AMBER ARBUCCI: Adrenaline & Art

She is obviously RED HOT on the outside, but the internal joie de vivre is just as sexy if not more so.

Amber Arbucci, top model, artist, adventurer, photographer and part time adrenaline junky is all over the place (in a good way) with her day to day.  Originally from New Smyrna Beach, Florida.  She has lived in New York (owned the rock n’ roll bar named Snitch), Miami Beach, Paris, London, Italy, Israel and currently resides in Los Angeles.  Whilst living in New York she visited Africa for 1 to 3 months at time (still travels to Africa for her photography).  In Africa she discovered and became fond of the wildlife, particularly elephant

Amber Arbucci is a fashion model (campaigns? Which ones, which cities? Which agencies?  Height? Glamour model, commercial, which magazines? ), wildlife photographer/artist who brings beauty, boldness and discipline to everything she does.

“I am not interested in just taking a ‘good picture.’  I want my photographs to draw people into the worlds I’ve visited, to join me on my journeys.”

And what journeys they are.  Deep oceans, thick jungles, wide savannahs, daunting mountains – and the wildlife that populates them – all speak to the soul of this dynamic young adventure photographer as she travels the world.(how did the wildlife – nature aspect come to be your “work” vs. modeling?)

“To feel the tranquility from swimming right beside a mother and calf Humpback (40ton creature), have the excitement of being nose to nose with 22 ft great white sharks (no cages) in Mexico, and the thrill of standing two feet from a family of Elephants that is charging up to greet you is beyond words alone.” (is there an aspect of adrenaline rush? How is this tied into photography?  Where do you see your “business” of photography here? ) For a 24-year-old, this beautiful young American has an impressive list of exotic destinations stamped in her passport, and each trip adds to her portfolio.  ”I really don’t view it as a choice, this is what I have to do and it is my life.”

Traveling and photography is what keeps her dreaming, and connected to what is true, real and most important within herself.  ”Seven years ago I started solo backpacking trips around the world, where I found my heart, soul and passion” says adventure photographer Amber Arbucci.  ”I have traveled and continue traveling to remote places where I have been able to learn from the people with their mentality, spirituality and soulful expressions.  When going to unknown territories you never know what challenges you may face, and whether it was a moment that was feared, saddened or pure bliss…those moments in time are always priceless, and reminds me that I am truly living.”(where is this traveling going?  Is there a photography book or journal or novel coming from it?  is it just for fun?)

Amber’s unique experiences and desire to help endangered animals is what drives her to continue.  ”I have a fondness and appreciation for these places that can not be explained.  If you know me, you know my passion and love for what I do.  When I am in love with a moment I am faithful to it alone, and that is when my camera comes out.  What you are seeing is the beauty nature gives to the world, and just my passion of capturing it.”  Along the way she has been involved with various charities (saving a child’s heart), filming along side animal experts/researchers and crew members from nat geo & planet earth.  

In the fashion world, Amber has worked with the world’s most honored photographers, including Helmut Newton, Walter Chin, Bruce Webber, Albert Watson and Gille Bensimone, Sante D’orazio, Antoine Verglass, Ellen Von unwerth, Kristian Schuller, Marco Glaviano.  Amber’s work has appeared in U.S. magazines Marie Claire, GQ, Rolling Stone, Zink, Cosmopolitan, FHM, In Style, Interview magazine, Ocean Drive, Vegas, and international magazines L’Uomo Vogue, German Vogue, French Photo, Spoon, Eve, Loft, and Style magazine in the London Times.  Amber has also done numerous advertising campaigns for a variety of clients, including True Religion, Victoria’s Secret, Rampage, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nicole Miller, Speedo, Sephora, Haynes, Fruit of the Loom, Donald J. Pliner, Triumph, Jockey, X.O.X.O., Valentino, Tommy Hilfiger, Parasuco Jeans, Absoul, Arizona Jeans, and UK’s Next Top Super Model 2005. NOW THIS IS SOME GREAT STUFF..!!!!  J

“My goal from the beginning with each art piece is to pay tribute to place and time.  How can I do this when these majestic creatures are dying out so rapidly, and our earth is changing on a daily basis?  I want to do my part.  Instead of involving myself in numerous charities, I would do best at focusing all my energies in one.” (one idea is that you set up “photography for life”and you sell your photos of animals for a donation $100 a photo and 70% goes to wildlife reservations or to help endangered species, etc.  You can launch this on my site EASILY… if you want, we can do an interview and discuss your charity idea)IDENTIFY> Foundation is based on identifying a cause and getting involved.  Identify project involves an awareness and education work for children and ourselves.  Setting up specific projects for helping conserve and protect animals nearly on elist or already on it.  Teaching the children “our next generation” in our own home territory and the locals of these regions about the respect these places deserve, and the attention they need. (I’m confused with Identify, but if you can elaborate more I can feature that in my magazine as part of your interview.  Obviously I need to send you questions because I need something FRESH, RAW and very different that what you have posted on your site)Arbucci says there is a thread connecting all of her work.  This message is something that she likes to remind herself every day.  ”Life is the most precious gift that anyone has been given and we must not live in it but live it.”Roland Barthes says that “a photograph memorializes the death of a moment, never to be truly experienced again.”  Arbucci risks her life to capture fleeting beauty so that it can be relived.  Awe-inspiring moments of her journey pass away, to be reincarnated and shared in her photography.  – this is the key to your charity, let’s re think it.

“I met Nathan Turner an interior designer that is on the Bravo network for the show ‘Million Dolllar Decorator’ through an interview process when I was decorating a past residence.  He saw all my prints around the house and asked me if they were for sale or how I acquired them.  I told him that I in fact took them and had just finished a show in Vienna, Austria.  The pieces he saw were just artist show pieces, which were not for sale.  I produced 5 of each piece sized 60×40.  The bigger the better is the attitude from most clients I deal with.  Nathan got my info nd contacted me a couple months later asking me two things; first, if I would be willing to do a room in the Greystone Mansion with him.  Second, if would I put my art in his store in NYC and on Melrose.  After meeting for tea at Urth Cafe on Melrose, I agreed to do both.  All three pieces sold out as soon as they hit the store with two women fighting over the last one.  I had to print on demand another for his customer and get it shipped to an address on Central Park West that day.  I decided to put three more pieces in his store again.  They all sold in the same month.  I chose to hold off on refilling the stock, because at the same time I had private clients contacting me from the articles printed up by Luxe Magazine.  Luxe featured me in each city almost 4 months in a row.  The 4th being just Los Angeles.  Luxe Magazine met me through the red carpet event when Greystone Mansion unveiled the most talented interior designers.  Nathan and I walked the red carpettogether and he exclaimed I was his muse for his entire idea for the room after he saw my African series.  Ralph Lauren and I were the only contributing artists to his room, which was a famous room….the bowling ally and brandy room that was in the movie THERE WILL BE BLOOD, starring Daniel Day-Lewis.”