Girl with the Arrow

Kiersten Geiger (May 2005)
Kianu Alumna- Class of 1999

Nomination:

Kiersten and Heather

Kiersten Geiger is on fire!!! The girl just left Ohio and moved full time to NEW YORK CITY!!! She even has an apartment in Manhattan (How 'Sex in the City' is that????!!??) She is a freelance art director doing photo shoots and all kinds of fancy stuff! Kiersten has always been so driven and goal oriented and not afraid to make her dreams happen. I admire her so much. It would take a huge amount of courage and confidence to make a leap like this and she has made it look effortless. She is the poster child for the strong, beautiful independent women of Kianu and the world in general. I am amazed by her and cannot wait to visit this summer and really take it all in!

Heather (Henry) Wallette '98

(see below for interview)

Interview:

As a follow-up to this nomination, we asked Kiersten a few questions about her current position.

What is your official title? Are you still working for the Limited?

Kiersten: No, I am not working for The Limited anymore. I am working for several different companies (freelance). My title is Photo Art Director.

Is this what you did at the Limited as well? Are there any ads out there we may have seen?

Kiersten: Yes, that's right. I did the same for The Limited. They don't advertise though- it's the images you see in store, on mailers, press kits, etc. I am also doing website now. I will see if any of the stuff is up- most of what I have is hard copies (for my book).

Day to day, what do you do? Is most of your time spent on photo shoots with models, or do you spend a lot of time behind a desk as well?

Kiersten: Ninety-five percent of the time I am on shoots. On those, I am directing everything from the hair/make up of the model (punk, sophisticated, etc.) to the lighting (moody, day light, etc.) to the overall direction (is it an energetic shoot, is it more "posey", is it sitting/standing/jumping, etc.). Since a lot of what I shoot is digital, I also have to pay attention to the contrast, highlights, etc. which show up on the "film". It's instant gratification seeing on screen what you are shooting. It can also spark the perfectionist in you :)

What about MC and/or Kianu prepared you for your current position?

Kiersten: I learned from XAN how to deal with all types of people, attitudes and issues. I have to deal with a million different types of people- on one set is me, hair/make up artist, models, photographer, their assistant, stylist, digital tech and sometimes more people. You basically have to keep everyone happy and feeling loved and appreciated to make sure the shoot keeps going at a smooth rate. It's emotionally exhausting sometimes, but I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing, talented and low maintenance people.

Is there anything else you can tell us about your job?

Kiersten: No day is the same (which is what I like about it.). I also spend a lot of time researching- I am always going through magazines, people watching, etc. to get ideas for hair and make up, styling, and even poses. I am even taking a dance class to get some more ideas of poses (no one laugh!). I go out a lot to network also (on my way tonight to a party that a modeling agency is having). It's important to have a good network of photographers, etc. who recommend you for projects. Oh, and in case you are wondering, it's not a glamorous job- it's very hard work. You have to watch a million things at once (is the model blinking? weird pose? skirt hiked up? hair straying?) and always be focused.

But, it is worth it- I really love what I do and am grateful for the amazing opportunity.

Last Update: May 2005