Atlantic City Photographer – Rebekah Marine

Sometimes when I’m not working on a paid assignment (which these days isn’t very often), I try to do different kinds of photo-shoots for fun!    One of the coolest places to do a photo-shoot is inside the new Revel Casino Hotel and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey!  It’s a beautiful Las Vegas style casino just recently built which really stands out against the drab backdrop of older casinos in the city (with the exception of the Borgata, of course).  I’m originally from New Jersey, and visit home often. It’s always exciting to see new projects pop up in my home state.  I was surprised to learn the casino is having financial trouble.  Even on the day of our shoot — there were hardly any people walking around inside this masterpiece.  The casino was happy to have me come in and do a photo-shoot,  and didn’t say a word when we climbed all over their furniture! 🙂

I happened to meet an inspiring model online, named Rebekah Marine.  Rebekah was born without a right forearm.  Here’s a snippet from Rebekah’s website:

“Rebekah Marine is a model, motivational speaker and avid fashion blogger. Despite being born without a right forearm, Rebekah has defied all odds in the fashion industry and has become one of the most recognizable models in the amputee community.Marine’s journey began as a 24-year-old that dreamed of becoming a spokesperson for a charity that helped those who could not afford a prosthetic of their own. After working with a charity for a few months, Rebekah decided that she felt more comfortable without the prosthetic arm, compelling her to start a new path of her own.”  Rebekah has traveled to Germany, Los Angeles, New York City and other cities for photo shoots and runway shows. Her disability has never stopped her from pursuing a career as a model and motivational speaker. “I am no different from anyone in the fashion industry. Yes, my body is different, but does that mean I’m predestined to work a 9-5 job in a corner of an office? A disability does not determine someone’s fate, by any means, but offers an opportunity to open the eyes of the ignorant world we live in,” Rebekah expresses. In the future, Marine hopes to introduce the world to a new form of beauty. Rebekah believes models should come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and backgrounds. “We should be embracing and celebrating uniqueness, not conforming to what the media thinks is beautiful,” she adds.

You can learn more about Rebekah Marine here: http://rebekahamarine.wordpress.com/