genuine smile, the dress invokes rags (Though if Morgan judges, I think he'd want to see boobs like with Emmy's picture), and the picture itself is pretty jovial. I think you did a good job.

[Hikaru Utada]

Thinking about it, something so mundane as happiness is probably one of the harder photos just because in modeling games, the more mundane the topic, the less likely the judges are to fawn over a shot, no matter how good it may be. That said, I think you've done well with this shot. You have a beautiful smile and it feels genuine. I didn't get the dress at first (just in connection to the shot cause I liked it on its own), but after reading your description, you've sold it well and it's nice to see a connection to your god other than just a smile. Overall, nice work.

[Emma Frost]

Damn girl, that photo is gorgeous. Love how happy she looks and the dress is to die for.