Vasquez Rocks. Name doesn't ring a bell? Oh you've seen the place. If you ever saw Bonanza or Have Gun Will Travel or heck, I think it was in Blazing Saddles. A huge diagonal outcropping of rocks rising from the desert floor near Agua Dulce, California. It's just off the 14 freeway heading out of L.A. towards Vegas.
I remember watching a western with my dad one time and we saw a big "Shoot em up" chase scene that went from Vasquez rocks right into what looked like Convict Lake near Mammoth! My Dad said "Wow! They just went 350 miles! They ought to get away now!"
I had a personal experience at Vasquez Rocks that was to change my life. Maybe that's overdoing it a bit but I certainly learned an important lesson that day.
My big sister Peggy had been attending modeling classes at a small studio in Studio City and was hoping to break into the modeling business. My big sister has it all going for her and she was already landing little jobs here and there. Nothing major but, after all, it's hard to get into that business. "They need someone to answer the phone Bonnie" she told me one day. "It's an intern thing...no pay but it might lead to something. You'll get to take the classes for free."
I couldn't pass up the chance to emulate Peggy. I drove down there and was hired on the spot. I mostly worked in the office but I did get to take the classes where we learned about make up, how to dress, how to walk and, how to "Sell" yourself. I know...It sounds like whoring but Mrs. Bigley, the instructor was quick to point out that you won't get anywhere if you make no effort to stand out from the crowd.
"This may be hard to understand girls," She began, "But somewhere along the line, you'll see what I mean. You have to sell yourself to the person or persons in charge of hiring for whatever gig you're shooting for."
That did seem a bit odd. I mean, shouldn't the jobs go to the prettiest women? Well, if that was the case, Peggy should be a shoe in. Beautiful eyes, nice full breasts, very elegant way about her. Me? My face is pretty, I'm told but my boobs are just SO small and I have all this curly red hair that I just can't manage! Plus a bunch of freckles on my face and shoulders that make me look like your typical junior high school cheerleader. I thought I was hopeless but Mrs. Bigley insisted "They need all types."
I was in charge of answering the phones there and I used to get calls for lingerie models which Mrs. Bigley, I assume, would fill. She never asked me to go on one of these assignments and I wondered why. Peggy wouldn't take a lingerie job thinking it was "Sleazy" but I got calls from major department stores which had to be on the level. Peggy got one job where she dressed up in hot pants and a little tank top and went from liquor store to liquor store, all the way from Chatsworth down to Long Beach hawking some new kind of booze called Gin Rummy! Now that was sleazy if you ask me!
One friday Mrs. Bigley called me into her office with two other girls and told us about an "Opportunity" that was scheduled for the next day. "You'll travel out to Vasquez Rocks with the Halem brothers. These guys call me from time to time and girls, they're really harmless. They want to photograph young girls and you'll get some great head shots and other stuff for your portfolio. It's really worth it. And...They always want you to pose in a bathing suit as well so please bring one."
Before anyone had a chance to ask she added "No, they don't work for a major magazine or anything. It's just for their fun but it's worth it for the experience of getting in front of a camera and posing, plus you'll get some good photos for your portfolio."
Mrs. Bigley had emphasized our portfolios and how important it was to have pictures available to show off how good you can look in different settings. We all agreed to go. They she added "Now, the Halem Brothers usually like to do a shoot out there at dawn, so you'll have to meet here at 5:30 A.M. tomorrow!" Yikes!
So I stumbled out of bed early the next day and met the other girls and the Halem Brothers in the parking lot of the modeling studio. They were older guys, like 50 or something, but they seemed OK. We drove out to Vasquez Rocks in their van and got there just as the sun was coming up. I'd brought a couple of outfits to pose in but there was no place to change! We ended up changing in the van while the brothers were busy setting up the cameras and stuff.
The boys were actually pretty good photographers and did their best to use the dramatic shadows the rocks provided to their best advantage. They shot one photo of me standing on top of a rock with my hand on my hip and the rising sun shining through the triangle my arm formed. Very "Artsy" I thought.
When the three of us had been photographed in all of our outfits, they asked us to change into our bathing suits. Amy and Sue, the other two girls had brought sexy little bikinis but I had nothing like that. Since I didn't have much "Upstairs" I rarely went out sunbathing anyway. So I had an old blue flowered one piece suit that I put on and went out to face the music. I have a very small bust but large firm nipples that are, I guess, kind of sexy in a way but they were simply lost in this one piece suit. Whatever I figured. I wasn't going to get much work modeling bikinis anyway.
"Looking good girls!" The brothers said. They shot all of us individually and then together. Ron made some comment about how my suit "Wasn't showing me off to my best advantage" but quickly went about posing me the best he could. He took a lot of shot of me from the rear, joking about how he wanted to capture my best "Asset." It took me a minute to get the joke.
It seemed like we were almost done when the brothers took us into the shade and spoke to us as a group. "Now girls, you don't have to do this but you should have some topless shots in your portfolios if you want to seriously compete for figure modeling. Most of the top models you see in magazines have such photos available so the clothing manufacturers can see exactly what you, well, have to offer."
Oh My god! Mrs. Bigley should have at least warned us about this! "No thank you." I said as tersely as I could. Honestly! What kind of cheap little sluts did they take us for. I walked directly to the van and climbed in.