CJC Photography and Eric Taylor Guilmette License 30th Book Cover! | CJC Photography

CJC Photography and Eric Taylor Guilmette License 30th Book Cover!

CJC: I had the opportunity to first meet/photograph Eric in May of 2020. In just a little over a year we have now licensed our 30th book cover with one another.

What comes to mind when you think back on our first shoot?

ETG: I remember our first shoot was in Ybor City… And the night before the shoot, some friends I was with told me that I was shooting in a sketchy area haha. So when I pulled up to the shoot, I was stealthily checking my mirrors and I had my guard up. But as we got going, I realized it was totally fine and you had shot there before. There were definitely some “unique” humans that walked by us as we were shooting, but shooting at 10 am in a sketchy area is totally different than shooting at 10 pm in a sketchy area!

CJC: What was it like seeing your first book cover reveal and in print as well?

ETG: Print makes everything feel real. I remember getting my first magazine cover and my friend Jeff sent a print copy to my house and that’s when I was like “Okkkkk this is legit.” Same thing for book covers. Every time an author sends me a print copy of a book cover, I am instantly taken back and just hold the book for a few minutes to really feel that moment. My first cover was “The Rookie” with Kimberly Kincaid and I remember reading the back cover thinking I could totally play this character that I am portraying on the front… Low and behold, a year later I’m an actor getting auditions for roles just like that.

The Rookie by Kimberly Kincaid, Kimberly Kincaid romance author, Eric Guilmette model, CJC Photography book cover photographer

CJC: We have now shot 6 times together. Is there something you would love to do that we haven’t yet? Personally, I would love for us to try some more couples themed work and a more exotic beach esque location.

ETG: I love destination shoots. During our last shoot we talked about doing a woodsy/cabin shoot and I think that would be very unique to capture something that we don’t usually get. Since I still get primarily booked for fitness modeling, most of those shoots happen at beaches or in tropical locations so it would be really amazing to do a shoot at a cabin that is way out there in Montana or Colorado that captures a completely different feel than what we usually get.

CJC: One of the reasons I love working with you so much is your positive attitude. You are kind, professional, a great listener… I could go on lol.

How do you keep such a great attitude?

ETG: Perspective is everything. If I was just born into the entertainment industry, I wouldn’t appreciate getting to do what I do now as much as I do. Since I come from a more traditional background (having worked manual labor jobs, server/bartender jobs, 9-5 finance jobs, etc. ) it makes every day so exciting for me. I genuinely love being creative and getting to explore my creativity so doing that through modeling and acting is a beautiful thing because I learn so much about myself every time I go a little deeper. Also, I’ve talked about this on podcast interviews, but I more or less programmed myself to think positive thoughts, keep negative energy out of my life and fill my inner circle with good-energy-people, like yourself!

Away Game by Harlow Layne, Harlow Layne author, Eric Guilmette model

CJC: You have been developing and growing upon your acting craft. What has that process been like (from auditioning to the projects).

How does acting differ from modeling and what do you like the most/least comparing between the two?

ETG: Acting is HARD. I’m not saying that modeling is easy… but stacking the two up against each other, acting definitely takes a lot more from you than modeling – at least for me. There is so much prep work that goes into acting… from learning your character to nailing down a scene – and being so analytical line-by-line and exploring the 100 different ways you could do a scene… it really is an art form that to anyone watching from home may not look that daunting, but to anyone acting, you know the amount of prep work that goes into every word and every eye blink that you see on a TV.

It’s funny I established myself as a model and then initially thought I’d be able to pick that up and bring it with me to acting, but that wasn’t exactly the case. I had to more-or-less start from the ground up and “do my reps” to learn as much as I could, which I still am every day. After getting my first feature film under my belt, I was left SO eager for more and pretty much am now getting 4 or 5 auditions a week, which is amazing and is such a big part of the growth process for me. A LOT more to come from me in both acting and modeling.

CJC: For those who are looking to start a new venture whether personally or professionally what advice would you give them?

ETG: Figure out why you’re doing it before you do it. I coach new models who are looking to get into modeling and one of the first questions I ask is “Why do you want to model?”. And if they don’t have a concrete, confident answer, then I have them dig deeper before even starting the journey. Or even better, if they just say “I heard it’s a great way to make money”, I tell them “it is… for the 1% that actually make it in the industry”. You have to actually love something or have a passion for something before going at it, because if your reasons are shallow or you’re only doing something for a monetary gain, those holes will show up sooner rather than later and you won’t be able to sustain your path. Find your why and then find the why to your why… there’s a lot to be said for having wholesome reasons driving you…

CJC: Are there any final thoughts you would like to share with the CJC Photography readers?

ETG: To all the authors who have put me on your book cover, and to those who will put me on future book covers… THANK YOU. I am a model because I love creating beautiful art. I love sharing my art with many, and most of all, I love when my art has an impact… The splash that I leave on this earth is what’s truly important to me and every time my face or my body or my hand or my _____ is put on one of your book covers my splash touches a few more people. That means a lot to me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Chris how excited I get every time I find out we got a new book cover. Cheers to past excitement and much more excitement to come!

LOVE & BLISS. -E

CJC: See my latest work with Eric here.

Stay up to date with all of Eric’s latest news on his IG.

The Hate I Feel by Siobhan Davis, Siobhan Davis author, Eric Taylor Guilmette model

1 CommentAdd a comment

On Tuesday, June 29th 2021 at 10:10 pm, Dennis Ortega said:

What an awesome interview you got there Chrsi with Eric.Though i haven’t met Eric personally because i live on the other side of the world, i can definitely say he is truly beyond words to describe, an amazing person. He is so kind & find time to answers messages & connect with his supporters. To you Chris, i couldn’t ask for more but success . You’re such an amazing photographer. Congratulations & God Bless ..as Eric will always say… Be Bliss!

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