Yes, I have yet another interview to share with all you Coffeyans. This time I had the opportunity to chat with photographer Mike Kortoci, who we learned from our interview with Susan, was the very first photographer to jumpstart Susan’s portfolio and her career. Mike spent quite a bit of time on the phone with me. He’s one of those people who makes you feel like a million bucks. I hope you know what I’m talking about, because if you don’t… how sad. Everyone needs to feel like a million bucks now and then (especially me, because I’m only really worth about $1.09).

Mike started taking photographs over 18 years ago. He originally moved to the United States after training as a sculptor in his home country of Albania. After some encouragement and urging from a photographer friend of his, Mike decided to set aside sculpture and pursue photography. After working part-time as a photographer for several years, he plunged headlong into full-time work when he opened up his studio, Mike Kortoci Photography, about 7 years ago. He and his wife Mubera, who is a resident makeup artist for Laura Mercier, work together on nearly all of his photoshoots.

I get the impression that Mike has no regrets about leaving sculpture behind. “Photography is a field in which you can apply all your creative knowledge,” he explained. As it turns out, Mike’s sculpture background contributed tremendously to his success as a photographer. “Being an artist for years and being surrounded by all that art, it helped me climb the photography ladder more quickly.” That isn’t to say he hasn’t done any sculpting since becoming a photographer. Several years ago, through a chance meeting in an elevator, Mike was contracted by the top Playboy mogul of the 50s through the 70s (aside from Hef, of course), Victor Lownes, to create his bust.

Mike especially loves producing black and white images, though his fashion and beauty portrait shoots still usually demand color. He credits much of his success to his lighting abilities.

“To be a good sculptor, you have to know lighting. As far as being a photographer, if you’re good with lighting, that is a great gift. You can change the appearance of someone’s face just by how you are lighting it. If you’re good with lighting, then you can greatly improve the image.”

As we’ve learned from Susan, and based on what I’ve read about Mike, he has a passion for connecting with the people he works with. If you read his blog, you’ll see his dedication to working with and helping models improve their skills and build a successful portfolio. I asked him where this passion comes from.

“It’s easy to work with a girl who has a lot of experience and capture beautiful images. When you work with a girl who doesn’t have experience, it’s challenging and I like that. That’s how you make yourself better, by challenging yourself. I benefit from it and so does the model. I always try to push things, try to get something new.

“When it comes to modeling, there is work to be done. You have a gift, you have beauty, which is a gift from God or from your parents or however you want to phrase it. But that’s only half of the job. The other half takes a lot of practice, a lot of experience, a lot of observing, to succeed in the industry. It’s not as simple as you might think. In some ways I like to push every girl who I work with a little bit hard so that they know that when you try a little bit harder you might be able to achieve something better.”

Mike first heard from Susan a couple of years ago after a former client of his met Susan while she was working at Victoria’s Secret and urged her to contact him for a photoshoot. Susan was already interested in modeling and set up an appointment to meet him.

“The first time I saw her, she walked in the studio and I said, ‘Wah!’ Her face is like a polished diamond. Her face is unique… [Mike seems lost for words for a moment]… there’s something about it. Structure, lips, eyes. Colors of the eyes. It’s unusual. Special. And the softness of her face… the way she carries herself. I wished I was an agent. Then I could take this girl and take her to a really high level, because she has something that not too many girls have. She could work both high fashion and the commercial world. She can be both charming and exotic.”

Mike shared with me some of the first tips he shares with new and aspiring models and from the sound of it, Susan has these traits in spades. Her attitude, he says, was always excellent. She was always professional and extremely serious about her work. “Expression is also a big factor. You want to be able to pull out a couple different expressions for each photoshoot, depending on the purpose of the shoot.” Susan’s got that down pat, I think.

During my research, I stumbled across a photo of the front of Mike’s studio. Front-and-center on the front door was the well-known photo of Susan with diamonds on her eyelids. “I had that image in my studio for a while and used it on my business cards,” Mike explained. “And I had so many people asking me, ‘Can I look like her?’”

“She has a great personality and a unique look and it can be inspiring to work with girls like that.”

Amen, Mr. Kortoci. I want to thank him for taking the time to talk with me so that we can learn more about him and his work with Susan. AND for providing us with several photos of Susan that none of us have seen before! I sure hope the two of them get to work together again soon. You can read more about Mike and his studio by clicking this link.