Michael Edwards is the photographer and creator for Me In My Place (MIMP), which is described in his own words as Real girls in their own place. Not too crazy and just a pinch of naughty. MIMP has been in collaboration with Esquire Magazine since February of 2011, where Michael has had the opportunity to photograph some of Hollywood's hottest stars in their own homes wearing ... well, very little. The Esquire Collaboration has launched MIMP to a whole new level, with photos being plagiarized all over the Internet, not least of which is here on Mizozo.
Michael has agreed to work with Mizozo, allowing us to copy a subset of his images for a given shoot in exchange for promoting his site, his app and his wares. We are delighted to be given this opportunity, hoping to prove that Mizozo is a great means to get the word out, but more importantly giving our readers exactly what they want ... Hot women, half naked, in their homes. Once a week a new article will be written which will feature one of their beautiful models.
But, before we get started with that, Michael Edwards has agreed to do a short introductory interview with Mizozo. We sent him a list of questions and he was kind enough to reply with a few answers ... and here they are in their unedited form:
Mizozo: What led you to take on the career path of Photographer?
Well, to be honest, I've always enjoyed taking picture, even when I was young… I feel like the Kodak 'disk' camera may have been one of my firsts… A real quality product that was… ha. After graduating college, I was living in San Francisco and was not sure what I wanted to do. A friend told me about photo assisting and introduced me to a photographer he knew. Did a little of that and before to long I was shooting different stuff and giving it a go… and that was that…
Mizozo: How do you feel when you see your photographs in glossy form?
Well, I've been a working photographer here in New York for quite some time now, so I suppose I'm a bit jaded about all of that. The thing about magazine work that is so great is working with your photo editors. They always match me up with great projects, so that is the part I look forward too…
Mizozo: What would you consider your most impressive achievement in Photography?
Right now I'm fairly 'manic' on meinmyplace. The project has been very well received and it is so great to get feedback directly from the public. The project feels very different from magazine work. It is almost as if I'm the 'editor in chief' of my own magazine and I have to admit, I'm a bit drunk on the power of it all… (insert evil laugh here please)
Mizozo: How do you feel when you see people posting your photos online? What if they go so far as to crop out your logo?
I did not even have my logo on the images, but I realized that no one would give credit back to the site and the project. As you've noted, people still remove the logo, which is a bummer. The photography business is going through what the music business went through 10 years ago. It's a real problem. Not sure what I can do about it; on the one hand it is great to see people enthusiastic about the images, that is awesome. On the other hand, it is best when credit is given when credit is due… In some cases images have actually been taken and used to advertise someone else's site… I guess that is what 'legal council' is for ;-)
Mizozo: What do you enjoy shooting most?
Hmmm… let's see, real women at home in their undies ;-)
Mizozo: How do you go about finding girls for your MIMP shoots? I see some means for them to contact you, but do you seek them out as well?
Almost all of the women on the site have emailed in to be on the site. That is sort of part of the project. It is pretty amazing how many people all around the country, world even, want to take part…
Mizozo: The MIMP site has a number of sections seemingly independent of the photos. For example, theInterviews are an incredibly interesting read, but who is Falene and how does this fit into the MIMP world view?
Falene is someone who wrote to me and proposed doing the interviews. I thought "yes please" and have been totally thrilled with the results. Since I'm in New York, and she is out in LA, I had her take the pictures… Gave her a few tips and I think she's done a great job on those…
Mizozo: Also on the MIMP site, the Dance Off is another great treat. Are all these girls MIMP models, or are some just girls wanting recognition? Do you find them, or do they find you?
Ahhh, yes, the dance off. So many people were writing in from places I knew I was not going to be getting to any time soon, so I wanted to think of a way they could submit some interesting content that could be on the site… and the dance off submissions were born. Those are fun, I need to promote that again, thanks for reminding me.
Mizozo: Your recently developed Mobile App is a great way to get at your unreleased photos, do you have any other innovations in store for your fans?
The app has been a great way for our fans to help support the site and get a little something extra while doing so. I've got lot and lots planned, but I've got to work on squaring away a few things first… Takes a lot of time and energy running Me In My Place… ha ha…
Mizozo: Would you care to shed some light on some upcoming celebrity shoots?
I don't like to kiss and tell, you'll just have to wait and see.
